Hearts

Hi,
I'm happy to report that the upgrade on our internet package was a rousing success. Skype calls are clear, video calls don't fall apart and things are downloading at a pace I thought was out of reach. So, I just used a word that's become the over-used word of the decade in the sports world. The word is 'pace'. I remember that word used to describe the car that led race cars around a track. It was called the 'pace car'. Now, in a world where no one wants to be left out, if someone uses a term, it can run around the world in a weekend. We now have 'race pace', meaning the speed of a vehicle. We have the term 'pace' used to describe the speed at which a soccer player is running (please) and I just heard it used to describe the speed of a golf ball. 'He had a lot of pace on that ball'. When will it end?
Sadly, only a few of you knew the weekend song. It was "Signs" by the Five Man Electrical Band. I hear you moaning. I know, it was a hard one. But hey, you had it pretty easy last week. Here's a very easy, simple song that you should figure out on day one:
"A got a whole lotta (kiss, kiss) for you, got a whole lotta (kiss, kiss) for you, I got a whole lotta kisses for you" Hint: That was the second verse. The song is very old. So old that ten years later, a rock group from across the pond had a song by the same title. This one was by a portly gentleman.
You may have heard about the big cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Well, we got some of the water from that storm system. It wasn't bad, but we got rain this weekend. Some areas were hit pretty bad. Burma appears to have been hit the hardest.
We have officially moved into the last stages of house building and the early stages of 'oh my, it's really happening'. It struck me as I was talking to my mother this morning that when you build your own house, you have to think about every little thing. Like, where will the light switches be? What kind of handles are on the cabinets? Where will we put the mail box? The head is spinning, the mind is racing and I need a quiet corner. (Ha) We have lists of lists, deadlines and orders, deposits and dilemmas. Ain't life grand?
Today we went to the site and witnessed more changes. The kitchen is really coming along. Tile Guy was doing his thing on the counters. The pool crew was working on the waterfall area and rendering the pool surface for the tiles. Windows were being installed and we said goodbye to the bamboo (a truck load). Overhead lights were being installed (Yuthana calls them 'down lights') we finally communicated our desires, we think, for our closet. I know I mentioned that a few days ago, but it came around again and was not absorbed properly. One of the challenges of this adventure is dealing with language/cultural differences. Sometimes I'll say the name of something and I'll get a chorus of blank faces looking at me. Then I have to describe what it is and what it does and smiles begin to form. Then understanding and then misunderstanding. If one takes it as a game, it doesn't get one down. If one takes it too seriously, it threatens serenity and we wouldn't want that to happen. Would we?
Have a Serene Week.

Peace,
Danny

"The hearts of fools are in their mouths,
but the mouths of the wise are in their hearts."
~Jewish Proverb

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

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