Saturday Night Basketball

The only thing better than watching Arizona beat Oregon's #2 ranked football team on a Friday morning last month was watching Arizona beat the Illini basketball team late last night. I'll gladly stay up past my bedtime or roll out of bed at 3 in the morning if the 'Cats continue to make primetime Doha TV. Winning big games is even more important for those watching in Doha because Orbit ESPN only gets to pick one game to televise - last night they chose very wisely. Arizona has two comebacks in one week (A&M who?) - only this time in Chicago the game provided some much needed redemption after the tragic 2005 Elite Eight matchup against Illinois. With Jerryd Bayless as PTP the ‘Cats are playing better basketball than I’ve seen in 4 years… and the Pac-10 has risen to an elite level within college basketball. Free march madness tip – 2008 is the year that Arizona returns to the Final Four.

Stat of the game: Freethrow percentage (AZ 78% -- Illinois 46%)

Play of the game: Jerryd Bayless drives straight down the lane for a powerful dunk as two Illinois defenders stared in amazement (dig the new uni's - http://www.systemofdress.com/)

Tuesday Morning Football

The programming amongst Doha's 50 or so cable channels rivals the shows you can pick up with a $5 pair of rabbit ears on top of an RV in the woods of Payson, Arizona - beautiful place by the way.

I'm worried that our television standards are deteriorating, especially when half the channels are in Arabic, and a good portion of the others show local soccer matches 20 hours a day. It's not all bad, we have had a chance to catch up on popular movies like "Mindhunters", "Fat Albert", and "Bubble Boy"... all terrible by our old standards, but manageable when you consider the alternatives.

The highlight of my television week actually happens early on Monday and Tuesday mornings, when I can also enjoy some live Sunday and Monday Night Football coverage before work - assuming ESPN doesn't cut out as it has mid-game before. My boss usually watches the live morning games too, limiting the comments when I stroll in a few minutes late.

A one-time Qatar television high occurred a few weeks back. I happened to wake up early on a Friday and when Orbit ESPN came up I nearly fell out of my chair! Not only was the Arizona / Oregon football game on (8:30am here) but WE were winning (WE refers to Arizona, the double digit underdog). I woke up Sheri and we nervously watched the final 12 minutes until we took the field in spirit with the Wildcat fans who were eager to celebrate another November upset (Bear Down 'Cats!)... if only we could figure out how to win in September and October. At least we can turn our attention to basketball now (A&M who?).

The biggest reason for my newfound television depression is that we finished all 5 seasons of Alias, which we started on DVD when we arrived 6 months ago. We're looking for the next suspenseful show to keep us from putting the cable on. 'Heroes' and 'The Nine' have drawn our attention lately - do you guys have any recommended shows we should be on the look out for - we're desperate for some decent TV?

Pass me the Turducken

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Don't let our recent silence make you think we haven't been having any "fun" in Qatar - quite the opposite, we've been having so much "fun" we haven't had any time to update the outside world on our shinanigins. But what better motivation to update the blog after a 2 month hiatus than a day focused on giving thanks for all of the blessings in our lives:

1. We're nearly 6 months in Doha and the temperatures have finally dipped below 90 degrees! Rumor has it the 10 days of annual rainfall are on the way.

2. Less than 4 weeks before we head back stateside for Christmas and New Years with family and friends.

3. While I have to work a full day at site on Thanksgiving, we will have a full Thanksgiving dinner on Friday with our neighbors complete with pumpkin pie and day after Thanksgiving shopping online.

4. Not only did our AZ Wildcats pull off a third upset of the year (against #2 Oregon), but we got to watch it live on Friday morning through the Doha ESPN feed… now if we could only figure out how to beat teams in September and October we might get back to a bowl before the end of the decade.

5. The front bumper of the company pool car which I accidentally ripped off against a curb two nights ago fits perfectly in the back seat… and although the insurance card in the car was 5 months expired, we had the current coverage faxed over to the police station so I wasn’t arrested! The insurance coverage hasn't curbed the snickering among my coworkers and managers... can you blame them, I even managed a smile standing in line at lunch when the safety moment scrolled by "Please look behind you before reversing to ensure you have a clear path"?

Happy Birthday to Who?

Happy biRthday to one of my favorite people Of all time. I love how the Google search bAr often reminds me of hoLidays or special Days (see the pic above - can you piece together the clues).

Don't miss my other post today below...

Play Along at Home

You're invited to participate in International Expat Appreciation month...

Ramadan begins today, representing one of the more intrusive cultural experiences for expats living in Muslim nations. The Holy Month of Ramadan occurs during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar (lunar calendar so it shifts each yea), and is a month celebrating the fourth pillar of Islam (fasting), marked by prayer, fasting, charity, and self accountability. More detailed information available online:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

You might be wondering - Brandon, you're not Muslim, how does this religious holiday impact your life? Good question... if you live in a country without a state religion you might not even realize that Ramadan is occurring, since Muslims will be celebrating within their community. But Qatar, along with most other Gulf Countries, upholds Islam as the state religion, so all residents - regardless of religious affiliation - are expected to publicly obey the fasting requirements.

If you'd like to partake in the celebrations we've laid out a few easy steps based on the US Embassy's recent email to citizens in Qatar so you can play along at home:

> Don't eat or drink ANYTHING from sunrise to sundown - to clarify this includes water and gum and includes any setting where you could be seen (office, car, mall)... the only place where it's safe to eat or drink is in the privacy of your own home, with the shades drawn (not necessary since we have shnazzy reflective glass windows on our Villa like those from 90’s Oakleys).

> Don't buy any food or drink from sunrise to sundown - if you want to stock up you'll have to do so amidst crowds that make the day before Thanksgiving look manageable. The alcohol distributor (remember only one shop in town), closes for the entirety of Ramadan, so hopefully you already bought enough liquor to last you through the month. Don't forget to budget for the 60-100% markup.

> Continue working a full day (7 to 5), but let half of your coworkers work reduced hours (7 to noon) in recognition of their religious affiliation and their fast induced weakness. To be fair I have fasted before and it can take a significant physical and emotional toll on you – so I can appreciate the reduced working hours, but if given the option I would give up lunch if it meant leaving at noon (since that’s when we typically leave for lunch anyways).

> To simulate driving home after work during Ramadan, which conveniently corresponds with sundown, wait until there is an accident on your town's major freeway just before dinner (so everyone is hungry and in a hurry), then drive around with your air conditioning off, flipping off everyone around until you're surrounded by a multitude of drivers who have directed the anger from their hunger and terrible traffic towards you. No wonder the embassy recommends you should not drive during the hours before and after sunset, a time when "many accidents occur, some deadly". Likewise we were told to avoid the streets during the new “quitting time” from 11:00-1:00 as most locals are racing home from work.

> It's especially important during Ramadan that everyone observe a radically conservative dress - keeping the majority of skin covered in public settings, so be sure to dust off your jackets and scarves (remember it’s still hitting feels like temps here of around 125F).

> Lastly, for those who are married, it's customary to abstain from sexual relations during the fast - to maintain clarity of mind for prayer and meditation. Some couples may have an easier time than others maintaining this requirement.

----------------------------------------

So the first half of this post was written a week ago, in preparation for Ramadan, and I’ve noticed myself progressing through several stages of Ramadan adjustment, laid out below:

1. Denial: “Ramadan won’t effect me, I’m not Muslim”
2. Confusion: “What do you mean I can’t eat, drink, smoke, or have sex in public? (italics indicate a joke)”
3. Anger: “How can a country tell me when and where I can eat / drink / smoke / chew gum?”
*This is the point at which I wrote the first half of the post (and had to revise slightly to avoid being kicked out of the country)*
4. Acceptance: “I can appreciate the sincere motivations of those who are fasting and will adapt my lifestyle in simple ways to express my respect for their religious and cultural beliefs”
5. Subversion: “How can I keep eating and drinking without getting caught and caned (aided by my sarcastic supervisor who is probably still stuck on state #3)”

Despite my sarcastic reaction to being forced to pseudo-participate in Ramadan - there are some positive elements to the event:

> As Qatar enters a month dedicated to religious obedience, I’m inspired to pursue my own religious beliefs more diligently – an activity that would be prohibited in some other countries in the region (certainly something to be thankful for). It is inspiring to see an entire nation embrace religious principles universally… even though I’m not Muslim, I am impressed by the outward devotion I’ve seen in preparation for Ramadan.
> There’s a small sandwich shop and convenience store that stay open during Ramadan, drawing large crowds of non-Muslim lunch-goers, including my supervisor and I today… so for those willing to brave the busy lunchtime streets, there is hope of finding something edible if you know where to go and what password to use. Don’t forget to hide all the goodies in a bag and shuffle back to the car quickly; I’ll admit there was an obvious feeling like we were getting away with something / as if our offices would be raided at any moment, our sandwiches confiscated and our loved ones contacted about our immediate deportation… McDonald’s flavor adding experts could never produce the same endorphins released during a covert Ramadan lunch.
> I used the additional time during lunch to complete a crossword and catch up on the latest news. Did you hear that the Official Kilogram is mysteriously losing mass! – maybe that metric systems isn’t as awesome as everyone thinks it is. Last time I checked the pound still weighed a pound.
> Advertisements have promised much better TV programming during the month of Ramadan (after all those who leave work at noon need something to do) – including a new movie every day on ShowMovies, plenty of sports coverage on OrbitESPN, and new sitcoms / dramatic series on ShowComedy / AmericaPlus...
> I’m leaving for 3 weeks out of the 30 day Ramadan holiday, returning just in time for the best part of Ramadan – the Eid, or breaking of the fast celebration – a three day break from work that we’ll be using to recuperate from our trip back to the States. Finally we start to break even on Holidays after missing out on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.

