Gwangju Calling . . .

If I can make it there . . .

2012-02-03T12:16:00.000+09:00

I have decided to go into Seoul a day earlier.
It's been a long time since I've been able just to go and not be on a certain schedule.
It will also be nice to go and have a leisurely weekend there meeting friends (after all, I deserved it?!).
Tomorrow I'll be seeing some old co-workers of mine I haven't seen for awhile.
It's funny that with a country this small it's still hard sometimes to see friends.
Especially when I live all the way down in the country!
Well this country mouse is heading to the city-so watch out!
If I make it to midnight it might be a miracle.

Yes, I will have a drink.
But, I will be careful.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Snap to it

2012-02-02T20:20:00.000+09:00

The entire country is suffering through a bitter cold snap.
Which makes me wonder, is it a cold snap if it's already winter?
Shouldn't it just be "colder than usual"?
Either way it was pretty cold today, which is why I only went out of the house twice today.
The cold weather is expected to carry on into the weekend.
I'll be in Seoul this weekend so I will definitely have to have a drink (or two . . .) to keep me warm.
Yes, this weekend will be the first I've had anything to drink since December.
Even though I can drink, I still want to cut down, so I'm trying to only do it over the weekend.
At least that's the goal.

My son will be making his dramatic debut next week in a school play/exhibition.
What is he going to be?
I'm afraid I can't tell you right now . . .

Primary Colors

2012-02-01T20:21:00.000+09:00

I'm sure my family and friends in Florida are glad that the primary is over.
Unfortunately it doesn't mean the bombardment of political ads will stop.
That's one thing I don't miss about living in America.
Mitt Romney won big as expected, and to me, it seems Newt has dug himself an even bigger hole.
Well the spotlight is off my home state for awhile, that is until the Republican convention, which will be held in Tampa.
My guess is that a lot of Tampa residents will be planning their summer vacations that week.

The big news in Korea today is that Radiohead will finally make its first appearance here this summer. They will be performing at a music festival in July. They are one of the few bands that I would pay to see.
Plans for the summer already?
Could be . . .

My old friend, how I missed you?

2012-01-31T19:28:00.002+09:00

I said at the beginning of this month I don't make resolutions.
Instead, I made a goal for myself to not drink any alcohol for the entire month of January.
A couple of years ago I wouldn't think I was up to the challenge.
Contrary to what some people think, I don't have a drinking problem.
In Korea drinking is a big part of the culture.
Asian people are usually reserved and business like, but alcohol brings people together.
Drinking with a group of your friends or co-workers is almost a national past time here.
When a friend of mine stopped drinking for a period at the end of the year he lost about six kilos (13 pounds).
Since I was looking to lose a few myself, I thought that giving up on the drink would be a good idea.
Since I weighed myself at the beginning of the month I've lost 5 kilos (or about 11 pounds).
I'd also like to think it was the changes I made to my diet that helped as well.
So now it is the last day of the month, and I have almost completed my goal (about 5 hours left!).
I know it may sound like a small thing, but I am pretty proud of myself.
It does feel good to make a goal and to stick with it.
So to all who encouraged me, thank you.
I did it just as much for you as I did it for me.

And no, I'm not going to have a drink at midnight.
But it's nice to know that I can!

By the way, this makes my 31st post in a row. Not drinking gives you extra time to blog as well!

The greatest

2012-01-30T20:21:00.000+09:00

Was it the greatest tennis match in history?
I'm afraid I'm not qualified to say.
What I will say is that I witnessed an excellent display of two outstanding athletes.
I started watching the Australian Open men's final last night just as I sat down to dinner.
Close to six hours later, almost at midnight, Novak Djokovic won the final beating Rafael Nadal in five sets.
I didn't think it would go to six hours.
I didn't think it would go to five hours.
Two of the sets lasted longer than the entire women's final!
As I said yesterday I'm not a big follower of either players, but I'm glad Djokovic won.
I didn't think it was going to happen towards the end.
Djokovic was totally spent, he looked like he had nothing left to give.
It would seem that Nadal took advantage of that, but in the end Novak pulled it out.
Six hours of tennis!
I said to a friend that "epic" just wouldn't do justice to what I saw.
Was it the greatest?
Again, I'm no expert, but it would definitely have a case for being the greatest.

Grades are in the computer, and that means one thing . . . vacation has begun!

Tennis anyone?

2012-01-29T18:59:00.001+09:00

The" D" is silent.

There's not much on today except for the Australian Open men's final, which started just about an hour ago.
They're still in the first game, and I have a feeling that this will be a long, epic, match.
I'm not a big fan of either Djokovic, or Nadal, but I'd like to see Djok win.
There's just something I've never liked about Nadal.
Professional tennis doesn't seem to be a big deal here in Korea, but there are a lot of people who play for leisure or exercise.

Speaking of exercise, we had family exercise time today.
What did it consist of?
The family and I walked to the university where I work and then walked around the track a couple of times.
It was pretty cold though so family exercise time didn't last too long.
It's the effort that counts though and we made it . . . just enough.

So, only two more days left in my self imposed alcohol ban.
I may even let it go until next weekend.
?

House bound

2012-01-28T16:28:00.000+09:00

One of the many reasons why I'm not too fond of winter is that you are limited in what you can do.
Sure there's skiing, or snowboarding, but for someone as uncoordinated as me, that really isn't an option.
Yesterday it wasn't too cold to walk around, but after awhile that gets old.
So that leaves you with lots of indoor activities, which could be expensive, or staying home-which is cheap-but boring.
I think this is why many of us here in Korea (especially those that don't take part in winter sports) look forward to the spring.
In the spring there are festivals, and the weather is pleasant enough to spend a day outside doing nothing.
When I meet new people they sometimes ask me if I get homesick.
I usually tell them that I only get homesick around the holidays, but now that I think about it, I do miss South Florida weather right now.
Spring is just around the corner isn't it?

Can't buy me love (or DVDs)

2012-01-27T21:42:00.000+09:00

I didn't want to just sit around the house today, so I decided to go out and get some exercising.
Since just exercising is boring, and I don't belong to a gym, I decided to combine it with the only type of shopping I like-electronics shopping.
I went to a neighborhood not far from my apartment to see if I could find any Blu Ray DVDs.
There were only two places where I thought that I would be able to find them-E Mart and Lotte Mart-two mega grocery store chains here in Korea.
I went to Lotte Mart first, and all I saw was a measly selection of regular DVDs.
E Mart wasn't that far away, so I headed over there next.
To no such surprise I found that there were no Blu Ray DVDs.
Koreans in general are not big buyers of movies or music.
Very few of the Korean homes that I've been to have any DVDs (or even a player for that matter).
I've been to many music stores here in the country, but I don't see many people buying CDs.
Like many people all over the world I believe most Koreans download their music (legally of course!).
If it isn't clothes or food, then I don't think a majority of Korean shoppers are interested.
I guess I will just have to wait for my birthday to get some DVDs, which I'll have to order through Amazon.
If I look on the bright side of things-I'll be saving money, which is always a good thing.
Still, I think Blade Runner on Blu Ray would be better.

All ready, but no place to go

2012-01-26T22:41:00.000+09:00

My son now has both his updated Korean and American passports.
The American one came today, exactly two weeks after we went to the Embassy to turn in the paperwork.
Surprising? Yes.
I'm sure it would have come sooner if it wasn't for the holiday earlier in the week.
So now my son can travel outside of the country.
The thing is, we don't plan on doing any traveling outside the country any time soon.
In fact, we may not even be doing any traveling inside the country soon.
Going to America last year took a real bite out of the vacation finances.
Still, one cane dream right?
Actually with Air Asia, a discount airline now flying out of Seoul, there might actually be a chance to take a trip.
Malaysia? Thailand?
Like I said, one can dream . . .

Making the grade

2012-01-25T20:23:00.001+09:00

I went to my office to figure out the final grades for my winter class.
I was hoping to be able to input them into the school computer, but alas I can't do that until next week.
Still with only one class it won't be difficult at all.
In my freshmen classes I can only give 30 percent of the class an A.
In Korea they use pluses, regular letter grades, and minuses.
This might not sound like a big deal, but in ultra competitive Korea an A just won't cut it.
With only sixteen students I was only allowed to give out 4 A's total.
The students who got them truly deserved them, but I wish I could give out more.
I know that's odd coming from a teacher, however that just goes to show you how good my students are.
Or it could just mean I'm softening as a teacher?
Nah.

