WannaGo

Fair enough.

I was watching a Thai movie last night and all three of the main characters were eating with chopsticks...but it's my understanding that Thais use spoons, not chopsticks. Am I wrong about that, or could this have just been a concession to Western expectations that anybody Asian has to use chopsticks?

That's very cool. I figured there would be some stigma, given how conservative many Asian cultures are. Funny how the Thais can be accepting of gays...and yet their whole society hasn't collapsed into complete and utter ruin. Maybe somebody ought to point that out to the Republicans.

When I became the owner of a cat for the first time about a year ago, I discovered that a litter of kittens can easily have multiple fathers. Apparently, a female cat will mate with several different male cats over a period of a few days while she's in heat...and each male can impregnate her. And being from Arkansas, I'd be willing to bet that the two eggs in this case were fertilized by two different truckers...both of whom have had starring roles in episodes of "COPS."

Much to my dismay, I live in one of the reddest counties in Florida. Yesterday, I went into a local UPS Store, and there was a big TV mounted to the wall tuned to Fox News. I got to thinking about it and realized that every TV I've ever seen in a business or government office in this town was showing Fox. I can't remember a single instance when I walked in and saw somebody watching CNN or MSNBC. That was unsettling.

Hahahahaha....where's an outbreak of virulent avian flu when you need it?

Gigantor Oprah Feedme Staypuft Keg Buttload ....

David Greenberg had an outstanding piece in Slate yesterday examining the roots of the radical right and how this group went from being on the margins 40 years ago to being in the mainstream today with high-profile mouthpieces like Beck, Hannity and rest of the Faux News nation. But even more interesting was his examination of an idea first distilled by social historian Richard Hofstadter that most right-wing politics seem to grow out of fear and paranoia. Having been raised by right-wing religious fundamentalists, this resonated with me because that always seemed to be my impression of their politics...that in their minds, they, as God-fearing white Americans, were socially and morally superior, and that any attempt to either limit their advantage or elevate any other group to equal footing was actually an assault on their personal freedoms. You can read Hofstadter's essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" here.

Ok, this is all way out of my experience range, so you're getting me curious. I know sexual preferences are all a matter of personal taste and that reasons vary from person to person, but I'd be interested in hearing from the guys who like ladyboys...what's the appeal for you? For example, I get turned on by sexually aggressive women because, at heart, I'm a lazy bastard and like when they just take what they want instead of making me work to give it. So, how about it guys...what is it about the ladyboys that does it for you?

I'm curious, is Thailand as repressed about homosexuality as the States? Do they have all the gay-bashing, the stupid anti-gay rhetoric, and the BS about banning gay marriage?

That sounds more than reasonable, especially given the quality of the fights. If you wanted to see some boxing in the States -- yawn -- you could expect to pay up to $100 for mediocre seats, if there are big names on the card.

This looks like a great recipe. Think I'll give it a try...probably substitute artificial sweetener for the sugar/honey. Wonder if a good bottle of Beck's Dark would give it a fuller flavor. Michael, you're a braver man than me with that gas stove. I'm completely paranoid about those things...lived in a place that had one, and I was constantly checking to make sure it was turned off. Felt like I had OCD -- couldn't leave the house until I'd checked the stove three times.

Thaksin was the one accused of corruption, right?

If I cheated myself out of another great Ellroy book because I wasn't patient enough to stick past the weird stuff, I'm going to be really irritated with myself. It's getting harder and harder to find really good crime fiction, so I can't afford to skip good ones. Definitely going to re-read American Tabloid, then try Cold Six Thousand. Thanks, smoker, for the push, however subtle. :-)

The one closest to me is closed, but sure enough, one of the others has Thai spices...even frozen galangal. Thanks for that.

I live between two Air Force bases. For the right price, I might be able to kidnap and smuggle you out your own private aviator...mirrored shades will cost extra. Oh, and this is just a joke, you Homeland Security guys who use the Google and lurk on the Internets.

Welcome...what's your b/f studying in Thailand?

Hey, cool tip about staying in a condo. That definitely deserves some looking into. I live here in Florida, and it's almost always better to rent a condo from a private owner for a longer stay than to get a hotel room. Thanks for all the feedback, guys. Looks like I will need to aim for $5,000 to $7,000 to make sure that I have a comfortable, enjoyable stay for a month. OK, now I'm off to sell some blood plasma. That savings account isn't going to fill itself. (j/k)

It's been so long since I read American Tabloid, I would have to read it again before giving Cold Six Thousand another shot. I'll wait and see what I hear about Blood's a Rover, and if it looks pretty good, I might go back to American Tabloid and start over. But I gotta be honest, I tried the first several pages of Cold Six Thousand, and it was just driving me nuts.

Just my two cents, but I think it is human nature to be corrupt and to take from others in order to benefit yourself. Not saying this applies to everyone, obviously, but there is a significant portion of the population who have criminal natures and, as we've seen, those take over when no one is watching. Have you seen Bill Maher's documentary, Religulous? Saw it this weekend...outstanding take on how the irrationality of religion has gotten us all into a fine, fine mess. Highly recommend it.

I remember reading something to this effect back in the late 90s.According to the Canadian census, the Chinese population in Canada grew by 19 percent between 1996 and 2001. There were just over 1 million living in Canada in '01, which made them about 4% of the Canadian population, and about 1.2 million in the 2006 Census. From the Census: And this:

Um, sorry about my little rant. Hope it didn't scare anybody off from commenting on this topic. I'd love to see more discussion about UFC and MMA, especially from fans of Thai boxing.

Excuse my ignorance here, but are ladyboys like pre-op transsexuals in the States...they intend to become full-on women and just have a cock while saving up for the operation? Or, do they purposely have boobs and feminine appearance and a cock? Do they tend to be both masculine and feminine, or tend more to feminine? Just curious.

Holy smokes...$60! That's steep. I know a lot of people hate drivers who talk on cells while they drive, but I'm afraid I'm one of the guilty ones. My g/f gets onto me all the time about it...I just don't like spending all that time driving and sitting in traffic doing nothing when I could be on the phone getting a little work accomplished. (Of course, I know I'm not actually doing nothing because I should be paying attention to driving.)

I love that people tip the fighter, presumably out of appreciation for a great performance. What's the purpose of the 100 baht bill in the teeth? Sort of seeding the tip jar, like bartenders do, or something else?