Ok, so this week was focused on how incredibly awesome my parents are. This week I got a package, always makes a good day, with Kraft Mac and Cheese, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of tuna, some cold medicine for the neighbors, and fabric. It was just awesome. Then today I got the bulletins from church in with the funnies from Easter Sunday. How awesome is that! The best part about the package and the funnies is the little note that Mom puts in it. I have one, no wait, two notes tacked to my bulletin board at work. I know they took Mom about 2 seconds to write, but I love them.
Another thing I have found about Qatar. Whenever I say I want something and can’t find it here Mom, Aunt Sue, or Brook will send it to me. Either about 2 days before or after it shows up in the mailroom I find it on the shelves in a store here. How unfair is that? I wonder if it will work if I ask for pork?
I am about 5 weeks away from the Finland trip. I am getting very excited. I have some euros ready for when I get off the plane in Helsinki and I have some British pounds for a ham sandwich when I get off the plane in London. I should probably get some more pounds just in case.
Oh, this morning just as I was about to leave for work my neighbor, Jen called me. Thomas, her 2.5 year old, had found a dead lizard in their house. Jen doesn’t like lizards. She looked out her window and saw that I hadn’t left yet and called. I went over, swept it up and put it in the trash. Very easy (Dad you would have been proud, I didn’t even call it icky.) and quick.
Another thing that I found this morning, eggs for QR 23.75. The catch was you had to buy 30 of them, but it was still cheaper than any other way. That is really cheap. Now I need to eat a lot of eggs.
Oh, this last week at church I found that the church has a library! I am allowed 3 books at a time and they have Christian Fiction, my favorite type of books and my favorite price. I haven’t been home much in the evenings this week so I haven’t finished even 1 book. Weird. I have been picking up a girl on campus for church the last few weeks. It gives me the motivation to get out of bed and go and it is repaying those who helped me. In undergrad in Fairbanks someone from the church picked me up every week in the winter. In the summer up there I rode my bike but I really appreciated it. I am glad that I can help out someone else.
I thought of a new quilt to do while I’m over here. I was trying to think of a way to do a quilt that would link everything here together with my trips. I figured I would do the flags of the countries that I visit. This also means that I will have to look at the flag BEFORE I visit the country. I wonder if I can find a paper piecing book on flags? Something else to work on.
Wow, for nothing special happening I sure did find stuff to write about.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
my new subie
Ok, I promised a picture of the car, and it is the top picture. Isn’t it pretty? It is also very dirty. It was nice and clean when I picked it up and by the next morning the car was covered with dust again. Crazy!
The other picture that I posted was some stuff from the wedding that I went to. The flowers were from the table arrangements (yes I had permission to take them). The silver shiny box is what the perfume came in and the pretty little green thing was chocolate. It was very tasty and no, I didn’t save any. It was just a little piece. I think I ate it in front of Mom on the webcam. It wasn’t like I could send any of it home.
The other picture that I posted was some stuff from the wedding that I went to. The flowers were from the table arrangements (yes I had permission to take them). The silver shiny box is what the perfume came in and the pretty little green thing was chocolate. It was very tasty and no, I didn’t save any. It was just a little piece. I think I ate it in front of Mom on the webcam. It wasn’t like I could send any of it home.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Meet my new Subie
Well, after 3 weeks, and a lot of trips to the bank, I have a new car. Actually, Wells Fargo has a new car and they are letting me drive it. I bought a 2008 Subaru Forester in silver. I’ll put a picture up shortly, when I remember to take one but before Mom and Dad get home from Oregon. The funny things is that it is cheaper, monthly, to buy a car, like mine, rather than rent a car. The rental for a Mistubishi Lancer was $540/month while the car payment is right about $400/month. The car payment is also within my transportation allowance which means that Texas A&M University is paying for my car. Pretty nice, I wish all jobs were like this.
On the way home from the dealership I was so afraid someone was going to hit me. I figured that luck would have it that I would buy a new car and in front of the dealership get hit. Thank God that didn’t happen. I called Mom and Dad in Oregon and they have asked for a picture. Soon, Mom, soon. I also sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to my niece Abby ‘cause she turned 2 yesterday.
The other exciting news is that my travel for July was approved. I’ll be flying into Atlanta and driving about 2 hours north for a teacher training. The training will be very good and I am able to schedule about 2 days in Germany and 10 days in West Virginia to see family. Also, I am flying business class. I’ll be gone from Doha about 18 days, which won’t be a bad thing since yesterday the temperature hit 103°F. In July, that temperature will be the low, not the high. I also will be able to see family, do some shopping, and eat pork again.
