You're Other Left

Have you ever been lost - I mean REALLY lost? I was 30 minutes ago... and 60 minutes ago... and 90 minutes ago... I was lost for about an hour coming home from the Hyundai dealership - if only I hadn't made one more stop on the way back to the hotel. I missed one left turn, of course I shouldn't be too hard on myself... considering that more than half the streets aren't labeled, about half of them are under construction, and less than half of them have working street lights. I actually always "knew" where I was, like any man, I just didn't know how to get out from where I was back onto a major street. So I just followed the solid line of brake lights around a rather shady part of town... good news is I now know where all of the immigrant workers spend their evenings - go one block south of the Hyundai dealership and instead of turning left - go straight! I've never been so happy to see a roundabout - amazing how the intersections with street lights are so much worse off than those with roundabouts, might have something to do with them only allowing 1 direction of green at any given time, or that many of the locals are apparently color blind.

Luckily I had my iPod with me and petty crime is nonexistent in Islamic nations (something about losing a hand that keeps folks to themselves). About a half an hour into my Lost in Transportation fiasco, I realized I was skipping 4 songs for every 1 I listened to - I think it's time to update my album collection or trade iPods with someone. Amazing how 1600 songs can become overplayed in less than 2 weeks. Between my ear buds at work, the fm transmitter in my car, and the portable speakers at the hotel I probably listen to music 10 hours each day. It helps avoid an awkward level of that stillness I was mentioning in my last post, and it certainly makes the time pass while sitting in some of the worst traffic I've ever experienced. What surprised me while watching the sidewalks around me, was the number of large groups of men standing out front of small shops and restaurants sharing stories of the day - many quite expressive, as if giving a performance.

Another bonus to horrible traffic, I learned how to lock my doors - all joking aside you actually have to push a round button in the center consul, the button on the door that looks like it locks the doors actually operates the mirrors (leave it to the French)... I also discovered that although my Renault is rather junky, and has a 1.6L lawnmower engine, they were sure to install a speed stick shifting option... which although not too handy in heavy traffic, makes driving around the empty roundabouts near my hotel a lot more exciting.

Before that wrong turn my evening actually got off to a great start. I left the office before 6 for the first time since arriving in Doha, and still managed to be the last one out of the office - shabam! I thought I would use my bit of extra time to drive past the villas that Sheri and I will be calling home. Although they aren't the new ones north of town (close to the golf course), these look only a few years old, quite large, and are more conveniently located to both my work and Sheri's school... unfortunately I found out about the our housing assignment too late to schedule a walk though tonight, but I will certainly update you when I get a chance to visit the new Phillips homestead... it's exciting to see things getting sorted out, but also reality is setting in that we don't have much time (me especially) before we're halfway round the world for the next 3 years...

4 songs that make me want to learn how to play piano:

* Stereophonics - "I Stopped To Fill My Car Up"... which I won't have to do anymore since every station in Doha is Full Service (and at $0.65/gallon that's a good deal)

* Aqualung - "Strange and Beautiful"... Doha in two adjectives

* Beatles - "Oh Bla Di"

* Damien Rice - "9"

For Brent - dear Brent who has posted more comments on my blog than the rest of you lot combined...

Clives' Comment of the Day - Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

And thanks to my bro-in-law a new section:

Michael's Mannerisms - I am Michael, and I am part English, Irish, German, and Scottish, sort of a virtual United Nations.

Fancy Water

I never liked coffee. For that matter I never liked Port either - although I've known about coffee far longer than Port (thanks to BerryHill Vineyards). Until recently that is, when I realized that both Port and Coffee are best served with conversation and after a hearty meal. They are excuses to not leave the table and hold onto that moment a bit longer - a first date or a farewell meal. Maybe that's why kids don't like Coffee... or anyone that's too focused on the next task at hand. Admittedly, I eat quickly, as mentioned previously. I like to have one course directly follow the previous - but being in a different culture - a culture that promotes stillness has already had some impact. When properly mixed with creative inspiration (via C.S.Lewis and my iPod), stillness can cause tremendous leaps forward in ones sense of oneself. It's at the quiet moments in my day, either after hanging up the phone with Sheri in the morning or getting in my car after work, that I find my mind most active and yet my body least inspired to capture those thoughts in a medium like writing. Undoubtedly writing this blog each day has opened a side of my brain not usually expressed from 8-5 at work, and one that typically is only shared intimately with my wife or close friends. By opening up my creative side to the "public" (a fabricated audience primarily consisting of the same wife and close friends) I'm now much more aware of interesting situations around me and interesting thoughts that pass quickly through my mind. I've even considered carrying a notebook with me - which is a sign that something is amiss. As much as I've never liked coffee, I've also never liked journaling.

