I'll preface this blog by saying that many Vietnamese people I have met in my four years here are some of the nicest people I've met anywhere. Especially the women. My wife Phuong, my daughter Joanna, and mother-in-law Muon are numbers 1, 2, 3 in niceness. My coffee waitress could be No. 4. But ...
I was waiting in line at Metro supermarket to have my corn, apples and zucchini weighed by the produce lady. I was second in line and the family behind me struck up a conversation. The husband spoke adequate English, so we talked the usual stuff: Where do you work? Where do you live? How long have you been here? But while the husband and I were chatting, I noticed his wife sneaking around behind me and putting her stuff on the scale because the lady in front of me had finished. The wife had used her husband to distract me so she could cut in line. And she had a ton of crap. I was pissed, but I stayed cool. I simply removed her items from the scale and calmly told her that some Americans have been known to kill people for cutting in line. I also said that I wasn't one of those Americans, but that cutting in line was rude and that it really makes me angry. And I said this super calmly, really. The husband agreed, so I put my items on the scale, and everybody went home happy. Sorry, but I just won't accept line-cutting. I guess it's my "culture."
I'm not sure why everybody seems to be in a hurry in Vietnam. They ride their motorbikes on the sidewalks all the time to save a second or two going around a corner. I was hit two more times by motorbikes while walking on the sidewalk this past week, and both times the women who hit me laughed. I'm not sure I fully understand the humor here. But since I carry a cane every time I walk, the bikes can't get close enough to do any real damage, although I have to be wary of the bikes that come up from behind me on the sidewalk. One girl rode so close to me that I had to put my cane up in front of my fat, bloated, Biafran belly, and body, to protect myself. The mirror on the girl's bike hit my cane and was knocked a little crooked. She made ululation noises, just like the douchebag that hit me before Christmas. She acted like it was my fault, which I'm sure it was. I now realize I'm an a--hole for using the sidewalk to walk. It's hard to get respect when you're a White Monkey.
Phuong and I tried to walk Joanna in her stroller at 6 a.m., but motorbikes put the kibosh on that idea. We were crossing a street in our neighborhood so we could walk along the river, and this yerkoff and his shirtless toadie came around the corner so fast that the yerkoff's knee was almost touching the ground, like in a motocross race. They almost hit Phuong and Joanna, laid on the horn, and laughed at us. I begged them to come back so I could slowly and painfully kill them, but they don't have the ball bearings for that kind of confrontation. What really pissed me off is that I didn't have my cane and I let Phuong and Joanna get a few feet ahead of me in the street. Lesson learned.
Phuong, Joanna and I have been sick the past week, but we are finally getting better. Joanna was teething, and now has two bottom teeth to show for it. Phuong had the flu and her eye is almost completely healed, and I had a horrible cold sore in my mouth that refused to heal. But my friend Joy, who just moved ahead of my coffee waitress in the niceness race, suggested I treat the cold sore with a balm she gave me last Christmas. I found the balm, used it, and the cold sore was gone the next day. History. Out of here. Joy is now in my Hall of Fame, surely an honor she must be proud of.
Joanna will be 6 months old on Monday, Jan. 9. She rolls, sort of crawls, puts everything in her mouth, especially if it involves my computer wiring, and now stands when she holds on to something, like the side of the bed. She's so wonderful, and she's lucky to have such a dedicated, caring mom like Phuong.
My coffee waitress gave me flan on Thursday after I gave her a couple pieces of candy, which I do daily. So, life is good. I want to add that almost all of my classes are fantastic. The students, even the ones who hate me, are wonderful. I love teaching and my employer, VMG, is quite reasonable considering that the White Monkey can be very demanding.
I point out the negative stuff because of the danger factor and I need something to write about. Also, Americans love to complain. Just look at our president-elect. So, as Phuong loves to say to me: "John, listen, listen. SHUT UP!"
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Violence, holiday horror, fat as a pig
It was an accident. I swear. But pictures don't lie, and neither do I.
