Rory and I went to Atlantis in Dubai this weekend for what we have now nicknamed our 3rd honeymoon. It was freaking awesome! I always wanted to go to Atlantis since they opened the original in the Bahamas but could never afford to actually GO.

We got to play in the water park all day the first day which was great fun, minus the huge purple bruise on my rear end from one of the rides. At some point on one of the rides we actually managed to fall out of our two person inner tube, which kind of hurt - but the best part was when the next set of folks came rushing down the slide after us. I got whopped in the head by some feet just before their tube hit, which knocked Rory clean off his feet and into the tube as we shot down the remaining portion of the ride. We couldn't stop laughing.

The best part of that day was playing with Piphali!! We participated in a deep water interaction with a dolphin and it ROCKED! She kissed us, danced with us, we gave her hugs, she spun us in circles, and my favorite part - she gave us a ride on her belly! I couldn't believe how soft and warm she was. I just expected something a little tougher and colder, but now I know!

That night we went through The Lost Chambers, which is the coolest aquarium I've ever been in. I loved the imagination they used in creating ruins of an ancient advanced civilization (photos on that tomorrow). It was also the largest tank in the world, which had a WHALE SHARK in it! Granted I think it was a very young one, but huge nonetheless.

The next day we rode the new metro system they just opened up. It's not entirely finished, but some of the major stops are running, such as Mall of the Emirates, which is ridiculously huge. We stopped at Dubai Mall as well because it was right next to Burj Khalifa, which is now the world's tallest building. We wanted to go up to the observation deck but seems they are experiencing technical issues with their elevators and weren't allowing people up. We'll have to do it next time.

Now, meet Piphali!


twirlies!


dancing!


belly ride!


kisses!

I used this program to take my blog and randomly create this image. It's pretty cool looking at some of the words and thinking, "When did I write about bread?", etc.

Timika is not in the top 1000 female names for any year of birth in the last 40 years.

Why am I not surprised by this?

I had the most amazing dream last night, I wish I could have it again and again!

In my dream we had already mastered trips to space for common folk. Naturally, (e:theecarey) and myself were on board one of these flights. We were taking a 'cruise ship' to the 'Asteroid Islands'. Yeah, clever.

The ship looked just like a space shuttle, except is was about 20 times bigger, maybe more. It launched vertically with some type of blue flame that burned entirely clean. Humankind had created a way to eliminate g-force on the internal compartments of the ship, so passengers felt nothing at all. In fact, Carey and I were involved in a game of Wizard Chess before we realized we had taken off.

There were only a few observation decks but they were closed for the journey to the first island. A creepy robotic voice announced our arrival; the sweet British accent makes me nervous. I momentarily wonder if she'll try to kill us all in some act of AI rebellion. Then the observation deck windows opened. Slowly, very slowly, the dark gray walls lowered and I caught my first glimpse of bright blue as Earth came into view. Then, browns and greens....and I screamed with excitement, "Carey come look, that's AAAFFFRIICAAA"! The massive continent came into full view as the grinding metal came to a halt. It was so real. So real. I was standing on board a ship looking at Africa from 20,000 miles away. A shroud of tranquility fell over everyone in that room. I could hear my own heart beating.

We were interrupted by the voice announcing not our doom, but our freedom to access the first island - which looked remarkably like one out of Mario Galaxy. Imagine a jagged lump of gray rock floating in space with a perfect layer of bright fluffy green grass on the top side. This island of course doesn't rotate, it remains idle save for it's orbit around Earth.

We descended to the surface via ladder. Humankind had also figured out a way to create force fields allowing for prime environmental conditions. It was perfect. No air tanks, no eye wear, just a sexy white jumpsuit was all that separated my skin from the vast universe.

I'm stealing this line from "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".....

Carpe the Diem!

I just got notification that I've been accepted to NAFSA Academy! I really wanted to do this so I am STOKED. It's a 9 month training program for young professionals in the field of international education. Since I'll only be in Qatar one more academic year, I wanted to find ways to broaden my international experience and boost my resume. This is my golden ticket! So, so, so happy I got accepted! Woohoo!

Which means, brief visit to B-lo in March! The spring training session is in Atlanta, but I need to get to B-lo to do some important name change stuff that I must do in person. Hopefully I can see a few peeps while I'm whirl winding my way through!

For Christmas this year I tried a new way of cooking the turkey. I enlisted Rory's help because it was grossing me out, but hey, got a 13 pound turkey cooked in an hour and ten minutes! Got the idea from our favorite cooking criminal, Martha Stewart.

