Page 26 - MN

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It is the morning after the Indian dinner. On YouTube I watch a video about the writing and recording of "Bridge over Troubled Waters" and then two songs from Simon and Garfunkel's concert in Central Park. They are so pure in tone and the words and melodies are astounding. I was so lucky to be alive in their heyday.
Jintana changes the quilt. I never think of changing the quilt. She takes one side, I take the other. We're a team. Outside, birds are chirping.
The birds in Thailand make different noises. Exotic. I first noticed when I played Green Valley Golf Course. When I first came to Chiangmai it was a great golf course. Interesting, well kept. Now it is worn out from thousands of rounds and I haven't played it in years. The caddies still have the same blue uniforms, kind of tacky really. A smart owner would change those uniforms. My caddy at Green Valley, Aire, was a fine lady too. She endured my attempts to play in leagues during the early years, again in the afternoons. She kept her head when I was losing mine over bad shots and combative playing partners. She was one of the great people I've met here but she went with her boyfriend to work at a crocodile farm tourist attraction. I missed her a lot.
Jintana sits across from me. Her hair is curly, permed, and at first I didn't like it. Now I'm used to it and it looks good. She is naturally beautiful, and I love to watch her when she sleeps. No makeup, just a perfect face, peaceful.
I look at my bare feet propped up on the bed. Not smart. Old man feet, with a big bunion on my right foot, probably from too small shoes when I was a kid. I am thankful for shoes. My feet can hide.
In ten minutes I will drive Kadjang to school. Then I will meet Jintana for breakfast. The Super Bowl is on right now, but we have no TV set, no cable. We watch everything on our iPads, mostly Netflix and YouTube. No commercials. I will watch the Super Bowl highlights later.
In the U.S. the Super Bowl is like Christmas. The lead-up is so overpowering, the reality has to be a letdown. In this one, I want both teams to win. Both coaches are excellent and the players are too. But there is no way I would sit through 4 hours of commercials, halftime extravaganza, patriotic opening ceremonies, etc. to watch about 15 minutes of real action. That's right, in an average 60-minute game there's about 15 minutes of action.
I am back home now, after a breakfast set of eggs, sausage, potatoes and english muffin. Jintana and I always split a breakfast order, as half seems about right for us.
Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open. Good. He has a great sense of humor so I root for him. Federer and Nadal do too, so we are living in a golden age of tennis stars who can laugh. The young women tennis stars seem really cheerful and well-spoken also. Naomi Osaka after the U.S. Open final with Serena Williams was the ultimate class act.