Friday Funnies

Hi,

This morning we knew from the sky, that it was going to be a typical weather day.  The thing about the rain is, you know it’s going to happen, just not when.  We got a light rain during nap time and that was it.  ‘They’ keep telling us were going to have another storm, but ‘we’ look at the sky and laugh.

The 'Zany Day' song was “Mother’s Little Helper” by The Rolling Stones.  Here’s an ‘Old School Friday’ tune from 1956 that should be familiar:  “(shoo-doop shooby-doo, shoo-doop shooby-doo, shoo-doop shooby-doo whoa) __ __ __ __ __ __ I held you, held you tight.  ‘Cause I love, love you so, promise I’ll never let you go.  __ __ __ __ __ __.”  Hint:  When it’s late and nothing is moving.  By a group named after a smooth fabric.

Today we found ourselves back at Big C.  This time we had a small list of appliances needed for Cat’s dorm room.  We encountered some enthusiastic staff members that worked very hard to make sure we got the discounts we had coming.  

Work@Home was our next stop and as always, we learned things and had some laughs with our friend Katai.  She had just returned from Nan province, which is northeast of Chiang Rai, on business.  We always end up talking about at least 5 different topics, and her take on things is light and to the point.  

This Sunday there will be a nationwide vote on a referendum package.  We’re not very clear as to what it’s about and try not to go too deep into current politics.  There hasn’t been this kind of thing in a long time so it will be interesting to see what happens.  

Mr. Daku is doing much better.  We’re still not letting him have his morning workout and that’s a little frustrating for him.  He goes out on the leash and we walk around.  The stairs cause no more hesitation so we’re letting him move around the house more.  With most of his routine restored, he’s a pretty happy dog.

This afternoon Daku went downstairs to be with Natcha in the kitchen.  These days that also means visiting with Neetchanon.  Today they had a new device for her to sit in and it put her at Daku’s level.  As you can see from the photo, they now have access to each other and can communicate much better.  Daku has a toy in his mouth.  We heard little squeals from downstairs and later Natcha showed us a video of the baby trying to get Daku to come over to her.  That’s what we were hearing.  

I’m trying to find some kind of schedule for the Olympics on TV here in Thailand.  So far it’s not going so well.  We may have to resort to Youtube for some events.  Rio is 10 hours behind us so it just adds to the confusion.  The opening ceremony should happen for us at 6am the day after.  Hmm.  

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.    Time for the ‘Funnies’.

                    Peace,

                              Danny

Meet

Hi,

The weather today was typical for the rainy season.  It was cloudy all morning with a heavy afternoon downpour, then a beautiful evening.  One nice thing about the daily rain is the cleaning of the air.  It’s been a relief not having that smokey smell around.

I got a few emails with the correct answer, but expected to hear from more of you.  Here is the second verse:

“'Things are different today,’ I hear ev’ry mother say, cooking fresh food for a husband’s just a drag.  So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak and goes running to the shelter for a __ __ __….”  Clue: It’s by a very old R&R band.  Oh my, is it a drug song?  What?

This morning we went to Le Meridien on business.  We had to send a fax to the States and there just aren’t many fax machines in use these days.  Our friend Stephan helps us out since the hotel has to maintain a fax line.  He’s going to be leaving Thailand and relocating to Australia.  It’s an exciting opportunity for him, but we’ll be losing  a friend.  We’ll be visiting him and his wife Claire in September during the Formula One weekend.  In our conversation we learned that Chiang Rai is way bigger than we thought.  He told us the city population is between 6 and 800,000.  So that’s why the streets seem more crowded.  Hmm.

The big event today was Cat moving most of her stuff to her dorm apartment at the university.  She and Gong filled the van with three suitcases and three large boxes, plus assorted bags.  She still has a few more trips to make and I’m imagining there probably isn’t much room to walk around, but she’s doing it.  It’s a big life change for her.  Tomorrow morning she has to be on campus at 7am so she decided to spend the night in her dorm room.  When Daku saw the suitcases stage by the door he got very agitated.  Lisa and I assured him we were not leaving.  When he figures out that Cat has left he will not be happy.  He is in love with Cat and will most likely check on her room for a few days.  

