items purchased in last week

1) Rain jacket (in the color "tamale"): finally. This transaction was performed while considering visiting Thailand in monsoon season. I'm not going, but in the event that I was, my upper body would stay as dry as an over-air-conditioned Doha apartment.

2) Best meal in Doha yet at Turkey Central - mixed grill, hummus, muttabal, cucumber salad and FOUR pies all for just 25 QAR per stuffed stuffed person

3) Worst meal in Doha yet - I broke my "know at least one ingredient of the meal you are ordering when you are trying new things" rule to at an Iraqi restaurant in Souq Waqif because fatett kawaree looked so tasty on the picture menu and it ended up being gelatinous hoof or leg bits on rice and bread. I should have learned my lesson at the meal that birthed this rule: the one time at Sticky Rice in Ithaca when I had that odd fish stew while everybody else enjoyed their boring but delicious curry and pad thai. I was working within the restraints of the rule, technically, as I did anticipate the rice and bread, but I did not anticipate the fact that both would kind of taste like the kawaree on top. Curious as to what animal I was eating (or rather not eating), I asked the waiter repeatedly, "Is this a COW leg? Sheep leg? Camel leg?" Each time I said "COW?", he would respond, "Yes, COW-aree," pointing at his thigh. "Kawaree." So that's how I learned Arabic for leg or foot maybe.

Google tells me it is boiled calf knuckles. Nice. Maybe the waiter was saying cow after all.

3) Tickets to Beirut for Eid Break. Woo hoo! Sorry you had to find out through the blog, Mom. I will take care of myself, and it's a better bet than Pakistan which I also wanted to (still want to) visit. PLUS I'm going with my friend who has already been there. Easy peasy.

Bonus list: Cities I checked for airfare from Doha (and lonelyplanet.com for overviews) in the past 24 hours:
1) Beirut
2) Amman (hopefully will get there on this trip too)
3) Addis Ababa (could have stayed at Mr. Martin's Cozy Place)
4) Karachi
5) Bangkok (discussion went as follows: monsoons! but it's thailand! monsoons! maybe monsoons are fun! oh it is far and expensive and touristy nevermind)
6) Jakarta (rain check for May)
7) Tunis
8) Luxor
9) Nairobi (I am determined to make it to Africa before going home, and will hopefully see one of 7-9 on later breaks)
10) Astana (so expensive!!! will have to visit the Kazakhs next time I go to visit Mongols probably)
11) Suva (no flights)
12) Damascus (though tricky as an American)
13) Male (this is the capital of Maldives, in case you did not know which I did not until I thought about going there)

Choosing a country has been thrilling and totally consuming - pressure to snatch up the last few tickets before all the people flying home for Eid from Doha beat you to it! also adds to the effect.