Daily Report: Greetings From Urbania

I was up early today after one of the nicest sleeps I have had in years: Soft mattress; cool air (with neither fan nor aircon to create a breeze); silence. Twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.

In the morning, I made eggs for breakfast, and called Pui. I was only going to call her once... next Sunday... but she called my mother Monday morning trying to talk to me, as she misses me already. Therefore, I'll be calling her every day now.

In the early afternoon, it was off to the grocery store where I was re-introduced to American-style prices. $5 for a melon? $10 for a case of bottled water? $8 for three plastic bathtub toys for Vinnie? And then the funny part was that the stuff that I considered so expensive in Thailand (cranberry juice, for instance) was almost the same price as it is here in America.

After grocery shopping, it was off to the local Chinese restaurant to pick up some hot and sour soup for lunch. Then I went home and watched some Wimbledon on television. Ah... television commercials. Seems "power drinks" are all the rage now, eh? That and environmentally-friendly products. Well, that's good.

In the afternoon, I had to drive my mother around to some appointments. Yup: Got behind a steering wheel for the first time in 4 years. I managed fine, although a couple of times I turned at an intersection, and for an instant found myself heading for the left lane.

In the evening, my mother's brother, Uncle Bob, and his friend, Marian, came to dinner. They brought along their 2 papillion puppy dogs. Cute little critters. Apparently one of them is a champion show dog.