55Jay

Shopping...that's another thing about the US we enjoy - wife in particular, especially in "vacation mode".  Even I enjoy a good wander around evil Walmart and supermarkets, we must look like weirdos perving over real cuts of beef and fat, country style pork ribs, cheese and wine.   

My Mom introduced us to a small chain in San Diego area called "GTM".  http://www.gtmstores.com/coupons/     What a fantastic place, if you're ever in the San Diego county area, recommend you take a peek, see what they've got going on at the time. 

They collect all sorts of unsold stock from main stream stores and warehouse/outlets, Ross, Costco, etc..  Being the consummate anti-shopper,  I had to be dragged there the first time but my eye balls fell out at the prices and "real" sales on top of that - Union Bay shorts for $7-$12, Calvin Klein and Greg Norman cool/wicking golf style polo shirts for $10,  Cooke Street and Tommy Bahama stuff for $14-$16,  "Flojo" sandals for $7.   I don't care much about "brands" but this was quality gear, not defective rejects, honest to god value for money so we jumped on it.  Was in there for 3 hours, did a full Thailand appropriate wardrobe reset and have visited every time we go back since.   We don't do that here, maybe the occasional look in at 77 Exports or an outlet but generally speaking, we top up in the States and bring it back. 

1 hour ago, Strange said:

 

Coors light..... In a cooler full of ice..... Fishing for redfish in pristine flats with no trash, tourists, touts, pollution.... Coming home all sunburnt and having fresh fish with more beer.... Achieving a full day of independence without hearing a single "YOU YOU" "FARANG" or the locals giggling at you wondering if the "farang" is capable of anything in Thailand because "This is Thai-lan"

There is that.  I know my way around, been here 4 years but my wife still worries about me going out alone here.  It annoys me A LOT but I get it.  

In the US, sure, I'm more comfortable and independent there.  No slight against Thailand, just the way it is.  My Mrs. gets a little cagey in the US but she's confident, excellent driver right or left hand drive, stick, auto, doesn't matter.  Last time back, after she'd gotten some stick time, I put the phone on the dash, turned on the Navigator and sent her out for some "alone" time.  She loves Ross and bargain places like that, and I just suck at mindless wandering around stores and malls.

Food not a major factor for me but sure, when I go to Murica, I indulge because it is not available here where we live, certainly not in the form and quality I enjoy.   Same as any other nationality might do if they live abroad and go "home" for visits.  Thankfully my Mrs. is a star in the kitchen, I'm on roughly 60% Thai food which I enjoy, no problems at all, the rest is different kinds of farang food.   If we were in the US living normal day to day life, we would be about the same I imagine but every now and then.....gotta hit a Roberto's and tuck into big ole sloppy carne asada burrito.

^ +1, Vern's a pretty neat guy, loves the snakes. 

I've had a few goldens around and once in the house.  Last one was about a month ago, on top of the tall driveway gate.  I didn't see it up there but when I started sliding the gate open, something fell from above my head, glanced off my right shoulder, bounced off my arm, and landed next to my foot.  Happened so fast, I found myself looking down at this snake, which I recognized right away as a golden.  It sat there dazed for a second then it shot off into the garden like greased lighting.  Gone! 

9 minutes ago, Johnniey said:

Gender Dysphoria is a term they don't like as it is a mental disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association. 

Believe the current effort is to unwind that association.  The medical community made it up and it was ok for a while until the stigmatized said it made them feel more stigmatized. 

18 hours ago, JAFO said:

Don't forget the 32 oz soda with free refills. LOL!!!! 

 

Its a weird deal in the US. sometimes. If they were to serve you the proper healthy portion size, people would complain big time saying they are getting ripped off and business would go belly up. But serve a 2lb burrito loaded with guacamole and sour cream for $7 bucks and people will chat you up big time on every food app in town and people will eat all 2lbs of it in one sitting.

 

People are overweight in the US because they eat highly processed foods, exercise very little and stress a lot. Explains why bypass surgery is almost an outpatient process now. LOL!!!

I blow up like a balloon during trips back to the US.  I let myself go and indulge for maybe the first 2 weeks, sampling all my favorites - Carl's Jr., various "Mexican" fast food joints, Denny's for breakfast, Butcher Shop prime rib, Coor's Light, Dos Equis beer.  It's wonderful but man, I feel it packing on in almost real time. 

Takes me about 2 months to re-regulate when we return to LOS, replacing Fritos and bean dip with fresh fruit and vegetable snacks.  Get out and perspire heavily in the heat/humidity doing the daily garden chores, can almost feel the sludge oozing out of me that first week back.   Ugh!

Roads with 1 to 3 numbers seems to be maintained a bit better.  The small 2 laners, often 4 number designations, can be like the surface of the moon. 

Into another one by Wilbur Smith.

Vast majority of young people don't know who KC and the Sunshine band are. 

But I don't slag them off for not being intellectually curious or open to the past, and how it shaped the present they live in. 

23 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

I don't lump guys of any age into any one basket...young or old

I know guys over 65 who speak Thai and don't live in the past...they adapt and participate and are keen for new experiences...that's the norm.

Yet some guys come here and refuse to take on anything new...why?

 

The norm, according to who?  Who made that rule up and shoved it in your head? 

The vast majority of the world lives and dies in the same place. 

OP seems to have an old guy fetish, obsessing over their lives and habits.  There's probably a fancy term for it in psychology text books but laymen just call it weird and partially dysfunctional.   

