In my dream, I lived in a city. I was walking down a sidewalk to my older sister's house. I was only wearing a short, light blue, terrycloth towel. Once I entered the exterior street door I was in a massive foyer. It had a rich and ornate church like interior. A double wide oak staircase was blocked by a thick oak railing. I used the small gate, climbed the steps, and entered the house through the stained glass door.

My sister was hanging out in her bath robe making some tea. My nephew was sleeping in his crib. We were just going to sit down for some cookies when the door bell rang. Still wearing my towel dress, I went out to the foyer. There were two (e:peeps) greeting me. It didn't make any sense to me why they would be there, or how they even knew that I was there. I invite them in anyway. One of them decided he was better off jumping the railing rather than using the gate. His foot got caught resulting in the rapid propulsion of his body over the railing thus planting his face firmly on the ground.

It was actually quite messy. He popped up with his busted self, blood running down his green shirt and jeans, and says, "Change of plans I'll fuck you later when I get out of the hospital". He and the other peep leave. I head back in to my sister's house.

Apparently my sister was very wealthy and had a larger number of staff at her disposal. For fun she made them partake in 'games' that I saw as a cross between reality tv bake offs and that crazy hysterical Japanese show MXC.

Next thing I know there is a giant Jelly Belly bean cook off. Five chefs had to make a jelly bean the size of a small child. I think they weighed around 50 pounds. They had to put their jelly bean in their apron and attempt to stay on their feet while going down a wide plastic slide covered in flour. Seriously! Needless to say they all wiped out. However it doesn't end there!

The bottom of the slide is in a basement maze. Here the chefs have to run around in near darkness collecting 3 artifacts and then finding the single spiral staircase to victory.

Ok, minus the cute little cartoon guy, these photos were all taken around Qatar! They are very insightful ;)


hello, here's my flag, it's hot as fuck out here.


yah, do it.


outward displays of wealth are the standard


even if you have to drive a crotch rocket


and there's always something 'special' on the menu


some things aren't worth trying though....


groceries? as if....


seriously!


in the event of an emergency, you're fucked.


and don't try to make sense of traffic, because it's fucked too


and the drivers are fucking crazy

Oque e um peido para quem ja esta cagado.


what's a little fart if you already shit yourself

A few other shots from my surprise visit home this winter


I hid in a giant box to surprise my sister


hugs


my nephew can now run around and say 'uh-oh'


i played uno with bambi, she's a real card shark


i got my dad and brother 'gudtras' for christmas


a ton of soft balls for my nephew


and a personal sized hookah for carey


i didn't realize they keep the fountain running in mirror lake (at forest lawn) during winter


i think this one is pretty

feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, come on peeps, it's torpedo time!


down the hatch


(e:vincent) and (e:theecarey)


ball dropping master (e:paul)


the countdown


(e:metalpeter) tag team


(e:matthew) excitedly discussing education of little people


climbed to the rooftop via secret hatch, which exhausted (e:terry)


and made (e:kookcity2000) want to sing


i ripped a giant hole in my sweatshirt so had a little help climbing back down to avoid further wardrobe fatalities


Several peeps turned out of a last minute goodbye dinner at JP Bullfeathers. Just prior to it, (e:leetee) did my hair. I was in desperate need of a trim and fresh colour. Thank you everyone for coming out. I enjoyed the beer and company very much!


good times


the gel looked like pumpkin snot


guests (e:drew) and (e:janelle) left too soon for the group shot


as did (e:libertad)


the gang (and yes we're squatting to fit the photo)

I was going to post my new year photos but this is much more important. Mark your calendars folks, today in Doha, it RAINED. It rained ALL DAY LONG!!! I was so excited. I just stood out there looking toward the heavens letting it fall gently on my face. It's the very first day in my 7 months in Doha that I didn't have to wear my sunglasses.


my car is relatively clean now


this is why i had to buy a 4x4. this is an example of a road 'diversion'. they simply close the road where they need to do work and let you off road around it.

