Silliness So what are you doing RIGHT NOW? - Page 2252

SneakySnake · 05-29-2012, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

<snip> It's my favorite way to experience a new culture. In S.E. Asia I've eaten bugs, snakes (sorry Sneaky) and lots of stuff I never could recognize. <snip>
I won't leave Japan until sometime after August. Perhaps September?

Stitchawl

I would eat snake too although perhaps a different species.

I am looking forward to more lovely pix from Thailand.

The yuckiest thing I ever ate was slippery cabbage in the Solomons. I think roaches would be tastier. We were invited to lunch once during church intermission (church starts at 8am and ends at 4pm). All the food was prepared early before church and laid out on the table awaiting us at lunch. We didn't get sick, but the thought of it sitting there in 40°C heat all morning worried me. Don't worry they cover it with fly nets. Hmmm warm everything yum (except the slippery cabbage)

Stitchawl · 05-30-2012, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maianhvk

Still a long time ahead, but many good lucks Stitchawl. I hope you'll convert many readers in Thai to ereaders! Remember to pack a lot of your favorite tea from Japan.

While there are folks using them there, they won't get the attraction that they do in the West. There are just waaay too many Used Book Stores in S.E. Asia. With so many backpack tourists passing through, the Used Book business flourishes all over. If you go to the Backpacker Guest House area in your city, you'll see Used Book stores on just about every other block! In fact, the ONLY reason I even thought to get an e-reader was that there weren't any Used Book stores for English language books in Japan, and the cost for new books was 2-3 times the cover price!

My favorite used book store in Chiang Mai had a standing offer; if you returned three books bought from them, you could take one free. I used to pick up a stack of books every month, returning the ones from the previous month. Moving back to Japan, my reading habits would have cost me a couple of hundred dollars every month if I bought paper books here.

Stitchawl

maianhvk · 05-30-2012, 08:34 AM

Hmm. Sounds good, but can you bring 3 very thin boring books and take an enormous one home? I think they have some kind of rule on that?

Mine offers discount for students, and they buy back old books at one third of the original price.

Rumpelteazer · 05-30-2012, 09:31 AM

I just got back from donating blood the first time. It went a lot quicker than I thought.

Afterwards when have a bite to eat and something to drink another girl who donated for the first time nearly fainted and had to be put on a bed. I'm feeling okay, just a little bit of a headache which is more likely caused by my hayfever than donating blood.

I've bought myself some of my favorite jellybeans as a treat on the way back and now I'm going to take it easy and relax the rest of the day.

Latinandgreek · 05-30-2012, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I just got back from donating blood the first time. It went a lot quicker than I thought.

Afterwards when have a bite to eat and something to drink another girl who donated for the first time nearly fainted and had to be put on a bed. I'm feeling okay, just a little bit of a headache which is more likely caused by my hayfever than donating blood.

I've bought myself some of my favorite jellybeans as a treat on the way back and now I'm going to take it easy and relax the rest of the day.

Yay for giving blood! I used to give blood, too, but stopped for medical reasons. I hope to be able to give blood again soon.

vivaldirules · 05-30-2012, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I just got back from donating blood the first time. It went a lot quicker than I thought.

Afterwards when have a bite to eat and something to drink another girl who donated for the first time nearly fainted and had to be put on a bed. I'm feeling okay, just a little bit of a headache which is more likely caused by my hayfever than donating blood.

I've bought myself some of my favorite jellybeans as a treat on the way back and now I'm going to take it easy and relax the rest of the day.

Good for you! The first three or four times I gave I felt a little woozy, too. I don't know how much of it was physiological or psychological. I only know that since then I have had no problems at all. And I recommend putting it on your calendar to go back as often as they will let you.

WT Sharpe · 05-30-2012, 03:53 PM

Waiting for my IRIS Readiris Pro 14 software to finish downloading. It's been downloading now going on 2½ hours and looks to be about 75% completed. Normally downloads on my computer for even large files are completed in less than a minute. The IRIS folks must be using dial-up.

Rumpelteazer · 05-30-2012, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Yay for giving blood! I used to give blood, too, but stopped for medical reasons. I hope to be able to give blood again soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Good for you! The first three or four times I gave I felt a little woozy, too. I don't know how much of it was physiological or psychological. I only know that since then I have had no problems at all. And I recommend putting it on your calendar to go back as often as they will let you.

In the Netherlands you get a card when you can donate again. Women can give a maximum of 3 times a year and men 5 times a year. There's a date on the card and from that day you have two weeks to go give your blood.

