March 2026:
Can Bill make a 6-minute video about healthcare and insurance not boring? Well, Bill thought so, and here goes. Also, as a side note, due to restrictions of some of the music in this video, it is not allowed to be shown in Russia. I am so happy and proud of this! (Bill never talks about Bill in the third person!)
Addiction and cold turkeys:
Bill’s Facebook account is dead. I’m trying to get it back online. Well, more accurately I’ve done all I can do and at this point I’ve given up. The issue seems to be on FB’s end. Hopefully I’ll get it back but honestly… it has been a relief. Rather than mindlessly scrolling I started working on a cure for cancer, started writing the next great American novel, and began being a better human. But maybe my Facebook page will return, and I can drop all those new hobbies and get back to mindlessly scrolling…
Good feline news:
On my morning walk today I went a slightly different path since we needed apples and peanut butter at the grocery story. A path I somewhat avoided because my favorite cat on my walk had died from feline cancer last year. I didn’t need that reminder. The last time I saw her was a year ago. Her human was holding her explaining that Hong Lee had cancer. She did not look good at all. So, that was that, but out of nowhere, boom, Hong Lee ran up to me and started her traditional weave between my legs. My initial thoughts were the other black and white cat of the neighborhood suddenly got more friendly, but one meow from Hong Lee and I knew. Hong Lee received lots of pats and we grooved. I took out my iPhone so I could prove to the world that she was ok. But, dang it, Hong was weaving so fast through my legs and meowing, never looking at the camera. I took several photos but no good ones. It was ok, I’ll take a little cat joy today. I was wrong. I am so glad I was wrong. Hong Lee is a feline cancer survivor.
What has Pizza Hut Done???
Yes, you saw that right. Shrimp, with shells on!!! Truly, this is a hellish (or shellfish) abomination. I don’t even know where to start with this. Oh, and I see it comes with something they call “airy dough”. This is like being a lady – if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t (Margaret Thatcher)
Cheese filled hot dog bites evilly wrapped, thus hidden, in the crust. What nightmarish horrors approach? And those piles of black stuff: It’s called truffle ‘sauce’. I don’t even know what that means. Personally, I was praying it was tapenade. Maybe this pizza when carefully paired with a Merlot, or possibly a Prosecco could pass the lowest gastronomical test. But that test, I will never take!! Cheese filled hot dogs…ewwwww!!! Gag!!!
Of course, Pizza Hut is an American company called Yum! Brands Inc. Gee I wonder what junior high kid won the contest to name that company. And to no surprise, they also own Taco Bell. Yes, sometimes Bill is a food snob.
Thailand does a lot of things right, and food is one of them. Always on authoritative ‘top 10’ lists for culinary excellence around the world. Seeing these posters in a window of a Pizza Hut was shocking, but strangely not too surprising. One sees a lot here. Thailand has great food and does foreign food amazingly well. We have two world class pizza restaurants too close to our condo. But this….. ? wow!
Lastly :
We are traveling back to the US for most of April. Not looking forward to the grueling 22 hours it will take to get there and the horrific jetlag. Though we’re looking forward to seeing friends and family. The main reason is to empty and close our storage unit costing us $525 a month ($6300/year). The contents are not worth near that. In our defense, we were unsure what the future held when we left Seattle. Would our adventure be 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years or 30?
I’m particularly curious on what our impressions of Seattle will be after being away for 2.5 years. Or will it just be the same-ole, same-ole? BTW, neither one of us has driven in 2.5 years, so…
Along with saving money we will be escaping 100+ degree weather, seasonal smoke from agricultural burning, and the insanity of a Thai holiday called Songkran which is fun for the first couple of years then not so much after.
Massive Update!!!!
Holy cow! Just before publishing this month’s blog, I tried to reopen my Facebook account again and this time… miraculously it worked! I immediately logged back on and gave an hour of my life to the gods of FB, never to see that time return. And to think I can drop all those stupid new hobbies now. Phew, that was close!
Actually, it was an interesting 2-week experiment. I think that I did re-learn that Facebook is indeed chewing gum for the brain.
Please don’t forget to check out Diane’s YouTube page: Ate Diane at Sacred Heart Cathedral – YouTube
Thank you so much for reading our Blog/Vlog. It means a lot to us!