Here’s to new experiences, well timed vacations, and bakeries willing to play neighborhood “lunch-dealer”.

The Bun is Done

Sheri and I became Aunt and Uncle over the weekend, when her older brother Matt and his wife Vanessa gave birth to 7lb 3oz Ava Anderson - a beautiful baby girl.

It's the first big event we've had to miss because of our expatriation, reminding us just how far away we moved. Pictures and phone calls don't quite make up for time in the rocking chair... but we'll be back to civilization in a few weeks to meet Ava face to face and celebrate another lifechanging event - Abby's wedding (you probably thought I was going to say Halo3's release, which coincidentally is released during our trip as well)!

For little Ava's privacy I won't be posting her photos on the blog - but you can send us an email or leave a comment on the blog to get the cute pics sent over.

Do keep mom, dad and baby in your prayers - based on the testimonies of other friends with newborns, they'll need it - especially if Ava takes after her Aunt Sheri!

Medicine for $500

Sheri acquired her "back to school" headcold late last week, and I did what any responsible husband does in that situation - got sick too! Isn't it amazing what a sore throat and nagging cough can do to your productivity at work and home. After one restless night of sleeping in separate rooms to avoid keeping each other awake, we headed straight to the neighborhood Pharmacy to pick up some cough medicine. When we arrived we bought a bottle of Robitussin, only to discover that while it contained the expectorant Guaifenesin to loosen the cough, it did not have the effective cough suppressant Dextromethorphan - DM to help you sleep through the night. Apparently Robitussin DM requires a doctor's prescription in Doha. They did sell us a comparable syrup, but based on last night's performance I'm convinced it's a poor combination of watered down scotch and a splash of cherry snowcone juice. Fortunately, Sheri found a can of Vick's Vaporub, which also performed reasonably well as a 'Zona repellent (apparently dog's don't enjoy the overwhelming aromatic blend of Camphor and Menthol).

I'll take "Medicine" for $500 Alex.

Answer: "If you ever travel to this country, where you can buy name brand birth control pills over the counter for pennies on the dollar, be sure to bring your own Dextromethorphan, because preventing unwanted pregnancies is easier than preventing a nagging nighttime cough".

What did Jimmy Eat?

There’s something admirable about bands that are committed to creating new material (only holds true for bands that write their own music, and doesn’t apply to pop acts who buy material from others to keep gas in their Escalades). Far too often acts like Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw live for years off of one piece of good work but come up short on their second album, thrown together between European and Asian tours (btw Gavin’s is due out this "winter"). One exception to the "too little too late club" is Matt Nathanson, whose August release, "Some Mad Hope" came 4 years after "Beneath These Fireworks". The new album is a great collection of songs ripened in his charismatic live performances.

Three great bands have also announced new albums for 2007, conveniently timed around my birthday.

Jimmy Eat World’s "Chase the Light", an attempt to top "Futures", is scheduled for release at the end of October, but to help generate buzz ahead of the Indie band’s fourth full length album they’ve offered the single Big Casino to radio stations and loyal fans who preorder the CD. I highly recommend the new single, which is an indication that the AZ based band will continue combining entertaining lyrics with a mature blend of sounds

Stereophonics also has a release scheduled in October, "Pull the Pin", but with a larger fan base (mostly UK based) they’ve chosen to hold the studio version of the first single, It Means Nothing until one week before CDs hit the shelves… plenty of live versions exist online for those interested in hearing the new stuff. Appears they are sticking with the harder sound that produced "Language.Sex.Violence.Other" as opposed to the acoustically driven earlier releases (tracks like Maybe Tomorrow, Have a Nice Day, Just Looking, and Traffic).

Matchbox Twenty has suited up one more time with the release of a pseudo greatest hits + 6 new songs album, "Exile on Mainstream", whispering "we couldn’t find 10 songs we liked out of our latest trip into the studio – but here’s what we came up with"… so long as iTunes will let me buy the 6 new tracks apart from the ones I already own, I prefer this concept as opposed to releasing a full 12 track CD that flops. And if Travis' "The Boy With No Name" is any indication – a Greatest Hits album no longer represents the creative death of a band, just a sort of hibernation.

I've had little success creating the next natural 5 song shuffle, so I scrapped the concept and reverted back to a classic "my favorite songs" format - that way my recommendations aren't limited to iPod's terrible shuffling program (something about 5 songs that guaranteed atleast one spoiler song - although it has helped me thin out my playlist). To capture expat tv tendencies I've also added a "my favorite shows" list, which now includes a hilarious british comedy called "IT Crowd" - big surprise NBC is stealing the concept for a 2008 premiere... you can catch some of the Season 1 brit episodes at http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html

"Team. Team, team, team, team, team. I even love saying the word, 'Team'. You probably think that's a picture of my family. Uh uh. It's the A-Team: Bodie, Doyle, Tiger, The Jewellery Man." (Dedicated to B.A. Baracus - thanks for reading).

Subways are Fun

*As promised - a picture of the owner of the Beatles bar below Shinagawa station - notice he's poking his fingers through his lenseless glasses and making a funny laser sound.

Although my last week in Japan was sans Sheri and avec a sushi boatload of work, it still produced some incredible experiences.

On Sunday, when I'd usually be going back to work in Doha, my friend and I ventured out in the Tokyo morning, sweatrags in hand, to Tokyo Baptist Church (http://www.tokyobaptist.org/announcements/index.htm). It was a refreshing change of pace from Doha, where the churches still meet in relative secrecy. Most of the congregation travels from far across Tokyo to attend one of 3 services, a mixed bag of locals and expats. The pastor speaks English but the projections overhead include Japanese subtitles. The sermon was a moving discussion on the power of greed to corrupt the church, covering Jesus' letter to Laodicea in Revelations. Quite a piercing topic, which included statistics showing Japan to be one of the wealthiest nations in the world - where people are often too focused on their jobs to pursue meaningful relationships. I think a lot of Americans in the audience were able to relate, and my friend and I had plenty to talk about as we walked out of church and headed to the neighborhood Subway (sandwiches not trains) for lunch.

Subway sub shops in Tokyo are very like those in the US and in Doha, with a few exceptions. In Doha you can top off your footlong Turkey on Wheat with some sweet corn and ketchup; in Japan your options expanded to include soy & wasabi sauce and french fries (steak finger variety). I tried both that morning and was pleasantly surprised. After all those years of being fed chips with my sandwiches, I never realized how declicious lunch could be when french fries are invited to the party. If you choose to add the soy sauce and wasabi I recommend the 6 inch variety, after the 8th inch it lost it's novelty value and I needed a second serving of Sprite to muscle through the rest of the sandwich. Had I left some of the sandwhich behind I risked further chuckles from the group of Japanese girls next to us, who acted like they had never seen anyone order a footlong sandwich with fries and cookies (remember in Japan normal portions are quite modest, so we must have looked like total Americans).

After our American sized lunch we headed to the other neighborhood Subway (train not sandwiches) and traveled to a small shopping district with authentic and pricey handicrafts - everything from stationary and wooden children's toys to fine kimonos and pottery. I'm terribly indecisive when it comes to buying souvenirs, which has helped prevent me from accumulating a house full of trinkets, but also means I spend a lot of time just wandering through shops picking up items, walking halfway to the register, only to have my second thoughts remind me of some practical purchase I could make back home. Luckily Sheri and I had done our souvenir shopping in Asakusa, so I didn't feel bad about leaving empty handed - especially since my friend bought a handmade wooden cheese grater as a wedding gift... provided a contact high for the shopping addict in me.

We spent a long time inspecting handicrafts, so had to rush back to Shibuya in time to catch a matinee showing of Transformers. Apparently buying movie tickets 2 minutes before showtime has universal repercussions - namely sitting by yourself between two armrest hogs... but what an incredibly entertaining film! I was impressed how accurately Hollywood managed to capture the epic battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron that occurred amongst the landscape of my parent's living room that Saturday back in 1987 (still waiting for the release of the Battle Beasts full length feature - another Hasbro collection you can find on eBay). I was a bit put off by how the movie portrayed Qatar; for the record, Doha's highest point is 350feet above sea level (ie NO mountains), we have running water and mobile phones, and the locals prefer Prada sunglassea and Landcruisers to AK-47s and donkey carts... although that would have made for a far less entertaining scene set for Vortex's dramatic first assault.

There were atleast 10 moments in the movie where my friend and I burst out in laughter amidst akward silence in the rest of the theater - apparently the subtitles did a poor job of conveying our humorous American references for the Japanese audience. The locals did find one of the jokes quite hilarious - "It's a robot. You know, like a super advanced robot. It's probably Japanese"... seriously, after seeing some of their cell phones I wouldn't be surprised.

