I am still a little in shock as to what happened with regards to my new curling iron. I cant for the life of me understand how the word "no" and the shaking of my head for emphasis, was not enough to convince this woman at the department store that what she was trying to sell me was not in fact what I wanted. Let me explain...
Thailand electrical works off of different voltage then we do in The States. Here in Thailand they work of 220 I think, maybe 240... In any event, it's different and we cant use most of our electrical stuff here, despite the fact that they will plug in. So, since I knew this before leaving home I purchased what I thought was a good converter. (Note to self: do NOT buy converter's from the luggage aisle at Wal Mart and expect them to work on expensive appliances.) Okay, so as I said I had this converter and for the most part it was working well. We did have to purchase a few new items that wouldn't convert, like hubby's hair trimmer that totally screwed up Middle Boys hair (totally not my fault, despite what my hubby says), a coffee maker, an iron, really small things. The one thing that I did find that sort of worked on the converter was my curling iron. I knew it wouldn't last forever working like it was, but I also didn't want to go out an purchase something new (and expensive) that I would only be able to use for a year. Now, please understand, I do like to shop and I can spend money quite quickly, but I also hate to waste, and this, buying a new curling iron, felt like a waste. So, I held off. And then it died. On a day when I needed presentable hair because Big Kid had a school thing. Great!
So, I did what any girl would do in that situation. I slapped on some makeup, put on a pretty dress, and strutted my stuff like I had good hair instead of bad. Okay, "strutting my stuff" isn't entirely accurate. I mean I was going to a kindergarten program after all. Lets go with, "I have three kids so cut me slack on my bad hair" walk. Yep, that sounds more like it,lol! So, after the program had concluded I went to the mall to purchase a new iron.
I went to the mall with one objective, and that was to buy a Lesasha iron (please exaggerate the "Le" part when you say it. It's more fun sounding that way!), but unfortunately, due to faulty debit cards issued by our Thai bank, I was denied my purchase. It was embarrassing when it happened, but it actually turned out to be a good thing since the lady did in fact talk me into a different brand then what I wanted. You see, hubby and I have had a run in with this particular lady before. She was the one who insisted that the Babyliss hair trimmer that he ended up with was THE BEST and that he just had to buy it. Umm no. Not even close. She seems to speak just enough English to tell you are wrong and that you want something else, but not quite enough to understand the word "no". Anyway, I left with decent hair (she did my hair for me) but no iron. Thankfully my wonderful neighbor loaned me her spare until I could get a new one.
So, that brings us to Sunday. The hubby volunteered to take me back to the mall to acquire a new iron. Unfortunantly we did not time our arrival well and were greeted by the same sales girl who came running (yes, I do mean running) when she saw me. She says "oh, I remember you. Here is what you want" and proceeds to pull out the iron that I did not want. After tell her so, and pointing several times to the one that I did want, she finally got the message and called over a man. Why a man, you may be asking yourself. And no, he did not speak better English then her. He did however have better hair and I am quite certain moonligths as a lady. Anyway, after rebuffing him on the same iron she tried selling me, he tossed his perfectly styled hair at me and stormed off in a huff stating "Well, I tried!". Okay dude, or dudette, whatever! So, I went back to shopping and tried at least three times to get the iron that I wanted and was promptly told three times that she didn't have any and they were no good. Well, she must have thought that I was blind because she had several under the counter, which I showed her. She again told me no! So, after a very frustrating time with her we walked across the store to another Leshasha counter. This time they had the boxes out in the open where you could just get what you wanted. As I am picking up the box I see her out the corner of my eye coming my way, and I freaked! Thankfully she was intercepted by another customer.
After I pick up my box, hide behind my stroller with it for a while, I tell the hubby to run to the counter so that we can pay and get the heck out of there. Hubby is laughing his butt off by the way! Once we get to the counter and I hand over the iron, this look of confusion comes over the clerk's face. So, what does she do? She gets on the darn phone and calls "Ms. No You Can't Have That"! Why? Why did she HAVE to do that? I had already gotten into trouble with Ms. No and I certainly did not need her coming to take the prize that I worked so hard to find. I will never know the answer to this question since they were speaking in Thai, but the message was clear, I should have allowed Ms. No to bring the iron to the counter (or, I should have at least listened and bought the other one). After talking to each other for what seemed like an eternity, the clerk hangs up the phone and I hold my breath while I wait for Ms. No to appear and scold me once again. Luckily it didn't happen and she allowed me to continue with my purchase. After my credit card was authorized and the receipt was printed, we took off, Iron in bag! Score!!
Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Kristen does talk Thai very well! (sort of)
The Thai people, in general, are a very friendly people. They laugh a lot, smile a lot, and generally avoid confrontation at all cost. It just isn't the Thai way to be angry. A few weeks ago,(I may have mentioned this previously) I greeted a Thai in Thai for the first time. He didn't laugh, just smiled, and said it right back to me as if I had done a good job. Well, that was the last day that I did that because the next time I used my greeting with a Thai, he did laugh at me and my bubble was popped. I just knew that I did something wrong and went right back to greeting people with a friendly English "hello". Yesterday however, I regained my confidence!
At about 2:30, right after putting the babe down for her nap (and maybe taking a little nap for myself), the doorbell rings and I hear Khun P talking to this Thai man who was asking for me and the Big Kid in English. A little strange, but okay. Turns out I had completely forgotten that my Thai lessons were to start. So, after willing myself off my comfy chair I greeted Khun Bill, my Thai teacher.
Khun Bill is a hoot by the way. As we were sitting there he starts asking me questions about myself, the kids, our life here, and when we get to my middle son and his name, Khun Bill says loudly "Oh, good name! Man of God!" This totally threw me off my game because Thai's, at least the majority, are Buddhist. How did the man, this Thai man at that, know that my middle was named after a man of God? And why did he just say "Praise the Lord" and give my middle two thumbs up?? So many questions in just a five minute period. Turns out Khun Bill is a Christian and a passionate one at that! So, after I got over my shock of meeting a Thai Christian, we got down to business.
