The end of another semester!

Somehow the end is here again. We still have exams to "invigilate" tomorrow. That word still makes me laugh, but is better than "proctor," which makes me think of doctors and prostates! Grading will occur on Sunday with days of follow up, finish up, wrap it up, suck it up. Then 3 weeks of busy work (committees, professional development, presentations, meetings, etc.), 2 weeks of "real" vacation (during which I can't afford to go home and visit right now), and then a week of prep and back to teaching on February 21st. Whew! Sounds like a lot, but it'll go fast. I plan to get in some riding, maybe even an endurance ride if they add a 60 km (no way my body can handle a 100 or 120!), and lots of sleeping in!

Anyway! This last week has been interesting although it seemed to drag on! I overdid the sarcoidosis treatment the week before last (forgot about pulsing and low doses of the antibiotics!). So, I had a few miserable days. This week I had a couple of really feeling great days (got to ride the horse even!) and the pain in my joints has eased now that the doses are down and I'm skipping days. Sheesh! That'll teach me not to pay attention to what I'm putting in the weekly "planner" for pills! :) I saw the "chest" doctor yesterday, "chest" being Qatarese for "pulmonologist." He agreed to ultrasound my liver and spleen which was my former doctor's major concern and send me to an opthalmologist to check my eyes (diabetes and sarcoidosis being an issue), opthamologist being the actual word for that! He wrote me prescriptions for the drugs I need to continue the treatment, but I may still have to buy them out of pocket as Hamad Hospital simply doesn't carry them. Now, how is it that I can BUY them over the counter (they cost plenty, too!), but the hospital pharmacy doesn't carry them? I don't know if the private insurance from work will cover them either. Oh, well.....hopefully, I will eventually be RID of the sarcoidosis once and for all! It's a good thing I'm proactive about our health care or we'd be in a real pickle!

We've been seeing more and more camels everywhere since the rains came, although we haven't had any major rain for a couple of weeks now. It's cooled off quite a lot, most days staying in the 70s and some nights getting in the 50s. I love it. The locals are freezing! Most of the time we walk around in our shirt sleeves, with an occasional long sleeved shirt or light jacket. It's perfect riding weather. Heck, it's perfect ANYthing weather! :)

Nelson keeps plugging away trying to get things going with the farrier business. We're waiting/hoping for Joey to get his passport so he can come and help! Also, hoping to find a business partner. I have never seen business treated so casually and leisurely....it has to be that "inshallah" attitude. But, we'll see what happens. Nelson has some really good clients in the racing side and has shoed a LOT of endurance horses. There's a race tomorrow and he's going to be available for "his" horses. Of course, I can't go. NOT happy about that! But maybe next time. There aren't near as many rides this year. Last year at this time, they had already had at least a half dozen rides! Word is that the camel racing got all the money in the budget this year, or at least most of it: 200 million QR plus for the camels versus 20 million QR for the horses, including the racing! Don't quote me on the numbers!

Anyway, that's my brief update....sorry it isn't full of culture and such. Hopefully, we'll have plenty to do over our vacation and I'll have photos and stories galore! Keep in touch, folks!