Living in the Flight Path

I love to watch the Blue Angels. I am awestruck, my eyes transfixed on their death defying maneuvers. Once I can't see them in the sky anymore, I usually sit there trying to figure out how I could manage to take a ride in one. It's my dream to fly one, but that isn't going to happen. Riding in one might though.

On the other hand, I HATE hearing the Blue Angels. It hurts my ears. Enough said.

Our very first morning here I awoke in our new home to hear the Blue Angels. I thought I was dreaming. I kept hearing them over and over though, much beyond when I was sleepy enough to still be dreaming. More than a little alarmed at this point, naturally I asked Steve why there were fighter jets constantly flying over our house. The last time I heard similar sounds inside the house was 9/11, when we were living outside of D.C. It really wasn't a sound I wanted to hear the first morning I woke up in the Middle East!

Apparently there is a Royal Saudi Air Force base right next to our compound (which I find oddly comforting somehow), and we live right in their flight path.

Turns out, we are subjected to an unbelievable amount of low altitude flybys. I am talking about several time per hour, most of the day. If you are outside having a conversation, you literally must stop talking unless your listener can read lips - you cannot hear a single thing while the jets are in the vicinity. Inside my house even, I have trouble hearing the TV and it impacts phone conversations (though not to the point it has to stop). I am not sure if all parts of the compound have it as bad as we do. It's hard to ask people about it without sounding whiny (it's also hard to post about it without sounding whiny too - I'm sorry).

The first time I actually saw the jets, I was excited, hoping that I would see some maneuvers. Nope. They just fly over. Very fast. Very low. Very, very loudly.

During Ramadan I didn't hear them at all. They started again today. Why today, I don't know. I just know that I really didn't miss them. You know, if they would just do some cool stunts while they buzz us, it would make it more tolerable. Oh well.

Do you think they'll at least give me a ride???