Old school dentist fixes me up; shots for my kids

My body keeps deteriorating, which is no news flash since I'm 66 going on 79 in a life of excess. After mashing my toe and wrenching my ankles and knee in a couple of old-guy falls in the house, I bit into a frozen candy bar and one of my back molars crumbled. At first, I thought there was a stone in the candy bar, but I saw the "stone" under a magnifying glass and brilliantly deducted that is was a back tooth. The deduction was assisted by my tongue finding a jagged gap in the back of my mouth, next door to my gold tooth, which my former student Sam has requested when I finish playing the end game. My father-in-law hooked me up with his dentist, a no-nonsense woman who seemed concerned about my ability to pay for treatment. She quoted me a price and I assured her I could pay -- "tien den, tien di" (money comes, money goes), I told her -- and that set her in motion. The office is divided by curtains, and the dentist chatted with my father-in-law while she worked rather rigorously on my mouth. She drilled away some of the remaining tooth and only slipped up a couple of times, touching the nerve. I swear she was distracted by my father-in-law. I returned two days later for the cap, and she used some kind of tool to essentially hammer the cap into place. It was sore for three days. Then she suggested a cleaning and procedure to fill in the many gaps between my gums and teeth caused by my receding gums, apparently yet another sign that the end game is in full swing. The dentist's style is strictly old school. If you don't scream, it doesn't hurt. She put me through cosmetic and cleaning rigors for a good 45 minutes. I came away a little rattled but my teeth look pretty darn good, I must admit. It's been seven or eight years since I've been to a dentist, so I was pleased. It was a bargain as well, costing a little over $100 U.S. Not a lot of money that was very well spent.
`• • •
My kids went for routine vaccinations this past week and did very well. The last time we went, Joanna had to be held down by a doctor. This time, she listened to dad, counted to five and said OUCH! during the shot and that was it. I could tell she was sort of proud of herself for how she handled the pain. It was a good-sized needle, by the way. Elijah cried for about two seconds after the shot and that was it. He's big, sweet and tough. Mission accomplished with no issues. We asked about Covid vaccines, but I guess they're for health workers for the time being.  There are still a smattering of cases here, but nothing like the U.S. or Europe.
• • •
Poor Joanna basically got assaulted three times in the past two weeks. A little girl about two started hitting her out of the blue on two separate occasions in a little market near our house. A little boy 2 or 3  she sort of knows from a restaurant where I get take-out grabbed her fingers really hard and started twisting. Joanna yelled "give me back my hand" but the kid wouldn't let go so I intervened briefly to free her up. Then the boy sort of gorilla posed and screamed in front of me to signify how tough he is. The third occasion was simple push and shove stuff at a party. Joanna told the boy to stop pushing her and she ran away from him. My wife was with me for all of the incidents, so there is a witness. I suspect corporal punishment or hitting of some kind at home leads to the aggressive behavior we've encountered here. The mothers just smile or laugh at their kids' unsavory behavior. Joanna isn't aggressive with other kids and she hasn't retaliated yet. She's got the size to retaliate, but we don't want the behavior of a lot of the kids here to influence and rub off on her. I know kids are kids and some of this can be expected, but the random quality of the aggressiveness toward our daughter concerns me. She's a sweet girl, but she'll eventually retaliate and she's big and very strong. We just don't want anything to happen. My wife will be taking her physical again to obtain her U.S. visa and we'll go from there and see what happens.

