Lets Go Kiddo

The school year has it’s ups and downs and this year will be no different.  Kiddo had a bit of a meltdown this weekend over some homework and math practice she needed to complete, but we got thru it.  She was forgetting to carry the one or borrow the one in adding and subtracting 3 and 4 digit numbers.  So, I found a way to help her remember and we crushed some practice.  I found a way to make it personal for her so she’d remember.  Kiddo loves animals, so in adding, I told her to carry the baby mouse up to it’s new house and when borrowing, she needed to ask her neighbor to come over and play.  She got it and it stuck with her.  Carry the baby mouse up or ask a neighbor to play.  It was cool watching her click with it and mumbling to herself as she did the practice. Besides that, it was a great weekend.  It was 25ish (77F) all weekend and that was awesome.  We had the house open and fans on and nothing more.  It was so nice to ge...

Yesterday morning I was walking with Kiddo to school.  There’s a thing here with babies where the will take them out and not have bottoms on.  Just Winnie the Poo’ing it.  The why or what or reasoning behind this escapes me.  I’ve read that it is a relic of the past, but it also stems from a want to eliminate diaper rash, especially in the humid summers in Shanghai and some other regions.  However, it happens and we’ve just kind of gotten used to seeing it and we all roll with it.   So, Kiddo and I are walking and she’s holding my hand telling me something Kiddoish and we’re just having a walk to school.  Normal day.  Suddenly, “Well, there’s a naked baby… that’s a bold choice.”  I cracked up.  Her use of language is too much some times; or should I say that her word choices are, sometimes, a bold choice.  HAHA Besides that, Kiddo had a play date on Sunday with good friend H.  She and H are in different classes this year, s...

**** Please note: Parts of this were written in Vietnam on different days and some waiting on my flight and some while back in Shanghai.  Please roll with the reference to days or timeframes.   It’s the pace and the frenetic energy that always grabs me.  It’s indescribable, inimitable, and unlike any other city in the world.  HCMC (Saigon) is my place in the world.  My metaphorical home.  Everything about it makes sense to me and makes me feel like I am part of it; that it flows through me and is part of me.  Sure, I will admit, that is outsider syndrome, as I am on outsiders looking in.  Yes, maybe if I grew up Viet I would see things a whole lot differently.  However, as a visitor it’s a place I never get tired of going back to again and again.   There are problems, don’t get me wrong.  A million and two scammers looking out for a white face or foreign person to try to get over on.  There is infrastructure problems. ...

Day 3 - Ending I headed back to 3B and it was nice, but before that, I found tacos.  Yes, tacos.  And not like in BKK tacos.  Also, not like in LA or Zihau tacos.  Vietnamese tacos are tacos, not some “scratch the itch” type taco, but it’s also not Mexican.  It’s just very very Vietnamese.  I think that, because if the bread and the French influence in cooking, they got good at tortillas and also fusion type cooking ideas.  That blended into the Vietnamese taco.  Also, the spice and seasoning is a little off.  It’s not wrong, just more SEA and not Central America.  It’s good, trust me on that and if you ever get a chance to try; do so.   After that, it was back to 3B and trying some tapas and hanging out with a small expat crowd.  It was nice.  Nothing of note, besides the tapas were wonderful.  Very much Barcelona style with tomato rubbed on the bread and then drizzled in olive oil.  At least, I’m told it w...