Ploofle

Long radio silence, but since our last episode:

• Trip to Thailand - note that spiders = personal kryptonite and people are very very nice

• Work in Khovd - some cool stuff working with adolescents - want to keep on doing this kind of work later, as they all are on break in a week and thus work will disappear
• Close of service conference, BoarBQ, TOT, virtual moving to UB - seems to be happening too fast - as I was told really today I’m moving most-ish to UB except for like a week in July.  Otherwise exciting - there will be an Iron Chef at COS conference, and BoarBQ just sounds fun…
• Thesis - whimper ugh
• Lust - I have an unaccountable desire for a nerd merit badge laptop sash.

More eventually, but for now I should pack, as I fly out Friday til end of June and it discombobulates me greatly.

Also my official COS date is 21 August, which means I in theory leave Mongolia that day.  For those with large quantities of appendages, count up the days or something

Rarrrgh!

Tags: mongolia, stress

• it costs more to take a shower than to buy a Shanghai Spicy Chicken Sandwich meal at McDonald’s.  And they want to leave earlier than the posted hours.Suggestion for next time - the shower is free, it’s the kit - namely, a Mongolia-sized (Bonnie knows what this means) towel and toiletries - that costs the money.  So bring a little travel towel and bar soap and you’ll be home free in theory.

• Free wifi just about everywhere…Voltage and plug shape adapters are available for free at the info desks if you leave with them your boarding pass or a form of non-passport ID.Next time, give em the ID so you know when your flight actually leaves

• Super comfy couches upstairs in the “rest and relax” area as well as internet stations that are sparsely populated.  If you get in by 10ish you can get quite a nice setup, though a bit cool aircon-wise.Next time, use that travel towel you’re bringing anyway for warmth perhaps.

• For those looking for more culture, they have random traditional craft stations and music demos; plus today there was a quartet pl

Tags: sketch, travel

I changed 320,000 tugriks today. It equals about $203 US dollars. If I had changed it at the same time last year it would’ve been over $275 dollars. Sigh…

Maybe from now on every time I have money left in my account after salary deposit I should change it directly to dollars as that’s a pretty painful gap given all the saving I’ve been attempting to do.

This article (the No-Stats All-Star) from the New York Times is a nice combination of things I like - mostly because its main example is Shane Battier.  And, of course, statistics.  The analogies to how basketball is one of the sports more like real life are pretty interesting too.

aka valuable future investments of my readjustment allowance:

geek clock

plush squid hat

Tags: hats, squid, wants