Random Thoughts

a.k.a. "Stuff We Forgot To Post At The Time"

-- We stayed in a neighborhood called Ueno in Tokyo. Pronounced "oo-ay-no." This prompted Alan to start saying "Hey now, I will take your Uno away now in Ueno, bueno?" He has yet to stop.

-- While visiting the Wat Pho ("But I don't know what fo!") shrine in Bangkok, Sue was mobbed by a group of Thai schoolchildren on an assignment for their English class. The intrepid reporters took turns interviewing her about such diverse topics as where she was from, what her favorite Thai food was, and how much she loved the king. Alan was actually in the bathroom at the time, so he came out to a half-dozen Thai children in matching yellow shirts surrounding Sue ... he wasn't sure whether they were selling something or if Sue had adopted them, but he managed to keep his composure. Incidentally, they never asked Alan anything -- perhaps sensing that his king-love-level was about the same as Sue's.

-- Sue, multitasking genius that she is, wrote a story for the Lowell Sun (her former paper) about the nightmare at Heathrow, which was published on the Sun's front page. Check it out here. She wrote it in an hour in an internet cafe here in Paris, which is impressive. And apparently it was good enough to beat out "Black Bear Spotted Again" and "Five Kittens Need Homes." She's got the scoop, indeed, chief.

-- According to the news, we as Americans were supposed to avoid traveling to Delhi's airport last week because of the security situation (apparently, their independence day attracts terrorist violence). First of all, we would have loved to have avoided Delhi's airport. I believe our post on the subject makes that clear. Secondly, when you've got a freaking cat running around in the secured area, maybe you've got bigger problems than the possibility of terrorism. Like amazing levels of incompetence.

Randomly,
A&S