I don't wanna grow up

2012-01-24T21:35:00.000+09:00

Today the family and I went to a shopping complex not far from our home.
My son likes the place because there is an area where he can build Legos and play with other toys.
While he was busy the Mrs. and I walked around and did a little shopping.
We bought some gifts for family members, and she also bought a memory stick.
Inside the complex there is a Toys R Us.
There are a couple stores located around the country, but most of them are in Seoul, or close to it.
Like many Toys R Us during a holiday period it was pretty packed.
Like many Toys R Us there were children there asking their parents to buy them things, but instead they were asking them in Korean.
They had a great selection of Legos, Crayola crayons (which I've never seen before in Korea) and toys for girls and boys.
We bought him some Hot Wheels cars that he could use with his track set that he got for Christmas.
The only problem with a lot of the items in the store is that we can get them for much cheaper on the Internet.
But, come next Christmas we can at least know what's hot and what the model numbers are.
Overall it was a good holiday, and most importantly it was an alcohol free holiday.
Yep, I made it through the entire weekend without having a drink.
That leaves only one more week to go before the self imposed exile ends.
How's it going so far? I've lost three kilos, or about close to six pounds.
Let's just hope that I don't put it all back on come February.

Dragon style

2012-01-23T22:58:00.001+09:00

Year of the 80's Mickey Rourke movie?

Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) and Lunar New Year lasts three days.
The middle day is always the most important.
So what did my family do?
We pretty much just sat around and ate.
Hey, I said it was important, I didn't say that you had to do anything.
My sister-in-law and her family came today from her in-laws house as they usually do.
The Mrs. and her mother played the ever popular go-stop (it's a Korean card game), but I don't think she won a lot.
Our son played with his cousins and generally acted like he was hyped up on sugar all day.
Just your typical Lunar New Year holiday!

I caught up on the latest season on Boardwalk Empire.
Some of the most compulsively watchable television is on cable nowadays.
I seriously don't know how the networks survive.

Lunar New Year

2012-01-22T19:27:00.000+09:00

Wifi is kind of sketchy here at the in-laws, but I just wanted to wish everybody here in Korea (as well as around the world) a happy Lunar New Year.
I just finished dinner with the family, and will probably take it easy the rest of the night catching up on some programs.
Tomorrow the rest of the family will be here for more eating.
That's just the way things are done on New Year's.

Oh yeah, I only had two sodas to drink last night.
Yes, I am a good boy.

Se hai bo mani pah juseo!
(happy new year in Korean)

Hitting the town

2012-01-21T17:08:00.001+09:00

I'm going out tonight.
I'll be going to a place that has alcohol.
But I will only be drinking soda.
Come on holiday weekend-bring it on!

Drive

2012-01-20T22:13:00.002+09:00

Maybe he knows what driving in Korea is like?

I drove in Korea today for the first time in almost three years.
It was a simple run to the grocery store.
In case I haven't mentioned it before, driving in Korea (or Asia for that matter) can be tricky.
Actually, it can be quite scary.
It can also be very dangerous.
Are you picking up on what I'm trying to say? It's not for the faint of heart.
When we used to live in Cheonan I hated driving.
Cheonan was going through a lot of construction, not to mention the usual traffic in the city.
Just going down the street would fill me with road rage.
At that point the only time I liked driving was on the highway, and I was hardly on the highways.
When I got back to America in 2007, driving in the States seemed like a pleasurable Sunday drive.
I would like to hope things would be better here in Gwangju . . . but I'm not very optimistic.
Well, as long as I only have to drive to the grocery store, I should be OK.
Should.

Over and out

2012-01-19T22:35:00.000+09:00

I had my final class for the winter semester today.

Five weeks does go by pretty fast.

All that is left now is to go in next week after the Lunar New Year holiday and enter my grades into the computer.

Then what will I be doing?

What exotic locale will I be spending my vacation in?

My apartment.

Yes, I won't be going anywhere this winter vacation.

My trip to America last summer was the big one for awhile.

So I'll stay home and get some work done around the house.

I've also got plenty of books to read as well.

Whatever I do, no schoolwork will be involved.

Ahh, vacation!

Limits

2012-01-18T21:19:00.001+09:00

Old school.

Starting today the Mrs. and I put our son on television restriction.
On the weekdays he gets three hours, and on the weekends he will get four hours a day.
I grew up hooked on television.
OK, I grew up addicted to television.
The worst punishment my parents could hand out was to take away my TV privileges.
I remember one time in school when I got bad grades-they told me no TV until the next quarter.
I thought it was the end of the world.
Our son was watching too much TV, and I wanted to nip the problem before it started.
So far on the first day he seemed pretty OK with it.
The weekend might be tougher so we'll see what happens.
I also turned off the TV when it was his turn to stop.
It's nice to set a good example for the boy.

Accessorize

2012-01-17T20:29:00.000+09:00

Booster seat for our son?
Check.
GPS Navigation system?
Check.
Cell phone number plate for the front windshield?
?
Today all the accessories that we need for our car were delivered.
The first two are pretty self explanatory, the other one is something that is unique to Korea.
In a country where parking is a premium, sometimes you are left with no choice but to double park, or block someone in.
This is where the cell phone number plate comes in handy.
In case another driver needs to contact you, they just look for the plate in the front windshield.
Most of the time you won't ever use one, but trust me, they do come in handy.
Now we're ready to drive!

Week three

2012-01-16T22:25:00.001+09:00

Beer? What beer?

I haven't had any alcohol to drink since December 31st.
Do I miss it?
I can honestly say . . . not really.
Sure, it would be nice to have a drink with dinner, or have a couple of beers with friends.
However, I set a goal for this month and I'm sticking with it, because a wise man once said, "you gotta have goals".
It has been pretty easy going without drinking, but the real test will be this weekend.
It will be lunar new year and I'll be spending time at my in-laws.
They always have beer there for me because they know I like it.
I just have to get through the holiday and I'll be home free.
Let's just hope I don't show any disrespect to the in-laws by not having a drink!

I watched the Golden Globes tonight and I think Ricky Gervais should host every award show.
I was especially pleased to see Idris-Stringer Bell-Elba win for Luther.
If you haven't checked it out it's a great show-I hope it comes back.
I also hope The Descendants opens up here in Korea because it looks good.

Puss in Boots

2012-01-15T19:27:00.001+09:00

Today I took my son to the movies to see Puss in Boots.
He has a habit of not really paying attention and taking many trips to the bathroom, but
he didn't have to go at all and he really seemed to like the movie.
It was also enjoyable for the parents as well.
I will say this about going to see childrens films in Korea-they are much quieter than in
America.

Before the movie I watched the first half of the Denver/ New England game.
It was pretty much over in the first quarter, but I stayed with it until halftime.
Not only was Tebow unspectacular, but so were the rest of the Broncos as well.
Now that Tebowie (if you haven't seen Jimmy Fallon's song about him I suggest you check out)
is out of the playoffs can we not talk about him anymore?
I plan to start right now . . .

Taking a spin

2012-01-14T21:53:00.000+09:00

So today I took a ride in the new/rental/not-so-new car that we have.
The Mrs. had to drive since I won't be on the insurance until Monday.
It's nice, but nothing special. It got us to point A and back again.
One thing we will probably do tomorrow is shop for a navigation system.
We helped our friends who had just moved pick out a refrigerator.
They found a nice used one at a second hand shop.
The Mrs. saved them some money so they treated us to dinner.
While we were waiting for it to be delivered we watched the first episode of Revenge.
I can see why people are talking about it-pretty interesting first episode.
I'll have to watch the rest later-I'm a little backed up in my series watching.

The best thing about having a car? Our son falls asleep in the back!
A moving vehicle does it every time.

When I'm in my car

2012-01-13T21:52:00.001+09:00

I can hope right?

