This was, and probably still is, a whiny post. Sorry in advance, but since I got back from Madrid, life has been difficult. I'm deleting some of the blatant whininess, but this is an update on my work life... I had my camera out one day last week because I was taking photos of four sheep in the back of a pickup. I thought at first they were eating or drinking since their heads were all hunkered down in the bed of the truck. Sadly, I realized they were tied on short leashes to a single pole in the back. Felt so bad for them. About ten minutes later, I am exiting the freeway on the busy curved off-ramp to get onto the road to work, when I notice the land cruiser behind me passing the ... read more

Both my sister and colleague had suggested that for a day trip, Toledo was the best choice. But I still didn't know why it was so great (Man of La Mancha, El Greco - these are some of the things I think). So, after we discussed, we decided on Segovia. I'm huge into old history and Segovia has the Roman Aqueduct and a castle - yeah, that is more me. Jamie and Addi didn't really care and came along for the ride. We had discussed the route the night before, but when I check the map in the morning, I realized we'd erred in our plans. So, if you decide to go to Segovia from Madrid, here is what I suggest: There is a fast train (less than 30 minutes) from Madrid Chamartin station. If you ... read more

My flight from Doha was super early - 3:45 in the morning - on Emirates airlines, via Dubai. The long flight was awesome. It was mostly empty except for a large Chinese tourist group, who were seated in front of me. I had the whole row to myself, so a chinese woman moved to the aisle seat, still leaving a middle seat between us. What a great flight! She and the other members of the group strained to see out my window glimpses of Dubai - the Palm, the Burj Khalifa; since I have flown in and out dozens of times, I leaned back and let them stare away. We landed in Madrid about 2pm and it was a long long long way to leave the airport. The airport has a nice design, with a wavy ... read more

I was attempting to start uploading videos to document the daily obstacle course that plays like Running Man or Death Race- my daily fight for my life as I drive around this city. However, travelblog has "temporarily" disabled video uploads... Sigh... I will have to figure out another way to get this message across. I think it is one worth sharing for those in the western world who have never experienced this daily struggle for survival. Yes, I am being slightly overly dramatic. Usually I laugh it off, but every once in a while, I get truly frightened and upset by the complete disregard for my life and the lives of others just so people can get to a place a few seconds faster! I've become more aggressive and have learned to love my horn as ... read more

The time has come. I am in the process of canceling my Dubai visa and officially moving to Qatar. How do I feel about this? Well, you all know that I absolutely love love love Dubai. But I will be happy to finally have a place to call home. Again. I think that maybe once I can officially settle down in Doha, I will feel more at home and happy. I don't know why, but I still basically have the mentality of living out of a suitcase. I try not to buy too much. And I haven't even hung my pictures! Though I do plan to move somewhere nicer in a few months, so maybe I'll still hold off... Anyway, the process is a difficult one. When I moved to Dubai I had a stellar HR ... read more