November coolness

   That "coolness" means it's in the low 70's in the morning, low humidity and pleasant nights.  Halloween came and went and we did not do anything related to it.  We talked about going to Pub St. to see folks in costumes but we did not.  It seems like lately we've become more homebodies.  I think partly because we really have settled into routines and we are working more.  So after a workday and sometimes a 2+ hour tennis match we're content to stay in.  Of course when Marissa was here we ate out  a lot but didn't take in too much nightlife.  And I took more tuk tuk rides with her than i have a year probably.  It was great to have my oldest daughter here ( at least someone has paid us a visit).

  It was mostly the evenings we tuk tuk'd,  Otherwise Marissa really enjoyed going bike riding all over and getting lost then finding our way back home.  It was a blast, it was something Jess and I did till she got her evil moto and that was the end of bike riding for her and me.  Marissa caught on quick to the unwrittten biking rules of the road here.  They can be tricky and I was getting a little concerned as she was getting a bit cocky in traffic.  But all went very well.

   We did celebrate Thanksgiving this year, totally ignored it last year here. It was just another day.  But this year we got together with a lovely American family on our road.  We each cooked a turkey, and divided up the rest of the meal.  We invited a few other American folks and even a few Brits showed up.  It was at the family's home.  It felt so good to have the gathering and we're still eating leftovers.   A great time.

  I do miss being home for the holiday season.  It's of course family and friends I miss, sharing meals, having drinks together, conversations.  I am not missing however the unending in your face crass commercialization of the season.  They will be some Xmas trees put up here and there in Siem Reap but we are far from being overwhelmed by all of it.  I believe we have plans for a Xmas party this year, we did so last year and it was fun mix of Westerners and Khmers.  This year should be interesting as we know many more folks and will invite all.

   I'm missing home in general, missing friends and family.  I miss talking to all the good folks back in Vt. And I miss all the things we can't get here.  Certainly not a hardship at all being here.  In fact it's pretty easy to live here and there is not too much that we can't get.  It's just that occasionally some things here will drive you up a wall.  And then you think well that could happen at home too and certainly there were things back home that drives one up a wall also.  So not going anywhere soon and we're still trying to figure out how can we divide our time between Vt. and SR?

  Well still playing a lot of tennis and still very much liking the work I'm doing here, challenging as it is.  And I have to say thanks to all my former work mates at the FR, I am forever saying to myself what would Nell think about this?, how would Sarah react to that?, what would Anne do? how would Linda change this?  They and others I haven't mentioned come to mind often as well as the families.  I wish they were here to help me.

  I barely got my monthly blog in for November not too exciting but here it is.