Porthole

45th week of Year 179. Year of the Rabbit begins.

มกราคม.2566//January/januar/enero/janvier.2023

29.มกราคม.2566

To Joy: "So much depends on details and perspective. One egg costs 4.5 - 6 baht in Udon Thani (Thailand). I can get 10 for 45 baht. They are sold in 4, 6, 10, 30 but 12 = 54 baht for $1.65 USD. That may sound cheap but Thais don't have American incomes either.

Eggs are an essential here, as is rice. Pork, fish, seafood and chicken are cheap and found everywhere. Milk and bread are not essentials. Most people drive mopeds. We buy in small quantities as fresh produce is a short walk, the 7-11 is on the corner, and a daily night market is on the other side of the pedestrian bridge.

I make friends easily and mourn when I lose them, but I don't consider most people I meet now as fake. However, I grew up in a Mafia town and treachery was the norm.

I am nostalgic about the few things I have, having lost most everything twenty years ago."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/christian-nationalisms-popularity-should-be...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/im-a-feminist-and-i-dont-thin...

09:02 Ponnya getting up. Like the article above. He works. I try to help his mornings be a quest to get up and get out. He works at 11, today at 10. He doesn't get paid well but it's important for his well-being.

Me? I write, take photos, learn about language and culture and how to share a place with someone after so many years alone. Is that not-work just because I don't get paid?

We both contribute to life. And in this place we contribute in different ways.

Ponnya came home sick. He slept while I went to sign up for classes in Thai at Let's Talk. It's close to where we live. Not cheap, private classes aren't. Chatted with Sueay, Wao, Nest (Nessy). I start Tuesday.

The wash is done and hung.

 

Wrote "Petals of our ancestors [179.140] 40w Jan#19" 

28.มกราคม.2566

I have no idea whether this "Ngalis (งาลิส = sesame) [179.139] 40w Jan#18"  is a story or a poem. It shares characteristics of both. 40 words, 54 syllables, 9 lines. Ngalis is an anagram of signal and in Thai means "Sesame". Considering Thai names it could easily be one.

Kismet: I just ate purple sticky rice (coconut?) with sprinkles of white sesame seed.

To TJ: "Yep. I'm seldom happy with either/or.

To mangle a phrase: humans do something because they 'can' without asking whether they 'should'.

Frankly, I'm not sure we as a species are mature enough yet. I'm hopeful that we will mature as there are many humans who have reached that level of enlightenment and compassion. I'm a work-in-progress."

I'm not always happy at the end of the month because I procrastinate. Not a good way to live I assure you. In the end, some things get done, some things don't.

Plan for today: decide about learning Thai. Ponnya applauds the idea. Hope to visit Gay. She'll be indisposed for February.

To Steven re AI writing: "Easy-peasy solutions:

1. Oral exams. (yes... that's labor intensive... so hire people or reduce class size)
2. Written by hand in class. (yes... that may take much longer to write... so add time)
3. Be willing to ignore grammar and spelling and focus on ideas, structure, content.

De-emphasize the need for academic degrees for fields that don't need it. I have a friend who is a Master Weaver. She doesn't need a Piled-high and Deeper degree to prove it."

To wolfgang: "IMO... It is good to ask questions and look at things in depth and from another point of view. It's why diversity is important in any academic (and non-academic) field. To critically think is more than asking and analyzing 'why' or 'what if'; it also entails looking around at at-the-moment reality. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. A point that some conspiracy theorists won't accept.

But rational thought also has limitations. The Socrates group at our library in Montana was caught in a tautology. Sure... their reasoning was strong; but, stuck in their box (libertarian/anarchistic/AynRand) they were asking the wrong questions and couldn't see that there were other paradigms available to organize society. They left out the practical and emotional.

They were also all white-male. A guarantee to come up with wrong answers.

As for common sense... that's not all too common."

We have eggs, sticky rice, orange soap, mouthwash...

I visited Gay but didn't do much walking.

27.มกราคม.2566

The red rose is holding on... barely. The pink rose opens up.

No food in the house. Will need to correct that. Bought greens, chicken, sweets. Ponnya inhaled them.

Good for editing: https://www.rabbitwitharedpen.com/blog/writing-dialogue-tags-action-beats-punctu...

