I'm not actually crazy.
I spent the last 45 minutes trying to beat the solitaire game on my iPod. I’m lying on the bed in one of the countless musty hotel rooms I’ve stayed at since being here, playing the waiting game. I was at the point where I could tell I was going to beat it - you know, where you’re finally able to start putting all the cards up into the corner. One after the other … sixes then sevens, then onto tens and jacks!! Oh, the glorious ending was so close! My mind raced back to days growing up when Dad would bring his laptop home from work and my brother and I would take time away from Wildenstein 3D to play the solitaire (God bless Windows 3.1) and when you won, all the cards would go bouncing around the screen in 10 seconds of pure, untainted digital joy! (You can’t have worked with a computer during the 90s and NOT know what I’m talking about … unless you’re really bad at Solitaire). I thought, surely with this new video iPod, some secret awaits he who completes the game successfully … perhaps some hidden video giving me the secret to wavy, natural looking hair, or maybe a treasure map to find a free years’ supply of Peeps marshmallow candy. The possibilities were virtually endless, I thought, as I raced on, fingers flying fast over the controls. Queen of hearts, queen of spades, kind of diamonds, king of spades …. And then I paused, looking at my final card … the King of Spades. I acknowledged that my life may be forever changed after that moment, and then moved the scroll wheel to place the card in the stack.
“Looks like we have a winner,” appeared the small white letters at the bottom of the screen. I sat there for a full minute waiting for more, but that was it. No fireworks, no pomp and circumstance, no “I’m going to Disneyworld” speeches. Just those words. “Looks like we have a winner. Yes. Yes we do.
This blog entry really isn’t supposed to be about solitaire. I’m trying to give you a sense of what can happen in my mind with this much downtime. One thing I am learning about being a journalist, especially one working overseas, is that you are pretty much at the mercy of your sources. That is, you will meet them when they are ready to be met, where they are ready to meet, and you will wait by yourself until that time comes. For example, today I rode my motorcycle about two hours out of the way to meet with a guy and ask him if an idea of mine would be a possibility. When I got to where he was, I pitched my idea, but he said that he had to run somewhere, and that I should hang around for about an hour until he returned and then we would talk about it. I waited for him to come back, which he did – three hours later. At this point I again pitched my idea to him, simply to have him tell me no. Really worth the extra mileage and waiting, huh? But I did run straight over a snake today that slithered right in front of me, which was at the same time horrifying and awesome; always a good combination.
Now, don’t think that I spend all of my down time playing solitaire … this was the first time, in fact. I mean, I read books n’ stuff! (please read that to yourself in as galumphing of a super-jock / meat head voice as you can). But really, I do. I’ve read several this summer. I was even becoming so desperate that I read Pride and Prejudice! (If any of my roommates reads this, please give at least a second’s warning before you punch me square in the gut for admitting that. I do deserve it, though). I justified my reading of a Jane Austen book as another chapter in my ongoing quest to figure out women. It didn’t help … (and I’m told that there really isn’t anything I can do to figure them out anyway).
I’m spending the next week or so moving from place to place up north on my own, trying to gather the last of the material I need for my research. I may not have mentioned yet on this blog that I managed to finagle some school credit out of this summer. Believe it or not, I head back home already in just two and a half short weeks. I was writing in an e-mail to my Dad just yesterday that I’m not really sure how long it feels like I’ve been here. When I think about the fact that I’m almost ready to go, it feels like I just got here. But then I take a step back and realize that I’ve gotten so used to the way of life around here that I must have been here for a while. I mean, by the time I leave, I’ll have spent a quarter of 2006 here, which is something substantial, I think.
But, for now I need to keep my head in the game here. It’s easy to let my mind begin to wander at how soon I will be home, and the prospect of spending time with my family and seeing a certain special someone doesn’t make it any easier to do the work a guy’s gotta do. There’s enough of it left. Looking forward to seeing all of you, though … wherever and whenever that may be. Thanks as always for reading. More to come soon.
P.S. I’ll throw a few of photos down at the bottom, just to please my mom.
A few little girls performing at the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai. Cute.
A woman harvesting tea in a field just south of Mae Salong (near Thoed Thai). The area has a huge Chinese immigrant population, and they sure do love their tea.