The Mrs. has wanted to get a car for a long time.
A very long time.
Ever since we came back to Korea three years ago, we have survived by taking public transportation.
One of the things I like about Korea is its excellent public transit system.
You can survive in this country without a car.
But this hasn't stopped the Mrs. from wanting a car . . . for a very long time.
After she finished school the car talk ramped up a lot.
Well now the talk is over, we have a car.
What kind of car is it?
Well, I'll have to get back to you on that.
We didn't actually buy a car, instead we are leasing one . . . kinda.
It's one of those deals that I don't quite understand, but I've left it in my wife's capable hands.
So does this mean no more public transportation for me?
I wish.
The main reason we got a car is that so she could use it when she gets a job.
I'll still be taking the bus to work in the mornings.
But, at least we don't need to take the bus to the grocery store anymore.
Yeah, it's the small things in life.

Adventures in the big city

2012-01-12T21:41:00.001+09:00

My day started at six this morning.
I was off to Seoul to go to the American Embassy to get my son's passport renewed.
The Mrs. and him were in Cheonan, and they were going to be meeting me at the bus terminal.
I got an 8:15 bus, and made it into Seoul just a bit after 11:30.
When I arrived, I had to navigate through the labyrinth like complex that is the Seoul Express Bus Terminal.
Once I found the family we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed for the subway to take us to the Embassy.
We got there early, which is always better when you have to get things done there.
Our appointment was at 1:30, so we sat and waited for our number to be called.
Once we were called, I gave all the paperwork to the Embassy staff.
"OK, everything looks good except . . ." this is what she said.
I started to have heart palpitations.
Our problem was that the passport photos we had were no the right size.
They were good for his Korean passport, but not for his American one.
Apparently this happens a lot because she told us we could go across the street and get new photos.
So that's what we did and then we came back to the Embassy.
After we handed all the paperwork in, including the new photos, we had to wait for our interview.
The interview took a couple of minutes and the lady said that we should have it in two weeks.
So back we headed on the subway to the bus terminal.
We arrived back after 8, and now we're all just relaxing.
It was a long day, but it was mission accomplished-with only one small hiccup.

New level

2012-01-11T20:48:00.001+09:00

Jane, I think we're a bit outdated.

My co-workers and I had a meeting today with the representatives from
the textbook company that we're using.
They came to show us the new editions that we'll be using as well as the new program
that comes with it.
Starting next semester we'll be using a lot more internet materials for our class.
We think that this is really going to make the class more interesting, which makes are jobs
a lot easier.
When I'm on vacation in February I'll have more time to fool around with it.
Textbooks certainly have come along way since I was in school.
Now the books are online and interactive, which makes it fun for the students-at least that's
the theory.
We'll see how it all works next semester, but my co-workers and I are already pretty excited.

Let's go to new place

2012-01-10T22:15:00.000+09:00

Today we helped our friends move to their new house.
I was just happy that it wasn't us moving!
It was a long day, but they treated us to both lunch and dinner, and they payed for our taxi home.
We all had a great dinner at a Chinese restaurant near their place.
It really is amazing how much you can get done on moving day in Korea.
If you plan it out right, you can go from home to home in a couple of hours.
Everybody that needs to show up-cable, gas electric, etc.-show up, and more importantly, at the
time they tell you!
I'm talking to you cable guys in America!
Now all that's left for our friends is to hold the house warming party-which is coming soon!

So the Crimson Tide rolled over the LSU Tigers to win the national championship.
College football is done for another year.
September seems far, far away.

Reservations

2012-01-09T22:55:00.000+09:00

Today I made the reservation for our son's passport renewal at the US Embassy.
Yeah, you have to make a reservation. Nothing is easy with the US government.
We will be going on Thursday, and our appointment time is 1:30.
The Mrs. and our son will be going to Cheonan the day before to pick up his birth certificate, and to visit friends, then I will meet them in the city the next day.
Thursday should be a long day as it usually is when I go to Seoul.
If we had the money, I would suggest that we stay in Seoul, but it's too much of an expense.

Oh, and the Mrs. is on Facebook now.
Guess I have to behave.

Dry

2012-01-08T21:30:00.001+09:00

There's a tear in my . . . oh, wait.

I have completed the first week of my booze free January.
Was it tough?
Let's not go there.
Do I have a drinking problem?
Hardly.
The toughest part was this weekend.
There's nothing wrong with enjoying a drink on the weekend is it?
Sure, I could have broken down and had a cold one.
But, I've made a goal for myself and I plan to stick with it.
Besides, the second week should be easy.

Big goings on in football (soccer) today.
Manchester United is playing crosstown rivals Manchester City in an FA Cup game.
I don't support either team, but I have a lot of friends who support Man City, so I always
cheer for them.
Playoffs also begin for American football, but since the Bears are out I really don't care.
I will check the scores tomorrow though.

Out

2012-01-07T22:33:00.001+09:00

Even though it was cold outside today, I still made it out of the house. I hopped on a bus and headed downtown.
What did I do?
I walked, and walked, and walked,and yes I walked some more.
I also managed not to be tempted to
have a beer while I was downtown.
Exercise and no temptation, a win-win for me!

You can't fight City Hall

2012-01-06T22:37:00.002+09:00

The Mrs. and I had to go to City Hall today to get our son's Korean passport renewed.
It was all a rather simple process, and we should have it by next week.
And that's where the problem lies.
It's supremely easy to get his Korean passport renewed than it is to get his American one done.
All we needed was one document, and a photo.
For his American passport to be renewed we need at least two documents (that I know of), a passport picture, pictures of his age progression since his last passport(?!), and online form to be filled out, a reservation to turn all of this stuff in at the US Embassy-which involves a trip to Seoul.
Really only the Mrs. needed to go today, but we both have to go to the US Embassy.
Did I mention that it was located in Seoul, four hours away?
All this just to get it renewed!
Thank you bureaucracy, thank you very much.

Holidaze

2012-01-05T21:16:00.000+09:00

The holidays are officially over in our house.
The Mrs. and I put the tree away for another year.
We finally moved our son's presents to his room.
How long they will stay in there is debatable.
So things are back to normal in our house, or as normal as they get.

It is still pretty cold here in Gwangju.
No snow today, but there is definitely a chill in the air.
Even with gloves on my fingers still get tingly.
Still, it's pretty warm in our apartment.
We've only used the heat twice so far this winter.
I saw on the Internet today that it's pretty cold back in the home state.
It's always top news in Florida when there is a cold spell.
In case you haven't figured out, Floridians can't take the cold.
Many of them would never hack it here in Korea.

Wonderland?

2012-01-04T19:46:00.000+09:00

This morning I woke up to an abundance of snow.
That might be good for a child on winter vacation, or a ski enthusiast, but not
for a teacher who has to walk to work in it.
Today I asked my class if they knew what snow days were.
Nobody knew what I was talking about, so I told them Korea should look into
having them.
Surprisingly I only had two students who didn't show up for class.
This could mean that they really enjoy learning English, or they didn't have anything better to do.
I will leave it up to you kind readers to decide.
The snow is supposed to continue here until Friday.
Last winter we only got two major snowstorms.
I don't think this counts as one of them, but lets hope that winter 2012 follows winter 2011.

Check up

2012-01-03T23:05:00.002+09:00

Today the Mrs. and I took our son to the hospital for a regular check up.
He was supposed to go last week, but it was so crowded that he needed an
appointment, so we had one scheduled for today.
So, what do you think took the longest?
Meeting with the nurses first?
Nope.
The dental check up?
Nein.
The meeting with the general doctor?
Nyet.
The thing that took the longest was the paperwork!
It took close to a half an hour for the Mrs. to fill out all the forms.
I thought it was supposed to be a check up not an essay assignment!
Well the good thing is that everything is OK, and that's what is most important.
The next time though we hope to get the paperwork down to under 20 minutes.

My New Year's resolution? Don't make any!

2012-01-02T19:02:00.001+09:00

You will be missed.

I suppose it's the cynic in me, but I don't make resolutions.It just cuts out the disappointment when you fail to keep them.
There are some things that I'm going to do now that it is a new year.
I'm giving up alcohol . . . for the month of January.
That's right, no beer or liquor shall touch my lips until February 1st.
Place your bets!
The only real test will come when it's the Lunar New Year.
Convincing my father-in-law that I'm not drinking will be a real challenge!
The reason I'm doing it mainly is to lose some weight.
Which leads me to the next thing I hope to accomplish-cut down on the bad stuff that I eat.
I'm not going on a strict diet, just trying to cut down on the sweets, snacks, and junk food.
If these all sound like resolutions, trust me they're not!
Resolutions can be easily broken, but I'm going to stick to these two . . . goals.
Yes, goals.
That sounds much better.

