Mikes Thoughts

New and old right here

I tend to get tired of a thing so go try something else for awhile. Then I find the thing I had just worked better. Seemed nicer. Of course, I could back everything up, keep the old blog posts, do all that stuff. Why though? With using 11ty, getting the blog back is pretty easy. Clone this, make a few changes here and there, add a few configuration options I enjoy like footnotes and wikilinks, add it into netlify. The new becomes what I want and the old kinda fades away to wherever it goes. Those bytes of dust that are nowhere between my MacBook and the iPhone.

Later in the day, I’ll get around to making this become something new on the blog. After some coffee out and breakfast and then a walk away from all the things I need to be away from. Walking and writing. Yeah. That’s the ticket to get some new and old.

walking and writing

And breakfast first with David. He leaves tomorrow for Hanoi. It’s been an interesting and educational week. Glad we don’t do repeats. I learned some lessons about the things that needed learning but I never thought would be there. I realized that I just cannot invite other expats over ever for dinner here. It’s too uncomfortable and it seems odd and unnerving. Plus frustrating. We barang all really do live in our little bubbles and crossing them or finding a new bubble makes issues with all the others. So by way of some different directions and perhaps some more writing first, I’ll get around to walking. Thankfully alone.

Nice walking down some streets I probably have not done. Ended up back though on a familiar main road and then a stop for coffee at Pro Coffee. Listened to and watched a litany of retiree expats coming and going. It always feels like there is some distance between us. I just don’t feel like there is a shared thing. One guy stopped and asked me what I was doing in Siem Reap. We talked and I asked him just so I could try to understand his story,

what’s your favorite thing about living in Cambodia?

I think it’s one of those questions that are both hard and easy. He doesn’t like rules. This place has rules and some are a lot more restrictive than his home. Perhaps he had never been asked a similar question. His friend at the coffee shop acted like the “old pro” of the conversation. The older retiree expat that had seen it all, done it all. Until it came time to pay for his food and coffee. He stumbled over amounts in Riel. It’s pretty simple when one uses the 4 to 1 rule. 4000 Riel equals $1 USD. Then one can easily take the totals and pay. I just use ABA for everything these days so I’m used to how the app works with the money and accounts.

Then a PassApp and back home and all the new and old come head on. Welcome to 11ty he said.

Thanks!