You Should Have Heard Just What I Seen.

The vintage song Who Do You Love by Bo Diddley has that famous line in it. An incredible music artist whose music inspired some incredible acts, and a great guitarist that the world lost almost two years ago. Sometimes I just have that urge to listen to the old rock and blues classics, and Bo is one that periodically whets my musical palette. Not a great vocalist in the classic sense, but the deep down feeling in his music was what helped set him apart from many others of his generation. He inspired the likes of Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and Clapton (if you need me to include a first name you've lived a deprived life.)

So why am I having one of those Bo Knows moments? Well, I'm looking back upon the week or ten days that have just passed and somehow it seems that in that time period I've seen a significant variety of stuff in just a day to day life. Someone I know once quipped that Doha is one of those rare places where you can see a Lamborghini and a truck load of goats on the same street. This is truer than most people realize, and extends well beyond just the fancy cars and livestock scenario.

For starters, we had the annual Powderpuff Football game at school. Now, a bunch of girls playing football is actually a lot of fun, especially when they've obviously put time into preparation for it. But what do you do when a bunch of junior and senior guys wear their cheerleader outfits to school on the last school day before the game? I for one gained a new-found appreciation for abayas. I've always found it interesting how well Scots can pull it off but it doesn't necessarily translate well to other cultures. Case and point:



So, with that behind us attention turned to other things, like bidding farewell to a couple of colleagues. Our principal is leaving us this year, and not necessarily on terms any of us might have preferred. He is struggling with an illness that will eventually consume him, and yet through it all he has persevered and has been an example to the rest of us of determination and class. A beautiful dinner on the lawn at the home of one of the employees was a fitting send-off to a good man and a fine leader. He and his wife, also in the school's employ, will be missed here. We shared some good times, good food, and wonderful tributes to a man who has helped shape this place into a great environment. Emotional for sure, but in a celebratory sense rather than one of mourning.

That dinner fell in the midst of our conference softball tournament. The names on the lineups make Major League Baseball's rosters look like the member registry at Augusta National Golf Club. Students from all over the region playing softball was quite a sight to behold. Not all of them were especially good, and in fact the caliber of play was frequently somewhere between Little League baseball and a Chinese fire drill. Still, a lot of fun to watch and a couple of very good championship games.

On the subject of colleagues and things going on with them, one of our teachers is an exceptional artist. Actually several are, but this one in particular has done work of a high enough quality to have its own exhibition. The Grand Hyatt was a nice place to attend a beautiful art exhibit, complete with nice snacks, good conversation and some gorgeous works. Of course no evening at the art expo would be complete without leaving someone confused, at least when I'm describing completion from my perspective. As Crystal and I, having completed the rounds through the exhibit, were standing off to the side and at the end of one of the displays, we were taking up casual conversation and doing nothing in particular. Apparently though it must have appeared that we were somewhat taken by an obscured piece of art as another colleague approached us to see what we were so intently looking at and conversing about. Upon seeing nothing on the wall she turned to us and commented on the stunning revelation that we were not even remotely engaging in a conversation about art, to which we informed her that it was our plan all along to lure some unsuspecting soul into our trap.

Now, anyone who has spent any length of time in this part of the world knows that rain is a luxury that even the greatest wealth of the shaikhs can't buy. We have to take it when we can get it, and in the last two weeks we've seen rain four times. Softball in the rain, happily just enough to knock down the dust, was quite pleasant. Then earlier this week we saw thunder and lightning the likes of which I had never seen. The sky was literally lit up constantly and the low roll of thunder carried on for the longest time. I actually got up to go out and see what was happening outside as the regularity of the flashes had me thinking there was an emergency vehicle with lights on in our neighborhood. Instead we were treated to quite the display of mother nature's light show.

Finally, last night we paid a visit to the Qatar Marine Festival, mainly because Crystal was keen to see the sand sculptures that were being created by artists from the world over. I would hardly suggest that I could do justice in a description and instead think these pictures say all that needs to be said.







Spectacular is a great description. Now, this is why Bo's words ring so true.