The day before I left Japan the local 7 eleven ran out of my new favorite afternoon snack, vanilla ice cream with a chocolate center wrapped completely in crispy cone material. So I decided to try another ice cream bar, that looked identical in the package art. One of the admins confirmed my suspicions later that afternoon, while the concept was similar (ice cream with filling inside a cone covering), the contents were considerably different. If someone ever offers you soy bean paste ice cream, pass. I typically prefer to separate my dinner and dessert.

On my trip home (18 hrs door to door for those keeping track), I reflected on the last 4 months of my life... what an incredible adventure. I'm thankful for all of these experiences, which have shown me that the world may look like the same ice cream bar on the packaging, but when you bite in it often hides a unique surprise you didn't expect to find.

Stay classy Shinagawa.

Okonomi-whateee?

After a quick shower at the hotel Sheri and I headed back to Ebisu on Sunday night to meet up with friends from work and see a typical expat apartment in Japan. My friend lives in a quiet area about 10 mins walk from the train station, in a trendy apartment complex with great views of Tokyo. After a brief discussion of options, we headed out for dinner at a new place down the street, only to find that the menu consistented primarily of parts of the chicken that we throw away back where I come from. We only knew what the restaurant served because my friend's girlfriend was along for the adventure, and she speaks fluent Japanese... don't leave home without your translator. So we headed down the street, into a rainstorm, and ended up running in to a small restaurant that serves "Japanese pancakes" - which we learned, are NOTHING like the delicious pancakes we had tried earlier in the day (see Good Honest Grub from earlier post). The real term for the meal is Okonomiyaki, and the meal is prepared on a teppan plate in the center of your table... consisting of various unrecognizable vegetables, seafood, egg, and plenty of dried seaweed on top, after passing on the Soy salad starter we each received I was hungry enough to make quick work of the pancakes, but I think it's an acquired taste. I will say that experiencing a foreign city with friends who are familiar with the town makes it much easier to explore new things without feeling too vulnerable. The rain was still coming down when we had finished eating, so we hustled down to the train station, but after having gone nearly 2 months without seeing a cloud in Doha, I'll admit I actually slowed down in places to enjoy the cool shower. It's the basic things in life that often bring us the most joy, especially so far from home(s).

Ebisu is definitely our favorite section of Tokyo, so much so that Sheri made a hair appointment with an Aveda salon we walked past on the way to dinner, and while I went to work on Monday she was out finding fun little shops and setting out on her own adventures in her new Japanese haircut (quite a nice cut). We met up at the hotel and headed out for a nice dinner in another area, Roppongi - which is a bit edgier, with a lot more "neon" than the other areas we had visited. Our destination for dinner was a Tepan-Yaki restaurant down the stairs and down the street from Roppongi, within sight of Tokyo tower (which is amazing at night). The restaurant is called "Panic", which I thought was a great name for a Tepan-Yaki joint... I made a reservation to sit at the bar where the food is prepared, so we took our seats next to some locals guys who were a few courses and drinks ahead of us. The other 5 tables were empty. We took our ENGLISH MENUS - big plus, and since you can only fit about 20 people in the entire shop, there is only a chef, a waiter, and a dish boy... a small operation, but as we soon discovered, there's a reason they have been open since I was in elementary school. It’s not about the flash of Tepan-Yaki “performances” at the likes of Benihana – it’s about the food, which was incredible. We started with fresh Bruschetta cooked on the tepan in front of us, with red tomatoes and thickly sliced bacon on garlic bread, then moved to Beef, Tomatoes, and Garlic, progressed to the famous thinly sliced Japanese Beef, sampled some friend noodles, and ended on fresh flame touched pancakes topped with icecream, caramel, and chocolate sauce... this might be a good time to remind you that forks are typically not provided in Japan, chopsticks are the universal utensil... but can make things quite frustrating (like at the Okonomiyaki restaurant) - so Sheri was very happy to see the waiter bring out a fork for the main course. If you find yourself in Japan for at least one night, make sure you get reservations for and directions to Panic Tepan-Yaki... potentially the best meal I've ever had / definitely top 3.

Just when I thought I had this Tokyo train system figured out I hopped on the wrong train Tuesday morning, and was so focused on finishing my book, Prince Caspian, that I went 4 stops in the wrong direction! Made for a good laugh around the office, especially among the Japanese admin assistants, who are never shy to share a laugh with you, or call you out for leaving before 6pm, which is the official quitting time in Japan (most folks stay later) - of course we do get to start our day shortly after 8am, and I am far more productive in the afternoon, so I actually prefer the late start / late finish approach here. On a positive note, the extra time during my Tuesday commute did let me finish my book, and now I've started enjoying some podcasts on my iPod in the mornings. It's about 40 minutes from the time I leave my hotel room until I arrive at work, which gives me enough time to enjoy an episode of "Renewing Your Mind with RC Sprouls" or "ESPN's Pardon the Interruption". On a whim I actually added a new Video blog to my iPod before my trip to Japan - it's the first episode of a new HBO show called "Flight of the Conchords", and it's hilarious. It reminds me of the dry humor of The Office, but the main characters are musicians from New Zealand so they use a lot of the same jokes/phrases that our Australian friends from Doha have taught us - even including commentary on the relationship between Australia and New Zealand that's spot on with what we've heard our Aussie friends talking about. I checked and sure enough someone is posting episodes of "Flight of the Conchords" on YouTube, so I encourage those of you who enjoy a good laugh but don't have HBO to look it up online before the YouTube Gestapo remove it for copyright infringement.

Tuesday was Sheri's last day in Tokyo, but she managed to find a hidden shopping area in Ebisu, complete with a Japanese IKEA-like store where she got some pillows and other items for the villa in Doha (I love calling it the "villa"). She also found me a sweat rag – aka a small thin washcloth that guys carry around to help wipe off the sweat that accumulates on long walks between the train and air conditioning – very handy; I should pick up a few more for Doha (see earlier post about sweat & Doha). We rode the train back to the airport where we proceeded to get in the wrong line about 5 times, each time greeted with a kind smile a few English words, and directions to the place we ought to have been in the first place. Once we had checked Sheri's bags in we grabbed a bite to eat on the terrace cafe, called the American Diner, where I had a hotdog for the first time since leaving the states and we took a stroll along the observation deck before heading back downstairs. On the way to the security check point we stopped into a bookshop for a copy of the Great Gatsby for Sheri's trip home (only lasted her to her connecting flight in Osaka, apparently she's a quick reader). The shop next to the bookstore was a really great pen shop with some other odds and ends; I plan on making a pen purchase on the way out of town with any money I have left over...

Sheri was sad to leave me behind for another week, but was admittedly looking forward to going back to Doha (quite an incredible concept): where folks speak English, use forks, and drive big cars (aka care less about the environment).

The rest of the week has flown by, with a visit to a 5 story shop in Kawasaki called Bic Camera - behind California Pizza Kitchen where I've eaten twice in 4 days... Bic Camera is known for having, you guessed it, the newest and coolest cameras at good prices, especially with the current exchange rate (finally found a place where the dollar has improved in value). I've done quite a bit of pacing through the Digital SLR aisle, with lots of beautiful cameras that would take great pictures on our upcoming vacations... like any wise husband I need to ensure I have Sheri's approval - she has saved me from plenty of hasty binge buys, and vice versa. (side note I finally bellied up to the bar and got a digital SLR last night... so you may see the quality of blog pics improve).

Over the weekend my two coworkers and I hit the train station with beers in hand (yes we did work on the weekend and yes you can drink beer in public in Japan - still two very strange concepts which offset themselves in Kool and Tuffness), and headed into town where we met up with the rest of the group: the Japanese girlfriend (aka translator from earlier post) and his old college roommate & mom who came into town on holiday. We headed to a restaurant called Two Torches, which was a 10 minute walk from my hotel, into an area I hadn't yet explored. We had reservations for 7:45, but all of us were late to the meeting point and we ended up an hour late for dinner (tourists)... good thing tardiness is standard operation around here, and our Japanese translator phoned ahead to ensure our table would still be waiting for us. When we arrived we were brought out onto the patio, to a long table with plenty of room and a great view of the river. As dinner cruises floated by we ordered from a number of individual vendors within the restaurant - Yakitori (meat skewers), Noodles, Sushi , Veggies and Alcohol - each variety with it's own stall and owner... all of the food was very fresh and delicious. The beer came out in large communal bottles (like those you get for Sake bombs in the states, was that Lute Olsen), and the locals taught us that in Japan you don't fill your own glass/mug, instead you fill someone else's to signal you're ready for more. We picked up on that custom quickly and when dinner finished, we walked back to the train station by my hotel (Shinagawa for those not paying close enough attention), where we found the 2nd destination of the night - nicknamed the Beatles bar, since no one really knows what it's called - it's a tiny establishment in the basement of the Shinagawa train station... hidden amongst other tiny shops and restaurants, it has 6 tables, 21 chairs, one crazy owner and a four person live band. When you consider that the 3 bar stools were being used to hold bags from the locals who came straight form work, we were lucky to find enough room for the six of us, and it was an absolute blast. The band was quite entertaining, playing loud rock music with plenty of guitar solos and audience participation. They sounded great considering they each operated their instruments nearly upright to make room for the 19 customers inside. We actually happened upon the Beatles bar on the week of its 30th anniversary, you'd be hard pressed to find anything in Qatar that's 30 years old. We didn't have to order drinks, the owner came around with more giant bottles of communal beer for the table, and then put his fingers through his glasses (black rims but no lenses) and we all followed suit with a chorus of grunting and laughing. Once I get the pictures on my computer I will be sure to post a photo of the owner, definitely a man who loves his job. Only downside to hitting up a local place like the Beatles bar is that the band and owner have to catch the train home, so shop closes at midnight... which was still plenty of time to have a great night. Enjoying life appears to be a truly universal concept.

