Joy is 6 months old today. Time is flying. I miss that girl a lot. Virginia has been sending me some pictures so that I can keep up with her. She is getting so big and looks so happy. She seems like a curious little girl, always grabbing things. I wish I could be around her right now, but I am glad that she is doing so well.
A New Holiday
It is the first day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday over here. Didn’t know what it was for, but I just looked it up on Wikipedia. It is to commemorate Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Imagine what it would take to be willing to give up all that is dear to you. Remembering that willingness to sacrifice seems like a good practice to me.
I am not a religious person, but I do think that part of life is making sacrifices. Doing things for others before yourself might be considered a burden by some, but it can also be seen as a blessing. There is something special about bringing joy to others.
All that, and I get three days off from work.
I dig Greg Maddux
Just read an an ESPN article about Greg Maddux’s retirement. Without a doubt the best pitcher that I have ever seen. It is a sad thought that he won’t be out there any more. I remember his early days with the Cubs. Amazing. I remember when he left the Cubs. Heartbreaking.
He has got the most wins of any pitcher alive today. More gold gloves than anyone. Not to mention 4 Cy Youngs. Never got caught in any scandals. He just went out and pitched. He didn’t even look like a great pitcher. Never really threw that hard, but he had great control, and knew more about pitching than anyone. He knew the batters, the parks, the umps, everything. He spent all his time watching tape of the opposing batters just to find their weakness.
All of this and perhaps the best commercial of all time:
Desert Rain
Windows open letting in the cool air of a desert winter. It is slowly getting darker outside, even though it is just after lunchtime. I almost didn’t notice the change in light until a large crash brought my attention to the window. Was it an accident, some new construction, no, no … and then it came to me, thunder. Quickly small dark circles appeared on the ground. First a few and then more and more. I remember rain, but this was the first time that I had seen it in this country, this desert country. I spoke the word out loud, rain. It sounded odd in this place, and not just because I was alone and talking to myself. The word is out of place here. Rain, more like Reign, an ancient ruling government. Maybe this was God’s way of reminding us of his reign or more likely a turbulent reign of a short lived ruler of times past. More human, more temperamental. It grew a little, just enough for the small drops to come together to cover the ground. And then it was over, just a few minutes, not enough to wash away our sins. It still feels different for some reason. A new beginning. Cleaner start. I shake my head to get out of my thoughts, and look our at the asphalt that paves its way through our little compound. Dark water is starting to lighten, our cleansing fluid is starting to evaporate. It will be over soon, no remains, only memory. My memory of my first rain in Doha, the desert country where I live.
10 Years
It was ten years ago today that I started my adventure in video production. I started as a volunteer at WILL-TV, a PBS station in Urbana, IL. Who would have thought that that simple day would have lead me all the way to Doha? I know that I didn’t think it at the time. I was just thinking that it would be a fun little thing to do. I have learned a lot on the way, seen a lot of great things, and meet many good people, many of which I call my friends.
Here’s hoping the next ten years is just as fun.
Cold
It is cold out today. The temp has been going down the last week. It is supposed to be in the low 70’s for the next week. In Chicago it wouldn’t have been anything to me, but it seems a little chilly to me these days.
Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost
DeNiro does Doha
Jason Pankoke sent me work before I even heard it over here. DeNiro is bringing his Tribeca Film Festival to Doha. It will be an offshoot of his NY fest. Debuts next November. Can’t wait to see what it does for the film industry in Qatar. I think that I am at the start of great things in this place. I always look back at different periods in history and think that these great people were so lucky to be in that place at that time. Maybe this is one of those places and one of those times. I am doing my very best to make Northwestern’s program as good as it can be. Hopefully Digital Cinema will sweep the nation.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity – twice.
What’s up Chuck?
Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
Decent Proposal
My friend Chris Lukeman just got engaged. What a great proposal for a film guy.
Busy Week
Had a lot of work this week. I have been learning so much about putting together a TV studio. My new boss and I have been plotting out all of the things that will will need to get everything working together. It was a good exercise, but I really hope that they get an integrator to do everything right.
I have also been getting caught up on laundry. My machine went down a while ago and it just got fixed this week. Also been cleaning today. I am so tired that I just want to sleep, but I need to get caught up on everything.