They made it look so easy in the magazine I thought it would take about 15 minutes to mutilate, but ended up taking an hour! Maybe the turkey wasn't 1oo% thawed, maybe my kitchen sheers need sharpening, or maybe it's just plain harder than it looks in a picture.

STEP 1- remove all the innards, rinse, and pat the bird dry with paper towel. This is important because the bird WILL slide all over the place if it's damp. Our poor Blinky got her head covered in pink turkey juice as it spilled over the counter. I scrubbed her fur and got the pink out but she smelled like turkey all day.




STEP 2 - Flip the bird over on it's belly and stick your sheers up it's butt hole. Cut the spine out by cutting along both sides. I think our bird had scoliosis....








STEP 3 - Flip the bird over so it's breast side up, and break the breast bones. Essentially, set yourself up like you're going to give CPR, except you WANT to hear the bones break.




STEP 4 - Pin the wings under, baste with a mixture of olive oil and pepper, and roast for approximately 70 minutes, basting in between.




STEP 5 - Carve and enjoy.

Doha has wreaked havoc on my sinuses since I got here. Between the constant sandy air, air conditioners and mold I don't stand a chance. I've already had two URTI's as a result. I've been looking at the neti pot as a form of preventative medicine to see if it helps. I think I remember reading something on here at some point in the last 3 years about people using them?

Does anyone have any input on using one?

If my cat was a boy I'd have to name it Hammy after that crazy squirrel on Over the Hedge. Seriously. For a cat with no eyes she's pretty spastic.

I just opened a bag of Cheetos and I swear it was just like this clip from the Over the Hedge trailer. 35 seconds in, watch Hammy's reaction to a bag of cheese chips being opened.



Now replace the squirrel with a frantic no eyed kitten. MeOW!

Happy New Year 2010! We'll be ringing it in 8 hours ahead of you, so at 4pm give a shout out to Doha! I'm afraid I'll not be awake at 8am to return the favor, so Happy New Year B-lo!

OH - and happy blue moon! Though you won't get to witness it in North America, there will be a partial eclipse tonight to make it all the more special (viewable from Europe, Africa and Asia only I'm afraid).

Photos to share of my new do, feeling like my old crofty self again....ahhhh purple ;)

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 2009 began?
At PMT's

Who were you with?
everyone

Where will you be when 2009 ends?
At a house party here in Doha

Whom will you be with when 2009 ends?
My husband, a work colleague, and lots of new people

Was 2009 a good year for you?
Amazing! Married the love of my life and am eternally happy for it!

What was your favorite moment of the year?
Tie: when (e:Rory) proposed to me and when (e:Drew) announced we were official

What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Maybe 3 days before the wedding. My family were at each others' throats and stressing me out.

Did you reach your New Year 2009 goals?

• Meet Rory's family and friends - did it
• Finish my sailing course with minimal bruising - sort of did it
• Travel to Jordan, Singapore, Antarctica - wedding superseded these plans
• Present at the NASPA conference - attended NASPA, worked on presentation, but had to leave early for Rory's grandfather's funeral
• Increase my fitness level considerably - negative ghost rider
• Be the best supervisor I can be - I think so!
• Marry the love of my life - did it!

Did you fall in love in 2009?
Absolutely! Madly and deeply.

What was your favorite month of 2009?
October - I GOT MARRIED!

Did you travel outside of the US in 2009?
Qatar, England, Italy, Maldives - skim on the travel but for good reason.

How many different states did you travel to in 2009?
D.C., Massachusetts, New York

Did you lose anybody close to you in 2009?
Rory's grandfather Trevor

What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2009?
Coraline!

What was your favorite song in 2009?
Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night by Black Eyed Peas

What was your favorite album in 2009?
This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars

What was your most exciting moment of 2009?
Convincing Rory to try SCUBA diving with me and him doing really well and enjoying it!

What was your proudest moment of 2009?
Marrying Rory. We did it as a team, together all the way.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2009?
Having a very temporary haircut after donating my hair and a woman run up to me and say "Oh my God did you just get your haircut, you have a piece hanging in the back!"

If you could go back in time to any moment of 2009 and change something, what would it be?
I would have started the turkey with Rory much earlier in the day - it took us way longer to dismember it than I thought it would.

What are your goals for 2010?

• Master the art of packing light
• Travel to New Zealand, Oman, Abu Dabi, India, Egypt, Jordan, Australia, and Antarctica
• Lose 40 pounds by our 1 year anniversary
• Pay off my car in November
• Pay off 1/3 of one of my student loans
• Knit tons of goodies to donate to charity
• Participate in more community service opportunities
• Be the best teammate (wifey) I can be
• Drop the dead weight in my life and look for more positive forces to surround myself with
• Create a solid sustainability campaign in our residence halls