teaching, traveling, taking pictures
I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am - I really do - but people never notice it. People never notice anything. ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye There will be times in your… Continue reading 11 Things to Do When You Feel an Assignment Is Beneath You
This week's blog post was influenced by three things: me lying in bed musing about the different ways of pronouncing Qatar (see NPR newscast); me learning about the Nabati Poetry tradition and the subject matters for the form; and my love for Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." Catara Before the start of class, a student tells me… Continue reading 8 Ways of Saying Qatar
I. Setting: The scene takes place on the Doha Corniche. A MAN and a WOMAN are about to walk together. [MAN] Ready to do this? [WOMAN] Are YOU ready to do this, old man? [MAN] Show a little respect for your elders. My generation gave the world Nirvana, Friends, Jurassic… Continue reading The Corniche: A Short Screenplay
Dear Grandma Mickey, It’s been some time since we talked. The last time we spoke was when I stopped by Mauston and left an invitation to Zylan’s graduation party on your grave. I believe you were at the party in spirit. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to say goodbye to you before I left… Continue reading To My Grandmother (Who Would Have Been 103 on June 18)
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a car loan in Doha, must be in want of a car. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering Doha, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding… Continue reading Car Buying and Prejudice
Dear boys, I hope that this letter finds you both in good spirits and with open minds, for the primary purpose of my writing is to provide you two with advice; so if either of you are in a sour mood or mad at me for whatever reason and not receptive to what I have… Continue reading Letter to My Sons about the Importance of Travel
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
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
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