On Monday I had to do some creative typing. Last week I accidentally knocked over my bottle of water on my keyboard and this made my ‘7’ and ‘j’ keys not work. I had to design my writing so that a ‘j’ was not needed. Makes it interesting and I’m thankful that I didn’t mess up the ‘e’ key instead. I got a new keyboard and all is well.
I’ve been thinking and tonight will be a Hot Chicken night. There is a food place, restaurant is not the right word, about 5 minutes from the house and I haven’t eaten there all week. I love their food, guess what they serve? Lamb, beef, vegetarian, and, of course, chicken. I love their chicken fried rice. It only costs about QR12 (about $3.33) and it is enough for 2 meals. You can go inside and eat or get it to go and never leave your car.
Well, I should go and make some more chemicals. I just wanted to let everyone know that I now drive a Subie. You know, I think I had better run some errands in the other building, better go drive the car!
On the way home from the dealership I was so afraid someone was going to hit me. I figured that luck would have it that I would buy a new car and in front of the dealership get hit. Thank God that didn’t happen. I called Mom and Dad in Oregon and they have asked for a picture. Soon, Mom, soon. I also sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to my niece Abby ‘cause she turned 2 yesterday.
The other exciting news is that my travel for July was approved. I’ll be flying into Atlanta and driving about 2 hours north for a teacher training. The training will be very good and I am able to schedule about 2 days in Germany and 10 days in West Virginia to see family. Also, I am flying business class. I’ll be gone from Doha about 18 days, which won’t be a bad thing since yesterday the temperature hit 103°F. In July, that temperature will be the low, not the high. I also will be able to see family, do some shopping, and eat pork again.
On Monday I had to do some creative typing. Last week I accidentally knocked over my bottle of water on my keyboard and this made my ‘7’ and ‘j’ keys not work. I had to design my writing so that a ‘j’ was not needed. Makes it interesting and I’m thankful that I didn’t mess up the ‘e’ key instead. I got a new keyboard and all is well.
I’ve been thinking and tonight will be a Hot Chicken night. There is a food place, restaurant is not the right word, about 5 minutes from the house and I haven’t eaten there all week. I love their food, guess what they serve? Lamb, beef, vegetarian, and, of course, chicken. I love their chicken fried rice. It only costs about QR12 (about $3.33) and it is enough for 2 meals. You can go inside and eat or get it to go and never leave your car.
Well, I should go and make some more chemicals. I just wanted to let everyone know that I now drive a Subie. You know, I think I had better run some errands in the other building, better go drive the car!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Weddings, Spring Break, and a New Car!
No, I am not getting married. I was invited to a Qatari wedding and oh, my, gosh! I don’t have a lot of fancy clothes (I wore a black skirt from Wal-Mart and a blouse) and boy was I underdressed. I looked presentable but not dressed at the level of the other ladies there. For those of you who are unfamiliar with weddings from this part of the world let me impart all of my wisdom to you (it won’t take too long). A wedding in Qatar is paid for by the groom and his family. EVERYTHING is paid for by the groom’s side. First a dowry is paid to the bride’s family (at least QR100,000 or about $28,000). Then the bride’s dress is handmade for at least QR20000 or about $5500. The groom gives his bride a gift, which is typically the jewelry (necklace, tiara, earrings, bracelet, rings, and whatever else can be bought), and he will also give her a present the morning after the wedding. The ballroom was set up with an elaborate stage with fabric and cushions and a couch, and it was amazing. The tables, I don’t know how many there were because I can’t count that high, were decorated with a tablecloth and a medium size centerpiece. The flower arrangements were not carnations, they were a variety of colors of roses and lilies. I was able to take some home and give them to my next door neighbor. The ‘thank you for coming gift’ from the bride was not mints, it was a bottle of perfume that had the name of the bride and groom on it. I don’t know the name of the perfume, the writing is all in Arabic. Ok, all that I am describing is just for the ladies reception. The men have their own parties (I call them man parties) of which I was not invited. The guess for the cost of the hall rental, stage, and tables was about QR240000, and that doesn’t include the servers, food, or anything else.