First things first

2012-01-01T19:44:00.001+09:00

Year of the dragon!

I managed to make it later than I did last year, and woke up this morning nor regretting it!
I'm already starting the new year off on a right note.
Today I watched the ball drop in Times Square courtesy of CNN.
I called my parents and wished them a happy new year.
That's about all I got up to today.
Tomorrow it's back to work and midterm time already for my students.
Fast and furious English!

I hope everybody had a nice New Year's Eve.
I hope you wake up not regretting it either.
A special thanks to friends Brian and Nancy for hosting the New Year's Eve party we went to last night.
They are definitely becoming the premier hosts in town, and have us all wondering when the next party is.

Happy New Year all!

2011

2011-12-31T11:41:00.001+09:00

How will we remember 2011?
Was it a good year? A bad one? Or will it be thought of as just another year we survived?
2011 started for me with a bit of uncertainty.
I didn't know where I was going to be working, or living.
I didn't know if I was going to be able to stay with my family, or become a weekend commuter.
Fortunately all the bricks fell into place and I ended up staying here in Gwangju.
The world around us fell victim to many disasters.
Even though we understand her fury, mother nature still wants to lash out.
Politics, and the economy?
Next!
Friends have come and gone, especially living here in Korea.
Some of my friends became parents for the first time and understood what it's really like to care for another individual.
Have I become wiser in 2011?
I've learned a lot of things, but I don't know if that necessarily makes me wiser.
Tomorrow is a new year, and for many a new start.
Hopefully the Mayans are wrong and that we're around this time next year to recollect.

To all my family and friends, have a fun (and safe!) New Year's Eve, and have a happy New Year!

Bowl

2011-12-30T20:15:00.001+09:00

There is only one bowl game that I care about this season and it's the Champs Sports Bowl.
The Champs Sports Bowl?
Yes, I know it's not the Championship game, but for a Seminole fan like myself, it's the last time to watch my team play for the year.
The game started at 5:30 pm in America on Thursday, which meant I woke up at 7 in the morning so I'd be ready to watch the game here.
So, was it worth it?
In the first quarter, it was bad.
In the second, it got even worse.
In the third, things picked up a little.
But, by the fourth quarter things began to shine like a diamond.
The Seminoles went on a run of 18 unanswered points to come from behind and beat the fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Sorry Regis, but today was our day.
As a fan though you really don't want to sit through 3 quarters of crappy football.
However, when they make up for it in the fourth, well then it isn't so bad.
Now the season is over, and it's time to face the downtime until next season.
There's always baseball . . .

No rest for the . . .

2011-12-26T21:19:00.000+09:00

It was back to work for me today.
Unfortunately since Christmas fell on a Sunday, we did not get a day off from work.
Would somebody in the Korean government change this please?
It wasn't too bad, I just had one class today.
They were quite shocked when I told them that next week would be their midterm test already.
When it's a five week intensive class it's Fast and Furious English!
I wonder if I could trademark that?

Right now I'm watching something on the blu ray player.
It really is sweet.
Now I just need to get more movies for it.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:14:00.001+09:00

It's just after 10 in the morning here and the Christmas gifts have all been opened.
I'd say the little man got a nice haul.
This year was definitely a Cars themed Christmas.
Unfortunately the Mrs. didn't get what she really wanted-a real car!.

I want to wish all my family and friends a Merry Christmas!
To those of my friends who celebrate-Happy Hannukah as well!

And now, for the the twelfth and final A Christmas Story quote, I shouldn't have to tell you what it is . . .

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Merry Christmas everyone!

Twas the day before Christmas

2011-12-24T15:53:00.002+09:00

It's gonna be a blu Christmas for me . . .

Christmas came early for me today thanks to the Mrs.
Unbeknownst to me, she had already ordered the blu ray DVD player that I was thinking of getting.
It arrived today, and yes the picture quality is good.
Quite good.
So, what was the first movie I popped into the player?
Well those who know me should know the answer-yes, it was one of the Alien movies.
Now it's "Game over!" in HD.

My son had a pretty good birthday yesterday.
We were all so full from dinner that we didn't even tuck into his birthday cake.
We're saving it for later.
He received a Lego set for his birthday, as well as Cars 2 on DVD.
We don't give him a lot of gifts on his birthday, we wait for Christmas instead.

I finally got around to watching A Christmas Story today. After all these years it still makes me laugh.
The sign of a good movie. Know what else is a good sign? How quotable it is!

" The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey a la King! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, ALL GONE!"

5

2011-12-23T11:52:00.001+09:00

There are a lot of books out there on how to be a good father.
I'm sure they are fine publications, but there is no book that tells you what it's really like to be a father.
You worry about your kids all the time, even when there's nothing to really worry about.
You want them to be happy and productive.
You want to protect them from all the bad things that happen in the world.
You want them to watch less TV.
Can you succeed in doing all these things?
No, you're not perfect and you soon realize that.
Instead, you do the best you can and hope that they turn out all right.
My son turns five years old today.
Five years of great times, but times you also want to forget.
Still, there is nothing better than getting a hug from your child.
You know that you won't be getting those hugs all the time, so you should be thankful for everyone.
They will grow up, and they will be embarrassed by you-that's just another thing to worry about.
But right now my son is five, and his whole world revolves around Legos, Power Rangers, and candy.
Especially candy.
Happy Birthday my son, your mommy and I love you very much.

I only get sappy a couple times a year folks so enjoy it.

Also, enjoy today's A Christmas Story quote!

"Didn't I get a tie this year?"

To George Bailey, the richest man I know!

2011-12-22T18:33:00.001+09:00

I know that audiences today would find it cheesy, or sentimental, but It's a Wonderful Life is indeed a wonderful film.
The first time I saw it was when I was in elementary school.
I know it doesn't sound like the type of film you would show an elementary school class, but when you went to a Lutheran elementary school there weren't many films that could be shown.
As I was growing up you could see It's a Wonderful Life everyday on TV from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas.
This was because it was pretty much in the public domain and anybody had the rights to show it.
A couple of years ago things changed and now only NBC has the rights to show it on television.
Still it's better that you see it without any of the commercial interruptions.
If you don't know the story by now, well then the rock you've been living under is very heavy.
The movie is all about George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) and how he affects the lives of the people around him.
That's all I'm going to say about it-besides it's a classic like Citizen Kane, or Casablanca.
Yes, it's a family film.
Yes, it's in black and white.
Yes, it's a sentimental film by the king of the genre at that time Frank Capra.
But come on, it's got a great Charleston dance sequence in the movie!
If you haven't seen it, watch it.
If you have, well then you don't need me to tell you to watch it again.
It just doesn't seem like the holidays without It's A Wonderful Life!

And it just doesn't seem like the holidays without A Christmas Story quote!

"The old man could replace fuses faster than a jackrabbit on a date."

Your mission, should you decide to accept it . . .

2011-12-21T21:00:00.000+09:00

The Mrs. and I went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol today, and believe the hype-it really is good.
The action sequences are amazing, and the gadgets are pretty great as well.
It's almost as suspenseful as the first one. I'd rank it number two overall in the series (first one still the best).
It's been awhile since there has been an entertaining Tom Cruise movie (does Tropic Thunder really count?), and it seems like he's gotten his film mojo back.
Jeremy Renner is also pretty good in his role, and seems like he would be a good character to take over the franchise if that indeed happens.

I should be watching Christmas movies, but instead I'm going to finish off the latest season of Dexter.
Nothing says Merry Christmas like a serial killer who kills serial killers.

A Christmas Story quote? Yes, please!

"I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya! "
"Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!"

Not a dictator was stirring . . .

2011-12-20T19:15:00.001+09:00

Our neighbors to the north have been pretty quiet today.
I guess they're still busy mourning the dear leader's passing.
That was some pretty heavy grief they were showing.
Was it for real, or was it just for show?
It's hard to know for sure, but with the cult of personality that they got going on up there I wouldn't be surprised if it was real.
KJI is now lying in state in Pyongyang.
His son, "the great successor" (which doesn't really have the ring that dear leader had) paid his respects today.
South Korea also sent condolences-to the people of North Korea.
Was that a burn?
Tune in tomorrow . . .

