Back home, I don't watch college football very much.
That's ok, take a moment to express your indignation. Throw your keyboard, give your computer screen the finger, profane against my name, whatever makes you feel better.
Better? Good. As I was saying, I don't watch much college football. If you don't count the games I attended on photo assignments this year, I'd say I watched one complete game and segments of only a handful of others. There's no particular reason for this... I like football. I think its great. I've never played but like most American men, I think there is something inexplicably cool about football that makes us want to watch it. That is the reason I woke up at 6:00 to watch the BCS National Championship. Yes, its true, while you were settling into your couch surrounded by friends and family, bedecked in green and yellow and munching on snack food, I was halfway around the world in my PJ's, groggily searching through 999 channels for ESPN. Of course, this was done by hand as there was no remote to be found. I eventually found ESPN America and happily selected it, ready to sit back and enjoy some good old American football.
You know where this is going.
ESPN was blocked. No game for me. I went back to bed, defeated, just like the Ducks.
I awoke two hours later, with 10 minutes to shower, shave, dress, gather my things and walk to the Admin building. Deciding the first two steps of the process were expendable, I got ready in a hurry and hustled out the door. Of course, my timing was off and I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule. I made good use of my time by figuring how to get my tie to hang at the ideal length and as I twiddled, my fellow Clinton Scholars began to arrive.
The day's agenda had us travelling to the One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel near campus, where Hillary Clinton was staying. As mentioned previously, this was for the photo opportunity that had been rescheduled from the previous day. We loaded up and within a few minutes were at the place.
The hotel is a cross between a royal palace and Starbucks. On one hand, you can pay money and stay there for an extended period of time just like any other hotel. On the other hand, everything in the place costs a hell of a lot more than it should... like a Starbucks. The place has everything required to run a hotel but it is functional on a higher plane. The Motel 6 my dad and I stayed in on the way home from California last month had a clock. It had three hands and twelve numbers and hung on the wall. The One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel also has clocks. They too have three hands, twelve numbers and hang on the wall, but the One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel's clocks are gold and read ROLEX across the face. This helps explain why the place's rates start at $500 per night. What it doesn't explain is why the State Department chose the place. A look around the lobby instills worry for any concerned American taxpayer. Factoring in Hillary's entourage of liasons, handlers, and security, her one night in Dubai surely cost well into the thousands of dollars and likely into the tens of thousands. Granted, I don't have all the facts and I recognize that. I simply am making an observation of what I saw from my short visit.
Oh, and did I mention the 37" LCD TV's in every room?
After taking in all the decadence of the hotel, we were moved to a waiting area outside some of the conference rooms. There, we spoke with a representative from the US Consulate in Dubai and were given instructions for the upcoming photo. We were pre-arranged for the shoot and then left to mill about while we waited (and waited... and waited) for the Secretary to show up. Finally, she did. As I told my friend, Nick, to look out for, everyone in the room began to pucker and get frantic as she approached. Grown women were seen sprinting from room to room, making last minute preparations for Hilarity. Men in suits began fidgeting with their ties. Then, she showed up. She took a photo with another group before beelining for us. As planned, the picture was taken - many times - and then the president of the university presented her with a commemorative framed... thing. I couldn't see what it was exactly but Hilarity cooed over before handing it off to an aide. She shook hands with all the scholars and introduced us to the people on her staff. Nick and I spoke to one of them about the State Department's visit to the region. In unforgettable terms, he called it "The WikiLeaks Apology Tour". I liked that. It's sad that such honesty diminishes towards the upper reaches of the political ladder.
After meeting the Secretary of State, the rest of my day was pretty average. I ate lunch and drank disgusting yogurt-milk. I went to a meeting and was bored out of my mind. I watched a soccer game on TV. I wrote.
I might be going out tonight with Payam. Sheesha is on the agenda but that all hinges on when he wakes up. Could be a late night.
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