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I decided to try the one restaurant at the hotel I haven't yet tried in 15 nights at the Intercontinental of Doha - Za Moda... and it was by far the "nicest" restaurant I've been to in Doha yet. "Nicest" referring to the extent to which I will be explaining the bill to my supervisor when I return from my trip. As with most fancy restaurants, Za Moda carried a variety of small portioned, well plated, fusion meals intended to tantalize while leaving room for the next course. I made it 3 courses before throwing in the towel - and settling into my chair with a cup of coffee just as the piano player wandered up to the piano adjacent to my table. We caught a glance at each other as he walked up, acknowledging that we were probably the only two people in the entire room not currently engaged in conversation - especially not the rowdy group of japanese tourists or the couple next to me akwardly engaged in small talk whenever the young lady wasn't answering her phone or texting with friends. I was thankful for the piano player, because he seemed to provide a soundtrack for a conversation I decided to have with myself as I over my cup of coffee...

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I think they have better coffee in Qatar, or I suppose they could have better cream or sugar, since I use all 3 ingredients equally. Coffee always reminds me of 3 movies, Elf, Pi, and Pulp Fiction...

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In most international restaurants the waitresses will push bottled water - as if to say "you really don't want to risk it with tap". And you oblige, knowing that with it comes a premium for the fancy bottle and designer name, but have you ever considered that you're paying 5 dollars to enjoy a glass of water mined from the hills around Florence. It's probably the cheapest "luxury" item available today!

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Second only to stewardesses, and tied with petroleum engineers - chefs must be one of the most traveled professions in the world. People need to eat and many of them are too lazy or unskilled to cook for themselves. I should think if I had to start all over again, or more realistically start later from now, I would want to be a chef. It seems to be one of the only professions you can successfully meld with your family time, masseuse and circuit city employee being equally advantageous.

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The restaurant filled up by 8:00 - mostly couples... and it was at that point, as with most evenings on this trip, as I considered ordering dessert, that I truly missed the company of my wife. A journal or blog can't laugh or meet eyes with you in acknowledgement.

And them my attention turned back towards the piano player - who through the miracle of an iBook and some large speakers, had been joined by a medicore jass bassist. As I signed the bill I realized that what excites me about writing this blog is more than sharing my thoughts or favorite songs/quotes, it's an expression of myself that people can relate to. Words are powerful, and although it's hard being separated from my beautiful wife for 28 days (19 days left)... the one advantage is that it has brought a stillness into my life. I can hear my thoughts again; not just the funny ones that I've been sharing here, but the deeper ones - the ones about life, purpose, responsibility, and coffee.

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Here's to having a cup of coffee with someone this week...

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PS the periods after each paragraph were not intentional beyond they were necessary to maintain my paragraph breaks - Blogger gets strange some times. That said, they are kind of nice - I might try them out full time - thoughts?

1 Week Down - 3 To Go

My first week back in Doha has gone by quickly. Only 3 more weeks until I'm in Houston again with Sheri and preparing for our full mobilization. Today I focused on 2 distinctly opposite tasks: shopping for cars, and relaxing for the week ahead. Luckily I was able to do both, mainly because from 1 to 4pm shops in Doha close down for prayer and a sort of "siesta". I was midway through my car shopping when I discovered this tradition - so disgruntled I headed back to the hotel. After a nice meal and a cold corona (yes they have corona's here), and some time in both the pool, the persian gulf, and the sun I had recharged my batteries. The gulf was extremely salty and probably around 80 degrees. The pool was a refrigerated 72, and will be my primary means of lounging from here on out. Incredibly that 2 hours outside could have been at any resort throughout California or Mexico - perfect weather, sun shining, breeze blowing in from the bay - only downside was the ratio of large, hairy expat guys to lounge chairs, so it took a while to finally snag a chair to lay in.

