Camera Aquatica

A show of hands: has anyone else ever jumped into a swimming pool with their digital camera in their pocket? Please tell me I'm not alone in this.

The same 5-second rule as food dropped on the floor applies here, right? Because I shoot straight out of the pool the instant it happens, yank the battery and the memory card, and set it all in the sun to dry. Here's hoping that I'm not shopping for a new camera tomorrow.

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At the pool I meet my first expat: Greg, a social sciences teacher at Siam University. Greg makes Brian Dennehey look like a shrimp, and I get the impression that he's a party beast who does OK with the ladies (pronounced tha lay-days). He's lived in Thailand for a few years, owns a condo here, and apparently knows the teaching scene. One of those guys who happily carries both ends of the conversation. As it happens, he's flying home to Seattle tomorrow for a few weeks, returning on June 6 ... and we realize that if we'd met just a few days earlier, I could have played caretaker for him and saved a bundle.

We agree to meet up for dinner this evening, which for me will be a welcome change from eating alone at the nearby vendor stall. Hey, I figure, what trouble could two single guys possibly get into on a Sunday night in Bangkok?