Back in 2006 Blue and his son Ming, who was still in high school, recorded a remix of Richard Berry’s “Louie Louie”.  Ming did all the digital sampling and engineering from the original 45 RPM single.  The two of them programmed the samples and added some keyboard parts.  Blue just discovered that his remix had been chosen as the ‘Louie of the Week’ by a blog called “The Louie Report”, which is dedicated to the song.  Here is a link to Youtube.  Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjL1J0QFb0

Today’s photo is the corn field next door.  The rain really sped up the growth this time.  We’re loving the green. 

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                Peace,

                          Danny

“Everyone you will ever meet 

knows something you don’t.”

~Bill Nye

Beginnings

Hi,

What looked like another sunny, rain-free day ended up with an afternoon storm that left the streets washed and the trees watered.  We saw the clouds but didn’t want to believe it would really happen.  Fortunately, we’d already had our swim (555).

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “Fever”, of course.  It was originally recorded by Little Willie John.  That pesky Peggy Lee recording, and most that followed were a product of the times.  Quite often, R&B artists were not heard on mainstream radio due to segregation of the airwaves.  Songs like ‘Fever’ were given additional lyrics, published with new writers and then white artists had hits on white radio.  So much for the history lesson.  We need a ‘Zany Day’ song to clear the air.   “What a drag it is getting old.  ‘Kids are different today’, I hear ev’ry mother say, mother needs something today to calm her down.  And though she’s not really ill, there’s a little yellow pill.  She goes running to the shelter of a __ __ __ and it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day…”  Hint:  It’s from the 60s, parenting through science.  

Daku is doing a lot better today.  He doesn’t like the idea that he can’t return to his normal activities.  This morning he wanted to go out and play, but he is still favoring his right-rear leg and it’s still a little difficult for him to get up if he’s been lying down.  Patience can be a healer.

Chiang Rai may be one of the last frontiers of the country/city.  By that I mean it looks like a well organized city, with traffic lights, shopping centers and lots of businesses, but there’s something else going on as well.  Without a police force to regulate certain things it can continue to be a country town.  There is no one to enforce parking restrictions, or driving laws.  Today we drove down a street that is supposed to have parking on only one side, so there will be room for two lanes of driving.  Well, there is now parking on both sides of the street and it all slowed down as cars attempted to make their way.  We got where we wanted to go without incident, but it might have been quicker and with lower blood-pressure if there had been a bit more order.  There, rant over.

This afternoon we went to Central Plaza Mall for a visit to Top’s Market.  The mall now has more ‘attendants’ in the parking lot helping people park, and moving cars that double park.  The double parking thing is very strange to me.  If your car has a stick shift, it seems to be acceptable to leave it in neutral so it can be pushed out of the way if needed.  Hmm, doesn’t work on late model automatics.  The place was packed with shoppers at 4pm on a Wednesday.  Big city stuff.

This evening Natcha brought Neechanon upstairs for a visit.  She is smiling a lot and making sounds.  Her experiments with facial expressions continues and it’s really cute to see what she tries.  There are now deliberate sounds coming out of this little cutie.  She seems to answer when asked a question.  It’s just a little noise, but it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.  Tonight it seemed like she laughed a little.  What a kid.

Today’s photo was taken tonight during our visit with Neechanon.

Time for Wacky Wednesday

               Peace,

                         Danny

 

“New beginnings are often disguised

as painful endings.”

~Lao Tzu

Look

Hi,

It was a beautiful, sunny/cloudy day in Chiang Rai.  No rain all day.  We did hear some thunder in the distance.  Rain is predicted for later this week.  This afternoon we went swimming and it was great.

