Monday, June 1, 2015

Live

Hi,

As you probably guessed, we had a hot weekend.  A brief Saturday storm helped with the dryness, but we’d still like a little more rain.  It seems like there’s either too much or too little, depending on where you look.  Hmm.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Louie, Louie” by Richard Berry and The Pharaohs.  Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-2CKsaq5r8  Time for some ‘Easy Monday’.   There were two outstanding recordings of this song. You tell me which artist you liked best.  "What you want, honey, I got it.  And what you need, baby, you’ve got it.  All I’m askin’, is for a little __ when I come home, hey now.  Hey, hey, hey, yeah now.  
Hint: It’s something that has to be earned, and in this case, it’s not money.

Saturday was a big day for Gong and Natcha.  They got engaged.  We were going to go to the party but the time changed and it wasn’t possible.  Just as they were about to leave, it began to rain so I volunteered to take them.  I felt like I was taking some kids to a dance or something.  As we crossed the bridge the rain got very heavy for a few minutes.  

This weekend I had a little ‘tech scare’ when the almighty Google told me I couldn’t access my mail because they suspected ‘suspicious activity’.  What?  I kept getting caught in a loop, trying to put in my password in order to get a ‘verification code’ via SMS, that never arrived.  I finally found a link that let me bypass the code business and put in a new password.  That was when it all became clear: I have a new phone number and they have the old one.  The lesson:  Always update any phone changes before you get locked out.  I think what irritated me the most was how all-encompassing the control has become.  So, the more they own, the more they control.  Who remembers H.A.L.?  I’m like ‘Open the pod door H.A.L.’ and he’s like, ‘Sorry Danny, I’m not going to be able to do that.’  He’s back.  Actually, he never went away.  (555)

The French Open was our primary entertainment over the weekend.  The broadcast from Paris starts at 4pm and goes until 1am.  I record it so we can watch the matches of our favorites, pause when we want, blah blah blah.  Hopefully, there won’t be any timing conflicts with the Formula One race from Canada next weekend.  If we were into ‘football’ we’d really be going crazy.

Sunday evening we went on a little adventure.  We picked Cat up from her dance rehearsal and went to The Bistro Cafe at the Condotel.  It’s been a long time since we went out to dinner.  Roast chicken and potatoes were a pretty safe bet and dinner was very tasty.  We took along a couple of spices we like just to add some flavor.  Cat had Thai food and we were all smiles.  After dinner our server asked if we’d like some ice-cream.  Cat ended up having Durian ice-cream.  She knows we don’t want the fruit in the house due to the smell.  The dessert smells just as bad.  Cat enjoyed her little cup of Durian and we all had a good laugh about it.  We also discussed how some tastes are acquired at an early age, and how some things are a part of one’s culture and are deemed acceptable, while other things are not.  She enjoys the occasional insect or two, while it’s the last thing we would consider eating.  Welcome to Thailand.

This morning we had a ‘family trip’ to Big C.  In addition to the usual, Lisa and Cat picked out a couple of birthday gifts for Natcha, who will be 24 tomorrow.  We also ordered a cake from Grace’s Bakery.  As I recall (sob) they make some really good cakes.

Today’s photo is a beautiful young Rain Tree that lives near us.  These trees stay very small for a few years while their root system goes deep.  Then they grow to be some of the biggest trees we see in Northern Thailand.  Chiang Rai has lots of them and it’s always a pleasure to be in their presence.


Have a Great Week.

               Peace,
                         Danny

“Don’t let the shadows of yesterday
spoil the sunshine of tomorrow.
Live for today.”
~Nandina Morris

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