Do I look Thai?

On my last day in Bangkok I went to a photo studio at the mall in Siam Square and some pictures of me taken in Thai traditional style. I don't think I have ever worn so much makeup in my life. The make up artist was a gay Thai man and he kept saying, "Miss USA...beautiful! Miss USA.." It was pretty funny. When he turned my chari around so that I could see my makeup, I was like, "Wow! I look great with this much makeup on!" Then, when I sat closer to the mirror so that he could do my hair, it was very scary. Having that much makeup on is sort of frightening. But, it looks good in pictures. I haven't really ever had pictures like that taken of me, and it was actually kind of hard to maintain the poses they put me in. I think the pictures turned out well though. I am going to give one to Matt for his office so that he can pretend he has a hot Thai girl on the side like so many of the other men do here.


Do I look Thai? 

Mmm....Thai Food

The food here in Thailand is so yummy. I think I could only eat Thai food for the rest of my life and still be happy. If you have had Thai food in the US, then you pretty much know what it is like here. The food that they sell from the street stalls is superb...almost too beautiful to describe. The fruit stalls have heaps and heaps of gorgeous pomelos, pineapples, guavas and mangoes. They will carve it right up for you, put it in a bag and give you a skewer to eat it with. Then there are the stalls that have ears of corn still in their husk roasting. The smell and taste is too delicious to believe. I even tried the meat at the various stalls, which I wouldn't do normally because I am pretty picky about my meat. I had to try it though, cause it was so gorgeous. One stall had piles of different types of meat kebabs: chicken, beef, fish, prawn, meatball, fishball, etc. They were all neatly piled and very shiny and yummy looking. I tried to ask the stall owner which chicken skewer was made of breast meat, and he thought I was hilarious as I was trying to pantomime what I wanted. Once I got the kebabs, he poured in the bag some of the yummy Thai chili sauce they have here. They were delicious, although the meat had a little bit more fat and grisle than I am used to. I ordered squid from another stall, and that was so yummy, except that they didn't clean the squid out at all, I even had to take the pen out myself! They have stalls where you can choose your ingredients and they will stir fry it right there in front of you, and stalls where they fry up sort of an "Indian fry bread" like Grandma used to make. Unfortunately I didn't get to try everything that I wanted to. I could only eat so much in one trip! Hopefully, if I come back to Thailand with Matt I will get to try more new things. On this trip, I have been addicted to Som Tum, which is a spicy papaya salad that sometimes comes with prawns or squid. The good thing about food here is that it is pretty much good wherever you go, whether you are at a bus stop or a nice restaurant. The bus back from Ko Samet stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, but all of a sudden there appeared an old woman with the a huge basket of fruit. I bought a mango from her and with it she gave me a little sack of a salty, sweet, spicy powder. The mixture complemented the sweetness of the mango really well, and it was something I had never tried before.

One thing I did try in Ko Samet was insects, a few different kinds. The was a cart selling them, and so I stopped by to have a look at the types of insects for sale. The woman who owned the cart was very excitedly showing me how to eat them and kept offering me samples. The samples were...interesting, but I really could not turn them down when she was being so nice. I definitely had a rude awakening when I tried this maggot looking insect. I figured that since they were fried they would all sort of taste like corn nuts or something, but boy was I wrong. On my first bite into the maggot type thing I felt all of the insides squish out into my mouth. It was really sickening, but I managed to swallow it. The grasshoppers were better because at least they were crunchy. The picture below shows the full assortment of insects for sale.


Yummy. 

More Massages

The massages in Thailand are the best that I have had since I have moved to Asia. Thai massages definitely have a unique style, it is more like passive stretching or like a yoga massage. They stretch you muscles one way and then massage them, and then they stretch them another way and massage them some more. Also, Thai massages seem to focus more on the full body, as opposed to just the back and shoulders. It would have been so fabulous to get Thai massages during mymarathon training, because they spend quite a bit of time on the legs and they bend your legs so that they can massage your hip flexors. Even the 4 dollar massages that we get on the beach at Ko Samet are great. The massage ladies carefully lay out a sarong on the sand and sweep the sand off of you before they start the massage. Since there is no oil involved, you can get a massage on the beach and not worry about having to go right home and shower. I never got a massage on the beach in Bali because they use SO much oil in ther massages there. The Chinese massages feel good after the massage, but are rather painful during the actual massage. I think their theory is that if they massage your muscles so fiercely that you are in almost unbearable pain, then it will obviously feel great when they stop massaging you. In Thailand, the massages feel good both during and after.