“Sun lights up the day time, moon lights up the night.  I light up when you call my name ‘cause I know you’re gonna treat me right.  You give me __, when you kiss me.  __, when you hold me tight.  __ in the mornin’, __ all through the night.”  Hint: Even though it should be easy, remember that the original recording was by a man.  If you get the title right, but tell me it was by a woman, you will be half right.  Oh no!

This morning we gave Daku a bath.  He really didn’t want one today and tried to get away.  Then he had a good workout and finally played catch with his ball.  Somewhere in his enthusiastic jumping for the ball, we think he hurt himself.  Blue noticed he was limping, favoring the right rear leg.  His mood is very somber and we’re keeping him downstairs.  He seems to want to just rest, which is the best thing right now.

On our adventure to Big C we noticed something new in the streets.  There are people standing at the intersections on the Super Highway selling little bags of doughnuts.  What?  Yes, and they’re wearing Makro aprons.  We’re not sure if they are representing Makro, but they have four or five small doughnuts per bag and they have taken over some spots where garland vendors used to stand.  Very strange, and no, not going to eat any.

Big C was very busy.  Considering it’s the second day of the month, I’m not surprised.  On the way home we saw Khun Sing, the Tuk-Tuk driver who used to take us everywhere.  It was nice to know he’s still around and still driving.

Today’s photo is a baby gekko on our front screen door.  

Have a Happy Tuesday.

                Peace,

                          Danny

“Look for the answer

inside your question.”

~Rumi

Green

Hi,

The days of checking the weather forecasts are over.  All we have to do is look outside and we know what’s going to happen.  Rain sometime during the day, or night.  Yes folks, it’s the rainy season.

No matter what day it was, the ‘Old School Friday’ song was “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ih5ohy6TYE   Now, it really is time for ‘Easy Monday’ and a tune we’ve discussed before.  “Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care.  When you put your arms around me, I get a __ that's so hard to bear, you give me __.  When you kiss me, __ when you hold me tight.  __, in the morning, __ all through the night.”  Clue:  A medical condition brought on by love?

Every 24 hour cycle brings rain; the pool is virtually closed.  The daytime temps have cooled to the point that the air is not allowing for warm rain.  The pool is cold.  If we could get a few days off from the rain we might be able to get in a few laps (555).

For some odd reason, Mr. Lag has been a little less active since our return.  Not that he’s gone, but the afternoon ‘crash’ and the wide-awake-at-4am stuff is not happening.  One thing that might be a factor was the business class sleeping arrangement on the 13 hour segment of our trip.  To be able to stretch out and really relax may have allowed our bodies to rest properly.  If only we could travel like that all the time.  

This weekend we got back to a few of our favorite places.  Sunday we did lunch at The Wanderer and dinner at Sawadee.  I think that made the return complete.  We’re still marveling at how green everything is here.  Today Lisa spotted 6 tiny little oranges on our young tree.  

The container structure that I showed you recently has now been identified.  We passed it with Cat in the van and she read the signs.  It’s a short-stay ‘hotel’.  In the States it would be a motel.  They have lots of them around town and the standard cost is 350 Baht per night.  That’s about $10.  This new place is 390 Baht.  It’s right in the middle of the little restaurant/club row.  Hmm, very interesting. 

Yesterday, as we were leaving The Wanderer, I posed the question about how to refer to Gong and Natcha.  Blue came up with the best, funniest answer:  our “nannies."  That about sums it up.  Every time I think of that it makes me laugh. 

Today’s photo was taken inside the air/con room at The Wanderer.  You can see 4 of the 5 pieces of Lisa’s artwork that are on display.  I only wish we could hang out in there, but the cats like to hang in there so my allergies prevent enjoying the air and art.

Tomorrow we will make our first trip to Big C in three weeks.  The adventure continues (555).

Have a Great Week.

                 Peace,

                           Danny

“The grass isn’t greener on the other side.

It’s green where you water it.”

~Unknown

Thursday on Friday

Hi,

My deepest apologies to anyone who was planning their activities based on what I tell you in my message.  There have been a few times when I’ve missed a day, or forgot to send the message, but this is ridiculous.  Somehow, leaving the States on Monday, which was actually Tuesday, and arriving in Thailand on Wednesday, which was actually Wednesday, totally threw off my perception of time.  No wonder I became a ball of confusion.  

