Good fake shoes; dealing with girls; alphabet "worm"

The "Nike Air Pegasus Zoom" shoes that I bought in Ho Chi Minh City when my friend Andy visited are knockoffs of the highest quality. I mean they're fake as hell -- most of the swooshes peeled off after a few weeks -- but they're still functioning very well. I've been told by those in the know that knockoffs of this quality are constructed with stolen or "borrowed" Nike materials, assembled who knows where, and sold to morons like me who think they are cheaper, secret stash Nikes. I saw the $28 price tag for the Zooms, which really cost upwards of $120 in the U.S., and I took the bait. As I strolled around in my well-constructed Nike fakes, I thought back to a pair of name-brand shoes sold to me by a co-worker when I first moved here. Those shoes fell apart -- a la Zion Williamson -- when I walked around in them for a week. The salesman apologized, got me another pair that fell apart -- a la Zion Williamson -- after two weeks. That was my last transaction with the co-worker, who is a good guy but felt compelled to make a buck off a newcomer. Money does funny things to people. Not funny ha ha. My wife tried selling Nike shoes online when we first got together, and they also fell apart; people got really mad. I told her to knock it off and forget about money. She listened and now we are happily married. Like I've said before, lots of people have side businesses selling stuff online. I don't buy it, so to speak, and prefer to get ripped off the old-fashioned way in stores tucked away in the alleys of Ho Chi Minh City that sell "real Nikes." But in this rare case, the shoes were high quality for whatever reason and I got a good deal.

* * *

I believe I've learned how to better deal with the two females in my life. First, Joanna. I understand now that Joanna is one of the world's most stubborn and grouchiest people IN THE MORNING. She doesn't pick fights often, but she won't back down from one IN THE MORNING. So, if I yield to her wishes within reason, we have a great day together. I put food and juice and milk out for her when she wakes up,  but I don't make her eat. Sometimes, she'll scream for chocolate if she knows I have a Hershey's Kiss or almond bar, and I'll give her a piece for breakfast. What the heck ... life is short. Oddly, she'll eat the candy and often have some cereal, fruit and yogurt afterward. An easy victory for the diplomatic White Monkey. Sometimes, I was very pig-headed with my kids from my first marriage. But life is journey and we learn as we go. My wife Phuong is trickier, because we both are stubborn and have big egos. These days I've decided to throw myself into chores and tai chi when there's a disagreement -- the chores that I do will usually placate Phuong, and the chi pacifies me. Everybody's a little happier and everybody gets along splendidly. Good times for the meditative White Monkey.

* * *

A teacher I know, Bronwyn, suggested a wonderful activity for our daycare kids. It's an alphabet worm; kids paint paper plates, color letters, and the letters are pasted on the plates, which are then taped to the wall forming a "worm." Our worm became a centipede/caterpillar (I sort of copied Bronwyn's) and the kids and parents loved seeing the letters/caterpillar/centipede/creature on our wall. One mom said, "It's beautiful." We have seven kids, including Joanna, and four participated in the process with a little prompting, one needed significant prompting, and two didn't get it. Not bad, really, for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children. I'm waiting for Bronwyn's next suggestion.

* * *

I'm dealing with some pretty serious sciatica pain, which leads me to think that my motorbike wrecks have finally caught up with me. I can still chi, which is good, but sometimes the pain is distracting, which is bad. I'm reluctant to seek medical help here, but may try acupuncture or a decent massage, as opposed to an indecent massage. We'll see. I have to do something because I'm no longer No. 1 in the family tennis rankings. Now that really hurts.

Pneumonia, driving, tragedy, friends step up

My dry cough persisted for three days in Delaware and Ohio, and my ex-wife insisted I visit the MinuteClinic at CVS Pharmacy. I followed her advice and was diagnosed by the MinuteClinic doctor with pneumonia. It makes sense since the cough was uncomfortable and I've been "under the weather" for a while. The doctor prescribed rest, which is my forte, and gave me six pills. She told me to avoid contact with people for 48 hours so I don't spread the pneumonia. Typhoid Mary ... meet ... Pneumonia John. The doctor also advised me to try to force myself to cough to break up the phlegm. It's been a slog, to be honest. I'm running a mild fever, as if I need to be any warmer, but otherwise I feel pretty much like I usually do -- tired, miserable and angry. The pneumonia didn't alter my schedule in the U.S. and I drove around the northeast, which is one of my least favorite pastimes. I went through Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey (right across the Hudson River from New York City). My toughest drive was from Ohio to New Jersey; it took more than 10 hours due to accidents and a thunderstorm as I approached Newark, N.J. 
My lawyer canceled our lunch meeting, which was fine with me because it saved me a drive to Cleveland while in recovery mode. I drove past my house in Yellow Springs, and it looks fine other than the fact it needs a little landscaping love. I arrived in Yellow Springs on the downside of pneumonia, but folks were understandably concerned that they could catch pneumonia from me (WMP -- White Monkey Pneumonia). They could. And unlike some folks, I believe in full disclosure.
The internet wasn't working at my motel, which in a way was nice, but I had to go into town and use free WiFi at the coffee shops to talk with my wife and see my daughter on Skype. I met the fiance of one of my sons, and she's beautiful, bright and engaging. I'm so happy for both of them.

* * *

I was in Columbus, Ohio, at my friend John's when the mass shooting took place in Dayton, Ohio. John recently moved from Dayton, and I would stay at his place there when I visited in the past. I saw the news early in the morning on a friend's Facebook post, and I woke John up. It's difficult to describe the emotions you feel when you hear news like this -- shock, sadness, anger at the situation, and eventually hope. My sincerest sympathies to all the victims, their families and friends.
The U.S. needs larges doses of hope at this time. People seem divided along racial lines, political lines, religious lines, and financial lines.

* * *

Phuong and I are optimistic about her chances to get a visa to come to the United States. I am slightly less enthusiastic about going "home" given the state of the nation and its leadership, but I know our daughter would be more comfortable in the U.S. because she primarily speaks English and it's not as hot as it is in Vietnam.

* * *

 I understand people are nice and creepy everywhere -- they were especially creepy behind the wheel of a car in New York and New Jersey, honking at you as soon as the red light you were stopped at turned green, or honking at you if you actually stopped at a stop sign, or honking at you when you slowed down on very narrow and crowded streets to look for a parking space. But I found that most of the people, especially in Ohio, were very friendly and polite. It's the same in Vietnam -- I've encountered the wonderful and the weird.

* * *

I'm finishing up the U.S. visit at my brother's house in Purcellville, Virginia, relaxing, losing to my brother in tennis and getting my health back. I want to thank all the people who took the time to see me and help me recover, the people who gave me a place to stay, and the people who were just plain nice and accommodating. There's Ron, Andy, Jane, Tommy, John, Robyn, Lynda, Fred, Candace, Jack, Iris, Tom. Thanks for the food, the place to stay and for being good humans. If I left anyone out, I apologize. You know who you are and what you've done. Thanks one more time. And of course I can't wait to get back to Vietnam to see my incredible wife Phuong and daughter Joanna, the people who bring joy not just to me, but to everyone around them.