This is my Dad, Jan, with a huge muskie he caught during a fishing tournament. This photo has nothing to do with Thailand, but a) it’s a great photo, b) that’s one heck of a muskie, and c)I love my Dad.
“Looks like we have a winner,” appeared the small white letters at the bottom of the screen. I sat there for a full minute waiting for more, but that was it. No fireworks, no pomp and circumstance, no “I’m going to Disneyworld” speeches. Just those words. “Looks like we have a winner. Yes. Yes we do.
This blog entry really isn’t supposed to be about solitaire. I’m trying to give you a sense of what can happen in my mind with this much downtime. One thing I am learning about being a journalist, especially one working overseas, is that you are pretty much at the mercy of your sources. That is, you will meet them when they are ready to be met, where they are ready to meet, and you will wait by yourself until that time comes. For example, today I rode my motorcycle about two hours out of the way to meet with a guy and ask him if an idea of mine would be a possibility. When I got to where he was, I pitched my idea, but he said that he had to run somewhere, and that I should hang around for about an hour until he returned and then we would talk about it. I waited for him to come back, which he did – three hours later. At this point I again pitched my idea to him, simply to have him tell me no. Really worth the extra mileage and waiting, huh? But I did run straight over a snake today that slithered right in front of me, which was at the same time horrifying and awesome; always a good combination.
Now, don’t think that I spend all of my down time playing solitaire … this was the first time, in fact. I mean, I read books n’ stuff! (please read that to yourself in as galumphing of a super-jock / meat head voice as you can). But really, I do. I’ve read several this summer. I was even becoming so desperate that I read Pride and Prejudice! (If any of my roommates reads this, please give at least a second’s warning before you punch me square in the gut for admitting that. I do deserve it, though). I justified my reading of a Jane Austen book as another chapter in my ongoing quest to figure out women. It didn’t help … (and I’m told that there really isn’t anything I can do to figure them out anyway).
I’m spending the next week or so moving from place to place up north on my own, trying to gather the last of the material I need for my research. I may not have mentioned yet on this blog that I managed to finagle some school credit out of this summer. Believe it or not, I head back home already in just two and a half short weeks. I was writing in an e-mail to my Dad just yesterday that I’m not really sure how long it feels like I’ve been here. When I think about the fact that I’m almost ready to go, it feels like I just got here. But then I take a step back and realize that I’ve gotten so used to the way of life around here that I must have been here for a while. I mean, by the time I leave, I’ll have spent a quarter of 2006 here, which is something substantial, I think.
But, for now I need to keep my head in the game here. It’s easy to let my mind begin to wander at how soon I will be home, and the prospect of spending time with my family and seeing a certain special someone doesn’t make it any easier to do the work a guy’s gotta do. There’s enough of it left. Looking forward to seeing all of you, though … wherever and whenever that may be. Thanks as always for reading. More to come soon.
P.S. I’ll throw a few of photos down at the bottom, just to please my mom.
A few little girls performing at the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai. Cute.
A woman harvesting tea in a field just south of Mae Salong (near Thoed Thai). The area has a huge Chinese immigrant population, and they sure do love their tea.
This is my Dad, Jan, with a huge muskie he caught during a fishing tournament. This photo has nothing to do with Thailand, but a) it’s a great photo, b) that’s one heck of a muskie, and c)I love my Dad.
posted by Andrew at 10:58 AM
3 Comments:
Ah, solitaire, the ultimate waste of time. My PR is 83 seconds for the win. Don't be ashamed of a little Jane Austen. She is one of the wittiest, most clever writers and never fails to offer a little insight. As for understanding women, its like trying to explain snow to an amazonian indian. But look in chapter 43 of P and P, half way through that begins: "THey were within twenty yards of eachother,and so abrupt was his appearance that it was impossible to avoid his sight..." The rest of this paragraph is all you need to know. If Mr. Darcy could do it, well... Accept the mystery and good luck! BTW, Nice fish. -Allyson
I believe we aren't meant to be understood. It's like trying to figure out a teenager-my favorite is that "understanding your teen is like trying to nail jello to a tree". Thanks for the pics-but were is one of you? Is your hair really as long as I fear?? Love-Your Mom
Great story. Can't wait to have you home for a week or so. Then back to the grind of school. Thanks for the PR. 42 1/2" long and between 23 and 24 lbs.
TBI#1
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