No news seems like good news these days

 I met an American teacher in a coffee shop this past week, and our conversation turned to politics, coronavirus, and turmoil in the United States. We agreed the news has been a bummer lately. Everyone knows the score: a president who won't commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses; unfounded accusations of mail-in voting fraud; a Supreme Court about to become a bastion of conservatism for the next 30 years or so; the downplaying of the coronavirus despite the death of more than 200,000 Americans; the refusal of many Americans to wear a face mask despite those deaths; tensions with China; climate change rejection; blah, blah, blah.  It's outrageous and serious stuff, but one of those weird coincidences occurred when we both said almost at the same time we've taken a couple of days off from watching the news just to clear our heads. For someone like me -- with addiction issues and OCD tendencies -- it might be just what the doctor ordered, so to speak. The same day I talked to the teacher my absentee ballot arrived by email from the Greene County Board of Elections. The lady I've worked with there to get my ballot has been professional and courteous. Well, as I looked over the ballot, I felt for that moment that maybe I could have a small impact. I sure hope so because we need a change. We didn't even talk about the president's taxes, since that story broke a couple of days later.

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Our son Elijah has developed a short, snapping, left hook to go with his overhand right. My glasses have been knocked off my face several times and he nearly knocked a cup of hot coffee out of my hand. He'll roll back to front but still doesn't go front to back. As noted before, he hates being on his back and we block his turnovers when he sleeps with pillows and a stuffed shark and alligator. Or maybe it's a crocodile. Regardless, he'll force the issue and work his way to his belly. Of course, we worry. We worry about everything (remember my OCD tendencies.). It's no different with Joanna. Kids give you plenty to fret about.

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My luck continues with lottery tickets. I hit another ticket (for chump change) this week, ticking off my wife. But four tickets of chump change is worth about $30 U.S., which is, well ... still chump change. I believe my ship will come in one day -- the Titanic.

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In "Digger World" on the clever children's cartoon Peppa Pig, there are two characters – Mr. Potato and Mr. Bull – who readily recite the mantra of the true digger: "Building things up and knocking them down ... it's all part of the fun in Digger World."  I always think of Digger World when I walk in Bien Hoa. A building goes up for a fancy restaurant, the restaurant fails and three months later, the building is completely torn down and a new building almost always goes up in its place. The noise and construction dust this cycle of construction creates is staggering. I mention this because the hotel/motel behind us is being knocked down, creating noise and dust pollution beyond our wildest nightmares, but I guess it's all part of the fun of living in Digger World. The "diggers" here are under contract so work will start 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday, whenever, and continue until dark or a little beyond.

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Our son Elijah got his passport, so if we send all of our passports to the embassy we should be able to get our visas to come to the U.S. We'll wait  until after the election to decide what to do.

Missions accomplished: Hospital, embassy trips successful

We made a trip to the International Hospital in Bien Hoa last week, and the results were more than satisfactory.  I'm still a decaying old man, unfortunately, but the hospital staff took care of my needs politely, efficiently, and effectively. I got an eye exam, drops for my glaucoma and a cyst removed from my back ... all in less than three hours and for an extremely reasonable $129, including post treatment meds. I've had unusual experiences at this hospital in the past -- a staffer wondered aloud if I had cancer for what turned out to be gall stones, a doctor asked me if the nurse treating me was pretty, and my wife Phuong was incorrectly diagnosed with rubella when she was pregnant with Joanna. But all is well now after last week's visit. Health care here is dealt with on the spot, from what I can gather. If the expense is going to be significant, like with Phuong's pregnancies and C-sections, insurance is purchased before the expensive treatments begin. At least that's my interpretation of events. The Vietnamese language remains out of reach for me even after nearly eight years here, so it's difficult for me to get a thorough and accurate account of things. I do know that my hospital trip went smoothly because my wife was with me to interpret and guide me through the process. I've begun looking into purchasing U.S. health care for my wife and two children. We must be covered when we arrive in the U.S., or maybe we have a small window of time. That's why I'm looking into it.
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Our trip to the embassy for our son Elijah's passport application was smooth but pretty long -- nearly three hours. The embassy employee clearly appreciated our preparation, but there's a daunting amount of paperwork. Anyway, once the little guy's passport arrives, we'll surrender all of our passports to the embassy where they will be stamped for travel to the U.S. ... and off we go. Maybe. We'll make a firm decision after the election. We don't want to enter chaos, especially with two little ones. Also, we're not sure what the school situation will be like when we arrive. Of course we'll check all this stuff out, but there's a lot to check out. I enjoy going to the embassy in Ho Chi Minh City because we stop at the Coffee Bean, which sells bagels and cream  cheese, which I haven't found in Bien Hoa. Just as well, I guess, since I'm overweight due to lack of sleep and lack of exercise ... but not a lack of eating. I do most of the cooking while Phuong takes care of Elijah and I've become enamored with butter. Buttered toast, butter on potatoes, butter instead of cooking oil and buttered popcorn. I couldn't find butter here the first three or four years, but now there's imported New Zealand butter. I'm making up for lost time. I always load up on stuff like peanut butter, cheese, butter and yogurt when we go to the big supermarket since it's a bit of a hassle to go across town in a taxi. Cheese and peanut butter are not popular here, but readily accessible, which only adds to my girth. 

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I was sitting on our third floor balcony reading (281 straight days of reading, according to Kindle) when the legs of my chair "exploded" ... KABOOM!.  I was on the ground before I had any idea what had happened and my left hip and elbow were in serious pain. I know I'm a fat ass, but I've sat in this chair for years. There were no sounds of splitting or breaking, just KABOOM. I was stunned, and looked up and saw my wife and daughter Joanna. They rushed upstairs when they heard the loud KABOOM and Joanna asked: "What happened?" Good question. My theory is that the chair went inside to an air conditioned room for the first time in a long time that week, then came outside in the grueling heat, expanded and KABOOM. Like a potato in the microwave that isn't punctured. Joanna said "Poor daddy" and went back to bed. I put ice on my hip, which was previously damaged in one of my motorbike accidents. Next day: more ice and walking and it's much, much better. I won't say I was lucky ... I'll say I was fortunate. I will say I was lucky when I bought two winning lottery tickets last week -- $5 and $10 payoffs for $2 investment.

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CNN remains our viewing staple and the network's perspective certainly paints a bleak picture of events in the U.S. The coronavirus pandemic is still raging, wildfires are still raging in the Western U.S., the president is  always raging, and people in the streets are raging over inequality. My wife and I discuss the day's news in bed each night between Elijah feedings. I consider these dark times but my wife always sees a silver lining. She truly is amazing. I've seen dark clouds in silver linings my entire life, and that's been a problem for me. Living with Phuong creates such a positive atmosphere. And that's what's really needed right now.