Specialist

I just started watching the original anime version of "Ghost in the Shell", this time the English dub. I'd seen it once before, in Japanese with subtitles, on a JAL flight. I recently saw the live-action version, with Scarlett Johansson. She NAILED the role, mind AND body.

I just got an email from Cactus John the other day. He's working on bringing back the NNB, in a new incarnation, probably in a different location. Apparently, he was having too much fun to just retire gracefully.

I remember that party. I was dead exhausted, as I'd landed at Swampy around 7 AM and only gotten a few hours of sleep. Interestingly enough, that was when I first found out about Flight Experience Bangkok. They were in a building around the corner, and they had a stack of brochures in the men's loo.

I wish I could. Unfortunately, I don't hit town until very late 1 Sep. I'm just glad to hear that Hugh is OK.

Someone check the 777 Pilot's Operating Handbook. It would be interesting to see how many steps there are in the dump procedure.

There is an interesting anecdote in Stickman's column this week.

It was still there in May. I'll be back in town in September, and will probably check again.

ASR33 Don't remind me. I actually had one for a while. I intended to get it working and set it up as a "Community Memory" kind of terminal at a previous apartment complex. Never got around to it, and I later learned that the ASR33 was not intended for that kind of duty cycle.

Just under two months and counting.

MalwareBytes is good.

How much for bus or taxi from Udon Thani airport? I'm going to be in Bangkok in September, and it is a relatively cheap hop from DMG to Udon Thani. I am NOT crazy enough to do bus or van or whatever all the way.

FRANKFURT??? YGBSM.

Swampypoom is NOWHERE NEAR AS BAD as O'Hare. You want to see a mess at Immigration, try O'Hare or DFW. Now, admittedly, I routinely get the priority lines at Swampy, presumably because I am old, grey, and walk with a cane. But STILL... I see MUCH worse lines at DFW. (Now, I've only seen Immi at O'Hare once. ONCE WAS ENOUGH! O'Hare was OBVIOUSLY not designed for anything as big as a 777, never mind two 777s landing at the same time.)

I didn't know how to ask if I was the only one here who immediately made that connection. Thank you for showing me I'm not alone.

"For me the most important thing is that I have a hobby for which I need to concentrate completely," he said. YES!!!

This one sentence sums up why I prefer Boeing metal. "In the hierarchy on Airbus planes, the computer system sits higher than pilots." Boeing, on the other hand, believes in trusting the pilot.

"Passengers". The story is OLD, as sci-fi goes. The production is flat-out BEAUTIFUL, and the chemistry between the leads makes it work. I was VERY surprised at how much I enjoyed it on the small screen in Business Class. I now regret not seeing it on the big screen. "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them". Well-made, but somehow not as satisfying as it could have been.

T minus 6 1/2 days and counting.

T minus 3 weeks and counting. ETA Suvarnabhumi Friday 12 May around 11 PM local. DEROS Monday 29 May too early in the morning as usual. With luck, I WON'T be struggling with walking pneumonia this trip, and will be comfortable walking decent distances. I had to skip several of my favorite spots the last few trips.

And it occurs to me. There was a combination hair salon/Thai massage place in a sliver building on the south edge of the area on Suk Soi 11 that housed Cheap Charlie's and Charley Browns and all the rest. Anyone know if they have a new location, or did they just disband? They gave me good service for over ten years, whenever I was in town, and I would REALLY prefer to keep them on retainer.

I miss the Tunnel (between Suk Soi 7 and Suk Soi 5). Many years ago, in a hypnosis seminar, I used the Tunnel as the basis for an off-the-cuff storytelling induction. Worked beautifully.

One of the things I like about going to Bangkok: I invariably lose weight while I'm there, despite eating more regularly than I do at home. It is EASY to eat well and healthy in Bangkok. And economical.

"Ghost in the Shell", starring Scarlett Johansson. VERY, VERY GOOD! Scarlett Johansson NAILED this one!

Don't forget the outstanding feasts!

And if I get really desperate for more fun, I have both "Casablanca" and "Moon Zero Two" on DVD in the other room.