Saturday, April 13
Apr. 14th, 2024 01:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
A gorgeous day, warm enough for wearing just a shirt.
A fairly relaxed start to the day, but still planning something nice to wear to the city. I wore a nice "boho" patchwork skirt (I got a really nice compliment on this skirt when we were walking around in the city).
On our way to the city, R was texting me with a bunch of questions about our X-Terra, as she is considering it as a vehicle for their daughter. We were literally about three miles away from the barn, so we decided just to stop in so she could ask my husband directly.
We chatted with R for a while as she was grooming a dog (she literally works the equivalent of two almost full time jobs, she grooms dogs all morning and until about 2 or 3pm, then does riding lessons and training until 8pm.). They sounded very interested, so what we'll do is drive it over there and leave it with them for a week or whatever, so they can have R's mechanically inclined Dad look it over, and they have a chance to drive it.
I would definitely want them to have every opportunity to make sure it's the right vehicle. I also hope it is reliable enough for their needs, as I would feel personally responsible if it weren't. We're certainly being as honest as we can about it's condition and work we've done on it.
I thought this weekend was the "witch" market, (crystals and fun things), but it turns out it is NEXT weekend. We'll just have to try again.
We still had a very good day, walking around and just enjoying being outside wearing nice "town clothes". I popped my head into a nice consignment shop and found some things. My husband found a nice shirt on deep clearance at Patagonia (their original prices are absolutely insane, his shirt was 70% off, and THAT was still what I would have expected to pay for a shirt, not the original price!).
We had a fun meal at the same vegan place as last time, and got to sit pretty much by ourselves near the window facing the street. The window has a decal that you can see through from inside, but people can't see you inside, which makes people watching more fun. There's always such a wide variety of people in such interesting clothes in the city.
Our server was very colorful, and maybe "broke the fourth wall" a bit too much, but still. It's fun to interact with unusual people. He has worked on various film sets with catering and some other service roles (our city has an established film industry, with good places for filming), and met some pretty famous people. He is also an aspiring screenplay writer.
Then we just walked around the neighborhood for awhile.
We came home and ended up just chatting and watching ancient cartoons on Youtube. They are amazingly funny to me as an adult, stuff like Bugs Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn, and especially Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner. It's partly nostalgia, but partly the different perspective, like what it must have been like for those voice people to be in a room together, or writing those ridiculous scripts. Bugs Bunny especially had such an incredible wit to it, it's incredible to think they were written for kids. Have you ever paid any attention to the incredibly weird landscapes in those old cartoons? They were fantastic! Like Salvadore Dali paintings.
It's also kind of incredible that after being with my husband for about 25 years that we still hold hands and talk intently with each other while waiting for our food at a restaurant and just walk around and talk all day long, and still come home and talk some more. That's a pretty special thing to have in our lives.
Oman is also on the Arabian Peninsula, and has coastline on the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. It's capital is the city of Muscat, thought to be the place of origin of Muscat grapes/wine.
It has a long history of being inhabited, and was a big source of Frankincense (from the desert shrubs that grow there). For many centuries it was inhabited by Arabian tribes. People who herded animals, hunted, fished, and farmed.
In the 7th century, the region came into contact with Islam, which became it's main religion.
"During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Omani coast was in the sphere of influence of the Seljuk Empire. They were expelled in 1154, when the Nabhani dynasty came to power.[57] The Nabhanis ruled as muluk, or kings, while the Imams were reduced to largely symbolic significance. The capital of the dynasty was Bahla.[58] The Banu Nabhan controlled the trade in frankincense on the overland route via Sohar to the Yabrin oasis, and then north to Bahrain, Baghdad and Damascus.[59] The mango-tree was introduced to Oman during the time of Nabhani dynasty, by ElFellah bin Muhsin.[31][60] The Nabhani dynasty started to deteriorate in 1507 when Portuguese colonisers captured the coastal city of Muscat, and gradually extended their control along the coast up to Sohar in the north and down to Sur in the southeast"
Then it was under Portuguese influence, seems like kind of protecting the country so they could use it's trade routes, and the Portuguese did fight against Ottomans, as well as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company to maintain it's control of that area.
The Ottoman Empire did briefly take over, but then it was ruled by the Yaruba Imams from 1624–1744, at which time the Persians moved in, but not with any great authority. They were overthrown by the Omanis, and then it was a series of elected Imams.
