Over the past 4 weeks, I have learned quite a bit! Some good, some not so good, and some situations where the verdict is still unknown! Let's start with that one.
1) Sewing! I have started to learn to sew. The verdict is still out on how this adventure is going to go! I have mended a pair of John's dress pants and I have ordered a couple hundred dollars worth of sewing supplies such as a self healing mat, cutters, thread, interface, rulers, cutting squares along with purchasing a sewing machine. Who knew this would be such an expensive undertaking. If John knew then, what he knows now, he probably would not have encouraged this new hobby. I have also started to put together a "rag" quilt that my grandmother had started and my aunt gave me to try to finish. I really want to do a good job but I think grandma may have been under a spell or mad at grandpa when she cut some of these squares! I've got squares of all sizes so I have to wait for my cutting mat to come in so that I can shape up some of them in the hope that I can get the seams to match. I have a feeling the "rippers" are going to occur in the next stage of this project. I will keep you posted as I make progress - one way or another! Here is a sneak peak of what I hope it will look like! The red is set to be the back of the quilt and the marroon the front.
2) Basketball! Me, John and a good friend (Coach Val) have agreed to take on the task of coaching the TAMUQ Women's Basketball Team. We've been practicing for a few weeks now. For some of the girls, it is the first time they've had the chance to even touch a basketball much less learn to play in a game. We've had to teach and teach and reteach many of the basics of passing, dribbling, shooting, etc. We are trying to teach them a basic offense and zone defense but how much of the understanding is sinking in is to be determined. Our first game is this Monday at Qatar University. It will be an experience for sure. I must admit that it has rekindled my enjoyment of coaching. It is so good to see the smile on the athlete's face when they learn a new skill or do something they've never done before. In addition, (as John puts it) the rules are more like guidelines! Teams are not supposed to practice more than 90 minutes a week but John pointed out to the organizers that one team is practicing almost twice that amount of time each week. The organizers justified it by saying that they were playing "friendly" games! What does this mean? Our reasoning is that it is either practice or a game. We would always classify scrimmages as a means of getting more practice before the season started. So why would this not count towards a team's 90 minute allotment? My response to John is that fairness is a myth in this country! No one really plays by the rules or the rules constantly change depending on who screams the loudest! It will be interesting to see how the season plays out.
3) Gideon! Last week our lady's Bible study started the Lesson's From Gideon Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer. In the first week of study, I've learned quite a bit about the Israelites history during the time of the Judges. Priscilla does a good job of showing how historical events still affect events of today. The big question that comes to mind is would world events be different today if the Israelites had obeyed the Lord and truly cleared the Promise Land of all it's inhabitants when they were instructed to do so? Unfortunately, this is something that we will never know. I have really enjoyed the study so far and am looking forward to hearing the thoughts of the other ladies. It's amazing how history repeats itself.
4) Tennis! The Intercontinental Tennis Tournament started last week. I signed up for singles, mixed doubles and doubles. I knew it was going to be a difficult tournament but I was NOT prepared for my 2nd round singles match. Plus I was coming into the match with a slight twitch in my back and I normally play through the pain but I definitely regret that decision now. I played a lady that at one time had a world ranking and is now a coach of the Qatar National Team. Needless to say, I got schooled! In addition, I went up for a serve in the 2nd set and really injured my back. I haven't felt pain like that since I injured my back in college. So did I stop play when it happened? NOPE! Now I have to withdraw from our mixed doubles match tonight and may not be able to play in our doubles match tomorrow. So you may be asking, how is this a learning opportunity? Well, there are many lessons to be learned from this experience. A) Getting beat 6-0, 6-0 is truly a humbling experience and despite the differences in skill level, taking a butt kicking that bad is still hard to swallow. I don't even think she broke a sweat in our match! B) At 36, the body doesn't heal as quickly as it used to even with applying ice, rehabbing in the pool, taking ibuprofen and getting a massage. C) I tell my students never to play through the pain. If there is pain, that is an indicator that something is wrong. So why did I not practice what I preach? Your guess is as good as mine and now I'm paying the price. Yesterday morning, I could barely walk! Today, I'm doing much better but this is definitely a lesson learned.
5) Filipino Food! I've learned to make a Filipino dish call Pancit. A friend came over a couple of weekends ago and taught me how to make this wonderful dish. It was so easy and tasted delicious. I will be making it again soon. My next goal is to learn to make Tai Spring Rolls.6) Mobile Device Security! I just finished a virtual conference on mobile device security. I learned the features and capabilities of various mobile device operating systems including Android, iOS, Blackberry and MS Windows. The virtual conference was really good and reminded me that I need to keep up to date on technology changes by attending more of these virtual conferences and reading articles. Plus, it will help me maintain my certifications so that one day, when our Qatar adventure comes to a close, I will hopefully be able to fall back on this knowledge and re-enter the IT/Security profession. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it! For now, being proactive and learning as much as I can will be in my best interest going forward.
7) Maersk Oil & QP Challenge! So at the beginning of the semester, we were asked to put together a 5 man team to compete in the Maersk Oil & QP Challenge race taking place in November. We have had the opportunity to work with a great group of students and former students as we put them through team building activities and workouts. We started with 35 potential candidates and we have now narrowed it down to 11. On Saturday, October 5th, we will be teaching these challengers how to do daytime and nighttime GPS orienteering. John and our friend, Michael, went out and charted the courses last week. This will be a learning opportunity for not only the students but for John and I as well. We feel that this is a really great opportunity for the students and former students to represent TAMUQ and also do really well. Here is the website for this race if you want to learn more about this particular adventure. http://www.maerskoilandqpchallenge.com/the-challenge/
Well, I guess that is all to report at this time. I wish I had more pictures to share but unfortunately I don't. I will try to give an update on the progress of the above items as events continue to unfold. I will say that John and I have another big adventure that will take place in a few weeks. Stay tuned to see what that adventure entails! I should have some really awesome pictures to post afterwards. Finally, I want to give a shout out to our niece Mackenzie! Happy 6th Birthday Mackenzie Leigh! We love you very much!
