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New Chairs

2010-04-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Before leaving we had the local carpenter build us chairs for Aiden since he loved his buddy Will's chairs. We set them out and he was really excited to have Aiden sized chairs and immediately began arranging them around the house. Then he started to find new uses for them. Needless to say they are now upstairs and waiting until we have carpet again!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

"Because you have seen me you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" - John 20:29

Big Changes

2010-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

The blog has taken a visible backseat in the past couple of months... it's not that we have run out of things to say, just time to say it all. Here's the Cliff Notes version of last two months to catch everyone up:

1. Sheri and Aiden flew back to Arizona to represent our family at Grandma Joyce's memorial in early February. While they were celebrating Grandma's life and reuniting with family Brandon took an opportunity to see/participate in the infamous Qatar camel races. Basically the Kentucky Derby for Camel's, set along a very long course that invites you to jockey for position in your 4x4 alongside the Landcruisers and Patrols to catch a view of the action.

2. Aiden turned 1 earlier this month and mom & dad got help from Uncle Mark who flew out during his spring break to enjoy Qatar and throw a worldclass 'GREEN PARTY'. Building on the St. Patrick's Day theme we asked everyone to wear green, dyed Aiden and daddy's hair green, put up green decorations, green frosted cupcakes, guacamole & chips, and a photobooth setup with plenty of green props to liven the mood.

3. Aiden is walking! It was only a day or two from stomping out 2 or 3 lunges in a row before he was wandering all over the first floor (smiling and hollaring the whole way as if to say "look, look, can you believe I'm walking?!"). And that has changed the game completely; we turn our head for 10 seconds and suddenly he's teetering on the seat of his push car trying to climb up on the table... oh yeah, he's also becoming a skilled climber and prefer to do so without ropes or spotters. Not sure I'll ever get used to having a little person walk past me with a remote control in one hand and a long trail of toilet paper in the other. As he began walking/running around we've also seen his appetite grow; and his tastes have changed, preferring anything he can feed himself (toast, scrambled eggs, waffles, turkey sandwiches, crackers, juice boxes, and big bites of daddy's hamburgers).

4. Nearly as exciting as Aiden's first steps was the news that we're heading back stateside in May; exactly 3 years after moving to Qatar to start this grand adventure. Hard to believe how quickly the time goes. Fortunately we'll always have this blog to look back and remember all the fun times we've had. From marathon's and the Maldives to Baby Aiden and Ha'Bibi it's amazing to acknowledge and enjoy the multitidue of blessings we've been given. Especially meaningful as we prepare to celebrate Easter one final time in Doha.

Happy Easter and See You Soon.

Sneezing is Fun

2010-01-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Aiden burst into giggles when I sneezed during dinner the other night and since Brandon and I have 'created' sneezes to hear him laugh. Well I guess we are in the copy cat stage as Aiden makes his own sneezes. Good thing we learned with sneezes and not something else!

Hasta La vista Jet Lag!

2010-01-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

10 months Already?

2010-01-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe that our little man has now been with us longer than he was in my belly! It has flown by with each new trick he has learned. He keeps us on our toes and reminds us how precious life is. We love our little man and are excited to see what he has in store for us.

Of course I can't leave without giving an update on his happenings:

Here they are:

1. Walking while pushing his trolley
2. Has 4 teeth, 5th one soon to come
3. Huge Explorer- loves to climb in and out the dog door, thru cabinets, under benches and on top of toy boxes.
4. Just completed his 4th round the world plane trip
5. Had a haircut that turned him from a baby to a big boy:(
6. Eats us out of house and home with at least 5 meals a day
7. Makes the funniest faces
8. Picks his nose
9. High fives
10. Claps
11. Dances to any song especially 'Stanky leg' (if you haven't heard it you are missing out)
12. climbs stairs
13. Can pull his feet off the ground while holding onto the table ( i am in big trouble)
14. Gives great kisses
15. Says daddy, nana, ooooohhhh(think ET phone home) Just waiting on Mama!
16. Is the cutest little man in our lives!

A Walking Man!

2010-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

One day home and we are already starting new tricks!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T01:22:00.001-08:00

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A Christmas Carol

2009-12-22T18:54:00.001-08:00

Counting down the days to Aiden's first Christmas - after overcoming jet lag and head colds we're ready to enjoy the holiday with our family and friends. Hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and laughter!

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Almost 9 Months!

2009-12-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

I am shocked and a little scared at how much Aiden has discovered in the last few weeks, especially after our checkup today when the Doctor told me he could be walking within the month. Yikes!! 10 months and walking, not sure I am ready for that.

So here is what he is up to these days:

1. crawls- Super FAST
2. Says Daddy and da-da-da-da-da
3. Has one bottom tooth poking out and one top tooth, the other two are close behind.
4. Holds his own sippy cup and loves water.
5. Eats 3 meals a day- about 7 jars of baby food or 10 cubes of homemade food plus a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Yea he is hungry.
6. He remembers where things are- always goes to the dog bowl or bathroom
7. Pulls up on everything- pushes his car while standing.
8. Climbs in everything including, the bench, exersaucer and DOG DOOR!!!
9. Loves to stick his tongue out
10. Waves bye-bye
11.Gives Great kisses!

Still working on High Fives!

This is the teething rail cover I made and you can buy!!! nice plug huh!

Winter Ball at Four Seasons!

2009-11-13T23:23:00.001-08:00

Living in Doha you jump at the chance for any event since most nights are spent watching re-runs on TV or going to bed at 9!! So when the Winter Ball came up we were all for it. A night out at the Four Seasons, getting dressed up, dinner made for you, and no dishes!!! Unfortunately we didn't win any of the prizes or get a chance to strut our stuff on the dance floor since our babysitter gave us a curfew of 11:30! Here are some pics of a night out with some friends! We clean up well!

November and still 100 Degrees!!!

2009-11-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

What do you do when it is November and still blazing outside, go to Family Fun Day at the Intercontinental Hotel to play on the beach! Brandon's company puts this event on every year to get together and play games, have food and hang out with 1000 of your closest friends. We all thought that since it was in November it would be nice and cool to sit outside and lay by the water. But yesterday was at least 100 and with Aiden in tow we had to make camp inside the air conditioned tent. All in all we had a great time and Aidens first experience in the sand was a fun one. Here's to hoping we are in the 90's this week!

Did I mention it was an Aladdin theme! Here is our little Abu.

What is this stuff?

Aiden and his friends, Ella and Jaydon!

Daddy Phillips and Daddy Fuller!

Just Mommy and Me!

All the fun wore Aiden out!

A not so Happy Halloween:(

2009-11-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-10-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a little teaser of Aiden and Ella before he unveils his Costume!

Mom-- She is taking my candy!

More Photos!

2009-10-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

And, yes he picked up his book and began reading without any help!!!

Movin Man!

2009-10-07T03:39:00.000-07:00

CopyCat!

2009-10-05T02:49:00.001-07:00

When Aiden decided that sitting in his bouncy chair at the gym was too boring I have had to start to do videos at home while he plays on the mat. I thought he was playing but I guess he was watching mommy closer than I thought cause he has started to do his push-ups just like mommmy. Who knew I had an audience!

On another note he is trying to crawl and is great at moving backwards but going forwards he goes into push-up position and gets further away from his target, the cell phone. It has been really fun to watch him figure things out. Baby proofing here I come!

Thinking about it:

Holding in his Core!!

That was hard work!

Mom Cut My Hair!

2009-09-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

Okay so for the last few weeks I have been receiving pressure from unnamed sources, Brandon and friends, to cut Aiden's hair. Brandon believed that Aiden was starting to look like Celine Dion's child which I denied, since Aiden is much cuter. So after eating in his high chair I got the scissors. Let me tell you cutting a 6 month olds hair alone is not advisable. It only took 3 snips and I was heartbroken. My little baby is now a big boy. Didn't know a hair cut could do that to you but it did. So I am posting the before and after pics to see what you all think. I am still voting for the before. I think now he is too much of a prep and lost his baby look. Brandon thinks it looks better. Here you go.
Before:

After:

Here is a preview of our soon to be crawler!!

The Game Changer

2009-09-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Aiden's 1/2 year birthday yesterday with an early morning playdate with dad, adventure to church, and some yummy oatmeal and banana mush. In one sense it's hard to believe Aiden has been with us 6 months - in another, it's hard to imagine how our little boy could possibly have grown so big in such a short period of time.

The game changer for all of us has been stability in sit-up mode... a new feature that appeared during his 6th month and has developed steadily in the past few weeks. Around 3 months he recognized daddy when he'd come home, which at the time was a BIG step... shortly after we had our first trip to the pool, which also seemed like a BIG step; but nothing to-date has had the impact of sitting up. Aiden loves it because he doesn't have to stare at the ceiling 80% of his days, AND he can hang out with his girlfriend Ella.

He has also developed an adventurous dare devil side - especially after watching his girlfriend zoom around the room in crawl mode... he is working his 'lunge' transition from sitting to crawling, resulting in quite a few bumped noggins (big shout out to our soft playmats). He is also working his belly time butt lifts - think he's watching our David Kirsch DVDs... all signs that 'sitting up' won't be the biggest game changer for long!

Mom and dad love 'sitting up' time because you can interact at his level using all those toys we've been stockpiling downstairs... also makes for some pretty cute photos (as you can see)!

Favorite things at the moment are:
1) his walker (which provides a scary reminder of how life will change when he can move around the house under his own power)

2) his rings (still trying to get the teeth to cut through - can see two on his bottom gums, just haven't broken the surface yet)

3) his oatmeal (messy eater - but he LOVES his oatmeal... just like daddy)

4) his night time stories (Good Night Moon, That's Not My Lion, and recently survived the full Cat In The Hat)

Encouraged by sitting up and playing with mom & dad, Aiden's personality continues to blossom... new facial expressions, more frequent laughing, adorable squeals, and joy-filled snuggles. And we all love snuggles!

Its Been Awhile!

2009-09-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Alright so we are a little behind in our posting so I will try and update whats happened since we returned to the sandbox in July.

1. We survived jet lag with a 5 month old
2. Aiden was put through his 2nd round of vaccines
3. He now rolls and sits up on his own
4. We started sleeping through the night
5. We started teething, which means no more sleeping through the night
6. We love tylenol
7. Still no teeth sightings, but we feel the pain!
8. A glimmer of white shows through the gums!!!! Almost home free
9. Starting big boy food this weekend!!!!
10. Our little man will be 6 months old, Sept 11th!!!!

I am shocked by how much he has changed since we last saw everyone in July and am enjoying this sitting period as I watch our friends little ones crawling. Hopefully our next post won't take this long.

Back to "Normal"

2009-08-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

After an incredible vacation back in the U-S-A where Aiden got to meet all his family and friends, we reluctantly boarded the 15 hour non-stop flight back to Doha... admittedly I was expecting the worst (15 hours of entertaining a cranky little boy); instead Aiden was a superstar, sleeping most of the flight allowing mom and dad to catch a few critical hours of sleep [remember the 'slept the whole flight' part, that's important later]. We arrived back in Qatar ahead of schedule, which also meant ahead of the other 20 flights that arrive between 7 and 9pm, which in turn meant no wait at immigration! Our 8 bags came out within the first 15 or so and we were homeward bound thanks to the extra large baggage carts and a friendly pickup from the Fuller family.

It felt really good to back 'home', even if we were again halfway around the world from the people we loved the most... we miss the States more with each visit. Once we convinced the dogs to settle down, Sheri and I simultaneously put our little 'un to bed, showered, partially unpacked (8 bags remember), and even managed to cook some Mac and Cheese before heading to bed. We had no idea the adventures that awaited us.

Jet lag is a phenomenon you get familiar with as an expat. You know to expect weird sleep patterns the first few days into and out of a trip overseas... having trouble falling asleep at 11pm only to wake up at 2am wide awake. Apparently infants experience jet lag too - but instead of heading downstairs for some toast and early morning TV they opt for crying during all nighttime hours until passing out around sunrise. For those parents who have traveled cross country and had a few restless nights, I'm sure you can appreciate what 2 full weeks of sleepless nights and one very cranky son is like. We were equal parts heartbroken that our son was so upset and at the same time completely frustrated that we were back in week 2 mode, taking turns sleeping 3 hours a pop. I can honestly say that I've never had a more challenging experience in my life - and I only covered the weekend since Sheri was a total supermom and took the school nights so daddy could get his beauty rest for work. I'm happy to report that Aiden is going to bed at 7pm again as of last weekend; but he has yet to fully recover his pre-trip sleep pattern, instead waking up every 3 or 4 hours like months 2 & 3. We're worried he's starting to teeth, which may prolong the sleepless night syndrome a few more weeks.

Despite the challenging return to reality, Aiden continues to grow up. He's now rolling over on his own (typically when mom or dad aren't looking), actively grabbing everything at arm's length and jamming it in his mouth. He's nearly sitting up on his own (especially in the bath), and loves his highchair. Recently he's discovered his feet are indeed HIS, thinks the dogs are hilarious as well as when mom raspberries his belly and dad tries to eat his toes.