If Symptoms Persist

Apologies about the significant lack of posts from Japan - plenty of things going on, just not enough time to capture them online... so without further adieu -

Sheri arrived in Tokyo last Wednesday, I took a train from Shinagawa out to Haneda airport... which involved an elaborate series of jumping off the train - checking for the airport sign, then jumping back on the same train and continuing to the next stop where I would repeat this process all over again. I managed to find the right train and arrived as Sheri picked up her luggage. It was nice to be reunited with my wife, who after her 14 hour journey was very ready to get to the hotel and recuperate. The ride back to Shinagawa was much easier now that I knew which train to take, and soon Sheri was thrust onto the streets of Tokyo in all of its crowded, neon glory. We decided to leave her bags in the hotel room and walk up the hill to Outback Steakhouse (not energetic enough to try any local places just yet). Outback was quite busy for a Thursday night, and considerably much smokier than any Outback I'd been in previously. Smoking is like the national past time here, so the 30 minute wait for a table seemed like an eternity... the menu was entirely Japanese, but we successfully used the point and nod method to order our food. We then walked our steaks off around the hotel/train station, and found a street filled of local restaurants (noodles, sobu, sushi), packed with the afterwork crowd. We then headed back to the hotel and snuggled in for the night.

I woke up around 1am shivering, at first thinking that my wife was making herself at home in Tokyo by taking all of the covers, only to find that I already had the sheet and comforter pulled around me. I didn't think much of it and went back to bed... at 3am I woke up in a sweat but freezing cold and knew something was wrong... I got up to get a glass of water and went back to bed. The alarm rang at 6:15 for work, and I was in terrible shape. I tried to shower but was too weak to stand. It became apparent that the minor sinus pressure I had been fighting for over a week with Advil Sinus had flourished into a full blown infection. I would need to find medical treatment in Japan! Not exactly an exciting proposition. Sheri, being the great wife she is, went down to the pharmacy and bought some Tylenol and a thermometer, which confirmed a 101F temperature. A team of coworkers and Sheri got me an appointment at a local British medical clinic, and the hotel manager helped explain the directions to our cab driver... who managed to find the clinic through nearly 30 minutes of un-air-conditioned traffic, all the while ignoring the Japanese instructions from his dash mounted GPS unit. The doctor's office was very contemporary, with low rise couches, pamphlets on why circumcision violates a baby's human rights, and posters depicting the immoral nature of eating mistreated pigs and baby chickens - apparently a progressive twist on the "cover your cough" signs at my old pediatricians' office. The doctor invited Sheri and I into his office / exam room, and within 3 minutes he had checked my ears, nose, and throat, determined I had a sinus infeciton and prescribed a 10 day supply of antibiotic... which had me back on my feet within 24 hours. I'm sure if was frustrating for Sheri to fly 6000 miles to spend her first 2 days in Tokyo watching her husband fight off an infection. I on the other hand was very happy she was there, it's bad enough to be sick away from home – at least I had somebody to help me sort things out.

We quickly got back on schedule Saturday afternoon, when I had regained enough energy to make a go of it - heading to the Imperial Palace (think Last Samurai) and touring the Higashi-Gyoen/eastern garden of the Imperial Palace, which is the only area open to the public. The walk from Tokyo station reminded us how intense the humidity was, and after about 10 minutes of walking up the hills of the Higashi-Gyoen we headed straight for one of the rest houses, complete with coke machines and air conditioning, providing much needed shelter from the heat. We decided to take the next path out of the gardens and try to find some lunch, because breakfast was quickly wearing off. So we headed back to Tokyo station, and headed North to Ueno, expecting to eat at a little sandwich shop that I had found in the Lonely Planet guide. 2 hours later we had stopped talking to one another and given up on the sub shop - we headed back to the hotel much worse for the wear, and in desperate need of showers and sustenance. We decided to keep dinner simpler than lunch, and tried an Italian place in the shopping area next to our hotel... best decision of the trip thus far. Great food, which has become one of many themes here in Tokyo. With some new found energy we decided to head back to the area where the doctor's office was, called Ebisu - and we walked out of the station into a tremendous festival. As best as we could figure out - at the end of July many of the towns go down to the local Shinto shrines, put the gods in heavy altars and bring them into town to party down with them. Dancing, eating and drinking were a-plenty, and we took advantage of this unexpected opportunity to grab a grilled squid on a skewer and cup of beer while watching some of the local dancing... we found out later that my friend from work had been there that night and got video of the "salary men" dancing in their suits with brief cases on the sidewalks behind them... these guys work hard and apparently play harder. The squid was a bit chewy, especially the tentacles, and be careful to not eat the beak... but where else can you chow down on calamari this fresh?

On Sunday we successfully located another Lonley Planet restaurant, not without a few tense moments... but we're glad we took the chance. Halfway between Ebisu and Shibuya along the major thoroughfare, is a 99 Yen store. Take a right and follow the alley for a few hundred meters and you'll find a quaint, Canadian owned establishment called Good Honest Grub. Probably 8 tables in the whole place, 2 downstairs, and 6 upstairs - where we ended up. We ordered a substantial brunch, complete with French toast, pancakes, BACON, eggs, toast, and fresh fruit smoothies that lacked the commercial feel of a Jamba Juice - although the seeds were a bit overwhelming near the bottom of the glass. The french toast was incredible, the best I've ever had (sorry Dad), it was made with french baguette and had visible pieces of egg from the fresh batter. Unfortunately for Sheri her pancakes were delivered to the wrong table, and by the time the young lady realized she didn't order pancakes she had successfully eaten half of Sheri's breakfast. But the pancakes were also worth the wait, and after about an hour we were stuffed, and back on the road walking another click North to the Shibuya station, where we caught a subway to Asakusa - a small Tokyo suburb with superb shopping and the largest Buddhist temple in town... when we exited the station we were greeted with a thunderstorm, fortunately some of the shopping avenues are covered, unfortunately it was Sunday afternoon - so it was busier than the Mercury Room on New Years Eve. We managed to find some really unique shops and gifts, snapped a few wet photos of the temple (really no as big as you might think for the "biggest temple in town"). By far the most interesting shop was the tortoise shell store we happened upon near the end of our tour of Asakusa. If the plastic food store had been open it may have given the tortoise shell shop a run for it's money - but apparently it's closed on Sundays, otherwise I could have bought some tasty artwork. The craftsman at the tortoise shell place was sawing real turtle shells right there in the shop, shaping them into various pieces - mostly jewelry and hair pins, really incredible stuff... at first I wondered how they obtain the turtle shells, but then I remembered some advice my friend Spencer once shared with me - "don't ask a question if you don't REALLY want to know the answer".

美しい圧倒

Language is one of the most fascinating human elements - sometime between trying to apologize to the woman I bumped on the train and pointing at a McDonald's picture menu to order breakfast I realized how precious verbal communication is, but that other universal forms of communication can compensate when required (no no... McGriddles with Sausage - #3 - this many (holding up 3 fingers), yes meal... Orange Juice, to-go... take away). There's something so elemental about communicating on a 2 year old's level - it's 1 part humbling and 1 part invigorating.

Simply put, Japan is beautifully overwhelming.

During my layover in Osaka, I tried 3 ATM machines, 3 debit/credit cards, successfully combining an HSBC debit card with a brithly colored anime interface to withdrawal 25,000 YEN (think $250 - just divide by 100 and you're close enough for personal financial decisions). I used the Yen with a pixelated map of Shinigawa to convince my taxi to take me to the Le Meridien Pacific and NOT the Le Meridien Grand Pacific (somewhere some marketing genius is having a good laugh). It was 8:00pm when I stopped unpacking and headed downstairs for dinner at TGIFridays, far too exhausted from my trip to get adventurous. Never has a bacon burger with a draft beer tasted so delicious... bacon + beer helped compensate for the annoying "high roller" expat next to me who wouldn't stop reminding me that I was sitting in a seat reserved for a "hot Japanese girl"... did he mention that he played rugby with South Africa's captain and is friends with an owner of the New Jersey Devils?