If you're using stodgy old guys as your litmus test benchmark, then mate, you need to do a serious self-assessment and raise the bar.  Them old boys are just living out their lives the way they want to.  You would do well to take their example, and just get on with yours.... and quit obsessing over theirs.

Who is this Gerry chap you are all referring to? 

Is it the obscure EU blue blood who's taken up residence near Chiang Rai, lording it over the petite brown skinned subjects?

The PM addressed this once quite a while back, I think the governors and various Amphurs were supposed to assess all the level crossings within their jurisdictions.   Some time passed and there was another rash of train/car/human accidents and the PM assigned the Ministry of Health to address the issue nation-wide. 

Suppose you can put up barriers, flashing lights and sirens, signs, and still.....some bright spark will disregard, or just get themselves into a bad spot.

Just now, Johnniey said:

I can guarantee that if a normal member posted this it would be locked.

Well, the anti-Thai bashers must be enjoying an article that generalizes the elderly farangs in an unfair, negative way....   Turn about is fair play?  Hence the disjointed click bait title, perhaps intended to illicit the hypocrisy.   Not terribly clever, but seems to be working. 

Except Mr. Transam. He's more clever than the fox who dunnit. 

Yes.  It was painfully slow last night.  Better today.

What a clumsy, stupid article.  The title is total click bait.  Seems to be working. 

Who the he!! is this "gerry" person anyway?  Is it that gerry from the Thailand Elite Visa threads?

I used to do solo day trips in my Jeep down the coast from Tijuana to Ensenada, cut East through the mountains and wine country, then re-enter the US via the small, quiet Tecate border station. 

Decided to stay the night once at the golf country club resort on the outskirts of Tecate, and drove into town that evening.   Not much going on so I wandered into a small local, leaned on the bar supping a cold Tecate beer when in walks a sharp looking dude dressed in western/cowboy style clothing, expensive Stetson hat, big pistol holstered on his trouser belt.  Figured him for a Federale, and he had a couple rough looking guys and a beautiful female with him.  I'm not squeamish about firearms, I own several (in the US) but in a bar, over the border, at night..... yeah, definitely caught my attention.  They started in on a bottle and beers, doted over by the bar staff, so I had one more and got the hell outta there.  Didn't want to be the only gringo in sight when they got into the fire water.  Some of the cops here remind me of that kind of macho swagger.   Alcohol can certainly bring out the beast.

18 hours ago, Nice Boyd said:

Can I bring my Blu Ray player to Thailand and it will work, Thanks

Not sure about regional protection settings for the discs themselves (noticed this on DVDs), but for power/electric, look on the device for the input ratings to make sure it's multi-system for either 110v and 220v.  Might even say 120~230v. 

On 9/24/2016 at 11:58 AM, jcgodber said:

This is what I brought to Thailand

SHIPPING INVENTORY

<snip full list>

 

Deja vu!    I remember talking to you here on TVF 4 years ago when I was debating about how to approach our shipment.  You tipped the scales on helping me just say "screw it", and we packed that sucker to the gills!  We even went shopping and bought all sorts of new stuff, canned/bottled goods, the whole 9 yards.  

Just now, Jingthing said:

No, but it is an affectionate nickname. As Obama said, she's likable enough. I loved her on Between 2 Ferns! 

Funny, I just watched that one last night on YT and then binged on others I hadn't seen. 

Mostly actors but wow, HRC seemed so natural acting like a stone faced uppity bitch.   Obama did a great job, but it was clear he was acting. 

Short read about Leavenworth. 
Doesn't sound like a hard core supermax, but it can be, depending on an inmate's classification. 

Trying to kill yourself would, of course, be a game changer.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0822/Leavenworth-prison-What-will-it-be-like-for-Bradley-Manning

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

If Hill is bull crap trump is nuclear powered bull crap.

Do all Hillary Clinton's internet groupies and besties in the inner circle call her "Hill"?    

1 hour ago, PoorSucker said:

 

It's a Thai place, tourists do not go there.

I'll take your word for it, but the Nation article said tourists.  Could mean from another part of Thailand I suppose. 

I watched the video.  His wife either didn't know he had a gun, or did and was trying to deescalate the cops.....who already knew he did have a gun.  She was saying, "Keith, don't you do it!  Don't you do it!".  Do what?  She knew, and she knew his criminal history too.  He was in the truck, cops wanted to break the windows and pull him out because he wasn't complying.  In the few seconds the camera was pointed down to the ground, he was out of the truck and on the ground in front of the patrol car.  He charged at them?  Stills show a pistol on the ground near his body.

Be interesting to find out how and why the cops came to contact him when they were there for someone else.  The unmarked Suburban must be the U/C unit.

6 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

Ok.  So then there's not a "deeper" association  that I had somehow conjectured in my mind.  Certainly, there's a lot to learn here and I'm merely trying to become grade school functional over time.  I'm marrying a Thai lady and she's functional in English, so I think it's my duty to make a serious effort to learn her language.  I am sure that there's a lot more to this than I'll ever learn.  

 

Thanks guys.  I did buy a conversational Thai course.  I'd like to be able just to have a basic conversation with her family, who have all been awesome and really bend over backwards making me feel welcome.   It just seems unseemly to learn the language without the alphabet.  And so I begin my attempt to learn the language.   

I'm right there with you.  Anticipated starting a group course this month but the folks who signed up were already somewhat conversant, so looks like I'll start with private lessons, then hopefully join a group later.   I can parrot some words and phrases but I want to start at the beginning and get a decent foundation.