Happy anniversary to an awesome lady; a horrible scare

Right here, right now, I want to use this space to say how much I love, respect and appreciate my incredible and beautiful wife Phuong as we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary this week. In the five years we've been married and 6-and-a-half years we've lived together, we've experienced so much: we've gotten new teeth; I've lost a gall bladder; I damaged my kidney and back in three motorbike accidents; tore a tendon in my foot playing tennis; recovered and reclaimed, and then lost the No. 1 family tennis ranking; developed sciatica; we visited Thailand and South Korea; I became estranged from my family for past mistakes and required therapy, which I still receive; I've endured countless skin rashes (I have two now) and smashed my big toe and hurt my left knee in a sudden and spectacular fall on our stairs; a week later I fell out of bed and mildly sprained my right ankle; I've quit smoking and drinking and took up daily reading; and we finally obtained a de facto visa for my wife to enter the U.S. after six years of effort and thousands of dollars spent. All of these events are certainly memorable, but the greatest and most important events of the past 6-and-a-half years for Phuong and I are -- duh, of course -- the births of our daughter Joanna and son Elijah. Our son is so easy-going and pleasant; he smiles constantly and enjoys company. Joanna is certainly more challenging and demanding, but she has such a high intellect, good heart and quick wit for a child 4-and-a-half years old. This pair occupies our every moment, and we couldn't be happier. My wife's devotion and loyalty to our family through good times and bad -- and God knows I've contributed more than my share to the bad -- are a testament to her strong and incredible character. Sometimes I don't deserve it, but I feel I'm the luckiest man alive. Happy anniversary, Dear Phuong.
• • •
My daughter took her independence and free spirit to a higher and more dangerous level this past week, going out our front door and walking by herself to the park, which is a good little walk from our house with several turns. She's never done anything like this before and she rarely goes out in front of our house by herself. When I saw the door open and Phuong coming home, I asked her if Joanna was at her parents' house. When she said no, I panicked and ran upstairs and checked our bedroom. I knew she wasn't there but had to check. No Joanna and no answer. I checked upstairs at her parents' house ... no Joanna, no answer. I ran to the little market around the corner. I asked the clerk and got the frickin' hand shake. I ran toward the park and past a car wash, asking the employees there if they had seen Joanna. One guy just laughed but another pointed to the park. I ran there and saw Joanna strolling in the park carrying her stuffed crocodile and wearing her hat, God bless her. It was 94 degrees at least. I ran to her and picked her up and hugged her. I was almost in tears. Words can't capture the fear and stress I felt as I looked for Joanna. Outlandish and reckless motorbike riders and creepy people walking around make this walk so frightening for a child ...  and parent. Joanna seemed surprised by my reaction as I hugged and squeezed her. She hasn't been out of my sight since.
• • •
Covid lockdown restrictions are slowly being lifted here, with schools now reopened and food trickling back into the markets. Not everyone wears a mask, but I never forget my mask anymore, and our daughter Joanna wears a mask every time she goes out. Our 10-month-old son Elijah won't wear a mask.  Phuong is 50-50 but she's stepped up lately. There's talk of Covid in a beach town a couple of hours away, and lots of folks who live here go there for vacation. But restrictions haven't been ramped up yet and there are no reports of a cluster. Two foreigners I know were in the park we go to (and Joanna walked to) and some of the locals were suspicious. People were worried they had just come into town and perhaps were "contaminated". They weren't wearing masks, which added to the suspicions. My wife assured the concerned locals that the foreigners lived more or less in the neighborhood and had been here a long time.
* * *
 Our son has gravitated naturally to sports, or at least the sports balls in our house. He'll amuse himself for long stretches of time with a soccer ball, knocking it across the room and then crawling after it at high rates of speed. It's fun to watch, since crawling on my knees across the floor with him is out of the question. He's getting close to walking, thank goodness. Faux marble or hard faux wood on top of faux marble are not kind to my old knees. Even Joanna has finally noticed the adverse effects of hitting the floor in our house. But Joanna doesn't care about sports in any way, shape, or form. Books and videos are her bag. She'll run back and forth across a room, she'll play chase at the park, but sports with a ball or racket or any equipment -- even tennis shoes -- is out of the question.

