I want to say thank you again to those of you that remember my birthday. It really meant a lot to get your messages while I'm so far away. My little get together just wasn't the same without you all.

I did get a unexpected treat. The author I previously mentioned just happened to be in the office at the moment they decided to surprise me with song and cake. Being the birthday girl and all, I felt brave enough to ask for a photo with her. She's a very shy woman and at first declined but then agreed since it was my brithday. It will make a nice compliment to my signed book :)

After working all day I headed over to my aunt and uncle's place to prepare dinner. Fajitas, pinto beans, 7 layer dip, beer and margaritas. It was tasty. Finished with sweet red velvet cake. Yum.


Me on my 2nd birthday




30 years later




with Marguerite




party folks




party hair (i tried lilho)




it was almost 100 degrees at 1am!




i missed you all, muah!

So today I met Marguerite van Geldermalsen. She's an unasuming and quiet woman, thin, with a wise and weathered face. I didn't recognize her at first because the photos in her book are about 20 years old. I had the privelage of sitting next to her at lunch before she gave us an informal talk about her book and the experiences that brought her to finally writing this memoir.

In a nutshell, it is the tale of how a young twenty-something woman from New Zealand found herslef married to a Bedouin. Are you shocked yet? You should be.

What made my meeting her even more extraordinary was the connection I was able to make with her. I don't think I can find the words to properly express the nature of my mind when I travel. But she knew...she knew exactly....and I understood her equally as well. Someone at my table asked her a question about one of her many adventures. Rather than some long winded reply she gave a little shrug of the shoulders and made a small noise as her eyebrows lifted in a smile. It was priceless.

an excerpt from her book:
" Taking the chance often was [infinetly more interesting]. It didn't even occur to me to nervous on this occassion. I suppose we were two and he was small but I don't think that even crossed my mind. We were looking for adventure and we were finding it."

If you're curious to learn more: www.marriedtoabedouin.com

Things that would make me super happy right now:

1. Two or three TV channels in English.

2. 9 consecutive hours of sleep.

3. A nice cold Dr. Pepper.

4. A piano.

5. An attractive (to me) man sitting on my sofa rubbing my knees as they drape across his lap.

6. That same man then massaging my scalp.

7. Getting my teeth cleaned.

8. Being acknowledged.

9. Plants in my apartment.

10. Holding my nephews.

11. A hug from a friend.

I've been sick for 2 days now. Nothing momentuous, just a standard cold. Well, I think I actually had a mild fever yesterday too. Anyway, it's nothing to really keep me out of work. So I drag my ass out of bed this morning, get dressed, put everything I need in my bag for the day, pack up my computer, get in the car (I usually walk over but I thought I had a massage today so I was going to leave right from my office). As I pull up I realize the parking lot is quite empty. It's 10am so it should be overflowing. Hmmmm. Right, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S SATURDAY YOU FOOL!!!!

Yah, I thought it was Sunday already. Maybe I was excited to be off duty. Maybe the fever burned a few more brain cells than I could spare. Anyway, back home now, on the sofa, curled up in a blanket. I'll still do some work since I'm awake right now. The sofa's not a bad place to do light work.

On a completely different note, I just want to tell you all how much I really love the Blue October album Foiled. I like that the songs are so different from each other. The lyrics express these great emotions and I just REALLY get them. I like that feeling.

Last weekend I was invited to lunch by a Qatari colleague of mine. She and her family offered us a traditional lunch, which is served family style on the floor. It was such a great experience to go into their home and share this with them.


Here we are preparing to dig in!




The food was delicious. That orange looking thing in the right corner is actually the burned rice from the bottom of the pot. Apparently it is rude to not serve every bit of what was prepared in the kitchen.




Dessert was a type of cheesecake served with Qatari coffee. It looks like tea, tasted like bland green tea, but having the two together balanced each other well.




After that we were served actual tea. You can get fancy sugar cubes here. Different colours or even some with other flavors mixed in, like mint or cinnammon.




Once we finished with the meal they brought in an "aoud". It's a special type of incense. It is used to cleanse you after the meal. It smells nice but burned my eyeballs.




After we are cleansed, it's time for perfume! Yah. It's something you can't miss when you're walking around an Arab country, they looooove their perfume.