If you were expecting phone calls from us in the past two weeks, sorry, but the telecom monopoly of Qatar has abruptly and intentionally interrupted our Vonage service (along with Gmail chat)... to make matters worse the embassy and newspapers are warning folks to avoid shorts and revealing tops as Ramadan approaches... typically this was directed at women, but now they are singling out men too (ahhhh) nothing like wearing jeans and a sweater when it's 120 degrees out! Oh, and if you recall, Ramadan means no food or WATER in public places for a month (like the car, mall, or office) during daylight hours unless you smuggle it into the office yourself. Should have planned our vacation more carefully.

[Aiden isn't a fan of censorship either]

Speaking of vacation, returning to an even more frustrating Qatar is motivating us to plan a last minute trip to Austria with some friends for the Eid holiday in September... should be nice to celebrate the end of Ramadan in a much 'cooler' location (temperature and amenities). If you have any ideas for places to see in or around Vienna / Salzburg leave a comment (we already have penciled in the Eagle's Nest and Innsbruck).

The Perfect Business Model

2009-07-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

I've posted a few times about the Middle East's culture around status... when you and your neighbor both have rolls royces, you need another way to distinguish who is 'cooler'. That's where license plates came in - available to only the upper crust at a rediculous price. And it works... I'm far more impressed by the Porsche 911 Carerra GT2 that has plate '911' than just ANY Carerra GT2. Same goes for the S63 with license plate '63'... I kid you not - people will spend 10x the cars value to get the perfect license (and when the car costs $200k to start with - that says a lot!).

Well... fancy numbers are no longer for only the high ranking families in the region - you too can enjoy the thrills of status, thanks to Vodafone's brilliant grand opening TODAY. Instead of offering much needed price point competition, or fixed monthly rate plans; they are basically an overpriced duplicate of the nationalized monopoly... as you might have assumed since they rely entirely on Qtel's infrastructure. What they do offer is far more important - after you choose your overpriced, pay as you go plan, you get to search for your own phone number. But act quickly - the numbers are disappearing as I type this post.

http://www.vodafone.com.qa/go/en/NameYourNumber

I kid you not - you find it, you can buy it. According to the webiste prices range from Free to 10,000,000QAR (~$2,800,000). I myself went on a quick search - knowing full well that since the number MUST start with a 7 that I could find the 10,000,000QAR number in one attempt. I typed in '7777777' and found the number was unavailable (I interpret that to mean, 'someone already purchased this number, try again'). I then tried all versions of '7######' where # was the same number, and I hit ONLY two as available. At a cost - get this - of 2,000,000QAR (~$550,000). I could have seriously clicked 'BUY' and the numbers 7111111 or 7333333 could have been mine. Looking for something a bit more in your price range: how about 7771111 (which here would read 'triple seven, quadruple one')... a mere 300,000QAR ($83,000). Have a go - you will be amazed at how many numbers are for sale and what folks are paying for them.

Here's the real revelation. This site opened 6 hours ago, meaning that someone has already laid claim to the 10,000,000QAR number, which had to be "septuplet seven" 7777777... and if that wasn't shocking enough, 8 other numbers worth 2,000,000QAR have already sold. You should check to see if you can even get 7111111 or 7333333 later today. I'm fairly confident that setting up and operating a phone number like 7111111 costs no more than 7628769, meaning that the geniuses at Vodafone knew exactly what they were doing when they joined forces with Qtel and passed the extra fees to their users... they managed to make over 26,000,000QAR in less than a business day. To put that in perspective that's almost as much as my company makes every hour in the year (suddenly doesn't seem like much).

If all you had was 5 minutes to learn about the culture Sheri, Aiden, and I live in - just visit the website and experience the madness for yourself. Let me know if you can find a number worth more than 2,000,000QAR for sale (try the fancy combinations - like 7171717... they like those). To be honest the only number worth throwing down would have been the 7x7... so many ways to throw it down.

Thirty years ago, before speed dialing, electronic address books, or remembering your friends numbers... this would have been a nifty feature.

Guy at Honda Service Station: "Sir, can I have your number to call you back - I'm going to write it down right here so I don't forget?"
You: "Don't bother writing it down - it's ALL SEVENS, that's right, just keep mashing 7 until it calls my gold plated Nokia N95 with hydraulics and presidential window tint... ALL SEVENS"

Donald Trump, eat your heart out.

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July actually seems more meaningful when you're overseas; only 1 more week until I get to join the family in the USA! Our little man is growing like a weed, but between being temporarily separated and long nights at work we haven't gotten an update posted in a while... more to come when we're reunited.

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Kids Are Resilient - Dads Not So Much

2009-06-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Aiden will have to wait atleast one more season to experience his first Stanley Cup Championship. What an incredible finish to a great series of hockey. A crossbar and one incredible save in the final minute leaves the Wings one win away... as much as I would have preferred a different outcome (and not losing my satellite signal for 15 minutes of the final period), it was great to see a young Penguins team rejuvinate the sport. I'm not a superstitious guy - but the Wings lost all 3 of the games I woke up at 3am to watch... I'm not sure what is better - to watch good hockey and have my team lose the Cup, or not watch my team win a Championship.

Fortunately Aiden is too young to realize just how hard it is for a team to get to the Finals... plenty of time to see the Wings hoist the cup for his generation.

Always next season...

3 Months Old

2009-06-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Aiden's 3 month birthday. It's incredible how quickly the months seem to be going by - almost as quickly as our little man is growing. We grabbed a few candid pictures to commemorate his big milestone... hopefully the Redwings can give him a belated B-day gift tonight in Game 7.

Loves his birthday gift - Superman PJs, a rare find in Doha!

Really starting to love his blankets (especially his custom tag blanket from mom)

Starting to prefer his fingers to his pacifier

Aiden and his girlfriend on their mall date!

The best part of hitting 3 months is that we'll be celebrating his 4 month birthday back in the USA, only 3 weeks 'til wheels up! Can't wait.

Bear Down Baby

2009-06-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Kirkman family our little guy is making John Button proud - Bear Down Wildcats... let's build on last year's bowl victory with a strong showing in 2009! Even if you're not a Wildcat fan, I'm sure you can appreciate the captions.

'Bear Down Aiden'

'UofA in the front / Party in the back'

'Just glad those eyebrows on our team'

PS Keep your eyes on Tuesday night's Stanley Cup game - repeat in the making... could be Aiden's first Stanley Cup celebration.

More Photos!

2009-06-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

4 oz To Freedom

2009-05-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

After nearly 3 months of training dad got the opportunity he was waiting for - to take on solo parenting responsibilities so that Sheri could attend a jewelry making class with her girlfriends. I'll admit that there was a part of me that was nervous about sailing all morning without our captain, who would be 20 minutes away... which is a long time if young Aiden decides dad isn't doing it for him anymore.

So with a kiss goodbye daddy took the reigns and our morning together started off great with a 30 minute nap in his swing (mom had done her part to start us off well with a full feed). He awoke suddenly, as he usually does, threw a short tantrum that led to a diaper change - WOAH, I think he's eating/processing more these days. We then proceeded to spend 20 minutes on our playmat and new vibrating chair downstairs (lesson for all those new/soon to be parents - the vibrating feature is very nice on ANY product, especially a bouncy chair). After wearing out our welcome, dad and Aiden proceeded to take a cradle walk outside (where I hold him like a football and sway back and forth), apparently our son loves when he sweats, cause he instantly cheered up in the 110 heat (that's in the shade mind you)... we headed back inside and it was time to eat.

The most critical point of the whole morning was upon us - time to get the bottle out and see if both of us are up for the challenge. Breast feeding is great for so many reasons, but one thing it doesn't do is train daddy and baby on how to feed when mom's not around. We had a 25% success rate on bottle feeding going into this morning, so the nerves were high - if I couldn't successfully master the bottle latch mom might have to make it a short jewelry class! I now know what Sheri must have felt like during those first few days of masting the latch... my son's happiness was entirely in my hands.

We typically target 4oz a feed...

The first 1.5oz went down smoothly... in one of dining table chairs with a number of classic iTunes jams playing in the background Aiden was settling into his bottle and dad was loosening up a bit (Modest Mouse, Boyz II Men, Interpol, and Montell Jordan all cheered us on)

The next 1oz required intervention - shifted from dining room chair to the couch, back to the chair, burped... 2.5oz down, 1.5 to go

With all my usual tricks exhausted (I don't have many to begin with), and a significant amount of milk to go I resorted to the ultimate back up plan for EVERYTHING Aiden related, the walk around the house method... after about 6 trips from living room to kitchen (with detours to maid's quarters, dining room, and backyard) we were down to our last 0.5oz

At this point baby and daddy were tired, having spent nearly 45 mins on the first 3.5oz... we sat down for the final push home in dad's TV chair, that's when Aiden gave in, could go no further... not in a "grumpy/cranky I want more food" way... but in a "thanks for all that delicious milk, I'm going to nap now" way... that has to be the cutest face I've ever seen - as his eyes rolled back, his lip hung open, and his body gave in to sleep. I've seen that face before, but always after Sheri did the heavy lifting and handed him over - this time I earned it!

Mom called 15 mins after Aiden fell asleep and I was still beaming when she returned home to a calm household (she was probably as nervous as I was about being 20 mins away). It was only a 3 hour adventure, but success is measured in small steps as a parent.

Two observations after the morning alone with my son:
1. Sheri is an incredible mother. She keeps our son fed, clean, and happy 24 hours a day... with only the occasional help from dad (bath, burp, etc)... I'm so proud of what she is doing with our son. Any success I have as a father is from mirroring her behavior and attitude.
2. Being a father is the most incredible experience of my life. It has changed how I prioritize my days, how I provide for my family, and how I define success in my life.

Fun In The Sun and Water

2009-05-24T00:18:00.001-07:00

We couldn't resist any longer... our son's board shorts are just too cute, and at the rate he's growing might only fit another few weeks (thanks grandma & grandpa P)... so we did what any respectful Doha family does on a Friday afternoon, went to the pool - for Aiden's first plunge.

I grew up at the neighborhood pool. It was only fitting that after being raised on Cool Deck, Chlorine, and Otter Pops that I became a lifeguard and swim instructor - hands down the absolute greatest job in the world; getting paid to hang out at the pool 7 days a week! Secretly part of me wants to retire now and pursue a full career as lifeguard on the beach somewhere in Western Australia or Southern California (specifically the part of me that loves flipflops and Otter Pops).

Even though I've replaced my flipflops with dress shoes, I remember my past life as a swim instructor... which means little Aiden gets private lessons with two pretty cool people - his parents. Almost from birth an infant can hold his breath under water (yes the 'blow in the face' trick is a legitimate technique taught in instructor training)... thought: dunking hundreds of little kids in swim classes should prepare you for dunking your own son (FALSE) - so I was relieved when Sheri annouced that Rule #1 of first day at the pool was that Aiden was not to get his head wet!

Problem with Rule #1 of the pool is that it directly contradicted Rule #26 - Aiden has the right to ignore any of the aforementioned rules in pursuit of his own agenda... 12 seconds after handing him to Sheri our son performed a face plant; a move that on land typically bruises our cheekbones, when near water the face plant results in one wet little baby. Aiden came up with a puzzled look on his face, and returned to his peaceful state of mind. He was a pro - looks quite natural in the water, as you can see in the photos we snapped (underwater housing for our Canon Elph = greater invention than the iPhone and DVR combined... especially with kids).

Public Service Annoucements: Teach your kids how to swim as soon as you possibly can. Great materials are available from the Red Cross if you feel comfortable teaching them yourself - otherwise find a local aquatic center or trained professional and enroll them... not only does it provide 30 mins of 'free' baby sitting, it teaches them one of the most critical skills anyone can learn. Did I mention that learning how to swim trains the next generation of lifeguards and opens up the door for your youngster to get the coolest job in town?

Thank You Cell Phones

2009-05-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

An hour before quitting time Wednesday my phone decided to take a dump... it locked up while drafting a text to Sheri. I used the 'take the battery out, put the battery back in, press power' trick that had worked on previous such occasions, but this time when the phone powered on it reached the Windows Mobile screen and started vibrating uncontrollably - which led to a subsequent battery removal. 4 attempts later I realized that my phone could not be resucitated.

Brandon's Samsung Blackjack: pronouced dead at 4:04pm local Doha time, May 20th, 2009

So I finished up at work, passed the bad news to Sheri via gmail chat, and headed out to run a few quick errands. As I drove down one of the busier streets in Doha I suddenly felt very naked without a working mobile phone, realizing that if I broke down or got into an accident I wouldn't be able to easily call for help like I did after getting rearended a few months ago... quite an uncomfortable feeling. Then I got stuck in terrible traffic halfway across town without anyway to call home and let Sheri know I'd be running late... making a stressful situation even more frustrating.

I later stopped by Carrefour on the way home to pick up a new phone (fortunately here the phones are all unlocked and ready to throw a SIM card in). I rushed home to charge my new Nokia and immediately felt at peace again.

