AmeriThai

12 seems awfully young to be starting in with hormone treatments. Kim Petras is now 16.

So what can I do? Nowadays it is hard to determine whether someone really loves you or not. But maybe I just have to take the risk.... better a failed love then no love at all...any thoughts?

Now you're getting closer to the idea. Love is something that's mutually developed and grows over time between two people. It's a process of exploring the balance give and take between two people that demonstrates the level trust. The more you learn about a person through experience, the better you are able to determine the level of love. Finding the right person requires a willingness to invest a certain amount of trust, but you don't necessarily invest it all at once. You add a little more to the relationship as the bond proves itself and continues to develop. That doesn't mean it's always smooth and perfect. There are ups and downs. Minor differences just show that both partners are individuals with their own unique likes and dislikes but do not disrupt the relationship. Major differences, which may show up early on, could mean it's time to move on and find someone new.

Sometimes when trying to find the right person, it turns out that it just isn't the person you were looking for and its going no where. That's not always a great feeling, but you can learn from the experience of what works and what doesn't. It's not much different than growing up, growing from childhood to adulthood. You have different kinds of relationships along the way with family and friends. Each kind of relationship is different. Some relationships endure and some fade away. It's all a part of the experience of life.

Yes, there are some risks that go along with the search for "the right person". Mostly it's the fear of rejection or disappointment by someone you're attracted to. But life itself is full of risks. I don't think it's necessary to focus on "failed love" of the past. To do so is bound to result in failure from the start. It's better to focus on the objective of looking for the important qualities you and someone else share and have in common, and let it develop on its own. At the same time, if you hold certain unrealistic "standards" too high, then I would think it's likely to fail because you'd always see that the other person never measures up. Keep it real.

It's also reasonable to realize that relationships can be a bit bumpy in the first 5 or so years. But that's all a part of making the adjustment from being single to being in a committed relationship. And ss you continue to learn more about your partner, the relationship can become just as natural as if it has always been that way.

You said earlier that there's no such thing as love, never has been, never will be. That's not true. The problem is trying to define exactly what love is. To me, it's a relationship that involves commitment based on action. My wife and I have been married many years. To me, she's much more than just being my wife. She's also my best friend. And she's proven that to me many, many times. We are together because we care about each other, support each other, and take care of each other. The more years that pass by in our marriage, the more we realize how valuable and important we are to each other. I can look back at all the years we've been together, and feel comfortable and at ease knowing that having her share life together with me was the best choice. She's as much a part of me as my own arm.

Just a few of my thoughts on the subject.

As I said before, the collisions that will potentially create black holes won't take place for a few weeks. September 10 is just when they switch it on, so to speak. They will be sending things around, but no collisions until about October. So, you all have at least 20 days to live.

My understanding is that the collisions that could potentially create mini black holes probably won't happen until next year, maybe Feb or so, when they run the system at or near maximum power. The plan is to gradually increase power over time.

As far as even just small collisions go, they said they would start in a few weeks.

Yes, but probably no mini black holes for a while. I believe in the test runs already done (before the glitch) of shooting particles clockwise, then anti-clockwise, the particles were traveling at near the speed of light. Too bad that wouldn't work for long international flights.

Thank you for the link Maestro. Here's another article about the glitch. The transformer has been replaced and the ring has been cooled down again to near 0 degrees on the Kelvin scale (-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit ).

"This is arguably the largest machine built by humankind..."

"Now that the transformer has been replaced and the equipment rechilled, scientists expect to try soon to tighten the clockwise beam and prepare experiments in coming weeks..."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26780393/

What foreign island lies north of northwestern Venezuela?

Dominican Republic.

Ill du diable.

or, "Devil's Islan?"

I had to cheat and look it up. Devil's Island isn't located north of northwestern Venezuela. It's closer to the central coast.

As for Dominican Republic and Haiti, both occupy the same island, although D.R. is closer in line to being north of northwest Venezuela than Haiti is.

I used translated program 5 years ago but now forgot what program was..

Any using this ?

Not sure, but there was a program called "Universal Translator" that could translate from one language into another. I believe it also contained virtual on-screen keyboards. Translating from Thai>English or English>Thai usually ended up with poor results though. Most of the time the translation didn't make any sense.

I think there are some better translating programs, but they're extremely expensive.

Ruined Ruins

All over the globe, temples, ancient settlements and other artifacts stand as monuments to civilizations past that until now have withstood the tests of time. But the immediate effects of global warming may finally do them in. Rising seas and more extreme weather have the potential to damage irreplaceable sites. Floods attributed to global warming have already damaged a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai, which was once the capital of a Thai kingdom.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/top..._results-1.html

I tried looking at the links, but getting nothing except "Operation Aborted". From the context of your post, it appears you're talking about the historical ruins at Sukhothai. Can you elaborate more on what was said about the global warming related damage to "a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai"?

What foreign island lies north of northwestern Venezuela?

Dominican Republic.

If they're genii, they must grant three wishes at your command. Choose wisely. Otherwise, send them back to the bottle to sleep it off.

First clue is the plead for money. From there, it's an easy click to the spam box.

He's probably overstayed, best thing you can do for the guy is to set the immigration police onto him so he will be repatriated to Ireland...

Have YOU met this guy?

Yeah, where good mates.. I live in the cardboard box next to his..

LOL! But I'll bet he gets pretty territorial when it comes to handouts from passersby.

For some reason (don't know why) I thought your post was from the OP, which made me wonder. My mistake. Evidently my brain was in park at the time. My apologies to you.

I met my wife outside a pawn brokers. She was picking her teeth then she went in and bought them!