Our bungalow at Tok's Little Huts in Ko Samet 

Ko Samet

After some debate, we decided to go to Ko Samet in Thailand for more beach time. Ko Samet is very convenient because it is only a three and a half hour bus ride from Bangkok, as opposed to Phuket, which you pretty much have to fly to. Lo Samet is gorgeous! The water is crystal clear and the sand is white and soft. It is the nicest beach we have been to yet! It is a small island, and the restuarants are all right on the sand. Some just have pillows that you sit on while you eat and other's have tables. The water is warm and lovely. There are alot of tourists here right now because we came on a Thai holiday. Many of the tourists are Thai, ans also alot of expats that are living in Bangkok.

I love Thailand so much. The people are very relaxed and friendly and the food is so wonderful. The only problem is the number of old, wrinkly, white men that are here in the company of VERY young, beautiful Thai girls. Sometimes it just makes me sick. Also, there are alot of old white men accompanied by young, beautiful Thai boys. Lara and I were sitting on the beach, getting some sun when a older white man walked by holding the hand of an 8 year old Thai boy. I didn't think anything of it, but Lara said, "I hope that is his son!" That comment brought to my mind a whole host of thoughts that I did not want to contemplate! Actually, I am sure it was the son of the guys Thai wife or "girlfriend" or whatever. Speaking of child prostitution, I read in my Lonely Planet guide that while Thailand has the greatest number of child prostitutes in the world, the US has the third largest number! (India has the second largest number.) Of course, Thailand is a much smaller country to be having so many child prostitutes, but the US is a rich country and it is sad to think that we have that problem.



Beautiful Ko Samet 

Back to Hong Kong

All in all, I liked Bali and would love to bring Matt here someday. I think next time I would like to travel inland and see the rice paddies and maybe go up to the beaches on the north coast of Bali. I hear they have black sand beaches there and it is alot less crowded. Kuta Beach, where we were staying the whole time, seems more like a spring break type destination for Australian people. It was nice because there was alot of shopping and places to stay and everything was very well set up for travellers, but it is also very touristy and crowded.

Today we left Bali and are now in Hong Kong. Tomorrow we are running over to Shenzhen for a quick shopping trip and then heading down to Thailand!


Meagan at Fat Yogi's 

Balinese Dance and Massage

Tonight we saw a Balinese dance performance at a restaurant. We didn't plan on seeing it, but we lucked out and the restaurant we went to had one. It was excellent. Balinese music is rather ominous sounding, and has alot of chimes and drums and that sort of thing. The dancers looked very striking in their elaborate costumes and it was cool because it seemed like their eyes were part of the dance. They would stop moving for a moment, open their eyes really wide, and then look from side to side. It was kind of freaky looking actually.

Today I finally had a great massage, which is good because we are about to leave Bali. So far, the massages have been cheap and only worth as much as I paid for them. (So, basically they are not worth much at all.) It is almost like they don't understand the concept of the massage, they just figure, "Hey, this whitey is going to pay me to rub her a little bit? Alright, whatever." I went to one place and requested a woman masseuse and the man at the desk told me to wait for a few minutes. So I sat and waited, and proceeded to watch him scour the street for women and ask them if they wanted to massage me. I left immediately because in Bali I have learned a lesson: Yes, there are actually some bad massages that I would prefer not to waste my time on. Previously I had been under the impression that there was no such thing as a bad massage, but now I know better.

Today I decided to splurge and get a 15 dollar massage. It was fabulous, so I also got a scalp and hair conditioning treatment, which I definitely needed after all of the time I have been spending in the water. My hair felt great when it was over, and they even blow dried my hair and I thought, "Great! Now I will have nice, clean, straight hair for the plane ride home tomorrow!" But no, Balinese people seem to LOVE oil, so after my hair was dry and done, they put a handful of oil right on the top of my head and said, "Alright, you're done." I was heartbroken. But anyway, the massage was nice and I am glad I am leaving Bali with at least one good massage experience!


