Aceh bound

I have several colleagues who are leaving tomorrow for Aceh, Sumatra. They will be arriving sometime Sunday. They have to bring their own food and water. They will be associated with some relief work.

The CNN ticker just now stated that the death toll is 135,000.

Asian Earthquake Felt in Oklahoma!

The Oklahoma Geological Survey indicates that the Earthquake in Sumatra could have actually had effects in Oklahoma. See this article on KTUL-TV in Tulsa.

A first for me

Yesterday, I sent out a newsletter to let everyone know that we are OK here in Thailand. Several wrote and said that my website exceeded the allotted bandwidth and to try back later. That hasn't happened before!

As of this morning, they are estimating the Tsunami/earthquake deaths to be over 80,000. This is the deadliest Tsunami in recorded history.

Horrific Totals

Reuters now reports that 63,000 people have lost there lives in this disaster. There is a website that lists victim status for tourists and residents in Thailand here. CNN reported last night that of the 1010 people killed in Thailand, that over 700 were tourists from other countries, mostly European. I read today where the death toll in Thailand was now over 1500, but is expected to climb dramatically. Of course, it no where compares to the tens of thousands killed in India and Sri Lanka. There were more than 60 killed by the waves in East Africa.

I am getting email from people I don't even know asking about how things are here in Thailand. Here in Chiang Mai, we simply have not been physically affected by the disaster. We are nearly 1100 miles from the epicenter, and approximately 250 miles from the ocean with a mountain range between us. Generally, in Thiailand, only the Southern provinces that border the Andaman Sea have been affected. I have place a map of Thailand below to help see what it looks like here.

Map of Thailand

Over 22,000 souls lost

When I say lost, I, unfortunately, mean LOST. Most of the deaths occurred in Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist areas, therefore, these poor souls went into eternity without the saving knowledge of Jesus. That is the true catastrophe.

I also heard this morning that huge waves hit the East coast of Africa. The power of these earthquakes are incredible.

14425 Tsunami deaths so far

"Death came from the sea"

Upgraded to 9.0!

The USGS has upgraded the earthquake to a 9.0! The USGS has a really cool map of the event on the above link.

Tidal Wave Damage

Tidal Wave damage in Phuket, Thailand

Well, they say the toll is up to 11,800. What horror these people faced as a wall of water as tall as a three storey building crashed upon them!

Death Toll

Within 30 minutes of my previous post, the expected death toll is over 3100.

Sumatra Earthquake/Thailand Tidal Wave

A HUGE earthquake (8.9 on Richter Scale) hit an area off the coast of Sumatra this morning triggering a 30 ft tall tidal wave that swept across the western coast of Thailand. We are 1087 miles north of the epicenter. Here is a link of the USGS Event Map. My younger daughter, Emily, wanted to know why someone was shaking her bed. Otherwise, the shaking lasted for about 60 seconds and was very mild, with no reported damage in Chiang Mai. We have a friend who was on a boat in a cove in Phuket when it hit. She said the water literally emptied out of the cove and the boat sat on the ocean floor. Fortunately for her and the other passengers, the cove protected them from the tidal wave and they were all safe. As of this writing, they are estimating that 2200 people have lost their lives from the tidal wave and earthquake. I fear to see what tomorrow's news brings.

Merry Christmas, Todd

Todd J.,
Merry Christmas to you and the missus. (and the kids).

Last day before Christmas

Today is our office Christmas party, then, traditionally, we go home after the party. YEA! I really need a break.

I may or may not post from home. We'll see!

Merry Christmas, just in case.

Christmas shopping

I took my younger daughter Christmas shopping last night at the night market to buy her mother something for Christmas. I had so much fun. She wanted to eat at Burger King then go shopping. In the night market, she was wearing her BK crown. Everyone we passed looked at smiled at her. She was so cute. We found a couple of nice silk blouses. Then, she wanted to buy something to "put in Mom's stocking". She was picking out things that would barely fit in the living room. Finally, I showed her that whatever she picked out had to fit in my hand. It is amazing what defining parameters can do!

Only 3 more days until Christmas!

5 days and counting...

Come on Christmas!

Saw a really cute movie yesterday: Second Hand Lions. Really nice story. Very touching. Michael Caine's Texas accent wasn't very good. "Bobby" Duvall did a convincing Uncle Hub. Had a few bad words. I think I liked it, though.

