Welcome to Sunday Summary, the meme in which I attempt to summarize the week that came before. This was a more of a “stampy” week than I have had in quite some time, with a few blogs that reflect my philatelic pursuits. I also got a new job for a new company. Somewhat ironically, the person who hired me also hired me at my previous company more than eleven years ago. My longevity in Phuket’s educational system revealed once again, repeatedly this week, what a small world it really is.
Working
I had a bit of a “rest” during the first half of the week but then worked hard from Wednesday forward. Mostly, that “work” was preparing for an interview that was more of a reminiscence than anything else and then gathering and signing the dozens of documents needed in this country to change a work permit. Thailand thrives on bureaucracy.
My new company is much farther from my home than the old one. I had to visit the office and return several times which costs 100 baht on a motorbike taxi each way. Unless I walk which I did a couple of times. It is on the porthong (local pink bus) route but the weather was fine and I lacked the patience to wait during this week’s trips.
The head teacher of this agency and his office manager (they are also co-owners, I believe) had both been working in similar roles when I started at the other company more than a decade ago. It also turns out one of the other staff members worked in the office of my first international school in Thailand; I spent four years there. We sat there talking about other teachers that we knew all those years ago, yet another of whom just passed away earlier this week (making six deaths in the past two years).
During the chit-chat, I was offered a choice between three positions the best of which begins on 1st December. I believe that is contingent on the road between the west coast and the center of the island reopening to vehicular traffic following the recent landslides. (So far, they have carved out a pedestrian walkway through the jungle as well as a parking area and have recently begun allowing motorbikes to use the remaining stable lane.) There is some temporary work on offer during the interim.
I spent much of Friday signing documents in the office, visiting the Forensic Police in order to be fingerprinted for a Thai police check, and having the 12 photos made that are needed to transfer a work permit. After a lot of running around under ominous skies, I went to my old office where I still have a trickle of small group lessons on the weekend. Despite the students in my Friday evening class sending a confirmation, they failed to show up and I was allowed to go home after a half-hour of waiting. They will pay me for the entire lesson due to the “No Show”.
Luckily, my Saturday afternoon class went ahead as scheduled after a couple of weeks of weather-related cancellations. I found myself a bit “out of practice” but the lesson went rather well — we made family trees and studied possessive adjectives. They cancelled today (I was just getting into the shower when I received the message). At least that gives me some time to finish this blog and then do a few errands before it gets too late.
Blogging
Oh, my! I wrote a lot during the first part of the week with multiple articles several days in a row and posted something to each one of my active sites. One of those, on A Stamp A Day, was my first on that site in more than two years. Most of these were related to stamp collecting and I added in an installment of the Thainess series to break it up a bit.
I didn’t post any further vlogs during the week but I might film a bit of video if I attend tonight’s Walking Street Market (Lard Yai). We’ll see if the weather holds.
I have already written about a few Christmas 2022 stamps and will continue to add to these articles once or twice per week until the holiday occurs in two months. I combined a wrap-up of the Europa 2022 issues with an announcement of the common design for Europa 2023 theme, “Peace: The Highest Value of Humanity” and will post about further stamps sporadically throughout the next year as I receive the information. My “Stamps on the Tube” reviews have had three “episodes” and one “prologue”; I will decide on the fourth YouTube channel to feature within the new few days.
A few other articles/series in the works includes one featuring a philatelic passport for My Collections, recent stamps commemorating diplomatic relations with the United States (none of which, sadly, are joint issues), and Lunar New Year stamps for the upcoming Year of the Rabbit. However, I may decide to just pass on the latter series as it usually frustrates me at some point. Several of nations (including the PRC, Hong Kong, and Christmas Island) really take advantage and release dozens of products designed to be purchased primarily by wealthy Asian collectors. While nobody is forced to buy all on offer, as a cataloguer I feel an obligation to at publicize the availability of all of these items. Not to mention that so many of the designs have a certain similarity to them; the few that try something different usually fail to inspire (I don’t like to criticize designs but let’s just stay that I will be happy when the current design series for both Thailand and the United States come to an end).
Speaking of designs, the just-announced 2023 stamp schedule for the United States has sparked a great deal of debate on various collecting forums and social media. On several sites, the most discussion seemed directed at one stamp in a sheet of twenty depicting waterfalls. A Canadian collector was fairly well concerned that the Niagara Falls stamp failed to include “Ontario” in the inscription naming its location. He felt that the “N.Y.” was not good enough and would petition the USPS to correct their mistake (much as they did once when they used a photo of the wrong cowboy in the Legends of the West set years ago). Those pesky Canadians. Eh?
Latest Posts on A Stamp A Day:
Latest Posts on My Collections:
Latest Posts on Postcards To Phuket:
Latest Posts on MarkJosephJochim.com:
- Sunday Summary #32
- Sunday Summary #31
- Sunday Summary #30
- Sunday Summary #29
- Sunday Summary #28
- Sunday Summary #27
Reading/Watching/Listening
I didn’t make any further progress in Sarah Pinborough’s Insomnia due to so much blogging and getting ready for my interview, etc. I will try and make up for that in the next couple of days.
In the “Watching” category, there were a few philatelic YouTube videos, I finished Season One of Yellowstone and enjoyed the first couple of episodes of Season Two as well as joining the more than nine million people who tuned-in for the Season One finale of House of the Dragon (and, oh, what an ending!). I downloaded several movies released earlier this year but have not had time to watch any of those yet.
I started the week playing the last album Dr. John recorded before passing away, released a bit over one month ago, and have been listening to Blues Traveler most nights since — chronologically beginning with their first demo tape (as “Blues Band”) recorded in 1984. I am now up to their 1997 album, Straight On Till Morning.
Eating
Most nights, I stuck with the same FoodPanda favorites with the major difference being that I found myself with quite a few vouchers that needed to be used before their expiration date. As a result, most orders cost me a maximum of 20 or 30 baht for the delivery charge and driver tips (if I use a discount, I always tip the drivers ten baht or more). My one “splurge” was Friday night when I ordered too much food from McDonald’s (and struggled to finish the last sandwich) but spent very little. I love coupons!
Loving
Lovely Lady Kanchana is still up there and I am still down here but her return seems somewhat closer now. We had a long conversation early one morning during which we talked about road clearances, weather, job opportunities, and other indications that she was ready to return to a working life in the south. I think she realized that this will be the first post-pandemic High Season (late November through early February) and wants to make the most of the increased fine weather and resultant tourist trade. It’s that accountant brain kicking back in. Or else, she is sick of being stuck up-country and misses those long walks on the beach. She may even miss yours truly!
She has been staying with a friend in a different city since being evacuated from her hometown just before the typhoon hit. Much of the time has been stuck sitting inside eating. Now that the weather there has finally become quite pleasant, my LL has begun to take daily walks to a hilltop fitness park where she actually has been exercising. She isn’t fat by any means but when she says she is, I just tell her that means there is more of her to love! That always seems to cheer her up.
Kan has also been visiting the local temple to make merit quite often (lots of “Buddha days” this time of the year).
Photo of the Week
I hope the week to come is just how you want it to be. Cheers!
Mark Joseph Jochim 