Water Issues?

Today, I saw something I found to be interesting and fascinating. Have you ever wonder how a big city plaza with poor drainage gets rid of their water problem. Yeah... neither have I, until I saw the solution today.
It rained pretty much all day... got to love the rain season. I was on my way home from work when I noticed five people with huge squeegees. They were using these tools in this giant plaza to clear out the water. Well, I thought it was interesting and I learned something new today. The Giant Squeegee Patrol making walkways and plaza clear for the rest of us. Way to go team!

Inner Child

This week we were house sitting my wife's parents home. I was snooping around and found some boxes that had things from her childhood. So, I started going through the boxes with her. I found something that I use to have when I was little. Something pretty simple that I used to enjoy playing with. I told my wife I was going to take it back to our home.
Well, tonight I was sitting around and looked over and saw this thing. I said to my wife, "we have stairs." We both lit up with anticipation and excitement. We took it to the stairs and let out our little "inner child". Nothing but smiles. What was it? It's the plastic rainbow Slinky.

Did You Find It?

Dinner time is one of my favorite times of the day. You finally get to set down and relax after a long hard day of work. Hopefully, you get to share this special time with a significant other. You may even go out to eat. This is what we usually do.
We decide to go somewhere quick and easy. We ended up at McDonald's... I know it's not that healthy, but I was not there for my health. I was there to eat. I was enjoying my meal when I happened to look over and I saw this woman slowly stick her finger up her nose. Nothing usually there... some times you just have to pick it. The unusual thing was the fact that she was not moving her finger. It was just up there. She kept it there for what seemed like a couple of minutes. Maybe she was scratching her brain. Casually, she slowly took her finger back out and looked around to see if anyone noticed. Then, she got up and left.
Sorry for picture, but this is the image I remember the most.

No Where, But Up

All around Thailand there are a group of people who are pretty great at what they do. I know I would not want to take on the task that these brave souls do day in and day out. It seems like a dangerous job, but someone's got to do it. What is it?
We all know that pickup truck are used for hauling items. These people have taken hauling to new heights, literally. They fill their pickups with so much stuff that there is no more space, but up. Their trucks are packed so high it's scary. There are a lot of issues to deal with when overloading a pickup truck and then driving it. They seem to have a knack for defying the odds. Which is pretty amazing to me considering the road conditions and other drivers out there. But these drivers for the most part do it well and they usually have a huge smile. I have not seen any accidents involving these filled to the brim pickup trucks. I commend them for hauling their loads and keeping safe. I would not want to drive those vehicles.

Melts in Your Hand

Today, I came home and felt kind of blah. I needed some cheering up. I went straight for my dog, Kip. We started playing in the back when I noticed he needed to be brushed... which he hates. While I was brushing Kip, our cats started hovering waiting in anticipation for their turn. So, I moved my attention to focus on brushing the cats. One by one they got their pleasure and the purrs were loud. I saw one of the cats, we have four, just hanging out without a care. I picked her up and immediately she tried to get away. I placed the first stroke of the brush, still trying to get away. The second stroke, she's running in air. Then, on the third stroke, she melted in my hand as if she was chocolate. She did not move an inch just hung there purring with each stroke.

Your Move

Well, I did not see anything out of the ordinary today, but I did do something that my students thought was a bit unusual. I had my students check their answers from the answer sheet I had projected onto the board. They were doing this for awhile. I was walking around lost in my own little world when I see a hand go up. "Yes?" "Mr. Mike could you please move?" Before I had a moment to think about it I start busting out the Twist. Some students started laughing, some look perplexed, some were shaking their heads, and some had no clue. Without missing a beat the same student said, "No, I meant out of the way. You're blocking the board." I smile and moved out of the way.

Just Three More Steps

Here we go again... two people stop right when they get off the escalator to discuss where they will head next. While everyone else behind them is starting to pile up because there is no place to go. It is not like the escalator knows when these people have stopped because they have no idea where they want to go. So, the escalator keeps on moving and people keep on piling up. I wonder why these people were not planning ahead while they were on the escalator or at least move three more steps so the rest of us can get on with our own adventures. If you really cannot decide, keep walking and your feet might take you in the direction your subconscious wants you to go. You would think that in a group of two or more people some one would realize that they are blocking the way for others. Nope... they are in their own little world and the rest of us just need to pile up and wait.

Nature's Laughing

This is one of many examples of my own craziness. So, I moved to Thailand and one of the first topics people were talking to me about was the Rain Season. I had no clue what they were talking about, but it seemed like buying an umbrella would be a great idea. I decided on one that was small enough to fit in my computer bag. I do not want to lug a big umbrella around every day just in case it rained. Smart, right? That's what I thought.
So, I am leaving my school recently and it is pouring outside. I whip out my little umbrella and start walking. I noticed everyone seemed to be looking at me, but I am a foreigner so I do not think much of it. I am in the rain maybe a minute when it starts to fill like I am walking in buckets of water and my pants are soaked. My tiny umbrella is only keeping the top half of my body out of the rain. Oh... I should have mentioned that I am six foot four and some change. It must have looked pretty ridiculous to everyone, this pretty tall man carrying a tiny umbrella in the pouring rain. No wonder they were looking at me. Luckily, I did not have to go back to teach for a couple of hours. It gave me enough time to empty my water filled shoes and squeeze out my pants.

Recycle, Reuse, or at Least Throw It in a Trash Can

This seems like a "No Brainer", but I see it pretty much everyday. Whether I am walking or driving I see people throw their garbage on the ground like it is a normal thing to do. Now, this may have been something normal for people to do in the past, but I thought we would be more educated by now. With the invention of the trash can and all the media attention about recycling and reusing, I find it hard to believe people still feel it is okay to throw trash on the ground. It is like they are saying to the rest of us that they just do not really care. It is not that hard to hold on to your trash until you find a garbage can. You can even find people who will recycle or reuse your unwanted garbage. They can turn it into a profit. So, you are not only doing your part to safe the world, but you are helping others earn a living. Let's try and help make this wonderful world beautiful for years to come. Please, recycle, reuse, or at least throw it in a trash can.