It's Good to be the King

Hot Damn! It's celebration time again in Thailand. Seems you can't go a week and a half without some reason for fireworks, candles and a ban on alcohol sales. This time around it was for the 60th Anniversary of the King's ascension to the throne, which makes him the longest reigning monarch. The day was marked with some gigantic celebrations in bangkok, and a makeshift jerry-rigged event in Chiang Mai highlighted by an golden egg offering ceremony and a middle school marching band with an all-female tuba section playing 'eye of the tiger.'

I would try to describe the King but the English language is apparently unequipped to do him reverence. When I told someone I thought he was 'cool' I was told that I could be arrested. So I pretty much just stopped talking about him altogether.

This week they've been showing clips of his Majesty playing clarinet with Benny Goodman. Then Benny Goodman fined him for playing over his assigned 36 bars and upstaging him. I've still not seen any explanation of the royal audience with Elvis.



Right now they're showing footage of the royal convention -- some 25 of 28 royal families from around the world have turned up to boogie in Thailand and they are currently parading around in a greeting room in their various costumes of medals, swords, turbans and tiaras. It's good to see that trained and groomed royalty are no less awkward in their formal-wear than 13 year old children -- I swear the Duke of Norway checked his fly before entering the greeting line.

I'm trying to figure out just what the king of Luxembourg and the king of Lesotho could possibly have to talk about and the answer is probably the World Cup. I certainly haven't heard of any upcoming Free Trade Negotiations between the two.

OK, the pie-eating contest is about to start, Japan has to make up some ground after losing the sack race; though if I were to put money on it, I'd say that Swaziland is going to take the gold in the cool-whip Twister round.