Going Domestic

Well, there are some perks ...

M&Ms from Japan!
Originally uploaded by goingdomestic

M&Ms from Japan! Special edition! They were orange and white and very delicious. Sometimes being in Bangkok is okay because Villa Market carries candy from so many different parts of the world ...

po-tay-toh, po-tah-toh

It's a tricky thing, figuring out how to play the role of a trailing spouse. I can't remember how the subject came up today, but I mentioned to Chris that I would understand if he accepted a rotational position at home point. It would be kind of cool for the three of us trailing-family-members to see him for a solid thirty day a stint, and I figured that saying so would garner me some of those supportive-partner points. Alas, my dear husband immediately said, "I'm sorry that you want to be away from me for a month at a time!" Argh. This is tricky role indeed. I'm nearly two-and-a-half years into it, and every time I think that I start to feel at ease, something new always happens! 

winter? what winter?

my favourite flower here
Originally uploaded by goingdomestic

There are several of these frangipani trees on the grounds of our apartment building, and the blooms have become my favourite. They smell divine (just slightly less-so than sweet peas, which are still my favourite). The white variety and the magenta pink varieties are very common in the area that I live, but every so often, I'll spot a tree sporting blooms that are a yellow-pink, and they're truly beautiful.

My mom commented a couple of years ago that it's weird to walk around outside here and see plants growing that she only knows as indoor tropical plants! Similarly, I get really excited when I see a plant growing outside here that also grows outside in Canada. I've seen a few petunias and portulaca, for sure. Today I discovered large expanses of sunflowers growing in the far reaches of our compound, and that was really exciting! I'm going to have to wander back to the sunflower fields and see if it would be okay to stick my kids in there and take a few photos. The flowers are probably at the right height for my toddler right now!

I'll take "Why Women Love Vampires" for $200, Alex

I think that podcasts are the second coolest invention, after The Internet, in my lifetime thus far. I love podcasts. I listen to the CBC news, the Vinyl Cafe, podcasts about knitting, podcasts about parenting, but the new little gem I am enamoured with is this one: Stuff Mom Never Told You. The two hosts chat for about 20 minutes per podcast about topics that I might not learn about anywhere else, like whether or not bras serve any practical purpose, how eary or hard it is to fail a gender test, why women's clothing sizes are so darned random, and ought cheerleading be considered a sport. The podcasts are quite delightful, and make my regular-ish morning runs pass by a lot quicker.

where the wild things are

I still haven't seen a real live snake yet, though I am told that Thailand is supposed to be crawling with them, but today Chris and I did see a decent-sized turtle crossing the road. Thankfully, it was a road inside our community gates, instead of out on a busy road like Chaengwattana ... Really wished I had my camera handy!

The creepiest critter I have seen in our apartment would have been a spider with spindly legs that was about the diameter of my hand. I realize, now that I've typed that, that I just might have made any prospective houseguests change their minds ... 

subscription please

I have no idea, really, where our family is going to move to next. When our time here in Bangkok is up, though, I shall miss Acclimate magazine very much. How could I not love a publication that assures me that:  

1. it's normal to panic about leaving BKK forever in one day/week/month/year and not having purchased the perfect set of celadon tableware/frog drum/random piece of teak furniture to take back ...
2. it's expected that I will bring a suitcase full of vitamins, baking supplies, Ziplock Freezer Bags, and appropriately-sized undergarments back from home leave in the summer ...
3. there are at least half a dozen options in BKK for finding holiday turkeys/brussel sprouts/mince pie filling/baking ingredients so I don't have to fret so much ...