In that moment of 'chaos' I realized that world of instant communication, adorned with Blackberry's and iPhones, provides us the opportunity to stay connected 24 hours a day. It has revolutionized how we interact with one another on a real time basis. How far we've come from the days of letters and physical phone lines, how did folks manage to survive:
1. No caller ID to know whether to pick up the phone or not, but on the flip side you didn't have voicemail tag battles
2. No text messaging so you actually had to call someone in person
3. Couldn't just call your wife or kids in the supermarket or mall to locate them before going to the security desk for a PA annoucement
4. Couldn't call from a traffic jam to tell your family/friends you're running behind, or phone the restaurant to extend your reservation 15 mins from the cab
5. Couldn't call the police or a tow truck from the side of the road after an accident or breakdown, you had to hitchhike to a phone booth or local farm house instead
6. International or State to State calls used to require a second mortgage, and had three minutes of echo'd reverb

So many aspects of our lives are 'easier' because of the mobile phone. The problem is that once you start participating in the connectivity revolution, be it with your spouse, kids, friends, or boss, you take on the responsibilities associated there with - you are left with few excuses for not informing others (late for dinner, cancelling the poker game, stopping at Krispy Kreme on the way home, etc).

It wasn't until my phone went KiA that I realized just how far technology has impacted how we live our lives. And judging from the capabilities of today's top phones it looks like we're only going to get more dependent on them in the future.

Update: 5 mins after making this post we were watching CNN international and saw the following piece: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/05/22/finighan.uk.smart.phones.cnn

The Number 2

2009-05-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Aiden celebrated his 2 month birthday last week, which marked the first week of seeing himself in the mirror above his window swing - ADORABLE! He also has a much broader range of emotion... expanding from open mouth 'laughing' to full on squeals and from occasional frown faces to full on tantrums. I wish I could say the more dramatic expressions of his feelings would tire him out and extend naps times, but it's been quite the opposite. He continues eating like a hippo, and has actually started waking up more frequently at night to get the nutrients he needs (pray for Sheri as she continues to pull the weight during the nighttime feeds).

There is no shortage of parental advice outside the protection of our villa; even in Doha, Qatar folks have the audacity to come up to Sheri and I to 'correct' our poor parenting. I'm not boasting that we are the foremost parenting experts; we'll be the first to admit we've learned an awful lot the first 2 months of this gig, but I do have a problem when folks get in my face pushing wive's tales that lack any substantial basis. The most awesome examples actually come from the Doctor's office and Church - 2 locations you'd typically expect some slack on the new parent - child abuse accusations.

When getting our son out of his stroller at his last doctor's appointment (which dad unfortunately had to miss for work), the Surgeon noted that Sheri 'incorrectly' held Aiden, failing to keep two fingers on his neck... and judging by his tone of voice he was seriously concerned about Aiden's well being. Standing joke around our house now is to hold two fingers on Aiden's foreneck - as if checking his pulse... "two fingers / two fingers". I have now commited to be at each doctor's appointment so we can use all 20 of our fingers to slowly slide our son out of his stroller and avoid redicule! If any Doctor has more comments during our trip this morning I may have 2 fingers for him (actually Aiden has learned the fine art of the flip off, so we may let him take the honors)!

Remember that we live in a town where half the babies this pediatrician sees don't have a carseat; where I also get strange looks for pushing a stroller or holding my son in public (woman's work)... and we get the guilt trip on "two fingers" - frustrating!

Then at church last week, Aiden was able to champ through the first 70 minutes of music and message - but during the final wrap up he got a bit cranky, so Sheri (being the amazing mother she is) stepped out into the foyer with him for the last 5 minutes. While out in the foyer she was approached by a lady who offered some 'great' advice to help with Aiden's hiccups (which he gets once or twice a day). Apparently babies with cold feet hiccup more (missed that chapter in my latest issue of Pediatrician Weekly). Quick solution - "you have to cover his feet to help his hiccups". How do you cover up feet when they already have shoes on? I told Sheri she should have handed Aiden to the Motherhood 101 instructor so she could feel how sweaty he was from the overcrowded church service (wall AC units can only do so much)... cold feet? I guess I'm a bit too quantitative/logical; seems like in our situation the more appropriate 'random guess at how to make the hiccups go away' wasn't to make my baby sweat more with socks or a blanket - I would have gone with the dunk him in the holy water and hold him upside down method.

The best 'indirect' part of parenting (ie not Aiden related - because the list of amazing things grows by the day), is our weekends seem so much more productive. The very act of parenting suddenly makes mundane activities seem important; take yesterday (which ended up as a 2 movie day - aren't those the best). We started the day lounging around the house - then between feeds and diaper changes we watched 'Yes Man' - rented off iTunes, worked out at the clubhouse gym, did groceries, started laundry, cooked dinner, bathed and put our son to bed, then finished the night by watching our second movie rental 'Marley & Me'. Safe to say that anyone who has gone through the puppy training phase or new parent phase of their lives will immediately connect with this movie. I think more than 70% of the dialogue between Owen and Jen in the movie came straight out of a Brandon / Sheri discussion. It felt so awesome to sit on our couch, snuggling with our two dogs, the occasional grunt from our sleeping baby over the monitor, watching a movie that was entirely wholesome and perfectly aligned with that moment in our lives. Highly recommend 'Marley & Me' - I did not expect a movie built around raising a rambuncious puppy to so sweetly and meaningfully intersect my life and remind me how special the experience of life really is.

As hinted at earlier in the post, we're off to the doctor this morning to tackle the first big round of vaccines (the 2 month shots). We've got our tissues and children's tylenol ready - we've been advised from our parenting mentors to buckle up for this doctor's visit. Plenty of tears and a good chance of mild fever to follow; can definintely use your prayers that our little man avoids the more severe side effects and that mom and dad can make it thru the experience. I think movies may be the order of the weekend!

What would a post about the meaning of 2 be without mentioning that after an impressive game 7 win against the Ducks in round 2, the Redwings have 2 rounds standing between them and a Repeat Cup... you have to think that the Motor City could use a boost in morale with the American auto industry in ruin.

PS. Aiden made it through the shots, at the looks of him and the dust storm outside today is shaping up to being a 2 movie day as well! Especially if you consider the Biggest Loser 2 hour Finale a movie

(note the Band-Aid and tired baby)

What's Cuter Than a Sleeping Baby

2009-05-06T05:22:00.001-07:00

What's cuter than a sleeping baby - two sleeping babies!

Our friends Natalie and Charlie came over last weekend for dinner and to trade new parenting stories (we met them at our local prenatal course). They brought their son Lars so the boys could have some bonding time. After dinner we alternated bath time and play time, and after a quick feed Natalie and Sheri successfully put both boys to bed in Aiden's crib. They lasted nearly 3 hours while we all socialized downstairs; with the occasional grunt and squeal... if Natalie and Charlie hadn't left they boys would probably have made it a true sleep over; which is incredible given Aiden's tendency to kick and punch in his sleep and Lars' ability to effortlessly move about the crib. Video confirmed our suspicions that the boys were only 'pretending' to be asleep and were probably playing Truth or Dare before we interrupted their shinanigans.

Nearing our second month as parents, our boosted confidence prompted us to enjoy the neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party down the street while Aiden slept in his crib... a first for parents and baby alike that went well (despite our nerves). We took turns checking on him via our video baby monitor to make sure he hadn't crawled out of his crib. We were using 10 minute intervals at first, but quickly realized our man is a heavy sleeper and are proud to report that he survived for nearly 3 hours without realizing we had gone (although when we returned home he figured things out and Sheri paid the price with far less sleep than the typical night).

Since our posts seem to come less frequently as Aiden becomes more active I'll include some other tasty updates for our viewers at home:

1. Aiden is growing like a weed (specifically like a weed in our sideyard when daddy neglects his yardwork)... already kissing 0-3 month clothes behind and fitting nicely into his 3-6 month outfits. Thankfully we have enough 3-6 clothes to get us to our summer holiday, because the options in Doha are limited and VERY expensive!
2. Accordingly, our boy has grown out of the second tier diapers and is now in 'active baby' diapers, which I had incorrectly thought would be used when he was crawling, not when he was 7 weeks old. We've learned that the decision to upgrade diapers or clothing sizes is often driven by the recurrence of 'blowouts', which naturally signal the progression from one level to the next.
3. Aiden is also growing less picky in his eating habits... taking 4oz of bottle milk straight out of the fridge with few complaints. This means good things for Sheri - since dad can help share the load on the weekends (especially Mother's Day).
4. Two weeks ago Brandon was 3 weeks into a terrible sinus infection and 1 week away from a very important budget presentation, Ha'bibi was spayed (small dog + large incision = long recovery), Zona's energy level tripled following her 'annual' haircut, and poor Sheri was stuck taking care of the whole circus. We survived on her strength and care... kudos to my wife for not booking a flight home!
5. Speaking of flight home, Aiden and family all have valid visas and exit permits, giving us the green light to book flights back to the USA this summer... our first legitimate vacation in over 8 months, first trip as an expanded family, and something to focus on as the heat cranks up in Qatar (where did the double digits go?).

2009-04-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

2009-04-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

A Month of Firsts

2009-04-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

I remember when Sheri and I started dating we celebrated plenty of early relationship milestones: 1st tutoring session, which led to the 1st mixtape, which led to 1st DTR (Define the Relationship, which arranged the 1st dinner date, where we tried our 1st hand hold, finished the night with our 1st kiss, introduced each other to our parents, celebrated our 1st month anniversary, etc. Nearly 7 1/2 years ago everything between she and I was new, each activity built on the previous days adventures to create the continous 'development phase' of our relationship. It laid the foundation for the couple we are today.

The past month brought those emotions flooding back. Only this time as a collective unit, Sheri and I began passionately defining our relationship with our SON... and wow has it been a month of firsts:

1. First introductions (one month ago today we were meeting our son, after 9 months of anticipation he absolutely blew our expectations away)
2. First night sleep (we're fairly certain that first night in the hospital with a solid 6 hours of sleep will hold the nighttime record for weeks to come - couldn't have been more convenient)
3. First car ride (not even a peep - slept the whole way home while dad nervously navigated roundabouts and avoided landcruisers)
4. First diaper change (for us this was after getting home, since the hospital staff handled them for us... since then we've had several HEAVY loads, Sheri still holds the record for most obscene diaper)
5. First stroller ride (Aiden can't get enough of the fresh air and sunshine - especially early in the month before temps started climbing in prep for Doha summer; the ladies have a Stroller Fit club that looks like a mini marathon training boot camp at the pace they cruise around the compound)
6. First bath (our little man loves the water, some of his cutest faces are during the bath - which is a far more organized and less hectic activity these days)
7. First accident (dad's shorts recovered nicely after being the first to get sprayed during a diaper change - Aiden has still hit himself more than other folks, although he did manage to get our friend Cassie as she helped out at the hospital)
8. First photoshoot (mom and dad suddenly feel like poparatzi, snapping hundreds of photos a day of our supermodel; who can blame us - he's adorable and seems to ham it up for us when the lens cap comes off)
9. First trip to the mall (our new favoriate hang out - he can usually last 1.5 or 2 hours in his stroller as we pick up groceries and the occasional ice cream cone from 31 flavors)
10. First Easter service (technically it was a Good Friday service since we have a Fri/Sat weekend, but he was a champ and slept through the whole service, stuffy air, enthusiastic music and all)
11. First ESCAPE (Aiden decided he had enough of staying put at night, and between his 3am feed and 7am wakeup managed to wiggle out of his blanket, back out of his anti-roll over pads and turn 90 degrees - getting a head start on the 3 point turn)

12. The biggest first of all: his 1 Month Birthday (spent mostly napping and hanging out in his swing while mom and dad did some spring cleaning, installing the new 'baby food' freezer, finishing yard work, and folding our 1000th load of laundry since brining Aiden home, or so it seems!)

On a weekend when the World celebrates the most meaningful miracle, we're so happy and thankful for the intimate miracle he's recently blessed us with.

It's BED Time

2009-04-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Daddy finally got comfortable with the thought that our little man could make it through a night in his nursery, under full remote supervision of our sophisticated collection of baby monitors that would make the UK government proud – full audio, video, and physical motion detection all with associated alarms should something go wrong. As many parents can testify, this was a tough transition – but a necessary one if we were to get enough sleep to avoid physical shutdown (more so for Sheri who was sleeping next to the Moses basket and was more susceptable to the little grunts and noises – think Beevis and Butthead only really cute!)

He is averaging 3 hours between feeds during night time hours, occasionally stretching to 4 hours… and has been super active during the days, which is great for dad who fits some playtime in before work and is happy to takeover duties in the evenings (diapers, burping, and baths, oh my!). In addition to the normal routine, he does offer up the occasional surprise wake up at 5am demanding special attention – ie. we bring him into our room for some snuggle time before admitting defeat and getting out of bed at six.

We’re closing in on his one month birthday (where did the time go) – which will hopefully celebrate with lots of playtime and naptime with rumors of a photoshoot for our month-by-month frame. So be assured that more photos and videos are inbound to the blog and Flickr (we have been sneaky new photos onto Flickr without associating with a blog post – so if it’s been a week without a post, keep an eye on Flickr). For some reason posting photos is much more convenient than writing creative and witty comments.