His first order of business was to find out what I liked about Thailand. I'm guessing he was trying to figure out what phrases would benefit me the most. Now, if you have been keeping up with this blog, I was posed this question shortly after we got here and my answer was less then stellar. I was prepared this time since I have been actively searching for things that I like about Thailand. I told him that I liked the friendly people, the excellent food that Khun P cooks for us, the lovely scenery, how laid back life could be, etc. Surprisingly he actually criticized the laid back life that most Thai's live. He said not worrying about the future, while good in some circumstances, was a very bad thing when it comes to finances and things of that nature. This also shocked me because it seems to be such a Western way of thinking. Anyway, after also going over things that I disliked about Thailand (the list was much longer then the likes list, but getting shorter then my original list), we started speaking in Thai.
The big kid was also allotted 150 hours of Thai language lessons with me but instead chose to complain about how bored he was (which Khun Bill showed him how to say in Thai by the way, lol!). After we were doing lessons for about an hour we took a break for a few minutes then got right back to work, this time with the big kid joining in. When I asked him if he could say something, instead of getting the "yes, I can" answer, he actually said what we (Khun Bill and I) were saying. All in all it was a fun afternoon and I did learn quite a lot. Khun Bill even said that we did well and that we should feel confident when we greet someone. I should however be careful if trying to tell someone that I love them in Thai because apparently when I was repeating the phrase back to him I told him that I was going to rob him. Why those two words are spelled the same I will never understand! Even though i messed up that phrase i did however learn proper greetings and was fairly good at sentence structures. My tones suck though!
So, that brings us to today, day one after the lessons. As the big kid and I were walking into his school I told the guard "hello" in Thai and to my surprise so did the big kid! He said it with such confidence that it took everything in my mommy gut not to swoop him up and kiss his cheeks! I was, and am, so proud of him! Next week we have more lessons and hopefully the Big Kid comes with the same positive attitude that he showed in the latter part of the lessons. I would love for him to be able to carry on conversations with Thai's and I think he is at the right age for learning.
In any event, it is time for lunch and I have a babe sleeping on my lap so I guess I had better get going. Until next time, I hope all is well!
Sawatdee Ka,
Kristen
At about 2:30, right after putting the babe down for her nap (and maybe taking a little nap for myself), the doorbell rings and I hear Khun P talking to this Thai man who was asking for me and the Big Kid in English. A little strange, but okay. Turns out I had completely forgotten that my Thai lessons were to start. So, after willing myself off my comfy chair I greeted Khun Bill, my Thai teacher.
Khun Bill is a hoot by the way. As we were sitting there he starts asking me questions about myself, the kids, our life here, and when we get to my middle son and his name, Khun Bill says loudly "Oh, good name! Man of God!" This totally threw me off my game because Thai's, at least the majority, are Buddhist. How did the man, this Thai man at that, know that my middle was named after a man of God? And why did he just say "Praise the Lord" and give my middle two thumbs up?? So many questions in just a five minute period. Turns out Khun Bill is a Christian and a passionate one at that! So, after I got over my shock of meeting a Thai Christian, we got down to business.
His first order of business was to find out what I liked about Thailand. I'm guessing he was trying to figure out what phrases would benefit me the most. Now, if you have been keeping up with this blog, I was posed this question shortly after we got here and my answer was less then stellar. I was prepared this time since I have been actively searching for things that I like about Thailand. I told him that I liked the friendly people, the excellent food that Khun P cooks for us, the lovely scenery, how laid back life could be, etc. Surprisingly he actually criticized the laid back life that most Thai's live. He said not worrying about the future, while good in some circumstances, was a very bad thing when it comes to finances and things of that nature. This also shocked me because it seems to be such a Western way of thinking. Anyway, after also going over things that I disliked about Thailand (the list was much longer then the likes list, but getting shorter then my original list), we started speaking in Thai.
The big kid was also allotted 150 hours of Thai language lessons with me but instead chose to complain about how bored he was (which Khun Bill showed him how to say in Thai by the way, lol!). After we were doing lessons for about an hour we took a break for a few minutes then got right back to work, this time with the big kid joining in. When I asked him if he could say something, instead of getting the "yes, I can" answer, he actually said what we (Khun Bill and I) were saying. All in all it was a fun afternoon and I did learn quite a lot. Khun Bill even said that we did well and that we should feel confident when we greet someone. I should however be careful if trying to tell someone that I love them in Thai because apparently when I was repeating the phrase back to him I told him that I was going to rob him. Why those two words are spelled the same I will never understand! Even though i messed up that phrase i did however learn proper greetings and was fairly good at sentence structures. My tones suck though!
So, that brings us to today, day one after the lessons. As the big kid and I were walking into his school I told the guard "hello" in Thai and to my surprise so did the big kid! He said it with such confidence that it took everything in my mommy gut not to swoop him up and kiss his cheeks! I was, and am, so proud of him! Next week we have more lessons and hopefully the Big Kid comes with the same positive attitude that he showed in the latter part of the lessons. I would love for him to be able to carry on conversations with Thai's and I think he is at the right age for learning.
In any event, it is time for lunch and I have a babe sleeping on my lap so I guess I had better get going. Until next time, I hope all is well!
Sawatdee Ka,
Kristen
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
My International Incident
Well, maybe calling it "International" isn't entirely correct. You see, I didn't offend the entire nation of Thailand, just the Buddhist part of Thailand. If you know anything about Thailand however, you know that the vast majority of Thailand is in fact Buddhist, so you can see why calling the incident "International" isn't quite correct but not completely false either.
So, let me start by saying that I know nothing about he Buddhist culture, or better yet, I didn't before last week. Well, I take that back. I knew two things. One: Women cannot, under any circumstances even in incidents of drowning, touch a Saffron clad Buddhist Monk (totally true, I read a story about this). And Two: The laws of physics do not apply to Saffron clad Buddhist Monks because apparently you can pile at least seven of them in a single cab pick-up truck and it be completely safe. Yep, good bit of knowledge to have there, right???
