A stupid child shouting abuse at others
Running away from the fires lit
Giving constant shit to forgiving mothers
Until they no longer stood for it

Shouting from a stage the bitter truth
Angry words to the congregation
Obstinately always demanding the proof
Deeming those far below this station

Then working hard, through sweat and tears
A love thought to last forever
But there was nothing more important than beers
That life can never be kept together

Chasing opportunities, an inspired need to change
A white-collar worker on the twenty-fifth floor
Those times sure did seem strange
And could never understand there’d be more

Loving coffee and oneself much more than beer
It’s as if someone had switched the signs
Overcoming the challenges and fear
And learning to read between the lines

As things change, they remain the same
Smile at the parts of the whole
What used to be is still part of the game
Put it together and accept the role

inspired by this line about boyish skateboarders ‘They look like the self that they will tell someone about one day.’ at Spinning Visions blog

Today I’m feeling:

(2.15 am) It’s going to be a weird day today. I just had a one-hour uncomfortable doze and now I’m just waiting to be able to check in for my flight, maybe grab an hour or two of sleep and then try to force myself to stay awake on the flight so that I can sleep at the appropriate time in Australia. 

(4.44 am) No more sleep so I reckon I’ll have to catch up with some on the flight. I’m starting to flag now.

(11.17 am) impossible to sleep except for brief dozes which may only last a second or a minute. I’ve no idea. Time is going quick enough. There’s no entertainment except the book I brought with me and the cache of entries on Substack, which I guess I can slowly catch up on.

Today I’m grateful for:

The tough authoritative-looking guy at passport control who was very pleasant, commenting on how long have been in Thailand and asking if I was coming back to which I replied ‘Of course!’

10th Jan 2024 – What a palaver that turned out to be and which could have been averted with a little more conversation at this point.

The best thing about today was:

Finally putting my body into a proper bed and falling asleep.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

On the way to check in, I bought a couple of packet meals for Hayden and Bronwyn that I thought they might enjoy. I shoved them in my bag.

At the gate there was a long queue up on the gantry before going down to the waiting area. I decided to wait until the queue died down. They were checking carry-on luggage for any liquids over 100ml. Apparently, Australia doesn’t like to let anyone on their flights with water etc even if purchased inside the airport.

I opened up my bag and they seized on my purchases which I thought maybe had some liquid component inside. There was a bit of a buzz as questions were asked and people came over, walkie-talkies were engaged and the last of the rest of the passengers went on down. I heard the lady on the walkie-talkie reading out all the ingredients and after a few more minutes went running off.

I asked another guy what was going on and I thought he said something about cancer, as if there was something in the ingredients that Australia finds unacceptable.

After a little while though I guessed he was trying to say ‘cancel’. As the plane was nearly fully boarded by now I said that if that was the case then, maipenrai, don’t worry about it but he told me to wait for the lady.

The crew came up from downstairs wanting to know what the problem was and I was starting to get anxious that I wouldn’t be able to get on the plane for whatever this stupid reason was.

In the distance, I could see the lady alternating between running and walking to get back. The guy with me said that the shop shouldn’t have sold the products to me knowing that I was going to Australia (as they’d checked my ticket).

The running lady couldn’t muster up more energy to run but eventually, she made it back and I wondered what I was in for but she just apologised and handed me my money back! I was free to go.