We got quite a scare last night… Kinston swallowed a polyester Running Room sock. Whole. Sounds funny at first, but is in fact quite dangerous, you don’t know where the sock can bunch up or clog. And with him being still a young puppy, you don’t want to induce vomiting right away in case it doesn’t make it out and chokes him.
Sandy rushed to a vet hospital that was still open that evening and the vet said they would have to do an Xray to see where the sock was. Turns out the sock was still in the stomach, and they would be able to anesthetize him and “pull” the sock up. Kingston spent the night at the vet overnight and scheduled for the specialist first thing in the morning. When they gave him the first dose of the anesthetic, it make Kingston vomit… lo & behold, the Running Room moisture-wicking sock came up!
Spent the rest of the day sort-of groggy, but in good shape! We are thrilled that it worked out ok.
Break outchya lime-green Eldorado, polish dem gold teeth and get some fresh goldfish fo yo boots… it’s time to move to Dubai. Fo’ shizzle. The stats on my blog are revealing that there is a growing demand for prostitutes in Dubai, and therefore by extension, there is a booming business for pimps.
All I had was one little post about that one time at the Buddha Bar @ Grosvenor Hotel, and wouldn’t you know it, Fuzzy Cactus gets daily hits for people searching “dubai prostitutes” as keywords. Some are much raunchier than that.
So let this be a sign to all those in the biz, or those looking for a change of careers… there’s a lot drilling still to do in the desert.
oh and btw - those tricks are tax free. wa `Alaykumizzle As-Salāmizzle
The Thrifty car rental location in Denver has an uncanny knack for not being thrifty. Get this … I was here in November (’07) and was given a free upgrade to a Hummer. Wasn’t crazy about it, but figured I’d try it.
I am back in Denver this week, and this time I explicitly asked for a Prius or Yaris to avoid getting an H3. The lady, confused about my request, looks at her computer and says, “the smallest car I have for you is an Econoline.” An econoline? You must be kidding right?
So I waited a few minutes until they could get something else. I ended up with a Chrysler 300.
I think that next time I’m here I will ask for a bicycle… maybe then I’ll get something reasonable.
Frequent business travelers will know that being away from home sucks after a while. In my rental car, the only thing that’s common when in different cities is that I tune-in to the local Jack FM. (or whatever moniker the local mashup radio station uses).
This week in Calgary however, I can have a taste of home on the radio. It’s Calgary’s Q107 classic rock - with Terry DiMonte & Peppermint Patty! Normally hearing Rush’s Tom Sawyer that often on the radio would be enough to go postal, but there is something nice to hear their voices over the traditional frequency modulated airwaves. A little taste of Montreal right here in Flames territory.
What was missing? The Birdman’s Revisionist History with John Moore’s Joke Translator.
I am in Calgary this week and I couldn’t help but notice something that struck me as odd… electrical posts in parking lots!
All kidding aside - at hotels, businesses, store parking lots, there are posts with electrical outlets just standing there. Why? Those not used to the cold Canadian winter weather will wonder who wants to plug-in a coffee maker, or surprised that we have electric cars. Nope, no electric cars here, but plenty of electric block-heaters for your car’s engine.
Yessir, it gets so cold here so frequently, that the community feels it is necessary to provide free electricity for anyone who wants to keep their car’s engine nice and toasty. Being a Montrealer, I am familiar with the process, but we typically do it quite rarely and only at our homes. Then I realized that even my rental car came with a complementary extension cord. How thoughtful. Imagine doing this in California where brownouts are frequent… to keep your car’s air conditioning nice and frosty? Somehow I don’t think that would fly.
When I was in Dubai and Bahrain, do you know what I noticed they have in their parking lots for your car’s convenience? Canopies to shield your car from the scorching sun.
Get this - was looking at housing plans in “Falcon City”, one of the many massive developments around here. These residential areas are targeted and families, a “good place to raise a family”, yada yada yada. Curious, I went to the website : www.falconcity.com. Curious, I checked out the floor plans for the smallest housing offered in the Falcon City communities - 3/4/5 bedroom townhouses.
Each plan has BOTH a maid room AND a driver room. Each with their own bathroom.
Yeah. And the US thinks they exploit south-american workers? Ha. Not even close.
Sounds odd, I know… but the oldest profession around was sure to be found here in Dubai - and I wasn’t even looking. Dubai is definitely a freaky place — contrasts in every direction. Like I’ve told you guys before, traveling along on business is not always the glitz & glamour some think it is - most of the time you are alone in random hotel bars having a drink trying to make bad conversation with bartenders.
Today was a little different. Having had too many meals from room service at my hotel, Radisson SAS Media City, it was suggested to me to check out the Buddha Bar at the Grosvenor House, so I went. Nice bar - really fun vibe, but I did not want to sit at a table alone eating a late dinner, so I hung out by the bar. No way I could eat though… too many people. Anyway, back to the title… prostitutes in Dubai. I don’t frequent bars/clubs that often, but there was something about the look this one girl at the bar was giving guys, including me. Felt odd. A keen observer, I couldn’t help but notice the dude next to her - an Arabic pimp if I’ve ever seen one. Not that he had goldfish in his boots, but he seemed “close” to the girl, but almost wanting her to make a move.
Enter Ben & Simon. Start chatting with these two guys who came to the bar to get a drink, one of them clearly past his first drink, and looking to shag… soon. Funny how both me and the girl could see this …. next thing you know, she’s chatting him up. Bit later he gets up close and I hear,
Drunk guy: “So let’s cut the bullshit out. Are you coming back with me to my hotel room?”
Creepy chick whispers to him.
Drunk guy: “Two thousand is too much.”
Creepy chick whispers to him.
Drunk guy: “No seriously… less. Two thousand is too much.
Creepy chick moves on to next target.
Turns out drunk guy’s friend I’m chatting with says that you wouldn’t believe the stuff that goes around… hasn’t seen stuff like that outside Thailand and other south-east Asian areas. Nutz.
oh … and walking out of the bar at 1am, you should have seen the skimpy dressed “pitounes” hanging off the arms of a few arab guys as they entered the Lamborghini and three Ferrari (yeah, 3!) that the valet guys were rounding up.
Kingston had his first visit to the vet yesterday evening, and we now have his official weight @ 3 Months Old : 14.7 lbs / 6.69 kg.
Not much else to report, other than he’s the first dog at the vet to have climbed up onto the window-sill of the examination room. Other than that, clean bill of health.
Woke up this morning to about 8 inches of snow on the balcony. Kingston, who just managed to walk down stairs, was puzzled by this mountain of fluffy white stuff that was making his trip down the steps much more challenging than a few hours earlier. He loves the snow, definitely less distraught by it than his masters, who were shoveling the car out.
So, to try and bring a bit of warmth to this cold, snow-filled Montreal, listen to Funky Kingston by Toots and the Maytals…
Yes, on November 19th we adopted a 2 month old puppy from the Montreal SPCA; his name is Kingston - a Shepard/Husky. Based on the fur colours, we suspect he’s an Australian Shepard & American Eskimo mix. His fur is amazingly soft and cuddly - odd, because his brothers had a straight-fur similar to a Doberman or Boxer’s. Here are some pictures of Kingston on his first days home.
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