Special congratulations to Nadia and Katie who both gave birth last night to beautiful babies! Aiden has so many friends he can’t wait to meet.

Did You See Where My 2 Weeks Went?

2009-03-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

So somewhere between bringing Aiden home and arriving at work this morning two weeks have evaporated in a haze of day trips around town, afternoon naps, baths, snuggles, interrupted sleep, grandma A's departure (she will be GREATLY missed) and our first thunderstorm in Doha in 2 years! In lieu of sharing each incredibly detailed moment I'll pause to recap some lessons we've learned along the way. I (Brandon) will start with concepts for Fatherhood 101 (aka Sleep Hoggers Anonymous), and let Sheri tackle Motherhood 101 (aka Superwoman Training) when she has collected her thoughts.

What to expect from Fatherhood 101 (1st two weeks):

1. Your child is an incredible source of joy but a continuous drain on your emotional and physical energy (the magnitude of which makes running a marathon seem trivial)

2. Fortunately, your wife is an incredible source of strength and energy who apparently requires no sleep at all to maintain her motherly duties, were it not for her occasional slurred speech or midsentence 'nap', you might not know she only gets 3 hours of broken sleep a night

3. For dad, who currently reaps the benefits of a breastfeeding program that allows him to return to sleep during feeds - 8 hours of sleep obtained in 2 hour intervals is equivalent to 4 hours of traditional sleep (at best)... causing me to still deal with significant gaps in productivity at work. Thankfully my team has been great throughout, even laughing 'with me' when I slur my speech or forget about a meeting in my fatherhood stupor

4. Physical interaction with urine and feces becomes common place; you measure greatness within the family in terms of 'diaper changing heroics', which at times provides outburts of comic relief that would have previously been fits of sanitization (Aiden isn't shy about spraying folks, including our friend Cassie and pretty much every doctor he meets)

5. Grandma's are great tools to have around the house, which made it hard to put Grandma A back on a plane this weekend and wave goodbye to our extra set of hands (and extra hot, extra long showers!). The only silver lining is that I can now safely walk around the house in boxers during midnight trips to the kitchen.

6. You can almost set your watch by our little guy's 'emotional states'... we know he's awake and active most in the morning (10am), that he eats about every 1.5-2.5 hours, usually 1.5 hours when we plan on 2.5 hours and vice versa. He can survive trips to the mall, including the occasional introduction to a friend we bump into

7. A month ago my alarm clock had to be set on LOUD to avoid the infamous 'sleep thru'... now the slightest little grunt or whimper from the Moses basket has me tossing and turning (and has Sheri standing by for the night feeds). I don't think either of us had an appreciation for how much noise this little guy can produce, most of it incredibly cute during the day - some of it quite frustrating at night. We know the answer is to shift him to the big bed in the nursery, but as any parent can tell you that transition is a difficult one... especially since the only material difference at first is the white noise of a baby monitor and having to get up and walk into another room to investigate all the noises!

8. We have the best friends and family, who have been so supportive. I'll apologize now for any return call/text we haven't yet made, we hope to settle into a 'pseudo-routine' that will allow us to more efficiently contact the outside world. Until then know that we appreciate all that you've done and that you will do in the years to come.

Now for the real reason you check the blog (new photos & a short video on Flickr):

Welcome Home

2009-03-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Aiden and mom are doing great and we're all settling in back at home. As wonderful as everyone was at the hospital, it feels so good to sleep in our own bed and change Aiden's diapers ourselves without a nurse impatiently asking how the feeding is going in an attempt to slip Aiden a bottle of formula. He is an absolute dream - offering so many amazing experiences each day that we are having trouble remembering what life was like before our son arrived.

Our friends and neighbors have been so awesome - cooking us food, running errands, stopping by to lend some positive encouragement, and giving us . They are helping bridge the gap between our family and friends back in the US until our first tour this summer.

Sheri's mom arrived safely a few nights ago and has been a HUGE help. We had learned before her arrival that simple things like showering, changing clothes, feeding dogs, and sleeping are much more complicated with a one week old baby to look after. The extra set of hands is helping us slowly acclimate to our new environment, while also giving Aiden some well enjoyed granny time.

You might wonder if Aiden becomes a citizen of Qatar after his local birth - the quick answer is NO, he will not inherent any of the billions of dollars of hydrocarbon revenue that the other Qataris are entitled to - but he does still have to jump through plenty of hoops to get registered in the country, allowing us to then proceed with requesting a passport and social security number. The paperwork started two days ago, getting forms typed up at the private hospital where Aiden was born, then a friend from prenatal class and I went down to the government hospital (frightening place - imagine downtown houston ER) and we successfully navigated the obscure building guided by several nice folks with ESL and got our sons Qatar medical numbers. We then took those numbers across the street and had all our forms translated into Arabic by some really sweet arab ladies before paying 40 dollars and being given a slip to pick up our birth certificates a week later. So I've got a few days rest before we begin the much harder process of getting his passport/social security # (embassy is open 2 hours a day on a road that's completely under construction, and we have to get a photo of our cutie with his eyes open AND looking at the camera!).

In preparation for our pending trip to the embassy, Aiden made his first car trip back to the hospital yesterday to have his frenulum inspected after our lactation consultant noticed that Aiden's tongue was moderately tied (the membrane connecting his tongue to the floor of the mouth is a bit tight). The surgeon who did Aiden's circumcision confirmed that his frenulum could use a snip, but we will look to our pediatrician tomorrow to provide a 2nd opinion before we schedule any procedures. Throughout the whole trip (car ride there, waiting room, doctor's prodding, car ride back) Aiden was a champ, hardly crying and instead inquisitively looking around the world outside with huge, wandering eyes!

Aiden has successfully removed any doubt that he's a man's man, going through 12 diapers a day and at his peak yesterday going through 3 diapers, 2 changing pads, and a pair of dad's pants in less than 10 minutes! This immediately resulted in his first bath and subsequently the cute first towel dry in his froggy towel. We're also happy to report that Aiden is eating very well, and sleeping even better. He has gone through the past two nights with a single feed, and thanks for mom's stealth mode (or dad's complete exhaustion), it has resulted in 7 hours of solid sleep for dad and two 3 hour sessions for mom. Despite some slurring of speech in the first few days back at home, our bodies are making the adjustment - which will be very important next Sunday when Brandon heads back to the office. For the rest of the week daddy will 'work from home' as little as he must and continue to spend time with his dream team.

We have been struggling to get our photos up on Flickr, something seems to be interrupting our uploads from Doha (slow internet, government monitoring, etc). Slowly and completely out of order - you will find the photos creeping onto Flickr atleast until we discover if our Mac website uploads more efficiently.

Pictures

2009-03-14T12:17:00.001-07:00

Photos are faster

2009-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Beautiful

2009-03-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

We made it through our first night with Aiden.

Momma and baby are recovering quickly, up and walking around the room, getting the hang of the feeding 'procedure', and all around loving on each other. Sheri's had her first shower, is eating well, changed into a much more efficient nursing gown, and can get around without my help as of a few hours ago.

We've already seen Aiden's first 3 dirty diapers (nurses are handling them while we're here!), learned how to swaddle him into submission, got him opening both eyes when there's something interesting to see, and are on our 2nd outfit (the 'italian job' look with brown pants and a white low cut shirt to show off his chest to the ladies). He's a natural ham when the camera comes out - so we'll have plenty of pictures on Flickr once we sort through them all.

Stay tuned for all the 2nd day adventures. We're headed home tomorrow, so we'll have to keep ourselves busy until then - thankfully visitors will help distract us most of the day, including the most important visitor, our lactation consultant this afternoon - what a job!

Stories on the blog. Photos on Flickr and Facebook. Keep on commenting and we'll keep on posting (give/take).

At Last

2009-03-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sheri and I are happy to announce the birth of our son, Aiden Vaughn Phillips, 15:07 local time on Wednesday, the 11th of March delivered at Al Ahli hospital in Doha, Qatar. He weighed in at 3.5kg and measured 55cm long. We are officially in love with our little guy, and can’t wait to get him home and start adjusting to our new role as parents! Thanks for all of the support, well wishes, and prayers these past 9 months – it’s meant so much to us... we are so excited to bring our rockstar on his first American tour this summer so you can meet him in person. Until then stay in touch and we'll try our best to update our blog and flickr pages with all the latest hap's with our new addition here in Doha.

All the best,

Brandon, Sheri, and Aiden!

Choose your adventure

2009-03-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's been 12 hours after admission and while we've made progress, it looks like some time to go before delivery. We are having another doppler scan of contraction strength and timing (4-5 minute intervals) as I type, then headed to the labor ward for internal exam and one of 3 options (will probably read as complete gibberish to any male or anyone not previously around a delivery):

1. Dilation is 4+cm and proper effacing - the 'no induction' option where we Walk, Rest, repeat and let nature handle the rest
2. Dilation remains close to 3cm and proper effacing - potentially apply Petocin and give nature a gentle hand in making the contractions more effective
3. Dilation stalls at 2cm, not fully effaced - introduce a 2nd sepository to encourage further cervix softening and dilation before applying Petocin

Option #2 is probably the one that gets Aiden out sooner (Tina still has an outside chance), but atleast with Option #1 there's some assurance he's on the way soon. Expect one more update before midnight here, when we're either shifting rooms into the labor ward or hunkering down for the night in our room to rest for tomorrow's final gauntlet.

As we say around the office - "by definition we're always one day closer to completion, even if no one knows where the end is". I'll spare you the rest of the nerdy project management jokes I've been telling at work (aka I'll save them for later posts).

Off to the labor ward for internal exam. Come on Aiden!

Is that a light at the end of this tunnel?

2009-03-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

In a series of events far less chaotic and dramatic as one typically sees in the movies, Sheri was admitted into the hospital early this morning, after her water 'leaked' a few hours before going to bed. We got a full night's sleep and hit the hospital looking for answers. As suspected, because we were already 39 weeks along, and nearly 2cm dilated, the doctors suggested we pursue a round of antibiotics and wait 12 hours to see if Aiden started things on his own... and he's coming along nicely. 5 hours into things the doplar is showing much more consistent contractions ~8 minutes apart, and Sheri is finally feeling subtle pain associated with each contraction. In another 2 hours we'll have an internal exam to determine if Sheri has gained any more dilation - which will determine the path forward. Updates to come as the night and delivery progress.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers in this final day+ before we welcome Aiden into the world!

The Aiden Sweepstakes

2009-02-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

Ok... thanks to some preliminary interest in Aiden's arrival details the Phillips would like to boost the hype:

GRAND PRIZE
Any one person who correctly guesses Aiden's birth info will receive one economy class roundtrip ticket on 5-star luxury airline Qatar Airways from Houston, TX to Doha, Qatar to visit the little guy in person. Starting today you can provide your entry via a comment on this post (please recomment to enter the contest if you already posted earlier). Your guess should include:

1. Name of contestant (that's you)
2. Date of birth
3. Official Birth Weight (to the nearest 500 GRAMS*)
4. Official Birth Length (to the nearest CENTIMETER*)
*We will have to do the metric conversions so you should have to backcalculate your guess too!

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: if you are feeling really lucky, provide one additional piece of information and if you get all 4 birth details correct you will receive 2 economy class tickets instead of 1. If you provide this DOUBLE OR NOTHING piece of data you waive any right to the single ticket if you guess incorrectly:
5. Official Birth Hour (rounded up from 30minutes to the nearest MILITARY time ie 01:00 to 24:00)

Good luck - secretly I wish you could all win. Here's hoping atleast one of you takes the DOUBLE OR NOTHING option.

Elligibility requirements:
1. Contestants are limited to folks who have previously commented on our blog (before 18Feb09) - or people that Sheri and I have both met and both like (id family and friends), but for some reason have not commented on our blog.
2. One guess per person - you only get one shot at glory, no changing guesses.
3. Entries must meet the metric requirements, english units will not be qualified for the grand prize
4. The first person to guess a particular arrangement of the 3 variables (date, weight, length) trumps all subsequent submissions, so be sure you aren't guessing details that are already taken
5. If no Grand Prize is awarded, there may be second tier prizes available for the closest entry.
6. Entries will be accepted until 7 days BEFORE we go into the Hospital, which is a moving target and could be only a week away - so avoid any drama and guess TODAY.
7. Date of travel will be determined jointly between the Grand Prize winner and the Phillips family
8. Any contestant who chooses to enter the DOUBLE OR NOTHING sweepstakes waives their right to the Grand Prize.
9. Phillips family only covers ticket price, any additional charges like passport processing, taxi, food in transit will all be paid by contestant

Houston We are Engaged!

2009-02-18T04:08:00.000-08:00

When you first think of the word 'engaged' you may think diamond ring, wedding, but yesterday Brandon and I discovered a new meaning for the word! We were told Aiden was engaged and ready to go. After processing that statement we learned that he is in position and could come by week 38! I knew something had changed becuase my already frequent trips to the toilet had increased and my back was hurting more than ever but my stomach didn't look any different, except maybe bigger! This was great news since the previous visit the Doctor was talking about C-sections because they thought he would be too big to become 'engaged'. Thankfully Aiden followed directions and got into position! He is already such a great listener!haha
Brandon and I are soo ready and hoping for our boy to arrive the first week of March. As of right now he is about 61/2 pounds and growing and extremely active, all day and night which has made sleeping quite interesting for both Brandon and I.
Brandon has assembled all the gear and our bags are packed so we are now in waiting mode. This has got to be the hardest part of the pregnancy. Thankfully we get wireless internet at the hospital here so when the time comes we will be able to let you all at home know whats going on and post pics.

