Something New

It has been too long since I updated this.  Being busy isn't really a very good excuse either, since everyone who blogs is busy and they still manage to make time.  I guess I have just been lazy.  Anyway, we got back yesterday from a 5 day vacation in Thailand!  It was awesome and we took literally hundreds of pictures.  I haven't sorted through them yet, but I PROMISE to get pictures from both Penang and Thailand up here before the weekend is over.

Just some quick updates on what is new...

• Trip finished off the semester at the top of his class
• We got a new camera!
• Mom is in town
• We went to Chiang Mai (Thailand) and rode elephants bareback
• I got food poisoning for the first time in my life (and hopefully the last!)

I will give the whole Thailand story when I have the pictures to do it justice.  Oh, and we have to thank Nicole and Alma for being willing to sell us their camera...we love it!!  Thank you guys so much!!! 

Casualties of War

We were telling some friends about our ant troubles yesterday, and I decided it is time to give you all an update.  Several people have asked me how this is going, so I will start with the casualties experienced on both sides.

• Jack's food fell hostage to a swarm of ants until Trip and I got an airtight container.  When we put the food and ants in there, they all swarmed the lid trying to get out, so we washed them down the sink and were able to save the food
• My retainer was a target for a short time.  I took care of that by soaking it in Polident (apparently the ants don't like the smell)
• Trip's toothbrush was perhaps the grossest casualty.  We came home one night and it was covered in the obnoxious insects
• Chocolates (always a sad day when you have to throw away chocolate)
• We ended up having to toss out a package of biscuits and some crackers after the ants got desperate and started chewing through zip-loc bags.  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it
• We also tend to find ants floating in the water in our water heater.  Not sure why they think that is a good idea...
• Perhaps the most interesting casualty was the jar of peanut butter that we now have to keep in the refrigerator.  Even though the lid was tightly shut the ants got in and they loved it

While the ants were roaming around and getting into everything, I was asking the locals for advice on getting rid of the pesky creatures.  After getting several opinions I went out and bought bug spray to try to kill the ants.  It has worked well, but we still see one or two ants on a regular basis.  I believe we have come to a silent truce for now, but I still have not given up my dream of having an ant free house.

Good Bye Box 'O Rocks

Ever since Kim and I have moved into our latest apartment, we have been doomed to spend each night in a purgatory of minor discomfort and restlessness, followed all too quickly by mornings of aches, pains, and headaches due to our horrendous mattress that I like to affectionately call the "Box 'O Rocks."  

So, after our wonderful trip to Penang over the Chinese New Year, where we were given a brief respite on what seemed like a mattress from On High, I started to spiral very rapidly into fits of daydreams involving Box 'O Rocks, a road flare, and ample amounts of lighter fluid. The problem was that replacing good 'Ol Box wasn't just a matter of going to the mattress store and picking out his eventual successor. You see we are renting a fully furnished apartment here in Malaysia, and we pay a pretty sizable premium so that we did not have to incur the cost of shipping or buying and selling all of our furniture needs for this one year excursion to the Orient. 

After making a few phone calls to the landlords and leaving messages to the effect that "Rocks" doesn't rock, Kimberlee and I made the decision to not pay rent until we were sleeping on little clouds, surrounded by cherubs; or at least a mattress that did not have an army of gnomes waiting for me to fall asleep and wreak havoc on my shoulder blades. 

We had to wait for four days before our landlord finally called, "Paul did you forget that the rent is due." 

"Oh, about that. Kim and I have been trying to get a hold of you. Did you get my messages about the mattress?"

At this point we engaged in an overly long conversation about brands, conditions, etc.  I won't go into the mundane details.

The ultimate outcome was that our landlord did the right thing. Yesterday we got a new mattress that feels amazing. This morning was the first time since we moved in about eight weeks ago that I did not wake up sore. Of course, the first Saturday I have this glorious horizontal sleeping surface, I have to be at work by 8:00 am...

Blah

There is so much to catch up on.  Need to upload pictures from our trip for one thing.  But after spending the last 10 hours in the office, on the computer, I just can't bear the idea of doing anything else "computer" related.  I think Trip feels my pain.  He is still working on home work and studying.  Finals are right around the corner.

We will post exciting stuff later.