A Long, Needed Laugh

Trip to Turkey

Here are my photos from my recent trip to Turkey. I'm kind of mad at them because a whole bunch came out looking really pixelated plus the overcast sky washed out a lot of them, but what can you do? Still, one or two decent pictures.

Anatolia

Istanbul

And I Think to Myself...

The past week I got to spend with Sophie. Incredibly, the eight nights were the longest that we have ever been able to spend together. And it was certainly what I always imagine it to be. Comfortable.

During her stay I showed her around Qatar, including trips to Souq Waqif and the inland sea. I even sucked up my fear of cars and went duning with her. While I'm on that topic, what retard thought it was a good idea to drive 80 miles an hour across fucking sand dunes?! To hell with that. But I did it, again, and she had fun. So, that was worth it.

Anyways, the best part of having her here was simply to be able to live together for a little while. Its incredible how easy it is too feel at home with the right person. I never once had an issue about personal space or crowding. It was simply right to have her there.

So, thank you to Sophie for the wonderful time. And for everyone reading this, please keep your fingers crossed that everything will work out and I will receive a contract extension and her an offer to work in our library for next year.

Family Trip to Oman

Recently my family visited me here in Doha. It was wonderful to get to see them all again and show them around where I live. I also took them down to Muscat to show them where I studied. Here is the photo album of that trip:

Oman

Witness

I'm not a big fan of celebrating events as 'history in the making.' It just seems to me that we will rarely know at the time what will be considered important against the test of time. The invasion of Afghanistan seemed momentous but was quickly overshadowed by the invasion of Iraq. However, Afghanistan might prove a longer ordeal than Iraq, and the history will be written with all of the events past.

Regardless, I believe that at the moment we are witnessing a moment that will make all of the American history books. There are three people in the race for President right now, no offense to Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, or Mike Gravel, but they are all playing bit roles now. Those three people? An old white man, a white woman, and a young black man. The one with the best shot at winning it all, in my opinion? The black man.

For the last half decade, I have had little good to say about the politics of my home country. But right now I am honestly proud. Sure, I am a bit sad that it has taken this long to get some diversity in the final round of the highest election. We still have to wait and see which of the three actually becomes the President, but the options have me excited to be an American at last. I believe that we are at last proving a commitment to diversity, to equality, and to opportunity. What makes it even more exciting is that I have seen this manifesting in the way non-Americans see the American system. For the first time since I began working with Arabs, I am beginning to see true excitement and respect for American politics. I hope that we do not let them down.

Re-Elect Washington

What happened to the days when we had presidents like our forefathers?

Practice Peaceful Ideation

I am quite excited right now. I just finished playing "Peace Maker," an incredible video game that puts you in the position of either Palestinian President or Israeli Prime Minister and then allows you to make decisions that will either led to peace or violence in the region. The game is outstanding in both concept and application and provides an amazing opportunity to test your own notions and ability to handle events. I think that this program presents an incomparable educational opportunity to students from high school up. Please look here for more information.