Covid quiets Tet; a nasty fall on faux marble stairs

 Not everyone is adhering to the Covid lockdown rules here. The lure of Tet partying and coffeehouse fun attracted those who needed to get out and release whatever it is they have pent up. The coffee house with fish near our house was packed with mask-less people last Sunday; they were out looking to socialize, be seen, and do the things people do at the countless coffee shops here. I understand the need to get out, I guess, but I'm baffled by those who refuse to wear a mask. While Tet attracts gatherings -- especially family and friends gatherings -- and potential super-spreader events, it limits other gatherings because all the stores, bars and restaurants are closed during Tet ... Covid or no Covid. But coronavirus concerns have closed schools until the end of February, at least. The cupboards are bare in most of the grocery stores, a combination of Tet and Covid, I suspect. The combination has reduced traffic, and quite frankly, created a a more relaxing atmosphere in Bien Hoa. There were fewer motorbikes and cars on sidewalks and the few pedestrians we saw were friendly and pleasant. Life is slowly returning to normal because I've noticed that more bikes are returning to the sidewalks and more people are cutting in line at the few markets that are open.
• • •
I wasn't blessed with attractive feet, and a very gnarly fall on our faux marble stairs has turned the unattractive into pure ugliness. Last weekend, my daughter and her friend had been playing with the hose on the third floor, enjoying themselves no end. My wife woke me up from a wonderful nap and told me to go get my daughter, dry her off, and bring her downstairs. My daughter moves quickly, and after she dried off she was on her way. I followed and when I planted my right foot while descending the stairs, I hit a patch of water and my right leg shot out from under me ... like a rocket. Ah, the joy of faux marble. I collapsed onto my left leg and sort of bounced down one stair on the buckled leg and foot. I don't know the extent or exact nature of the injuries. I had to yank my left big toe back into place while whimpering on the stairs; and the other toes took a good jolt. All turned ungodly purple the next day and I developed a couple of ghastly fracture blisters on my left big toe and right middle toe. According to Dr. Internet, these blood-filled blisters will last at least three weeks. The joint for my left toe bent backwards in dramatic fashion and is swollen; actually, my whole left foot is swollen. My left heel was crammed against my left butt cheek, a posture I've been unable to attain since 2nd grade, meaning my left knee is injured as well. I hurt the same knee in high school. Otherwise, I'm fine and dandy. I can walk, slowly, and climb stairs for laundry and kids playing on the third floor. I walked to one of the few open coffee shops with Joanna, and I went grocery shopping. Slowly.  I drone on about this because my mom fell down the stairs (a long time ago), hit her head and died about 9 days later. Her house had hardwood stairs, which are as hard as the faux marble, but not usually as slippery.  I slipped on our faux marble flooring after trying to soak the foot in salt water, but didn't go down. My wife has cooked two out of the last three dinners to help out, but oddly the more I use the foot the better it feels. The fracture blisters balloon up, but the joints in the injured foot start to loosen up. One of life's trade-offs, I guess. My wife suggests I do a little more housework to improve the foot. I'll give that suggestion all the thought it deserves.

 • • •
My son Elijah has become enamored with my giant-sized, purple, blistered big toe, grabbing it on Saturday and smiling, while I nearly vaulted to the ceiling in pain (off my good foot). Joanna has kicked the foot a few times with her incessant dancing to StoryBots videos, the new house favorite. For the most part, Joanna has excellent taste in kid videos: Sesame Street, Peppa Pig, BBC One with David Attenborough, and lately, StoryBots. I highly recommend the StoryBots outer space and dinosaur rap -- tyrannosaurus, that's the chorus. My wife and I are both exhausted taking care of two kids and a three-storied, faux-marbled house, but no complaints except for the heat -- highs of  91 to 94 each day. But since I'm focused on the positive these days, the heat keeps my injured joints loose, the faux marble cleans up nicely, and the blisters distract from the general ugliness of my feet. (I have pictures but for personal and medical purposes only.)
• • •
I'm approaching five years without a cigarette and 15 months without a drink. I've read 441 days in a row and still battle sciatica, a testament to how sedentary and fat I've become. My wife Phuong has a video blog on YouTube, so check it out:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WFQ2YKFIZU

Search Phuong Pham Millman for more vlogs ... give it a like and subscribe if so inclined. Thanks.