Pisses me off: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/14-cities-abroad-that-are-perfect-for...

         Heaven?
Only those who believe will enter.
         Then I wish you well.
You're not coming with me?
         Tickets cost too much.
But you only have to—
         Be someone I'm not.
But...
         I wish you well.

And then I walked away.

Edited and posted. "And then I walked away [179.138] 40w Jan#17 " 

Spoke to Pear at Koala. Ate a mushroom cheeseburger (beef) with bacon and a side of onion rings. 189 baht. It was absolutely decadent. However, need to be careful with money. I can't expect Ponnya to be careful if I'm setting a poor example.

Ponnya inhales food if it's sitting in front of him. He was underweight when I met him so there may be other issues I'm not yet aware of.

26.มกราคม.2566

Up around 9. Ponnya hugs me in the morning like a puppy. He's jogging now... means I can write! Almost 10. I try to do as much on-line when he's at work. Allows me to spend more quality time with him.

But writing, getting out to know the neighborhood, greeting people and taking photographs is a very good thing.

"WE BETTER TALK THIS OVER" by Bob Dylan:

But I don't think it's liable to happen
Like the sound of one hand clappin'.

My arms be flappin'
My thoughts zappin'
You ask "What's happenin'?"

My lips be chappin'
Cold winds slappin'
Winter's what's saddenin'.

Come join me nappin'
our eight arms wrappin'
in a warm embrace,
no longer mad.

"Yappin' in the Octopi's Garden" edited to "Yappin' in the Octopus's Garden [179.135] 40w Jan#13 " 

capping, chapping, crapping, dapping, fapping, flapping, frapping, gapping, happing, knapping, lapping, mapping, napping, rapping, sapping, scrapping, slapping, snapping, strapping, strap hung, tapping, trapping, whapping, wrapping, yapping, zapping

Chunli Zhao, 66, killed 7 in Half Moon Bay yesterday. Will this be labeled as a case of AOA (Angry Old Asians) and would that be fair? Pertinent question in Amerikkka as anyone not a member of perceived majorities tend to be pejoratively labeled as paranoia sets in. A perplexing posy of p's.

If I were Anti-Asian I wouldn't be in Thailand and I wouldn't have traveled extensively in Japan and Taiwan. I also wouldn't have lived with Azeri and Persians from Iran or had friends from Hong Kong, India and elsewhere.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/opinion-the-right-wing-approach-to-parents-rig...

Lower the age to 15 ... by then most children are no longer children. They may be immature, but so are some adults. DJT comes to mind.

To Waltz re Monopoly: "I grew to despise the game and eventually refused to play. I've never heard of "Properity" nor Lizzie Magie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Magie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Landlord%27s_Game

It is interesting to note how often female inventors/scientists/leaders are often forgotten with their contributions attributed to others. The same could be said for non-Europeans."

To TJ: "It's 13 minute walk from Ponnya's workplace to home. I timed it tonight. No need for a car. There are 14 floors which include parking, a pool, a fitness center... no 20 acre suburban sprawl. Thailand is more compact even in rural areas. People live in communities and aren't as isolated from others.

In Montana they could build with better heating/cooling in mind, and not build throwaway structures that fall apart in 30 years. We have good water, so that's not an issue. We have a good bus system (free) that old folks don't like to use. Education may be the key.

In Kansas they can use solar; in the Great Lakes, wind. In Costa Rica they already use hydro-thermal and I grew up with hydro-electric... but people need to learn how to use less. Are 200 watt lights really necessary? Is a personal truck needed to haul a load from Cosco to their 3 basement freezers? Is 75 degrees F necessary in winter and 65 in summer? Can people share? Old farmers sure did. Many places in the world they still do."

25.มกราคม.2566

Ponnya slept in and then jogged. He made eggs for us before he left though. I shooed him out the door as he started work at 11.

From MSN News...

Author Amy Bloom’s husband had Alzheimer’s disease and he did not want to deteriorate until it killed him. She researched assisted suicide for months – how to do it (Do-it-yourself suffocation? Pentobarbital?) and where to do it (Dignitas in Zurich was the only real option). In her book “In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss,” she describes supervising his application process, watching him drink the fatal potion and holding his hand as he embarked on his “long journey, miles and miles of Nought.”