I met my friend at the Shinagawa train station at 7:30am on Monday morning, bought a train pass, and rattled our way 5 stops to Tsurumi station. We walked through tight alleyways until making a sharp right into the engineering office. 4 hours of work passed and we were on our way back up the road to a local noodle house. My buddy opened the sliding door and we snuck into the back corner stools as we were showered with plenty of Japanese "welcome, thanks for coming, what can we get you" - or so I surmised. We ordered by numbers and pictures, picking up on the theme yet?, and a large bowl of chanpon-men (soup with Ramen noodles and meat) was rushed out to our corner of the bar table. I had been studying the other customers in preparation for the meal, so I knew better than to ask for a spoon; I cracked my chopsticks tilted the bowl and began slurping down lunch. Highly recommend the #1. Only one setback, when I went to open the small door to leave, I apparently missed the "push the small green button" sign, and subsequently ran face first into the automatic door, which conveniently enough opened upon my impact... note to self.

This morning I set out on my own to master the train system, and managed 30 pages in Prince Caspian (3rd book in the Chronicles of Narnia series - light hearted read for the 15 minute ride). I have fallen in love with the trains... an affordable system that gets me to and from work or the nightlife and allows me to use my commute to read/sleep/chat/people watch. Not that I and my 4 minutes commute in Doha have much room to talk, but I will certainly enjoy that aspect of Tokyo.

Other improvements in Tokyo:

1. Faucets turn on by pushing the lever down (not up), a nice option when you're hands are soapy and you have to use your elbow

2. Snack machines every block, so you're never more than a few steps away from a Kiwi Kit-Kat or refreshing Pocari Sweat. If that wasn't convenient enough, you can stop by any of the AMPMs or 7/11s to pick up some snacks

3. Combination toilet and bidet - although I choose to only use the first option, it does remove the complicated "transition" out of the dual commode bathroom - perhaps encouraging the bidet fearful of a trial run. Heated seat is also a nice option

4. Clouds & Rain (in moderation) - a welcome respite from 60 days of sunshine

5. Smiles - everyone here smiles, even if they aren't happy (you know who are), definitely contagious

6. Environmental consciousness: Al Gore would be proud of the countless recycle bins, bicycles, sensor lights in the office, and mass transit systems... I have yet to see a single piece of trash on the street or train station

No place is perfect:

1. Smoking is EVERYWHERE - makes me wish I'd brought my pipe. While enjoying my McGriddle sandwhiched between two chainsmokers I had a flashback to busy Friday lunches at Cracker Barrel where we would sit in the smoking section to avoid the wait and enjoy some second smoke with our omlets

2. Remember those environmental bicyclists - well they use the sidewalks as private lanes and a single chime on the bell is your only warning to dive out of the way... replacing the flash of headlights in Doha

3. A few days in town and you'll realize why my shower hits me chest high, won't be hard for Sheri to pick me out in the crowd... and the bathroom sinks at work seem about 3rd grade level (for the teachers who have to stoop down during recess)
4. I don't plan on driving in Tokyo anytime soon, walking is hard enough. Forget what mom told you about looking left right then left again - a hard habit to break until the first time you nearly step in front of a bus
5. The temperature is quite misleading - 82 degrees sounded like jacket weather, until you consider the humidity, which after a 10 minute walk from the train station can create a mess out of business casual... and the environmentalists keep the air turned off in the office until we arrive - so it takes a good 20 minutes to cool down and towel off.

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I ventured further into Tokyo tonight - reaching the famous Shibuya station and the busiest intersection in the world (picture above). I toured the largest Tower Records, 7 stories separated by genre of music and a rather extensive English bookstore to boot. Dinner at Torigin (small chain restaurant with ENGLISH menus - deciding factor) consisted of Yakitori (skewers of flavorful chicken), and Kamameshi (rice casserole) with a side of Edomome still on the stalk. An authentic and delicious end to an eventful first two days in Tokyo. I'm excited for Sheri's arrival and the weekend to really dig in and explore this amazing city.

Sound Familiar?

To get filled in on the latest adventure you'll need to pull out that link to babel fish again - unless you know how to read Japanese (http://babelfish.altavista.com/ and remember you can just type in the blog web address to translate the text instead of having to copy and paste it into the box)!

私は私の2 週の出張のための東京に飛ぶことを約ある。うまく行けば私は平面で休み、冒険の準備ができた日本で着くことができる。東京の観光の名所を探検するためにSheri は私を今週末頃結合する。私は英語を... 話すだれでも見つけることを困難にする日本に大いにより大きい言語ギャップがあることを聞いた私はよいポストの上がを感じる。人あなたの週末の残りを楽しむことを望みなさい。さようなら。

Interesting how backtranslating text using the same website that translated it in the first place can create such alarming confusion... all the better for YOU to comment on what you think I actually meant in the first place.

The boring short version - I'm off for Japan and I feel a few adventurous posts waiting there. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - unless you're in Doha, in which case enjoy the start to your work week in 9 hours!

A City of Kobes

To avoid sounding too pessimistic, I've decided to balance each negative post about Doha with a marginally positive one... so after the insurance rant, I'll offer that this morning I may have realized why our cars here don't offer the familiar "honk" when you lock the doors with the key fob. The lights flash, but no noise - which can take some adjustemtn for those who would lock the car as they walked away, counting on the horn to confirm secure lockdown. While there's no shortage of horn usage on the roads in Doha, we've gone nearly two month in Doha without hearing the rythmic serenade of a car alarm. In a town where Ferrari's regularly parallel park between gypsy vans and oversized Land Cruisers you'd think a car alarm company would do quite well for itself - quite to the contrary. Since crime is almost nonexistant (I wouldn't risk my hand...), Qataris have actually figured out that car alarms cry wolf nearly 95% of the time (source: completely trustworthy internet site) and that an audible alert won't stop a trained auto thief anyways. 2 cars were reported stolen in Doha last year. It appears that the solution to auto theft lies in the punishment, not a Viper alarm.

Kudos to Qatar for unexpectedly leading the fight against audible car alarms - somewhere, someone from our old neighborhood is clapping.

Likewise, I recently heard that the fine for running a red light in Doha was raised to nearly $1000 for a first offense; certainly heightened my awareness. So why do the locals keep running lights and speeding around town so aggressively? Because the punishment doesn't hurt enough... it's like fining Kobe Bryant $10,000 for swearing on television; he could pawn his watch and have change left over for dinner. Unless they are brave enough to take away licenses, hand out jail time, or convert to a highly complex percentage of income fine (so that Kobe pays the "same" as the rest of us), the only effective deterrant from aggressive driving is the physical impact of the accidents themselves, and by then it's too late.

In other news, I'm heading to Tokyo on a last minute business trip (there are worst places to be sent on 4 days notice). Sheri wil join me for a few days midway through the 2 week stay, so we should have plenty of material for the blog... a good thing since our ratings appear to be plummeting with the every-other-day approach and high summer temperatures.

Demotivation

I wonder who came up with the idea of insurance – in it’s perfect form, insurance is a lot like gambling for the really high roller.

You pay me money each month and in return I’ll agree to pay you a much larger value of money should something terrible happen to you. Typically the amount you pay me each month is based on two things – 1) how much money you want if something goes wrong and 2) the probability of something going wrong.

In the US, if you want car insurance you pay a premium each month. You provide the value of the car, choose the level of coverage, choose how much you’re willing to chip in if something happens (deductible) and I run a background check to verify your driving record, looking for any previous accidents/claims or citations. The system mirrors capitalism, those who receive more insurance payouts should have to pay higher premiums or get cut out all together.

In Doha, I’ve learned that the government not only regulates gas prices (good), it also regulates insurance (bad). If you want car insurance you simply pay a certain % of your car’s appraised value each year and bingo, you’re covered. When it comes time to renew your insurance (typically annually), your car’s value is depreciated 20%, your premium decreases 5% and bingo, you’re covered for another year. Obvious Catch#1: your car’s resale depreciates about 10% annually, so each year you’re coverage is artificially reduced while your premium hardly changes. Obvious Catch#2 these formulas are nearly universal – that means that if you manage to go an entire year in Doha without an accident or claim (good luck), your coverage behaves the same as someone who totals 5 Land Cruisers. Someone has to pay for those 5 Land Cruisers, and if everyone’s insurance formula is the same, disregarding prior accident history or citations, everyone shares the burden equally. Isn’t equality great…

On second thought, as long as you can take the initial hit of a large claim and pass that cost on to your customers... insurance suddenly looks a lot like a pack of marlboros or a tank of gas, you've gotta have it - and you're willing to pay for it. The very things we resent are often the things we sustain.

Sweat the Small Stuff

I got lost on the way to my meeting downtown today. Apparently the judicial building looks an awful lot like our main office complex. Luckily I left plenty of "parking time" in my schedule and a security guard pointed me in the right direction – Northwest for those playing at home. Since traffic was bumper to bumper I decided to hoof it and avoid gridlock. Unluckily my meeting was at 1:30 in the afternoon and the daytime high temperature was hovering around 115F with sandy winds blowing 30mph and a UV Warning in place… so by the time I arrived at the correct building with 2 minutes to spare I looked like I’d just participated in the new desert biathlon event, the one that combines running a marathon with sand volley ball. I should have found a restroom to rinse my face (and teeth), but in my desire to reach the meeting on time I went straight to the 5th floor conference room. I wiped my brow and upper lip with my shirt sleeve before turning the corner – thinking "that should take care of it, I’m in air conditioning now".

