Taking heat

OK, Sheikh. You win. It IS hot as hell here and I'll just have to take it like a man, albeit a shriveled dessicated version of my former self.

Hard to describe the experience of walking out of the office in the evening. Even at 7pm, there is a hot breeze blowing the 115 degree F air right at you, so it's the equivaent of walking from a chilled meat locker into a convection oven. Another 10 degrees and I'm ready to be basted, carved, and plated.

The open secret is that the weather forecasters fail to report temperatures greater than 45 Centigrade, when the average person knows that it's often 50 or more at noon around here. But heck, who really cares? I now understand why the Emirati outfit of choice is the dishdash.

Had dinner outdoors last night with the son of one of my college roommates. Buck was passing thru on his way from the Maldives to Milan, part of a project for his master's program at MIT. Took him to the Dubai Mall waterfront esplanade, where we feasted on Lebanese specialties and watched the spectacular water fountain show (take that, Vegas !!). Life can feel pretty cool, even at 100 degrees.