Who I am; Where I come from pt. 2 (Thailand etc)

            (dedicated to Hillary Clinton)

            After graduating with my B.A. in English and publishing "An Ode to Id," my first book: I took a job doing tech-support for satellite television for a few months...  after work, I'd smoke cannabis and pal around with Chris Siens or take beer and dinner with other friends at the local Applebees.

            Then, being a little over-qualified for my duties, I resigned to accept a job writing T.V. advertising, a profession I practiced rather successfully from a Portland sky-scraper for about half-a-year.  

             But when I'd go into the neighboring Wells Fargo building to take coffee and lunch(a bagel with vegetable cream-cheese and an iced mocha,) there was this security guard who'd harass me due to my habit of strolling about in a way he didn't understand(contemplating books and what not, as it happens.)  

             As a successful T.V. writer conducting no business other than lunch, he was unable to attack me or arrest me as he seemed to desire, but he made so uncomfortable that I resigned the job to accept a professorship in Thailand: specifically Phetchaburi Rajabhat University.  Actually my considered intention had been to accept a professorship in agricultural China, not Thailand, but some things came up.  Around this time, I gladly received the news of the birth of my first son Bohdon.

            During my Thai professorship, I taught conversational English...  Air-conditioned office space was shared with about a dozen Thai professors and four or five western teachers, mostly Brits with whom I'd take beer after work.  I also got to know some local monks with whom I studied the Buddhist books, life-style and spirituality.  Other friends included Boat: a Chinese Thai featured in the story "Pizza in America," and a lovely local beauty queen named Bo.  These were students, so we weren't on romantic terms: my students were mostly young ladies and I carried myself with professionalism. 

            I did take a couple trips to the nearby city of Hua Hin to consort with the lovely young courtesans there.  I also took a vacation to a local elephant park where I was highly impressed and a little troubled about the conditions; That very day, I locked myself in my town house and wrote: "the Sacred Elephants of Hua Hin..."   During that visit, I took some time and money to feed and care for a baby elephant there...  this proved to be good Karma, and inspired me to start burning incense and saying chants to the Ganeshas, who are elephant spirits associated with the arts.  Having attended both Catholic and Protestand churches as a youth, I was already in the habit of Christian prayer...  which is the most central to my spirituality...  though I do wear a Ganesha amulet my family purchased directly from Dr. Deepak Chopra, at whose California centre my mother likes to take breaks from her medical practice.

             My experiences in Thailand have been a focus of my literary work.  My participation in the Europe-centred online literary societies was active throughout this time.

             After about a year in Thailand, I was struck by weakness and a general sense of illness.  Upon returning to the states, tests done by a Dr. Mohammed demonstrated this to be the result of truly severe, very high-level arsenic poisoning...  almost certainly accidental and related to the fact that my diet at the time centred on sea food.  A year or so ago, the Thai authorities worked with a friend and colleague of mine to reform this industry. Actually hundreds of people were arrested, but you can't have arsenic in the sea food. 

         The Thais are a great people and I'm grateful to them for hosting me in their kingdom.