So anyway, remember Remy? My little "problem" visitor? Well, last week my neighbor stopped over for a chat and we got on the subject of "things that induce heart attacks" and I told her about Remy and my attempt to have him killed with a big stick. As I am telling her this she begins to shake her head "no" and starts to laugh. I thought she was trying to commiserate or something and had been through the same thing and had the same feelings, but no, no she wasn't laughing and commiserating. She was laughing at my rather large faux paux, and she was about to give me a very important lesson about the Buddhist people. After I finished my story and she had ceased her laughter she says "oh honey no. They won't kill them. That's their kin!" Huh? I'm sorry, crazy lady say what???
As you can imagine the news of "killing their kin" completely threw me off. Their kin? Really? I didn't know what to make of this info so my first thought went to schooling. My neighbor is Canadian and I thought maybe they just taught evolution differently there and Canadians thought people came from rats and not the monkeys. Well, no. Now that couldn't be it, could it? I mean evolution is a universal thing, right? Surly it is. So, as quickly as that thought came into my little brain, it left. So then what? What's this kin business about?
Well the kin business relates to the Buddhist principle/philosophy of reincarnation. Apparently they wont even kill bugs. Here I am playing hang man charades with two mild manner Buddhist in my kitchen and all they can probably think is "crazy white lady wants me to kill my grandpa!". Now mind you, they didn't actually come out and say this, but looking back, the expressions on their faces were along that line. As I am telling my ever so sweet hubby about the revelation brought on by my neighbor he too starts laughing at me. Apparently he knew all about why Buddhist wont kill rats and just "forgot" to inform me. Thanks hubby! I appreciate that!
In any event, news did not spread farther then my kitchen on my "incident" because I have not been deported or forced to give up my temporary Thai citizenship. My maid is also still working for me and the handy man doesn't seem any more indifferent towards me then normal. All seems to be forgiven! In further news, after my neighbor left, that very night my hubby decided to open the forbidden rat cabinet and discovered that Remy had been caught with the aid of my banana. The bad news surrounding this was that he discovered Remy at 10pm. However, the good news is that our landlord seems to like us and called a security guard to escort Remy off our property... Alive and in his friendly cage!
Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen
So, let me start by saying that I know nothing about he Buddhist culture, or better yet, I didn't before last week. Well, I take that back. I knew two things. One: Women cannot, under any circumstances even in incidents of drowning, touch a Saffron clad Buddhist Monk (totally true, I read a story about this). And Two: The laws of physics do not apply to Saffron clad Buddhist Monks because apparently you can pile at least seven of them in a single cab pick-up truck and it be completely safe. Yep, good bit of knowledge to have there, right???
So anyway, remember Remy? My little "problem" visitor? Well, last week my neighbor stopped over for a chat and we got on the subject of "things that induce heart attacks" and I told her about Remy and my attempt to have him killed with a big stick. As I am telling her this she begins to shake her head "no" and starts to laugh. I thought she was trying to commiserate or something and had been through the same thing and had the same feelings, but no, no she wasn't laughing and commiserating. She was laughing at my rather large faux paux, and she was about to give me a very important lesson about the Buddhist people. After I finished my story and she had ceased her laughter she says "oh honey no. They won't kill them. That's their kin!" Huh? I'm sorry, crazy lady say what???
As you can imagine the news of "killing their kin" completely threw me off. Their kin? Really? I didn't know what to make of this info so my first thought went to schooling. My neighbor is Canadian and I thought maybe they just taught evolution differently there and Canadians thought people came from rats and not the monkeys. Well, no. Now that couldn't be it, could it? I mean evolution is a universal thing, right? Surly it is. So, as quickly as that thought came into my little brain, it left. So then what? What's this kin business about?
Well the kin business relates to the Buddhist principle/philosophy of reincarnation. Apparently they wont even kill bugs. Here I am playing hang man charades with two mild manner Buddhist in my kitchen and all they can probably think is "crazy white lady wants me to kill my grandpa!". Now mind you, they didn't actually come out and say this, but looking back, the expressions on their faces were along that line. As I am telling my ever so sweet hubby about the revelation brought on by my neighbor he too starts laughing at me. Apparently he knew all about why Buddhist wont kill rats and just "forgot" to inform me. Thanks hubby! I appreciate that!
In any event, news did not spread farther then my kitchen on my "incident" because I have not been deported or forced to give up my temporary Thai citizenship. My maid is also still working for me and the handy man doesn't seem any more indifferent towards me then normal. All seems to be forgiven! In further news, after my neighbor left, that very night my hubby decided to open the forbidden rat cabinet and discovered that Remy had been caught with the aid of my banana. The bad news surrounding this was that he discovered Remy at 10pm. However, the good news is that our landlord seems to like us and called a security guard to escort Remy off our property... Alive and in his friendly cage!
Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Monday, October 8, 2012
Worst game of charades E-V-E-R!!!
Boy, oh boy! Just when I thought that things could not go more wrong. When I thought that FINALLY things were turning around and that I was about to fall madly in love with living here, I burn my stupid finger on the Princess coffee maker and I discover that Remy from Ratatouille is living in my darn kitchen ( trust me, darn was not the four letter word originally used when I made this fantastic discovery!)!
First things first. The Princess coffee maker. Apparently all of the products here are named to appeal to women ( or men, lol), and Princess just so happens to be the product name of our new coffee maker. And trust me, that darn coffee maker acts like a true princess! If you don't treat her with the utmost of respect she will either A) spew coffee all over your kitchen, or B) burn your finger. As previously mentioned, my finger was burned this morning because apparently Princess decided to take her time making my morning Joe and when I removed the pot her steam got me. And yes, she steams. Don't ask!
Now as for Remy, well... I'm not really sure where to start as he was just discovered today. Now keep in mind that we haven't actually seen him. We have, or better yet, I have, seen the mess this dude makes. So, picture it. Rainy wet morning. I get the kids up, make them breakfast, fix the big kid his lunch, and out we go. I had thrown something in the trash before we left and the trash bag was completely normal looking, of this I'm 100% sure. So.. we get back from school drop off and we set about our day. Today was maid day so I was waiting around for her and eating breakfast. After she arrived she went about her day and I did my thing. One of my things brought me back to the trash can where I immediate noticed that something was amiss and that someone, or someTHING, had shredded the sides in an attempt to gain access to its contents. I originally thought that maybe the maid had tried pulling the bag out and had trouble. The more I thought about it, the less that thought made sense. It's a rather small can and we didn't have much inside. Plus, she would have told me. Then, I thought maybe the hubby had done it the night before, but really, as I said earlier, the trash can looked completely normal earlier and a shredded trash bag was not something that my hubby would do.
