dean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNc2e1VneAA&feature=share O.J.'S long awaited confession

I once used a driveway to turn around and was told that Thai's don't do that. I guess that it's OK to block the same driveways with their cars. My house is on a private, dead end street, so no problems with being blocked in.

Maybe, he should bring Betsy DeVoss with him to meet the students. She's such a nice, calming influence.

Cav, I live here and I'm not sure what you mean by emergency situation? When I feel that I have to go out and buy an assault rifle to defend myself and my family, then I'll concede that we are in an emergency situation.

Mrs. Daniels is coming to a strip joint in town soon. Maybe, I should go ask her why Donald paid her $130,000?

I can count on one hand the number of times that I've taken any drug handed to me. And I'm too cheap to pay for it.

The last Doctor that I saw three years ago prescribed Lipitor, which I never picked it up If it's extremely cheap to buy in Bangkok, maybe I'll pick up a few years supply of it in April.

Given to my aversion to Doctors, I've never taken any prescription drugs

I make jokes about moving back to Thailand the day after my 10 year old son graduates from high school, but it will be close to that time, 8 years from now (assuming my health is good). I'll get part B and may actually get a Doctor and have regular check ups.

I turn 65 April 1 and have been bombarded both by regular mail and email by insurance companies wanting me to sign up for their insurance. I'll I care about are the costs. If I take Medicare part B, I'll pay $135 a month. For the Medicare gap plan, I'll choose an advantage plan with zero cost. I have until June 1 to sign up, which is what I'll do to avoid the $135 a month charge. Until then, I'll forgo health insurance.

I've got the Schwab account but a Thai friend that looked after my house has the Schwab Debit card to make ATM withdrawals to pay for repairs. When I open up a Thai bank account, I'll get the Schwab Debit card back from her. I'll check on a 1 year visa

I've got another 8 years before moving back permanently. I'll be on a tourist visa, so I think that there could be some problems. If there are problems, I'll try another bank until I find a friendly bank.

At least, I have 2 weeks to get this sorted out. My house is just outside Chiangmai, about halfway to San Kamphaene, in a village called Bo Sang. I used to Bank at a SCB there and will probably start there. I'll skip the Bangkok Bang across the street. I'll keep Kasikorn as a backup choice and start going down the list of banks in town. It should keep my mind off of the dental work that I'm planning on getting done.

I assume that I can do the same thing at the CM consulate? That sounds like it is much easier than getting a marriage visa, or even registering a car in a foreigners name. I had a bank account in the early 2000's but I thought it was harder now, particularly since the U.S. Government has put pressure on foreign governments to notify the U.S, government when an account was opened (and more paperwork for the foreigner).

One other thing. Once I get a Thai bank account set up, how hard is it to set it up for online banking, or at least log on and view the account (mainly, so I can see if rental deposits have been made)?

I finally rented by house in Chiangmai last September and have had the proceeds deposited to my wife's SCB account, which I can't access when I'm in Thailand for 2 weeks in late April. I'm considering opening a bank account in my name, and realize that may not be easy. If I can open an account, can I link it to my Schawab account and transfer money that way? If the answer is no, I noticed that there is a Citibank branch in Bangkok. If I open an account there and one in the U.S., can I transfer money that way. In the worst case scenario, I'll have my Thai friend open an account with an ATM card, and use that to take money out of while I'm in the U.S. I trust my Thai friend but would prefer not to go this route.

Thai-American Senator Tammy Duckworth unloads on Trump:

From the Huffington Post: Tom Petty’s death in October was caused by an accidental drug overdose, according to a statement by his wife and daughter. Petty was found unconscious in his home Oct. 1 while in “full cardiac arrest.†He was reportedly taken off life support the next day when he was found to have “no brain activity.†In a Facebook message posted Friday on the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan page, Petty’s widow, Dana, and daughter, Adria, explained the cause of death. “Our family sat together this morning with the Medical Examiner – Coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications. “Unfortunately Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip. “Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury. “On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication.† Dana and Adria Petty said they knew before seeing the report that the singer-songwriter was prescribed various pain medications, including fentanyl patches, for a multitude of issues. “We feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident,†they said. The two also said they realized Petty’s death “may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis†― something they said they welcome. “We feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.†The two ended the post, which appears below, with a note of appreciation for Petty. “On a positive note we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed.â€

The toxicology report came back. It said that Tom Petty died from an accidental overdose of several prescription drugs. The opioids epidemic in America claims another life.

Chelsea Manning announced that she is running for the U.S. Senate from Maryland. Unfortunately, neither of the Senate seats from my home state, Kansas, are up for grabs in 2018. Otherwise, having had a 7 year stay at Ft. Leavenworth, I'm sure that she would have made Kansas proud.

A higher calling?

No doubt who will wear the pants in that marriage.

I may have to go back to the dental school in KC to get the dental work done. Saturday, I was eating a chicken nugget (one of the softer items to bite into) and I could feel that I was chewing on something considerably harder. I started moving the food around with my tongue and identified the object. It turns out to be a small part of the back of a molar that has a cavity. This morning, eating cereal, the same thing happens. This time, it was the filling in the top of the same tooth. I don't think that I can wait till April to address this problem. Hopefully, I can see a student dentist by next week and either have the cavity taken care of and refilled, or have a temporary enlarged put on, so I don't have to chew and drink only on the right side.

I do have one other question. The reason for renting the house is to have the renters money pay for upkeep, and put the rest in my 10 year old's college. I'll be 73 when he starts and it's doubtful I'll be contributing much at that age. How hard it it to convert baht to dollars while in Thailand? I really don't want to wire the money back for tax reasons.

I'll check them all out. Actually, living a mere 3 hours from Branson and southern Missouri (the meth amphetimine capital in the U.S.), I never really noticed how many people here have missing teeth (until I lost mine). I tried to go the local Dental school route but after 3 visits, they wouldn't commit on how many more visits I would have to make before they would be done. At least, I got a set of ex rays, which shows 3 cavities, which I can also fix here. I'm not overly concerned about the cosmetic side of a missing tooth but am worried about if it got infected. I got 7 inlays 14 years ago in Bangkok and am happy with the results an the price, which has probably gone up considerably in that time. The only reason that I'm coming is that I've got a long term renter for my house and want to meet him in person and discuss what needs to be done at house and what he would like to have done. I think that I'll be over two weeks, so that should be enough time to get the dental work done, whether it's in CM or Bangkok.