MicahJohn

If being puking sick on a work day is necessary, it is best if the workday happens to be a day when over two thirds of the students are away on various trips.

P.S. I’m feeling a great deal better now

Yesterday my motorcycle’s rear tire went flat. The patch job on the tube cost a grand total of 30 baht (86 cents). Jealous?

Today after work when I was getting ready to go running, I made the very unpleasant discovery that my running shoes had disappeared from my front porch.

I’ve been doing a very little bit of barefoot running occasionally as a cool down. I decided I could run a little further barefoot. After running two miles it was getting too dark to be running around barefoot. So I pulled over at my room and put on an old pair of shoes. I did another two miles and called it quits.

Realizing that if I was to do my scheduled run for tomorrow, I would need some shoes, I went shopping.

The first store didn’t have anything my size. (The size of my feet relative to the size of Thai feet was one of the factors in my willingness to leave the now-missing shoes on the front porch. That and how dirty they can get)

The next store I hadn’t even planned to stop at (not knowing of its existence). I saw it as I drove by and decided to stop. This store didn’t have any shoes my size in any brands I’d heard of before. But they did have a single pair from a brand unknown to me in my size. I figured I might as well try it on.

They seemed pretty comfortable, and they were a quarter the price Adidas, Nike, Reebok, or New Balance shoes are here in Thailand. So I decided to give them a try.

We’ll see what I think of them after I’ve put a few miles on them.

Last night I helped set up and decorate a Christmas tree.

It still hasn’t really sunk in that Christmas is right around the corner. The temperature as I write is 29°C (84°F). Sure the days are a little shorter. But I certainly haven’t been seeing my breath when I go out in the mornings. Christmas carols are not pouring out of every speaker I pass. I haven’t been doing Christmas shopping; I did that back in October while I was on vacation in Chiang Mai. I haven’t seen Advent candles being lit. At church this past Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day (the King’s birthday is Dec 5th).

My Mom sent me a photo of the snow blanketed world out her window, it didn’t seem all that real. It was like looking at a postcard from Uncle Joe’s trip to Everest: pretty, but lacking immediacy.

Rabbit Trail: Sometime ago one of my Thai friends saw photos of trees dressed in the oranges, reds, and yellows of fall. Her response was incredulity. It was hard for her to believe that such a sight could be seen out someone’s backdoor. At one point in her protestations she said “เหมือนโปสการ์ดเลย” (It’s just like a postcard).

words and music by Micah Fickett

I went to you and said “I’m sorry”
Crying tears that felt so real
But here I am again seemingly unchanged

I’m weary of feelings
That tide goes out and leaves me dry
I’ve given up on tears
Those salty drops so often lie

Chorus

Dare I cry again
Shall I risk another tear
Will future actions betray
Emotions now thought sincere

Chorus

What can I do
To fall in love with you
In a way that changes me

Chorus

Unfasten these shackles
These bonds forged by my own hands
Why do I come back here
Over and over again

Can a hard heart like mine be made soft again?
(for longer than a moment)
What will it take to set this prisoner free?

Chorus 2x

Copyright 2008, all rights reserved