teaching, traveling, taking pictures
To: Conan Kmiecik From: Moirai Consultancy, LLC Date: 28 April 2018 Subject: Recommended Goals before Turning 50 By 22 November 2026, pending good health and avoidance of accidents, the client (Conan Kmiecik) will reach his fifth decade of life. The client, now in his fourth decade of life, has contracted the services of this consultancy… Continue reading Memo with Recommended Goals before Turning 50
Like a couple bandits, we hop over barricades, slip between the bumpers of stopped cars, and cut through construction sites to reach the fairground. Two illuminated prongs tower in the distance. I trod towards them. Your placid eyes follow me—easygoing and open to adventure, curious about the promises that I offer. Suddenly, between the tines,… Continue reading Penchants at an Amusement Park
The thatched-roof resort cabana that serves alcohol and shisha resides on the right side of the beach, near the cove wall, away from the family area. Excuse me, I would like to order one shisha. I’m sorry, sir, shisha not available until 6 o’clock, replies the Filipina bartender. That’s ok. I wait. Nothing to do but lounge outside the cabana.… Continue reading Smoking Shisha from the Shore of a Muscat Beach Resort
I am writing this blog post from a Starbucks patio overlooking the Qurum beach in Muscat, Oman—a sign warns not to swim in the ocean because the water is turbulent, cranes stand in the shallows waiting for something edible to pass underfoot, a couple fishing boats are in the distance trying to net the morning catch,… Continue reading Stream of Consciousness at the Starbucks Overlooking Qurum Beach
Apologies for the late blog post. I was busy last week administering midterm assessments and then grading all of them in order to enter marks before the beginning of the spring break and the last day to withdraw from a course. As I was thinking about what to write for this week, the lesson materials… Continue reading Classroom Discussions with My Students
When I was a child, my younger brother Francis and I spent a lot of time drawing. I am not being hyperbolic about the amount of time we spent drawing: we spent a lot of time drawing! I remember how paper used to excite us. We would draw on yellow or white lined paper in… Continue reading Days of Creativity Past: On My Creative Evolution
In the past several weeks, I have made some purchases that have provided my apartment with missing accoutrements and will allow me to better host guests, should anyone choose to visit me in Doha in the foreseeable future. When I was back in the US, from time to time, I would read Apartment Therapy and oggle the… Continue reading Furnishing My Apartment
This past week I had a number of social engagements that kept me busy, and by writing about these rendezvous, I hope to provide a glimpse into my Doha expat life. Because I am a single 40-year-old with two grown boys back in the US, I am a bit of an outlier here. Most of… Continue reading On Expat Socializing, Impromptu Road Trips, and Single Guy Freedom
Photo of glass blocks at Nabina Ceramics It has been awhile since I wrote a proper blog post about my day-to-day life in Doha. Also, I have been tardy with my last few posts. I was almost tempted to skip my post for this week, but I have been so good about keeping my weekly… Continue reading Second Semester Update
This past week I have been busy with classes and a full schedule of activities over the weekend; thus, I didn't have time to write an extensive blog post. Still, I want to maintain my weekly blogging streak. So instead, I will post a list of stray observations from my experiences last week. I have… Continue reading Stray Observations
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