Balinese Dancers 

Shopping, shopping, shopping

When we are not at the beach or the pool, Lara and I go shopping. I hadn't even intended to do alot of shopping...actually, I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything. I bought way too much stuff in India and I told myself not to do it again! But it is hard to resist...the streets of Kuta are lined with little stalls that sell piles and piles of everything, and for very cheap. The stalls that catch my eye the most are the ones with the rows and rows of jewelry. Most of the jewelry is made out of shells and beads, but there is also alot of wooden jewelry that is really cool. There are shoe stores with billions of shoes, alot of them are flip flop style with shells and beads on top. There there are the stalls with the cloths. Some have western t-shirs and shorts and stuff but I generally steer clear of those. Others have more "island style" beach clothes, like halter tops, sarongs, these tie-on sort of pants, all sorts of board shorts and other stuff. There are a ton of stores selling bootlegged cds for a dollar each, and stores selling carved wood items, and ones selling home decor stuff. I loaded up on curtains, pillow covers and woven place mats for my apartment.

Lara and I usually go shopping at night since we don't want to waste the daylight on shopping. (We would rather spend the day at the beach or the pool.) Once we went shopping first thing in the morning, and that wasn't such a good idea. If you are the first person to shop at a stall, the seller won't let you leave unless you buy something. I guess the deal they make with the first shopper influences their luck for the rest of the day. It is sort of irritating, because sometimes, you just want to look at something and know how much it costs, but then they won't let you leave. When they finally sell you something, they rub the money that they make from the first sale over the rest of their merchandise, for luck I guess. Sometimes later in the day they will try to use the "good luck" thing against you, hoping to get your pity. I am sure it works sometimes. In the morning the shopkeepers put out offerings to the gods. They consist of leaves filled with insence, little pieces of food, and flowers. While Lara and I were eating breakfast we say a holy looking (well, he had robes and paint on his face...) person go around to the shops with a whole plate of these and he would make little hand motions over the offerings and then set them on the ground in front of the shop. They put these offerings on the beach, too, maybe to help the people selling things on the beach, or maybe because so much of the tourism for Bali is based on the ocean. Unfortunately, then the tide eventually comes out and the offerings get washed into the ocean to be added to all of the other trash that is in there from the resorts and the large number of tourists.

It sounds silly, but shopping here is very tiring. You have to bargain, and that can be fun but also very draining. The Balinese are very easy to bargain with as compared to the Hong Kong Chinese. I think the Balinese are alot more desperate, and the HK Chinese are used to tons of rich Hong Kongers who don't bargain at all and will pay high prices for anything. We are in Bali during a low season, although it still seems crowded, so that probably helps them be more willing to bargain.



Offerings to the Shopping Gods 

Surfing in Bali

Lara and I have definitely put in alot of beach time on this trip. She has been surfing pretty much every day, despite the fact that she is disappointed that there are basically no waves. The few waves that are there are tiny and they break really close to shore. The funny thing is, despite these conditions, there are about 500 people aout there at any given moment, trying to look like they know what they are doing. All of the "surfers" float on their boards really far back, where the waves aren't breaking, and they sort of ride over the swells and try to look cool. It is funny because almost everyone out there is new to surfing, except for a few Balinese people, so there is really no need to impress anyone.

Not that I should mock anyone...I tried surfing for one day and decided that I didn't want to deal with the kajillion other people out there, and then when I did catch waves, I was basically on the beach since the waves were breaking so close to shore. Not that there are any less people on the beach! Even when I am reading my book or have headphones on, I am approached every 3.5 seconds by someone trying to sell me something. They want to braid my hair, paint my nails, give me a massage, sell me a sarong, sell me a pillow for my head, peel me a mango, peel me a pineapple, sell me ice cream, and give me a fake tattoo. It is very irritating, but it is also a sad result of the desperation of the people living in a country with such a miserable economy. I have heard that Indonesia has one of the worst economies in the world.

I am sure all the above sounds very negative, but hey, I'm just "keepin' it real". Basically, Lara and I both really love hanging out at the beach, so we are enjoying Bali in that respect. We know we are staying in probably one of the more touristy parts of Bali, and other beaches are probably more idyllic but after having hoofed it around Hong Kong for the past 10 or 12 days, we just feel like relaxing and enjoying all of the restaurants and people we are meeting in Kuta.