So here I am, solely focused on this trash can and it's mysteriously destroyed trash bag when it dawns on me. I bet a damn gecko got to it. But no, no that couldn't be right. How would a gecko do that much damage? Plus, how would it get in there? And then it hits. And boy did it hit! It had to be something massive to do what it did. So, I frantically call the hubby and tell him about it and take pictures so that people don't think I've totally lost it, and as I am talking to him I blurt out "it had to be something huge to get that high up on the trash can. I DO NOT want to see that!". After I got off the phone with the hubby I went searching for my maid. I asked her to come into the kitchen to confirm my suspicions and before I can even ask what left the dropping by the trash can she screeches out "oh, madam, that rat poo poo!". I totally lost it and to be honest, I'm not really all that proud of the screeching, yelling, and hopping around I did. And this woman. This very brave woman, went searching through my kitchen to see if she could find the offender. When she didn't, I politely asked her not to open any more cabinets because I may die if the rat ran out. This seemed to concern her greatly because she clutched her chest and said "oh, you die?". Apparently dramatics do not translate well!
After several calls back and forth with my hubby, it was determined this this was the sort of emergency that one calls the landlord for right away. This was not a " my light bulb died can you come fix it" situation. This was a " my water pipe broke, my house is flooding, and I may drown" sort of emergency. Thankfully, between my hubby and my maid, the maintenance man was summoned.
Now for the part about charades. My poor maintenance man came right over with a trap. A freakin glue trap. A glue trap for a 20 pound rat??? Are you kidding me??? So, I tell him no. This will not work. Since he didn't understand, I pulled about what I thought were my seriously mad charade skills. They've gotten the job done so far and I thought I was pretty darn good. Ha!!!So, I tell him no ( shake head) you ( pointing at him) make rat ( holds up hands like rat paws and make squeaking sounds) dead( mimics a noose) with snap trap (snaps hands together) . Seems really clear right? WRONG! These movements apparently directly translate to " please bring me a cage so that I don't have to clean glue off my new BFF's feet when we catch him and make him ours, and pet him, and love him forever.", Because yes people, they brought me a cage. And not just one cage. Oh no. They brought me two! So now I have two cages waiting for Remy to arrive and they used my fresh bread as the bait. Nice right???
There are now three people with direct knowledge of my fear of all things that scurry around and squeak; my hubby, my friend A, and now Khun P. My hubby knows because he was called out of a meeting back home to care for me during Mouse Gate 2010. My friend A knows because I told her about the incident with my hubby. And well Khun P, she knows because of today. My hubby and A both had simple solutions like call the exterminator and neither placed the blame on me. A even told me of her mouse catching skills. Khun P however informed me that Remy was a direct reflection of my catlessness. Yes, that is a word! Anyway, her solution to my catlessness is to bring me one of her kittens. Yep, that's just what I need. Something small and furry and that meows instead of squeaks. Great! So, needless to say, after she determined that my kids don't have allergies, and that there was no good and plausible reason for my catlessness, she has decided to make me a cat person. Hopefully she doesn't actually show up with one on Wednesday, but we shall see. Although, you know, I do have two cages and to my knowledge only one Remy, so I really should have something to fill it. Just watch though, we'll probably catch Remy and his brother Emile.
In any event, my kids are currently battling it out in the living room so I must go. Until next time, I hope all is well.
Kristen
First things first. The Princess coffee maker. Apparently all of the products here are named to appeal to women ( or men, lol), and Princess just so happens to be the product name of our new coffee maker. And trust me, that darn coffee maker acts like a true princess! If you don't treat her with the utmost of respect she will either A) spew coffee all over your kitchen, or B) burn your finger. As previously mentioned, my finger was burned this morning because apparently Princess decided to take her time making my morning Joe and when I removed the pot her steam got me. And yes, she steams. Don't ask!
Now as for Remy, well... I'm not really sure where to start as he was just discovered today. Now keep in mind that we haven't actually seen him. We have, or better yet, I have, seen the mess this dude makes. So, picture it. Rainy wet morning. I get the kids up, make them breakfast, fix the big kid his lunch, and out we go. I had thrown something in the trash before we left and the trash bag was completely normal looking, of this I'm 100% sure. So.. we get back from school drop off and we set about our day. Today was maid day so I was waiting around for her and eating breakfast. After she arrived she went about her day and I did my thing. One of my things brought me back to the trash can where I immediate noticed that something was amiss and that someone, or someTHING, had shredded the sides in an attempt to gain access to its contents. I originally thought that maybe the maid had tried pulling the bag out and had trouble. The more I thought about it, the less that thought made sense. It's a rather small can and we didn't have much inside. Plus, she would have told me. Then, I thought maybe the hubby had done it the night before, but really, as I said earlier, the trash can looked completely normal earlier and a shredded trash bag was not something that my hubby would do.
So here I am, solely focused on this trash can and it's mysteriously destroyed trash bag when it dawns on me. I bet a damn gecko got to it. But no, no that couldn't be right. How would a gecko do that much damage? Plus, how would it get in there? And then it hits. And boy did it hit! It had to be something massive to do what it did. So, I frantically call the hubby and tell him about it and take pictures so that people don't think I've totally lost it, and as I am talking to him I blurt out "it had to be something huge to get that high up on the trash can. I DO NOT want to see that!". After I got off the phone with the hubby I went searching for my maid. I asked her to come into the kitchen to confirm my suspicions and before I can even ask what left the dropping by the trash can she screeches out "oh, madam, that rat poo poo!". I totally lost it and to be honest, I'm not really all that proud of the screeching, yelling, and hopping around I did. And this woman. This very brave woman, went searching through my kitchen to see if she could find the offender. When she didn't, I politely asked her not to open any more cabinets because I may die if the rat ran out. This seemed to concern her greatly because she clutched her chest and said "oh, you die?". Apparently dramatics do not translate well!
