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All posts for the month February, 2012

Rain in the East on Liberation day.

Posted by wcrowlandksr on February 25, 2012
Posted in: Life In The Sandbox.

You wouldn’t think it rains in the middle east…wrongo!  Today it rained….a lot!
Why must the rains follow me?

The locals didn’t let this wet weather ruin their independence day fun though.
They celebrated right on through it all.  In fact they are still going strong even as I write this blog.

Yes, it’s the local Independence day where the U.S. liberated the country.

I’m from, the pacific northwest.  It rains there…you will see my posts on this topic elsewhere in my blog.
This is a natural disaster here, I’m thinking.
The locals aren’t too familiar with this freakish phenomenon known as rain.
They turn their hazard lights on when driving.  I think it’s for two purposes, better visibility and traction.

….Strange place, this part of the world..

The Camel Flogger 5000

Posted by wcrowlandksr on February 22, 2012
Posted in: Life In The Sandbox.

Ok, I can see that I have plenty to learn about the middle east but this is hilarious.
Today, I’m out at the mall having a drink and getting a little intro to some of the culture here and the topic of camel jockeys comes up.

Now before you whiny people start barking about the ethical treatment of animals I’m just gonna say it…I don’t care about your agenda and these animals are not flogged any differently than if an actual jockey was riding on the camel in question….except the beatings are applied with a touch of a remote control button.

Seems that the good people of the United Arab Empire races camels somewhat like we race horses on america.  The difference here is that we still have an actual jockey on the horse but the Arabs have a “robot” strapped to the camel and it has a little whip that spins on a shaft and it flogs the camel, thusly “encouraging” it to run.  I thought the name of the “Camel Flogger 5000” was fitting.  I can think of many uses for the Camel Flogger 5000.  Unruly kids?  Try the Camel Flogger 5000 or C.F. 5000 for short.  Students getting out of hand I. Class and minimal classroom interruptions are important?  C.F. 5000 gets the job done.  Got a spoiled brat posting videos on You Tube criticizing your parenting skills and you are out of .45 caliber laptop killing rounds?  Camel Flogger 5000 to the rescue.

Here’s a look at a video I found on the subject.

Square Goldfish

Posted by wcrowlandksr on February 15, 2012
Posted in: General Ramblings, Life In The Sandbox.

Sounds like a strange post doesn’t it..I mean there’s no such thing as a square goldfish…is there?

Some fish grow sizewise to fit the environment they live in…to a degree.  As a kid, I thought it would be funny to put a goldfish in a small aquarium with pictures of aquatic plants all around the tank.  I thought the fish would grow to accomodate the perceived larger tank size and become square…yeah I had some free time.

These days I have been feeling like a square goldfish.  Most of my life I had moved around a lot and never before had I stayed in one place for so long as where I live now.  I have worked in many unique places and have enjoyed a satisfying career working for some major corporations but the hometown life has been a bit difficult.  Living in a small town has some advantages but after a while it can feel as if the walls are closing in.  In my case, my town is surrounded by water and it starts feeling as if there is no where to go and not much to do sometimes.  Couple that feeling with the need to commute a good distance to make decent money and suddenly life becomes too focused on getting to work and back to make the commute worth it.  But there is a balance though.  Find a job that pays well enough to afford to enjoy life and have a few hobbies while not spending too much of your time getting to and from the job.

These thoughts have brought me to a new view on how to resolve my feeling boxed in.  Recently I have been afforded the opportunity to spend some time in another part of the world working on an ongoing project that I think may be the breath of fresh air I need.  Time will tell…quickly.  If all goes well, I hope to shed that boxed in feeling and gain a new and improved perspective of the world.  Maybe when I return, home will be a place of rest before the next adventure.

Welcome to Team Sandbox

Posted by wcrowlandksr on February 5, 2012
Posted in: Life In The Sandbox. Leave a comment

So I got the news last week.  “We’d like to offer you a position as a …”  Come be a part of Team Sandbox.  Sweet news in the face of the awesome job market our illustrious leaders have contributed to here in the States….That last part is sarcasm in case you haven’t guessed.  I am looking forward to the job though.  It should be fun and interesting too.  I will have to come back and write more when I am not so tired but at least I have the start of a post.