So the sandstorm lasted quite a while. Take a look at my car (sorry, she hasn't revealed her name to me yet).



I've been on duty since the night I returned. Thankfully most students are still away on vacations so it's pretty quiet. It's also very cool outside! We're between 60-70 now that 'winter' has officially blown in with the northern winds. People here are bundled up like north pole expeditioners!

I'm just wrapping up Zelda: Twilight Princess. In the beginning I honestly didn't like the idea of running around as a wolf, but it got better once you could transform at will. Just going round collecting all the hearts and bugs for extra padding before I meet the big boss.

I've also been using my down time to GREATLY enjoy watching La Femme Nikita, as in the tv show that used to air on USA. I loved that show so much, hence my code name Nikita for all spy missions. I finally own the entire series and I vowed to wait until I did before I began watching any of them, so I could enjoy weeks of unending joy. Weeks of espionage, betrayal, treason, 'cancellations', psychological warfare, and of course, the beautiful Michael played by Roy Dupuis. Mmmm.

Just desserts everyone, karma likes it sweet!

After a 1 hour delay in Buffalo, a 6 hour layover in D.C., a 12 hour plane ride, and 2 hours waiting for luggage that didn't come...I'm home. I arrived safely in Doha this evening and was greeted with my first major sand storm. It's crazy out there!

I promise I'll post photos soon and write much more but I'm exhausted and really want to sleep. Happy New Year everyone, it was so wonderful to see you :)

It was wonderful to see everyone at the party last night! It was hard keeping my visit a secret but I wanted to surprise as many people as possible. I got to see the friendly faces I knew would be there, meet a few new faces, and a few faces I didn't expect to be there.

However, BOO on all you peeps who's faces weren't there!!!

I'm in the country a few more days so I'd like to do something. Maybe a peep dinner on Thursday? Does that sound good to anyone?

I really missed you all and it brought me a lot of joy to see you again, spend time with you, and I especially loved the hugs :)

Happy New Year estrip!

On the eve of each new year we often reflect on our lives. As I do this dear e-strippers, I wish you joy that never ends and happiness with all your family and friends.

Where were you when 2007 began?
At PMT's in Ab Fab gear

Who were you with?
everyone

Where will you be when 2007 ends?
Unkown

Whom will you be with when 2007 ends?
Unkown

Was 2007 a good year for you?
Very. Probably the single most growing year of my life. I battled depression, graduated again, landed a dream job, bought a new car, traveled, and learned a lot about how strong I really am.

What was your favorite moment of the year?
Stepping on the plane in Buffalo that would start my journey to my new home. It was scary and exciting like I've never known before.

What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Being told I wasn't worth knowing.

Did you reach your New Year 2007 goals?
I crossed off almost everything on my list!

Did you fall in love in 2007?
No.

Did you breakup with anyone in 2007?
Friends, yes.

Did you make any new friends in 2007?
Yes.

What was your favorite month of 2007?
May

Did you travel outside of the US in 2007?
Canada, Qatar, Turkey and Greece

How many different states did you travel to in 2007?
Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts.

Did you lose anybody close to you in 2007?
Yes.

Did you miss anybody in the past year?
EVERYBODY

What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2007?
Death at a Funeral (it's hysterical)

What was your favorite song in 2007?
She's my ride home by Blue October

What was your favorite album in 2007?
Well, what I listened to the most was Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

What was your proudest moment of 2007?
Being offered a great job just 3 hours before graduation.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2007?
Falling for a 'line' when I knew it was a lie.

If you could go back in time to any moment of 2007 and change something, what would it be?
I'd make sure I had more than 2 day's notice to pack up my life and move half way around the world!

What are your goals for 2008?

Visit family and friends around Europe
Paint my apartment
Get much better at guitar
Go camping in the desert
Go duning - weeee
Get open water SCUBA certified
Travel to Singapore, Cambodia, and China
Don't make assumptions
Always do my best
And try not to take things personally!