I made it through college without getting addicted to caffiene, but I can't make it through the US.

Jet lag is miserable - I kept trying to figure out why I was falling asleep during important meetings (e.g., some important program reviewers were here from Atlanta... ekk!) and then I realized it was because my body had no idea what time it was! So, I've been drinking an abysmal amount of caffeine - almost three weeks of a cup (or two) of coffee or tea. Right now, I'm drinking Thai iced tea, a delicious concoction of tea, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and lots of ice. That's how I like my caffeine (and alcohol...). I planned on ridding myself of this addiction over the weekend by catching up on all my sleep and not drinking any caffeinated beverages. It was a challenge and I relapsed today with some chaa yen.

The reason for all this caffeine - in mid-June, I went back to the US for a wedding, a conference, and to see my family (sounds like the opening of a really bad movie). Like all of my trips, it was jam-packed, and this one was no exception. I hit the ground running the night I arrived, scheming with the Kuiper family et al. about wedding plans and schedules. Made it through Thursday (various runnings about to prepare for the wedding plus a late-night bachelorette party and mishap at the hotel - there really WAS NO sofa!) with the help of two large cups of coffee. Friday was a whirlwind of seeing the venue, organizing decorations, topped off by the rehearsal dinner (one+ cups of coffee). Saturday was the wedding (beautiful and only a little bit of rain during an otherwise perfect day). Sunday was brunch, coordinating with Tulane friends, dinner, and collapsing into my third bed of my trip. Monday to Thursday were filled with conference proceedings and dinner/drinks/desserts with old friends (oh, and don't forget the massive amounts of coffee). Friday and Saturday included some wonderful time with my family and neighbors. Sunday was up to NYC to see my Aunt Peggy then take off back to BKK. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it (or that could be the sugar in my chaa yen running off...).

The bridesmaids in yellow - Jocelyn, Brianna, Alexis, me, Tiffany

Friends from all over the country - Jamie, Katie, me, Alana, Emily

In other news, it's now (probably) the rainy season. While there's no specific day designated as the start of the "hotter season" (winter being hot, rainy being hotter, and summer being hottest), it's been raining A LOT recently. It's great from the safety of an enclosed place like my apartment or office, but not so much fun when I need to get home from Thai class and my usual method is via motorbike. I carry an umbrella with me at all times and I'm thinking of adding flip flops and a plastic bag to that.

Bangkok has also been quiet since the blow-up (I really don't know what to call it... maybe I'll follow the Irish and call it the 'Troubles'). Four days after the really bad stuff happened (army storming protest area, Bangkok buildings set on fire), things were pretty much back to normal. And after the government lifted the curfew (about a week and a half later), it seemed like Bangkok had never been "besieged" by protests. A great thing for my life, but probably not such a great thing for Thailand. More on that eventually...

This weekend I took a cooking class... was interesting. Interesting mainly because I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked anything in Thailand. ("Cooked" being a very broad term, which mainly includes microwaving eggs and oatmeal. If you add in microwaving leftovers, the number jumps to one I can count with fingers and toes.) And my goal was to stay up to watch the US vs Ghana game (beginning at 1:30am Sunday) but that was way too ambitious. I did watch Germany trounce England, despite a bad call on England's almost second goal.

I'm finished with my rambling for now. As soon as I can get over my caffeine addiction (and the "allergies" I probably picked up on my flights back here), everything will be back to normal.