I'll be going back to LA in October to get an O-A as well. Planning to use the monthly non-employment method (pension letter and Social Security letter) to qualify. They haven't changed that, have they? Also, can/should I just get a police check here before I leave?
I think that dipping back in to the US for a couple of weeks every two years is a great way to live here, if you can. Maybe next year, I'll leave again, go to Burning Man for a couple of weeks, then return to Thailand. Best of both worlds!