When we aren't at the beach, we hang out at the pool that is part of our hotel. It is a very nice pool, with padded lounge chairs on the side and it is more calm than the beach. You can order food to be brought to you from the restaurant and so it is very nice. I met an older couple (you know, grandparent age) from Quebec by the pool, and they are quite amazing. They have travelled everywhere it seems like. They are doing a whole tour of southeast asia, and had just come from Malaysia and before that they had spent 3 months in India. The husband was telling me that he thought India was the most difficult place he had ever travelled, including the time he spent in China and Russia. Keep in mind, this older couple was staying at the same type of hotel that we were, which was nice enough, but not what you would think that older people would like. (There were definitely no frills, although there were some rooms with air conditioning and hot water.)




Lara at the Surf Shop 

Bali

Well, we finally made it to Bali! So far it has been very relaxing...nothing but beach, pool, eat, sleep. Oh, and massages. The place we are staying, Fat Yogi's on Poppies Lane 1, is nice and it has a pool with a table and stool in it so that you can eat your breakfast there or get drinks or other things. We had to switch rooms because I was getting WAY too many mosquito bites. I figured it was worth paying a few extra bucks a night for a room with glass windows and AC. (Our first room was 8 dollars a night and the new room is 16 dollars a night.)

I was extremely saddened the other day to find out that Rohit's father has passed away. It hit me like a ton of bricks...I just feel like the world keep crumbling down and it doesn't seem to stop. It is like I am running and fast as I can and the ground is falling away right after I step on it. I wasn't extremely close with Rohit's father, but I think just the fact that people keep leaving permanently and the fact that my family will never be the same is freaking me out and making me feel very unsettled.


Lara at Seminyak Beach 

Taboo

Today Missy, Nic, Lara and I went out to Sha Tin to have dim sun with Matt and his co workers. Dim Sum was yummy as usual and we left there completely stuffed. Then we headed over to Lantau Island to se the giant bronze buddha and the monastery at Ngong Ping. It was a long day of travelling, since Sha Tin, Midlevels and Lantau Island are in three opposit corners of Hong Kong.

By the time we got home we were very tired, so Missy and Nic went to get massages. Lara, Matt and I decided we watned to play Taboo the board game but we needed a fourth person. Then we remembered the young Australian guy, Steve, that we had met in the elevator. So, we went to track him down, thinking that he would think we were really strange for trying to get him to play taboo with us. When we asked him, he did seem sort of surprised, but he came up to play with us and it was really fun. My conclusion at the end of the night was that I am very good at Taboo. :) I was on the winning team both games. (It was probably just luck though...usually when Matt and I are on a team together we get lose by a landslide.) The last game we played was guys against girls, and so of course the girls won. The losers had to take the winners out for a drink, so we went out down to Wan Chai. Everything was dead except for this one place, Fenwick's. It was definitely an amusing place, but Lara and I stuck out like sore thumbs. I wasn't sure what was more fun: watching the Filipino band or watching the Filipina/Thai ladies in the bar. The band was playin everything from disco to hard rock, and the guitar players looked like they had permanent grins plastered on their faces. It was sort of scary looking...like those tribal masks you see or like faces on a totem pole. Pretty much all of the women in Fenwick's were Thai or Filipina and they were there with a purpose. Most of the men were older, western business men who looked very pleased with themselves as the women fawned over them. We met an American guy from Washington DC and he said that Fenwick's is where he always takes his clients when they come into town. I don't think the women or the men liked Lara and I being there. But hey, it was the only place with live music that night, and we were just dancing and having a good time.

Trip to the Peak

Today was a pretty lazy day since we were up so late night last night. We pretty much just ate breakfast (yummy Breton-style crepes at Le Rendez-vous), wandered around Soho and then ate dinner on the Peak. Of course, any visitors to Hong Kong have to make the trip on the tram up to the Peak for the gorgeous view. So, my visitors and I got that taken care of tonight and had dinner at Shooterz, an American style restaurant full of tacky decorations, a Filipino band playing Beatle's covers, and gargantuan proportions. Remind me not ever to go there again. All in all, I would have to say that none of the restaurants up there have been great, and they all cost too much for what you get. But, the view is spectacular and it has a fun, vacation-like mood to it, probably due to all of the tourists there.