Well back to my afternoon activities: napping, restroom breaks and back to napping!

2 Down 1 to Go!

2009-02-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

Winter Ball at the Four Seasons last week

The last week has been quite eventful in our compound. Baby 1- Ella Ann was delivered a week early to Cheryl and Derrick at 7 pounds and then last night Baby 2-Jaydon Axis was delivered on the exact due date to Mariah and Steve also weighing in at 7 pounds. Needless to say I am quite jealous that they already have their little ones here. Mostly because now they can all sleep on their bellies which I have been longing to do for 9 months. But I am still 6 weeks away from my official due date.
We went to the doctor last night and saw a new lady since my Doc is on a month long holiday! My favorite thing as a pregnant lady is to hear wow you are big! Nothing like that to help your self esteem. Luckily everyone then follows it up with but you are all belly! Nice save. So she begins the ultra sound and takes the measurements of Aiden. At this point I am 34 weeks but Aiden is still measuring close to 37 weeks on his head and leg length with a small belly. I am glad to a point he is measuring big since that is the excuse I have been using for the past month!ha But definitely concerned about those measurements for delivery. The Doc also estimated that he is around 5 1/2 pounds already which means if he gains the normal 1/2 pound a week I am in trouble!
I go back in two weeks for some tests then at 38 week they are going to assess me and Aidens size again to make sure I will be able to deliver him normally due to his size. Fingers crossed I can have a normal delivery but either way we know Aiden is healthy and very active! Let the waiting begin!

taINTed

2009-02-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

After a 12 hour media fast, including several attempts by unsuspecting coworkers and friends to ruin the moment, I sat in front of my TV, completely silent as confetti and fireworks filled the slingbox media player. How had the Cardinals come so close, only to finish like this...

For those who watched Super Bowl XLIII, you will no doubt admit that it was a furious finish - worthy of the title 'Championship' and honoring American Football in such a way that only the World Cup and the NCAA Tournament come close. For those that watched closely you'll know there were several moment where the game hung in the balance, and almost consistently the scales tipped in the Steelers favor... unless you were counting red zone efficiency!

This is where I could complain about the blatant 2 handed clip on the taINT for a TD at the end of the 1st half (moments after the photo was taken) or complain that the Cardinals took 3 quarters to shift to no huddle... but in the midst of my misery my friend sent me a column on ESPN's page 2 that absolutely captures the spirit of Super Bowl Monday in Doha - as if Bill Simmons was watching the game from my couch while we traded sly remarks:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090202&sportCat=nfl

In lieu of writing a lengthy description of my equally painful and invigorating night, I highly encourage you to read Bill's column - paying specially close attention to the first paragraph descrition of the the taINT (was Madden seriously aguing that the rules shouldn't apply when a hefty defensive back gallops 100 yards for a taINTed TD? - we all saw the two handed clip at the 30yd line). Also take note of Bill's summary at 8:55 (Wilson's PF should have cost us the game), 9:17 (terrible CokeZero commercial), 9:37 (Gandy should NEVER play left tackle ever again after his repeated 'choke hold' blocking), 9:43 (the most exhilirating series of the game - although it had NO impact on the outcome as the 2 points from the safety didn't change the fact that the 'Cards needed a TD), next was Fitz's incredible TD scamper, then an equally impressive melt down on Defense and 'the catch' for the Steelers win... and I'm left to wonder after decades of disappointment if the 'Cards will ever be this close again?

Prodigal 'Cards

2009-01-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

With Obama's inauguration tomorrow, the entire world waits to see what changes are in store - the Arizona Cardinal's decided to get the party started early. After storming down the field with an 8 minute drive to finish the Eagles, the Cardinals are playing in the Super Bowl for the first time since even my parents were born! This equally unlikely and incredible season will end in Tampa, with a chance - their first chance in 61 years - at football glory. Decades of misery and embarassment are finally paying dividends - victory tastes that much better to those who could only celebrate the diluted success of adopted teams.

To help those unfamiliar with just how terrible the Cardinals have been, here's a summary of their 'accomplishments' from the LA Times:

"The oldest continuously run pro football franchise in the country will have a chance to win its first championship in 61 years, and its third championship in 110 years. An organization so cheap it once charged players the Federal Express cost of mailing their contracts is playing in the richest sporting event in the country. A team so poorly run it once gave players only one pair of socks per season is playing in the most popular sporting event in the country. They once lost 29 games in a row. They once lost the keys to their workout facility during Joe Montana's free-agent visit, and he never came back. They once threw a game-winning touchdown pass on the final play of the final game of the 2003 season . . . and the victory cost them the No. 1 overall draft pick. They once had to use a silent snap count because the stadium was filled with the angry roar of an opposing crowd . . . during one of their home games. In the last 24 years, they have had a winning record twice."

"Arguably the worst professional sports franchise in this country's history is going to be a participant in its biggest sporting event. "

It's a changing of guard of sorts - with Lute Olsen's retirement, the Az Wildcat basketball program is in a tailspin that will likely end the longest active streak of tourney appearances... but what better way to cope than with a Stanley Cup victory, an Az Wildcat football upset bowl win, and a trip for the 'Cards to the Super Bowl (most surprising of all)! Go Cards!

High Five

2009-01-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ok. You all hopefully remember that we selected Aiden's name about 5 months ago - in fact although it may not have been 'public' knowledge, Sheri and I picked Aiden's name more than a year ago. So imagine our surprise when we discovered that it topped the list of 100 baby names in 2008 (http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2008). You're initial reaction might be to congratulate us, but hold the applause:

1. Now it looks like we tried to be super trendy and just went with the #1 name from 2008. It's like suddenly wearing an Az Cardinal's polo to work; no one knows whether you HAD that shirt before they made it to the NFC championship game or whether it still has the tags on and you're just another band wagon fan along for our ride to the Super Bowl (go 'Cards)... so it is with baby names - the general public will never consider that our early support may have helped AIDEN top the charts, and will instead default to accusing us of baby name plaigarism.

2. So how can we avoid the title 'uncreative parents'? Maybe we can attach a tab to every onesie explaining with plenty of legal jargon (care of Stanfield and Associates) that we own the exclusive rights to name our child Aiden as witnessed and confirmed by several (on a good day) blog readers, and based on an early 2008 naming agreement within the family, are entitled to full and exclusive rights given to all parents who selected a #1 name BEFORE the results were released, including but not limited to high fives, cigars, and blog comments.

3. Further Update: thus far we are happy to report that no one has tried to 'steal' our boy's name, although we're not out of the woods yet - our neighbors, who have a 4 week head start are the last couple with the power to do the unthinkable. They even hinted that Aiden was on their list - GAH! Add to that the chart topping performance that was just released and we've got a serious DefCon 3 situation.

Thankfully we did get some good news at our 31wk appointment last night. Looks like we're smarter than the doctor (love self diagnosis via the internet); Sheri's painful bulge (aka Buster), is indeed vericose veins (aka round ligament vericosity). She will not need surgery and it poses no risk to the prengancy, birth, or mama... just painful - and she's good with pain. Even though we were right and the doctor was wrong (twice), we haven't decided on a home birth quite yet... we'll use the 3 strike approach!

Our 2nd Prenatal class is tonight - and I'm hoping we discuss breast feeding so that the lady who asked about bringing bottles to the hospital gets the total Swedish Smack Down from our instructor that was hinted at during meeting #1 - it felt like when your friend raised their hand in a huge lecture hall and asked a question that was so appauling it caused everyone in the room to gasp. It's not that I feel passionately about bottle feeding (I've heard arguments for either side so to each their own in that respect), I just love any Prenatal drama that doesn't involve us!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Diapperrr

2009-01-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to have my first and only Baby shower yesterday. It was hosted by my friends whom I had given a shower last year at this time for myself, Mariah(preggo with a boy due Feb3) and Cheryl(preggo with a girl, Ella, due Feb1). I have to say I haven't opened so many gifts since I was a little kid at Christmas. It was very overwhelming and extremely thoughtful of everyone who came. After living overseas you start to see everyone as family since you are so isolated, so people whom I had never met brought me gifts and well wishes. I am very thankful for having such a wonderful group here. So after unwrapping all the gifts, while wiping sweat from the forehead(a pregnancy symptom) the husbands were summoned into the house for what would become the Daddy relay!
It started out with the dads sucking down beer in a baby bottle then the wives were to bib and feed the husbands spinach and carrots followed by diapering stuffed animals. Once it started the dads became quiet humbled when they were only able to drink 1 oz out of the bottle in 1 minute! Kudos to Brandon, the only Dad who ate the baby food. He is a Champ! But the biggest surprise of all was when they began diapering the animals they were immediately replaced with real babies!!!! Each father was given a baby that would represent their future child. Two boys and a girl! Amazingly all were diapered without any mommy interference or accidents! But, Brandon wasn't the winner. He was one snap away. Still a winner in my eyes. Luckily just like little league everyone was a winner, and recieved a safety kit for the baby. It was a lot if fun and something I will remember. I wish I could share all of the goodies with you guys back home but hopefully Aiden can showcase them in his pictures when he makes his appearance.

Doing Our Prenatal Stretches

2009-01-08T03:05:00.000-08:00

Occasionally in life there are those moments when laughing outloud is entirely justified but not at all appropriate...

Sheri and I attended our first of six Prenatal classes last night. We had a vague impression of what to expect from some of our neighbors who had taken the same curriculum. Anticipating a large group we arrived early, and as any other activity within our hospital we were directed to a payment station where we traded a large sum of money for a small piece of stamped paper that once obtained is never asked for again.

We walked into the 'lecture hall', nearly tripping over the yoga mats and associated exercise balls. Were it not for the middle school arm-desk chairs and the instructor welcoming us to the class I would have thought we had interrupted a pilates class. Being early left several minutes for our instructor Ana to hardsell Sheri on the idea of sitting on an exercise ball in lieu of the arm-desk chair. Fortunately she elected to stay in the desk, important because as we would discover later sitting on the exercise ball would have left Sheri in the center of the room, fully exposed to hands-on demonstrations.

When all five couples had arrived (and yes they take roll), it looked like we had assembled a U.N. peace keeping envoy: the USA, UK, Nederlands, Venezuela, and Japan all joining hands in the name of making babies. Not to mention Ana, our instructor, a certified Swedish midwife with over 25 years of experience... fresh off of delivering 38 babies back in Sweden over the summer. Being expats we've become accustomed to cultural differences, but I have to admit that the combination of thick Swedish accent, frequent staring contests, and disregard for personal space took some getting used to. The "We're not in America anymore" award goes to Ana for giving the 35 week pregnant lady an over the closes, torso and back massage in the middle of the room... only moments before she would pinch that same gal's knee to demonstrate how systematic breathing can overcome pain - insert innappropriate school boy snickering (both of us!).

The information we covered in session one is readily available at home (books, internet, friends), the difference is that my learning style allows me to absorb so much more in a classroom/lecture environment than quietly reading at home - in hindsight I absorbed a lot of information. To spare you the details I've summarized the key takeaways from session 1 so you can play along at home - especially those who have been to these classes or may be headed to similar ones in the future:

* Personal music player Good One CD on repeat for 12 hours of labor Bad
* Mucus plug secretion Good Several packs of adult 'mess pads' Better
* No marriage certificate Bad No credit card Worse
* No microwave in the hospital Bad McDonalds delivery Good
* Uncontrolled pooping on the delivery table Bad Enema at home Good???

Additionally we got a sneak peak at next session - "Dealing with Pain" when we reviewed several Kama Sutra-like posters with dozens of different positions to cope with the 'contraction action'. We also practiced our breathing techniques, which are far more sensible than the movies make them out to be - although the exercise can lead to random outburts of laughter that are quite embarassing when everyone else seems to be taking things very seriously.

Bottom line - I like our instructor, she's forcing us out of our comfort zone and giving us a perspective that will better prepare us for Aiden's delivery. Two comments that seemed to resonate most with me:

* "Everything that happens in the pregnancy, no matter how disgusting or painful is good news - it means you're that much closer to having your baby boy in your arms"
* "It's not easy to sit beside someone you like very much who is in pain"

Last night's prenatal class, while awkward and drawn out at times, brought the reality of our upcoming experience to the forefront of my mind... personalizing the situation and reminding us just how incredible the miracle of life truly is.

Mug Shot

2008-12-27T03:41:00.000-08:00

So we finally made it back to the 3-D clinic today and were hopeful to see Aiden. Although Aiden moves all day and night he doesn't like to move his hand that covers his face. After a good 20 minutes of trying this is the best shot we got of our big headed little abdomen and long legged son!

