Just this one time for Christmas (until the next time...).

When I first saw the quality fruitcake at Central Plaza a couple of weeks ago, I looked at the price and walked on. Today, I looked a bit closer. They still had the big fruitcakes for USD 35. But I found a smaller (410 gram) iced fruitcake for USD 17. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to try it out, but sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today... (It's no wonder I am Fat Bastard...) In my defense, I did a pretty decent bicycle ride earlier this evening.

20221212-2018 edit: This UK fruitcake is very different than the fruitcakes I was accustomed to in California. One thing is certain: It will have to be consumed with coffee or tea. It does not taste right without.

20221212

The lake at Suranaree University of Technology

Just after you enter the SUT (Suranaree University of Technology) campus via gate 1, there is a very nice lake.

It has occurred to me recently, after not driving a car for a year, that I need to maintain my driving skills in case of an emergency. On this day, at the parking lot for this lake, I felt it--just like Jack Black having to take a solo in School of Rock. I got behind the wheel--on the right-hand side of the car, mind you--and drove around that beautiful campus for a while. My biggest issue was the same issue my partner had when she first switched over: I kept turning on the windshield wipers, the control for which is exactly where the turn signal control is in American cars.

I kept the rule, Do Not Hit or Be Hit, and the driving felt good. I shall do it again and again there--I hope...

20221210

December full moon visit to Wat Sala Loi.

After witnessing the brilliant full moon of December, it was time for another visit to วัดศาลาลอย / Wat Sala Loi. As always, there were bright colors in abundance. 

ป้า พร / Aunt Pohn was our wonderful neighbor when we first moved here. She has crossed over to the other side. It's fair to say that she was the primary thought on this visit, but something about Wat Sala Loi causes a greatest hits track of those who have gone before to play in my head. It's a good thing, though. When I come out of there, I feel very clearly my responsibility to live each and every day to its fullest. Those who have gone before me insist upon it.

20221209

I find myself sitting in salas.

As was the case at the temple in Sacramento, I can often be found sitting in various ศาลา / salas. Here's one at สระธรรมขันธ์ / Taamakan Pond. There was a guy fishing there when I arrived, so it does look promising as a potential fishing spot. It might be possible to sit in the sala while watching one's pole. We shall see.

20221208

Eating rancid walnuts: It only took me six to eight months to realize...

It turns out that eating rancid walnuts does, in fact, cause significant gastrointestinal distress. In the dry (most of the year) climate of California's Central Valley, I never imagined a rancid nut of any kind. Here in the hot, humid climate of Thailand, there is definitely a short shelf life for walnuts. From now on--after I throw away my remaining stock--I will be keeping my walnuts in the refrigerator.

The bright side of this affair, months of eating rancid walnuts, is that I now clearly recognize the smell of rancid walnuts. Safety first.

Hammock made of bamboo sections. Good for photo taking. Not good for sleeping.

This hammock made of bamboo sections looks nice.

It works well for sitting on to have your photo taken.

But for sleeping? No way.

It folds you in the middle.

Maybe the ropes could be adjusted so it doesn't sag so much?

Some nice koi fish, including some yellow ones I don't often see.

20221204

View from the gas station rest stop restaurant.

20221204

A quad of toad frogs.

Not just one or two or three, but a grand total of four toad frogs tonight. I suspect there is something going on in Toad World, but I'm not sure exactly what. You can be sure that as a conscientious retiree, I will continue to monitor the toad frog situation closely.

20221207

Let's put our processed food substances in a nice package and sell it as a holiday gift.

You can put Oreos and Ritz crackers in a nice package. You can then sell that package as a Christmas gift. But doing so does not change the fact that this stuff is not fit for human consumption. 

They may get away with this gift package idea here. I don't think it would fly in the United States, where people recognize these cookies and crackers as the crap, processed food substances that they are.

20221202

A very large snail travelling at a relatively fast pace.

I regret that there is nothing in this video to give you a sense of scale in order to see how large this snail actually is. You would not want to step on one of these.

20221201