Missy, Meagan and Lara on The Peak 

Sai Kung

Matt and I had heard alot about Sai Kung, a beach area in the New Territories. We had heard the water was clear and clean and that there was great diving and swimming to be had. So, we decided to take Lara out there to check it our first hand. Sai Kung was....very far away. It took us over 2 hours to get there and it involved several bus, train and mtr changes. It didn't help that we didn't leave our house until noon. When we got there is was pretty nice, and we decided to take a ferry to get over to Hap Mun Bay, a beach on an island. The most amusing part of the day was watching the old Chinese couple that operated the ferry. They only had a few teeth between them, one of them gold, and they were just cackling and having a grand old time. The old woman laughed maniacally when one of the gweilos bumped his head getting into the boat. I hope I am that jolly when I get older! Actually, I wish I was that jolly now.

At night, Missy, Nic, Matt and I went out to Lan Kwai Fong. Our first stop was a bar called Hardy's. It had an older crowd, a Filipino band and was alot less hip than the other places on the street. I wanted to tell the bartender, "Hey, I am a Hardy" but of course that would be ridiculous. Nic wasn't feeling well and had to go home, but Missy, Matt and I stayed out till 6. The clubs were fun, and I was amazed that when we left the club we were at showed no signs of slowing down.

Lamma Island

Today my visitors and I went to explore Lamma Island. It was great...the first day that everyone stayed awake for the whole day! The jet lag is finally getting under control I think. We took the ferry to the island and hiked from one side of the island to the other. Actually, I wouldn't call it so much of a hike, it was more of a leisurely stroll on a paved path. It was very quiet on the island, and since I have been living in the middle of a city, it seems like the minute I get into a quiet, open environment I immediately relax. The difference is pretty remarckable. Don't get me wrong, I am loving the city life, but when I get out to a calm place, with relatively few people, I feel like I am really "getting away from it all."

The island was nice and green and there were a few deserted beaches along the path, which was pretty cool. Of course, the nicest beach was right next to a huge power plant, but if you don't mind that it was a great beach. We ended up stopping at a beach that was further from the beaten path called Lo So Shing Beach. We had a seafood lunch at the Rainbow restaurant Sok Kwu Wan and they gave us VIP stickers and a free boat ride home! There are a few more little villages on the island that I would like to check out...I will have to drag Matt along with me some weekend.



Lara, Missy and Nic at the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant in Sok Kwu Wan 

A Day at the Markets

Today Lara, Missy and Nic and I went to the lady's market, the flower market, and the bird market. It was their first day out and about in Hong Kong, and I think it went pretty well. First, we went out to lunch with Michele to a restaurant in Soho called "Life." It was hippie-esque, and had lots of organic and vegan options. It reminded me of California and I was surprised because I didn't think anything like that existed in Hong Kong. After that we fitted the visitor's up with Octopus cards and headed over to Kowloon-side. I bought two shirts and they actually fit so I am very happy! I braved the "bird gauntlet" at the bird market once again and emerged unscathed. I am really freaked out by birds, after one too many skirmishes with pigeons and seagulls in my youth, so I sort of think of it as a personal test everytime I walk through the bird market. (I am sure most people have heard about my seagull/ice cream cone incident.) Yes, most of the birds are in cages, but for some reason tons of little starlings and other birds like to hang out there and swoop around and sit on the outside of the bird cages. I am not sure if they are taunting the captive birds, keeping them company, or just waiting to scavenge for food. While I am freaked out by birds in general, I have this strange fascination with the bird market. The bird cages are really neat looking, there are tons of old Chinese men hanging arund cooing at their birds, and there are alot of insects for sale. The Chinese men are quite sweet on little birds it seems like, and you will see them in the parks, taking their bird in it's cage on a walk. The insects that are being sold (as bird food, I am assuming?) are interesting to look at up close.


Lara at the Bird Market 

Finally Settled In!

Yesterday Matt and I were in a flurry to finally organize our house before my friends get here. We pretty much spent the majority of the day thinking about where to hang our pictures, and I will admit that I was agonaizing over it and probably driving Matt crazy. One of the bennies of having an engineer boyfriend is that they are good at certain things: Matt made a scale model of our living room wall on Photoshop so that I could drag and rearrange the pictures and envision how they would look. Our place feels SO much more like home now that we have rearranged the furniture, hung the pictures and cleared all of the clutter. When I woke up this morning it felt so great to actually be able to eat breakfast with Matt at the dining room table.

