so, here i sit in a very different place than the setting for writing all of this blog. in the last year i have written very little, blog and otherwise. it is sad i think, but i feel there is less to see, hear, and smell here in Minneapolis. except for one corner where one can make out the stench of the sewer below, but it's not that good tropical odor. one can identify remnants of chilis and fish sauce, but also the sweetness of twenty different fruits. on the corner of Nicollet Mall and 2nd street, at the south east side of the library, where the non-blue collar workers of the city wait for the rumbling buses, i cover my nose and mouth as it reeks of American diet waste. the colours are more dull, clothing less vibrant and hardly individualized, and everything is so controlled by the unforgiving culture in which we live. everybody is moving; ALL the time. when do people slow down and smell things? i stop and smell flowers at the Thursday farmers' market here and people glare at me; in Pattaya they smiled. am i over sensitive? or do i just miss the laid back, take it as it comes atmosphere of Thailand? hmm.

well a little catch up in where things stand in my life. the van is still running well, she is quite a trooper; made it through a visit to hilly southern Wisconsin. i was camping with a friend that i met at work, who has since moved. we had a campfire and went for a morning walk around the family land. then is was back to work. work has been moving along. every day is a new day at Dolphin Staffing. there is always something to change, something to update, or a new procedure to write. some days it is busy, some days i twiddle. today was busy. tomorrow will be busy. Thursday i will be waiting. we will talk about the weekend later. it is fall, the leaves are changing, and the future seems closer then ever before.