I'd like to see some ads for penis enlargement...

wanna see zeppelin play dallas? well, then . . . how much can i put you down for?

i'm loving the contextual ads for phuket. a few more and i may just go . . .

yes, the biking was genius. the post-biking was grievous. aches, pains . . . if i only had some doan's pills to remove these lightning bolts from my back. bring on the motorized biking of new mexico.

off to nyc tomorrow for a decidedly less festive occasion than ko's trip to denver. i'll be churning and possibly spewing some acid reflux.

i'm ready for a sabbatical, if not retirement.

Excellent bike ride yesterday at LB Houston...I've got to get a bike with some suspension. I'm still feeling every bump today.

Have you guys ever noticed that the ads at the top of the page are contextual based on the text within the blog?

Let's see if I can get an ad to display for...genital herpes.

KO

Our intrepid traveler checks in from back in the USofA, since Internet connectivity is hard to come by in Phuket (not surprisingly).

Phuket is a beautiful place - hot and steamy with nice beaches and rich Germans scattered about here and there. Its primary appeal, however, is fiscal: this place is dirt cheap.

Highlight of the trip to Phuket was playing with the baby elephant on the beach: it was like an enormous puppy. I was looking everywhere for a log that he could fetch.

Two days of meetings with customers who couldn't understand me, which worked out fine since I couldn't understand them. I wowed them with my superficial understanding of airline operations and some carefully chosen gestures during my presentation.

The trip home was a bit of a grind:
- one hour cab ride from Le Meridien resort to Phuket International Airport
- 2 hour wait at Phuket airport
- 45 minute flight on Thai Airways from Phuket to Bangkok
- One hour layover in Bangkok
- 6.5 hour JAL flight from Bangkok to Tokyo
- 6 (that's right - six) hour layover in Tokyo
- 12 hour AA flight from Tokyo to Dallas

This trip's movie count: 10. Book count: 3.

Glad to be home in the land of unlimited refills. Keep 'em coming.

Looking forward to the cabin trip...bring it on.

awesome reports from our correspondent abroad. bravo to ko! that's the stuff that gives funegro the cred it needs in the blogging community. nice work. bring on the scintillating reports of phuket and mail-order brides.

wondering if you've seen the great leaning lightpost on meandering way? it defies description. and gravity! seems like it should fall over. but it doesn't! it's nearly spiritual. inspired me to review my utility bill and see if there's a surcharge for the privilege.

tomorrow, i'm off to experience the amazing "toll-way" and the world's smoothest elevator, rising to astonishing heights of 24 floors.

acid reflux medicine added to the purity of aquafina. pure genius. remember, if you suffer heartburn two or more times a week, you might have GERD.

we're merely days away from the glory of the cabin and confronting the evil arch-enemy, hughey. marshmallow man THIS!

Our intrepid traveler checks in from Honk Kong, enroute to Singapore. Just completed the 11.5 hour flight from Rome, on which I saw four movies: Mystic River, Kill Bill Vol.1, Big Fish and The Girl With the Pearl Earring. I recommend them all, however I wanted to throw myself off the plane after watching Mystic River.

I hate Singapore - I do not look forward to returning. It has absolutely no soul - totally sterile. Only there for 24 hours and then on to the sunny shores of Phuket, Thailand. A free day on Tuesday will hopefully be filled with some golf and beach time. There is a 100% chance some alcohol and cigars will be employed.

Rome was awesome. You get so jaded to the history all around you, but it is truly an amazing place. High point was seeing the Colosseum...resolved to buy the Gladiator DVD when I get home; many lines were quoted while inside (I will have my revenge...)

If you ever spill half a bottle of Chianti on your khakis, I highly recommend the laundry at the Sheraton Golf Parco de Medici...not even a trace can be seen.

Surreal experience last night with three colleagues at an Italian bowling alley. We tried to blend in by using the names of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the overhead scoring system - I was Donatello. Contrary to popular belief, Italian bowling shoes do not have those funny flat toes.

That's enough for now...look for further postings from Southeast Asia...

KO

Scott is too busy selling water and acid reflux medicine to update the blog...

What if they actually put the acid reflux medicine IN THE WATER?!?!

Looking forward to my last weekend at home before my round-the-world trip from hell.

Here is my itinerary...

3/30 DFW-ORD[AA]
3/30-31 ORD-LHR [AA]
3/31 LHR-FCO (Rome) [BA]
4/2-3 FCO-SIN (Singapore) [Singapore Airlines]
4/5 SIN-HKT (Phuket, Thailand) [Silkair]
4/8 HKT-BKK (Bangkok) [Thai]
4/9 BKK-NRT-DFW (Bangkok-Tokyo-Dallas) [JAL/AA]

Oh my...will try to keep everyone updated via Funegro.

Behold the majesty of my new Sony 51" High Definition television! It is awesome - I got very little sleep last night. The NCAA tourney looks very nice in HD. What a glorious time to be alive!

Dare I suggest that we convene a quorum of Eric, Scott, Jeff and me a DAY EARLY at the cabin this year? I know Eric and I are planning on going out Thursday - can anyone else swing an extra day of VC to come early?

Something to ponder...

the pursuit of happiness. how elusive it sometimes seems.

landon saunders offers this reason why. it struck me as powerful and profound.


************

Having a life that loves to happen means you don't have to go around looking for happiness.

Trying to capture happiness is like the little boy's trying to capture butterflies with his hands. He can leap, sneak, grab, dive, pounce-and only manages to frighten them away. And the few times he does catch one, he has grabbed so hard that he has destroyed the butterfly.

But one day he gives up trying to capture butterflies. He sits and occupies himself with something else entirely. Suddenly, he looks up, and the beautiful butterflies are all around him-one even lands on his shoulder.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a gift. Happiness is the by-product of a life goal. When you're busy pursuing your goal, the bright elusive butterfly of happiness that so many seek in vain will be yours.

Having a life that loves to happen, then, means pursuing a worthwhile goal instead of pursuing happiness. The butterfly of happiness alights only on the hand that does not grasp, the hand that opens to receive a gift.

************