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?