Despite my best attempts I was the last to arrive for the meeting, so we began as I sat down. No glass of water, not a breath of air conditioning, and it was at this point that I began to feel the longer term effects of my 10 minute walk in the sun. My body was radiating heat at an incredible pace – like when you’re trying to go to sleep with a bad sunburn. 5 minutes into the meeting I had BEADS of sweat on my forehead, lip, arms, and back… quite visible for all participants – but I was representing my supervisor, so I couldn’t just skip out. I muscled through the hour and a half discussion, and as I got up to leave the Qatari next to me asked if I "needed" a glass of water, which I respectfully declined using some witty comment about growing up in Arizona… cactus… etc. I was just happy to get out of the room before they started asking if I needed to lie down. For others struggling with mid-meeting sweat, either from nervous energy, poor personal hygene, or long walks in the desert - I found a great natural remedy (ad attached above). *For those who've met my dad, doesn't it appear that he modeled headbands in a previous life (think Harrison Ford - scar).

In other news, Sheri pulled weeds for an hour this morning – about 2 hours before I went for my downtown jog. I feel a four wisdom tooth post coming up.

Key Business Drivers

I've decided to target posting bi-daily, which can mean twice a day or once every other day depending on your handling of the English language. In this case it refers to the latter - the every other day one. Like any good oil & gas employee, or politician caught in an embarasing scandal I intend to layout the key business drivers (aka excuses) that led me to this difficult decision:

1. I am running out of material

2. Good posts are like fine wine, they get more comments with age - and I want to give my readers' ample time to post their own thoughts and expriences (did Brent fall off the Earth?)

3. I can use the extra time for other hobbies like productive work in the office, and going home on time.

4. You can use the extra time to explore other excellent blogs (http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/ for instance)... Scott Adams has a lot more to say about life than quirky office humor.

5. I will still post whenever there is something interesting to share, this just resets your expectations to prevent disappointment and gives you more time to digest the posts.

Also keep your eyes on the right border for other fun lists and links, since those are easier and less work to update... don't forget to keep your 5 song shuffles coming (to clarify it's 5 straight random audio files in a row, so silence, comics, or movie clips count).

Restoration Pottery Pier and Barrel

I have learned some valuable lessons through my first 30 posts:

1. Weekend posts are dangerous because blogs typically appeal to an audience trapped at their desk desperately searching for a creative outlet – not an audience sleeping in, going to the pool, or out at the mall

2. Don’t make blogs interactive, even if they pay tribute to Bob Barker’s retirement. It’s always best to let the comments be spontaneous and not pressure the audience into responding to questions or games.
3. Comment Count is the only key performance indicator of a post's success

With those valuable lessons under my belt let’s continue with today’s post:

Following 2 weeks of anticipation, Sheri picked up her Honda MR-V (Pilot) last night, and after the light body work it looks brand new. She and her expat friends are happy with the new found freedom the SUV brings.

Once we dropped off the MR-V at home, Sheri and I braved the City Center Mall – the largest, most centrally located mall in Doha. In the summer it becomes quite popular as a source of free air conditioning, so parking is a mess – even on a weeknight. The parking situation was recently aggravated when a new construction project closed off about 500 parking spots out back – forcing everyone into the 2 story garage. We actually found a spot upstairs, near a "Qatari car wash" – aka a laborer with a bucket of sudsy water and a chamois who will wash the exterior of your car for 10 Riyals (about $3.00). After 2 weeks of driving around Doha and parking under the car port at our villa, my Accord was covered in a fine layer of dust and deserved a wash so I handed the guy a 10 Riyal bill and we headed for the door. The walk took about 3 minutes, but by the time we navigated the gridlocked parking garage we both had headaches and needed a shower. It must have been 110 degrees inside the garage at 7:00pm, all the more reason to stay at home.

We ate at a Lebanese restaurant in one of two foodcourts. Then Sheri and I multitasked, I stopped off at Cinnabon for the half-off special and Sheri found the MAC makeup store one level down. While waiting my turn to pay at Cinnabon a local woman in traditional clothes who was apparently going to place a large order motioned for me to go ahead and pay for my box of Cinnabons. After a month and a half of being cut in line, this simple gesture restored my faith in humanity.

I joined up with Sheri and we headed to the HomeStore (previous post described it as Marshalls, Room Store, and Michael’s all rolled into one). As in most stores, we handed our Cinnabon & MAC bags to the security guard in exchange for the numbered ticket we would redeem for our bag when leaving the store. It reminds me of using the locker at the water park / roller rink where you carry this orange numbered key around until it’s time to leave. At first I was actually a bit offended that they suspect you will steal something in the store, but now I’m quite pleased to hand over my bags and shop freely, without having to lug our previous purchases around the store.

As is usually the case, the beige curtains that we saw on Saturday were sold out n Monday (my fault for waiting), so we asked one of the salesman to check the warehouse – bingo, 4 panels with our name on them. As a common courtesy I shook the salesman’s hand and asked him for his name so that I could follow up with him on Wednesday. 30 minutes later as we arrived back home, the salesman called my mobile to let me know that he was going to stop by the warehouse on his way home to pick up our drapes so we could have them a day early. When was the last time a Walmart employee offered to drive across town on their own time to pick up that Microwave you wanted so badly?

Score: Humanity – 2… Callous Entitlement – 0

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How much is that Thobe in the window?

Have you ever had to calculate in your head what you'll pay for a 25% off sale item at BestBuy with tax included? As Sheri and I venture out to the souqs, malls, and grocery stores we are honing our math skills, often turning to the calculator on our phones to make informed shopping decisions. In the process we're also gaining a good handle on Arabic numbering, especially at the souqs - where language barriers often impede bartering and labels look more like scribbled letters than pricetags...

In honor of Bob Barker's retirement from the Price is Right (great show) - these short games should give you an appreciation for our recent experiences:

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Put these prices in order from least expensive to most, we find it easiest to convert into US dollars:

-Liquid Tide w/Bleach Alternative (32 loads), 62.75QAR (Qatari Riyals)

-A 12 pack of Dr. Peppers, 3.00QAR / can

-Decorative Artwork at NEXT Home (British), 20.00 GBP (Pounds)

-"Bazaar" Fashion Magazine, "labeled" 35.00QAR (note the parenthetical distinction)

-Wall Clocks (x2), Buy One get One Free, first is labeled 110.00 QAR - second is not labeled

-A 1/2 Tank of Gas for my Accord (54L Tank - 0.80 QAR/L)

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Help me choose which size I should buy (Waist 34", Inseam 35", Neck 16.5", Sleeve 37", US Shoe Size 12B)... this is much harder for women's sizes, but I didn't feel like putting my wife's measurements online - I have learned a few things along the way.

-Button up shirt Lucky Brand Jeans (M, L, XL, XXL)

-Flip Flops from Aldo (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43) - a slam dunk for Russ

-Men's Shorts from H&M (28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40)

-Men's Capris from Zara Man (M, L, XL, XXL)

-Boxer Briefs from Zara Man (M, L, XL, XXL) - keep the jokes PG-13

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Give us the total price I would pay for the following list of typical American items (don't forget about tax and duties):

-Mr. Clean - 22Oz Floor Sanitizer (Orange Scented)

-Pepsi - 24/533mL cans WITH promotional Skateboard (totally worth it)

-Minced Beef - 300g

-White Seedless Grapes - 500g

-Low Fat Milk - 1.0L (bonus points if you can tell me how many days it lasts before expiring)

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Good luck contestants, the winner(s) will receive one of the items listed above (of my choice) the next time I see you.

Enjoy your Sunday... I'm clocking out on the first day of our work week.

The Haves & The Have Lots

10 weeks in Doha has taught me plenty about what a well-oiled class system looks and feels like. As I’ve explained in previous posts, there are 3 distinct classes in Qatar:

1. Arabs – from local Qataris to Gulf Residents to Lebanese and Egyptians
2. Expats – from US, Europe, Australia
3. Laborers – from Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

You expect that one class will drive nicer cars, live in bigger homes, and eat at more expensive restaurants… as you can find in most western cities. But there’s another level here, a level that isn’t obvious to the casual tourist, a level driven by economic growing pains. Qatar’s nomadic tribes relied on fishing and carpet making until oil was discovered along the western shores, followed later by the largest non-associated natural gas field in the world. The resulting shift in the standard of living has left a noticeable impact on the population, as a winning lottery ticket can alter more than one’s bank account.

Simply put, Qatar combines the elements of an upscale department store and a late 90’s rap music video… cappuccino stained Lamborghinis, diamond encrusted watches, designer sunglasses, and the ever-present air of entitlement.

In an environment saturated with money, it’s difficult to distinguish yourself. Most men in Houston wouldn’t opt for the Hot Pink BMW 735i or the Lime Green Range Rover Sport, but you have to go big or go home in Doha… down to the license plates and mobile phone numbers.