Thank you to those who were quick to point out the error of my ways.  Frankly, I was mortified.  What really confuses things is that fact that now I have to either give you another song to ponder, or let ‘Old School Friday’ remain for this special Thursday (555).  I think we’ll just let it ride, and those who named the song will get a day off.  So, on with the craziness.

Here’s another verse of the ‘Old School Friday’ song.  “Now the dance that the people do, I don’t know how it started.  All I know is that when the beat brings a feel it’s hard to get parted.  And then the music begins to play, automatically you’re on your way.  Are you ready (are you ready)?  Well, you get yours, ‘cause-a I got mine for __ __ __.”  Hint:  The animal is fond of bananas.  The singer’s first name is a rank of an army officer.

Last night we had a major storm.  There was thunder and lightning in the overnight hours and the rain was beating down hard.  It was the kind of downpour where the sound changed with its intensity; like a machine passing through.  There was another downpour this morning and then it left town.  

Today’s photo was taken at the Bayland nature preserve in Palo Alto.  It’s called the ‘River of Rocks’.  

This afternoon Gong, Natcha and Neechanon went to Makro and did the shopping.  We were very happy about that since they were in the correct time zone.  After they returned it was time for Lisa, Cat and me to take a ride up to her university to see her ‘dorm room’.  It’s actually a room in an apartment building a block from the campus.  When we arrived we met the ‘house parents’ as I call them.  They are a nice couple who are like the managers and also help to maintain the women-only status of the house.  The room is a good size for one person and we made a list of things she’ll need to live there.  As Cat said as we left, “Big changes”.  Sunday will be her last day working at The Wanderer.

Have a Fabulous Friday and a Wonderful WeekEnd (again).   Formula One will be racing in Germany.  Zoom.

                Peace,

                          Danny

“Worrying is like meditating 

on the negative.”

~Unknown

Friday Funnies

Hi,

Meanwhile, back in Thailand, our intrepid travelers are enjoying the humidity, the quiet, the lush green surroundings, and the love of the greatest dog in the world.  

The ‘Zany Day’ song was “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” by The Four Preps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdMEx609X_8.  I know, kinda corny, but qualified as zany in that special way (555).  This week’s ‘Old School Friday’ is a dance blast from the past.  “There’s a place right across town, whenever you’re ready.  Where the people gather ‘round, whenever they’re ready.  And then the music begins to play, you feel the groove comin’ on i’s way.  Are you ready (are you ready)?  Well, you get yours, ‘cause-a I got mine for __ __ __ (__ __ __).”  Hint:  It’s a dance named after the movement of an animal.  

For those of you who asked, Mr. Lag did stow away on our planes and made it to Thailand without a hitch.  He began the day by forcing a morning nap, then let us know it wasn’t a fluke by bringing a second nap after lunch.  After dinner he’s making it known that he is in control (555).  No, it’s not really funny, I just said that ‘cause he’s watching.

Last night Cat filled us in on all the university things she has to do before classes start.  Freshmen are called ‘Freshies’ and there are various activities for them before August 22, when the work begins.  The big event is on the 17th, when the band ‘Potato’ will give a concert.  Tomorrow she wants us to see her dorm room.

While we were gone it turns out that many things happened at The Big Brown House.  Gong washed the van, which is the first time it’s had a ‘shower’ at home.  Natcha helped Gong in the yard, pushing the lawnmower.  When Natcha went to Maesai to see her family, Gong cooked Blue’s meals and fed Daku, in addition to doing yard work.  Natcha told us that Neechanon loves Daku.  They are quite a team and we’re feeling very grateful.

Last week, as we were leaving the San Jose airport, I noticed this runway worker with ‘style’.  She brings a look that adds a sense of cool to a hot job.  Brava! 

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.   Time for the ‘Funnies’.

              Peace,

                        Danny