cobra

I prefer the term satchel, as in the military satchel Indiana Jones wore to carry maps and other in Raiders of the Ark,

PSA increases with age, if you're in late late 60's, or in your 70's you'll see an elevation, especially with BPH, Doesn't mean you necessarily have prostrate cancer, but in all likely hood you problem will or already have a slow developing form. Many physicians will tell you you're more likely to die with prostrate cancer then of it. Heart disease, stroke or something else will likely take you out first.

Tipping in the USA essentially is built-in for service industries as they're usually receiving minimum wage, which clearly is insufficient to completely support one's needs so tips help fill the gap.. The IRS even assumes a component of their income will be from undisclosed tips and are taxed on it. I agree with the poster who said tipping here is more about sharing than gratuity. It has usually not been my experience that a received tip has not been appreciated.

There is no spoon ...

Again, never be worth more dead than alive,

That's the problem when you go low bid, lol, Not saying that was the issue here, get a good contractor that does quality kitchen / bath remodeling, have them re-do, anything will be an improvement, good luck.

The point is, that in an age difference where the Thai spouse or other is assumed to be much younger, the older partner will eventually need to be taken care of physically is also something to think about. Would a much younger person be up to changing diapers on their older non-Thai spouse or would they bail. Read the title of this thread if you're confused.

Lenovo makes more PC's and digital products than Dell and Apple combined and they are generally of fair quality with a reasonable price-point. A quality HDD can last for years and be the better value for large storage applications and where speed isn't critical.

I think the real issue is, can a relationship with a significant age difference even sustain itself, as it is an eventuality that the vagaries of age will certainly manifest in one form or another, be it dementia, heart disease, stroke, etc. Would a Thai spouse wish to take that on, could they even do it ? I suppose if the revenue stream is ample enough, maybe they'll farm you off to another family member to care for you, or maybe you'll find yourself alone and discarded. Not an enviable position to be in at that age.

David Crosby said it best, in the end, time is the final currency, As many have said, it's not what you've done, but what you didn't, If I'm learning anything, it's better to go out with as little regret as possible, So I'm trying to say yes more than I say no. (per the Yes Man movie, Jim Carrey)

Hope they leave the Monitor lizards and turtles alone, they're the main attraction.

Populations in first world countries are living longer, 70 has been the the new 60 for a while, now it could be considered the new 50. There are valid reasons one would wish to continue working, maybe they enjoy what they do, maybe money isn't an issue. Health issues aside, reaching a certain age should not dictate you're done. I do understand the bane of a soulless 8 to 5 existence, consigned to do your time until retirement. For others it may be a joy to feel useful or to provide a needed skill in whatever capacity. At the end of the day each to their own.

Very true, Real estate in the west is at an all time high and shows no sign of slowing, It's a two edged sword, yes there's money to be made selling, but if you have to buy again up the road road you probably won't be able to replace what you had at a similar price, if at all. A very tough decision to make but I think I would hold on to my ship in a storm.

Indeed, from what I've heard most pre-nups are easy to break and are anything but iron-clad to the point many lawyers do not recommend them, but rather would prefer other strategies to shield and protect assets. A competent lawyer will calm client didn't have capacity to understand document, was under duress, etc.

Too bad you didn't have time to visit Angkor Wat Temple complex in Siem Reap.

It may have originated in Ibiza, but it caught on in Thailand very quickly, talking about Beach Chill, Deep Couch Chill, you know the genre. Continually playing at any little beach bar, very cool, boot-leg cd's of same always being sold near by. Then it was House music, ala the Green Mango in Samui, Then Rap, then Hip Hop, that's just the nature of music and the youth who make it their own at that time in their lives. I personally miss Motown, Archie Bell and the Dells, "Tighten Up" , James Brown, 'Cold Sweat", Smokey Robinson, "Ooh, Baby, Baby", and yes, the greatest band of all times IMHO, say it with me, the Beatles ;0)

There will be some new terms to get use to thanx to the pissing match between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates when they were both writing the native software for both platforms. Microsoft copy-righted and trade-marked a lot of the simple command protocols you are used to. In the Apple sphere you don't have short-cuts, you have aliases, you don't copy, you duplicate, etc, seems silly but you'll get use to it. Apple products do have great form factors and are generally very high quality, thus you'll pay for that. Also, you can partition the drive and still run Windows along side Apple OS as others have mentioned. You'll want to install the "Parallels" software which will allow to conveniently run both systems at the same time on your MacBook. Another thing to consider is Macs come pre-loaded with all the software apps you'll probably need. So there's very little else you'll need to purchase.

Most hotel balcony railings in Thailand are ridiculously short, to the point I don't even venture out on to the deck. Discounting anything nefarious, alcohol, plus short railed balconies can be a recipe for disaster.

Yes indeed, completely agree. As one ages you tend to sleep less, for better or worse. I also seldom sleep for more than four hours, I've determined there can be 4 hours of sleep, or there can be 4 hours of quality sleep. Like a previous poster mentioned, a very dark room can help, and I would add it should be on the cool side and above all quiet. I've found it also helps to maintain a fairly adhered to schedule of going to sleep and awakening. At the end of the day I'm not going to radical change my life style for the hope of a few more hours of sleep. Quitting coffee, not going to happen, Quitting alcohol, forget about it, Walking on a treadmill, ah, I walk plenty off a treadmill getting to where I need to go, Taking sleep meds and the problems that may cause, hard pass. As the adage goes, there'll be plenty of time to sleep when you're dead,

Ultimately, it will come down to two scenarios. One: Your dead, from there the point is moot. You need not be responsible beyond the grave. They were surviving before you, they'll survive after you. At this point it's just who gets your assets. By hook or crook, things will be sorted out one way or another, but a proper Will should be all that's necessary. Two: Your alive but incapacitated. This is where a Living Will is extremely important. Tape it to the frig, keep it on you, whatever, but you want the hospital to know clearly your preferences straight off. If living in a vegetative state, minimal quality of life, doesn't sound attractive to you then indicate clearly, DNR, (do not resuscitate). Here's where a forceful medical advocate will be advantageous, and is what you need to communicate to your mate. The hospital is a business, they're looking to generate $, by keeping people in beds and performing procedures is how they make it. As far as providing contingencies to your mate, such as access to accounts, contacts, etc, if you're concerned about her well being, then you'll grant access to the above. A simple document with pertinent info should suffice, on a flash drive, a PDF, etc, located somewhere secure that she's familiar with. Communicate your wishes and general instructions often. And as mentioned, make sure she or another, clearly understands your preferences and location of your Living Will so it can be presented to the hospital in a timely manner if incapacitated by stroke, heart attack or accident.

That is a good point, When annoyance progresses to aggravation, on to frustration, some hard decisions will have to be made, Whether you decide to circle the wagons or retreat to something more familiar, at some point we just want to age in place as comfortable as safely as we can, Thousands of miles away from one's safe harbor may not be the best choice for some.

You're confused, you're thinking of a mini-bike, which in most states does not require a drivers license, hence popular with kids, A motor bike is simply a smaller motor cycle, most can comprehend the distinction. Maybe some dementia meds to go along with your mobility scooter good sir.

Sounds delightful, hard pass, though could be the place to be for a gigolo.

A motor bike yes, but if a mobility scooter, you 've waited to long to leave,

Actually in this day and age that's not a lot, Many over a life time of working have accumulated at least that amount and more. Any opportunity to negate some of the onerous visa process could be attractive to some.