Finished the last of the Christmas shopping today.
In fact, everything is wrapped up and waiting to be placed under the tree.

Hey, speaking of trees . . .

"This isn't one of those trees where all the needles falls off, is it?
"No, that's them balsams."

Did you hear?

2011-12-19T18:51:00.001+09:00

So, what happened today?
Well, I started winter classes today.
I entered my grades into the school computer system.
I think I'm forgetting something . . .
Oh yeah, Kim, Jong-il died.
The dear leader died on Saturday, but North Korea didn't make the announcement until today.
For all of you out there that think this is gonna affect us living in South Korea, don't worry, it won't.
In fact very little is going to happen.
The border are not going to open up, and you're not going to see a flood of NK refugees.
What you will see are the same five stories concerning KJI's death on CNN.
In their defense, they don't call North Korea the hermit kingdom for nothing.

They said Kim, Jong-il was a big movie fan, maybe he liked A Christmas Story.

"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."

By the numbers

2011-12-18T22:04:00.001+09:00

What my son will get for Christmas if he doesn't behave.

Time I woke up on Saturday morning: 3:15
Time it took me to flag down a taxi at 4 in the morning: Less than a minute
Time my train left: 5:20
Time it arrived in Seoul: 8:17
Time it took before I realized how utterly cold it was: About a minute
Time I was in a meeting: 6 hours
Time I spoke in said meeting: 2 minutes
Time I had first beer of the day: 3:30
Time the rowdy table next to us had their first beers: I'd say around 10 in the morning
Time I decided I was going to head back to Gwangju instead of staying in Seoul: 7
Time my train left: 8:50
Time I got back: 11:53 (although it seemed much longer)
Time I should have gone to bed: 12:30
Time at which I realized I should really be in bed and not out in a bar: 3
Time I got home: 3:30

Time for A Christmas story quote: right now!

"Grover Gill! Farkus' crummy little toady."

The quotes must go on!

2011-12-17T04:28:00.001+09:00

It's 4:30 in the am and I'm waiting for my train. Thanks to smartphones I can still post today's quote!

"Randy lay there like a slug, it was his only defense."

Hey, it's snowing

2011-12-16T19:43:00.000+09:00

It started snowing last night . . .
and has been snowing pretty much most of the day.
The first snow is magical and romantic.
After that, it's just an icy, dangerous mess.

Today the Mrs. and I got our Christmas shopping done.
There will be lots of presents under the tree for a certain little man.
We also got our holiday package from my folks.
Joy! The Christmas cookies have arrived!
It's officially the Christmas season!

Tomorrow morning (early morning I might add) I'm off to Seoul for a teachers meeting.
It looks like I'm going to be more involved in this organization that I belong to.
Seoul is usually colder than Gwangju, which is just what this Florida boy needs.
Uh, that was sarcasm by the way.

A Christmas Story quote? Well all right then!

"Getting ready to go to school was like getting ready for extended deep-sea diving."

Don't play with fire

2011-12-15T16:22:00.001+09:00

Today I finished the second book in the Millenium trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire.
I found it to be just as good as the first novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
The series definitely keeps your interest, and the characters are ones that you care about.
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is being made into a movie that's coming soon, but it's actually a Hollywood remake.
I saw the original film from Sweden the other day. It was good, and faithful to the book, but the English dubbing was a little distracting.
Always go for the original language and subtitles I say.
I have the last book to read, but I'll hold off on that for awhile.
The reason why is that my early Christmas package from Amazon came today.
I got the new Stephen King novel, and the first four books in The Fire and Ice series.
I got a great deal on the latter-basically three bucks for each paperback.
I took advantage of the cyber Monday deals.
So now I have enough reading material to hold me over for some time.

Here's something to read-today's A Christmas Story quote!

"They looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears!"

A Christmas Story

2011-12-14T14:47:00.001+09:00

It's a major prize.

Christmas is a time for traditions.
Many of those traditions involve entertainment.
There is Christmas music, television specials, and of course movies.
One of my favorites is A Christmas Story.
For close to 30 years(!) this film has been a Christmas tradition in our family.
A couple of years ago in this blog's infancy I started a new tradition-the 12 days of A Christmas Story quotes.
Everyday from now until Christmas I end each post with a different quote from the movie.
Since there are so many great ones, it's never difficult to come up with one.
So today is day one, and usually I like to present the quotes in order, but this year I'm gonna go a little wild and go out of order.
Yes, danger is my middle name.

Here we go!

"He had yellow eyes! So help me god yellow eyes!"

What's for dinner?

2011-12-13T21:54:00.000+09:00

When school was in session I worked four nights a week.
The Mrs. also worked at night.
When we went shopping we didn't get that much for evening meals because-we weren't home for them.
Now that it's winter time and the Mrs. is on a break from work, family meal time is going to happen
a lot more often.
So today when we went grocery shopping we got a little bit more than the usual stuff.
It's also nice to go shopping on a weekday when it isn't so crowded.
Going shopping was about all that was really accomplished today.
Yeah I know, sounds like a drag.

One week

2011-12-12T20:31:00.002+09:00

I am on a break from classes until the winter semester starts next week.
What to do?
I thought I was going to clean up the apartment, but it seems the Mrs. has already done most of the work.
Don't worry though, there will always be dirty dishes for me to clean and clothes to hang up.
What about Christmas shopping?
Yes, while I have the time off some Christmas shopping will have to be done.
Holiday films?
Well so far the only thing that has opened in Korea is The Adventures of Tintin.

Hoping for The Muppets to open here seems like a lost cause.

How about getting all my grading done?

Did it. I went to the office today to finish my final class.

I'm sure I can think of other things to keep me busy.

Tough decisions I know, but they have to be made.

Yes, this is one of the many reasons people become teachers.
Sure, we get a lot of vacation, but we have to deal with a lot of things to get it.

Good deeds

2011-12-11T23:57:00.001+09:00

On the bus today I gave up my seat for an older gentleman.
No big deal.
The big deal was the two young kids in front of me who didn't give up their seats.
Where is that respect for elders that Korea is so famous for?

Finals

2011-12-07T23:28:00.000+09:00

This week is the last one of the semester at my school which means-final exams!
I had three classes to test, and I gave my last one today.
Overall I think it went pretty well.
There were a lot of students who obviously studied because they got a good grade, and then there were those who didn't study and their grades reflected it.
So now all that is left is to enter the final grades.
My fellow co-workers and I then have a week off before winter classes begin.

Today is also an important day in American history.
70 years ago today Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the next day America entered into WWII.
Take some time out to think about those who lost their lives that day, as well as those men and women that became part of the war effort.

Dinner and drinks

2011-12-05T22:31:00.000+09:00

In Korea one of the benefits of being a teacher is the ability to go out with your students.
No matter how comfortable they are speaking English, they are even more comfortable drinking
and eating.
We all had a good time eating Korean barbecue and drinking Korean alcohol (soju) and beer.
This particular class was one I always looked forward to, and I told them that tonight.
I believe that they will continue with their English studies-they really are eager.
They are the kind of students that make the job easier.
I hope to see them again in the future.

"Think globally, drink locally."

-one of my students tonight.

Please Christmas don't be late

2011-12-04T23:11:00.001+09:00

A classic!

Yes, the Christmas music has already started.
Years ago I made a disc of Christmas music, and I still play it today.
It's a good mix of classics and contemporary songs.
One of my favorites is the Chipmunks Christmas song.
Many stores in Korea have also started playing Christmas music.
In years past it seemed that the only two songs they played were Last Christmas by Wham, and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.
Now though they are playing a little more variety.
Still I guarantee that those two songs will be played the most during the holiday season.
By the way, sometimes you'll never know when the holiday season ends here.
I've seen Christmas decorations and heard Christmas music as late as February.
There was also that bar I went to when I first came here called Everyday Christmas.
I think it's self explanatory.