Then it was a British Protectorate in 1891.
All the way now to WW I , which Oman did not exactly fight in. Instead, they had more of an internal war called the Muscat Rebellion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat_rebellion
Oman in WWII was still tied to Britain, and was very important to the British because of it's trade routes.
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/an-enduring-relationship-a-history/oman-and-the-second-world-war/#:~:text=Oman%20occupied%20a%20strategically%20important,by%20the%20Second%20World%20War.
Oman gained independence from the British in 1951.
It is dry, rocky desert, and very hot over all. It has lots of desert creatures like gazelles and oryx and foxes, and birds of prey.
Not so good to be a cat or a dog there: "ocal and national entities have noted unethical treatment of animals in Oman. In particular, stray dogs (and to a lesser extent, stray cats) are often the victims of torture, abuse or neglect.[133] The only approved method of decreasing the stray dog population is shooting by police officers. The Oman government has refused to implement a spay and neuter programme or create any animal shelters in the country. Cats, while seen as more acceptable than dogs, are viewed as pests and frequently die of starvation or illness.[134][135]"
The country is an absolute monarchy, with a Sultan. It is considered to be a "not free" country. Women have few rights or protections. Homosexuality is a crime. Torture, beatings, and censorship of the media, and so on. Not good at all.
Oman pretty much entirely depends on the oil industry, though some small, feeble attempts are being made to diversify. Believe it or not, one of the main areas of growth is....tourism. Yup. Isn't that weird? What if you accidentally committed a crime there? Yikes!
There is also the fishing industry, and fruit crops (a big producer of dates).
From a tactical perspective, Oman has a peninsula that extends out into the Persian gulf, creating only a tiny gap for ALL SHIPPING in and out of the Persian Gulf. This is the Straight of Hormuz, and it is very important as far as shipping and trade routes, and you can imagine how important it would be in wartime. Partly because of the oil and gas leaving for export.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman
https://youtu.be/mw-gmjzN4Fw?si=BNHx9IPv4ykKBp5h
A gorgeous day, warm enough for wearing just a shirt.
A fairly relaxed start to the day, but still planning something nice to wear to the city. I wore a nice "boho" patchwork skirt (I got a really nice compliment on this skirt when we were walking around in the city).
On our way to the city, R was texting me with a bunch of questions about our X-Terra, as she is considering it as a vehicle for their daughter. We were literally about three miles away from the barn, so we decided just to stop in so she could ask my husband directly.
We chatted with R for a while as she was grooming a dog (she literally works the equivalent of two almost full time jobs, she grooms dogs all morning and until about 2 or 3pm, then does riding lessons and training until 8pm.). They sounded very interested, so what we'll do is drive it over there and leave it with them for a week or whatever, so they can have R's mechanically inclined Dad look it over, and they have a chance to drive it.
I would definitely want them to have every opportunity to make sure it's the right vehicle. I also hope it is reliable enough for their needs, as I would feel personally responsible if it weren't. We're certainly being as honest as we can about it's condition and work we've done on it.
I thought this weekend was the "witch" market, (crystals and fun things), but it turns out it is NEXT weekend. We'll just have to try again.
We still had a very good day, walking around and just enjoying being outside wearing nice "town clothes". I popped my head into a nice consignment shop and found some things. My husband found a nice shirt on deep clearance at Patagonia (their original prices are absolutely insane, his shirt was 70% off, and THAT was still what I would have expected to pay for a shirt, not the original price!).
We had a fun meal at the same vegan place as last time, and got to sit pretty much by ourselves near the window facing the street. The window has a decal that you can see through from inside, but people can't see you inside, which makes people watching more fun. There's always such a wide variety of people in such interesting clothes in the city.
Our server was very colorful, and maybe "broke the fourth wall" a bit too much, but still. It's fun to interact with unusual people. He has worked on various film sets with catering and some other service roles (our city has an established film industry, with good places for filming), and met some pretty famous people. He is also an aspiring screenplay writer.
Then we just walked around the neighborhood for awhile.
We came home and ended up just chatting and watching ancient cartoons on Youtube. They are amazingly funny to me as an adult, stuff like Bugs Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn, and especially Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner. It's partly nostalgia, but partly the different perspective, like what it must have been like for those voice people to be in a room together, or writing those ridiculous scripts. Bugs Bunny especially had such an incredible wit to it, it's incredible to think they were written for kids. Have you ever paid any attention to the incredibly weird landscapes in those old cartoons? They were fantastic! Like Salvadore Dali paintings.