I gave my wife Phuong an ugly black eye when I "tossed" a wooden puzzle toward her in a toy store on Sunday. It was the craziest thing. We were shopping for Joanna when I wandered off and found a couple of puzzles that I wanted my daughter to have. Phuong was about 15 feet away at the register, so I motioned to her that I would toss one of the puzzles. Phuong said throw it because she thought it was styrofoam, not wood. I tossed it gently, but it floated like a Frisbee, picked up speed and hit her above her left eye. I heard a "thok" sound that I knew was trouble. Thank God I didn't hit Joanna. Phuong was clearly dazed. I ran to her, removed her hand from her eye and saw a golf ball-sized lump. The store owner looked at me in horror, like I was some kind of animal. A White Monkey, perhaps. I ran across the street to a coffee shop and was able to explain in Vietnamese to the young man working there that I needed a cup of ice. I ran back to Phuong, and helped her apply the ice to her eye. We did buy the puzzles and a bunch of other toys for Joanna. Phuong is such a trooper. She helped me assemble some of the toys when we got home and we rolled around on the bed playing with Joanna. Man, I love my wife and daughter. And I feel so stupid for what I did.
Unfortunately, the theme of violence in my life started a couple of days before Christmas. I got to work a little early, like always, and decided to walk to a nearby supermarket for some bread. I was walking on the sidewalk when some ass-clown with a young girl on the back of his motorbike decided to take a shortcut, and ran into my hip. I've been hit by motorbikes about a dozen times while walking on the sidewalks here, and of course it's always my fault. As a man of chi, I don't usually take serious offense. But this guy started screaming at me. His shouting didn't sound like any words or language I was familiar with. Actually, it sounded like the "ululation" of Lebanese women at a funeral. For whatever reason, I reacted without even thinking. My right arm shot out and the heel of my hand hit the clown in the chest. Maybe it's a chi thing. The loser on the bike almost fell over, but I caught him with my rapid right, and was able to keep the girl and motorbike upright as well. There was lots of staring, and gesturing, and babbling, and threatening from the ass-clown and his highly intelligent girlfriend. But things didn't go any further.
There's a perfunctory quality to Christmas and New Year's in Vietnam. It's acknowledged, but not really celebrated. Vietnam is all about Tet, which doesn't spin my beanie, but I'll respect the holiday because Joanna and I are guests in this country.
Christmas and New Year's expand the holiday season here, meaning there's more drunks on motorbikes and more aggressive people everywhere. The holidays seem to bring out chuckleheads all over the world. Go shopping on Black Friday in the United States if you really want to taste the nasty fat nasty. Anyway, drunken motorbike driving doesn't carry the same stigma as drunken driving in the U.S. It's not admired here, by any means, but there's almost a roll-your-eyes tolerance of the drunken motorbike driver. I hope that attitude changes. I also hope people stop littering, too. There's work to do.
My weight has become something of an obsession with some of my students and folks I encounter on my walk. At school on Friday, I taught a kids class for the first time time and when I walked into the classroom a little girl says to me: "You're FAT!" Ah, but I wasn't late.
Coming home from my daily walk I stopped to buy soup for me and Phuong to have for lunch. Two women who had just finished their soup came up to me to show off their English. After one or two awkward minutes of lame English, one of the women points to my stomach and says: "You're FAT!" Then she tells me she knows a man who will sell me some pills that will get rid of my gigantic, bloated, Biafran belly. I politely declined, but told the woman that the wrinkles on her face look like a road map. I suggested she use Nivea cream, which can be purchased at COOP Mart. She and her friend walked away.
Not all was lost for me the past couple of weeks. I played a guessing game in class. How old is Teacher John? One girl guessed 45 and another guessed 50. Those are some smart girls, and I must say they have bright futures.
I gave my wife Phuong an ugly black eye when I "tossed" a wooden puzzle toward her in a toy store on Sunday. It was the craziest thing. We were shopping for Joanna when I wandered off and found a couple of puzzles that I wanted my daughter to have. Phuong was about 15 feet away at the register, so I motioned to her that I would toss one of the puzzles. Phuong said throw it because she thought it was styrofoam, not wood. I tossed it gently, but it floated like a Frisbee, picked up speed and hit her above her left eye. I heard a "thok" sound that I knew was trouble. Thank God I didn't hit Joanna. Phuong was clearly dazed. I ran to her, removed her hand from her eye and saw a golf ball-sized lump. The store owner looked at me in horror, like I was some kind of animal. A White Monkey, perhaps. I ran across the street to a coffee shop and was able to explain in Vietnamese to the young man working there that I needed a cup of ice. I ran back to Phuong, and helped her apply the ice to her eye. We did buy the puzzles and a bunch of other toys for Joanna. Phuong is such a trooper. She helped me assemble some of the toys when we got home and we rolled around on the bed playing with Joanna. Man, I love my wife and daughter. And I feel so stupid for what I did.
