Bored in the House - Again

 Todays song is: You Don't Know Me ... Brody Barclay

Cabin Fever sets in from time to time but never stays long. I suspect that is because I live with young people and hanging around young people is an excellent way to stay young of mind.. That is one reason why I miss coaching basketball. I also miss watching university basketball which was an activity I was very much looking forward to upon my arrival back in Canada.

My new motorcycle is supposed to arrive next week and I am quite looking forward to that. It is my 7th and perhaps last motorcycle. Time will tell. Thavorn is also looking forward to taking it for a spin, having ridden motorbikes since she was 12 years old. Jaidan aslo feels at home on motorbikes having ridden them since he was able to walk. One reason I chose the Triumph 660 Trident is that it is a managable size for Thavorn to drive.

Thavorn survives boredom by working out daily and cooking up spicy Thai dishes for herself (mainly) and me from time to time. I am unable to eat some of the firey concoctions she cooks up. They make my eyes water and me sneeze from 20 feet away.

My latest Lego car is my best yet and is controlled by a Raspberry Pi, programmed by me, and features a proper servo motor and 2 RC Buggy motors that make it very, very fast. I also cleaned up the wiring. It is controlled by an 8BitDo Zero 2 bluetooth controller that fits on a key chain. Awesome tech :-)

Jaidan is excited and dismayed at the same time as his permanent teeth are coming in. He is also growing like a weed and now comes up to Thavorn's shoulder.

Jaidan is back with online learning due to the spread of variants in Ontario and I suspect that is how he will finish off his year in grade 1.

My work area has expanded to 3 monitors, the main being a 43 inch 4K TV (Roku) which is an excellent choice as a monitor and quite affordable.

That's it for now, TTYL

Dirty Old Men

 Today's song is: I am Alive .. Celine

Did you know that Celine married a man 26 years older than herself and loved him until the day he died? 

Pierre Trudeau married Margaret Sinclair who was 30 years younger than himself when she was 22. What a dirty old man :-)

I came across this refreshing YouTube post by a youg Filipino woman. It is interesting to read some of the over 3,000 comments. I would love to go for a beer with her :-) I guess that makes me a dirty old man!

What I find amazing is that many of the young guys I meet in Thailand get quite put out when a Thai girls refuses to put out for free and walks out of the bar with an older expat. Don't get me started on women and how they view old/young relationships. However, I doubt many of them would marry a man who could not support them in the manner they would like.

Short post today :-)

TTYL

WTF

 Today's song is: Dreamer ... SuperTramp

Have you ever woken up and thought, 'WFT, WMI and how did I get here?'. If not, perhaps you are not really living your life. Just a thought :-). I uderstand a comfort zone has its merits, but at the same time, a comfort zone has its boundaries that may be locking you into the mundane.

I was forced out of my comfor zone by a variety of life altering decisions that were made, some by me, and some by my wife at the time. It was also at a time when my children were out of the house, on their own at university. It was not a mid life crises because I was too old for that but a time in my life when life altering decisions were easier to make.

Thoughts of 'Don't foo around, buy a round', and 'Life is not a dress rehearsal' leapt to the forefront of my mind and decisions flowed.  I recently read a quote that stated, 'No one is interested in listening to what you have not done.' and that resonated with my own saying, 'I don't regret the things I have done, just the things I did not do.' and my life has flowed from that.

So, the question you should be asking yourself is, 'Am I part of the mundane, or am I challenging myself to be somewhat different than the pack?' Or, perhaps you are happy in the mundane and wish to pursue it for the rest of your life. BTW, embarking upon cruises once you retire is part of the mundane, whereas partaking of the full moon party in Thailand is perhaps stretching your horizons.

My third child arrived at my age of 63 and although unplanned, a conscientious decision to keep the child was. Definitely not mundane and it was a great decision on our part. Young people keep you young as they have yet to discover the boundaries that lock many within. It is my job as a parent to make sure that will not happen. 

My mother always called me Walter Mitty. I am not sure whether she meant that as a compliment but I think she did.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Walter Mitty as "an ordinary often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs". The most famous of Thurber's inept male protagonists, the character is considered "the archetype for dreamy, hapless, Thurber Man".

However, perhaps, unlike Walter, I made some dreams come true :-) I would not want to die thinking, 'What if?'.

My sone recently gifted me with a coffee mug that I am most proud of:

TTYL

Overload

 Today's song is: Dua and Da Baby ... Dua is hot!

My Lego RC cars have kept me sane and occupied during our lockdown. Apparently I will get a vacine sometime in April. My motorcycle is also delayed to port outbreaks of covid and a work to rule. Arrival also in April, 3 months late!

I have come to realize the Lego cars I like the most are my smallest, and cheapest, easiest to running and control, and designed by me.

Here is a pick of my 8 Lego RC (remote controlled) cars:

Here are my 2 pride and joy racers. I plan to shoot some racing video later today.