By 5pm I was back at the car dealerships learning all I could about the different models and more importantly the pricing. I have discovered that not only do they have most cars you can buy in the states here in Qatar, they have MORE models! I'm compiling my data into a nice summary report for Sheri so she can do some test driving in preparation for our decision. I think that second only to touring model homes, car shopping has to be one of the greatest FREE things to do - especially in the no pressure / no help atmosphere in Doha. FREE describing the act of shopping, which not need be connected to the act of purchasing, although in this case it will...

Enjoy your weekends as I head to bed and then to work while you're all enjoying your Saturday evenings. I'm anxious to get home, but I think as crazy as it sounds I might miss Doha when I leave... must still be in the honeymoon stage.

By the way - the more I read back through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (hence the Clives' Comments section the past few blogs) the more I realized how relevant it continues to be for today's generation some 60 years after it was written. I highly encourage anyone who hasn't read it to pick up a copy... I can nearly guarantee you'll be impacted by one of Clives many topics - Inshala! (for those reading illeriterate you can buy the audio book on iTunes for $20).

Observation of the Day: Housing in Doha is so hard to come by that each resort appears to have it's own dormitories for employees. They live across the street in what looks like an organized summer camp. I couldn't imagine living 500 feet from my office and bunking with my coworkers.

Clives' Comment of the Day: "Love in the second sense - love as dinstinct from 'being in love' is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by will and deliberatly strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both parents ask, and receive, from God."

To encourage more comments I've chosen a seemingly random picture that has deep significance to this blog. Try to be the first one to guess the significance correctly... or just say hey. Any comments would do... seriously leave a comment. If you need help crafting a comment let me know and we can collaborate.

Note: these comments about leaving Comments are not directed at Stanfield - who has been doing a great job of providing his commentary.

Just Another Day in Paradise

So today marked the 7th day in Doha, and thankfully my last day at the Ramada. Although there were a lot of sites and restaurants within walking distance, it really was disappointing. Even worse when you see what my company paid for me to stay there - the same price as my NEW hotel - the Intercontinental. The Intercon as it's known is north of town, by itself in a desert oasis - which lends itself well to relaxation, and you can always drive into town if you need more excitement.

Upon checking out of the Ramada, I walked outside to my car and quickly realized that the cooler weather that was forecasted had been delayed. The temperature gauge on my rental indicated it was a crisp 42C = 110F, and after I had loaded my bags in the trunk I needed to shower again... unfortunately there was a 3 hour time difference between check out and check in, so I took a few hours and drove around town, scoping out car dealerships for tomorrow's adventure and finding the "expat" mall again. None of the shops were open since it was Friday, but the McDonald's and Starbucks was enough of an excuse to get out of the heat for a while.

I checked into the Intercon at 2:30 and was unpacked and in my bathing suit at 3:30. I think spent nearly an hour trying to get my work computer to start working with the Intercon's Internet service - and at 4:30 I was able to send one email before it shut down again. At this point I headed to the pool, ready to work on my tan... one problem - sun sets around 6 here, and behind the hotel, so by 4:30 the pool and most of the beach (as seen in the photo) was covered in shade. Downside - no tan, upside - it felt like paradise. I had brought Clive's Mere Christianity to occupy some time and before I knew it I had fallen asleep in one of the cushioned lounge chairs, which is remarkable since the pool was filled with families and young kids. After a brief nap I awoke to a local family settling in the chairs next to me. Locals can buy a rather expensive membership to the local resorts to use their pool, beach, and club facilities, since beachfront is pretty scarce in Qatar. As I watched the families interacting I realized that some things are common across all cultures - fathers throwing your kids in the pool, brothers dunking sisters, mothers gathering around to share the latest gossip, were it not for the obvious language difference I could have easily been back at the community pool in Houston.