Vietnam acts swiftly to deal with new Covid outbreak

Vietnam took decisive action when 90 cases of coronavirus were reported earlier this week. The country essentially shut down -- I don't know how long this will last. Schools were closed and limits were placed on the number of customers allowed to occupy a business. Masks have been required all the time regardless of cases reported, but the requirement will likely be enforced now. Vietnam has a population of about 90 million, so 90 cases isn't much. But a big outbreak, like what the U.S. has experienced for the past year, would be especially devastating here. I hear no mention of a vaccine in Vietnam, which instead focuses on contact tracing, isolating potential cases, and masks. I realize a homogeneous society like the one in Vietnam will unite and get on board with policies aimed at thwarting the virus. People act as one. In the United States, with its diversity and focus on individuality and personal freedom, a united front for anything -- other than an alien invasion from outer space -- seems unlikely, or at least incredibly difficult at this point. The United States has 27 million coronavirus cases (81,000 per 1 million people) so far and 458,000 deaths. Vietnam has 1,800 cases to date and 35 deaths. I pulled the numbers from worldometers.net. Even Tet could be a coronavirus casualty this year, which shows just how serious folks are about an outbreak and making sure it's contained.

• • •

While Joanna and I were walking home from the bread store on Tuesday, a car came up behind us on the sidewalk. I didn't turn to see the car but my "Spidey" senses started tingling and when I turned around the car was literally inches from us and still moving forward. I threatened to smash the car's headlights with my invaluable walking stick and the guy finally stops with the fender actually touching my leg. He gets halfway out of his car to point to his blinking turn signal as if to say what he was doing was completely acceptable. I didn't accept it since I don't have eyes in the back of my head, and I started screaming bad words at the guy and walking toward the driver side. I backed off and apologized to my daughter for getting so upset. But I actually got some support from a couple of ladies running a fruit stand near the incident. Usually, locals defend each other, regardless of who's wrong, as I found out when I got broadsided going through an intersection on my motorbike -- "You may have been going kind of slow," one witness said. But these ladies signaled that the guy was crazy. Remember, I'm walking in the middle of a sidewalk holding hands (for safety as much as affection) with my 4-year-old daughter. Anyway, about one minute later a girl on a motorbike comes ripping toward us on the sidewalk and doesn't veer; it's as if she expects us to move. I just pulled Joanna behind me and held up my invaluable stick. She started yelling something at me and veered away with a good three feet to spare. And to think I gave up the motorbike and started walking for safety concerns.

• • •

Imitation isn't necessarily flattery. Lots of adolescents and sadly, many adults, like to mimic me in a mocking fashion ... for fun, I guess. I'll say "hi, how are you? to people, and some choose to reply  Hellllooo ..... how are yooooouuuu? in affected voices. I just smile since I'm used to this kind of stuff, but a week ago Joanna asked some employees who were cleaning fish at Mega Mart, "What are you doing?" and they laughed, waved their hands in the air and copied what Joanna said in a silly fashion. Joanna was confused by the response and asked again very slowly What ... are .... you .... doing? She got the same laughing response and she seemed genuinely upset and walked away. I don't think they were really making fun of her, but their reaction was immature at best. The kids who mimic me are trying to get me ticked off and for a short while it worked. Couldn't care less these days. Some of this mocking has been directed lately at Joanna, who despite being half Vietnamese doesn't look it. So she's getting the What's your name? Where you from? treatment. I say treatment because the kids repeat the questions over and over to her even after she answers. It's an effort to confuse or upset her. Comes with the territory of being unique in a homogeneous society. She stays much calmer in the face of this kind of stuff than I do because, of course, I don't want my 4-year-old being taunted for no reason. 