Unfortunately, the theme of violence in my life started a couple of days before Christmas. I got to work a little early, like always, and decided to walk to a nearby supermarket for some bread. I was walking on the sidewalk when some ass-clown with a young girl on the back of his motorbike decided to take a shortcut, and ran into my hip. I've been hit by motorbikes about a dozen times while walking on the sidewalks here, and of course it's always my fault. As a man of chi, I don't usually take serious offense. But this guy started screaming at me. His shouting didn't sound like any words or language I was familiar with. Actually, it sounded like the "ululation" of Lebanese women at a funeral. For whatever reason, I reacted without even thinking. My right arm shot out and the heel of my hand hit the clown in the chest. Maybe it's a chi thing. The loser on the bike almost fell over, but I caught him with my rapid right, and was able to keep the girl and motorbike upright as well. There was lots of staring, and gesturing, and babbling, and threatening from the ass-clown and his highly intelligent girlfriend. But things didn't go any further.
There's a perfunctory quality to Christmas and New Year's in Vietnam. It's acknowledged, but not really celebrated. Vietnam is all about Tet, which doesn't spin my beanie, but I'll respect the holiday because Joanna and I are guests in this country.
Christmas and New Year's expand the holiday season here, meaning there's more drunks on motorbikes and more aggressive people everywhere. The holidays seem to bring out chuckleheads all over the world. Go shopping on Black Friday in the United States if you really want to taste the nasty fat nasty. Anyway, drunken motorbike driving doesn't carry the same stigma as drunken driving in the U.S. It's not admired here, by any means, but there's almost a roll-your-eyes tolerance of the drunken motorbike driver. I hope that attitude changes. I also hope people stop littering, too. There's work to do.
My weight has become something of an obsession with some of my students and folks I encounter on my walk. At school on Friday, I taught a kids class for the first time time and when I walked into the classroom a little girl says to me: "You're FAT!" Ah, but I wasn't late.
Coming home from my daily walk I stopped to buy soup for me and Phuong to have for lunch. Two women who had just finished their soup came up to me to show off their English. After one or two awkward minutes of lame English, one of the women points to my stomach and says: "You're FAT!" Then she tells me she knows a man who will sell me some pills that will get rid of my gigantic, bloated, Biafran belly. I politely declined, but told the woman that the wrinkles on her face look like a road map. I suggested she use Nivea cream, which can be purchased at COOP Mart. She and her friend walked away.
Not all was lost for me the past couple of weeks. I played a guessing game in class. How old is Teacher John? One girl guessed 45 and another guessed 50. Those are some smart girls, and I must say they have bright futures.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Christmas gets bigger; Joanna, Phuong light up my life
There are more signs of Christmas every year in Vietnam. More store windows are decorated and even little coffee shops and some of my creepy neighbors have lights hanging. A few have even put up Christmas trees. There's also much more traffic and even more stupid motorbike riders on the road -- people slowing down and pointing at lights and stuff with no brake lights, no lights at night, no signal, no clue. Bah humbug on the motorbikes. In the U.S., the auto traffic and crowds swell around the holidays, so it's pretty much the same everywhere, except in places like Iran and North Korea, I guess.
I put up and decorated our little artificial tree. It's artificial because I care about the environment and I'm lazy. I also wrapped a few presents. Phuong is absorbed in Joanna, and she doesn't fully understand the Christmas spirit thing. Maybe it's the heat. Her family doesn't do the tree or presents or fruitcake (thank God). This means I give presents but no one gives me anything. We don't open anything together. I give them presents and they take them home without opening. But it's better to give than ... oh, you know the drill. Phuong is Christian, but the whole holiday is kind of lost on her and her family. That's a sigh of relief you heard, not complaining. New Year's is even more obscure here because of Tet. So, a festive time of year in my culture is a growing economic phenomena here, but not much more at the moment. Besides, the Vietnamese are more pragmatic than sentimental.
