Friday Funnies

Hi,

The day in Chiang Rai began with a yard-flooding downpour that lasted most of the morning. The afternoon was beautiful. I saw a parade, and had coffee with my new friend. We also found a new handyman.

Well, the 'Song of '68' that got stuck in your head was "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. If you didn't remember it, you'll have it in your head all weekend. (Ha) Now it's time for 'Old School Friday', with a down home blues: "You got me runnin', you got me hidin', got me run, hide, hide, run any way you wanna let it roll. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me, baby why you wanna let it go?" Clue: This blues from 1961 has been recorded by tons of groups. The original artist would sometimes have his wife in the studio, singing with him so he'd remember the lyrics.

This morning, just before we were to take the dogs out for exercise, it started raining. It turned into a major storm for a couple of hours. About the time I was to take Lisa for her massage it started to ease up. After I dropped her off I headed into the downtown district for a stop at the hardware store. As I approached a major intersection I noticed a policeman waving traffic in the direction I was going. Then I saw the reason: a parade. Chiang Rai loves parades, even in the rain. There was a pick-up truck with a large floral display followed by various units of women in traditional dresses, all carrying large umbrellas. There was also a drum and gong group playing away. On my way home I encountered them again in another part of town. They walked a long way. Luckily it was just a light sprinkle and they all looked happy.

Yesterday I got a call from Khun Siam, the bamboo artist I met last week. He wanted to meet for coffee and talk. I recognized the name of the place we were to meet and I thought I remembered how to get there. He gave me directions, but I don't know the names of the streets so I just set out to find it. I got terribly lost for about an hour. I called him several times and finally realized that I was on the wrong street. Once he mentioned that I'd pass a 7-11 it all became clear. I found him and we sat and talked for over an hour. He is very fluent in English and had many things to share. We talked about everything from family dynamics to the changing Chiang Rai and everything in between. I look forward to many more conversations with Siam.

Sunday evening we're going to Jaffee's house for a Full Moon Party. Last year's affair was lots of fun and the sky was clear so we could enjoy the moon. Hopefully it will be clear again this year. There will be exotic food that I may or may not eat, and of course, moon cakes. These are little round cakes that come in different flavors. It's a Chinese tradition that's become a part of Northern Thai life as well. This is also the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix so I'll be programing the DVR.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd. It's time for the 'Funnies'.

Peace,
Danny

A Few True Stories

In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name
into Schweppes Toilet Water.

In Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan 'finger-lickin' good'
came out as 'eat your fingers off.'

An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish
market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of the desired 'I Saw
the Pope' in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed 'I Saw the Potato.'

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
http://blog.risingstardom.com/
www.lisamosesgallery.com