Christmas Lights

I have attempted to decorate our house for Christmas. This isn't the best night picture I have ever taken. Sorry about that. I am using lights that I bought at Wal-Mart (the large red ones and the green ones in the bushes) and have them on a transformer. I bought some other twinkle lights at the local Tesco-Lotus that work fine on 220v. I also have some of those really neat old-fashioned Noel candles that we got at Wal-Mart or Target in Tulsa. I had to do some creative electrical engineering to bypass the 110v fuse to get my 220v florescent bulbs to work.
To tell you the truth, it is a bit scary. But, it is pretty.

Nice weather!

For the past week, the night time temps have been in the mid to upper 50's. What a delight! My kids and wife, however, think it is akin to torture. They go to bed cold and wake up cold. I must admit, too, that it is quite cool in the mornings. I am really enjoying my hot coffee. The daytime highs have only been in the upper 70's to lower 80's. Oh! How I wish it would stay like this year round.

disappointment

Well, I got the email today that says we won't have a major change in our lives. I am both disappointed and relieved. I guess we are in Chiang Mai to stay for a while.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE CHAMPS!

Oklahoma 42- Colorado 3

That should pretty well take care of all doubt!
Boomer Sooner!

Insanity

Saturday, Oklahoma is supposed to play Colorado for the Big 12 Championship. What a load of huey! Oklahoma is undefeated and Colorado is 7-4. Just because there are two divisions in the conference shouldn't have to mean that an undefeated team can't be number one without playing the other division. This is insane! How can a 7-4 team be the champion even if they beat the undefeated team? Colorado is 4-4 in the conference. Even if they beat OU, they would still be 5-4 in the conference and OU would be 8-1. Common sense says OU should be the champ with OR without a "championship" game.

OUCH!

Last night, as I was securing the office building, I went back to the front door to lock it. I caught my foot on the lip of the top step and took a really big tumble. I mean my feet were literally over my head. I really hurt my shoulder, neck, back, hip, and knee. I guess I'm getting too old to do acrobats.

Cooler Weather, FINALLY!

The weather has finally changed here in Northern Thailand. This morning it was 63 F. We didn't even turn on the fan last night. It was so nice. But, my goodness, without the fan, it was too quiet. We could hear cats meowing, people using their microwaves at 2 am, trucks on the nearby main road, etc. It was wierd. But it was still worth the coolness!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my wife. I am thankful for my daughters. I am thankful for my parents. I am thankful for my extended family. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for my "other" support system.

I am thankful that I am a SOONER. I am thankful that I am an OKIE. I am thankful that I am an AMERICAN.

Thank You, O God, that you have blessed me with such an incredible abundance of blessings. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be Your precious Lamb.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better now. Even actually made it back into the office today. Little weak; little dizzy.

I've been pondering that elusive non-specific "they". Did "they" ever get it done? "They" finally fixed the problem. etc. Mighty convenient to be able to use such an amorphous description. I sure hope they don't catch on to me!

Sick of being sick

Well, my wife is feeling better, but now I am sick. I woke up sick yesterday morning. Flu like symptoms. No flu in Thailand, except for the bird flu and I know I don't have that. I gotta get well so I can eat pecan pie for Thanksgiving!

Boomer Sooner!

Okahoma 35 - Baylor 0

Saturday

My daughter is feeling better, but my wife is now sick.

Friday, I went to a "poetry reading" at my older daughter's school room. It was cute, but my, oh my, it was definately 3rd grade poems. At least there were cookies and soda pop afterwards. My daughter did a very good job and was the first one to recite her poem. I could understand her and she presented a good meter. I couldn't understand any words of some of the kids. Way to go, Audrey!

Tied for Second? I don't think so!

What kind of a poll system allows a tie? How absurd can you be? Right now, the AP has OU and Auburn tied for #2. How silly can they be? Of course, OU is better!

What a night!

Last night, my younger daughter got sick about 11:15 and threw up. 30 minutes later, same thing. Again at 12:15 and 12:45 and 1:15. Then at 2:15, 3:15, & 4:15. At about 5:15, she got the squirts, too. What a night. I am so tired. The only amusing thing is that once we got into a routine, she expected it each time. She wanted me to bring her a wet wash rag and then standby with a cup of water. By 2:15, she would just point to me, wanting the water.

