The Sojourner

With the advent of 2012, I am discounting the price of my first ebook from $4.99 to $2.99.  Sales were up during 'Buy an eBook Week' in early March, so I have decided on a permanent price reduction.  Now, those of you who have procrastinated in acquiring a copy may go out and download today.  The best site to find my book is https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44005

When you read the adventure, please join this blog and post your comments.  I am working on the sequel to The Fire Erzu of Qi' Lam now.  Since I am creating the new manuscript for you, I want to be aware of your likes and dislikes.  Keep me informed with your feedback.

Enjoy the adventures of the Loxu in The Fire Erzu of Qi' Lam!  Cheers!

In the end of October, we enjoyed spirited automobile racing at the DeSoto Super Speedway near Bradenton, Florida.  The races took place at night on a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) long track with a 12 degree bank.  Most of the competitors and spectators were local 'Good Ol' Boys' from Manatee and the adjacent counties. [For your information, a 'Good Ol' Boy' is defined in 'How To Speak Southern' as a fellow who enjoys corn liquor, boon companions, and buxom women but not necessarily in that order.]  The evening was full of noise, beer, stadium food, and colorful fans...A real hoot!

The races included a number of classes including trucks, cars of yesteryear, bombers, outlaw modified, sprint cars, and school buses.  The most entertaining were the latter two.


Sprint cars are extremely lightweight, open-frame vehicles with large power-to-weight ratios.  They reach speeds of up to 140 mph (225 kph) with engines that output around 630 bhp (470 kwh)!  They are so stripped down that they have no starters or batteries and have to be pushed to crank.  The cars race with an alcohol fuel that is mechanically fuel injected into the engine.  For safety, they have a roll cage and the enormous wing.  The wing holds the car down onto the track and is outfitted with sideboards that help with cornering.  The wing also provides protection to the driver in the event of a rollover.  The sprint cars were undoubtedly the loudest, smelliest, and fastest vehicles racing that night.  I am proud to say that my nephew, Greg Alexander, is an emerging star of sprint car racing in California.  We wish him the best of luck and safe racing!



Behind the truck in the foreground was one of the competitors in the school bus race.  The bus race is always saved for end of the night.  The buses have all of the seats removed and the driver is enclosed in a protective cage.  The unique feature of this particular event is that the buses compete on a figure-eight track.  As they progress through the twenty-five laps, there are hair-raising near misses between the leaders and the stragglers at the intersection in the course.  All the spectators were out of their seats throughout this race because it was very exciting watching the big vehicles blasting along at breakneck speeds.



The night of racing coincided with the holiday of Halloween.  To mark the occasion, the drivers parked their cars in front of the grandstand and passed out candy and treats to the kids, who came in costume.  There was a costume contest as well and the winners received trophies that were similar to those awarded to the victors of the races.  It was great fun!  It also filled the stands with parents and their children which provided a change from the usual hard-core racing crowd.

Most of the world is familiar with the major sporting venues of the United States; however, the local and regional competitions like motor sport events and minor league baseball provide visitors with unique insight into the American culture.  I highly recommend attending if you are able.

We are please to announce the advent of Firehawk Designs, where we create furniture and interior appointments for homes, offices, and yachts.  You are invited to visit our site on Facebook to learn more about us and to peruse photographs of past projects.

Our studio is a continuation of the type of work that I did during my time in the Middle East.  Even though the U.S. economy is weak, people are still improving their homes and boats through re-modeling and upgrading.  What we do is provide alternatives and solutions that are beyond the offerings of commercial retailers.  To date, we have received a very positive response to our offerings.

One of our hallmarks is our flexibility.  Since we are a relatively small operation, we may travel to your project to assess your wishes.  We may create your pieces with one of our local shops.  However, we shall also work with your interior designer and/or your cabinetmaker, if you are most comfortable with this arrangement.  We tailor our input to your requirements.

We would welcome your patronage, your referral to friends and family, and/or your endorsement to the building contractors and interior design professionals with whom you work.

After five weeks back in the States, I am feeling like a Yank again for the most part.  It has been good to awaken on my own instead of being prompted by the calling of the muezzin at the nearby mosque to join in morning salah (prayer).  The weather in Florida has been pleasantly mild compared to the Emirates.  Daytime highs here have been around 90 degrees Frank with fifty percent humidity instead of 40 degrees Carl (104 degrees Frank) with the same or more humidity.

