What is one of the great losses of expat living in Dubai? American Football!

First touchdown of the inaugural Desert Bowl Game

is scored by the Abu Dhabi Wildcats.

“Who let the dogs out!” Or, should that be camels?

Guess what my lovely husband Roger finds in Dubai? American football! What a great surprise for poor football-starved Roger.

One of the great losses of expat life in Dubai is watching a good American football game. 

The Best of the Boomer Blogs

It must be getting close to the Ides of March, the day Caesar was assassinated, because this time around the entries for Best of Boomer Blogs seem to be slouching toward more serious subjects. Laura Lee, the Midlife Crisis Queen, was pleased to see a difficult topic confronted on "60 Minutes" Sunday:  Suicide – a topic that inspired her to write her new book Find Your Reason to Be Here: The Search for Meaning in Midlife. 

Our consumer journalist Rita R. Robinson writes about Six ways to be a better shopper.  Katie Foster at Arabian Tales has a great book for female boomers who have attained that "seasoned age." Mental Pause is a journey through a truly treacherous menopausal experience, written by global nomad and freelance author Anne O'Connell, it is a "must read" for every woman experiencing or about to experience this dreaded rite of passage.

 Meanwhile, Lisa Garon Froman of Tao Flashes writes about  A Woman's Way to Navigating the Midlife Journey with Integrity, Harmony and Grace. Finally, Sara Cornell of Life After Married takes a look at what to do when you know something you wish you didn't know . . . do you share it with someone or just try to forget it?

And this week’s host, Tom at Sightings Over Sixty, says if it's getting toward the Ides of March, then spring is around the corner. There will be no more snow, I guarantee it! There you have it! READ ON!

Mental Pause . . . . A Tempestuous Journey through Menopause

Do you think your menopausal searing hot flashes, tumultuous mood swings and nasty irritable behavior are bad? Nothing compares to the hell that Abbie experiences as she wades through a truly treacherous menopausal journey.

Global nomad, expat and freelance writer Anne O’ Connell has written a “must read” novel for every woman experiencing or about to experience this dreaded “rite of passage.”  

Mental Pause launches today, March 8th, International Women’s Day. All proceeds from today’s sales will benefit her favorite charity Room to Read that supports literacy programs in developing countries by building libraries, publishing local language children’s books and providing scholarships for girls.

You can purchase your copy at Amazon . . . or Anne is offering a signed PDF copy on her website.

Grocery Shopping in Dubai . . . A Never-ending Scavenger Hunt

Oh Dubai! How I love the adventure of living with you! 

The thrill of navigating your roads, the adrenalin-pumping gauntlet of your bureaucratic mazes, the tongue-twisting test of translating your many English dialects  . . . and the adventure of foraging for groceries! 

Life is a never-ending adventure here!

When one relocates to a new locale, it doesn't have to be as exotic as Dubai just any ordinary city will do, it is always a challenge to locate the right outlets to purchase the food stuffs with which you love to cook. In my case, we are talking American food products.

Be you a lowly beginner, a seasoned chef or an intrepid food explorer we all face the same dilemma. Where do you find the ingredients for that most perfect dish that makes your family sing your praises?

Read on, you will be very surprised to learn what is the hardest product to find in Dubai!

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - One of the most talked about attractions in the world!

Official image of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

It seems quite a lot of people agree with me that the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the most wonderful places on this earth!

Just this week the UAE newspapers reported that users of TripAdvisor ranked it as number 16 on the list of the top most talked about attractions in the world. It joins the ranks of such iconic global sites as Sydney Harbor, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Central Park in New York City. 

What makes it so special?

The Best of the Boomer Blogs

This week’s Best of Boomer Blogs offers information on travel from a snowbird's trip to Florida to an iconic mosque in the Middle East. And how beneficial is optimism at your age? Read about the Science of Optimism and Resilience. There is talk that the boomer bulls and bears are both suffering their own special water torture but if you are 92 years old looking forward not back may just be the ticket! And sometimes the good guys do win. Recent legal settlements ruled in favored the "little people" in an environmental disaster and in a security fraud case.  Have a great day!

Battle of the Chefs - Who is Dubai's Top Chef?

"Battle of the Chefs"
Nineteen at The Address Montgomerie

Ok. So I admit it! I am a rabid foodie – a person having an overly zealous interest in food.

I love Food! I love to read about it, I love to shop for it, I love to experiment with it, I love to cook it and I really love to eat it!

I love nothing better than to slosh around my kitchen trying out new dishes, new techniques and/or new ingredients. And God bless Roger for willingly eating the good, the bad and the ugly.

So when my friend Theresa Dommett invites us to Dubai’s “Battle of the Chefs.” faster than Emerile Lagasse can say “BAM, I accept!”  

“Roger, we have another adventure!” I proudly announce. “We are going to watch the top chefs in Dubai battle it out in the kitchen and then we get to taste and judge their unique creations just like the Iron Chef on TV.”  Words cannot express his delight!