This morning I made a couple of work-related phone calls to
Somewhere in the world. Los Angeles while working on the Nook version of The Deadfall Project online. Last night, I browsed through several used bookstores (where I found myself overwhelmed by the selection), had dinner at a burger stand, then retired to a small bar, enjoying a couple of beers while the bartendress sang to James Blunt on the stereo*. Not one person was confused by my English. In fact, most of the people here seem to be English.

All in all, things are awfully normal here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

*with greater passion, I should add, than I had ever heard given to Mr. Blunt’s music.

Thank you so much for your recent submission to our magazine. Unfortunately,

	My life is too short to read that sort of crap.
	We ran out of toilet paper.
	It’s Wednesday.
	You really need a pen name.
	Your envelope was so pretty that I didn’t want to spoil it.
	I didn’t like it.
	We don’t work with your kind here.