RMK54

Although he provided for my mother, me and my six siblings, he was an excessive disciplinarian, using verbal and physical means, to the extreme, to address issues. I am a very disciplined person and have always been as an adult, but decided early on with my children to do neither of those to correct behavior. So, I guess what I learned from him was not to be like him in that way.

Time tells all! I was a workout king for a long time until the grind of life and age started having its affects. Today, I'm 67 with Siatica, warn joints and random aches and pains...thank you Navy! It happened over night. My son, a 20 year retired Marine, told me I needed to workout more. I thought the same thing when I was his age, 43. It hasn't hit him yet, rolling out of bed at 6am with a muscle pull and a knee pain that wasn't there the day before. I think he's soon to be enlightened to the inevitability! Where am I going with this? All these young men and women chasing the scalpel and chemical fountain of youth and beauty will eventually face the aging of time, too. They may try and fight it, but, eventually, their doctor and spa visits will only stretch, pull and change them to a point. Beyond that point, that's when their chase of these fountain of youth elixirs will start making them look less than normal and more like a freak. Accepting themselves as they are, over time, will allow them to age more gracefully and not live to unrealistic expectations that only a psychological change will fix.

You teach, you do not touch! This is someone's child and their responsibility, not the teacher's.

The hypocrisy of this is that Bernie would be the first to criticize a Republican for doing the exact same thing. The initial plan for politicians by our forefathers was that politicians were only supposed to get per diem, not entitlements.

How much could it have cost to pay the fine and have the clamp removed? My policy ... Admit guilt and move on!

If the feelings weren't there to continue on through life's trials and tribulations, it's best to cut loose sooner than later!

Wait a minute. I have traveled around the world and have gone on many excursions where I've paid to watch artisans carve wood, create pottery, and show their abilities to create various items for sale. What I see here is something very similar, except, I can sit and have some coffee. If the individuals on the other side of the glass are getting paid for their efforts, how is this any different from these other locations I've visited? Anyone upset about this is truly virtue signaling. Go ask if those individuals if they care ... probably not!

We have always held hands throughout our marriage. As we've gotten older, although still a sign of endearment for each other, it has also become a method of joint stability, literally! We won't consume the walkways, and break apart when needed, but we're together most any other time. People will just have to sneer at us!

We cruised with Holland America on the Westerdam, we docked at the shipping port Laem Chabang. It is close to Pattaya City; however, if many of the other excursions go north to areas around Bangkok. We did two going north and the bus rides were VERY LONG. A good portion of the routes from that area are not highway. The portion that is highway was bumper to bumper. The ride to and from the sites consumed a good portion of the day. The reason we went north instead of south was that there seemed to be more tourist related things associated to Thailand than a beach with bars would offer. I'm not disparaging that area, I'm just stating my observations as a cruiser being in port for a short time. Stating this, I am applying for a LTR Visa to move to Thailand because we saw there was opportunity for another chapter in life!

So, I did a little language research and the word Farang comes from the word "Frank" used to refer to "Europeans" vis-à-vis "Westerner"(stems from Persian and Greek). Okay, so what! I am a Westerner, born and raised; therefore, I am a Farang. I was in the Navy for a long time, called many things by my friends and those not my friends, it didn't stop me in anything I did in life. So, this guy should get over it and be thankful the Thai people have invited them to THEIR country and they haven't called him anything worse. If he doesn't like it ... Go Home! This Farang will not call anyone anything but friend and offer them a smile.

We're coming (pun) to Thailand, this not on our bucket list!

The food better be very good to make this an issue.

My wife and I are “Westerners”, we are actually coming to Thailand to escape the “Opinion Police”. We live in an area of North Carolina where retirees from the NE USA and W USA left and brought the issues they were escaping from. We loved it when we came here years ago because it was so laid back. I hope we’re not moving from one problem to another. We have lived many places and have learned “While in Rome, do as the Romans do”, we plan to acclimate and let others live their life.

I’m a believer that most dogs are as good as they are treated. However, Pit Bulls have too many strikes against them that eliminates this premise. My wife and I have had an encounter with two loose Pit Bulls that attacked our leashed dog. I don’t have animosity towards the breed, but believe the risks of ownership overshadows the rewards.