It's also kind of incredible that after being with my husband for about 25 years that we still hold hands and talk intently with each other while waiting for our food at a restaurant and just walk around and talk all day long, and still come home and talk some more. That's a pretty special thing to have in our lives.
Oman is also on the Arabian Peninsula, and has coastline on the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. It's capital is the city of Muscat, thought to be the place of origin of Muscat grapes/wine.
It has a long history of being inhabited, and was a big source of Frankincense (from the desert shrubs that grow there). For many centuries it was inhabited by Arabian tribes. People who herded animals, hunted, fished, and farmed.
In the 7th century, the region came into contact with Islam, which became it's main religion.
"During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Omani coast was in the sphere of influence of the Seljuk Empire. They were expelled in 1154, when the Nabhani dynasty came to power.[57] The Nabhanis ruled as muluk, or kings, while the Imams were reduced to largely symbolic significance. The capital of the dynasty was Bahla.[58] The Banu Nabhan controlled the trade in frankincense on the overland route via Sohar to the Yabrin oasis, and then north to Bahrain, Baghdad and Damascus.[59] The mango-tree was introduced to Oman during the time of Nabhani dynasty, by ElFellah bin Muhsin.[31][60] The Nabhani dynasty started to deteriorate in 1507 when Portuguese colonisers captured the coastal city of Muscat, and gradually extended their control along the coast up to Sohar in the north and down to Sur in the southeast"
Then it was under Portuguese influence, seems like kind of protecting the country so they could use it's trade routes, and the Portuguese did fight against Ottomans, as well as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company to maintain it's control of that area.
The Ottoman Empire did briefly take over, but then it was ruled by the Yaruba Imams from 1624–1744, at which time the Persians moved in, but not with any great authority. They were overthrown by the Omanis, and then it was a series of elected Imams.
Then it was a British Protectorate in 1891.
All the way now to WW I , which Oman did not exactly fight in. Instead, they had more of an internal war called the Muscat Rebellion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat_rebellion
Oman in WWII was still tied to Britain, and was very important to the British because of it's trade routes.
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/an-enduring-relationship-a-history/oman-and-the-second-world-war/#:~:text=Oman%20occupied%20a%20strategically%20important,by%20the%20Second%20World%20War.
Oman gained independence from the British in 1951.
It is dry, rocky desert, and very hot over all. It has lots of desert creatures like gazelles and oryx and foxes, and birds of prey.
Not so good to be a cat or a dog there: "ocal and national entities have noted unethical treatment of animals in Oman. In particular, stray dogs (and to a lesser extent, stray cats) are often the victims of torture, abuse or neglect.[133] The only approved method of decreasing the stray dog population is shooting by police officers. The Oman government has refused to implement a spay and neuter programme or create any animal shelters in the country. Cats, while seen as more acceptable than dogs, are viewed as pests and frequently die of starvation or illness.[134][135]"
The country is an absolute monarchy, with a Sultan. It is considered to be a "not free" country. Women have few rights or protections. Homosexuality is a crime. Torture, beatings, and censorship of the media, and so on. Not good at all.
Oman pretty much entirely depends on the oil industry, though some small, feeble attempts are being made to diversify. Believe it or not, one of the main areas of growth is....tourism. Yup. Isn't that weird? What if you accidentally committed a crime there? Yikes!
There is also the fishing industry, and fruit crops (a big producer of dates).
From a tactical perspective, Oman has a peninsula that extends out into the Persian gulf, creating only a tiny gap for ALL SHIPPING in and out of the Persian Gulf. This is the Straight of Hormuz, and it is very important as far as shipping and trade routes, and you can imagine how important it would be in wartime. Partly because of the oil and gas leaving for export.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman
https://youtu.be/mw-gmjzN4Fw?si=BNHx9IPv4ykKBp5h
no subject
Date: 2024-04-16 02:36 am (UTC)The old WB cartoons were not created for children; they were shown as shorts in movie theatres. That's why the humour seems directed more towards adult knowledge. When I say "adult", I don't mean what is currently meant by "adult"; I certainly don't mean sexytime or anything off-colour. Nyuk nyuk.