Note: Mommy is 28 weeks and 5 days. Aiden's head and Legs are 30 weeks and 1 day and his abdomen is 27 weeks. So rounded altogether he is 29 weeks. No wonder my body is having issues!

Cultural Quiz of the Day: How do you say I am sorry when being accused of being an enemy while having an ultra sound?

The First Noel: away from family & friends

2008-12-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas Day!
Did you know Santa visits this side of the globe first?

'Zona's face is as priceless as the edge blur effect we intentionally added to give it the down home Christmas feel. Hard to believe that Aiden will be front in center during next year's festivities.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-23T23:31:00.001-08:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

I Hear Paris is beautiful in the Summer

2008-12-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

On the first day of Christmas my little baby gave to me: a blood clot in my right leg
On the second day of Christmas my little baby gave to me: 1 inguinal hernia and a blood clot in my right leg
On the third day of Christmas my little baby gave to me: 1 round ligament vericosity, 1 inguinal hernia, and a blood clot in my right leg

Turns out our little baby was regifting the same present each day, just calling it something else (or was that our doctor?). What started as a dramatic diagnosis of blood clot, 'confirmed' via radiology, morphed into an inguinal hernia a week later - at which point we did our own research and discovered the soft, painful lump in Sheri's right inner thigh / crotch could likely be a vericose vein aggravated by the significant growth of the uterus coming out of the 2nd trimester. This diagnosis is actually 'confirmed' via the same ultrasound they used to incorrectly diagnose the blood clot.

Simply put - we have no idea what is wrong with Sheri - but baby is quite rested and relaxed while mom is the one in serious pain... sounds like he's going to be a selfish little guy! The one consistent message from any of the 3+ possible diagnosis is that the pain will likely stay with Sheri through the rest of the pregnancy, and the baby should not be effected. The severity of the potential complications varies dramatically based on which of the 3 diagnosis finally comes to fruition, but in the meantime we must wait it out. Sheri gets serious kudos for her ability to manage the pain and still stay positive.

And when we say wait it out - that includes pulling down our planned Christmas in Paris. The final hoorah before Aiden's arrival. Our first trip to the city of love; during a time when Paris shines best - Christmas. So instead of touring the Louvre and enjoying dinner at a tasty boulangerie, we found ourselves grounded in Doha, searching for a new car battery after we were stranded at a nursery (plants), eating mac and cheese for dinner, and putting up our new fake Christmas tree.

On the bright side, we were able to cancel the trip with nearly no cost (on only 2 days notices!), and we were in town today to receive our new baby dresser to finish off chambre d'Aiden. To give Christmas in Doha the right 'feel' we're about to dress the tree while watching the Christmas Story enjoying hot cocoa - but only after we finish watching the first 'Extreme Home Makeover' we've EVER seen in Doha.

I know of 2 pups who are happy we decided to stay home - one of them is already enjoying her new Christmas gift (dog bed), while the other is trying to figure things out... think Tom & Jerry (see photo).

Inside the Darkroom

2008-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

The only thing scarier than sticking a needle into my wife's leg is taking pictures of her belly... we finally got the 'courage' to take some updated belly shots at 26+ weeks and here's the result (note the first photo is from long long ago in a place called 8 weeks... Sheri can't believe the change either! Thanks for all the continued prayer and support - Sheri's blood clot is still quite painful, but we're hopeful that at our pre-flight check-up on Tuesday she'll get the all clear for our trip to Paris for Christmas.

8 week belly

26 week belly (feels like 30!)

managed a few seated poses, blood clot and all

We'll post more of our 26 week photos from Brandon's first attempt at a 'semi-professional' photoshoot on Flickr. Sheri was a great model - very patient and plenty of smiles. Let us know what you think (positive comments preferred for husbands safety!).

Everything but the rain

2008-11-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

At the 23 week ultrasound Aiden was healthy, active, and cleary a 'boy' (don't need to rely on the Dr. to point to anything anymore). Mom and dad are blown away at how quickly his cells are multiplying... cheeks filling in, heart pumping away, legs extending, noggin widening (uh oh). I'm equally impressed by the image quality, although the 3D module was down preventing us from seeing Aiden face to face (trying again soon). Sheri has been feeling kicks for over a week now - although I'm still waiting to see/feel the first external signs of the miracle growing underneath. Truly an incredible experience!

Aiden's sister, Ha'Bibi celebrates her 7 week birthday today and continues to enjoy the expat life... keeping us on our toes with a tremendous energy that makes us feel (and sometimes LOOK) a lot older than our first puppy experience - we're thankful that she's remarkably accurate with her 'potty pad'. We hope she's fully acclimated and self sufficient by the time Aiden starts his stay with us... the upcoming doggy door installation should help. First round of shots next week will let us take her outside and expand her world to include sand, dirt, rocks, and some bits of dead grass (aka our beautiful side yard).

More Visual Updates

2008-11-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Ok... too many fun pics to not make a supplemental post to follow our previous updates (note the curtains have been finished, and Ha'Bibi is settling in). More adventures to come - but it's faster to post photos than full creative stories.

Congrats to Lauren and Tyler on their baby boy's birth - Dash is really handsome. We look forward to your posts to come (new link on the right hand side to their blog).

Ready and Waiting

2008-11-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

After a few long nights, with close supervision from our new puppy Ha'Bibi, Aiden's nursery is ready and waiting (sans Dresser)... including our swanky new paint job that was the perfect combination of Sheri's creativity and Brandon's planning! It was so great getting the room prepped, and it's exciting to think in four months there will be even more action in there.

Sheri is looking beautiful and Aiden appears to be growing like a weed. Ha'Bibi is adjusting to her new home and Zona seems overwhelmed by all the changes. In short - where did the last week go? We're off to get some well deserved sleep - more to come later. Love you all!

I Smell like Ha'Bibi

2008-11-08T00:37:00.000-08:00

We welcomed Ha'Bibi (arabic for sweetheart) into our lives last night... a 6 week old D-orkie pup, who was one of a litter of five puppies born to our neighbors mini-Dauchsand and Yorkie. What an eventful first night it was! Luckily for me, Sheri's motherly instincts kicked in and she took the graveyard shift until I came downstairs to relieve at 7 this morning. It has been nearly 2 years to the day since we brought 'Zona home, and we forgot how much 'fun' puppies can be!

Ha'Bibi is absolutely adorable, and even though it was tough to say goodbye to her brother and sister last night, we've already discussed a family reunion with mom and dad when she's grown up. It didn't take long for Ha'bs to adjust to her adopted home, with a tendency to climb out of her cardboard paradise and play with Zona. We're so glad to see the girls getting along, even with the considerable size difference. Ha'bs loves to lay on mom and dad's chest and isn't stingy with her kisses - she's even helping me edit my post (quite a curious nature). If only she could help us finish painting the nursery - more pics to follow this week!

We are in love and now have one more thing to be thankful for as the holidays approach.

Drum Roll Please.......

2008-09-27T02:36:00.000-07:00

After tallying the votes it is time to share the news!!! We have decided to have a baby boy to please the voters! He is growing quickly and is already becoming like his daddy with long thin legs. He has also started a new trick of sucking his thumb which is really cute. Our baby boy has ten toes, ten fingers, a healthy heart and was more than happy to expose the family jewels to the world. The doctor said he was 100% ceretain that we are having a boy but I can't say I won't feel better after my next appointment in two weeks when I will be 17 1/2 weeks along and he is still a he! Thanks for all the voters! You will get a chance to see us when we come to Houston October 18th-19th.

Rockin' the Vote (and the Cradle)

2008-09-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ok. So good news... Sheri and I received a '100% confirmation' on the preverbial 'boy/girl' question at today's hi-resolution ultrasound, which also confirmed that young baby P is developing normally and mommy & child are in good shape.

Bad news... only 6 people have voted on our local GENDER poll (right hand column of the blog). I'm going to set an aggressive goal to double the participation in the poll before we release the actual results. That means that atleast 6 people will have to enter their guess before we open the envelope; I pause here to mention that I don't think the poll keeps track of people voting twice unless they are logged in - although Sheri and I have already voted and do not intend to vote twice now that we know the answer.

If you're going to vote once this year, let it be for baby P's gender!

Baby Phillips 12 1/2 weeks!!!

2008-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately since the doctor was so focused on the Nuchal Translucency we weren't able to get a full photo! I can tell you that Baby P is now 2 1/2 inches long and is extremely feisty. The baby definitely does not like when any pressure is on my stomach, especially from the doctor, responding with lots of punching and kicking! Baby P is right on schedule and is doing great. In about 3 weeks we are going to the radiologist for a clearer ultra sound where the sex may be determined. Note the poll in the right margin where you too can randomly guess the sex of our new addition. We will keep you posted!!!

Growing Pains

2008-08-25T23:07:00.001-07:00

His father's nose, Her mother's feet

Picture Worth 1,000 Posts

2008-08-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

Phelps isn't the only swimmer to win a race this year!

I Told You So

2008-08-11T00:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning a few minutes early and on a whim decided to head downstairs and check to see what olympic coverage was coming across from China. Never has the television coverage in Doha been so frustrating as it has been since the opening ceremony in Beijing 3 days ago. Although there are 5 channels in our satellite lineup that are 'showing' olympic events, 4 of them are broadcast in Arabic, and ALL of them seems determined to show ANYTHING but American performances, even interrupting the Finals of the 400IM (Phelps' first gold medal / WR event) to show us a meaningless first round boxing match because it featured an Armenian fighter. So imagine my surprise when I flipped to the 3rd option this morning - Saudi Sports 1 to find swimmers in the pool... it took a few seconds to realize that this was the 4x100 Freestyle Relay Men's Final, 2nd leg finishing and the USA was dead even with France and Australia for the lead a full body length in front of the WR tracking 'green line'. This was forecasted to be the event that would make or break Phelps' attempt at 8 gold medals, one of 3 events in which Phelps' destiny will be decided by more than his own accomplishments.

The Arab broadcaster and I apparently agree that the subsequent 2 minutes of television is surely one of the most exciting sporting events of all time... I feel no guilt in ruining the surprise for anyone who hasn't already visited a site on the web, turned on the TV, or talked to another person - because no text can properly capture this moment. My hope is that my post will ensure you see the race for yourself. Critical analysis of HOW Lezak managed to draft along the laneline and make up a full body length in the final 15 meters cannot replace the emotional rollercoaster that had a nation standing in its living room pumping its fist (even if that nation sees the event tape delayed 14 hours later). I acknowledge that my attachment to swimming, especially the 4x100 relay is tied to my own experiences (substitute high school regional meet with the Olympics!), but even the layman can 'feel' the utter brilliance of this single event. A comeback and dynasty reclaimed rolled into one experience. The collective performance of 8 men showcased swimming's ability, even if only for a few moments every 4 years, to entertain the world.

If I don't see another minute of olympic coverage; if Phelps does or doesn't win 8 golds; if the Dream Team finally returns Gold to US Basketball - I am confident I will have seen the most exhilirating moment of the 2008 games (or any games for that matter). The fact that it came at the expense of a highly talented, highly favored, 'big talking' French team is just the custard in the eclair.

In other news, Qatar has publicly expressed interest in hosting the 2020 games!

Two 'I Told You So's in one day... and it's not even noon!

Shattered Dreams

2008-06-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

As the Beijing Olympics fast approach, those watching from Qatar will have a difficult time reconciling these 2008 festivities with the Olympic committees disappointing decision earlier this year to exclude Qatar from the final 4 cities vying for the 2016 games. The local journalism helps put the shear scope of the devastation in perspective (I have a sneaking suspicion that the photograph of ladies crying has NOTHING to do with Olympics).

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=222672&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56

There's been plenty of 'talk' that the Olympic committee is biased against Arab countries, but while there are probably several reasons that Qatar was overlooked (heat, tourism, infrastructure, perceived terrorist threat, event attendance) the one that resonates with me is historical Olympic participation. Bringing the Olympics to Qatar would be like bringing the World Series to New Zealand - there's no connection. It might be a nice place (debatable in August), willing to pay for new facilities and infrastructure (if they complete)... but what emotional connection does Qatar have with the Olympics. Shouldn't a host country boast a resume with more than 2 Olympic medals?

There's actually a small Olympic store in one of the big malls here, and if the maroon and gold colored albatross-like mascot hanging in the window is any indication of the plans submitted to the Olympic committee, I can't say I'm sorry to see the likes of Rio and Tokyo battle for 2016 (although Chicago probably has the edge since Rio is dangerous and Asian/Europe are hosts in 2008 and 2012).

Luckily for family and friends the Olympic store refuses to offer a discounted price on the albatross stuffed animals, even 2 months after learning they missed their chance. Maybe they are waiting to see what becomes of the 2020 bid.

Back in Safe Hands

2008-06-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

I love hockey.

Lying on my parents' couch recovering from the flu & a fever I nervously listened to the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs... rooting on the team I adopted as my own well before the Coyotes came to Phoenix (pause to mention my parents are both from Michigan and I cheered for the Wings long before they were putting together winning seasons - so save all your bandwagon comments). Listening to the final game on an AM radio gave that night a nostalgic feel... once I moved to college, cable TV thankfully allowed me to watch my team play through the greatest Playoffs in Pro sports; twice more hoisting the cup as I followed along at home.

