March continues dirty...

Topic: Southeast Asia field-burning season

I remember this day. It was not a good air day.

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I watched a dinosaur run across our front lawn today...

But I did not take any photos. I could have, especially during the hour or more that I watched him on the trunk of the rose bush. At first, it seemed like he may have been waiting for the 16:45 sprinklers so that he could take a shower. But, as it turns out, he didn't like the water. After a few minutes of being sprayed, he jumped off the rose bush onto the lawn. 

I neglected to mention his name. He was กิ้งก่า / Ging Ga. As an English name, let's call him the Oriental Garden Lizard, as Wikipedia does. Color-wise, Ging Ga has some chameleon-functionality. Camouflaged a gray color to blend in with the rose bush trunk, I nevertheless saw plenty of red on his back. Noted, too, was the Mohawk haircut (not really hair...) running down the back of his neck and lower back. 

He hit the lawn, and he took off running--standing up. He looked like a small-scale dinosaur as he made great time to the safety of some other bushes. I should like to see Ging Ga run again. It is very fun to watch. I'm sure there are other creatures out there, not just Ging Ga, who think the same of me. 

Photo of กิ้งก่า / Ging Ga on a private website about Thai national parks. 

US$ 225 to breathe safely indoors.

Most days, it's not possible to breathe safely outdoors for three or four months every year (December, January, February, March), but it's often not safe to breathe indoors either. Hence, the need for air purifiers. 

Sure, fixing the root cause of the problem would be the way to go, but that's not how it works here. I believe the idea is that if you deny the existence of a problem strongly enough, it will cease to actually exist.

At any rate, we just paid US$ 225 in order to breathe safely indoors. This is our first air purifier, but not our last. In addition to this one in the living room, we'll need at least two more for bedrooms.

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Lizard Tail.

It will grow back, but it won't be as good as the original. Kind of the way I feel about every single time I've let the doctors conduct experiments on me.

20240304

Back in the saddle again.

You get to a point where you simply have to exercise regardless of air quality or weather conditions. Tonight could have been worse for the first ride in 11 days. 

"Move it, or lose it." I believe in the concept greatly, but I'm violating it regularly now in the heavy air pollution season. Something needs must change...

AQI of 90 might not seem too bad.

But if you look at PM2.5, it's kind of depressing.

Maybe I did more harm than good with this exercise?

I can handle 29 degrees at 70% humidity.

It's when the humidity gets up above 85% that I start tapping out.

11 or 12 days between bicycle rides.

Not good.

The gray haze.

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Locked in...

One good thing about being locked indoors by air pollution is that you get some paperwork chores done. I mean, what else are you going to do? You're locked in.

Tonight, I completed two 2023 tax year FBARs (Foreign Bank Account Report) and submitted a request for a VA home loan certificate of eligibility. If the air pollution continues at these hazardous levels, my 2023 taxes will get done--I hope. The FBARs were a good start.

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The bright side of life.

Like Monty Python sang, "Always look on the bright side of life."

One good thing about air pollution, despite the risk of stroke, dementia, and eye disease, is some beautiful sunsets.

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Temperature not too bad at 29 degrees.

AQI not so good at 126...

For air pollution, you need a KN95 mask.

A standard KF94 Covid mask won't do.

Always look on the bright side of life

Grateful for marginal air quality: I ride again.

When the air is consistently hazardous, one is grateful for days when the air is somewhat less hazardous. With a marginal AQI (Air Quality Index) reading of 67, I went for it. Maybe I've slightly increased my chances of stroke, dementia, and eye disease, but at least I won't be going crazy today. This was the first bicycle ride possible in 12 days.

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Our biggest tree is laden with flowers.

I don't remember so many nice orange flowers last year. Looking very good this year.

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