When I walked in to the ballroom, a lady had a hand-held metal detector and was checking for cameras. I couldn’t take any pictures, sorry. I walked in and realized that I had never seen the person who invited me without her coverings. She found me very quickly and was an excellent hostess. She introduced me to many of her family members and friends as well as explained what was happening during the reception. Right before the groom came to collect his new wife, my friend went to the restroom. All of a sudden I saw women covering up all over the ballroom. I figured the groom had arrived and then my friend came back and told everyone at our table to cover up the groom was there. There was dancing, not western dancing, which was interesting to watch.
Another thing that I realized from this is that I do actually need a pair of dress shoes. I had to wear my Chaco sandals, which wasn’t exactly appropriate. (These are the same sandals I wear kayaking.) Hopefully I will be able to go to the States this summer and can go to Payless for a cheap pair.
Spring break is here! I don’t actually have any days off but things are more relaxed and I am able to prepare for next week and catch up on other stuff. The professor that I’m doing research for came over the last 2 mornings to help set up his lab area. It was good to get out of the way so when summer hits I can start doing reactions.
Some day some I’ll have a new Subaru. (You were supposed to sing that portion.) Yes, I am buying a 2008 Subaru Forester, no, I am not having leather seats. Mom and Dad helped get the money to secure the loan from the states, and really I mean they ‘gave’ me the money to get the loan. Really, all I have done is call Mom and ask what needs to be done next. Mom and Dad should get all the credit for it. Thanks. I did have to decide which car to buy and get the account information for Mom. I was looking at a Nissan Altima but that was pretty expensive for a non-SUV. Then I went to the Subaru dealership and the Forester is cheaper, not to mention being my dream car. The coolest thing about the whole deal is that the car payments are less than my transportation allowance. Yes, this means I am getting a free car. It is kind of funny/ironic though, Mom did all the work and I get the Subaru. Oh well.
Well, I should get back to work. I came in after lunch today because I had to run errands for the lab so I should get something else done today. I hope everyone had a happy Easter and is doing well.
When I walked in to the ballroom, a lady had a hand-held metal detector and was checking for cameras. I couldn’t take any pictures, sorry. I walked in and realized that I had never seen the person who invited me without her coverings. She found me very quickly and was an excellent hostess. She introduced me to many of her family members and friends as well as explained what was happening during the reception. Right before the groom came to collect his new wife, my friend went to the restroom. All of a sudden I saw women covering up all over the ballroom. I figured the groom had arrived and then my friend came back and told everyone at our table to cover up the groom was there. There was dancing, not western dancing, which was interesting to watch.
Another thing that I realized from this is that I do actually need a pair of dress shoes. I had to wear my Chaco sandals, which wasn’t exactly appropriate. (These are the same sandals I wear kayaking.) Hopefully I will be able to go to the States this summer and can go to Payless for a cheap pair.
Spring break is here! I don’t actually have any days off but things are more relaxed and I am able to prepare for next week and catch up on other stuff. The professor that I’m doing research for came over the last 2 mornings to help set up his lab area. It was good to get out of the way so when summer hits I can start doing reactions.
Some day some I’ll have a new Subaru. (You were supposed to sing that portion.) Yes, I am buying a 2008 Subaru Forester, no, I am not having leather seats. Mom and Dad helped get the money to secure the loan from the states, and really I mean they ‘gave’ me the money to get the loan. Really, all I have done is call Mom and ask what needs to be done next. Mom and Dad should get all the credit for it. Thanks. I did have to decide which car to buy and get the account information for Mom. I was looking at a Nissan Altima but that was pretty expensive for a non-SUV. Then I went to the Subaru dealership and the Forester is cheaper, not to mention being my dream car. The coolest thing about the whole deal is that the car payments are less than my transportation allowance. Yes, this means I am getting a free car. It is kind of funny/ironic though, Mom did all the work and I get the Subaru. Oh well.
Well, I should get back to work. I came in after lunch today because I had to run errands for the lab so I should get something else done today. I hope everyone had a happy Easter and is doing well.
Monday, March 17, 2008
What happens when you drive too fast in a circle?
It isn’t rocket science. If you drive too fast around a round-about in a top heavy car you will tip over. I think it seems simple. Coming back to campus from lunch today Marvin and I saw this trailer tipped over. We think it is a water tanker and the driver took the curve too fast and tipped. That has got to make things a bad day.It has been a while since I have posted anything so here is a little bit to catch everyone up. (I just checked the last blog and wow it has been a while!) Nothing monumental has happened in the last 3 weeks. One of my friends who was here on a 2 month assignment left about 9 days ago. She might be back in a few months on a regular contract but we will see.