"Miles and Miles of Naught" ... Need to write that story/poem.

To Sue: "Yes, unless there is a breakthrough in technology (like mini-nuclear-plants for the household or neighborhood) I think that nuclear power is passe.

One issue with electricity is usage. How to use less. Same with water. Engineering, architecture, prioritizing, being satisfied with what one has, just-saying-no, could go a long way in cutting demand.

A major enemy of this idea? Greed. Another? Entitlement."

Another response to Sue: "As a child I learned a lot. One teacher taught me that homosexuals were disgusting. The school system taught me that lower class factory workers amounted to nothing. The government taught me that other nationalities were to be killed. The Lutheran church on the corner taught me to hate Catholics... as did my mother. My father just simply left parts of my education blank. Yep. I learned a lot as a child."

I learned how to become invisible. I've spent a lifetime un-learning that.

Hmm... not sure that I agree. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/the-viscous-cycle-of-killer-news-american...

24.มกราคม.2566

A veces el mayor acto de amor hacia una persona, consiste en desaparecer de su vida. - Gabriel García Márquez.

Ponnya got back around 05:30. I barely slept last night so now I'm drowsy. It's 08:54. He's sleeping.

Coffee or back to bed?

Dear Me... don't kick the bucket down the road... just saying.

Bucket lists. Old people like me are supposed to have bucket lists: 1. a bucket that doesn't leak to mop the floor. 2. Sea #1. 3. Sea #1. 4. Sea #1. 5. Sea #1.

I prefer land to see and see-shore.

see and see-shore? Yes, I know how to spell.

At this stage of Life, possibly my last, I want to complete my METAMORPHOSIS rather than just make checklists
of things I didn't do, places I didn't visit, regrets I don't want to wallow in, and a Past I cannot change.

Plus, no need to make long range plans. Short range works well with my deafness and near-sightedness.

2566 a.k.a. 2023 a.k.a. 179-180 B.E.

I do want to enjoy living here in Thailand. Language, culture, a new experience. This is my 4th country. Costa Rica was #2 (1974 & 2012), Canada #3 (1981). This is not a tourist vacation, a relaxing vacation (that was England 2011) nor a series of travel experiences (2009-2022) that included over 40 countries.

I do want to write, but not at a hectic pace. My best writing years are past; but, I'm not Dead yet. So... I hope to thrill, inspire or just plain annoy friends and strangers (as always, the stranger the better).

I do want to reconsider my health and guard my wealth. New teeth are an option (about $2,000) while walking, being more active, eating less sugar and salt (the two main "spices" of the US of America). It's cheaper here and for $20,000 in the bank I can get a renewable year-long visa.

I do want to make new connections and maintain old ones (through facebook and postcards). Older people die off. In a college town like Missoula younger people move away. I've been feeling very isolated for 3 years now. Middle-aged folks are now young!

A Thai does not exist in the singular. I have a roommate/friend/boyfriend. Regardless of label, he hugs me, cuddles, feeds me. Now... will he be willing to change my diapers! Until then, it's nice to share a place. I don't feel lonely.

ภาษาไทยไม่มีอยู่ในเอกพจน์ ฉันมีเพื่อนร่วมห้อง/เพื่อน/แฟน ไม่ว่าป้ายชื่อไหน เขากอดฉัน กอดฉัน ป้อนข้าวฉัน ตอนนี้... เขาจะยอมเปลี่ยนผ้าอ้อมให้ฉันไหม! จนกว่าจะถึงเวลานั้น มันเป็นเรื่องดีที่จะแบ่งปันสถานที่ ฉันไม่รู้สึกเหงา

to be continued...

To Waltz: "I want to see the video of Oscar Wilde taking the comma out and putting it back in. Then there are those who type 2,000 words/hour... non-stop (how else does a novelette of 1,500 pages get written?).

That said... social surveillance came to mind. A member of Congress wants to prevent shootings not by taking guns away (2nd Amendment!) but by increased surveillance of social media (the Chinese Solution; to hell with the other Amendments and Bill of Rights). There's a blog about privacy lurking somewhere... but you prolly already wrote it!"