The more I casually interact with the culture from a distance, the more I'm fascinated by it. There seems to be a common love for each other among the Qataris that would be rare to find in the States - especially in public settings. In the local paper they ran an article about shifting Qatar to the international business week M-F for their current S-T setup. The comment that struck me the most was a young businessman explaining that Friday is not just a day of additional prayer, but is a day to interact and connect with friends and family in a relaxed setting. Imagine what would happen in America if all the unnecessary stores and malls closed - how many families would go crazy staring at the television all day instead of embracing the day as an opportunity to connect - that is one aspect of the Middle Eastern culture I hope to bring home at the end of this assignment. Another obvious cultural difference is the common white and black dress, which is so against the "individuality" you'd see at the malls or streets back home. But if you glance at their feet, occasionally you'll catch a flash of colorful fabric or fancy sandals underneath the garments, exposing their private side. You then realize that although they maintain modest outward appearances in public, they still have personalities - the only difference is they choose to express them in private. A lesson that some young folks in the US could stand to learn.

One thing's for sure, I fully support the use of flip flops for everyday business wear - if only my boss saw things the same way! But for after work, flip flops are the thing to have, and I plan on honoring that cultural tradition while in Qatar.

Now that I've officially settled into the Intercon I can relax a bit. If you've ever had to change hotels in the middle of a long vacation or trip you know how tough it is to pack everything back up and unpack all over again... the trick is to move to a better hotel so you have some motivation for the change.

I miss you all and appreciate the responses I'm getting. Hope you are all enjoying the start to your weekend. If you've been struggling to get through the final few hours of your Friday, just remember that you'll be going to church around the same time I'm finishing my first day back in the office, so what goes around comes around (not just a good Justin Timberlake song).

Clive's Comment of the Day: A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really... You can understand the notion of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk.

iPod Single of the Day: Travis - "Closer", new song which unfortunately I do not yet have on my iPod, but heard on Euro MTV today and am already hooked for their new album to be released.

Check Please

TGIT - because in Doha, Thursday is Friday and Sunday is Monday... unfortunately every Friday is like Christmas, and not because you get presents, but because not a single store is open - except the restaurants... and even those open later in the evening. The beauty of the system is that it forces you to do something constructive with your day - I plan on working hard on my tan and switching hotels with my Friday - if you want to know what's planned for Saturday you'll just have to keep reading...

On business trips you eat out every meal, which can be overwhelming if you don't plan ahead and avoid the same place too many times. Luckily, as mentioned in previous posts, Doha has no shortage of American restaurants, many of which are located within walking distance of my hotel. Despite where I've eaten though, one thing has struck me as odd - I have to pratically beg for my check at the end of the meal. The first observation is that for a guy who only has to go to work, eat, and sleep I shouldn't be so impatient, but I think it speaks more to the hurried lives we live in America than to the slow paced life in Doha. It's such a strange dichotomy to be narrowly avoid 2 accidents on the way to Applebees only to have to wait 10 minutes to place your order. It's as if enjoying a long supper after racing to the restaurant balances the universe again. For whatever reason, I have developed a sort of paranoia that this time I see my waitress may be the last time I see her, but by watching other tables I'm comforted to know that everyone gets the silent treatment. Tonight I finally realized why that is - in the States your server can usually tell when you've finished the meal (ie your silverware neatly stacked on the plate, your napkin on the table, leaning back in the booth) - but here the servers assume that as long as the plate has food on it, you're not finished. They act surprised when I order dessert but still have mashed potatoes leftover, so the simple answer is to order less food, finish my meal, and I can minimize my wait time between courses.

