maipenrai

The swelling has gone down enough today to reveal that it is indeed four separate bites; they still itch a little but not enough to run to the pharmacy - I suspect ants too as I see them just about everywhere I go and I've had similar bites on several previous occasions.

I don't generally brush up to many plants over here so would tend to discount that theory, especially on the inside of the elbow; and if a centipede were to alight on me somehow I am sure I would know; my own guess would be a small spider or ant of some species - perhaps it landed inside my elbow from somewhere, and then got caught in the elbow as I closed it while drawing back the plunger on the water gun - I wish I had looked at the elbow instead of just casually brushing it with my other hand when I first felt the itch.

Just finished this one the other day and really enjoyed it - took a while as it is a big book, but very well written and filled with many personal accounts of those who experienced the conflict:

So I am out playing Songkran yesterday, just drawing some water from the tub and I feel an itch on my right elbow - I brush it and carry on and a few seconds later I feel another sudden itch with same response and then forget about it. Today I wake up and some creature has left big, itchy welts on the inside of my elbow: This is not the first time I have been attacked in this manner - same thing happened in Jomtien in February and has done so in previous visits, but I'd sure like to know what kind of creature is inflicting it - sure as hell ain't mosquitoes....

How come it's so easy there and yet such a pain here? I guess part of that must be that the busy areas are just so much smaller and easier to police than all of Pattaya - even though I have participated here and will do so again this week, I will be happy when it's all done with.

Yeah, it's an event that really appeals to those that like to bully others, and of course it's easier to be a bully when you are running in a pack. Really, I've noticed over the last couple of days that everything is cool in the daytimes, it's in the evenings when the loutish behaviour starts to show - people get drunker and rowdier and as the preceding video shows, it's not just farangs who indulge in this kind of behaviour! I'm not going to hide away from it, I'll go out and partake in the afternoons for a couple of hours but I am finished when the sun goes down - I won't necessarily go home then but I'll just park myself in safe bars until I decide to do so, and avoid the revellers wherever I can.

Many years ago I toured a corvette that is permanently moored in Halifax harbour, and I can't even imagine crossing a stormy North Atlantic in something as small and basic as this - I think this was one of the older ones that had an open bridge, just to add to the misery - brave men indeed.

I spent a couple of hours playing at the bottom end of Soi 7 yesterday and was surprised to see that the crowd going past appeared to be at least 85% Thai - the last full Songkran I attended in Pattaya was in 2009 and to my recollection there were far more farang out on the regular days - most of the big Thai crowds would wait until the big final days. On another note, I'm heading home with company just after 10:00PM last night and as we walk up the entrance ramp to the building, I get squirted by a group of guys coming down the ramp - I tell them enough is enough, it's after 10:00, shut it down FFS and they look at me like I'm a creature from outer space; in other words, these are not carry-overs from a fun day that don't want to stop, they are purposely heading out at that time to throw water.

I went out today for a few hours, walked over to Soi 7 and bought a PVC gun easily for 300b; from there walked to Soi 6 and hung out for the rest of the afternoon before making my way back down 2nd Rd to New Plaza, then Soi Buakhow to Chayapoon and Soi Lengkee to Soi Diana before getting home @10:15 or so. Everyone having fun and well-behaved during the afternoon, but still too many people throwing water around at 10:00PM and later and they'll probably still be doing it here and there after midnight - they get drunk and just don't want to stop. Traffic was horrendous, walking pace on Beach Rd and not much better on 2nd Rd, and total gridlock by Treetown on Soi Buakhow...

I'm sitting out today but will have a wander around tonight after 8:00PM or so; I think I'll dress up and brave the horrors tomorrow for a while...

It's not the machinery, it is the operator - I had one of those for years and loved it, easy to carry and store and you can soak from afar but I had to toss it when the seals finally gave out; I do agree they end up in the hands of too many dickheads who use them irresponsibly. I remember years ago when the cops were going around confiscating them, and then selling them back to the vendors again, good little racket...

It looks like some bar owners on Soi Honey are going to try that, according to this Facebook post from Ricky of Lips Lounge: I think it's a great idea and hope it catches on...

No great loss to the planet Earth, IMHO...

I used to do all the phone service for a northern mining town that had a very cosmopolitan population - there were people there from all over Europe, many who had become displaced due to WWII and got jobs in this mine after immigrating to Canada after the war and were still there 30-35 years after at that time; my contact at the mine who arranged all the work orders for phones was a woman I got to know quite well and I recall her telling me once that she didn't like Italians very much - apparently when she was younger she worked in a bar and dining lounge back east where her Italian boss would have her go around all the tables at closing time and pick out the maraschino cherries and olives from the empty glasses, and put them back in the containers for the next night's customers...

Yes, they have to be used with care - I had one for a few years but finally had to toss it when the seals failed; I do plan to buy another if/when I can find one. I remember some years ago the cops were running around confiscating them, and then selling them back to the vendors, lol...again, it's not the weapon, it's the asshole using it - some people think it's more fun somehow to aim at people's heads and eyes, which is something I would never do.

In March of 2020 I was staying in View Talay 2A in Jomtien and something happened that blew out the underground power lines into the building and caused a lot of damage to aerial facilities out on the road too - we were without power for over two days there as well - they finally had to cut a bunch of trees down to make way for a new aerial feed into the premises instead. It was a pain in the butt but could have been worse - we had a generator running to provide one elevator and the water was still on; my room was on the windward side so with the doors propped open it was cool enough to sleep at night and I could still shower and wash dishes and I had a headlamp so could still move around and read okay.

A great start to my day today - no water in my wing of the condo building; I'd seen notices of this but the diagram they had seemed to me to indicate a different floor - no such luck, it's been off since 0900 and may be until 1700. I have to say that I'd much prefer a power failure to water failure - I can still shower, use the toilet and wash dishes in poor light; we take these services so much for granted but it's sure an adjustment when we lose them...

There you go - probably seemed like a great idea at the time but years, or decades later, and he is embarrassed by what he has done to himself - I guess if you want to walk around looking like a page torn from a child's comic book, it is up to you but I think it's nuts.

Maybe I am missing something here, but Alaska is many times the size of Tasmania....

How bizarre.

We got shaken around pretty good when the 1964 Alaska earthquake hit - it was a real biggie and did a little property damage where I live but without any injuries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake I was only eight years old so it was quite a novelty watching things moving around in the house. In later years I experienced a couple of earth tremors and found the experience fascinating - once I was in the unfinished basement of our house and you could actually see the concrete walls flex without breaking.

Cold beer and lots of it, and decent shower and A/C when you get home! Woke up yesterday with cold, cough and bad hangover so had a quiet one last night; hangover's gone but the cold lingers, however it's time to get out and get some stuff done. I hate hot weather colds but I seem to catch at least one per extended trip, damned curse...

On the other hand, every day I see guys walking around in this heat wearing black t-shirts and blue jeans, dunno how they can stand it.

Yes, they are beautiful animals; I especially like the Siberian tigers and often wonder what life in my part of North America would be like if they had spread into our continent back in the day, as their modern habitat in Asia is very similar to ours. Pound per pound the leopard is probably the strongest cat out there; you can see plenty of videos on YouTube and reels on FB that show these things climbing trees with antelopes heavier than themselves in their mouths - occasionally the meal will slip from their jaws and they just catch it effortlessly with one paw and keep on climbing up. As an aside, I'd much rather be eaten by a big cat than a bear - big cats always kill their prey before they begin eating, but a bear just starts eating whether you are dead or not...