I am learning to knit. No requests just yet as I am VERY slow. I like it though. Pretty soon it is going to be really hot, so it will be a nice indoor thing. I got my air conditioning fixed so things will be better on that front.
Not much else is going on. A student invited me to a Qatari wedding this week, it should be a very interesting time. (This wedding is no alcohol by government regulations!)
I hope all is well where you are. I have less than two months now until my next ham sandwich. YES!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Trip to the rocks
Ok, the first picture in this set is what the research is about, why we went to this set of rocks. The marks, for lack of a better term, are carved into the rocks in all sorts of depths and designs. very interesting and very desolate. We were close to the Emir's palace, in fact we drove right past it, no, we weren't asked in for coffee, go figure. The group of four of us then tried to find the other end of the line of rock carvings. We walked a ways through the desert and we saw 'wild' camels. The camels previously seen were at the livestock market to be sold, these were eating. I didn't get too close because camels are mean and the spit and bite. (It could have been an interesting blog but I didn't feel like having to explain that to the hospital. The last picture of this set is of 'camping' along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Some of these tents are really big and have air conditioners set up. I didn't get to go in the gulf but soon. When we were out there the wind was blowing steady at about 30 mph. It would have been very warm without the wind but the wind made it very comfortable.Thursday, February 21, 2008
$810.55 poorer, but so excited!
So I got the ok from by boss to leave for a little bit in May. YES! I am planning a trip to Finland and then on the way back I’ll spend 1 night in London. I’m excited about that too. I’m leaving Doha on the red eye on the 14th of May and coming back on the 24th of May. I know it is only 9 days but it will be fun. No, no one is going with me and I’ll be ok. One problem is that I’ll only get one checked bag which really sucks. I don’t really need a second one but I like to have the option. I’ve ordered my backpack from REI and that should be here someday. Things are taking a long time to get here from the support office. I even have the money already saved for the trip. I am still trying to plan out the highlights of the trip but I know I want to visit the town of Sarvela in southern Finland. That part of the trip will be expensive just for the cost of gas there.
I also asked for a trip to do some lab training in July. Boss said he would check and see if there is money available but he liked the idea. I should find out eventually if I get to go to that. I hope so, the school would just have to pay to get me there.
The only problem with trying to travel a lot is to save the money to do it. The money for Finland is already put away but the money for the trip in October to Prague and saving for Christmas trip and possibly a summer trip needs to start, well, yesterday. I know I can do it, it will just take strength not to spend on the “now” things. Come to think of it, with only one checked bag to Finland it isn’t like I’m going to be able to buy a lot of stuff. Although, I might need to put aside money for ham and cheese sandwiches, bacon and other pork products. (You only want what you can’t have.)
The other exciting thing is that I am trying the procedure for a new experiment for one of the teaching labs. I am finally making some headway with it because it needs to be ready for students in less than 6 weeks. And it will still need to undergo some revisions before it is ready for the students. I have a bit of work ahead of me, but that is ok. It will be interesting.
Oh, another project for this weekend. So I have ruined a shirt and a pair of pants since I have been here. So, this weekend I am going to take a lab coat and make it into an apron for lab. I think it will be easy and work very well. If it doesn’t work then I’ll be emailing and talking to Mom to try and get it to work.
I also asked for a trip to do some lab training in July. Boss said he would check and see if there is money available but he liked the idea. I should find out eventually if I get to go to that. I hope so, the school would just have to pay to get me there.
The only problem with trying to travel a lot is to save the money to do it. The money for Finland is already put away but the money for the trip in October to Prague and saving for Christmas trip and possibly a summer trip needs to start, well, yesterday. I know I can do it, it will just take strength not to spend on the “now” things. Come to think of it, with only one checked bag to Finland it isn’t like I’m going to be able to buy a lot of stuff. Although, I might need to put aside money for ham and cheese sandwiches, bacon and other pork products. (You only want what you can’t have.)
The other exciting thing is that I am trying the procedure for a new experiment for one of the teaching labs. I am finally making some headway with it because it needs to be ready for students in less than 6 weeks. And it will still need to undergo some revisions before it is ready for the students. I have a bit of work ahead of me, but that is ok. It will be interesting.
Oh, another project for this weekend. So I have ruined a shirt and a pair of pants since I have been here. So, this weekend I am going to take a lab coat and make it into an apron for lab. I think it will be easy and work very well. If it doesn’t work then I’ll be emailing and talking to Mom to try and get it to work.
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