busted flat in baton rouge, and heading for the trains. feeling nearly faded as my jeans...
- me and bobby mcgee

well i'm pretty much screwed today.

i arrived in U.A.E. with full expectation of the arab digital hub to be bustling. turbans, burkas and other head covering struggling to stay on their owner as Dubai's internet super highway turns each mobile into a sandstorm.

on the contrary, i find myself in Sharjah's airport filled with dust. jack hammers and chemical cleaners peel back years of neglect. while wifi is abundant (albeit expensive), power outlets are a premium. if you finally find one not taped over, one must fight a construction worker or fellow traveler desperately trying to charge their mobile, PSP or archos.

as for the first class/business lounge... i was already dejected and escorted out. the lady had it in for me when she peered through her eyeshadow caked arabic eyelids. then there was the fact i was not a first class ticket holder nor do i "look" as if i was on business. through her broken english and calling for "the" boss, our ten minute interlude concluded with me, my laptop, and my funky power plug walking out in disgust. honestly, i was on my best behavior!

with hard drive and powerstrip in hand, my rapidly depleting battery will soon sauce my mental anguish. as i hammer out these last few words, my soul is enveloped by AC/DC's "highway to hell", a chorus of a fifty screaming children, a few jack hammers, and a sole floor buffer.