Sick, sick, sick

Sinusitus. Or Pneumonia. Or both. I am bed-ridden, exhausted, my ribs are bruised from coughing and my head is so full of pressure it feels like it will explode. This is the fourth time I have been sick since November and by far the worst. I am really getting sick of being sick. And I am wondering what I am doing back in Wisconsin.

Is that a chip on my shoulder or have I already forgotten I spent the last month-and-a-half in a tropical paradise?

Laundry Day

Did that all that dirt really come out of my clothes? They didn't look that dirty when they went in!

Kata Beach

View of a storm as seen from the back of a tuk-tuk on the way to Kata beach.

Nothing but sunshine at Kata:

Nicole shows off her lovely road rash from her motorbike experience:

(Watch out for the leathered 'Booby Woman' in the background!)

Night Out On Patong

Ross' birthday celebration + my one year of freedom anniversary + Patong Beach = not at all good things (but very fun times).

Bye Bye Birdie ==sniff==

On my way to class Wednesday I was startled by a pigeon flying around frantically in the hallway. It had flown into one of the small open windows in the stairway and couldn't find its way back out. I could tell it was extremely stressed out as it kept flying from window to window. I didn't think much of it at the time though, thinking eventually it would find its way back out.

Yesterday morning when I opened my door, I was surprised to see the same bird perched on the top stair right outside my door. "Hello little thing," I said. I didn't move an inch and seemed to not even notice me. It was breathing very heavily and obviously in a state of shock. I thought if I got it in my room and opened the door to the balcony it would find its escape.

So I got a piece of cardboard and a blanket and set forth to scoop it up and take it outside. This, however, seemed to awaken it from its shock and it took off flying, right into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Ouch. From there I attempted the catch again, and again it took off back up the stairs. Stair by stair we climbed until I finally got the poor little thing into my bedroom and closed the door. By this stage I could tell it was pretty dehydrated, so I filled an ashtray up with water and pushed it near.

I kept on trying to herd it toward the water, but it seemed pretty oblivious at that point and even walked right through it a time or two. I had to get to class, so I managed to wrangle the bird out onto the balcony and left the ashtray of water out there with it.

I checked on the bird several times throughout the day and when I went to bed at night, it was still out on the balcony with the water. I was hoping I would wake up in the morning and it would be gone.

However, when I woke up this morning, the poor little thing hadn't made it. Now I have a dead bird on my balcony and I'm not really sure what to do with it. Rest in peace little thing.

Street Food, Cheers!

I love getting food from the street vendors here. Most of the time I have no idea what I'm ordering and I am rarely disappointed with my choice. Tonight I went with something a little more obvious, if not brutal.

They take a live catfish, shove a bamboo skewer down its throat to do it in, the roast it over glowing coals. I'm pretty sure this would be an act of animal cruelty back home.

Grilled catfish and cold beer. Cheer!

Welcome, and Please Take Out Your Shoes

I am used to taking off my shoes when I enter someone's house, but I am still getting used to taking off my shoes when entering a business.