When I called the dealer to arrange pick-up of our Accord last week, the salesman said he had some “great news” – apparently we had been given a 5 digit license plate… an honor of sorts. As I mentioned Qatar came from humble beginnings, not a whole lot to see or do, so until the big oil and gas boom things were handled rather archaically for the few folks who called Doha home. When license plates were handed out they apparently started with number 1. Some 50 years later they are handing out 6 digit numbers, but every now and then you’ll find a plate with fewer digits, like ours! So of course we started looking closely at cars on the road and have found some vehicles with 4 number or the very rare 3 number plates. We’ve also noticed that the 3 digit plate usually accompanies a car with a 6 digit price tag – more to come on that later.

Similarly, when we bought our local phone SIM cards the retail clerk told me that I got a “very good number” (538-0770), and at least 5 other locals have since commented on my “very good number”. So I started paying closer attention to mobile numbers around town, and sure enough, the most important people have extremely repetitive phone numbers (458-7888, 439-4444, 509-9998) – like businesses back home. A good phone number, like a short license plate, is a valuable commodity, and you need look no further than the online message board at work to see why the wealthy tend to have the best phone numbers and license plates. Today you could make one phone call and a trip to the ATM and have your own “very good number”. For roughly $7000 you could have 656-4465, or if that’s too expensive you could pick up 564-3433 for $3500, which got me thinking how much 538-0770 would be worth. I’ve found that what makes a number special is the ability to creatively read it to others… I now make a point to say that my number is Five-Three-Eight-Zero-Double Seven-Zero… it truly is the little things in life.

If phone numbers aren’t your thing, you can focus on license plates, but I have to warn you they are considerably more expensive. Just yesterday 2 plates were posted, 968 was going for $48,000 or you could buy plate number 1811 for $44,000… take your pick. Each plate comes complete with its own artificial sense of entitlement.

Merry Independence Day

The Pakistani scheduling engineer who sits next to me wished me a happy 4th of July on his way out the door, which absolutely made my day. It meant a lot that someone who wasn't from the US was willing to give me an emotional high-five after a long day at work, while all my friends back home sleep in...

Things I (Brandon) miss most about the 4th of July:

1. Sleeping in / Day off from work in the middle of the week
2. Going to the pool or park
3. BBQ with family and friends (with PORK sausage and TX beef patties)
4. Fireworks
5. The Televised PBS Special "A Capitol Fourth" - look for it tonight if you've never experienced it... usually televised before the fireworks start in TX and AZ.

What are some of your favorite Fourth Festivities?

Sheri and some other expat wives (ironically a Brit and Aussie) have organized a Fifth of July party tomorrow night to help us cope with the loss of America's birthday here in Qatar. My American Flag shirt is already ironed... now if I can just find the fireworks souq.

PS - I've added a list on the sidebar to track the best "natural" 5 song shuffle that my iPod produces on its own... quite a challenge. See if you can create a better "natural" 5 song shuffle.

Tacos and Dr. Pepper

It’s been 31 days since we landed in Doha – and time has absolutely flown by. Let us start by apologizing to those avid readers of Marhaba Qatar, who have had to wait more than 4 weeks for a fresh post. As you can imagine we’ve been running about having various adventures and just haven’t had a chance to capture those experiences on the web… to help you digest our journey we’ll summarize the key points here and address any questions and future developments with more detailed posts.

1. The trip out... Moving is tough. Moving overseas is tougher. The last week in Houston absolutely flew by. As I watched movers pack our house – the back bedroom into air containers, the rest of the house into local storage crates, Sheri drove to Austin to get a last minute signature from the USDA on Zona’s health certificate. On our way to the airport we said goodbye to our house (which a week later became someone else’s happy home), crammed 6 suitcases, 2 bags, a kennel, a dog, and 2 adults into 1 Buick Lacrosse (glad we got the full-size). We deposited a handful of checks, shipped a few packages from the post office, dropped off our cable box, and had time for me to stop by my office to fax over the closing documents on our house. We arrived at the airport with 2 hours to spare, but would not have made it through the long line at Terminal D security if it weren’t for the heroics of a young Lufthansa employee who had taken a liking to Zona when we were checking in – he ushered us past everyone like VIPs and we ended up having 15 minutes to grab a free drink in the Business Lounge, which turned into an hour and 15 minutes after some mechanical issues delayed boarding, and once we finally got airborne our 3 hour layover in Frankfurt had become 45 minutes. All 3 of us made it aboard and 7 hours later were happy to have made it to Doha. Being the only inbound flight has certain advantages - Immigration took 2 minutes, we picked up our bags, grabbed Zona and headed for the door. When we saw the driver holding our company’s sign we knew we had arrived, we just didn’t quite know what to expect next.

2. Settling in… You never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. In a matter of 24 hours we went from living out of a 3 bedroom home to living out of 6 suitcases, and a hope that our 50 cubic foot air shipment would soon arrive to transition us out of “vacation” mode into “permanent resident mode”. Our villa is located outside of downtown Doha, conveniently in between my office, Sheri’s school, and one of the Expat friendly malls called Landmark. The villa is a 2 story duplex in a compound with about 50 units total, on 3 quaint streets surrounding a clubhouse with pool, workout facility, tennis and squash courts. Security falls somewhere between mental hospital and the Mayberry town jail. It keeps the riff raff out, but doesn’t require any id cards or rolling the window down – a friendly wave in a familiar car will get a resident inside. The furniture in the villa was probably purchases at Saddam’s garage sale before he skipped town; everything is very large and has a touch of over-the-top. At first we didn’t have a phone and the water pressure couldn’t even keep the shower on, but after we bought local prepaid cell phone SIM cards and found the water pump switch we were off and running. Groceries tend to expire a few days after purchase – especially break, milk, and meats… so we’ll have to venture to the grocery store twice a week. The bright side is that things spoil because they don’t have preservatives, so they tend to be a bit more natural and healthier for you. Only a few items are pretty rare and tend to cost more than back in the states: Dr. Pepper, Tostitos chips, Blue Bell ice cream, and English magazines… otherwise you can find most of the products that grace the Kroger and Randall’s shelves back home. I’m not sure if it’s because we hadn’t had a home cooked meal in a week, because the beef was from Australia, or because we paid a dollar for the Dr. Pepper, but when we sat down a few weeks ago for Tacos and Dr. Pepper I felt like we had ARRIVED! As for consumer goods, like clothing, electronics, and media are comparable to the states, with a few affordable brands like H&M and Zara that help make up for the elevated prices at stores like Gap and Quiksilver ($100 for a pair of board shorts!!!). A Best Buy or Target would absolutely clean up shop here… of course, when gas costs $0.80 / gallon, we’re quite happy to pay a dollar per can of Dr. Pepper, and we’ll buy our swimming trunks and Gap polos when we’re home for Christmas.

3. Getting the hang of things… So after a few weeks in Doha we’ve learned some valuable Qatarisms:

*You reap what you sow – we bought some Purina at the local store since dog food selections are a short list. We quickly learned that moving from an organic kibble like Nutro to Purina can have very unfortunate consequences. After plenty of carpet/rug cleaner we’ve moved to Iams with slightly improved results (plan on bringing back some Nutro on our next trip).

*If you see something you like, buy it – it won’t be there later (from grapes to cars to blue jeans). After nearly a month of test drives and research we landed on 2 cars for our stay in Doha – a new Accord (Brandon) and a gently used Pilot (Sheri). They aren’t flashy, but they are reliable and safe on the wild streets of Qatar.

*Keep your knees to yourself – women get stared at if they have any cap showing, and expat men are quite happy to sport the MANpri on an afternoon trip to the mall. Luckily flip flops are socially acceptable in any setting, so it’s a fair tradeoff (that’s for my parents who never miss an opportunity to point out how casual flip flops).

*You can be cold or hot, but not comfortable – in Doha the daytime temperatures can reach 120, and by August we’ll be confronting 80% humidity… plainly put – it’s hot. Meanwhile, every major building (mall, office, home) will have the air conditioning on full force, remember from an earlier post that no one pays for electricity around here so why not use your share of it. This interesting dichotomy creates a violent shift in climate that not only fogs your sunglasses upon exiting any building or car, but also leaves you quite uncomfortable. Even in our own home we have to have blankets on the couch because we’d rather be cold with a blanket than sweltering in our undies.

*Always carry Kleenex – my previous posts included an observation that almost all people carry Kleenex in their cars. On 2 separate occasions during the past week we’ve learned why you should always carry Kleenex. I awoke last Tuesday to what I thought was Zona peeing on the tile next to the bed, only to find that our A/C pump had frozen and starting pouring water out of the wall unit onto our dresser. Took more than a few Kleenex to manager the spill after I found the breaker to shut down the A/C. Saturday night we woke up at 4:00am to a phone call on Vonage (8 hour time difference for those who sometimes forget!)… as I got up to move the phone out of our room I nearly slipped on a puddle next to the bed. My thought immediately turned to Zona again, until I turned on the lights to discover a large ominous water spot above our bed. I climbed onto the roof some 3 stories up to find that someone had left the spigot turned on, and the loose water had found its way through the roof to our bedroom ceiling… not cool and until today still not fixed! By the way, the view from our roof towards downtown Doha and the Arabian Gulf in the moments before dawn was actually quite amazing.