We went out for dinner. I thought barbecue... we ended up at a place that has seafood hot pot. I was not happy. Hot pot is expensive. 743 baht + 200 baht to get there = my entire week's budget for food. I tried to explain. He knew I was unhappy.

Went to market near Lumpini. Green onions, cilantro, holy basil... all costs 5-10 baht. I'm sure there's more expensive items but this market is for poor people who live close-by. It's nightly. They also had different types of fish, eel, frog, meat. I'm not sure about some of the meat. The fish etc. are fresh (as in alive).

The wish: To be loved. But you must love to be loved. How so? It's little things. Kindness, caring ... Sex? Do you love your parents? Do you have sex with your friends?

I want to be a fish instead of a frog. Is that your wish? Yes, as a fish I'd get to see the world. A frog just hops in and out of a pond. Granted. *** Why am I in a glass cage and why is that frog being shipped to another country. Only his legs are being shipped. ***

I want to be close to my friend's heart. What's your favorite color? Red. Granted. Why am I a red shirt? Every Sunday your friend will wear you. Did you grant his wish? Underwear isn't my specialty. [132]

23.มกราคม.2566

Comment to Stik: "I remember reading a book as a teenager that was interrupted by a severe illness (possibly food poisoning) that I blamed on breaded pork chops. I never finished that book and avoided pork chops for years. So, yes, I get your reaction on a personal level.

I have not been reading books either. When I travel they're cumbersome. I love the feel of paper so e-books don't appeal to me. That said, I'm constantly reading. Especially signs here in Thailand. I figure every opportunity to practice counts. Next purchase? A book for children (maybe middle-grade) in Thai. Pictures would help at this beginning stage!

As for TV... I just turned it on... then turned it off. I do watch Thai TV series on YouTube and actually get a lot from most of them. Gestures and interjections are really really really important , street language helps, and there are cultural lessons to be learned and reinforced (seemingly silly things like how to eat with a spoon and fork... never a knife)."

Nice seeing Ponnya's face last night. But I was surprised to see his mother. Hopefully home tomorrow.

It will be hot today. So... I'll clean and write and read at home. I will go out just to get out. I wear a paper hat during the sun-scorch of the day (10ish to 2ish).

I ate last night's donuts. I've had coffee, will drink another. I'll eat rice and egg.

To Allison on fb: "It's interesting living in another country, instead of traveling or vacationing. Whether this becomes more permanent... depends. Nice time of year. Today will be hot but in general it cools off at night. This is a fairly vibrant city... but in a way quite different from Missoula. Hopefully I'll learn whatever it is I need to learn."

MSN: Do scientists usually act in the public's best interest? Yes? No? Not sure? Poor question. Scientists do research, discuss that with others and try to determine alternate explanations. They don't make public policy and that's what this question infers.

wag wag wag my tail
wag wag wag my nose
wag wag wag my ___
you're coming home!

kiss kiss kiss your lips
kiss kiss kiss your cheek
kiss kiss kiss your ___
you'll soon be home!

[131]

I just got word from my boyfriend that he's coming home in the morning. I'll be at home waiting.

Ponnya should be home around 2-3 a.m. I bought two meals for him in case he's hungry. Will I sleep? I need to. Hope he can in the mini-van.

To Elle: "I can do meat free in Montana as I love rice and beans and pasta. However, we don't have a stove or oven here. It's kettle to boil water or the micro to nuke. Street food is cheap. I can buy a portion of fish or chicken for 12 baht. About 0.57 in NZD. 4-6 portions can fill up both of us. Rice is cheap. I need to visit the market with Ponnya to figure out vegetables, fruits and greens.

7-11 has ready to heat meals. I ate Korean style pork with vegetable rice this evening. 45 baht = 2.12 NZD. Yes, I could eat cheaper but that's not necessary here.

Eggs and butter are expensive in Montana. There are issues with avian flu in the US and dairy used to be subsidized. Bread is okay; cheap bread is still cheap. Food in general has gone up 50%.

My rent has stayed the same. But... Thailand = more for less.

I will set a monthly budget here but I'll adjust it as it needs to be a tad higher than originally expected."

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