• • •

I write about a lot of negative stuff because we don't go out super much, but when we do, stuff seems to happen more than it should. Also, my therapist told me my brain is probably wired this way through genetics, and I need to work on an attitude adjustment. I mention the bad stuff with vehicles because of the danger involved. Nothing like a little danger, eh? And the kids yelling F$%K at me is just silly and not really worth mentioning. But there's so much positive that happens here. Joanna fell on her bike and two guys jumped out of their chairs at a coffee shop to check on her and help her up. Another stranger offered a typical Vietnamese peanut snack to Joanna when she walked past him at his outside table. People smile and acknowledge Joanna all the time, especially in The Coffee House. The manager at The Coffee House, Tau, always gives her cookies. The older folks are always nice, waving and smiling at us on our afternoon walk (as we dodge cars and bikes ... oops, there I go again). But while traffic and weather are big challenges here, most of the people I've encountered are a real plus.  It's a good thing because I've been here almost eight years.  

Stuffed animals take unexpected swim in canal

Two small children -- a chubby boy and chubby girl who are apparently under the care of two older folks -- follow me and Joanna around the park when we're fishing. Joanna almost always carries a stuffed animal with her when we go out every afternoon. So this past week I'm fishing and Joanna is hanging nearby scouting for fish in the water and playing. The two kids usually try to take whatever animal Joanna has and then they'll run away. This day, Joanna put her stuffed animal on the ground next to me to get some bait, and as quick as a jackrabbit the chubby boy picked up Joanna's red cow and tossed it into the mucky canal.  The two older folks in charge of the kids laughed, which can be something of a standard reaction to anything here. Joanna shrugged it off, saying "he just threw the cow in the river. Sorry, cow." The animal  was a freebie with yogurt that I bought. I guess the worst part of this is that it's the second time these 2-year-olds have done something like this. A week before, the girl threw our bait in the water (some crickets and worms) and the boy tried to push our fishing pole in the water. He almost succeeded and Phuong had to climb the little concrete wall to retrieve the pole; it was a dangerous maneuver I wouldn't try, but I'm an old man. Joanna and Elijah were fascinated by the whole process, from the kids tossing our stuff to Phuong's crazy acrobatics to salvage the gear. We saw the same clan a few days later when I was fishing with Joanna. The whole group -- adults and kids -- were so loud and disruptive screaming about the worms we had for bait that Joanna went and played elsewhere and I stopped fishing. My wife came and told them to back off and they just laughed. They said something about the kids just having fun (throwing our crap in the yucky water) and that the kids were too fast for them to handle. The kids are two years old and both quite chubby for children.  Sadly, we just don't fish if we see them there. I don't want to create a real confrontation by yelling at them to get the hell away from me and my daughter. Besides, they would just laugh anyway.
• • •
Lightning struck us twice this week at the park when a 3-year-old boy took Joanna's little stuffed shark out her hands and threw it in the canal. We were passing through the park on our way to Kim Koi 2 when the boy came up to Joanna and acted like he wanted to play. The boy was pretty aggressive and seemed to have some issues and the man with him -- most likely his grandfather -- did the expected when the shark went into the water. He laughed. Joanna said something to the effect of "we'll get a new shark," not quite understanding that it had some sentimental value since it was a gift from her cousin.  So let's get this on the record: In the past few weeks Joanna has had a 6-year-old boy come up and put his middle finger in her face; a chubby boy threw her stuffed cow into the canal and the chubby boy and his chubby sister tossed bait into the canal and nearly got our fishing pole into the canal as well; a boy tossed her shark into the water; earlier in the month, two men grabbed her arms when she didn't respond to their nonsensical drivel in a fashion that suited them -- I hip-checked one idiot and poke-checked the other with my walking stick. My stick is often targeted by kids if I put it down at the park when fishing. I'd hate to see it lost in the canal or broken since my brother gave it to me before he died. For me, it's no laughing matter.
• • •
I haven't had cigarettes  (nearly five years) or alcohol (14 months), but I drink two or three cups of coffee a day, which is probably counterproductive for my sweat glands in the 93-degree heat ... My reading streak continues. It's at 61 weeks and 419 days in a row, thanks in part to Dune and Dune Messiah. I liked Dune but found it a little cumbersome. I really like the sequel, probably because I know the characters (by reading Dune) and the plot is easier to digest. ... This is my 300th blog post, and the blog has 71,600 hits overall ... We've made no hard and fast decision on coming to the U.S. as we monitor Covid and the new strains, and keep an eye on political tensions in the U.S. No doubt we'll get there soon enough for the sake of our two children ... and their stuffed animals.