Questions and answers

2011-12-02T23:00:00.000+09:00

I always thought that if the game show Jeopardy had an all movie edition that I would kick butt.
Last night was the next best thing to that.
It was an all movie trivia night at the local.
They do one every other week, but this past one was only about movies.
My team and I did well in the first couple of rounds, but then we stumbled in the sports movies round.
Going into the last round we were eight points out of first place.
We ended up doing very well in the last round and ended up tying for second.
But there can be no ties in trivia, so guess how it was resolved?
Well it is a bar so you can only guess . . . a chug off.
A chug off which I was picked to do, and lost very badly.
Well I've always said beer was meant to be appreciated.
We did end up with our money back (about 5 dollars), so in the end it was all good.
Overall we all had fun and that's what was the most important.

In the news

2011-11-28T23:13:00.001+09:00

All too common for Korean students

The Korean education system is getting a lot of press nowadays.
Last week there was an article on the BBC's website about the rigorous college entrance exam.
I also saw a small piece that Fareed Zakaria had on his show about the test.
Now there's this article from Time Asia about nighttime raids on learning academies.
I didn't know until reading this article that these academies, or hagwons as they're called are supposed to close at 10 pm.
You might think that Asian students work harder, and most of the time they do, but you should see what they have to go through.
Also related to the topic of education is this story that happened here in Korea last week.
A student allegedly stabbed his mother to death because he couldn't put up with the pressure she was putting him under.
That must have been an intense amount of pressure.

Say goodbye?

2011-11-27T20:23:00.000+09:00

This weekend I went to visit a very good friend of mine who is leaving Korea soon.
In all his time here in Korea he's only lived in one city-Cheonan.
That's where we met many years ago.
Now he's leaving the land of kimchi and heading to South Africa.
We've had some very good times together in Korea.
We've also had a couple where, well let's just say we laugh about it now.
He's heading to South Africa because that's where his girlfriend is originally from, and that's where they 're continuing their life together.
I wish them both all of the best.
I did say goodbye, but I know I'll be seeing the both of them in the future.
I just hope that when I get to South Africa they have a cold one waiting for me because, dang it's gonna be a long trip!

Thanks

2011-11-24T21:43:00.000+09:00

There are many things to give thanks for.
Your family, and your friends.
Your health.
Your job, especially in this day and age.
I like to give thanks for the little things, the small victories.
It's these things that help you get through the day.

So, how did I celebrate Thanksgiving?
Well, I did manage to have some chicken, so at least there was some poultry
The big thing now is whether or not I will try to wake up and watch the football games.
Unfortunately it looks like the best game-Green Bay vs. Detroit-will be on at 2;30 in the morning here!
There's a much better chance of me getting up for the Dolphins/Cowboys game.

Even as I can taste phantom turkey, I hope that my family and friends enjoy the real thing!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey anyone?

2011-11-22T22:04:00.000+09:00

Can't get this?

You can get this!

It's that time of the year again.
It happens every November.
Turning of the leaves?
Temperatures begin to fall?
No, it's when homesick Americans go on a quest to find turkey.
If you like ham, then Korea is the place for you.
If you like/enjoy/desire turkey such as myself, well then you are S.O.L.
It's not that it's impossible to find, it's just almost impossible to find.
I'm sure there will be a lot of people who won't miss all the eating, family dysnfuctionality, and tryptothan, but there will be many people come this Thursday with a big turkey jones.
So, what is a person to do if they can't find turkey?
Just do what I did for on my first Thanksgiving here in turkey-eat KFC.
It's not the same, but it's close enough for Korea.

Anger management

2011-11-21T22:09:00.000+09:00

I've had good classes.
I've had bad classes.
I've screamed.
I've yelled.
I've stomped out of class.
In the end, the best thing to do is to keep your calm.
It took me awhile to realize that.
You have those days where all you can do is take a deep breath.
Some people like to count to ten.
It will all be over soon.

It is an easy job, don't get me wrong.
But every teacher here needs to blow off some steam.
It will help keep you sane.

Fever

2011-11-19T22:28:00.000+09:00

Today was spent mostly indoors because the weather was, well it was crappy.
The sun did come out towards the end, but by then there wasn't too much time to enjoy it.
Anyways, it wasn't like I had anything major planned.
Next weekend I'll be going up to Cheonan to see a good friend one more time before he leaves.
It could be the last time I head to Cheonan for a long time.
He's the last of the old guard, and when he goes-well there's really no reason to visit.

The FSU/Virginia game is tomorrow morning (for me).
I should be able to listen to that one.
After this week there's only one more game-against Florida.
They royally suck this year, but the Gators always give us a game.
It's a heated rivaly and there is a lot of bragging on the line.

Now it's time to end the night by finally finishing a Britsh drama that I started watching over the summer-it's called The Hour.
Good stuff.

Hack, wheeze, cough . . .

2011-11-15T21:15:00.000+09:00

This picture has nothing to do with today's post. It is pretty though.

So the weather has finally gotten colder.
What does this mean? Time to break out the winter coats?
More like time to break out the cold medicine.
I must have at least three students in each class that are sick.
If you're a germaphobe than my class is your worst nightmare.
This always happens when the weather starts to get cold.
Since there is no over the counter cold medicine here in Korea, it's either let it take its course, or go to the hospital.
Tonight I let my class leave early because five out of seven students were sick.
So now it's only a matter of time before I get sick.

Over the weekend

2011-11-14T22:02:00.001+09:00

The above picture is the island of Oeido (pronounced waydo), which is one of the places we went on our family trip.
When I say family I don't just mean the Mrs. and our son, I mean the family!
All of the adult in-laws joined us-sadly my nieces had to stay home and study.
We stayed on another island called Geoge (pronounced Go gee) at a condo that's owned by the company my brother-in-law works for.
We arrived Friday night and we stayed until Sunday morning.
We took two trips, the first one was to Oeido.
It's a pretty small island with the only thing on it being a botanical garden.
The garden is very beautiful, and as a plus the weather was very nice.
Later on in the afternoon we went to a former P.O.W. camp in Geoge that was used during the Korean war.
For me this was the more interesting of the two.
They had a lot of interesting exhibits about how life was during the years the camp was used.
Geoge itself is a nice place, but it's not very big and there wasn't a lot of places where we were staying.
Still, it was a nice change from the usual weekend routine, and I also got to go to places that I've never been to.

T-day

2011-11-10T15:00:00.000+09:00

Today is the day that all high school seniors in Korea dread-the college entrance exam day.
Not only do the students dread it, but their parents as well.
In fact about the only people who like it are middle schoolers because they get the day off.
Freshmen and sophomores are already studying for it, so they don't like it much either.
Yesterday the BBC had a report about how Korea is second in the world when it comes to suicide.
No doubt that's a list Korea did not want to be on.
What does this have to do with the entrance exam you might ask?
Well imagine the SAT in America-only on steroids-and you have a pretty good idea how life shattering this test could be if you don't do well.
Every year there is a story about how some poor student who didn't do well on the test throws themselves off a bridge.
Yes, it's that pressure filled.

Hopefully this year there won't be any stories like that.

Kids know the darndest things

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000+09:00

When I was little my mother used to spell things out that she didn't want me to hear.
That didn't last too long because I was really good at spelling.
When you become parents you talk in code.
This is how a conversation went tonight between the Mrs. and myself while our son was present.

Mrs.: "I'm going to drop you two off at home and then I have to go do that thing."
Me: "What thing?"
Mrs.: Remember? I told you about it the other night? I have to go to . . . you know"
Me: Oh yeah."
Mrs.: "Unless you want to come along?"
Me: "It's up to you."
Our son: "Yeah! Let's go to E Mart!"

Our son knew that we were talking about going to the grocery store.
The words weren't mentioned, and we didn't even mention the name of the store.
Yet, he knew what we were talking about.
Forget spelling in front of him, we can't even talk in front of him!
We weren't there that long so he was on his best behavior.
Well, best is a pretty strong word.

I'm a little short

2011-11-07T22:23:00.000+09:00

There is definitely a culture difference here in Korea when it comes to money.
Tonight my class and I were discussing what-if situations.
One of the scenarios was asking if you would lend money to a friend to buy an iPod .
All of the students except for one said yes.
I have no problem buying a round for friends, but an iPod? Um, sorry no.
We've talked about money in class before and many of my students have said that they have no problem lending friends large sums of money.
In Korea friendship is very important-too important enough to let something like money stand in the way.
That's not to say they are irresponsible when it comes to money, it just means that they don't have the hangups about it that us in the west do.
So if I need a loan to buy a car, I guess I know who to call on!
That's alright, they can just buy me a round . . . or two . . . or . . .