After several calls back and forth with my hubby, it was determined this this was the sort of emergency that one calls the landlord for right away. This was not a " my light bulb died can you come fix it" situation. This was a " my water pipe broke, my house is flooding, and I may drown" sort of emergency. Thankfully, between my hubby and my maid, the maintenance man was summoned.
Now for the part about charades. My poor maintenance man came right over with a trap. A freakin glue trap. A glue trap for a 20 pound rat??? Are you kidding me??? So, I tell him no. This will not work. Since he didn't understand, I pulled about what I thought were my seriously mad charade skills. They've gotten the job done so far and I thought I was pretty darn good. Ha!!!So, I tell him no ( shake head) you ( pointing at him) make rat ( holds up hands like rat paws and make squeaking sounds) dead( mimics a noose) with snap trap (snaps hands together) . Seems really clear right? WRONG! These movements apparently directly translate to " please bring me a cage so that I don't have to clean glue off my new BFF's feet when we catch him and make him ours, and pet him, and love him forever.", Because yes people, they brought me a cage. And not just one cage. Oh no. They brought me two! So now I have two cages waiting for Remy to arrive and they used my fresh bread as the bait. Nice right???
There are now three people with direct knowledge of my fear of all things that scurry around and squeak; my hubby, my friend A, and now Khun P. My hubby knows because he was called out of a meeting back home to care for me during Mouse Gate 2010. My friend A knows because I told her about the incident with my hubby. And well Khun P, she knows because of today. My hubby and A both had simple solutions like call the exterminator and neither placed the blame on me. A even told me of her mouse catching skills. Khun P however informed me that Remy was a direct reflection of my catlessness. Yes, that is a word! Anyway, her solution to my catlessness is to bring me one of her kittens. Yep, that's just what I need. Something small and furry and that meows instead of squeaks. Great! So, needless to say, after she determined that my kids don't have allergies, and that there was no good and plausible reason for my catlessness, she has decided to make me a cat person. Hopefully she doesn't actually show up with one on Wednesday, but we shall see. Although, you know, I do have two cages and to my knowledge only one Remy, so I really should have something to fill it. Just watch though, we'll probably catch Remy and his brother Emile.
In any event, my kids are currently battling it out in the living room so I must go. Until next time, I hope all is well.
Kristen
Thursday, October 4, 2012
And another one bites the dust...
You know, I really should learn to not count my chickens before my eggs hatch. Oh,what now, you may be asking yourself. Well, would you know that after I posted my last post about finally settling the driver situation, he too, decided not to drive for us after all!?! Yep, three down. I have managed to chase off three drivers. Most people go through two... Maybe. Me??? Nope! I'm an overachiever! I'm shooting for number four! Really, it has nothing to do with me, of this I'm sure. I AM super fantastic and fun after all (totally kidding!). But really??? Four??? Total complex going on over here. Since Mr.S initially asked for the job I'm guessing he felt pretty bad about turning it down because before doing so, found a friend of his who does want the job. My response when the hubby told me this was less then lady-like, I assure you. My exact words were, "You can tell Mr.S and his friend that they can both go f-themselves! I'm driving myself". See, total lady-like response. In any event, number four, actually make that number FIVE since we have a different one this weekend, will be starting on Monday. I'm shooting for the stars, people!
In other news, I have to make Halloween costumes. And not just any Halloween costumes. Sponge Bob costumes. And of course since they don't celebrate Halloween here in Thailand, they don't have a store where I can just go pick up a costume. I really do have to make it. And the problem with that? Well, even though I have made the kid's costumes the last two years, I had a pattern to follow. Now I don't. I have to wing it. In addition to that, they don't have a Wal Mart or Joann's where I can just pick up whatever fabric I need. They have silk stores in several places, but that would ensure that my Sponge Bob costumes would look a little Queen-ish, and I am quite certain that Sponge Bob is no Queen. In any event, I can't find a fabric store that ships here so I have requested that they choose something else. We had thrown around the idea of "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" in the past so that was my suggestion to which the big kid replied "who would middle kid be?". When I told him that middle kid would be Cubby his response was " oh, the little fat one?". Seems that my idea was a bust! The babe is going to be a ladybug, but again, no pattern, so I'm winging that one too. Stayed tuned for pics once I find fabric. It should prove interesting!
Well, my cake smells like it is burning so I really should get going. I was trying to experiment with temperature control on my Thai oven and I do believe that I may have been off a little and have failed miserably. Could be because I can't seem to figure out the unit of the temp gage on the oven. Just a guess! I could be wrong. Anywho, I hope all is well!
Kristen
In other news, I have to make Halloween costumes. And not just any Halloween costumes. Sponge Bob costumes. And of course since they don't celebrate Halloween here in Thailand, they don't have a store where I can just go pick up a costume. I really do have to make it. And the problem with that? Well, even though I have made the kid's costumes the last two years, I had a pattern to follow. Now I don't. I have to wing it. In addition to that, they don't have a Wal Mart or Joann's where I can just pick up whatever fabric I need. They have silk stores in several places, but that would ensure that my Sponge Bob costumes would look a little Queen-ish, and I am quite certain that Sponge Bob is no Queen. In any event, I can't find a fabric store that ships here so I have requested that they choose something else. We had thrown around the idea of "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" in the past so that was my suggestion to which the big kid replied "who would middle kid be?". When I told him that middle kid would be Cubby his response was " oh, the little fat one?". Seems that my idea was a bust! The babe is going to be a ladybug, but again, no pattern, so I'm winging that one too. Stayed tuned for pics once I find fabric. It should prove interesting!
Well, my cake smells like it is burning so I really should get going. I was trying to experiment with temperature control on my Thai oven and I do believe that I may have been off a little and have failed miserably. Could be because I can't seem to figure out the unit of the temp gage on the oven. Just a guess! I could be wrong. Anywho, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Mr. O, the sequel!
Well, it happened again. I got left at the mall. I'm not really sure what it is about me and that damn mall, but I swear it's like me and the geckos. Being naked means gecko attack, and needing to be somewhere else while shopping at the mall equals being left by the driver.
