BangkokHank

I am presently here in Thailand on a retirement visa.  Lately I have been having the urge to work; specifically, to teach English.  I know that it is not possible to teach on a retirement visa.  So, if I find a teaching job, is it possible for me to "convert" my retirement visa to whatever visa is necessary to work here?  Or do I have to leave the country, cancel my retirement visa, and reapply for the appropriate visa?  Or is it somehow just not possible to go from a retirement visa to being able to work?

Also, what type of visa would I need in order to be able to stay in order to work?  Is there a minimum number of hours per month that I would need to work in order to be able to get a work permit?  Do all of these hours have to be at one place of employment?

And on a related issue:  Why is it considered such a crime for a foreigner to work in Thailand?  Is teaching people useful things really such a bad thing?  After living in Thailand for 17 years, I resent the fact that I am still not able to work without jumping through numerous hoops.  Perhaps it's time to move to Cambodia, the real "Land of the Free"?

Thanks for any input.

I will be moving to an apartment near the Rama 9 MRT station.  (Actually just behind the Fortune mall there.)  Does anybody know of a fitness center within walking distance of that neighborhood?  It can also be a smaller, independent place.  It doesn't have to be one of the big money-sucking / scamming chains.

For the past ten or so years, I have been donating my already-read, English-language books to the library of the AUA on Rachadamri.  (After I read a book - if I don't think I will read it again, I like to give it to a library so that it can be put to use - for the benefit of many.)  In exchange for this, AUA very kindly gave me a lifetime library card, which allowed me to revisit my books whenever I had the desire to do so.  It comforted me knowing that all of my ex-books were being safely kept in one place, easily available for me to visit.

Today I went to drop off another pile of books.  The librarian told me that they would be closing soon (due to AUA's lease expiring and the owner of the land presumably wanting to develop it), moving to another location - and, to my surprise, NOT bringing donated books with them to the new location!  They say they are going to give away the books that I gave them in the past (which probably means they will sell them), thereby defeating one of my purposes in giving them the books in the first place.  At least the librarian was kind enough to warn me not to donate any more books.

So, here I am now with a pile of 60 wonderful books that I would like to give away.  I don't want to sell them to a second-hand bookstore because they only give me a fraction of the value.  I would much rather give them away - to a library through which they can be shared for the benefit of society.  

Now here is my question:  Does anybody know of a worthy - and perhaps more permanent library that accepts donations of English language books - on a variety of topics, but mostly literary classics?  Thanks for any suggestions.