My day off

I only worked until two p.m. on my day off. Somehow, the atmosphere felt very relaxed. In the afternoon, I wanted to check out the Radio Shack on Garden Street because I need a clock that tells accurate time. I saw one that I like - an atomic clock - but it was the floor model and was already broken. Most items that one buys in Amman are pre-broken for us. This clock was too far gone. The other models were nice and I may get one. I'm just hoping it is accurate. The store will call me tomorrow if they have one in stock at the other store.

From the outside, Radio Shack looks like a regular U.S. store. It has many brand-name products but everything was laid out on the floor. Some of these smaller stores do not realize that being tidy and organized helps with efficiency. I wish the same franchise standards could be used.

Many products, of any type, are inferior. Boxes are opened and the contents stuffed back in. I found the only one unopened box of Bounce laundry static-free sheets. The opened ones are fine, but I just want to buy something that feels right.

When I bought a Lemon clock from Ace Hardware, a U.S. company, I thought I did well. However, it is Chinese-made. Well the numbers are a great size, but the first clock was off by three minutes a day. The current clock is off by 1.5 minutes. You can't return them and get your money back. They will make sure you try every clock first before they give you a store credit. Well, I also discovered that if I wanted a clock that was in the 12-hour format, that would cost about 5 JD more. It is very difficult to buy exactly the item you want. Everything is close enough. It is just plain wasteful.

We are on a new search now. We are looking for electric blankets to warm us in the winter. We can't find any here and the nights get cold. Last night I had such a chill, but I think it was a low-level virus again. It is gone now, but I'll see if I'm better tonight because it will only be 10 Celsius.

No success of find gloves.

My drive to Radio Shack today was miserable. It is only about 7 kilometers away from where I live, but it took me 1.25 hours because of the protests. It was awfully miserable. I don't know why these drivers push on so forcefully. I saw many two-lane highways become three and then traffic doesn't move because everyone is jockeying to get ahead. No one does. Everything is slow down. And the people who are in the left land and make a right turn are incredibly abusive, but it is all too common an event. They see nothing wrong with it.

Two days ago, I drove to Abdoun-Sweifeih. I was very frustrated because I was extremely low on gas and I drove around for 45 minutes to locate a gas station. Against my will, I asked directions five times, and I was misled. Some areas of town have too many stations; this particular section of town does not want the stations to be in their neighborhood. How frustrating.

I drove on the scariest street to get to Radio Shack. My GPS gets me wherever I need, but I went down the steepest hill I've ever driven. It was very narrow and filled with holes. I thought I would tumble down and flip over.

Since my efforts to locate an artist warehouse on Mecca Street was fruitless, I went to City Mall. It is actually a decent mall in that many American stores are in it. I realize the American retailers make me feel at home even though I don't buy anything in them. I did find a decent bookstore, Virgin, and they also have some decent CDs and movies. I'll browse through them sometime, especially for Christmas music. I even entered a small hallmark. I was curious as to what I might find in their religious section, and it is mostly Christian.

I realize I still don't feel like I am home yet. My bedroom and office are sterile. I need a few living plants to give me the essence of life. I also need to attend to beauty. I can add decor that will make my places feel like I am adding my own style to them. I've identified a few things that will add a sparkle and personal touch to my place.

After leaving Radio Shack, I really had to use a toilet. I went into this one open office building and found a men's room. I'm glad number one was my only call, otherwise I would have had to squat without benefit of tissue. Then a few hours later when I was at City Mall, I was surprise not to find a water hose in the toilets. They were merely American style. I was very happy. O.K. T.M.I.

My office heating/air conditioner is now working. I'll survive the winter.

I'm going to a pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. That will be very nice. I think we are attending another dinner next week. Then on December 3rd, we are hosting a dinner in honor of Francis Xavier.   All in all everything's O.K. A few daily frustrations with a few daily graces.