I woke up this morning in Abu Dhabi with a bad case of the blues. The see-for-miles view out our 37th floor windows didn’t help; the gulf gleaming in the distance didn’t help. Then the Monday listmaker struck again: Stasha at The Good Life said the topic for today’s list is: 10 things I miss.
Well. That’s easy-peasy, folks.
Numbers 1-8: 
Mother, sister, brother, brother-in-law, nephew, 2 nieces, stepfather, gathered in Provence for mom’s 70th birthday. Actually, I miss Provence, too (but that’s not an official entry on the list).
9. Not people at all but things: 
I love magazines. I know, I know, hard copy is so 20th century that it’s positively quaint. My subscription to The New Yorker comes to my iPad but it’s just not the same. I can’t flip through the pages, dip in and out of articles, skim the cartoons, dart around to whatever strikes my fancy. Yes, yes, I could just hit a link on the table of contents but somehow a dedicated jump like that lacks…serendipity. (And yes, Richard, I fully appreciate the irony of a blog writer bemoaning the loss of print culture!)
10. Coming on the heels of #9, this “miss” will seem a little odd, but here goes. I miss my iPhone 4. I am unmoved by gadgets, mostly, but I loves me my iPhone4. Mostly, I love all the camera apps I’ve got–I think of it more as a camera than a phone. Because the iPhone 4 can’t be easily unlocked, it can’t use an international sim card, so I’m relegated to my (far inferior) iPhone 3. Please note that “easily unlocked” and “international sim card” are phrases that I do not fully understand, so please don’t ask any questions. I parrot only what DTS (domestic tech support, aka Husband) tells me. The phones don’t look that different, but a day hasn’t gone by that I don’t itch for my 4.
11. Finally, as I suspected I would, I miss green. The dominant color here is…tan. Lots of different shades of tan, but mostly? Tan. In the white heat of day, even the gulf waters look bleached out, a silvery blue-ish beige. Nowhere yet have I found this:
Oh, your family is beautiful. Can you still take pictures on iPhone 4 and send them via bluetooth to computer and to your iPhone3 to post them?
And I just remembered an entry for my number 10! YOU.
I miss you. And I know soon it will come with ease, but having to count out 8 hours to see if I can call my best friend, isn’t natural!
Stasha and Hannah beat me to it: YOU, that is what I miss. A very short list, indeed. Not being able to call you to see what the boys are doing, or how their day in school sorted out, or what you are cooking for dinner….But mostly? it’s just knowing that you are so many (how many?) thousands of miles away. Sigh.
Hi from Listicles:
Abu Dhabi is so far away and exotic! I hear you on the iPhone front. And picture no. 1 of your family is beautiful. (-:
So let me get this straight–there’s more than one kind of iPhone?
That picture of the tree is beautiful and I understand how hard it must be to not see that natural beauty everyday. I don’t know if I could take that. Your family photo is beautiful. Even the baby is posing so well!
From what I’ve heard, the adjustment is indeed blues-inducing. But I think once you’re in the swing of this strange tan place, it will be bizarrely interesting, or at least good material. For some thing. How do the boys feel about it?
Glad your family each got a spot in the list! You have a lovely family. I’ve never owned an iPhone – my hubby’s still thinking whether he should get me one. 😉
Another expat list! I live in southern Italy and I miss green, can’t imagine how parched you are for it!
I know what you mean about the green. I felt that way about seasons (esp. autumn) when I lived for six months in California years ago. I also agree totally about print culture…skimming is not enjoyable when reading electronically. Blogs are great, but different… print can’t be beat for articles and books.
After having my iPhone 4 for over a year I don’t think I could go back to the 3. The camera feature and FaceTime are some of my favorite things.
I would miss green too. And my family.
I miss green too. When Irene came through East Hampton, the winds were full of salt, and all the leaves are turning brown and falling. (Still have the pines, though.)
Okay maybe there’s no dessert after baerkfast, but things are definitely a lot more relaxed when Daddy’s away. I respect and appreciate my husband and all that he does for our family so that I can be a stay at home mom. And all husbands that are hands on dads and work full time job and have to travel from time to time.It’s rare that my husband has to travel, but when he does it’s tough on everyone. Thank you so much for your comments.
hmm….dessert after breakfast? I’m going to have to try that!