That same concept makes car shopping amazingly simple in Doha. Rules of shopping for cars:

1. Car dealerships are NOT large open lots; instead they are cramped ground floors of office buildings with high end, fully loaded models to view
2.The prices are clearly marked, doors are all open
3. Salespeople completely ignore you. Not the polite wait a few minutes before striking up an akward conversation. I walked into 3 car dealerships tonight, all in the buildings around my hotel, and was not approached by a single salesperson. My boss explained during lunch that they know that if you want one you'll ask them - almost the same theory as the restaurant. They also said to not get upset if while being helped by a salesperson, a local Qatari interrupts your deal and steals your salesperson, leaving you to start the painful process all over again.
4. Everything in Doha is about the label - Japanese cars cost you a premium, as do German, British, and even Swedish... in fact I think American cars are the only cars you get at a similar price to that which you'd pay in the states. The exception being Hyundai - which had a 4x4 7-seat 2007 Sante Fe for less than I could buy a base model single cab silverado, and you could buy two of these Sante Fes for the price of one fully loaded H3. I must say that although I prefer other brands style - it's hard to avoid being swept off your feet by the pricetag - especially after going to the Chevy dealer first (big mistake).

That said, the Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda Dealerships are all on the agenda for Saturday. As I mentioned before, I would love to check them out on Friday, but I'll be too busy working on my tan and thinking of other fun quirks about Qatar to share with you.

In case the title didn't connect well to the story about waiting for the check at the restaurant, I'll unvail the true pun - while waiting to exchange money at the bank in CityCenter Mall 2 days ago, I happened to see one of the junior hockey teams and their expat dads all skating around on the half ice rink in the center of the mall. Since my ticket was #504 and the current customer who was #408, I had plenty of time to imagine myself lacing up again and teaching those kids a thing or two about hockey. The goalie was the most entertaining kid by far... you can always tell who the coach's kid is - in hockey he's either the long haired problem child who is incredibly talented and never sits on the bench OR as in this case, he's the horribly uncoordinated kid who they put in at goalie when no one else volunteers. I think dads have this inherent philosophy that they can personally overcome their own son's shortcomings. You couldn't help but chuckle to yourself as #13's father gives him endless pointers on how to keep the other kids from scoring - but as hard as his dad might try, poor #13 didn't like getting hit with pucks. Trainwreck in slow motion. Good thing the pratice was long, it took me 30 minutes to have my number pop up at Teller #5, only to have a local gal step in front of me to cash a check. The impatient need not apply...

Qatraziest Maneuver of the Day: Busiest intersection in town, traffic backed up for about a 1/2 mile, stop and go as if the entire queue lurches forward as each car is thrusts into the roundabout spurred on by honking horns, flashing lights, and gentle nudges. Suddenly traffic starts flowing very quickly - a policeman has apparently stopped traffic to temporarily alleviate the masses in one direction (they will post traffic police during rush hours at busy intersections). Just as we start moving, I look over at a LandCruiser (see a trend) with four local guys inside jumping the curb in a parking lot, driving on the sidewalk, jumping 3 more curbs and eventually trapping themselves behind a gate - a.k.a. the most satisfying experience of the trip by far.

iPod Playlist (when you listen to your iPod all day you can't help but post more than a few songs) - if you see a personal fav give it a shout out, music can be a uniting force:

Metallica - "Turn the Page" - as in don't forget to check back tomorrow for more Doha stories
Stereophonics - "Long Way Round" - appropriate for all Doha streets and roundabouts
Collective Soul - "Under Heaven's Skies" - not a cloud in these skies
Bright Eyes - "Down in a Rabbit Hole" - is where I'll want to be when it hits 132 degrees
David Crowder Band - "Wonderful King" - pictures of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani can be seen in most public places... takes a little getting used
Ice Cube - "Today was a Good Day" - theme song for Thursday

Objects on the bedstand may be larger than they appear

During the past 3 months in preparation for our expatriation to Doha I've found myself obsessed with 1st experiences. It's amazing to me how many things can still be new to a 25 year old. Small steps like trying new foods: Sushi, Indian, and Arabic food which somehow collaborates lamb and yogurt into a delicious entree.

