Acupuncture ahead

Yeah, there is something up with my back, and it's time for some treatment, so my friend J walked my by this Chinese medicine clinic and I set up an appointment for tomorrow. Seems like quite a happening place, plenty of clientele, a professional approach and I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning at 10 when I have my intake and evaluation, followed by a treatment at 10:30. Cost for the evaluation is $7 and then another $17 for the actual needlework. Wowie, big spender, but I think it will be a learning experience if nothing else. And some relief would be good, I'm feeling fairly low energy due to the drain of discomfort and ache. No sympathy needed, of course.

But it is interesting to note, as I did today, the aches and pains of the aging Farang population; it seems like everyone has something, bad back, headaches, locked up shoulder, neck problems. I was goofing because we can start to sound like the old timers down in Boca, talking about their most recent operation (and the one to come). Me, I've been remarkably pain free over the years, and that can keep a guy youthful... that and dancing, which I haven't really been doing here. I made it to tango a bunch of times, but for some reason, it brings up a part of me that is self critical and wanting to exit. Just too much to know and too easy to feel intimidated when I see great dancers. 'Why would that woman want to dance with me after dancing with him?'. Tonight is tango night, and I've found a reason or two to miss it, which will likely signal the end of this particular chapter of the dance. Or not...

M is all loving these days, it's nice. She is wanting to lose some weight now as her clothes aren't fitting the way she wants them to. She's been chunking out a bit, so it will be interesting to see how she goes about dealing with that. Um, might I suggest that 5 beers a night is not great for the waist line? OK never mind. yeah, her diet isn't great, and after her shift, she is starving, and a little buzzed, which I think affects what she buys to eat. Dow goofs on her for the immense plastic bag that she fills with food after work. But today she ate fruit in the afternoon, and for the first time she says that she wants to lose some weight. Vamos a ver. I'm still attracted to her, but I'm curious as to how she will deal with her food intake.... just one of the many questions, eh?

Taught a great lesson today with a very capable beginner student, a fifty something Swiss woman who is way into learning, and talented. So she got 'House of the Rising Sun' and Dream, both of which she knows in French, so she's a happy camper, and motivated. Makes me feel like a good teacher, as opposed to some of the students who have a lot of trouble with the simplest things. So where I might want to say, 'Uh, perhaps knitting would be more up your alley', I persevere and try to find something they can succeed at, try to find some way to get their hands to do what needs doing. (and the $10 comes in handy, sabes?) Three gigs this week, as Jeff went for the idea of me and my guys filling in the Saturday slot as well as Tuesday and Friday. There is a German guy, Joe, who will eventually take that slot when his buddy shows up in town, but for the next couple of weeks, we'll be three evenings a week. Nice. And I broke in the song, 'Bang on the Drum All Day', which came off really well, got the whole place shaking shakers and banging out the rhythm.

February 1st today, my last full month in Asia during this go-round. (and it's a short one). I have felt the first stirrings of 'oh no, I don't want to leave' which seems to be a common occurrence for my peers, and for me, all the more so because I did this last year, and not too well, feeling that I never really arrived back in Oregon, missed my girlfriend, missed the sun and the friends and the food and the life here. I'll be looking for a different strategy this time round, but I'm definitely worried about the re-entry. But not today.