You know, today actually started out.. Ehh, okay, it started out crappy. I should have known. The big kid and I started fighting as soon as the hubby walked out the door and then the middle kid and the baby decided to launch their attacks simultaneously. I was a defeated woman before even hitting the golf cart for our morning drive. I was seriously contemplating hiding in a dark closet and drinking for a while, but I digress. Anyway, the day picked up very quickly when on our way back from dropping off the big kid at school, I drove past my neighbor. Even though I had turned down her offer to babysit so that I could go to coffee chat (I actually turned her down for the whole year because i was yet again feeling sorry for myself ), she insisted that I get my fanny back home and get dressed to go. Since she gave me a hug and told me not to cry (yep, big ol'baby over here today!) I decided to take her advice and get out on my own for a short while (you know, instead of dark closet drinking). I even put on a dress and my foxy red Tom wedges! After she showed up I took off with another sweet gal to the coffee chat while she, my lovely neighbor, stayed with the kiddos.
After staying for about an hour chatting with other adults (and yes, I still remember how to do that. Go me!), I came home, loaded up the kiddos and off we went with driver number three, Mr.C. You see, before actually going out with Mr.C it took a lot of convincing from the hubby. After having gone through two drivers I was starting to develop a complex. He assured me that he, driver number three, was a nice man. He was older and very quite, but he was a good driver and he, the hubby, was sure I was going to like him. Boy he was dead wrong! Wrong, wrong, WRONG!
The drive into the city went well. So far, everything the hubby said about the man was in fact true. Older, quite, good driver. After helping me unload the kids he asked what time I wanted him to be back. Since I had no idea, I told him I would call him when we through but it wouldn't be too long. Once our shopping had concluded I called him, but he didn't answer. At this point I wasn't panicking just yet. So, I took the elevator up to our meeting place and tried calling him again. And still... no answer. By this point about 10 minutes had passed and I was starting to worry. We had to be back in time to get the big from school. Since it takes at a minimum 40 minutes to get there we only had about 20 minutes to find this guy. You see, even though I didn't know how long it would take me to get what I needed done, I did know what time I had to leave the mall in order to have a little cushion at home with the two little ones before leaving to get the big one. My cushion was slowly slipping away and the "danger zone" of not getting there on time to get the big kid was rapidly approaching. After a few frantic phone calls to the hubby, he was able to secure a pool driver to take him home so that he could get the big kid from school.
Even though the big kid was no longer in danger of one of his parents not being there to pick him up, we still had the problem of how I was going to get home with two kids who no longer had car seats because not only was our driver MIA, so was our van! As I am walking around the mall with a screaming baby who wants nothing more then to sleep and a toddler who wants nothing more then run away from me and causing me to use several four letters words that I am thankful Thai speaking people probably don't understand, the hubby finally called me to let me know that his employers were able to track down the missing Mr.C and our van... 1.5 hours later!!! Momma was MAD!!! What makes it worse was the reason why Mr.C was MIA. He had turned his phone off. You know, after I told him THAT I WOULD CALL HIM. Who does that??? We still have no idea how they tracked this man down.
Thankfully the drive home was uneventful and we made it back in one piece. One, frazzled, pissed off, piece! Seriously, I'm starting to have a complex about going to this mall. I still can't believe it happened the first time, let alone TWICE! My neighbor's drivers all seem to be fantastic and I know this because they brag. They help them around the house, they water their flowers, they take them shopping and make sure they get the good deals. They even push their grocery carts. Me personally, I don't need all of that. I just need a reliable driver. Someone who doesn't further my now existent abandonment issues.
The second driver that we had was great. His name is Mr.S. He was a pool driver that worked for Hubby's company and not the contracted company, so unfortunately he wasn't available to drive for us permanently. What's sad is that he actually wanted the job and asked for the job and we wanted him to for that reason alone. After today, the company decided to allow Mr.S to come work with us permanently. The hubby said that on Monday that he was going to have a serious talk with Mr. S to let him know that his one and only responsibility was to make sure that I wasn't left anywhere ever again. He can come in late, just so long as he makes SURE that I, and the kids, are safely at home and not left somewhere, (specifically the mall.)
So, the driver situation is now hopefully settled and with that being taken care, and a little therapy, I should be able to resume a some what normal life (that doesn't include dark closet drinking). So, until next time, I hope all is well.
Kristen
You know, today actually started out.. Ehh, okay, it started out crappy. I should have known. The big kid and I started fighting as soon as the hubby walked out the door and then the middle kid and the baby decided to launch their attacks simultaneously. I was a defeated woman before even hitting the golf cart for our morning drive. I was seriously contemplating hiding in a dark closet and drinking for a while, but I digress. Anyway, the day picked up very quickly when on our way back from dropping off the big kid at school, I drove past my neighbor. Even though I had turned down her offer to babysit so that I could go to coffee chat (I actually turned her down for the whole year because i was yet again feeling sorry for myself ), she insisted that I get my fanny back home and get dressed to go. Since she gave me a hug and told me not to cry (yep, big ol'baby over here today!) I decided to take her advice and get out on my own for a short while (you know, instead of dark closet drinking). I even put on a dress and my foxy red Tom wedges! After she showed up I took off with another sweet gal to the coffee chat while she, my lovely neighbor, stayed with the kiddos.
After staying for about an hour chatting with other adults (and yes, I still remember how to do that. Go me!), I came home, loaded up the kiddos and off we went with driver number three, Mr.C. You see, before actually going out with Mr.C it took a lot of convincing from the hubby. After having gone through two drivers I was starting to develop a complex. He assured me that he, driver number three, was a nice man. He was older and very quite, but he was a good driver and he, the hubby, was sure I was going to like him. Boy he was dead wrong! Wrong, wrong, WRONG!