Joanna is a daily joy for me. She wakes up every day at 4:45 a.m., and I'm right there with her. I've been waking up at 3 a.m. since returning from the U.S. The first thing Joanna does is smile, and the second is poop. After cleanup, we'll play for half an hour. She's about 5 1/2 months old and she crawls, rolls every which way, and doesn't care if she falls off the bed. We don't let that happen. Her smile and laugh are infectious, and when she starts giggling, I start giggling, too. It's wonderful. Phuong is more dedicated than ever to Joanna's well-being, if that's possible, and Phuong and Joanna are the joy of my life.
My daily walk is very good because the weather is "cool" -- about 90 with grueling humidity -- and the people that I always see smile and wave at me. Cheerful people make me cheerful these days. They also make me feel bad for being a grumpy complainer for so many years. My waitress at Thuy Nga coffee shop is one of the nicest girls in the world. She's always smiling and understands my order -- hot coffee with milk and a pitcher of iced tea. I always leave a tip and she's always appreciative. Some waitresses here don't understand the concept of tipping, which is why a lot of foreigners come here. The rude ones screw up their faces when you try to tip and look at their co-workers so they can laugh at you together. OK, no tip for you. I don't like being laughed at, even when it's over something innocuous like tipping. Must be an American thing.
I returned to the classroom this week, and my first class was awesome. I hope that trend continues. I'm optimistic classes will be cool because I got some needed time off when I came to the United States. The time away helped as well because it made me more appreciative of what I have in life.
A quick shout-out to the many, many Russians who are reading my blog. Since I have no money, they can hack me all they want. And I'm still waiting for Donald's check.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!
I put up and decorated our little artificial tree. It's artificial because I care about the environment and I'm lazy. I also wrapped a few presents. Phuong is absorbed in Joanna, and she doesn't fully understand the Christmas spirit thing. Maybe it's the heat. Her family doesn't do the tree or presents or fruitcake (thank God). This means I give presents but no one gives me anything. We don't open anything together. I give them presents and they take them home without opening. But it's better to give than ... oh, you know the drill. Phuong is Christian, but the whole holiday is kind of lost on her and her family. That's a sigh of relief you heard, not complaining. New Year's is even more obscure here because of Tet. So, a festive time of year in my culture is a growing economic phenomena here, but not much more at the moment. Besides, the Vietnamese are more pragmatic than sentimental.
Joanna is a daily joy for me. She wakes up every day at 4:45 a.m., and I'm right there with her. I've been waking up at 3 a.m. since returning from the U.S. The first thing Joanna does is smile, and the second is poop. After cleanup, we'll play for half an hour. She's about 5 1/2 months old and she crawls, rolls every which way, and doesn't care if she falls off the bed. We don't let that happen. Her smile and laugh are infectious, and when she starts giggling, I start giggling, too. It's wonderful. Phuong is more dedicated than ever to Joanna's well-being, if that's possible, and Phuong and Joanna are the joy of my life.
My daily walk is very good because the weather is "cool" -- about 90 with grueling humidity -- and the people that I always see smile and wave at me. Cheerful people make me cheerful these days. They also make me feel bad for being a grumpy complainer for so many years. My waitress at Thuy Nga coffee shop is one of the nicest girls in the world. She's always smiling and understands my order -- hot coffee with milk and a pitcher of iced tea. I always leave a tip and she's always appreciative. Some waitresses here don't understand the concept of tipping, which is why a lot of foreigners come here. The rude ones screw up their faces when you try to tip and look at their co-workers so they can laugh at you together. OK, no tip for you. I don't like being laughed at, even when it's over something innocuous like tipping. Must be an American thing.
I returned to the classroom this week, and my first class was awesome. I hope that trend continues. I'm optimistic classes will be cool because I got some needed time off when I came to the United States. The time away helped as well because it made me more appreciative of what I have in life.