I am reminded that sleep is a luxury. When you are 5, you can stay home from school and continue to sleep. When you are 40, you have to go to work anyway and put on a happy face. We'll see how long I last.

Moon Slices

Did you see the moon last night? It was just a sliver. So beautiful. At about 7:30 pm Thailand time, the little sliver was a little bit golden. A golden sliver. Pretty nice sight. I like looking at the moon.

Boomer Sooner!

Oklahoma 30 Nebraska 3

Safe & Sound

I received word today that all of my friends in the Ivory Coast have been safely evacuated to Lome, Togo. PTL!

One very humorous story coming from the trip: The BM in Togo actually chartered a cargo plane to carry them to safety. The plane had to land in Accra, Ghana, because the pilot realized that they didn't have enough fuel to make it just a little further to Lome. They were on the ground for about three hours trying to arrange fuel. They ended up negotiating with the US Embassy and the French military to buy fuel, but the pilot didn't have any money. Of the the "passengers" ended up loaning the pilot enough money to buy the fuel. It is reported that the pilot actually paid the money back when they landed in Lome.

The moral of this story: make sure your escape plane has enough gas to get you all the way to safety.

Ivory Coast Evacuations

My friends and former colleagues are being evacuated from the Ivory Coast right now. It is a very difficult time in thier lives and unlike anything most Americans (or Europeans or Canadians, or etc, etc.) will ever experience. We came close to evacuation several times while we were in West Africa. I pray that we won't have to experience that here in Thailand.
Psalm 91 speaks.

Team Building Project

I have created a "Thanksgiving Cooking Contest" for my office. I am offering prizes to folks who can bring in the best desserts and judging whether or not the dessert is fit for their Thanksgiving dinner. I seem to be getting a lot of flack from the office folks. I'd rather get pecan pie!

Boomer Sooner!

OU 42 - Texas A&M 35

I was so sorry to hear that the Aggie library burned up right after the game. Story is: it burned up all three books; and two of them hadn't been colored in yet!

CoNfUsIoN

Well, now I have heard back, and it may mean that my bad news isn't all that bad, afterall. There are rumors that the report I heard were not accurate and that it may be OK for me to "hold my breath". Of course, the future is not set, so who knows.

Only 25 more days until I can start decorating for Christmas. I might bring out the Christmas music a little early. One of the good things about living overseas is that you don't have to look at Christmas lights and jack o'lanterns in the same aisle at K-Mart. (we don't have K-Mart here) Although, I did see an "Angel Tree" in Airport Plaza Shopping Center the other day. That is really amazing for a Buddhist country!

Good news - Bad news

Good News - Congratulations to the US of A for re-electing President W! It is about time you did something good. I was beginning to loose faith in you.

Bad News - Well, I can't really publish it on the web, but I got some potentially really bad news today about my future. Now I will have to re-think what I want to do (or don't want to do) and make plans accordingly. I think I will choose to look at this as a "character building" experience.

Election Day

Here I am, sitting at my desk in Thailand monitoring the US presidential election. I am amazed at the technology afforded us today. Absolutely incredible! I sure hope Bush wins. At this moment, CNN says Bush has 249 EV, Kerry has 242.

Tibet

Me at Patala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

Monday Blahs

I hurt my back about six months ago and finally decided to see a doctor. He had no idea what was going on and asked me what I thought I should do about it. I decided I better see a different doctor so I went to Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. The doctor there said I had a "non-specifice traumatic injury". (I hurt my back) I should have been a doctor. They gave me a lot of pills and told me not to do anything to hurt my back. (duh)

Boomer Sooner!

OU 38 OSU 35

Second Post

My, my, my! This has certainly gotten off to a thunderous start! Two whole posts in 2 weeks. At this rate, I'll have enough entries to be of interest in about 30 million years!

I have been just too busy to take a real interest in this. What a shame. It got off to such a great start. NOT! At least, I remembered how to get back to this silly page without it being forever lost. My goodess! I have a headache. Happy Friday the 13th!

First Post

Well, here it is! Finally! My very own place to be ignored! What a wonderful thought. I can post and post and post and no one will read it. Terminal solitude. What bliss!