This Time With Flair

You know it's bad when an entire country's internet goes down... and that's exactly what happened around 2:00pm this afternoon. Qtel, which is the nations' sole sourced internet/phone/cellular provider, lost its signal and it took nearly 4 hours to regain. Luckily I was down by the pool for most of that period, and I usually update my blog and send out emails in the evening - just glad to see it up and running again. Rumor is that the government has received bids for a second telecommunications company to give Qtel some motivation to provide better service and potentially lower the prices, which are about 30% higher than you'd see in the states. I have to say that it seems a bit dodgy to only have one company - where I'm from that's called a monopoly and it's typically bad for business.

I won't talk up the pool too much, since most of you are still at work counting down to the weekend. I managed to grab a cushioned lounge chair and soaked in some rays while reading and having lunch poolside. Fridays are much less busy because of the prayer/family focus for many locals. I'm sure tomorrow will be just as crazy as last Saturday. There was no shortage of speedos and bikinis today - many of which should never have been purchased nor worn in public. A bit more body hair than we north americans are used to, and the concept of covering one's weight doesn't seem to apply to the folks here. There were a few women in the traditional abayas, and I can only imagine how hot it must have been for them. I was sweating between dips in the pool, and I didn't have a full coverage black robe on.

The international hotels seem to be havens for western behaviors - primarily drinking, dancing, and 2 piece bathing suits. No wonder people pay thousands of dollars to join the hotel's fitness/pool club. Also explains why the hotels are so busy on the weekends, although Qatari's must jump through a lot of hoops to get into the bars - since the bartenders have very strict orders to not serve alcohol to locals, a very severe offense for both parties involved in the transaction. For those staying at the hotel, without their wives to go dancing with, the nightclubs are just a huge hassle, filling the parking lot with landcruisers and the lobby with expats - of course once Sheri gets here I'm sure we'll be two of thsoe expats looking for some fun on the weekend.

Despite knowing that the parking lot would be a madhouse, I decided to head out to the Landmark mall (expat mall outside of town) and try out the TGIFridays. The road I took last time was torn to smithereens, so I had to take a detour which dumped me right into the parking lot - which was bumper to bumper. Turns out that the stores DO open on Fridays - but only after dusk. So I was one of hundreds of cars jockeying for a parking space. By chance I pulled up right next to a tight, but achievable parallel parking spot... but the real game isn't between you, the two parked cars, and the curb - it's between all of you AND the crazy drivers who zip past you while you're trying to execute this maneuver. My dad would have been proud of my skills, unfortunately the camera phone couldn't capture the scene in the dark. I'm not sure what we'll do when we're driving much bigger cars - just have to shift into 4x4 and park next to the other SUVs on the sidewalk, curb, or construction sites.

I think the Greenspoint TGIFridays by my old office in Houston that closed a few months ago actually moved to Doha. Decor, menus, even the waitresses' buttons (aka flair) were out in full force, although less than the required 37 pieces. The food, however, didn't live up to expecations. I also forgot my book, so I was forced to watch soccer, which can be quite enjoyable when it's the Premiere League, not when they switch from the Premiere League Championships to some local matchup. The first thing that suggests it's a local match is the large stadium size portraits of the Emir and his son, the second is that there isn't a fan in the stands - since it's so hot, all the fans watch on TV from the convenience of their air conditioned living rooms. I was going to ask them to change back to the AC Milan game, but didn't want to offend anyone. Note: although TGIFridays, and other restaurants like Chili's or Applebees, can't serve alcoholic drinks, they make up for it with incredible fruit juices and smoothies - which are actually better for you and the one I had tonight was quite tasty.

I used the opportunity at the Landmark mall to do some window shopping - discovering that Quiksilver is apparently a designer brand, with $40 t-shirts! I think I'll stop by the outlet mall in Austin before our move to pick up any surfer ware I might need. Sunglass Hut had reasonable prices - probably a 10-20% increase from Houston - which is good since I accidently dropped by glasses at the pool today and put a sizeable nick in the center of my left lens... hard to believe it's the first scratch in almost 2 years, but still extrememly frustrating. There were plenty of clothing shops, most higher priced (think Banana Republic and JCrew versus Gap). The "Jennyfer's Secret" pleasantly surprised me, although I was too embarassed to go into the store and start pricing panties - just didn't want to oversetp my bounds. I also did some pricing of furniture at "The ONE" home store, which was actually more reasonable and better quality than the one in the CityCenter Mall... since we may need a piece or two to compliment the genie in the bottle furniture in our villa. After picking up some snacks for the week ahead, and some much needed floss (corn on the cob at TGIFridays), I headed back into parking lot where I probably could have sold my parking space for a pretty penny. As it was I had to pull a very aggressive "Russel" move to ensure the safety of all cars involved. In the future I think I'll avoid the malls on Friday nights.

Speaking of malls, my coworkers told me about a new mall called the Villagio (sound familiar = Venician + Bellagio, a marriage made in Vegas) - it apparently has plenty of western stores, restaurants, and a mini canal complete with gondolas - now you know where they came up with the fancy name. Even though some of the stores aren't open I'm going to try and stop by on the way to the Dodge/Jeep dealership. I also need to try and find a barber - which could be a VERY dangerous proposition, but a necessary one. Rumor is that the Villagio has a reasonable haircut joint.

Friday's Best Afternoon TV Show: Rob & Big (yes they do have the Season 1 episodes here), today's episode being the one where Big Black falls off the skateboard, so they try to train their bulldog, Meaty, to ride the skateboard. Even after my 3rd time seeing that episode it was a nice treat after hanging out by the pool. I also caught nearly the entire 2OT Stanley Cup game between Anaheim and Vancouver - hope they will show some of the Redwing / Shark game tomorrow.

Clives Comment of the Day: "This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are going to come to life."

Best "Hidden" Tracks (let me know if you have some to add to the list - 80% of the bands had names that started with C - a 'C'oincidence perhaps?):
*Cool for August - "Spinning" (12 minutes after final track)
*Counting Crows - "Big Yellow Taxi" (Hard Candy album)
*Collective Soul - "She Said" (Dosage album)
*Coldplay - "Life is for Living" (Parachutes ablum -for those who were fans earlier on)
*Sublime - "Rivers of Babylon" (40oz. of Freedom)

In response to some of the latest comments (keep them coming):
1. The picture from yesterday's post is a screen shot from Waiting for Guffman, a classic Christopher Guest file (a la Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Best in Show - which is what led me to select the picture, and others). I now see a similarity between Christopher Guest and I in that photo - so I won't take offense to Brent's comment.
2. Most every car holds its value well in Doha, and I don't plan on choosing any future cars based on resale value - since there are fare more important things to consider when I'm actually driving the car. I do appreciate the advice that we should buy whichever SUV Sheri wants!
3. For those who are thinking of trying a bidet - recommend you adjust temperature and pressure BEFORE you give it a go... also I nearly went to the bathroom in a "holy" washing sink at the mall yesterday - glad I asked someone before I unzipped... I swear it looked like the typical ballgame basin - complete with spiggots and all.