Loy Krathong

In California most people no longer hold animist beliefs, contrary to what red and purple state folks think. Here in Thailand, however, there is all manner of believin going on, from buddhism to shamanism to animism to downright superstition. I don't mind it at all. Last night was the Thai festival of Loy Krathong. It is a thank you celebrtaion to the spirits of the water, from which rice grows and life flows. Or something. We celebrated at the temple, floating our homemade krathong in a small pond of dirty water. I didn't stick around for the beauty contests, blaring music, or carnival games, but my wife and kids did. They had a great time.

Last week we put up a spirit house, which is a little cement tower that looks like a temple. My wife prays there and burns incense and makes merit in front of it. As it was going up there had to be an old guy there to make various incantations and ablutions and stuff. He is, I suppose, a shaman. He was wearing all white clothes but other than that looked like any other old-timer in my neighborhood. No nose-bone or bird-of-paradise feather headdress.

Somewhere I have some photos.

2nd post

I was thinking about one of the main reasons I moved to Thailand the other day, namely a major reduction in stress. Ann and I recently moved into a brand new house that I designed and we had built by a contractor who lives down the road. Although the house is nice, it has a number of minor and one major problem that have caused me a whopping pile of stress.

First Post

Yesterday a bunch of Muslim separatists blew up a slew of businesses and schools in Narathiwat. I have always wondered how these people can claim Muslim brotherhood and then kill five innocent Muslims to prove it.


In better news, my youngest daughter is walking. Her name is Kelly, named because it rhymes with Neli, which is her big sister's name, and for Kelly Leak, the centerfielder for the bad News Bears.

So I have been listening to Snow, by Curt Kirkwood, a lot lately. Curt was the singer/songwriter/guitarwizard for the Meat Puppets, my favorite band for many years. He released a solo effort not too long ago that I think is well worth the thirteen bucks you gotta drop to get a CD these days. Gone are the wailing electric gutiars. Still there are the odd and interesting lyrics, the groovy rhythms, and the overall slow dusty feeling of a folk song.

Living in Thailand has given me a lot of time to read. Unfortunately, my daughters try their hardest to take this time from me, but I still manage to get some done...
Having said that, the best book I have read in a long time is Cormac McCarthy's latest novel, The Road. It is a post-apocalyptic story of a man and his son hanging on to life as they walk through the remains of civilazation towards some sort of rescue. I have rarely read a book with such simple narrative yet complete and absorbing characterization. I thought his last book, No Country for Old Men, was pretty bad. The Road, however, has pushed me squarely back into his corner as America's greatest living writer.


You ought to check out Snow, by Curt Kirkwood.




You ought to read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.