One of the major adjustments has been to the "measurement thing".  The U.S.A. is so big and powerful and so far away from everywhere else that it can keep its Olde English Imperial units.  After living and breathing the metric system for two years, I find that I am constantly converting from kilometers to miles and from degrees Carl to degrees Frank.  If I am still here in a couple of months, I shall probably be able to think like an American once again.

The other change that I am encountering is going from British to American.  There were very few Yanks in the Emirates, so I often found myself defending the U.S.A. against the onslaught of quips from Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis.  It was all in good fun, but now I am in the process of purging the elements of the Queen's English that have made their way into my vocabulary.  I was looking at a print ad for a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and I found myself mentally pronouncing it as "Zed Nought Six".  I have a ways to go.

A significant difference concerns money.  With greenbacks in my wallet again, I have to stop thinking about values in dirhams.  In the Emirates, dollars were referred to in the news media but the most common foreign currency was definitely the Euro.  A unique feature of the U.S. dollars is that all of the notes are virtually the same color.  This is quite unique.  In most countries that I have visited, different denominations have distinct colors.  This helps illiterate residents and daft foreigners immensely since it is much easier to pass a clerk "two blue ones and one red one" instead of the actual face value.

Most Westerners who drove in Arabia described the drivers with adjectives like lunatics and idiots.  They confessed how they felt that they were endangering life and limb whenever they got into the car.  My immediate impression after two years in the Emirates is that driving is much more dynamic there than in the U.S. and Europe.  Here, we spend our time on the road going from one traffic stop to another.  It seems that we are standing still more than moving ahead.  In the U.A.E., there are relatively few traffic lights and numerous roundabouts so intersections seldom represent stop-and-go situations.  Traffic flow is controlled with huge speed bumps.  It was not an ideal system but it seemed to progress better.

My day-to-day existence since my return has been working on our house, looking for a new gig, and promoting my newly published book.  I have been incredibly busy.  I am ready to launch into a new routine wherever life decides to lead me.  My friends who have read my book have optimistically told me that I may be able to stay at home and write for a living.  Realistically, I believe that I shall be back in a job here or abroad.  I am fine with most scenarios so long as I can continue having adventures and am able to spend time with my wife and family.

My gig in Dubai has ended rather abruptly and I am heading back to America soon.  The company for which I have worked had a couple of big projects 'go South', so senior management is having me 'go West' back to the States along with my salary.

Before returning to the U.S.A., I thought that it would be best if I explored job options here in the Emirates.  Ship construction is virtually dead here unless you are building a dhow like this one.



Keeping an open mind, I thought that it would be best to investigate employment options in other fields.

This seemed to be a position that offered plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and all the salt that you could use, but the benefits and compensation were lacking.

I thought that working with animals may be an interesting change.  However, the smell that you acquire by living in a close proximity to camels compromises your social options with humans.


The water taxis seemed to be a way to stay in boating but with a fare of one dirham per ride it would take many trips to pay the mortgage.  Besides, my fluency in Malayalam and Tamil is not adequate to converse with the other watermen.

I shall have to cast my fate to the world market once again.  I have opportunities to explore in the States and abroad.  I shall miss many of the people with whom I have worked and flown during my tenure but I should be able to keep up with them through e-mail and Facebook.  I have had a good run for the last two years and enjoyed the adventure.  Although the Emirates have not had any insurrection, my family will be glad to have me home, since I have been in living in an unstable part of the world.

Many are familiar with this expression.  American television has many offerings showing custom shops modifying vintage Chevies, Honda Civics, BMW's, AMG Mercedes, and a whole range of other automobiles.  Since the car is as much a vehicle for self-expression as for transport, it has become the perfect medium for many to demonstrate their creativity.

Here in Dubai, we have a good number of decked-out German automobiles and SUV's that you could view in the parking lot of any mall or nightclub.  However, we have an influence from the sub-continent due to large number of ex-patriot Indian citizens.  Their expressionism takes on a different form.




Virtually all of the 'pimped' vehicles are trucks.  They may be seen plying the roads loaded with everything from camels to freight.  Some of you may think that this has the flavor of Mexican ornamentation.  However, the tassels and sheet metal are distinctly eastern and some have religious significance.  It is great to see how the drivers personalize their utilitarian rides.

Remember that many of the commercial haulers are not limited to the roads here in the Emirates.  Self-expression extends to the waterways.


Since many waterman both live and work on the dhows, 'pimping their ride' is also a form of home beautification.