*It’s always easier when someone else does it for you – we have a maid who comes once a week to clean our Villa and costs less than eating dinner at McDonald’s… enough said.

4. When in Doha... do NOT do as SOME of the Qataris do (limiting myself to 2 experiences, but there a few others that I’ll save for later posts). I want to be clear that not all Qataris behave like these 2, most are quite friendly, and that driving is the only arena that I’ve really felt like I’m in a foreign country.

*Leaving one of the malls outside of town we cut quickly from a parking lot to the left turn lane (or so we thought). As the green arrow turned red, a few cars rushed through and we were left at the intersection. Within 10 seconds a large Landcruiser with lights flashing pulled out from a few cars back and cut right in front of us. Judging from his wild hand gestures (which we’re not supposed to use here), very angry face, and sharp tongue it appears that he wanted to go straight and we were blocking his way. Instead of going around us and through the intersection to his destination, he thought he would stop and teach his expat friends how to drive in Qatar. After a few tense moments (2 separate outburst with him practically exiting his vehicle and Sheri and I putting on our best “I didn’t know any better” faces) the green arrow clicked on and he TURNED LEFT FROM THE 2nd lane – the very action he was so upset at us over.

*Driving home from site last week I came up to a roundabout that had an accident on our entrance ramp. It took nearly 20 minutes to creep up to where I could see that a large work truck had side swiped a smaller sedan. We were almost clear of the accident and on our way, when the local in front of me parked his Pathfinder, walked across traffic and kindly explained to the Filipino that he should move his damaged car out of the intersection (mind you that’s the ONE thing that you CANNOT do in Qatar… insurance will only cover you if you have a signed police report with the original position of the cars involved). After the Qatari had shaken the Filipino a few times he jumped in the man’s car himself and drove it to the side of the road… it blew me away. The local then walked back to his Pathfinder threw the SUV in drive and forced his way through traffic with horn blasting and lights flashing until he was clear. I had to pinch myself – by far the clearest example of cultural differences I’ve experienced in Doha.

*One exception to observation #4 – Do try to hold the same working hours as the Qataris. Expats are expected to work the same if not longer hours than they did back home, which luckily for me has only included one Friday since arriving (equivalent to a Saturday for you Yankees). As I was working last Friday morning I became extremely thirsty, and around 10:30 I realized that I hadn’t had a single glass of water. I forgot that the tea boys only work Sunday through Thursday… you never know what you have until its gone.

Guten Morgen Vietnam

Note: this post is going to be in German – but can be translated using AltaVista’s wonderful BabelFish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/ ) – just enter my website (http://marhabaqatar.blogspot.com/ ) in the 2nd box for webpages and it will translate away, pretty awesome for a free site.

MONETARY INCENTIVE for whomever can appropriately comment on atleast 5 dinstinct topics mentioned in the blog - while babelfish tries its hardest, I'm afraid the message may still take some interpretation... atleast it makes things a bit more interesting. I'll post the english version when I get to Houston so you can compare against the real deal.

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Auf mit dem Pfosten.

Ich bin sicher in Frankfurt, Deutschland... angekommen, aber ich bin nicht in der Mitte nach Houston gleichmäßig. Noch eine langatmige Reise über dem Atlantik, bevor ich mit Sheri und Freunden gewiedervereinigt werde. Obgleich ich nicht halbes Haus bin, habe ich bereits einige große Abenteuer gehabt.

Ich kam zu Doha mit 2 überprüfte Beutel und ein Rucksack tragen an - I nach links die meisten meiner Kleidung in Doha (warum ihnen Haus gerade holen Sie, um sie wieder zu verpacken), damit ich Gepäckanforderungen verringern konnte, und bilden Raum für einige Einzelteile, die ich entlang der Weise aufhob. Alle erklärten I nach links das Hotel gestern Abend mit einem überprüften Beutel und einem Rucksack. Ich kam zu dem QatarAirways Geschäft Anschluß - der "Hotel-wie" Anschluß ein unterschiedliches ist, in dem Glocke Hopfen Ihr Gepäck tragen und Sie in den großen bequemen Stühlen sitzen, während NETTE etikettierenmittel Ihre verschalende Durchlauf- und Paßüberprüfung anfassen. Ich war auf Wolke 9, bis das etikettierenmittel anzeigte, daß Lufthansa, während es ein Partner mit QatarAirways ist, nicht Zugang zu diesem exklusiven loung hat - also gingen mein Glocke Hopfen und ich über die Straße zum Hauptanschluß. Er war wie Nacht und Tag. Der Anschluß wurde mit Leuten, eine Linie, um verpackt durch den Ausgangsbeutelröntgenstrahl, dann eine Linie am Karte Kostenzähler, eine andere Linie zuerst zu erhalten, Ihren verschalenden Durchlauf überprüfen zu lassen, nur, um in die größte Linie von allen - die Paßgültigkeitserklärunglinie zu erhalten. Alle erklärten die Linien dauerten ungefähr 1 Stunde, um zu steuern, eine lange Zeit, als Sie # von den Flügen betrachten, die Qatar an jedem möglichem gegebenen Abend verlassen.

Sie konnten bitten - warum Paßgültigkeitserklärung (IE, das einen Stempel in Ihrem Paß erhält) nach Abfahrt haben Sie, gewöhnlich wird das im Augenblick der Ankunft... gut in Doha angefaßt, gibt es viel der Leute, die nicht das Land verlassen können, es sei denn ihr Arbeitgeber sie die Dose sagt und am meisten weg von den Aufbauarbeitern und Teejungen einschließt, die ihre Pässe nach dem Unterzeichnen ihres Vertrages übergeben, der nur 21 Tage außerhalb Qatars in 2-Jahr-Periode liefert! Paßgültigkeitserklärung würde nicht solch ein grosses Abkommen sein, außer daß sie hatten nur 8 geöffnete Fenster und Paßmittel werden offensichtlich nicht durch # der Stempel gezahlt, die sie heraus geben.

Sobald ich durch Sicherheit erhielt, hatte ich noch Zeit, den zollfreien Abschnitt und eine aufgehobene Menge Sachen (Federn, Andenken, Zigarren) durchzulesen, aber schließlich gesprochen aus Meisten heraus. Ich hielt an zu etwas holländischem Rohrtabak, der mit meinem Nording Freistil-Rückseite Haus (Dank wieder des Brent und Russ) gut koordinieren sollte. Hatte noch eine Stunde zur Abfahrt, also nutzte ich des Geschäft Aufenthaltsraums für einige freie Plätzchen und einen langen Aufenthalt im Massagestuhl aus (mechanisch - nicht eine wirkliche Masseuse, aber noch nett nachher daß Paßlinie).

Ich fuhr auf den Bus heraus zum Plan nahe bei dem RasGas Wagnis-Manager (über so stark oben, wie Sie hier in Doha erhalten), aber ich war nur sicheres 90% es war er, da ich nie wirklich ihn in der Person getroffen oder gesehen habe.

Das Airbus Flugzeug, das wir nach Frankfurt ritten, muß etwas Extragepäck transportiert haben, weil die vier Maschinen schienen, uns in die Luft langsam zu stoßen. _ nicht fast so glatt ein Fahrt wie d 2 Maschine 777 kontinental Fliege über d Atlantik, aber auch nicht fast wie laut - so ich handhaben zu ergreifen 4 zeitweilig Stunde von nicht-heilkräftig Schlaf. Hoffnungsvoll genügend krank zu werden zu vermeiden, Rest, aber nicht genügend Schlaf, die schlafende herum, 5pm Houston Zeit zu zerschmettern vermutlich zu vermeiden! Landung war ein anderes Abenteuer, anscheinend es war, also nebelig in Frankfurt (und schöne 42 Grad F, ein weit Schrei von den 42 C in Doha) - so, als die Fläche I dachte wirklich aufsetzte, daß wir eine Störung hatten, da Sie nur sehen konnten, was schien, Wolken aus dem frohen Fenster heraus zu sein - wußte der Pilot, wo die Laufbahn war.

Frankfurt Flughafen würde das Bauhaus stolz bilden (seien Sie sicher, Bauhaus oben zu schauen, wenn Sie nicht mit ihm vertraut sind). IKEA Minimalismustreffen säubern,/sich wiederholende deutsche Linien... und ihn weg zu übersteigen, Erbe-Kreuzkopf (IE Herr Phillips auf Deutsch) folglich überprüft mir in den Geschäft Aufenthaltsraum auf mein 4 Stunde layover..., warum ich soviel Zeit hatte, das blog auf DEUTSCH zu aktualisieren!

Gut Schlurfen mit 5 Lieden während meines ersten Beines:

1. Phil Wickham - Fall In Sie
2. Das Ataris - Das Traurigste Lied (Akustische)
3. Haupt-STH - In Meinen Haupt
4. Coolio - Fantastische Reise
5. Das Drängen - Zuviel Stereo Nachdem einige

Wochen des enttäuschenden Schlurfens, mein iPod scheint, von ihm erholt zu haben ist riesige Angst in der Zeit, mich Haupt zu halten Firma für meine Reise.