An Almost "10" Day

So Sunday, September 18th started at 4:40 a.m.  Yes, by choice. For those of you who know me, you know I treasure my sleep and I use the weekends to catch up on such. However, places to go, people to see, yada yada  yada. I ran in the Bangkok Post Mini Marathon 10K race at CentralWorld this morning, 6 a.m.

Getting my game face on pre-race. Look, the sun's not even out yet!

I don't know who was more upset, Josh or myself, at the alarm buzzing. Of course, I could have listened to body signals to take care and get thy butt to bed earlier than I did, but so it goes. I apparently run better when I have deprived myself on sleep and ate McDonald's 10 minutes before the blow horn signals the start of chaos in downtown Bkk.

Pretty good start to the day, huh? Yeah, I think so! I again have to revert back to Ruthie's "TIT" This is Thailand to put things in to perspective. So I find my teaching colleague Brian at the start line, which gets pushed back and then he says to me, "Did you check in?" I'm like, "Um, I have my bib on. Does that count?" Apparently you have to find the magic marker lady so she can scribble black on your running bib. Then, the Thai guy tells us we have to rearrange where we are in the line up. So the 10K goes first, followed by the 5K. No real gun, just three gentlemen with their blowhorns. I felt like I was at the State Fair cattle herding event. Anyway, we start, I set my watch, iPod is blaring. I get to Nana area, am greeted with a bunch of drunks who apparently didn't have enough during normal hours. They had to stand on the street with their glasses and tumblers of martinis they've acquired from the stall vendors who literally mix up their concoctions right there alongside traffic. I had to pass on the mighty offer, although I take stake in the fact that I run better when I have had something in my system...from the night before, that is. Again, TIT...TIT...

Two screens to watch the big game!

The run continues amidst the drunks and the early birds zooming by. I can't help but think whether I am actually doing more harm than good to my body by ingesting all that exhaust. But the race goes super fast and what a neat way to see the city in the wee hours of the morning before anybody is really out and about, less the drunks who  never went to sleep to begin with. I come across the finish line 2 minutes behind Brian, under 49 minutes. Not too shabby when the temperature here doesn't drop below 80 at night! On to the 6K charity midnight run I say! So what do I do? I get thirsty, and go meet Vee Vee at the Sport Corner on soi 20 to keep her company for the live broadcast of her alma mater FSU Seminoles against Oklahoma.

Vee Vee comes prepared with her own FSU Alumni bottle coole

Yeah, I had two Tigers to get in the game spirit.

Mel's Heavenly dish of poached eggs and asparagus wrapped with proscuitto. Yummers!

Then real hunger kicked in & decided it would be good to have some brunch with Mel. So I skip over to The Horse Says Moo because I hear they have a delectable brunch. And they sure did! I tasted a little of this, a little of that, and think a return visit is due with Josh some Saturday or Sunday in the near future. I have been craving breakfast food worthy of getting up early, and this answered my prayers.

THSM (The Horse Says Moo) American-style breakfast with an assortment of sausages, bacon, eggs and yummy button mushrooms.

Belgian Waffles! Way better than Waffle House. Sorry Southies!

So working our way to why it is a "10 Day" minus maybe one. Pretty good start with that brunch above, right?  It is only shy past noon and I have managed to run a 10K, watch a college football game with other expats at a hole in the wall with my new friend, meet another new friend at a great little brunch locale with live music to enjoy, and now I am  heading to get a foot massage. The massage was in good order, and I almost fall asleep, again, even with the hustle and bustle of Sukhumvit just inches away. But then I start to feel the stomach churning. I stop at 7 Eleven to pick up an iced coffee and some lip balm, and then decide to take care of the grocery shopping at Tops. See the Red Shirts parading down Sukhumvit in time to get the video turned out, good good good.

All that is done. In the cab on the way home, I am fumbling with all my grocery bags, get up the elevator to find I have no ATM card. So I am now fretting. The "10 Day" gets  minimalized JUST LIKE THAT! Staying positive...

I call K-Bank and report the card lost/stolen. No problem. I will go tomorrow to apply for a new one for 150 THB (about $5). Yeah, until I realize that my passport is in the possession of either my school or K. Krung, our immigration agent. They were collected last week because I think soon we will need to report to Immigration to show our faces. Ugh. And is it really worth getting a new bank card, since we were told we'd be switching banks anyway? Decisions, decisions.

The  moral of the story is...TIT Yep. It's that easy. This is Thailand. Last week Friday it was "Did I already lose my keys and my flash drive?" and today's adventure involves money. So, I have reverted to just being okay with the fact that crap happens and you gotta be ready for it whenever it comes your way, or slides under your running shoes (yeah, that almost happened today, too).