I've taken a gondola lift to the top of Keystone not knowing if skiing is as easy as it looks (not easy but WORTH every minute). Or most recently, I woke up this morning and could see the bedside clock something I've been celebrating for the past 2 weeks, and something I hadn't been able to do since before my memory started keeping detailed records. As I sat in a modified dentist chair with a diamond tipped blade and lazer taking turns on my cornea, I realized how far modern medicine has progressed, or so I hoped while gripping the teddy bear tightly. Seconds after having Lasik I could read the clock on the wall, and after a few hours nap I could see the Rockies through the bedroom window at our aunt and uncle's house. The same rockies I had taken on a few weeks before. I'm still healing, but I feel absolutely incredible. My vision went from practically unmeasurable to 20/15 in a matter of 10 anxious minutes. Highly recommend the procedure for anyone who would deem seeing the alarm clock as "lifechanging" and if you are willing to spend the time and $ to get the procedure done by a stellar surgeon with an laser that makes more than he does.

I've bartered for fabrics imported from Rajastan (India) and sat in the front row of a pro tennis tournament for free (Qatar Open). This afternoon I parallel parked in downtown Doha for a first and nearly LAST experience; I have to question why parallel parking is part of the road test for a Qatari driver's permit. Luckily for anyone from a western country with a valid license you only have to navigate the beuracracy of a Qatari DMV not the orange cone course outside. Soon I'll add surviving 130+ degree temperatures with 80% humidity - an accomplishment most 90 year olds can't say / nor do they want to! There's also scuba diving and I've heard good things about the camel races.

My recovering eyes are getting heavy after a long day at work so I'll finish up today's posting with some fun little quirks, that depending on the reaction may make regular appearances or only land the occasional guest spot.

Qataraziest Manuever of the Day: have you ever been in a hurry to get to an appointment or make a dinner reservation... have you ever dreamt about just stomping the gas and pushing those in front of you out of the way to make to the show on time? In Qatar dreams come true... luckily for those sitting in traffic to turn into the Ramada this afternoon the gentlemen maintaining the speedlimit in his landcruiser avoided a catostrophic accident by using the sidewalk as his private thru lane, narrowly missing a hotel guest on his way to the intersection where he probably gave a light honk on his way through the red light. Inshala is arabic for God Willing. When used in business it often means "maybe tomorrow", but when used in the context of driving it means "you can't alter God's plan with seatbelts or speedlimits"... a frustrating and dangerous philosophy.

Clive's Comment of the Day: "In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair."

iPod Single of the Day: Usher & Lil' Jon - "Yeah" as in Spring Break 2004 (runner up was Blessid Union of Souls - "Hey Leonardo"... how you can hear that song and not laugh)

Beef - What's for Dinner?

If Chili's wasn't your style, maybe a fresh Fuddruckers hamburger is more your pace. Well Doha has a Fudd's too... and a group of us tried it out for lunch today. At 12:00 noon when we arrived, there was 1 car in the parking lot - which is never a good sign when it comes to restaurants, but we had already committed and I was too curious to turn back.

We were greeted by a Filipino (hence why learning Arabic is not as important as one might think) who sat us at a table and took our order - the first Fudd's inconsistency. Everyone knows half the fun of Fudd's is standing in a really long line and getting to make up a fake name that they call out over the loud speaker... "your buns are ready". 2nd inconsistency, instead of the typical musty/damp smell, there was in its place incense - LOTS OF IT... it smelled like the basement of my college dormitory.

3rd and most disappointing inconsistency, no kid's menu - so my $3.96 hamburger, fries, cookie, and coke will have to wait until my return to Houston. Instead I picked out a 1/2 pound burger and focused on how to use the warm cup of sugarwater to sweeten my full glass of iced tea.

It was at this point that the British guys who had come with us walked down to the condiment bar, which is a carbon copy of the one in every Fuddruckers since San Antonio in 1980 - down to the nacho cheese. They came back with little side plates of lettuce, tomato, corn, and salsa and indicated "the salad bar is free if you guys want to grab a bit before we eat"... I kindly nodded and indicated that my 1/2 pound burger should be enough to get me to dinner.

A few more incense sticks later our meals arrived. My first thought was that the waiter had incorrectly ordered me a turkey burger - but I soon discovered that burgers in Doha are made with Australian beef and using Muslim butchering standards, giving it a grayish color. I quickly covered my patty with lettuce, ketchup, and mustard before placing the distinct Fudd's bun on top and taking my first bite... thankfully I was hungry and the burger was well cooked. I now realize why everyone else at the table ordered chicken sandwiches.