A quick shout-out to the many, many Russians who are reading my blog. Since I have no money, they can hack me all they want. And I'm still waiting for Donald's check.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Family love in Vietnam after long trip
As 29-hour trips go -- with two connecting flights that contributed six hours of layovers, along with a one-hour delay on the Tokyo tarmac waiting for passengers from late connecting flights -- this one wasn't as bad as it sounds. Really. The older Japanese woman sitting next to me on the nearly 14-hour flight from Washington D.C. to Tokyo did not speak to me the entire trip, and she spoke English (to the flight attendants). In fact, she slept 11 of the 14 hours, so I had to wake her up every time I needed to leave my yucky window seat to pee or stretch. No wonder she acted like she hated me. But, she wasn't fat, which is my biggest concern. It doesn't matter that I'm fat. That's the problem for the person sitting next to me. So really, the longest leg of the trip was OK. I watched five movies: the latest Jason Bourne (bad); The BFG (surprisingly good story about a giant and little orphan girl); Brothers of the Wind (very watchable nature drama about an eagle and young boy); My Kind of Traitor (OK movie about the Russian mob); and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I love Harry Potter books and movies). The food on ANA flights is pretty darn good and the flight attendants were very pretty Japanese women, not that I noticed.
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, got my luggage and cleared customs at about midnight. I exited the terminal and there was my incredibly beautiful wife Phuong, smiling as always, and my lovely daughter Joanna. I immediately gave Joanna a big kiss, and she immediately burst into tears. But she stopped crying after about five seconds, looked at me really hard, and broke into a big smile. I almost cried I was so happy. I held Joanna nearly the entire one-hour ride home in the car and we smiled and laughed constantly. Joanna and I hung out, laughing and playing, until 2:30 a.m. (She was pretty grumpy the next day, but so what.) Phuong and I and Joanna have been almost inseparable since I got back. I returned to my daily walk and coffee, but other than that, it's been Phuong and Joanna. I couldn't be happier.
I'll return to work Monday, and I'm looking forward to it. I bought candy canes and educational games and puzzles in the U.S. because I want the students to have a good time while they learn English. I didn't like the cold weather in the U.S. as much as I thought and the heat in Vietnam isn't bothering me as much as before. I loved seeing my children in the U.S., even though they're grown up and on the go. U.S. prices are rough and I burned through a ton of money (I'm sure the Donald will cut me a check). I loved seeing friends and I really enjoy the peace and beauty of Yellow Springs, especially Glen Helen. But the bottom line is that I really missed my wife and new daughter. Being away from them makes me realize how truly wonderful our life together is.
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, got my luggage and cleared customs at about midnight. I exited the terminal and there was my incredibly beautiful wife Phuong, smiling as always, and my lovely daughter Joanna. I immediately gave Joanna a big kiss, and she immediately burst into tears. But she stopped crying after about five seconds, looked at me really hard, and broke into a big smile. I almost cried I was so happy. I held Joanna nearly the entire one-hour ride home in the car and we smiled and laughed constantly. Joanna and I hung out, laughing and playing, until 2:30 a.m. (She was pretty grumpy the next day, but so what.) Phuong and I and Joanna have been almost inseparable since I got back. I returned to my daily walk and coffee, but other than that, it's been Phuong and Joanna. I couldn't be happier.
I'll return to work Monday, and I'm looking forward to it. I bought candy canes and educational games and puzzles in the U.S. because I want the students to have a good time while they learn English. I didn't like the cold weather in the U.S. as much as I thought and the heat in Vietnam isn't bothering me as much as before. I loved seeing my children in the U.S., even though they're grown up and on the go. U.S. prices are rough and I burned through a ton of money (I'm sure the Donald will cut me a check). I loved seeing friends and I really enjoy the peace and beauty of Yellow Springs, especially Glen Helen. But the bottom line is that I really missed my wife and new daughter. Being away from them makes me realize how truly wonderful our life together is.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Joanna crawls and I go on a spending spree
My daughter Joanna continues to amaze me as I watch her on Skype each day. She just turned five months old and she is already sort of crawling. She uses her knees and elbows to lift her bottom in the air and then she'll lurch forward. She'll repeat the process rather quickly -- knees come forward, bottom goes up in the air, and a lurch forward. It's not classic crawling, but she gets from A to B in a hurry and she can't be left alone on the bed. She moves like a speedy caterpillar. I see a Phuong-like grit and determination in Joanna's actions, whether it's attempting to crawl or trying to take off her socks so she can suck her toes. And there's such glee and joy in Phuong as she chases her daughter around on the bed and makes sure Joanna doesn't suck her toes or fall off the bed. I can't wait to get back to Vietnam to see my wife and daughter. I hope Joanna still recognizes me. I hope Phuong still recognizes me, too.
