Tulum

We've been back from Mexico for over a week now, but neither of us is back on Dubai time yet. I blame this on our unconscious will not to have returned at all-- we'd rather still be in Mexico, and as a result our bodies are refusing to cooperate. We've been counteracting this problem with a box, yes a box, of red wine that was left over from a baby shower. I don't quite understand drinking at a baby shower, as the guest of honor is well under 21, but maybe that's why I've never been invited to one, I'm a stick in the mud. Our hefty box of "Rain Dance Red," which really isn't bad at all, helps a tad when combined with generic tylenol PM, although this has proven to be a perilous combination. There's been quite a bit of trial and error as we've tried to re-set our internal clocks, and this weekend we initially found ourselves rather wired by these over the counter pills (may cause sleep disturbances) until we ultimately crashed out until almost 3pm the next day.

I don't think I can describe how excellent our trip was, because at the moment, rather than sustaining us, it just makes us more home sick. Still, getting away from Dubai has improved my conception of just what a grand adventure this has been, and continues to be. As reported in the news, these are financially uncertain times in the Gulf, although saying so in print might be illegal in certain countries. One thing that I know first hand, is that enduring lay-offs is hard on the remaining staff, as they're often short handed and saddled with a form of survivor's guilt as the unnatural selection practiced by managers can be terribly confusing. Typically, social outcasts and non-performing office pariahs will flesh out the first wave-- but from there it gets murky. Sometimes, they prey on the old, whose 3% annual salary increases have added up quite handsomely over their 90 odd years of faithful service. So yes, let's get rid of these people, if they had any salt they'd have climbed the ladder long ago, probably by landing a better gig at a competing outfit. Then there's the contrarian, while his or her voice of dissent may have been sharp and atonal at times, he or she likely made a few good points as well, which made someone look bad. Gone. And so on and so forth. If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the gas bags who inevitably drag meetings that should have lasted 15 minutes into the one hour plus territory. These are the people who will debate the merits of inane details, like whether to use a zero or a one as a placeholder in a database, until actual pressing matters, lunch for instance, ultimately close the meeting with  the ridiculous debate still looming. These narcissistic vocalists are seldom laid off, because unlike the contrarian, they're always coming up with solutions. The problem, in my opinion, is that the solutions are usually inane and create more unnecessary work for support staff, serving mainly as a platform for their braying and bickering. These are the people who make you want to get laid off.

I should be quick to add, these are my experiences, not my wife's. She happens to work with a pretty incredible group of people at the moment, and as I understand it, their meetings are quite brief. And yet, given the slowdown, this is a stressful time and I'm sure it's been difficult to watch people cleaning out their desks. For me, I can't say that my freelance assignments have slowed yet, but I have noticed that ad pages are way down, and that's hardly a good sign. I'm not in a position to be let go per se, but the work certainly could dry up. I imagine, that as hiring is frozen at nearly every UAE publisher, the need for freelancers will remain relatively static as long as the titles remain active. I guess we'll see what happens.