http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy Dispatches from the Thai-Lao border Mon, 12 Feb 2007 03:27:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I started carrying my camera around a few days ago. I pulled it out for the first time since I arrived in Thailand; dusted off the case, charged the batteries, and made sure it was still working. There are so many things I see every day, things I ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/from-the-clutches-of-posterity.html Karen – the young Dutch girl who is the newest Mut Mee receptionist – looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in with a conspiratorial air and said in a low voice, “I think traveling here is making my brain go soft.” http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/warning-%e2%80%93-sea-travel-may-be-hazardous-to-your-brain.html Here are the highlights from my week, presented in no particular order... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/my-week-in-review.html It really doesn't surprise me that other people are able to speak more intelligently about my writing than I am. It would be difficult not to. Or rather, it would be difficult for most people to ramble on as endlessly without actually managing to say anything. One ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/bonus-a-story-for-you-to-read.html This morning a friend of mine – one of the only people I actually talk to here lately – who is about ten years older than me, told me that he found out last night one of his closest friends had died – a friend from that critical phase when ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/culture-shock-or-there-are-an-awful-lot-of-ways-to-lose-track-of-the-person-you-think-you-are.html You know how I love to over explain myself, right? Here comes a classic... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/an-overly-detailed-heads-up.html Winter has been particularly vicious the past couple of days and I shivered at breakfast in the garden and again at lunch. In between meals, I dealt briefly with email [JdB: I don’t check your blog very often because I pay for Internet by the minute] and spent the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/my-armpits-are-whiter-than-your-armpits.html I’m leaving Nong Khai when my visa expires on the 19th. Decision made. There are a number of reasons but the most important is this – I’ve been feeling really happy here. Now before you all start in with a bunch of hoo ha about if it ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/i%e2%80%99m-like-totally-a-scientist-of-life-or-whatever-you-know.html If you can get past the image of wanna-be gypsy ladies draped in layers of purple velvet and heavy silver jewelry, the Tarot is actually really interesting. In my mind, it’s not something magical or occult; it’s just a piece of fine storytelling. The major arcana tells the ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/the-year-of-the-hermit.html My name is Sandy but you can call me Ham-Cheese. That’s what the clerks at 7-11 call me, anyway. Every time I go in there now one of the guys smiles, nods and says, “Ham cheese” like it’s our private little joke. Haha funny farang woman who ... http://blogs.bootsnall.com/thisissandy/look-out-laos-here-comes-ham-cheese.html