My eyes, which have high pressure that causes glaucoma and eventual loss of vision, are in pretty good shape, all things considered. But examinations, new glasses and eye drops cost me a small fortune -- about $3,000 out of pocket since I don't have health care. I looked into health insurance but the payments were over $300 a month. Can't afford that over the long haul, but I have enough money to cover my eye treatment and yearly trips to the United States. (Thank you VMG!) I've been staying in Yellow Springs, where I have a house. Yellow Springs is nice enough, but it's very expensive and property taxes are very high. It's like a resort town. I tell everyone in Yellow Springs, also a very liberal town, that President-elect Trump is going to write me a check to cover my eye care and miscellaneous expenses on my trip to the U.S. That line barely gets a smile in town.
I had a wonderful visit on Saturday with Anthony and Amelia, my former co-workers at the Dayton Daily News newspaper, which laid me off in 2008. Anthony and Amelia are good people and good journalists. I loved seeing them. I should send the DDN a thank-you note for laying me off. I ended up getting a master's degree, teaching in Peru and then Vietnam, where I met my incredible wife Phuong and had an incredible baby girl (Joanna). Most of the copy editors I worked with in Dayton either moved on or were laid off. Newspapers are dinosaurs. But I discovered I really loved teaching, so I don't hold any grudges or harbor any ill will toward the newspaper industry. Quite the contrary.
I'm preparing to leave the U.S. It was wonderful to see friends (John, Eve, Ron, Andy, Jane, Tommy, Anthony, Amelia, Laurie, Lynda) and my children Jessica, Caroline, Jack and Alec. Planning a shopping trip with Jessica tomorrow. Vacation isn't over yet.
I stayed at the Springs Motel in Yellow Springs and the manager Robyn is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She found my misplaced cell phone, got milk for my coffee and bought me Yoo-Hoo chocolate candy, all while listening to the White Monkey whine about anything and everything for a couple of weeks. Thanks Robyn, you're wonderful.
It's been cold lately (lows of 25 Fahrenheit / -6 celcius). We had a dusting of snow Saturday morning. Ah, December in Ohio.
My eyes, which have high pressure that causes glaucoma and eventual loss of vision, are in pretty good shape, all things considered. But examinations, new glasses and eye drops cost me a small fortune -- about $3,000 out of pocket since I don't have health care. I looked into health insurance but the payments were over $300 a month. Can't afford that over the long haul, but I have enough money to cover my eye treatment and yearly trips to the United States. (Thank you VMG!) I've been staying in Yellow Springs, where I have a house. Yellow Springs is nice enough, but it's very expensive and property taxes are very high. It's like a resort town. I tell everyone in Yellow Springs, also a very liberal town, that President-elect Trump is going to write me a check to cover my eye care and miscellaneous expenses on my trip to the U.S. That line barely gets a smile in town.
I had a wonderful visit on Saturday with Anthony and Amelia, my former co-workers at the Dayton Daily News newspaper, which laid me off in 2008. Anthony and Amelia are good people and good journalists. I loved seeing them. I should send the DDN a thank-you note for laying me off. I ended up getting a master's degree, teaching in Peru and then Vietnam, where I met my incredible wife Phuong and had an incredible baby girl (Joanna). Most of the copy editors I worked with in Dayton either moved on or were laid off. Newspapers are dinosaurs. But I discovered I really loved teaching, so I don't hold any grudges or harbor any ill will toward the newspaper industry. Quite the contrary.