The drive into the city went well. So far, everything the hubby said about the man was in fact true. Older, quite, good driver. After helping me unload the kids he asked what time I wanted him to be back. Since I had no idea, I told him I would call him when we through but it wouldn't be too long. Once our shopping had concluded I called him, but he didn't answer. At this point I wasn't panicking just yet. So, I took the elevator up to our meeting place and tried calling him again. And still... no answer. By this point about 10 minutes had passed and I was starting to worry. We had to be back in time to get the big from school. Since it takes at a minimum 40 minutes to get there we only had about 20 minutes to find this guy. You see, even though I didn't know how long it would take me to get what I needed done, I did know what time I had to leave the mall in order to have a little cushion at home with the two little ones before leaving to get the big one. My cushion was slowly slipping away and the "danger zone" of not getting there on time to get the big kid was rapidly approaching. After a few frantic phone calls to the hubby, he was able to secure a pool driver to take him home so that he could get the big kid from school.
Even though the big kid was no longer in danger of one of his parents not being there to pick him up, we still had the problem of how I was going to get home with two kids who no longer had car seats because not only was our driver MIA, so was our van! As I am walking around the mall with a screaming baby who wants nothing more then to sleep and a toddler who wants nothing more then run away from me and causing me to use several four letters words that I am thankful Thai speaking people probably don't understand, the hubby finally called me to let me know that his employers were able to track down the missing Mr.C and our van... 1.5 hours later!!! Momma was MAD!!! What makes it worse was the reason why Mr.C was MIA. He had turned his phone off. You know, after I told him THAT I WOULD CALL HIM. Who does that??? We still have no idea how they tracked this man down.
Thankfully the drive home was uneventful and we made it back in one piece. One, frazzled, pissed off, piece! Seriously, I'm starting to have a complex about going to this mall. I still can't believe it happened the first time, let alone TWICE! My neighbor's drivers all seem to be fantastic and I know this because they brag. They help them around the house, they water their flowers, they take them shopping and make sure they get the good deals. They even push their grocery carts. Me personally, I don't need all of that. I just need a reliable driver. Someone who doesn't further my now existent abandonment issues.
The second driver that we had was great. His name is Mr.S. He was a pool driver that worked for Hubby's company and not the contracted company, so unfortunately he wasn't available to drive for us permanently. What's sad is that he actually wanted the job and asked for the job and we wanted him to for that reason alone. After today, the company decided to allow Mr.S to come work with us permanently. The hubby said that on Monday that he was going to have a serious talk with Mr. S to let him know that his one and only responsibility was to make sure that I wasn't left anywhere ever again. He can come in late, just so long as he makes SURE that I, and the kids, are safely at home and not left somewhere, (specifically the mall.)
So, the driver situation is now hopefully settled and with that being taken care, and a little therapy, I should be able to resume a some what normal life (that doesn't include dark closet drinking). So, until next time, I hope all is well.
Kristen
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
You want to pay someone to do what???
Yes, that is the question that I posed to my hubby the other night while lying in bed (well, something along those lines anyway). And before you go thinking bad thoughts or anything like that, just because we were in bed is no indication of the topic of our conversation :-). As we were lying there, discussing our day, the hubby casually rolls over and says in a very sweet voice "You know Kris, if you want to pay the maid to come over an extra day, I'm okay with that." Hmm, okay, that set my spidey senses off big time! Now, I know that the man likes a clean house. But, I also know that the man doesn't like to spend a lot of money. He especially doesn't like to spend a lot of money on things we can do ourselves. I also know that the he didn't originally think that we needed a maid that often. So why did he want her to come over more? My first reaction was to ask him if he thought I was doing a bad job on the days that she wasn't here. Of course, I knew what his answer would be to that question so there was no need in asking it. And in case you are wondering what he would have said, well, lets just say that he didn't marry me because of my house keeping skills! In fact I think the number one reason why he was so excited to move to Thailand was because we would be able to afford a maid and for the first time in our married life he would have a spotless house at least a few days a week.
Anyway, after thinking on it a bit, and trying to think of all the things that had happened that week that would prompt that question from him, I suddenly realized why he was wanting her to come over more. It wasn't for a spotless house one extra day a week or anything like that. He was trying to BUY me a friend! God bless the man! He knows what a pathetic mess I am when it comes to friendships. I guess after all the complaining I did earlier in the week about how I would never be able to be involved with the other ladies in the community because of the difference in ages amongst our kids, and how I was destined to live a life of solitude for the next year, his solution was to buy me a friend for one day a week. So I ask him about it, and sure enough, he confirms my suspicions. He didn't seem to think that my solution of him coming home by noon every day and not going in to work a least two days a week was a valid solution to my friendless and life of solitude problem. So yep, yours truly is the girl who needs to buy friends! Not the cool "Girl on Fire" (kudos if you got that reference), but the girl who buys friends. What's really funny was that he didn't even seem to think she needed to clean when she came over the extra day. She just needed to be here to keep me company :-)
So, with all of that being said, this "Girl Who Buys Friends" has to go get her big kid from school. Thankfully they have a short day today because he doesn't seem to be feeling all that well. Apparently, everyone in the class has some kind of crud that they seem to be passing around to one another. Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Anyway, after thinking on it a bit, and trying to think of all the things that had happened that week that would prompt that question from him, I suddenly realized why he was wanting her to come over more. It wasn't for a spotless house one extra day a week or anything like that. He was trying to BUY me a friend! God bless the man! He knows what a pathetic mess I am when it comes to friendships. I guess after all the complaining I did earlier in the week about how I would never be able to be involved with the other ladies in the community because of the difference in ages amongst our kids, and how I was destined to live a life of solitude for the next year, his solution was to buy me a friend for one day a week. So I ask him about it, and sure enough, he confirms my suspicions. He didn't seem to think that my solution of him coming home by noon every day and not going in to work a least two days a week was a valid solution to my friendless and life of solitude problem. So yep, yours truly is the girl who needs to buy friends! Not the cool "Girl on Fire" (kudos if you got that reference), but the girl who buys friends. What's really funny was that he didn't even seem to think she needed to clean when she came over the extra day. She just needed to be here to keep me company :-)
So, with all of that being said, this "Girl Who Buys Friends" has to go get her big kid from school. Thankfully they have a short day today because he doesn't seem to be feeling all that well. Apparently, everyone in the class has some kind of crud that they seem to be passing around to one another. Until next time, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Death by Gecko!