Did you sweet talk her with the line:

"Your teeth are like stars.

They come out at night."

...to answer the #1 question so far: Why do I accept them living with us? Answer: I agreed to try it "for a while."

I foresaw this problem coming. The biggest problem with them leaving now is because the son (26), his wife and new baby have nowhere else to live. He works full time (but doesn't make much), is finishing up college, and simply can't afford an apartment yet. Seems like a decent kid, but how would I know? I could put them up in a modest apartment somewhere if that turns out the be the best solution, but I am not Mr. Moneybags and would dip into funds I have planned for my wife and myself.

Trying it "for a while" can quickly turn into trying into forever.

Regarding the 26-year-old son, where would they live if you were NOT in the picture? I don't mean to sound like a hardnose, but I suspect they'd manage to get by, especially since he also works full time. Does he provide money to help with household expenses? He's an adult, not a child. What does he study in college that assures he'll be moving into his own apartment or house shortly after he graduates?

The problem is that it's too easy to get used to (and harder to give up) having someone else as a financial cushion. That goes for other family members as well. I'm not saying their life would be easy, but they'd all still find a way to manage to get by. Once started, there can become less and less incentive for them to want to move out. Sometimes such family members can give an endless set of reasons and excuses to avoid moving out on their own right now and that it's just for a little while longer until they can "get on their feet" which never seems to happen. Sooner or later it could well end up dipping into those funds, little by little, that you have set aside.

You'll need to be able to give them some clear, but non-offensive reasons why they need to move out, in a way that explains their own advantages to do so and doesn't cause any hard feelings. The longer the delay, the more difficult it becomes.

The exception to all this though, is if family members are actualkly pitching in to pool resources and help pay living expenses, and help with ordinary household chores.

One remedy for the westerners that want some privacy, and want to avoid family meddling is to keep a geographical distance. Live with your wife, say, 8 hours away.

Living at least 8 hours away might work -- 8 hours of flight time.

Why the hel_l would anyone recommend the Atlanta Hotel and Soi Cowboy to people in any national newspaper, let alone The Times. Barking mad.....

Maybe he read about it in the LP Thailand Guidebook.

The OP said, "I have picked up some of the language but not much yet, so I don't have a clue about what's being said."

There was a programme on Thai t.v. a few days ago with an ' expert ' on global warming and rising sea levels who reckoned that if you want a sea view condo in about 15 years time you should be looking to move to Saraburi which will be Thailands new beachfront.

That's great to know! We have a house in the province of Sarsaburi. I'm looking forward to it being considered a luxury beach resort.

I don't know why so many posters feel Thais have no idea about the geography where they live. Ask any Thai lady where to buy gold, they can lead you the nearest shop by instinct. It's amazing!

Whats the water going to do, flow uphill? Defy gravity?

No, water doesn't defy gravity. But it does rise up into the atmosphere by the process of evaporation and returns again to the surface in the form of percipitation. The planet is very active and is constantly recycling itself.

My question is, if we are not married at the time of the birth, will this have any affect on wether or not my name goes on the birth certificate? I have seen that the rules have changed for the dependant's visa so it seems like simply having a child here won't take care of my visa problems. I am wondering if there maybe any additional knock-on effects of not getting married prior to giving birth that aren't blatantly obvious.

Your name can go on the birth certificate, even if you aren't married at the time of birth. So, if you've been talking about marriage anyway, what's stopping you?

Has the visa rule changed regarding being needed as a family provider?

Regarding Soi Cowboy, I can see it now.........

"Hey, honey, let's take the kids to Soi Cowboy. Must be like the Western movies."

I think you are right as I hear that you can get some real hard riding in there and occasionally might even come across a real bucking bronco !

Best to leave the kids at home though, and let them find out on their own when they're adults.

I would agree with all of Andrew's suggestions and give him credit for getting The Times to publish it to promote his book.

Agreed that he deserves credit for getting his book promoted by The Times, but most of the rest I disagee with. Admittedly, the Atlanta has a lot of history behind it, and I think the pool was also the first one installed in Thailand, or at least BKK. To me, the food there was so-so. The time I was there the rooms were very shabby and run down, beds infested with bedbugs, and the pool was littered with leaves and debris. Unless its made some major renovations, it's not a hotel I'd rave about and recommend.

Regarding Soi Cowboy, I can see it now.........

"Hey, honey, let's take the kids to Soi Cowboy. Must be like the Western movies."

I don't like some American slang words like "groovy" or "enjoy" ...

"Groovy" has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur, except for retro-views of the 60s and Austin Powers movies.

I am waiting for AWESOME to join the defunct club.

LOL! Yeah, that's another one. Can't wait to see that one become history. No doubt something else will crop up to replace it though.

I'd have to guess something happened to stir the woman to slap the OP. A slap is no fun, but it's not going to kill you either. Best to just leave. If it's a gf or wife, that'd be the end of the relationship/marriage as far as I'm concerned.

Some of those suggestions sounds questionable.

I stayed at the Atlanta one night (albeit years ago). Left the next morning for a different hotel. I sure don't remember seeing any 60-page menus. The rooms were crap with the beds laden with bed-bugs, and the pool was surrounded by a think blanket of mosquitoes (garden looks nice though). When you wanted to go to Suk, it usually meant a long walk (although good exercise) because tuk-tuks were scarce there.

Yes, there are some tuk-tuk drivers who want to pull a scam on you, but most I've come across just take you to where you want to go.

I guess it's best to avoid sleezy Patpong and get some real cultural exposure to Thai life at Soi Cowboy. Or maybe Hicks found Cowboy closer to where he stayed. Seems like Soi Nana is closer to the Atlanta Hotel though.