Cat-erwauling, or Day 13 in Doha

Warning: today was not very exciting, so I'm going to spice it up with nerdy things. Sound like a plan?

This morning, bright and early, there were these two tomcats (as I found out later) that had cornered a lady-cat in a tree and were head-butting underneath it. (Ask Jessica for pictures, if you desire.) All I remember is thinking, "That's why they call it 'caterwauling'" as I rolled over and went back to sleep.

I finished my TA training! Not like it was very hard, but there were a few ethical questions that I hadn't thought of before. If you are a teaching assistant for a friend, who calls you up to ask a question, then we were supposed to think if all of the students in the class have the same luxury. If not, that is not treating all students fairly. I hadn't thought of that situation in that way before.

Jessica had mentioned yesterday during training (since she is going to be a writing tutor), that she was looking for a chance to make crepes. I was on board! So today, a few of us girls got together at her place for the delicious French delight.

Have I mentioned recently that I hate the lack of co-ed dorms? I don't even need my living room co-ed. I just want a kitchen to cook for people in!

I met Layal, Jessica's roommate, for the first time today. She lives in Bahrain and tells stories, usually involving her and usually involving her clumsiness, that she just bubbles over in explaining. A reinforcing reminder that laughing at yourself is a good and healthy thing.

The crepes were delicious, and Jessica did an awesome job making them. There was much flipping and... well, just a lot of really cool flipping, actually.

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for... where I show you what my first homework assignment is for "Formal Languages, Automata, and Computability" ("FLAC" for short).

We are creating automata, which are basically these flow charts that determine whether or not a "string" is accepted in a "language" (where a string is a series of character, and a language is just a bunch of rules).

So, in the spirit of this homework assignment, I made you all an automata that only accepts the language containing "Corinne" and "Cornish." Here it is, in all its glory, as I return to its cousins (which are much more interesting to make).
A final outing for the evening: a drive to bandar, to get shwarma and Moroccan tea and see West Bay all lit up. Those are some of my favorite things in Doha, all wrapped up in one.