Yep, that's right! A gecko will kill me. I just know it! Before we moved here I was convinced that it would be a fatal snake bite that would do me in, but no. A gecko! Now why a snake you may be asking yourself. Well, I'll tell ya. When we got the brochure in about the hospital ( everyone goes to the hospital not a doctors office) it was advertised as having a "World class snake bite facility". Now, why advertise as such if there was no need??? See, in my warped mind there was obviously a need for this advertisement, so I took it to heart that I was going to be bitten by a snake a leave my hubby wifeless and my children with no mother. I even told my friend J how I wanted my final resting place to look and to make sure that my hubby didn't cremate me, but to stick me in a wall somewhere (I'm scared of catching on fire and yes it matters even if I'm dead!). Once we actually got to Thailand I even asked our guides about the whole snake thing and they assured me that I was overreacting (whatever, I was totally prepared for my snake bite and after, thank you very much!), but I decided to let it drop. Somewhat. I'm still on the look out for killer snakes.
Now as for the gecko, those things are the real killers. You see, my hubby has assured that I am also overreacting in that respect and that they don't bite and even if they did they aren't poisonous. Okay, now the not biting I don't believe for second. I swear they would eat me alive if one got close enough. And as for the poison, ehh, I'm sure I would have heard of poisonous geckos if they did exist, which I have not, so that i believe. However, I'm not so much worried about them biting me as I am of them giving me a heart attack. In fact they have almost succeeded on several occasions since we have been here. I swear they are gearing up for something big. Call me crazy, but those things scare the crap of me! What makes it even worse is that Mrs. UK has informed me that ones that I have been seeing are babies. Babies! Really?? Those things look huge to me! She actually laughed at me and said "nah, those are little. The one at my house that lives by my front door is this big (I swear she held her hands at least eighteen inches apart!)".
I can't believe that I am actually about to tell this story but it may give you some insight as to why they scare the bejesus out me. Okay, here goes. It was a hot and humid day in sunny Georgia. My hubby way out to sea and I was home alone. I had to "use the facilities" ( sounds more classy then I had to pee), and since I had just worked out I stripped down naked and went about my business before hopping in the shower. As I sat down I picked up the latest copy of Us Weekly, plopped in on my naked lap while sitting on the toilet, and what happens when I open that damn magazine?? A lizard, a slimy green lizard, jumps on my naked lap! I screamed so loud I still can't believe that no one rushed over to my house to check on me. Needless to say, once I got my feet back under me that lizard died an ugly death at the hands of a rolled up US Weekly!
And my hubby, my cute, dead sexy hubby, lol! The other night we sneaked into the kitchen after the babes went to bed to feast on sweet treats. I had just gotten out of the shower so I was just wearing a towel (wow, I see a theme now. Being naked equals a sure fire way of being attacked!) and low and behold, as I reach for the cinnamon rolls a damn gecko launches his attack! I half drop my towel and start screeching, not full fledged screaming like last time, as to not wake up the babes. The hubby comes in a starts laughing at me and says in the sweetest voice " you aren't really afraid of a little Geico, are you?" Yep, he called them the insurance company, lol! Anyway, like the good man he is, he tried chasing the darn thing and even though he didn't succeed, it was still very sweet of him to fight dragons for me! Gosh, I just love him!!!
So, yes. I do foresee them killing me by way of inducing a heart attack. I just hope that when it finally happens that I'm not in some embarrassing position like being naked on the toilet again. And since I am sure you are totally laughing at me now, I do need to go get the big kid from school. Until next, I hope all is well!
Kristen
Now as for the gecko, those things are the real killers. You see, my hubby has assured that I am also overreacting in that respect and that they don't bite and even if they did they aren't poisonous. Okay, now the not biting I don't believe for second. I swear they would eat me alive if one got close enough. And as for the poison, ehh, I'm sure I would have heard of poisonous geckos if they did exist, which I have not, so that i believe. However, I'm not so much worried about them biting me as I am of them giving me a heart attack. In fact they have almost succeeded on several occasions since we have been here. I swear they are gearing up for something big. Call me crazy, but those things scare the crap of me! What makes it even worse is that Mrs. UK has informed me that ones that I have been seeing are babies. Babies! Really?? Those things look huge to me! She actually laughed at me and said "nah, those are little. The one at my house that lives by my front door is this big (I swear she held her hands at least eighteen inches apart!)".
I can't believe that I am actually about to tell this story but it may give you some insight as to why they scare the bejesus out me. Okay, here goes. It was a hot and humid day in sunny Georgia. My hubby way out to sea and I was home alone. I had to "use the facilities" ( sounds more classy then I had to pee), and since I had just worked out I stripped down naked and went about my business before hopping in the shower. As I sat down I picked up the latest copy of Us Weekly, plopped in on my naked lap while sitting on the toilet, and what happens when I open that damn magazine?? A lizard, a slimy green lizard, jumps on my naked lap! I screamed so loud I still can't believe that no one rushed over to my house to check on me. Needless to say, once I got my feet back under me that lizard died an ugly death at the hands of a rolled up US Weekly!
And my hubby, my cute, dead sexy hubby, lol! The other night we sneaked into the kitchen after the babes went to bed to feast on sweet treats. I had just gotten out of the shower so I was just wearing a towel (wow, I see a theme now. Being naked equals a sure fire way of being attacked!) and low and behold, as I reach for the cinnamon rolls a damn gecko launches his attack! I half drop my towel and start screeching, not full fledged screaming like last time, as to not wake up the babes. The hubby comes in a starts laughing at me and says in the sweetest voice " you aren't really afraid of a little Geico, are you?" Yep, he called them the insurance company, lol! Anyway, like the good man he is, he tried chasing the darn thing and even though he didn't succeed, it was still very sweet of him to fight dragons for me! Gosh, I just love him!!!
So, yes. I do foresee them killing me by way of inducing a heart attack. I just hope that when it finally happens that I'm not in some embarrassing position like being naked on the toilet again. And since I am sure you are totally laughing at me now, I do need to go get the big kid from school. Until next, I hope all is well!
Kristen
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