Here's a thought I devised and discussed with friends over Thanksgiving dinner. If Thanksgiving is supposed to make you thankful for the things you have, wouldn't it be better to starve for a while, or observe how much you have in comparison to others, as opposed to partaking in ritualistic gluttony? Here in Vietnam, I see a lot of near-poverty (I ( Read more... )

I spent those two days up to my thighs in water, trudging through seas of motorbikes driving on the sidewalk to avoid crowded, flooded streets. I hunted for food and electricity and a new cell phone, since mine broke ( Read more... )

So after this post, I'm going friends-only on this journal. I guess that makes sense, since this journal really is only read by myself, my friends and drunk exes (you know who you are). But here's why:

I talked to my spy today, who came over to bug me about my report, give me $360 (6,000,000 dong) in a living allowance that I said I will only spend ( Read more... )

So every day I go back and forth about whether I like it here or I despise it. I'm usually pretty OK on the weekends, which leads me to believe that really, I don't hate Vietnam so much any more, but I really dislike my work. Clearly, I am not cut out to be a teacher. It's boring as hell and it's the same goddamn thing over and over again every day ( Read more... )

So, I have this blog: www.thingsthatcouldkillmeinvietnam.blogspot.com ( Read more... )

I dunno. Why not? This is the in-between journal, which records the crazy thoughts I'm not willing to share with professional contacts, who may be reading my other blog ( Read more... )

I've decided that I can't wait for the Rapture. And it's not because I've led a particularly virtuous life. Quite the contrary. It's because when Jesus comes down from Heaven on a cloud of money in Eternal Life to judge the Living and the Dead, he'll take all the fundamentalist Christians with Him back to Heaven ( Read more... )

In light of Kari's most awesome reminder, if you would like a Christmas card, email me with your address. :-D ( Read more... )

Sometimes, it takes a lot of work to come to terms with the person you are. Sometimes it comes in a flash realization. Usually, it's a mixture of both ( Read more... )

Buckbeak Maginty was a good and noble bird. He will be sorely missed ( Read more... )