I also felt the need to get organized and now I am.

After my vaccination I am looking forward to sitting in Timmys and enjoying a coffee, sitting in Starbucks and watching the millineals, and perusing the motorcycle dealerships for accessories, and visiting Chapters for a good read.

I would be remiss to miss saying that Thavorn and Jaidan have also been instrumental in my sanity remaining strong during Covid. However, the wild side is calling ....

TTYL

Woke?

 Today's song is: Another Brick in the Wall ... Pink Floyd

I am becoming annoyed at 'woke' individuals. I have come to believe that 'woke' only applies to certain beliefs perpetuated by group ideologies. I learned long ago that there is no white and black, only shades of grey, no right or wrong, as it depends on where you are on a spectrum. Woke individuals seem to think they have the definitive answer.

However:

One Urban Dictionary contributor defines woke as “being aware of the truth behind things 'the man' doesn't want you to know”. Meanwhile, a concurrent definition signals a shift in meaning to “the act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue”.

Pretentious indeed, to pretend to be all knowing. The problem is that the marketeers listen so carefully to woke opinions because they do not want to lose sales. This is exacerbated by social media that give woke individuals a stage to preent on.

What it amounts to is a threat to freedom of speech, or perhaps even having a different opinion to the woke crowd. Our news media is at play here as evidenced by Piers Morgan daring to criticize Meghan Markle for her Oprah's interview. It used to be if you put yourself out there in the public you had to take the good with the bad. Not so with the woke crowd.

I have discussed before how universities have restricted free speech due to unversity groups protesting certain speaker's rights to have an open debate on campus. Thought police at work! 

And don't get me started on cancel culture. If we pretend it did not happen ...

TTYL

Beautiful Music

 Today's songs are: New Orleans is Sinking ... Left The House ... Tragically Hip

...

Music can help you survive the lock downs. I especially like listening to the Hip, probably the greatest Canadian band that is mostly unknown outside of Canada. This article, brilliantly written somes it all up.

CBC.ca: As an immigrant, I wanted to understand Canada's fascination with the Tragically Hip. This is what I found.

https://www.cbc.ca/music/as-an-immigrant-i-wanted-to-understand-canada-s-fascination-with-the-tragically-hip-this-is-what-i-found-1.5932223

Thavorn remains a joy and keeps me uplifted and smiling. We both miss 'Hillary 2 Bar' in Bangkok and hope it survives the pandemic. It will be one of my first stops in Bangkok when I return. It is my Cheers, 'Where Everyone Knows Your Name', however I suspect I will have been somewhat forgotten.

I was in Thailand for the Hip's last Canadian tour and I just 'Watched Long Time Running', the documentary on the that tour. What struck me was the country wide love for the group and their music. What else struck me is what covid19 has taken away from us. The ability to get together to celebrate something in common whether it be a 'Woodstock' or a love of music.

However, if you have not watched the documentary do so now:

https://youtu.be/sWqlD8prGH4

TTYL

 Today's song is: Lifestyle ... Derulo and Levine

Covid19 has altered many lifestyles around the world. If I was in Bangkok at this moment I would be sitting out covid in my apartment except for runs for food. The entertainment places are still closed and I suppose the BTS would be somewhat risky so getting around would be a problem.

Here in Canada many of my plans fell apart. I was planning on driving out east with Thavorn and Jaidan and visiting the Atlantic provinces this past summer. Of course that never happened. I was also planning to do some camping and canoe camping in Algonquin Park. Then again I was going to book some time at Mount Tremblant and introduce Jaidan and Thavorn to skiiing and the mountain village. Not happening.

We were also planned on visiting my 2 sisters fairly regularly and that is not happening. Ditto for my friends, or just getting out to a sit down in Timmy's, Starbucks, or browsing the books at Chapters.

So, my lifestyle has been altered dramatically, but not as much as the past 10 years when I embraced minimalism and embraced being a bad boy on the wildside in Thailand. I don't miss owning a house, 2-3 cars in the driveway, keeping up with the Jones, etc.

I do miss a motorcycle, my friends, coaching basketball, and travellingwhich I can solve once covid19 gets diminished. My motorcycle arrives this month.

Meanwhile age is catching up. I strained my achilles tendon running on the treadmill and altering my walk has strained my lower back as well. Apparently the achilles takes at least 2 months to heal. Bummer. 

Some motorcycle pics. I always like a touch of red on my bikes:

What's in store for my lifestyle down the road. For the next 4 years we will live with my sone Jordan, with perhaps a trip or two of 3 months in Thailand, probably June-August. At the end of the 4 years, Jaidan will be in going into grade 6 and we will probably spend at least 6 months in Thailand as we build a house for Thavorn in her village. I will home school Jaidan during that time.

After the house is built, we will spend 9 months in Canada a year and 3 months in Thailand. Or 6 and 6 with 4 months of home schooling. Time will tell. You don't want to plan too far ahead at my age :-)

TTYL