I'm preparing to leave the U.S. It was wonderful to see friends (John, Eve, Ron, Andy, Jane, Tommy, Anthony, Amelia, Laurie, Lynda) and my children Jessica, Caroline, Jack and Alec. Planning a shopping trip with Jessica tomorrow. Vacation isn't over yet.
I stayed at the Springs Motel in Yellow Springs and the manager Robyn is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She found my misplaced cell phone, got milk for my coffee and bought me Yoo-Hoo chocolate candy, all while listening to the White Monkey whine about anything and everything for a couple of weeks. Thanks Robyn, you're wonderful.
It's been cold lately (lows of 25 Fahrenheit / -6 celcius). We had a dusting of snow Saturday morning. Ah, December in Ohio.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Breakfast with Laurie and a visit with birds
I had breakfast with my teacher-mentor Laurie M. on Sunday morning in Yellow Springs. It's great talking to Laurie because she has remarkable insight into her students and profession. Laurie teaches special education and I've seen her students make fantastic progress and strive to learn and express themselves because of Laurie. And those students will never have a better advocate than Miss M. Of course, I soak up every word she says and try to steal/borrow/use any of her ideas about teaching.
After talking with Laurie for two hours, I took a three-hour walk in Glen Helen, and visited the Raptor Center to see the hawks, owls and bald eagle. Glen Helen is a special place. The water from the yellow spring tastes wonderful -- full of iron and flavor. A happy day that continued when I bought some gifts and toys for Phuong and Joanna at some of the countless shops and boutiques in Yellow Springs. I capped off the day with dinner and a craft beer at Peaches. Success on Sunday!
I return to the eye doctor tomorrow. A doctor in Vietnam changed one of the prescriptions for my eye drops, and I developed an allergy to the new drops. My eyes itched like crazy with the new drops, so I stopped them. But I have to have drops to relieve pressure in my eye or my vision goes south. My eye doctor in Dayton, Ohio, figured all of this out when I told her my story. My eye doctor is one of the reasons I return to the United States every November. Dr. Talluto is awesome. Of course I come to the U.S. to see my children and drink Yoo-Hoo, but I trust my eye doctor with my vision, and that's serious stuff.
I drove to the East Coast of the U.S. and I visited my friends Ron, Tommy, and Andy, and saw my brother Thomas as well. I gave my friend Ron a cane, and if he doesn't use it to take walks, I'll run over his legs with a truck. Wait, that's already been done. Well, I really hopes he starts taking a daily walk (like the White Monkey). It's good for everything -- health and outlook. I really miss my walks in Vietnam and the folks I see and clown with along the way. I miss teaching at VMG, and I miss the staffers there. The staffers and I sort of agree we're a pain in each others' asses, but in a good way. I'm not the easiest teacher to get along with, but I really like my students and I show up on time. Hell, I'm not the easiest person to get along with, regardless of when I show up or who I like.
I chat with Phuong most days on Skype, and I love watching Joanna roll on the bed and zip around in her walker. I love and miss my wife and daughter Joanna so much. I'm looking forward to returning to Vietnam. Yep, you read that right.
After talking with Laurie for two hours, I took a three-hour walk in Glen Helen, and visited the Raptor Center to see the hawks, owls and bald eagle. Glen Helen is a special place. The water from the yellow spring tastes wonderful -- full of iron and flavor. A happy day that continued when I bought some gifts and toys for Phuong and Joanna at some of the countless shops and boutiques in Yellow Springs. I capped off the day with dinner and a craft beer at Peaches. Success on Sunday!
I return to the eye doctor tomorrow. A doctor in Vietnam changed one of the prescriptions for my eye drops, and I developed an allergy to the new drops. My eyes itched like crazy with the new drops, so I stopped them. But I have to have drops to relieve pressure in my eye or my vision goes south. My eye doctor in Dayton, Ohio, figured all of this out when I told her my story. My eye doctor is one of the reasons I return to the United States every November. Dr. Talluto is awesome. Of course I come to the U.S. to see my children and drink Yoo-Hoo, but I trust my eye doctor with my vision, and that's serious stuff.
