He cometh...

...my friend Dan, that is. On Monday Dan and his lovely fiancee will touch down in Prathet Thai where they will spend several days being dragged about Khon Kaen and Kalasin provinces. We may even stop at the Buddha on the hill pictured above. The poor couple don't know what they are in for. Dan will be subject to my long-winded pontifications on all things Thailand related as well as summaries to several books I have recently read on the development of human societies. His fiancee, Etsuko will be paraded through the local shops and markets by my wife where she will be pressured into purchasing anything she is unfortunate enough to glance at twice (and I am not talking about pushy vendors - they don't exist up here, my wife will do the shopping and hawking simultaneously). After two nights the miserable couple will undoubtedly regret their decision to come, but will realize that they are completely reliant on us for transportation, accommodation and communication, and therefore doggedly endure two more days of righteous rants and shopping sprees before they are allowed to return to the safety of their residence in Japan. Ha! I will now have the undivided attention of bored adults rather than bored schoolchildren.

Part of living in Thailand is plotting and scheming about getting rich quick. Realize that an income of twenty-thousand dollars a year would be very comfortable in Isaan and you'll understand the relative notion of getting rich. I've spun all sorts of silly ideas through my head on how I could supplement the monthly income. Of course in the end the best I could come up with is hauling my ass (and English speaking mouth) back to Japan. Nonetheless, I plan to be back here some day on a more permanent basis and I have seen the salary ceiling. So, what's my latest entrepreneurial epiphany? - Cattle! Some may poo poo the notion and point to my losses in '29 when all of my assets were tied up in railroads and pork bellies, but I have learned a thing or two in the meanwhile. For one thing, cows in Isaan can graze on public land, meaning free food. As a cow grows, its value increases. Also cows give birth to baby cows, known in ranching circles as 'calves'. These calves also have a certain monetary value, especially if they turn out to be male with big ears (a sure sign of virile apparatus). Finally, the cost of labor is so cheap that I could have me a couple of cattle hands for a song. I don't see how I can lose. Anybody wanting to get in early on the beef buy, just drop me a line.

I don't remember my yellow school bus being anywhere near this cool.

Life continues per normal here in the Northeast of Thailand, in the Southeast of Asia. Visa runs made, highway(patrol)men bribed, classes taught. In truth, I have found myself back on a bit of a teaching high with several decent classes to thank. One private student I am teaching is about to go to America where he will work on his doctoral dissertation on...(I kid you not) Health in the Transgendered Community. Interesting stuff indeed. The other class I am liking is a group of high school students, all of whom are going to do a year abroad in America starting quite soon. I am getting them up to speed on American History. The satisfying part in both of these classes is the knowledge that I may, in fact, be preparing people to actually do something with English. One of my biggest frustrations in Japan was that I spent a great amount of time teaching bored housewives and retirees. Nothing against them, but I couldn't see that I was doing anything of consequence. At times I felt little more than a talking harlot, pleasing people with my tongue...err...figuratively of course.