A side note - radio in Doha is limited to 1 fulltime English station, 97.5fm that plays inspirational talk music in the mornings and non-stop news in the evenings. The alternative, 96.5 plays decent French music in the mornings, and fluctuates between English and American DJs during the drive home... which as I mentioned yesterday can be upwards of a half an hour - so I purchased an fm modulator for my iPod at the local Carrefour (aka France's Walmart) - that combined with a few days of practice have made driving in Doha seem much more like a video game. The secret is apparently to clear your mind of the inherent danger of the maneuvers you're using and to enjoy the exhilaration of the chase. Roundabouts bring out the instinctive Project Gotham 3 in all of us...

Reconnected At Last

It's amazing how you don't miss something until it's gone - so it is with the internet the past two days in Doha. I've been struggling with my finicky work computer and the Ramada's circa 1997 internet service to get a post up on the blog... plenty to catch up on.

I now know why the only available rooms this first week I'm back in Qatar were at the Ramada. When I arrived after 24 hours of travel I had an important decision, a non-smoking room with 2 twin beds or a smoking room with a king bed - to complicate the decision I had left my pipe at home - yes I do own and smoke a pipe - a Nording Dutch Freesylte to be exact, but pipes are really only fun to smoke with friends. After sleeping on a full bed during my last trip I opted for the king bed and although my coworkers haven't offered me a piece of Nicorette yet, I'm sure it's crossed their minds. I'm quite ready to move hotels at the end of the week, back to the Intercontinental with it's swim up bar and manmade beach sans waves.

Work is going as best as could be expected. Today things picked up, as I had to quickly produce 3 cost reports I had never heard of... it's always overwhelming starting a new assignment, especially when the person you're replacing has already repatriated to the states - but the work is challenging and the team seems to have good chemistry, which is important when you're all sharing the bottom floor of a reconfigured villa (aka mansion) - too bad they covered the marble floors with casino carpet and replaced the designer furniture with cubicles.

As if work wasn't enough, my plan to leave a bit later (7:00pm) to beat traffic quickly backfired on me. Despite the locals clocking out around 3:00pm I think most of them are headed back out for dinner around 7:00 because the roads back to the Ramada were extremely busy. Everything you've heard about Qatar drivers is absolutely true - assuming you heard they are aggressive, horn obsessed, disregarders of civil driving law. Roundabouts are challenging enough without a local nearly running over your Renault compact rental with a 2 tonne Landcruiser all the while flashing their lights and honking for you to get out of their way... did I mention that no matter whose fault it is, getting in an accident with a national means YOU PAY. Needless to say the Ramada was a welcome sight after it took longer to get the 3 miles from work to hotel than my typical 15 mile commute in Houston.

The day finished on a great note though. Not only did I finally jumpstart the internet allowing me to post this blog - but I walked to the Chili's across the road from the hotel - yes the Chili's as in "baby back ribs" and "endless tostada chips" (unfortunately not as in Presidente Margaritas - atleast not the ones with Tequila in them). On the way back I made sure to hit up the Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar and refreshing Mr. Misty! If I had closed my eyes, and not been sitting next to a group of dedicated smokers, I would have sworn I could have been back in Texas, enjoying some DQ. The stress of the day melted away, as did my Dilly Bar in the 90 degree night air. Amazing how Qatar seems torn between it's middle eastern, Islamic culture and the western ideas/restaurants capitalism has brought with it.

I miss home, but I see Sheri, Zona (our puppy), and I really having fun out here. I can honestly say that this is a once in a lifetime chance and I'm glad we're taking it. For all the frustrating situations, Qatar offers just as many intriguing and exciting experiences. I appreciate all your prayers and emails - keep them coming... you don't realize how important people are in your life until you fly halfway around the world and sit quietly eating dinner and remembering all those who mean so much to you. I'm worried if I don't start bringing a book with me to dinner I'll just start having conversations with myself!

Until the next time I get the internet up and running...