I drove to the East Coast of the U.S. and I visited my friends Ron, Tommy, and Andy, and saw my brother Thomas as well. I gave my friend Ron a cane, and if he doesn't use it to take walks, I'll run over his legs with a truck. Wait, that's already been done. Well, I really hopes he starts taking a daily walk (like the White Monkey). It's good for everything -- health and outlook. I really miss my walks in Vietnam and the folks I see and clown with along the way. I miss teaching at VMG, and I miss the staffers there. The staffers and I sort of agree we're a pain in each others' asses, but in a good way. I'm not the easiest teacher to get along with, but I really like my students and I show up on time. Hell, I'm not the easiest person to get along with, regardless of when I show up or who I like.
I chat with Phuong most days on Skype, and I love watching Joanna roll on the bed and zip around in her walker. I love and miss my wife and daughter Joanna so much. I'm looking forward to returning to Vietnam. Yep, you read that right.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Missing Phuong and Joanna; waiting for vacation
Greetings from the United States. The weather is awesome here. It's 55 and sunny in the day, and 35 and moonlit at night, so it's cool enough to be refreshing and warm enough to go outside and play. I've played a little tennis -- the first tennis in more than a year -- and only fell once. It happens when you get my age. As my friend Andy said, the real winners in our tennis were the fans who witnessed the exhibition of athletic skill. No witnesses, so no winners.
I talk with Phuong, my beautiful, wonderful wife, on Skype most days. Some days I don't have internet, but if I do, I Skype with Phuong and Joanna. Joanna tries to put the computer in her mouth when she sees me and I talk with her on Skype. I try to put the computer in my mouth when I see Phuong and she talks with me on Skype. We're a happy family. Being away from my wife and newborn is very difficult, of course, but time is moving fast here. I've seen the lawyer, the eye doctor, family, my banker, and friends. I must do some shopping for my students in Vietnam if I still have a job when I return, and I have to get some clothes and toys for Joanna and me. I have another eye doctor visit and I bought new glasses for $1,082. Big money for bad eyes.
I saw all my children on Thanksgiving and took their photo, but one of my children said not to put the photo on the internet. Fair enough, so the photo is for my eyes only. Love my children (all five) and don't really care if people see their photo or not.
Driving is kind of a drag here. It's not as bad as the motorbikes in Vietnam, but cars and such travel much faster here, adding to the excitement and danger. In Vietnam, there are few traffic laws (that are obeyed) so there's something of anarchy on the roads. Here, there's order, but one chucklehead doing something stupid can kill lots of people because everyone travels so fast. My rental car has had some issues, but I'm still alive, so who cares.
I've been traveling and visiting constantly since I got here, but this week I'm going to chill out and shop. That means I'll spend money I don't really have. And have fun doing it.
Today, I drive from Washington, D.C., to Ohio ... about 7 hours in the car. Then the real vacation begins.
I talk with Phuong, my beautiful, wonderful wife, on Skype most days. Some days I don't have internet, but if I do, I Skype with Phuong and Joanna. Joanna tries to put the computer in her mouth when she sees me and I talk with her on Skype. I try to put the computer in my mouth when I see Phuong and she talks with me on Skype. We're a happy family. Being away from my wife and newborn is very difficult, of course, but time is moving fast here. I've seen the lawyer, the eye doctor, family, my banker, and friends. I must do some shopping for my students in Vietnam if I still have a job when I return, and I have to get some clothes and toys for Joanna and me. I have another eye doctor visit and I bought new glasses for $1,082. Big money for bad eyes.
I saw all my children on Thanksgiving and took their photo, but one of my children said not to put the photo on the internet. Fair enough, so the photo is for my eyes only. Love my children (all five) and don't really care if people see their photo or not.
Driving is kind of a drag here. It's not as bad as the motorbikes in Vietnam, but cars and such travel much faster here, adding to the excitement and danger. In Vietnam, there are few traffic laws (that are obeyed) so there's something of anarchy on the roads. Here, there's order, but one chucklehead doing something stupid can kill lots of people because everyone travels so fast. My rental car has had some issues, but I'm still alive, so who cares.
I've been traveling and visiting constantly since I got here, but this week I'm going to chill out and shop. That means I'll spend money I don't really have. And have fun doing it.
Today, I drive from Washington, D.C., to Ohio ... about 7 hours in the car. Then the real vacation begins.
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