Time of Your Life

Well, yeah...another abrupt departure from one foreign clime for another. This time the plan is to relocate suddenly from Hua Hin's balmy 80 degree seaside skies to Beijing's 20-degree polluted muck and teeming masses. "It's like you've been planning a prison break," one coworker said. Indeed. The details of getting out have been complicated. Normally, I'd feel kinda squeamish (or perhaps squeamishier ?) about pulling what they call a "runner" here but I firmly believe a jury of my peers who have worked for this outfit would not convict me.

I'll be in Beijing for the Olympics which could be excellent, I'll be in the same country as C and we're hoping she can move up north so we're together again in the same domicile.

I leave behind the usual bag of mixed feelings. Good friends I've had, good friends I've lost along the way, etc. but mostly I've been missing C too awfully much and for some reason China also, as chaotic as it is. "Heaven ain't bad," to quote Townes Van Zandt, "But you don't get nothing done" - which sums up Hua Hin on a good day.

On the getting something done side I've lined one young Thai woman who was working at Faulty Towers up with another better job opportunity, so I feel I've done my small part for US-Thai Foreign Relations besides filling the bar and sidewalk meal vendor coffers with baht.

On a bad night it's been getting worse to the point that I genuinely fear for one pal's life and have quit hanging out in general after about 9pm, preferring to retreat to my Apocalypse Now style suite and read rather than watch him ride his motorbike nude through a stack of Thai delivery pizzas. ("By their dead you shall know them...by the trail of smashed pizza boxes, also") I wish him well but don't really wanna be here when the hammer finally falls.

A new blog to be determined later. Catchy titles incorporating "Beijing" anyone? I'm running on empty with that one. Suggestions appreciated.