The Great Gatsby Also Rises

Yesterday Matt and I went on the junk boat trip with our new friend Michele. (The one we met at the bar Jewel, when Matt threw a pillow at her.) We thought it was just "bar talk" when she invited us, but she came through and called us 2 hours before the junk was about to leave. One of her friends works for E-Trade, and he had use of the company junk for the day. (Yes, the boat was painted purple and green.) We had a wonderful time, and everybody was extremely nice. I finally met some other Americans in Hong Kong! (I was beginning to believe that they didn't exist.) We played Quarters with Pabst, had a scrummy lunch and Matt went wakeboarding. (At least he tried to wakeboard, it got dark very quickly and he just barely managed to avoid the junk!) I was a great day, although ironically it was the coldest day I have experienced in Hong Kong so far, but luckily the water was still very warm. I sort of felt like I was in the midst of a combination Hemingway/Fitzgerald novel: surrounded by a bunch of young, privelaged expats with gleaming white teeth discussing ski trips in Japan and the upcoming Yacht Club Ball in November.

Oh, What a Perfect Day

Today Matt and I had the perfect day. When I started to catch on that I was having a perfect day I got that Velvet Underground song "What a Perfect Day" stuck in my head, which is a small price to pay for actually having a perfect day.

We started our day with cappuccinos and scones, which is the best breakfast ever. Then we headed out for a day at the beach at Shek-O, which is supposed to be the "last little village on Hong Kong Island." It sort of took a long time to get there, since we had to take the Island Line almost to the end and then take the 9 bus over a really steep and winding road. The trip was worth it though, Shek-O is tiny and quiet and really laid back. We got off the bus and were met by a swarm of tiny, old Chinese women straw mushroom-style hats that tried to sell us spots on the beach with umbrellas and chairs. We declined and walked through the town, which is so tiny, and decided to cruise around the residential areas. The houses were huge and the cars outside of them were gorgeous and very fancy. Imagine my surprise when we came across a car with a Kerry/Edwards sticker on it! I was happy not only because it wasn't a Bush sticker, but also cause that means the expats are voting. Yay! This election is so important. We spent the rest of the day on the beach and the weather was warm and not too humid. The water here is warm, so swimming is nice, although it is not the cleanest water in the world.

For dinner we went to the Black Sheep and I felt like I was in heaven. It was that perfect time of day when the day is over but the night hasn't begun yet, and light has a sort of warm color. My feet were still sandy, I had that lazy after-a-day-in-the-sun feeling, the restaurant had reggae on, and I was sipping the most perfectly spiced Sangria. I couldn't believe my delight when they brought out the warm, crusty french bread and had roasted garlic to go with it! I didn't think it could get any better till they served the grilled calamari. We had a long, slow dinner and watched the sky turn to night.

Since it was National day, there were alot of locals out barbecing with their families, and it looked really fun. You can rent barbecues at the stores along the beach, and they have all different sorts of meats and vegetables for sale. It looked like alot of fun, especially if you like barbecued fish balls.

Now this is the part where I reveal my horrible addiction to sweets: when we got off the MTR in Admiralty, Matt said he would split some of the Maxim Bakery cakes with me. Admiralty MTR is our "home MTR station" and there is a Maxim Bakery there. They have the most beautifully decorated and arranged cakes and truffles, with shiny glorious fruit on top and chocolate shavings and it is just fabulous. Every time I walk by I stare longingly at the cakes. So imagine how happy I was when Matt said he was in the mood for cake! I was ecstatic! We picked out three miny cakes and headed for home. I was so happy I felt like skipping home.

But wait, the perfect day was not over! When we reached the top of the stairs, we heard loud booming noises...and then we remembered it was National day and Hong Kong was having a fireworks display. So we watched the longest, most fantastic fireworks display I have ever seen. It was better than sky show in San Diego.

We got home and showered and I had that warm, tired, wonderful clean feeling that comes after a long lazy day at the beach. We had tea with our little Maxim's cakes and watched 24. It was glorious.

It is good that I had a day like this because it seems like everything in my life is going haywire right now, and all the events in the past 4 months have been timed perfectly wrong. But I guess this is what people live for, the wonderful days that come along every once in a while. I guess I was worried I wasn't going to get anymore good days.