I had my Kindle with me to make time go faster but I didn't do much reading. First, the doctor who took my blood was interested in ereading and the lady of the Donor Cafe also had questions.

I'm now trying to find a good Dutch art supply webshop. But they're either very childish (pink, flashing banners, etc), not professionally set up (like websites from the 1990s) or you can't buy anything on them. There's a good art supply store nearby my house but they sell the more expensive materials and the department store sells the kids stuff, I want the in between quality (and price). Looks like I'm going to have to order from the US or UK.

vivaldirules · 05-30-2012, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

In the Netherlands you get a card when you can donate again. Women can give a maximum of 3 times a year and men 5 times a year. There's a date on the card and from that day you have two weeks to go give your blood.

There's a minimum wait of 8 weeks for everyone until your next donation here.

So what happens if you show up more than two weeks after the date on the card?

WT Sharpe · 05-30-2012, 08:47 PM

I used to be a regular blood donor until they changed the rules. Now they won't let me donate any more.

SneakySnake · 05-30-2012, 11:27 PM

I thought they paid you for your blood 'donation' in the US???

Rumpelteazer · 05-31-2012, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

There's a minimum wait of 8 weeks for everyone until your next donation here.

So what happens if you show up more than two weeks after the date on the card?

You are requested to call them to reschedule and get a new card. I had to reschedule three times, first because I had either a root canal infection or irritation, the second time because it was an infection and it had to be taken care of and the third time because I thought I had a cold (which turned out to be hayfever). I was also advised yesterday that if you're not feeling 100% it's best to reschedule if your two weeks are nearly up.

I was just woken up two hours early because of a short thunderstorm. Even though it rained hard for a little while I heard no leaking. Yay! It'll rain more later today and then I'll have a look in the attic to see if it really stays dry (after all the problems I'm not really confident about the roofers claims it will now stay dry in my room).

WT Sharpe · 05-31-2012, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

I thought they paid you for your blood 'donation' in the US???

Not the Red Cross. Unless you consider the free orange juice afterward.

vivaldirules · 05-31-2012, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

I thought they paid you for your blood 'donation' in the US???

As far as I am aware that hasn't been permitted for several decades. Perhaps the early 1970's? It was stopped, as I recall, because it was an easy way for drug addict and others to make a little money which impacted, to say the least, the quality of the blood supply. Today, the most you can receive for giving is some juice and cookies.

Stitchawl · 05-31-2012, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maianhvk

Hmm. Sounds good, but can you bring 3 very thin boring books and take an enormous one home? I think they have some kind of rule on that?

The only rules for trading are that the book being turned it were originally bought from the same shop. Price makes no difference. And it has to be within a month from the date of purchase. That prevents people from unloading old stuff found laying around the house, and keeps the inventory filled with fairly recent books.

They will buy older books in good condition if they think there will be re-sale value. But if the book is too esoteric, something like "The Life Cycle of Peruvian Earthworms," chances are they won't buy it. Or novels that have been best sellers a year ago, such as 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' that they might already have several copies in stock.

(Note: I bought the "The Life Cycle of Peruvian Earthworms," hoping for some erotic reading, but who knew earthworms were hermaphroditic?!? )

Stitchawl

05-30-2012, 08:34 AM	#33768
maianhvk whimsical Posts: 2,779 Karma: 88193939 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: in darkness Device: current: PPW 4. brick: K3 & Voyage.	Hmm. Sounds good, but can you bring 3 very thin boring books and take an enormous one home? I think they have some kind of rule on that? Mine offers discount for students, and they buy back old books at one third of the original price.

05-30-2012, 09:31 AM	#33769
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,367 Karma: 27919658 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I just got back from donating blood the first time. It went a lot quicker than I thought. Afterwards when have a bite to eat and something to drink another girl who donated for the first time nearly fainted and had to be put on a bed. I'm feeling okay, just a little bit of a headache which is more likely caused by my hayfever than donating blood. I've bought myself some of my favorite jellybeans as a treat on the way back and now I'm going to take it easy and relax the rest of the day.

05-30-2012, 03:53 PM	#33772
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Waiting for my IRIS Readiris Pro 14 software to finish downloading. It's been downloading now going on 2½ hours and looks to be about 75% completed. Normally downloads on my computer for even large files are completed in less than a minute. The IRIS folks must be using dial-up.

05-30-2012, 08:47 PM	#33775
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I used to be a regular blood donor until they changed the rules. Now they won't let me donate any more.

05-30-2012, 11:27 PM	#33776
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	I thought they paid you for your blood 'donation' in the US???