A Sunday afternoon in Korea

2011-11-06T22:50:00.001+09:00

Not as awesome as the one I saw today.

When I first arrived in Korea many people worked six days a week.
This meant that Sunday was the one and only day to spend with the family.
In Cheonan where I used to live, stores were open late, and it wasn't uncommon for the downtown area to be busy on a Sunday night.
One thing we tried to avoid doing on Sundays was to go to the supermarket.
It seemed that one half of the country was out on the streets on a Sunday, and the other half was in a supermarket.
Now that we live in Gwangju, and more importantly both the Mrs. and I work, Sunday is the easiest day to go shopping.
Unfortunately it hasn't gotten any easier.
The stores are still crowded, and I'm sorry but Korean kids are no good when it comes to pushing the shopping cart.
The one lucky thing is that Gwangju is bigger than Cheonan, so there are more stores for people to shop at.
The highlight of today though was definitely seeing not one, but ttwo Korean kids with awesome mullets.
Business in the front, party in the back is not fading in Korea that's for sure!

A nice, quiet weekend

2011-11-04T18:45:00.000+09:00

Things have been busy in Gwangju lately, but I'm looking forward to a weekend of not doing much.
I only have one thing planned for tomorrow, and not much of anything else the rest of the time.
A lot of people are busy on the weekends because it's the only time to get out and see things.
Gwangju also has a lot of activities to keep people busy as well.
But every now and again you need some time off.

I listened to the Seminoles game tonight against Boston College.
In the past we haven't been lucky on Thursday nights, but we easily put away BC.
This weekend though in college footbal will be dominated by the LSU/Alabama game.
It's number 1(LSU) vs. number 2(Bama) and it should be the game to watch.
Since it's primetime Sat. night, I'll be able to watch it Sunday morning.

Well I hope everybody else has a nice weekend.
I plan on doing . . .

Let's not talk . . .

2011-11-02T21:53:00.003+09:00

Let's talk about what?

When you teach in Korea there are a lot of things you can talk about with adult students.
But even with adults there is one topic that is pretty much taboo-sex.
Tonight I was talking about the differences in dating between western and eastern countries.
I was telling my students about how it takes some couples awhile before they start calling themselves one.
One of my students asked if I was talking about a couple in regards to a sexual relationship.
Woah, hold on there a minute.
I quickly told him that wasn't what I meant, and then I told the rest of the class that we weren't getting into anything that serious.
Even though these students are adults, and they speak very good English, sex is one of those subjects that can cause miscommunication and problems.
Still, overall it was a really good discussion tonight regarding relationships.
This class is one of my best adult classes that I've ever had and I will certainly miss them when its over.

That's not something a lot of teachers can say.

Something is strange around here

2011-11-01T21:25:00.000+09:00

Last week it was time to break out the winter clothing. It was getting colder and I knew that pretty soon we would need it.
However, for the past two days I've gone back to my windbreaker.
Today felt like it should have been September 1st, not November 1st!
The weather this year has been pretty crazy.
I don't mean crazy as in typhoons or tornadoes (thankfully!), but crazy as in one extreme to another.
We go from spring smack dab into summer, but winter sure seems to be taking its sweet ass time to get here.
I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm really not.
I don't particularly like winter here (or anywhere cold for that matter), but it's no fun waiting for it to happen-knowing that it should be any day now, but it isn't.
It's almost as if mother nature is toying with us.
It's not like she didn't have any fun with summer.
So, it seems like fall is sticking around a little bit longer here in Korea.
Yes, I know by posting this tonight that it will probably be really cold tomorrow.
That's just the way things seem to work here.

No tricks, no treats

2011-10-30T22:33:00.000+09:00

Saturday was a busy day for us, but it involved nothing to do with Halloween.
The Gwangju International Center held its annual International Day this weekend.
There was food, booths for community activities, and even a flea market (that was selling a Jesus action figure!).
There was no doubt though that the food was the major attraction.
There were offerings from Spain, Bangladesh, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and of course Korea.
The Mrs. and my sister-in-law were big fans of the Kenyan booth who were selling traditional bread that tasted like nan bread from India.
We had a lot to eat, so much that dinner was pretty much an afterthought.
Oh yeah, we had some drinks as well.
I've been to the International Day three years now and this seemed to be the biggest so far.
One thing that always amazes me is how many families there seem to be in Gwangju. There were a lot out at the festival yesterday.
So, what did we do today?
Absolutely nothing. After all, that's what Sunday is all about!

It's the great kimchi Charlie Brown!

2011-10-27T21:17:00.001+09:00

I remember the first time I went to a Halloween party in Korea.
I had a pretty crappy costume that I was afraid to put on until I got to the party because I didn't want the natives thinking that I was some kind of weirdo.
When I took the Mrs. to her first Halloween party she didn't want me wearing my costume until I got to the party. She thought that everybody would be looking at us funny.
Times have changed since that first party.
Now Halloween is a big deal in Korea.
Most of the major clubs in Seoul now hold Halloween parties.
Schools and academies also have parties for kids.
The costumes for kids can be quite expensive apparently-close to about 80 dollars U.S.
This has caused some parents to question if all this is necessary for a one day American holiday.
I totally agree that spending that much on a costume is too much.
But there's nothing really wrong for having an excuse to party.
There's especially nothing wrong when the reason to party comes with costumes and candy!

Bad day for football

2011-10-24T22:03:00.000+09:00

Yesterday the family and I went to the final game of the season for Gwangju's professional football team.
It had been awhile since I've been to a game-basically since baseball season had begun.
The Mrs. had gotten free tickets so it was a pretty easy decision to go.
I enjoy going to the games, I just wish more people would attend.
Even when you do pay for the tickets it is an inexpensive way to spend a couple of hours.
Plus, just like baseball, you can bring in your own snacks and drinks!
As you can tell by the name of this post it wasn't a very good outcome.
Gwangju lost to Suwon 0-1.
Still, no matter what the outcome was we all had fun-and that's what is important.

As for the big game that I watched on TV last night . . . well the least said about that the better.

A new place to call home

2011-10-21T19:53:00.002+09:00

Picture taken from Brian in Jeollanamdo website

After watching many Korean baseball games this season I came to the conclusion that the KIA Tigers had the smallest stadium.
Now I like the stadium we have now, but compared to the others it's really lacking.
I was reading today though that we are getting a brand new stadium in time for the 2014 season.
It won't be like any of the baseball stadiums that they have in the U.S., but it will be new, and bigger.
The funny thing about the stadium is who is building it-Hyundai.
In America Hyundai is known as a carmaker, but here in Korea they do such more.
I do find it interesting that Hyundai is building a stadium for the KIA Tigers.
Wouldn't this cause a conflict of interest?
Are there going to be ads for both car companies?
I doubt it since like I said Hyundai in Korea is a big conglomerate responsible for producing many things, such as baseball stadiums apparently.

Field trip

2011-10-19T11:51:00.000+09:00

Tonight I will be going out with my students from my adult class.
For those of you that don't live in Korea that might sound strange, but it's a common occurrence here.
Even with an advanced class like I have tonight students feel constrained.
When you take them out of the classroom they tend to loosen up more.
Many Korean students take learning English too seriously.
Yes, it's not going to be a party every night, but it doesn't always have to be a serious affair either.
The best part of going out with students is learning things about them that you wouldn't hear in the classroom.
Everybody gets chattier when they have a couple of drinks in them.
Woah! Drinking with students Bill? Is that kosher?
Yes.
Korea has a drinking culture, and I'm all about exploring culture.

