Saturday, August 12, 2006
a month later and i'm finally writing again. pathetic i know. i made it back to the US in good shape. spent a few days in East Lansing to visit Jacqueline and Grandma B, then drove the new van up to the UP. sighs and photos aplenty at the traditional bridge stop. somehow it feels good to be back here, though i do love Thailand. we stopped along that gorgeous beach to swim and i even had to take the usual 45 minute driving nap at a roadside park in Manistique. it took about two to three weeks for jet lag and time change to really settle down. by that time i had gone camping for a few days with the parents, bummed around for a week spending every day on the internet looking for a temp. job here and a real job elsewhere. i'm still looking into Chicago and still trying to internet every day for research. this past week i stained the house and sealed the deck at Maywood. and i have two days under the tightened belt at the Escanaba Marina. it's an easy job with a bunch of interesting and at times fun people. it will last until October, give me some income with a place to live, and time to search well for that next step. i was feeling like i was behind the game living, working, and seemingly goofing around in Thailand for a year, but now it seems like i've walked backwards about two years. it's hard to say that i feel like i'm not where i should be because i've never planned before. now there is motivation, aka the drive to return to the land of smiles and meet the family, and somewhat of a plan. you have seen photos of the reason and motivation!

meanwhile there's water skiing, Thai cooking, lawn mowing, and the return of the rash. apparently, i'm allergic to Michigan. i think it's more likely that i'm allergic to the US and the people who run the place. in my job search i'm looking to work with people who are librally minded and are interested in the rest of the world, either for business or pleasure. vacationers are fun, but much more demanding and full of complaints than expats who know and understand that cultures are different, systems vary, and efficiency is a western concept. Thai language doesn't have a word that translates to 'efficient'. interesting and very telling. anyhow. i'm looking for a quad band GSM phone with a no-contract low price plan to accompany the phone. another flaw of this nation to add to the long list headed by shoddy healthcare and over-priced universities. europe manages very well!

ok. phone and job search continues then a run then to the marina for an afternoon, hopefully, of pumping gas, sucking sewage, and collecting weeds. yesterday there was not a single boat, so it's not looking to great. but it's very calm out on the water today so who knows!
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