Soi 11

Lots to tell about...Here's a picture of the boys in front of Bed Supper Club. It's a club on the street behind our house. It looks like a spaceship and at night the whole side of it is lit up with different colors bouncing around. I've never been there, but would like to check it out. This street is Soi 11. What can you see when making your way down Soi 11? Lots of street vendors selling fried bananas, noodles, rice, fruit, dried up fish, Thai ice cream... Walking this street was the first time I've ever smelled something so awful that I actually almost threw up. Everyone says, "Oh gross, I'm going to puke," when they smell something bad but I think people just like to say that. I've said it before. But this time my salivary glands were tingling and I was really having to fight it back. Once on Soi 11 I saw a man in, get this, a blue sportcoat, floral swimming trunks, one bare foot and one foot covered in some kind of bandage. He looked Western and I made my way past him as quickly as possible. Locals who look like that aren't as alarming to me as the Westerners because the Westerners probably didn't come to Bangkok looking like that. They probably pissed their money away in some shady way and are looking to make it back in some shady way and they love to ask other Westerners, "Ooooh you speak English? Thank God because, well you won't believe this, I was just robbed..." You'll also see beggars on the street. Sometimes they offer live music on a little string instrument that sounds a lot like a toy. The less shy beggars are singers. There's this one blind guy who sings out of a portable karaoke machine held by his pal behind him. Soi 11 has some great restaurants and tons of suit tailors. The sidewalks, where there is sidewalk, are made of cement tiles and in some spots the tiles are tilted this way and that. Some are loose and tip when you step on them, some are not loose. It all adds to the video game feel of walking down the street. You're Frogger crossing the street and Mario walking down the sidewalk. It's a challenge not to break your ankle sober so I'm not really sure how the partiers get by, then again that's probably what happened to Mr. Swimming Sportcoat.

Saturday night Pat and I went to his office Christmas party. It was super posh at a fancy hotel. We got dressed up and had our maid watch Sawyer with a full supply of milk. We got the text not long into the party that Sawyer was doing well and "don't worry Ms. Kelly have fun." The food was insane. Somehow I managed to not embarrass Pat by eating like a big glutinous pig. There were so many types of food including some great Thai dishes. A live Australian jazz ensemble played on a small stage backing a small dance floor that was tragically unused :( That was a big of a disappointment. After this party, I've decided that white elephant gift exchanges are stupid. At least an hour of the party was the white elephant exchange, and I was ready to get down and dance. One present was pretty funny. An older gentleman opened his bag to find a t-shirt that said "sex instructor" and he seemed a bit embarrassed. Anyway, it was good to play "grown-up" for a night.

Yeah yeah, Steelers lost. Somehow I still think their recent losses weren't quite as stinging as the Ravens' most recent loss. Hmm...think I'll create another post and add another picture, just because I don't like long posts on my blog. :) I'll leave you with a photo of a water jug Christmas tree. Thailand is recycle.