A Rare Moment

I never would have thought that I'd choose to get up at 4:30 a.m. to run at 5:00 a.m. because running at 6 a.m. is too hot. Yesterday morning, I started running on Beach Road in the dark and still it was quite humid, but manageable. I don't bother checking the temperature because it's like checking to see if a check has bounced when there is nothing you can do about it. Why bother knowing that it's 90 degrees with 50% humidity because it's still *^#%@ hot. Serious runners keep track of these things to monitor their performance as obviously weather plays a part, but I am still at the point where it hurts regardless and I don't need to know in advance that it's going be harder to run on any given day. The run turned out to be great, except that I ran out of water halfway through. Besides my great run, here are some highlights and lowlights of my weekend:

• I met a card carrying Emirati. This was my first never ever having a casual conversation (in a bar by the way) with an Emirati he showed me his government card that shows his nationality. He correctly guessed my age and I told him that in my culture, you subtract 5 years whenever you are guessing a woman's age. He gave me his business card, so maybe I should contact him because I need to start somewhere at working my way into hanging out with the Ruling Family. This is where my Mom would start reminding me about the book "Not Without My Daughter.
  
• I bought a new pair of shoes to start replacing the moldy ones. I have to say that the upside of losing the shoes to the "mold massacre" is that I feel no guilt about buying a new pair of Clarks because I need them.
• I was grumpy today for no good reason except that I had a stomach ache and was feeling irritable about being at the mall. Dubai Jess couldn't handle the incompetency and the masses today.
  
• I got a pedicure at Mary Ann and decided I am done with that place. I should have just been done when they put hair dye on my scalp and when I complained that it was itching so badly that I needed to sit on my hands to not scratch it, I was told that maybe I had dandruff. I guess the fact that a portion of hair was somewhat bleached and was much lighter than the rest couldn't possible have meant that there was a problem.
  
• I baked pumpkin muffins.
• I organized all of my personal to-do items into a to-do folder and yet to do anything with the to-do folder. This is where we make ourselves feel better by saying that these organizational tasks are a process.
• I had a rare moment in Dubai. I walked to buy some water after my run because it would actually be more convenient and faster than driving. Plus, there was even a sidewalk. This never happens in Dubai!