Time.

I've spent a fair amount of my week trying to remember what time zone people are in when they're travelling. In the past week I've had to remember what time zone Houston is in (CT, if you're curious), and now I spend every morning at WorldTimeServer to figure out what time it is in any one of three Middle Eastern countries. So, in case you ever need to know? The United Arab Emirates is 11 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time, while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are 10 hours ahead.

All this means is that we're conducting business exactly opposite of each other, so I get a phone call about this time every day just before everyone goes to bed. And then I might get a call in the evening when they're getting ready for their workday. It's a very disconnected way to do business, really. I can't imagine what it was like before email and cell phones.

I've also learned that you can't find a good martini in Dubai. I'm waiting to see if one can be found in Bahrain, since Saudi Arabia is dry. But if you're ever in Beirut or Amman I can recommend a good bar if a martini is your thing.

I don't drink them, personally.