1FinickyOne

I am so sad reading this... sometimes there is no fair or decent alternative... This could have happened to anyone. I also prefer buying to renting and surely could have fallen into the same predicament. I hope things turn around for you in the future.

I thought the USA is made of people from many faiths... As for me, as long as her work is done in the kitchen, and the house is clean, I don't care what she does in her spare time. [just kidding before you get your undies in a stitch]

Actually, this is what you wrote... I just gave away 10,000 baht to people who have lost wages due to the floods and lack of work.. no particular connection other than I have known them a long time and know they are hurting for money at the moment... this must be really weird for you - I have other neighbors who help people affected by the floods too... At various points in my life, people have helped me out too... usually with information and mentoring but occasionally with money too when I was young and in need. I will never forget their kindness. I am sure others appreciate the gifts I have given today and in the past.

I have been coming here a long time before retiring here. I never heard a government official or anyone promote retirement here because it is cheap... sounds like your mate just talking eh? I enjoy that many things are much cheaper, but I do not expect it or feel it is a guarantee... there are many things that go into the price equation...

Easy - at $4.2 a jar, they might land it at $7-8 and then a 50% mark up as it is probably not a high volume item but they stock it to meet the requests of a few customers. I have never tasted the stuff myself... but when you do the math and figure in their costs of doing business, it doesn't sound that expensive to me..

try some vaseline.

It's called sharing - - Would you fly first class and get your wife/GF a ticket in coach? etc etc... have you never cared about someone and want them to have a better life with more security? Do you not want your GF to have some happiness? {Assuming you can afford it] My wife is happinest when she can help her family live a better life. She is a very kind person. I like when they are all happy too...

I believe this is quite correct - - though I do know people who do not speak well and do fine as their kindness and humor shine through but I also speak Thai and it makes for a different relationship... than many, not all.

When i was a young 1950s innocent kid, my mother would always tell me, someday you will find the perfect person. It took me to one night in college with some experience under my belt to realize that the person would not be perfect, but that we would have interlocking neurosis, and in that way, she would be perfect for me... As to the OP - No No and No... I chose a woman who I like and respect. And I have no interest in trying to control her.

The living? I would start there.

Chevy? You left out Chevy...

Oh, so I should stop sending letters then...

Toyota are reliable and service is good and plentiful

A+ for creativity... but reality? I would challenge you on that one - indistinguishable by skin color alone.

Born to Jewish and Irish parents in Brooklyn NY?? That's pretty white.

Barry Manilow?

what about Woody?

That was the exact wording that came to my mind... Not easy to compare the monetary value of apples and oranges but there is so much more to living here than the cost of visa which you won't have in your home country. So many things are way way cheaper here and probably the more money you have, the more you will be saving.

I have been here for many years and there seem to be times when it was easier and times when it was near impossible. They are concerned that she will remain and work and you cannot guarantee that she won't... What swayed it for us was an interview and a sympathetic interviewer. My GF at the time [now wife] met none of the qualifications but we came across as very honest. Immigration in the USA is a big political issue. I doubt it will be easy maybe not possible. I think rather than deal with the frustrating policies in the best of times, you might wait for a more favorable time.

Yes, corn oil is bad - that was my assumption too...

If he stays in the USA, he will be in jail by 2028

Pants on fire?

Sounds like business as usual... But, not at my bank. I have had the same account for over 20 years and the management knows me and the account is locked down other than our regular transactions.

lady cooks don/t scratch their nuts... mostly... I didn't forget, just didn't mention it along with the inevitable sneeze if they are near cooking nam phrik or basil...

Funny wording, but yes, I have known for many years that I will die in Thailand. The only time I have left in the last 25 years was to visit my elderly parents. They are gone 12 years now and I have not left since then. My family is here. I have no desire to leave them.