Fish tale/tail has a happy ending; waiting again on visa

It's a water most foul that must carry the garbage discarded by a city under construction. Its flow is sluggish. That there's life under this wicked, often black waterway is a testament to the resilience of nature. It's amazing.

OK, I'm certainly not Melville or Hemingway, but I caught my first fish in the canal that runs through the park near our house. The best thing about the fish I pulled out of the canal last week was the reaction it produced in my daughter Joanna. She jumped for joy and ran up to see the little catfish. The smile on her face brought me so much joy. She loves all things fish and my catch after seven trips to the canal made both our days. A change of bait -- blood worms instead of meal worms and crickets -- resulted in a couple of strikes. My gear consists of pole, line and float. It has no reel, which added to the challenge. I don't even know how to keep the line tight. Maybe I don't need to since I caught the fish regardless of equipment. The second best thing about the catch was that there were quite a few people in the park at the time, and I even got congratulated.  My wife got pictures of the catch, and she also got a video. I have them on my phone so when I start getting advice while fishing, I'll flash the photos to quiet my many detractors. Ha ha. I may have lost Moby Dick off my hook the day before, but that didn't matter to Joanna on Thursday, and that's what mattered to me. And, by the way, catfish must be able to survive in pretty much any kind of water. That's why some species are prehistoric, I guess.
• • •
Across the street from the park, a huge coffee shop opened with little waterways containing lots of koi. The idea is to attract families and kids, who can buy little containers of food for the fish. The problem I've noticed is that kids don't want to leave, and departure includes crying and complaining. The walkways are somewhat narrow, which means there are percentage points for some kids falling into the water. Joanna acts terrified around heights sometimes, but she's fearless as she runs and jumps along the waterways. The water isn't deep, but the hassle would be deep if she fell in. The coffee shop is very close to our house. but we have to walk down a narrow walkway between the houses. The problem is motorbikes have started using this walkway more frequently as a shortcut, creating a danger for Joanna and possible confrontation with pedestrians like me who don't like aggressive and belligerent motorcyclists honking their horns for Joanna and I to put our backs to the wall so they can race by. Joanna is really good at tuning out nonsense like this, but I get upset when my daughter is threatened. I don't want to get upset, so I want my wife to find out if it's OK for bikes to use the narrow walkway as a cut-through. If it's OK, we'll take the long way around on the sidewalk to the park or coffee shop or wherever. But that provides no guarantee you won't be confronted on the sidewalk by a cyclist or even a car. As noted, I've been hit a few times by bikes while walking on the sidewalk or walking across the street in the supposedly safe "zebra." A friend here told me the situation is much worse in India; he said it feels like the motorists want to hit pedestrians. Another friend mentioned the perils of city traffic in Sri Lanka. As if Covid and a possible uprising in the U.S. aren't enough to worry about ...
• • •
Phuong was rejected in the final phase of her visa application, but it's not a huge deal. She needs to get a medical exam again because her previous exam expired. We reapply when she gets the exam and we should be good to go ... again. It's been a six-year struggle. Every choice we make comes with difficulties but schooling for our children remains the overriding concern. Of course, Covid and insurrection in the U.S. will figure into what we ultimately decide, but since my daughter exclusively speaks and reads English, the choices speak for themselves. And I won't lie. Teaching Joanna at home is tricky and exhausting. There's no question we've bonded, and Joanna has taught me more than I could ever teach her. But the fatigue factor enters into how well I prepare and deliver a lesson. I believe schools in the U.S. are better equipped than schools here -- and me -- to handle Joanna's unique skill set and personality. At least I hope they are.