6 years after their last championship I would have easily paid $100 for an AM radio with the broadcast - as you can imagine Hockey isn't a big ratings boost in the Middle East, compounded by the our losing ESPN three months ago (I didn't realize how important SportsCenter had become in my life). Instead I sat in front of a work computer monitor, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and holding my breath for each 30-second score update. Sure - the outcome was satisfying, but the experience was terribly diluted. Most people buy the championship commemorative DVDs to look back at the defining moments in a series. I'm buying the DVD to salvage the Stanley Cup experience.

Now comes the painful few months between the Stanley Cup presentation and College Football kickoff - hopefully Rugby Union or International Darts League can bridge the gap better than the NBA Finals and Baseball do back home. Offense completely intended.

For more info on what makes Lord Stanley's Cup the best trophy in all sports: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cup

One Year Wiser

2008-06-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're having... fun?

We survived our first trip around the sun on the 'other' side of the globe, and somewhere along the way Doha became home. To the discerning blog reader (fyi- if you're reading our blog you qualify as 'discerning'), our recent Post drought indicates that a year after our arrival we've run out of unique experiences to share. It's not that life has gotten boring, but rather we have built up an immunity to the experiences that define our lives in Qatar. Think: hopping in a cold pool on a warm day, which seems to be the only thing that shocks us these days!

That's not to devalue the experiences we've had thus far - the lessons we've learned along the way. As the day-to-day activities blend one week into the next, it's easy to forget that nearly each day includes some morsel of cultural significance unavailable within the sheltered neighborhoods of our youth.

Thanks to all of you who continue to support us through phone calls, emails, comments, and prayers. We see tremendous opportunity in Doha for the years ahead, a base of operations from which we intend to continue meeting new countries, stretching our comfort levels, challenging our perspectives, and as always - reporting back on our adventures.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” - Saint Augustine

4:39

2008-04-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

Difficulty (n): the quality or state of being hard to deal with, manage, or overcome

Everyone knows that marathons are 'difficult'. After finishing our first (and only) marathon last week, we have a myriad of OTHER vocabulary words to describe the experience.

Exhaustion
Our Wednesday morning flight to Jordan took to the air 13 hours after touching down Tuesday night Westbound from the Maldives. We then sat through a 3 hour car ride from Amman to Petra (see earlier post on the significance of Petra)... enjoyed our fourth Chicken and Rice meal in 28 hours and collapsed at our quaint village inspired hotel high in the moutains of Southern Jordan. After receiving an unexpectedly early wake up call (airplane AND internet were wrong: Jordan is NOT one hour behind Qatar), we rushed out of the hotel and were rambling our way on horseback towards the entrance to Petra's famous Siq (pathway into the mountain). A three hour private walking tour of some incredible sights was followed by another 3 hour car ride back to Amman. Mt. Nebo and Madaba will have to wait for our next trip... we cancelled our other tourist activities to conserve whatever energy we had left.

Nerves
I'm not sure what made us more nervous: meeting several die-hard marathoners at the Carb-Loading party the night before the race (shaved heads, track suits); being directed to the wrong tour bus at 4am and not realizing it until the tour guide started asking 'wer die Außenseiter sind' (where are the stowaways in German); leaving all of our bags & belongings with those same Germans (most of whom were friendly) in hopes that we could find that bus again at the Dead Sea; or getting to the start line 30mins before the race to discover they didn't have any bathrooms (fyi... the cramped 3 stall men's bathroom at the check-in was the #1 worst smell I've EVER experienced, accompanied by the #3 and #4 worst sounds I've EVER heard - good way to loosen up before the big race).

Excitement
After finding a 'private' area near the start line, a few feet away from the other runners relieving themselves, we followed the 70 other marathon participants to the makeshift start line and after a hushed moment of anticipation headed up our first hill. The website for the marathon describes the first 12km as 'slightly up and down hill', as we crested the first hill and put the first of 42km behind us the road tilted sharply down and for atleast 14km we felt like running down a bobsled run. The twists and turns kept us guessing and the views were spectacular, like the drive down from the mountains outside San Diego. Each time we checked our splits we were gaining on our personal best and felt like we had finally arrived at the climax of our training. We crossed the half marathon marker at 2:01, 12 minutes faster than we had in training and felt empowered. The road had leveled off completely, the mountains fell back in the distance and the sun rose high in the morning sky to illuminate straight desert asphalt ahead. We were too overwhelmed with the joy and anticipation of beating our goal time of 4:30 to notice the damage done to our bodies or the significant change in temperature.

Doubt
With little to look at besides dirt and the endless blacktop in front of us, the aches and pains crept into our forethought, and around 16km to go we decided to walk and catch our breath - after all we were now 20 mins ahead of our goal pace, a little walk could help us loosen up those tight calves and might help control the pain developing in Sheri's knee. Unfortunately, the moment we downshifted to a strong walk we were blindsided... like no physical barrier we had ever experienced. The walk felt more painful than the run had, so we tried to get back to a steady jog and recover our pace but our legs weren't responding. We were 10 miles from the finish and were no longer worried about time, we actually doubted whether we could finish the race.

Frustration
The kilometer markers which had appeared to fly by only a few minutes ago were now spaced ages apart, making the 2km water stations 20 minutes apart instead of 10. An intense frustration began to well up... how could we have trained so dilligently and have stumbled so far from the finish? We didn't care what was to blame, the only thing on our mind was a growing concern that we may not finish our only Marathon... we weren't only thinking about it, we actually started TALKING about it. The marathon had crippled our bodies and had sent us spiraling into a state of delierium, unable to focus, able only to process three things: Pain, Heat, and Distance to Finish, and the sum of those variables produced a frightening forecast.

Anger
Humbled by nature, we had a sudden boost of energy when the road took a sharp turn left - only to discover that the last marker we passed was 11km NOT 10km as we 'remembered' (further evidence that we were losing grip), and our pace was continuing to slow - unable to jog for more than 500m at a time, and fully aware of how long it would take to finish the next 10km if we didn't try. We pushed onward. Fortunately the field had spaced out, and as we discovered later most other bodies were experiencing the same shut down all along the course... we took note of each person we passed, encouraging them onward - while many of those passing us did the same. In that spirit of commradery most shared between Sheri and I, we put one foot in front of the other and in unison continued our brief jogs until there were 4km to go... the 2nd to last water station. Except, the 2nd to last water station was EMPTY, ransacked by kids about to start their fun run... it had been 20 mins since our last bottle of water and we had atleast 15 more to go before the next. Unable to resist the knawing doubt in our minds we broke down, and were it not for a passing ambulance crew who offered us their water bottles we would not have finished the marathon. I'll pause now briefly in lieu of writing the real words that express our complete and utter disappointment in the organizing committee for letting one of the most critical water stations run dry.

Accomplishment
Two long hills and then the finish line... which we didn't recognize until 200m out. A line that two hours ago we estimated was only an hour and a half away. A line that symbolized so much as we approached our legs finally responded and with a rush of adrenaline we crossed the line in a pace that rivaled that of the downhill sections so many hours before... 4 hours 39 minutes, despite all that had gone wrong - a success. In the rush of events that followed we nearly fell down on several occasions, ate a red apple, drank 3 bottles of water (they managed to have some water at the FINISH) and met several runners in the recovery tent, trading stories and exchanging congratulations. As we sat in the tent hearing veteran runners complain of the same ailments that had struck us - too fast a pace, too steep of a descent, no water at the 4km station - it occurred to us that in that moment we had joined a small group of people (less than 200) who had traveled from around the world to conquer the Dead Sea Marathon and Ultramarathon, and we agreed to NEVER do something that stupid ever again.

The most authentic human experiences use the entire pallet of emotion to produce an unforgettable journey.

A Successful Weekend

2008-03-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

Bear Down Wildcats... after our talented basketball program continued its self destruction in the NCAA tournament, the men's and women's swim programs turned UofA frowns upside down, both capturing national titles (note that many UofA fans may not even be aware of this accomplishment - all the more reason to blog it up)... the first titles for either group and the first titles for acclaimed coach Frank Busch who had the foresight to kindly decline my offer to join the team in late 2000.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/321824.html
http://uanews.org/node/19051

I realize that swimming doesn't get much air time on ESPN or Fox Sports, but the onset of the Olympics in a few months will bring my favorite sport into the spotlight once again. Say what you might (Russ - think about Track before making any sly comments), but anyone whose been around a swim TEAM knows that while the majority of attention falls on the individual athletes (like golf or tennis), there is an underlying team mentality that shines through the relays and total team/country point battles... where a gutsy performance by a 3rd or 4th string Freestyler, even by a tenth of a second can separate gold from bronze.

In preparation for 'Swimming Appreciation' month (aka every fourth August), set your DVR to record some of the Olympics Team Trials where 4 years of hard work culminates in selecting the 3 fastest representatives for each event... June 29 - July 6 in Omaha, Nebraska (coolest thing to come out of Omaha since the Stanfields). For beginniners, try to catch the relays or shorter events which will be more frantic and exciting.

The Wildcats weren't the only team to celebrate success this past weekend, the Phillips finally crested the 18 mile mark on our morning runs, although after 3:15 it was nearly lunch by the time we finished! We will now taper in preparation for the marathon in two weeks - made easier by a vacation in the Maldives early next week. We're VERY anxious to get the marathon done and over, while taking a great opportunity to sightsee in the promised land (aka Jordan / Dead Sea). Note: we do not plan on running any more marathons (although we hear that's what everyone says before their first).

We had to run our 18 mile 'trainer a day later than expected (Saturday) because on Thursday night we were enjoying a nice evening with 300+ of my coworkers at our annual work formal, where after 3 or 4 names were drawn without their owner present (LOVE that rule), our Venture manager picked my name out of the hat to go home with the door prize, which at the Doha A&M Boot Scoot is actually a huge wooden door (Aggies?!), but at this event turned out to be a 52" Samsung LCD Flat Panel TV (1080p)... unbelievable, but true. Just need Qatar to get some HD cable service before the olympics!

Nothing stays new forever

2008-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Oscar award winners, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, performed the song 'Falling Slowly' from their independent film 'Once' in front of a packed house of celebs - televised halfway 'round the world (the Oscars were televised in Doha on 2 day tape delay). The song itself was played beautifully, filled with raw emotion that was a welcome break from the costume infused productions for the 3 songs nominated in Disney's 'Enchanted' (3 songs from one movie, come on?). Many thanks to the academy for recognizing a talented Indie-duo outside the stereotypical categories of documentary / short film.

I realized early into the song that Glen has played guitar for a long time... not because he used complex chords or had a confident stage presence. Instead, a good portion of his guitar had been worn away, presumably by years of strumming. Some things are meant to be used. I can still hear my mom reminding me - 'You can't take it with you' whenever I would cautiously avoid wearing my new high tops or gold 49ers jacket, fearful of them losing their newness. Dents, scars, and dirt are signs of life, badges of experience, however painful they may be at first. Few people intentionally ding their doors, scrape their shoes, or drop their iPods, but at some point between the 4th and 17th scratch your mindset changes from maintaining the newness to celebrating the worn remains of a life well lived. In that moment of transitional thought the blemishes which make things less valuable to others make them more valuable to us. This concept passionately manifests itself in the human experience - in the relationships we share with our close friends, loving family, and benevolent Creator, whom treasure us despite our faults.

Top 3 things that I now value more for their imperfections:
1. Three year old Rainbow leather flip flops (worried a tear in the thong may continue spreading)
2. Four year old 'The Shanty' tee shirt (imported of course - thankfully navy doesn't show sweat stains)
3. Thirteen year old leather bound NIV Student Bible with the tattered Easter Bookmark it came with (and a seven year old rose petal of personal significance tucked into 1Corinthians)

Note: my six year old Washburn has some light scratches on the strum guard and a minor chip near the 3rd fret... probably why I haven't won an Oscar yet.

So what items do you cling to beyond their retirement age?

When you know you have too much $$$

2008-02-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Sheri saw a short segment on the Today Show 'afternoon' broadcast earlier this week with Arabs in traditional dress excitedly bidding on license plates. Apparently the UAE, like Qatar, covets short license plate numbers and memorable phone numbers... how much money do you have that you can spend $14.5M on one license plate? Then again, in a town when anyone can buy the same red Ferrari F599 Fiorano, it's important to make a statement any other way you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ho7siowPQ (video)

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=4301197&page=1 (text)

Forget the 401k, we're investing our money in Qatar license plate and phone numbers.

Déjà Food

2008-02-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

I was a picky eater growing up... Taco Bell and Panda Express constituted my international cuisine until a year ago. I've started branching out: first Sushi, then Indian, Turkish/Arabic, and now Australian (lamb is clearly an aquired taste), but even with a larger menu to choose from I continue to be a predictable eater... cereal with toast or pastry in the morning, sandwich or fast food for lunch, and meat with corn, beans, or potatoes for dinner (fries count). Toss in a few granola bars or baby carrots and you've got ~3000 calories a day.

