The Weather and Beyond

What's wrong with this picture?  If you're sitting back in the states, you cannot appreciate this type of humidity.  I realize that it gets humid in southeast Texas, but I've lived there.  I know humidity.  This is more like drowning.  This particular report was around 12:30 yesterday afternoon.  It was this bad or worse the night before.

Now, note the weather three hours later at 3:30pm.  The humidity can turn on a dime here and it has been doing so on a regular basis.  Now maybe you can appreciate the fact when I mention how nice the evening air is even though the thermometer may say 106 or 108.  It's all relative, my dear.


Now that I've gotten the weather out of the way, I can't go without a pinhead and patriot segment (so, sue me Bill O'Reilly).

Pinheads: (who only deserve the standard issue Facebook silhouette)

2nd place goes to Serena Williams for her on court antics of berating a line judge during the U.S. Open.  I don't care if her foot was on the line or off the line.  Irrelevant.  Athletes making millions of dollars in front of millions of viewers need to exercise restraint.  They are trained to focus in all situations.  I somehow cannot believe that they cannot behave in a more civil tone. Get a grip.

1st place goes to Kanye West for his asinine behavior of upstaging Taylor Swift receiving her MTV music award.  It's not all about you, West.  To quote Obama, he's a "jackass". Now, that, I can believe in. Props to Beyonce' who graciously invited Taylor back on stage to receive her due recognition.    Bring it down a notch, big headed celebrities.  Your due is coming. 

Patriots:

The winner is Patrick Swayze who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Monday.  He was a class act, not only as an actor but as a person.  He was married to his wife, Lisa, for 32 years (unheard of in Hollywood circles) whom he always referred to as his "inspiration".  A wise man.  R.I.P., Mr. Swayze.





To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!

DTFF: Coming to a Theater Near You

For those that haven't heard, The Tribeca Film Festival is spilling over into Qatar come this October. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (easy for me to say) was joined by Robert Deniro  last November at Doha's own, Museum of  Islamic Arts, to officially announce the event. Well, the time has arrived.  My Facebook and Twitter pages have been a buzz with one minute film clips spreading the word about the approaching   Doha Tribeca Film Festival  taking place October 29th thru November 1st.  A few of the clips are so stereotypical of Qataris that I had to share.  The "Blackberry Flu" short film is dead on when it comes to Qataris and their mobile devices.  I know that Americans are obsessed with their communications devices, but trust me, we have nothing on the Qataris.  They bring the word "multitasking" to a new level.



This next clip is based on a famous scene in "Taxi Driver" starring Robert Deniro.  I love Mr. Deniro.  I'm not sure what rock I was under when this movie was playing.  Oh, I see the movie was released in 1976.  I was still in high school watching movies like Silver Streak (Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor) and The Bad News Bears  (Walter Mathau & Tatum Oneal).   My intellectual level hadn't gotten to the likes of Taxi drive, yet.  I'm still waiting.  I love the way this clip spoofs the "cool" exterior of the typical Qatari male.  No hate mail, please, for using the not allowed term of "typical".  It is what it is. 



To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!

When Opportunity Knocks

I often think of the time we will have to say  our goodbyes to the people we've crossed paths with while on this adventure. I'm not referring so much to the other expats, as we'll always have opportunity to meet, again, some way or another. I'm talking about the "everyday" people that capture our hearts such as the guards that we wave at when leaving and entering the complex, the grocery clerks at our neighborhood marts that won't even let me carry my bread to the car, the gas station attendant that gets excited when he sees my truck pulling in, or the hostesses and servers at Bennigan's that greet us and welcome us back each and every time, as if we are royalty while they say, "YOUR table is available, ma'am, sir".  Well, that day has come.  No, we're not leaving, but our favorite waiter/friend in the whole of Doha is leaving us.  His name is Laxman and he reigns from Nepal.  Even when he's not our server, he walks over to shake David's hand and checks to make sure our lives are going well.  His next move has become predictable.  He brings us a stash of the "dark pink" packets of Sweet~n~Low (as opposed to the pale pink impostors on the tables),while he makes sure that David's ice tea is in endless supply.  After working at Bennigan's for over four years, Laxman has received an opportunity to attend school in the UK to make a better life for himself and his family.  He told us that while he's not sure that he can succeed, he understands that if he doesn't seize this opportunity before him, he will never know what could have been in his future.   A wise young man, indeed.  We will miss him no doubt, but we are absolutely thrilled about the prospects waiting on him.Our best regards to you, Laxman.  You deserve this.

Related post:  The Sweet-N-Low Down



To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!

Drinking Problem?

I ran across this video on my friend, Fran's, Facebook page and decided it was way better than anything I could talk about. I'm a sucker for a good cat flick and I think this one fills the bill. Enjoy. Have a good weekend!





To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!

And We're Off to...

So just where are we going this Eid?  An exotic beach vacation to The Maldives, Lucy suggests.  "Why not an African Safari?", Karen asks.  "It's not just everyone that can claim they've done that!", she adds.  Yeah, but safaris require  getting up before the crack of dawn and the exotic beach part, well, it's still  over the 100 degree mark in Doha and a little heat relief would be nice.  Instead of these suggestions (terrific as they are!),  I'm entertaining thoughts of  castles and dungeons, you know, of fairy tale fodder.  So, David and I will embark on our journey down Germany's "Romantic Road" next week making stops in walled medieval towns along the way. One of our overnight stays will be spent in Castle Colmberg that traces back to the 13th century.  After the Romantische Strasse (boning up on my German),  we'll head west towards the scenic Black Forest.   At David's suggestion, instead of trains we will be renting a car and supposedly, he will follow the route that I've  mapped out on Google. Hmm. Read my thoughts.  If we arrive back in Doha on speaking terms, I will declare it a successful trip. On second thought, getting lost and off the beaten path could be the highlight of our trip.  Who knows.  I look forward.     


View Larger Map 




To read or leave comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!