New vision; Tet rules; fish, aggression, hope

My new eye doctor at the American Eye Center in Ho Chi Minh City has halted the pain in my eyes with prescription and over-the-counter medicine, and he got hold of the proper eye medicine for my glaucoma. Too bad he doesn't work on backs. I got new eyeglasses there as well, and since they're not scratched to blue blazes like all my other pairs, I can see again.  And I like what I see. My daughter Joanna's wall of fame --with animals and other dot-to-dots that she colors, and a few cut-and-paste projects -- is filled with 104 pictures that she has done in the past 71 days. I also see Joanna "sneaking" books and being able to read them on her own when no one's around. She won't do anything unless she's completely sure of herself. I see my son Elijah standing with assistance from chairs and tables and anything else he can get his chubby little hands on. For better or worse, he looks like his dad, but for better he seems to have his mom's pleasant disposition. Yes, my new glasses and healthier eyes have given me a wonderful outlook on life.

• • •
Christmas and New Year's aroused little interest here as people have already started gearing up for February's Tet holiday, the granddaddy of them all in Vietnam.  The gearing up includes cleaning and home construction, getting married, and even burying the dead. We experienced all of this over the traditional western holiday period. The ringing on Christmas Day came from the sound of a jackhammer demolishing the house behind us. The cleaning was provided by trash collectors, who hauled away our wrapping paper hours after Joanna opened her presents. There was a very tasteful and low-keyed wedding ceremony on New Year's Day and a very loud and tedious 3-day funeral service, featuring a 3 a.m. startup by the band. The funeral culminated with the body being taken from the house and driven down the street. I was told the body was in the house for a year before the ceremony.  I can't disagree with a friend's assessment that it's never dull on our street, although it was fairly quiet when my friend came to visit. The cleanup and construction will continue right up to Tet, which is February 12 this year.
• • •
We've got a new family hobby: fishing. Joanna and I go to her favorite fish store and pick up worms and crickets. Phuong (Santa) got Joanna a pole for Christmas and we all meet at the renovated park where we're good to go .... fishing. No catches yet, but I did see a gigantic catfish in the murky, mucky, yucky, black water, which comes from the Dong Nai River and local toilets, I suppose. I've gotten a few hits; one pretty strong that took the bait off the hook, but Moby Dick got away.  The crickets upset Joanna for some reason, and she let them all free the last time we went fishing. She'll let me hook the worms, however. I'm the pole-sitter (actually, I stand the whole time) and keep telling my daughter and wife that the big one is imminent.  Phuong walks Elijah around the park in his new Japanese stroller while Joanna plays. Meanwhile, I get plenty of unsolicited advice from passersby -- in decent English and unintelligible Vietnamese. Everyone is shocked I'm not rapidly hauling lunkers out of the muck, and they've told me on three occasions that other guys are catching lots of fish. Obviously, I wouldn't keep any fish I caught out that water. There are pictures of the canals and water somewhere on this blog.
• • •
A new coffee shop has opened at the park near our house, and it's going to have a gigantic fish tank and pool for kids. And the park's renovation is pretty much finished. It looks a lot better with brick paving.  Foot traffic has increased in the park, and unfortunately it included a couple of unsavory characters last Saturday, both of whom were very drunk. One tried to take a "friendly poke" at me, which I easily defected with my right hand while holding my walking stick in my left. The fat white monkey with the lame back still has a tiny bit of chi flowing. Another guy was mad that Joanna didn't respond to his drunken "happy new year" and grabbed her by both of her arms. I hip-checked the clown and signaled hands off. At the loud and excessive 3-day funeral service across the street from us, an older man approached Joanna saying some kind of greeting in Vietnamese (I guess). She backed up a little and the guy started to grab her arms; my walking stick intervened and the guy sulked away. Onlookers laughed at all three intrusions on our personal space. We've applied for our visas to the U.S. and their arrival is imminent, we hope, even though things aren't exactly ideal in the U.S. with Covid and bad politics raging. My holiday wish for hope and a new start were dismissed by some, who tried to sow seeds of dissent by invading the Capitol Building, and there are those who continue to foster division and hate. That won't affect our decision to return. We want the best for our children, and that's in the U.S. where we believe people will ultimately make good decisions and do what's right ... for all of us.