The move to Doha opened my eyes to new cuisines, but thanks to Mega Mart - the local expat grocery store, we could maintain the majority of our American diet. For a 40% markup Blue Bell Ice Cream, Eggo Waffles, Rice Krispies, even Tostitos were available when the planets aligned. So imagine the emotional trama when we found out that Mega Mart near our villa was closing, to make way for a large French Walmartesque chain called Carrefour... seems the French and Americans share little taste in food. We tried one week of Carrefour shopping, saved a lot of money on half a 'trolley' of food, and noticed a substantial increase in our fast food consumption. Solution: drive to the sole remaining Mega Mart, which is half the size of our convenient location (= half the products we yearn for), and did I mention it's located at the infamous Cholesterol Corner where 80% of Doha traffic grinds to a hault. Grocery shopping in our family used to be a chore, now it's downright suicidal... but once we return to the shelter of our villa and start unpacking all of our goodies it all seems worth it. *think Gollum and 'his Precious'*

Items we are constantly digging for: Gatorade, Eggos w/ Plain Syrup, Bagels, Tostitos, Dr. Pepper. What are your favorite snack foods; we can tell you if you'd survive in Doha!

Life has an interesting way of balancing out. A week after our favorite grocery store closed, three separate grand openings have changed the way we approach food in Doha. First Macaroni Grill opened. Then we found two Sparro pizza shops within walking distance of each other. The final delicious addition nearly shut the town down last weekend - think warm heavily frosted doughnuts... apparently Italian food and Doughnuts are universally appealing. When Krispy Kreme opened at 5:00pm last Friday, you couldn't find a parking spot within 1 mile of the mall, people had camped for 12+ hours to be the first in line to get a dozen doughnuts per week for a year (only 50 people got vouchers - judging by the parking/dirt lots we quickly determined that we had missed our chance).

Still holding my breath for the first Chik-Fil-A or Inn-N-Out.

How the Internet Works

2008-01-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered how the internet works (or doesn't work)... now I know:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22914651/

Anyone else find it strange that one cable apparently feeds an entire CONTINENT with Internet, and now millions of people in the region have been rerouted thru a line to Asia that can't handle the increased traffic?! Note that it may take week(s) to fix the problem.

Is this what a crack addict experiences when they run out of rocks?

Where Moses Walked

2008-01-27T23:38:00.000-08:00

We have officially registered for our first (and probably only) marathon. Many thanks Eliza for the information about a possible marathon ‘rain check’ in nearby Jordan (www.deadseamarathon.com). The race will take us through the desert Moses and the prophets once walked, winding our way from Amman to the coast of the Dead Sea. Needless to say, the race course should prove to be as inspirational as it is challenging. We will try to take in the sights during the 2 days leading up to the marathon, since we don’t plan on doing any moving afterwards. When I talked with our security advisor about these new travel plans I discovered that Jordan is actually one of the most popular destinations for Qatar-based expats because of its proximity to Doha (2.5 hour flight) and religious/historical significance. If you’ve been to Jordan or know someone who has, let us know what to include in our short itinerary (keeping in mind that the real reason we’re there is to run 42km in 5 hours or less).

Kudos to those of you who submitted a wide variety of motivational music for our Marathon Playlist. Although the rules for the DeadSea marathon prohibit use of headphones (sad), keep the rec's coming because we’re still using our iPods for up-tempo runs. It’s only fair to share our own top 5 songs for dominating the competition (that’s you Cervantes and Maddox’s – only a few more days ‘til we have our Nike+ systems up and operational so get your miles in now):

1. Fuel – ‘Shimmer’ (Jess, Fuel also has a song entitled ‘Bad Day’ with the same applicability as your Daniel Powter but a bit more rock for the road)
2. Jimmy Eat World – ‘Let It Happen’ (had to search hard to get my favorite band into the mix, this song has plenty of pace)
3. Black Eye Peas – ‘Shut Up’ (a song about breaking up also helps keep us from whining when our bodies start giving out)
4. Ludacris – ‘Southern Hospitality’ (nothing says "keep running y’all" like Cadillac Grillz and Hand Me Down Flip Flops)
5. Modest Mouse – ‘Dashboard’ (quirky yet effective song to keep the legs moving)

PS. Sheri and I's favorite television indulgence - Rob & Big (on MTV), is now available in the iTunes Store catalogue (glorious iTunes)... and the first episode of Season 3 is gratis! You've got nothing to lose but some of your bandwidth and 24 minutes of your evening; I'm confident that 80% of you will report delightful outbursts of laughter as Rob (skater) and Big Black (body guard) give you a glimpse into the life of a C-list celebrity. You’re welcome in advance.

Inspired.

2008-01-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

The brother and sister-in-law of one of our close friends in Houston welcomed their 2nd son, Maddox, into the world yesterday afternoon. During the pregnancy Maddox was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and Spina Bifida, a fatal diagnosis, but Dusty and Kenzie stood firm in their faith. Their story is one of encouragement and inspiration (and emotion). If you have time start by reading the first posts in October 2007 to get some background - it's a story best told by the mother herself. In addition to leaving a supportive comment on their blog you can also support them by calling their Prayer Pager (713.200.0955 ) to let them know you are lifting them up today.

http://www.thestanfieldjourney.blogspot.com/

Maddox's Verse: "But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, And He who formed you, 'Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine!'" Isaiah 43:1

High Tech Accelerometers

2008-01-23T06:01:00.000-08:00

Sheri and I discovered last week that the 'Doha Marathon' has been postponed indefinitely, but we're sticking to our training regiment in preparation for the next closest opportunity to run 26.2 miles... even talking about organizing our own, innagural Doha Marathon with my supervisor and manager: t-shirts, number placards, little gatorade cups, medals, the works. Not to say that if we're prepped in time for the Barcelona marathon that we wouldn't leave planning the innagural Doha Marathon to the experts.

Our longest run thus far was a 10 mile jaunt last Friday morning along the Corniche - a 6 kilometer paved walkway next to the Gulf that has a distinctive 'California' feel to it (minus the shady fish market and large Oryx statue from the Asian games). I learned a valuable lesson about chaffing AND that our iPod Shuffle playlists desperately need more inspirational songs... that's where this gets interactive.

I need your help filling our iPods with ~150 hot tracks that will keep our feet moving forward and our minds ignoring the natural desire to hail a cab. Try to limit your recommendation to your top 5... ah who am I kidding, we'll be lucky to get 2 responses, so leave as many as you like. Don't be shy.

*Note we will be joining the Nike+ crew (www.nike.com/nikeplus) as soon as the high tech accelerometers arrives from the USA. Let us know if you're interested in setting up some joint goals or friendly competitions (Maddox's?).

Happy Birthday Dr. King

2008-01-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

Sheri and I happened upon a unique documentary about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr the other night - focusing in large part on stories shared by his civil rights friends and compatriots... those closest to him. It was a moving piece, combining personal stories with powerful pictures & statistics, serving as a reminder of why our nation honors Dr. King on this day.

The AP released a story this morning describing time's effect on our perception of historical figures, often reducing a complex man or woman down to a single ideal or quote... so I encourage you to take a few minutes out of your holiday (for those who get to celebrate it) for a Dr. King refresher course. The first link is to the AP article on not losing sight of Dr. King's complexity, the second link is to Wikipedia, which including some juicy tidbits on the holiday itself, namely Arizona's reluctance to trade Columbus Day for MLK Day, and Public Enemy's lyrical threat to assassinate governor Fife... just what MLK would have wanted! I actually remember the coverage of Proposition 300 back in the early 90's to make MLK day official for Arizonans too, what I don't remember is that it was threats of tourism boycotts that motivated voters to give a thumbs up (sad).

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/01/21/mlk.legacy.ap/index.html (eroding complexity)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Day (MLK day - not right away)

Getting reaquainted with the Civil Rights Movement has reminded me of an incredibly powerful movie I saw when I was in the 7th grade starring Sidney Poitier called 'Separate But Equal' - does anyone else remember seeing the film? You know it's good when you have to get your parents to sign the permission slip to see it! (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/separate_but_equal/)

For the lawyer who reads my blog, we would be remiss were we not to give some MLK Day props to Chief Justice Earl Warren, one of the many people instrumental in our country's racial maturation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Warren).

The day probability saved the iPod

2008-01-16T02:50:00.001-08:00

iPods are incredible machines with scores of features packed into a sleak, pocket sized super computer. Everything about my iPod makes me smile, the vibrant screen, the touch wheel with integrated control buttons, the playlists, the tv shows, the podcasts, oh and the album art... everything except the most basic feature - the SHUFFLE.

Why is it everytime I "Shuffle Songs", my music seems to defy the rules of RANDOM. I started noticing this phenomena a few weeks ago. The same artists would pop up a few songs after themselves, which is unusual in a library with 4578 songs, right?

My friend Matt could probably explain it better because he took way too many Game Theory courses in college (something about a major?). The trick is in calculating the probability of the event not happening and subtracting from 1 to find out the probability that the event will happen. For example:

first song can be anything of the 4600: (1)
probability the second song isn't of the same album: (4590/4599)
probability the third song isn't of either album: (4580/4598)
probability the fourth song isn't of any previous album: (4570/4597)
probability the Nth song isn't of any previous album: ([4590-10*(N-2)]/[4501-(N)])

Multiply all together and you got yourself a probability of non occurence - subtract from one and you have your proability of occurence.

If you carry the one you find out that in a 12 song set I have 12% chance of hearing two songs from the same album. In 27 songs I have a 50/50 chance of hearing two tracks from the same album... it's math, it doesn't lie.

Would you believe in a room with 41 people there is a 90% chance that two of them share a birthday... isn't math amazing? And you thought all that stuff you learned in college was a waste.

How can a product from the same Mac line that inspires us with simplicity and appeal, disappoint in an area that seems so simple? The answer is our own human brain finds patterns in the randomness, leading to some theories that Apple is paid to choose certain songs as a form of marketing (wouldn't that be an awesome job).

Anyone else ready to go buy a new Samsung media player? yeah... me either

*note, I discovered this probablity info online while trying to figure out why my albums kept repeating - this is not a personal discovery, merely a summarized version of what other people much smarter than me proposed*

Cats and Dogs

2008-01-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

Doha averages 2.5” of rainfall annually… meeting the requirement for ‘Desert’ – (130 degree temps in August also helps).

Since moving here 7+ months ago Sheri and I have not seen a drop of measurable rain fall from the dusty sky. In fact, seeing a cloud is quite an uncommon experience most of the year. So you can imagine our surprise when we woke up last Friday (our weekend) to the pitter patter of steady rainfall hitting our roof. After inspecting our ceiling for leaks – which are quite common in Doha construction, we opened up the shades to see an overcast sky gently illuminating the glistening tennis court below.

*note we do not have a private tennis court in our backyard, but rather our master bedroom on the 2nd floor overlooks the community tennis / basketball court.

It wasn’t the unexpected rain that had us chuckling, it was that our marathon training regiment called for a 13km jog that morning – our longest run since starting our running program. Thinking the morning drizzle would let up, we watched Transformers (still laugh at the ‘Qatar’ scenes), strapped on our shoes, filled up our water bottles, and set out to complete the painful task at hand. 1:15 later we returned, completely drenched from two Houston style downpours, motivated by several honks of support, and ready for a warm shower… the more we prepare for our marathon, the more respect I have for those who actually finish the 26.2 mile journey. Raise your hand if you’ve run a marathon… (ie leave a comment to receive your kudos).

What was a pleasant surprise during our weekend quickly became a nuisance as we drove to work on Sunday morning. Since Doha averages 2.5” of rainfall annually, the majority of roads don’t have drainage systems… feels like you’re driving on day 34 of Noah’s 40 day journey. Couple the poor drainage with the driving habits of the locals and we’ve had some white knuckle commutes this week. Like the dedicated postal worker, neither dust nor speedcamera nor flooding rain will motivate Qataris to drive safely.

With the rain came some cold temps too – dropping into the 40’s at night... before you go on about how cold it is where YOU are, keep in mind that Doha homes rarely have heating. With one terribly inefficient space heater per floor we’ve resorted to sweatsuits and hot chocolate to make it through the nights. Never thought we'd have to wish for warmer weather here.

That's what's going on around our country, what's happening in your neck of the woods?

*Note new link to our Flickr site and some new tunes you should check out on the right margin*

Savin' the world, one word at a time

2008-01-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

Sheri discovered a great website that is helping combat world hunger in a very creative way.

http://www.freerice.com/

You earn grains of rice by correctly identifying the best meaning for various vocabulary words of increasing difficulty. The site tracks your rice and vocab stats, making it a great way to spur on some responsible competition. I've already donated 4280 grains of rice and reached a maximum Vocab Level of 41... whatdya got? Don't let the easy words fool you - earning your rice will take some skillz.

*While using your dictionary may end world hunger sooner, it will tarnish your Vocab Level and potentially cost you a slot in the Vocab Hall of Fame (aka a small bulletin board in Sheri's 3rd grade classroom)... leave the cheating to the professional baseball players.

Saturday Night Basketball

2007-12-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-09-13T05:17:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

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.

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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

2007-09-03T01:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-02T01:19:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-08-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

*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?

2007-08-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-07-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

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).