"Winter" has arrived!

It never ceases to amaze me how "winter" is subjective and relative. Many Thai people are talking about how "winter has come" and "how cold it is". I honestly don't think that 70 degrees (21 C) qualifies as winter. Finally, I am just getting comfortable.

There are kiosks at the shopping centers selling gloves, mittens, scarves, and knit caps. My daughters are begging for gloves "because it's winter!" I have been in Bangkok and mentioned that I live in Chiang Mai and everyone, without exception says, "Ooh, it is cold in Chiang Mai!".

I will admit it is nice and cool at night. We are able to sleep quite comfortable with just a fan in the window. It got all the way down to 73 F in our house this morning. Yes, indeed, winter has come. Break out the hot chocolate and ear muffs.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

We asked for "Honey Mustard Salad Dressing" and THIS is what we got! Hysterical!

Elephants carved out of a single log

One of the pools at Belle Villa Resort

Our villa at Belle Villa Resort

That's Better

Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 24.

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!

Boomer Sooner!

Power Cord

I won’t post anything else until Sunday or maybe Monday, as I am away from home and I forgot my computer power cord.  Silly me.

Regend of Zorror

OK, I found something to write about! I get an email from the local theatre each week that tells me what's showing. This week, you can go see "The Regend of Zorror". I'm sure it will prove to be a great flick. I'll probably just pick up a copy on DVD at the night market for a buck or two. It will probably be "filmed" right in one of the local theaters with people moving in front of the camera.

Nothing to say

I haven’t felt like posting much of anything this week, yet, oddly, I feel compelled to tell you that in this post.

Nipsey is dead

I will confess that I knew Nipsey Russell mainly from Matchgame, but I really liked him. As I read his biography, I was impressed with the fact that he had a bachellor's degree in literature and "was a lifelong student of literature and foreign languages."

Thanks for all the rhymes.
It makes me remember the times;
when I was young and life was fun.
But now, the church bell chimes.

Accronym of the Day

F – Failing to meet the expectation of others

R – Really tired

U – Underestimating how other’s words affect me

S – Stuck

T – Trying to do the best I can

R – Ready for a break

A – Attitude needs adjusting

T – Taking it one day at a time, just to get through

I – I need a back rub

O – or a nice vacation at the beach

N – Never give up; never surrender.

Squeak squeak squeak...

Any win is a big deal this season!

Boomer Sooner!

Chiang Mai Zoo

We took the kids to the Chiang Mai Zoo last Saturday and had a lot of fun. It is a HUGE park with over 200 acres. You can't really walk between all the exhibits; you need to ride or drive. The zoo has two pandas from China. They have a really nice exhibit, but tend to be a bit anal-retentive about the pandas, for instance, they held up a sign that said "Quiet Please!" when everyone laughed when one of the pandas took a poop. You have to pay extra to get into the panda house. The price for foreigners was $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for kids. They also had the price in Thai, so I whipped out my Thai driver's license and informed the woman that I live here. We paid about $2.75 for the whole family to enter. (It is very common to charge two different prices; one for locals and one for foreigners.) I am really glad I didn't pay $7.50 to see the pandas poop; I would have been less than happy.

Chickens and Motorcycles

It should be against the law to drive a motorcycle while holding a chicken.  Common sense would dictate that it isn’t safe, but, surprisingly, it is quite common here in Chiang Mai.

 

Fancy Things

When I was young, I dreamed of a life filled with fancy and elegant things. Nowadays, I don't have the means to have many things like that. My life, however, is rather exciting and full of exotic travel destinations. Fancy things are few and far in between. Tonight, however, I got a taste (literally) of the good life. I got to go to Bruno's in Pattaya. I had a 600 gram Austrailian T-Bone steak. I had escargo. I had freshly baked bread. And I had my own little waiter guy to make me cherries jubliee. This was the first time I have ever had cherries jubilee. I have always heard about them, but never tried em. I must say they were fancy! It wasn't the best tasting dessert I have ever had, but it was FANCY. The T-Bone, however, was incredible. I was able to cut it with my fork.

I might not be able to eat like this on a regular basis, but I am grateful for tonight's meal!

Monday

I’m going to be doing a little traveling this week.  I’m headed down to Pattaya, which I like to refer to as the “Gomorra” of Asia.  It is a horrible sinful place.  I would never go there by myself or on vacation.  However, I am going there for a meeting.  At least I will get to go to Bruno’s and Henry J. Bean’s, so it isn’t a total bust.

2005 Sooners RIP

My dear Sooners appear to have given up the ghost for the 2005 season. The 45-12 loss to Texas, as humiliating as it is, was not unexpected. Hear me well, I am NOT a fair weather fan, but I do know when to throw in the towel.

Let's just look at this season as a training year for next year's team.

Boomer Sooner!

How did I miss this?

Blogcritics.org: Belated Note On Bob Denver

Did you know that Bob Denver died? I sure didn't. He died on September 6 at age 70 from cancer. Coverage of Katrina buried (no pun intended) this story.

I remember racing home from school in the third grade so that I could watch my beloved Gilligan. I remember being so upset at Watergate because they played those proceedings instead of him and the Skipper.

Thanks, Bob, for years of fun and laughter!

Back to "Normal"

I have had several inquiries as to the state of Chiang Mai, specifically regarding the floods. Everything is basically back to normal, whatever that it. The roads are clear; the water level is normal. My office is back in full service.

Thanks for asking; sorry I didn't report it earlier.

25 Srang

A friend just brought me back a 25 Srang note from Tibet! It looks a lot like the one above. This note was printed in 1941-1947, although there is no date on the bill itself. It has three layers of paper, with the center layer having a "security code" of Tibetan printing. If you hold it up to the light, you can see it.

If any of you come across examples of exciting paper currency and would like to donate them to my collection, just contact me for a mailing address!!

Aggie Ingenuity

My buddy, Tim Tillinghast, sent this to me today. In the words of my dear sweet little mother, "God love 'em".

Bird flu may kill 150m, warns U.N.

CNN.com - Bird flu may kill 150m, warns U.N. - Sep 30, 2005

The article says anywhere from 5,000,000 to 150,000,000 people may die from the bird flu. That is quite a wide margin of error!

I've heard that they think that a more realistic number might be 7,400,000 people. In any case, it is a horrible pandemic. Something like out of Revelations?

Congratulations Sooners!

Congrats on a job well done!

Boomer Sooner!