Conference

2011-10-18T21:50:00.001+09:00

This Saturday I went to Seoul for the annual KOTESOL (Korea TESOL) conference.
Even though all I did was go to the convention, the capital city of Seoul still makes me a bit tired.
For those of you that live in that city-more power to you!
The traffic alone is enough to exhaust me.
The conference seems to be getting better and better every year.
The only complaint for me was the weather, and that's something they had no control over.
The speakers for the most part were pretty good.
I especially enjoyed a seminar that was given by a professor from UCF.
This year I made it to a lot of sessions, probably the most I've ever been to.
Of course one of the best parts of the conference was the free swag!
This year I got two free copies of textbooks!
For a teacher that's pretty good stuff.
Hopefully by next year's conference I will be more mobile.

Sunday night

2011-10-16T21:08:00.001+09:00

I'm sitting here with the Mrs. watching X Factor.
She seems to like it better than American Idol.
Well I managed to hobble around Seoul and Cheonan without any problem. I am tired though so this will be my post for tonight.
I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend.

Game over

2011-10-13T21:08:00.000+09:00

Last night was the end of the KIA Tigers season.
They lost their series against the SK Wyverns 3 games to 1.
This was probably expected because the Tigers had taken a real dive as of late.
I was still cheering for them, but I knew they were going to have a hard time.
So now not only is the American baseball season over for me, but so is the Korean season as well.
Oh well, there's always football.

I got a lot of sympathy from my students as I hobbled around school yesterday.
They all wished me well and hoped that I would feel better soon.
It's nice to have students that care.
I'm also happy to report that my ankle is feeling much better and walking is a lot easier.
That's a good thing because using crutches is more trouble than it's worth!
Although they do make it easier to hit the light switch from bed.

Nothing broken . . .

2011-10-11T20:49:00.001+09:00

Not mine, but you get the idea.

but something sure is sprained-my ankle!
It happened last night, and while I'm not going into specifics, I can say that alcohol had nothing to do with it!
I went to the hospital last night and they put my right ankle in a splint and told me to come back today.
So today the doctor told me it was definitely a sprain and that I would have to wear the splint for two weeks.
Unfortunately this means my trip to Seoul/Cheonan this weekend is out of the picture.
I stayed home from work today because I only had one class, but I did get crutches today so that will help me get around tomorrow.
Don't worry folks, I've got a great nurse and assistant on hand.
I wanted to include a picture of my ankle in the splint, but my camera is not easy to get to!
Oh well, perhaps tomorrow then.

Playoffs!

2011-10-08T12:46:00.001+09:00

The American baseball season is over for me now that the New York Yankees are out, but the Korean playoffs are just beginning.
The KIA Tigers begin their championship campaign today against the SK Wyverns (again, what the hell is a Wyvern?).
As I mentioned earlier in the week, it's going to be a tough series for KIA.
Right now they just don't have the pitching to get it done.
That's not going to stop me of course for rooting for them.
We have beaten SK a lot this year so that's encouraging.
Let's go KIA! It would be great to see the number four team end up playing the number one team for the championship.

Come on Tigers!

The Friday night routine

2011-10-07T22:33:00.000+09:00

Back in my early days in Korea I would always be out on a Friday night.
I was usually working, and I wouldn't finish until late.
Nowadays my Friday night routine is a little different.
I usually get two bottles of beer, and watch the Discovery channel (yes, we do get it in Korea).
Friday night is Mythbusters and true crime television.
Sure, it certainly isn't going out and enjoying some cold ones with friends, but my wild days are over.
Well, they're not exactly over, just fewer . . . and fewer.
Tonight though I'm staying away from the beer because I've had two nights in a row of the school festival.
I need a break!

Started in a garage

2011-10-06T14:52:00.001+09:00

I guess I should begin by saying that I'm not a Mac person.
But, like many of us out there, I do own at least one product from Apple.
I bought my first (and so far only) iPod a couple of years ago.
This revolutionary product came into being because of many people, but one in particular.
It was sad to hear about Steve Jobs succumbing to cancer today.
I'll leave it to the talking heads to eulogize the man, but I do know that he was quite a genius when it came to business.
You certainly don't have to be an expert to see that.
All you have to do is see all of the Apple logos on products that are all around us.
Apple will never be the same, but Jobs' legacy will live on.
One more thing, as I said before I am not a Mac addict like others are.
I do have a friend, and she knows who she is, who probably can count on one hand the hours she has used a PC.
She is definitely a person whose life was changed by Steve Jobs.
RIP.

Tigers

2011-10-05T11:57:00.001+09:00

The KIA Tigers are Gwangju's professional baseball team.
They started off the season OK, then really picked up steam in the summer.
At one point they were the number one team in the country.
However in August they suffered a monumental collapse and dropped to fourth place.
Only the top four teams in the league go on to the playoffs.
Last night the Tigers beat the number three team, the SK Wyverns (what the hell is a wyvern?), by a score of 4-0.
They have two more games to play against SK and then I believe the playoffs begin.
That's the problem though, I can't find out exactly when they begin, nor do I know anybody that knows.
Either way it looks like the Tigers are going to get into the playoffs, but they have a tough road ahead.
They can beat SK which is the first team that they would have to play.
If we beat them though we would have a tough time against the Lotte Giants, who would be our next opponents.
They won their game last night as well.
Final score? I believe it was 20-1.
That's right, 20.

Foundation

2011-10-03T23:16:00.000+09:00

Today was Foundation Day in Korea.
It's to celebrate the founding of Korea which took place a really long time ago.
How long?
Reaaallly long.
I mean really, really, long.
Anyways it's a day off and our last one for the year since Christmas and New Years falls on a weekend.
What did I do today?
Welll nothing really and that is the whole point of a holiday I say.
Starting on Wednesday my university will have its school festival.
Almost all universities have a festival.
There's food, drink, and live music.
What kind of bands play at an a women's university?
Boy bands of course.

Michael Francis Rizzi do you renounce . . .

2011-10-02T12:13:00.000+09:00

Minor spoiler if you haven't seen The Godfather

To me the climax of The Godfather begins with the christening of Connie and Carlos' baby. The Godfather, Michael Corleone, stands at the altar while the deadly plan he hatched sets into motion.
Today I am going to my first christening (besides my own of course!) and I asked my friends if the ceremony was just like how it was in The Godfather.
Guess what? It pretty much is!
Although thankfully this christening won't end with the father getting whacked.
I was also surprised to learn that the ceremony isn't that long-about 30 minutes maximum.

I mean, how long can it take to sprinkle water over the baby's head and for the godfather to renounce Satan?

Seven years

2011-09-30T11:12:00.000+09:00

Seven years ago I started this blog because, well everybody was blogging.
It was also a much easier way for my family to see what my life was like in Korea.
It started as Hotel Cheonan, which was named after a private joke my friends and I had.
Then when I moved back to America it became Hotel Inverness, which is where my parents live in Florida.
However that didn't really roll off the tongue so I changed it again to simply (B)log.
When I came back to Korea in 09, it became (B)log in Gwangju.
Now after two years and a new redesign it is called Gwangju Calling.
Why the change?
Well as I said a couple of weeks ago, I was getting tired of blogging.
I thought to myself that a good way to get back in it would be to redesign the site.
This is in no way a final look.
It still is a work in progress, and you'll probably see more changes in the future.
For that small, but dedicated group of followers, I hope you like it.
You could also do me a favor-tell a friend about this blog.
I know it's selfish, but I kinda want to see the hit count go up.
Oh, and vote in the poll please!

(C)lass

2011-09-27T22:00:00.004+09:00

I like Tuesday's class.
It's a small class with only about 22 students.
They're all nice students and quite respectful.
Actually all my students are respectful, but this class takes the lead.
I know I shouldn't have a favorite, and I'm not saying that Tuesday's class is . . .

Today on campus was prospective freshmen orientation.
All the departments were holding interviews trying to entice students to come here.
Students won't be making that decision until they take the big college entrance exam in November.
Actually they don't make the choice-their test score does.

Tonight for desert was homemade apple pie made by the Mrs.
Delicious!
Yes, I'm spoiled.

The tigers aren't growling

2011-09-22T19:32:00.004+09:00

Before I left for vacation the KIA Tigers were doing well.
They weren't the best team in the league, but they were far from the worst.
Then in August they took a dive.
A dive of epic proportions.
Now a team that was battling for first, sits in fourth place.
Hey Bill, fourth place doesn't sound that bad.
There are only eight teams in the league.
Now the top four teams do go on to the playoffs, but I hold very little hope for KIA's chances.
There is a chance they could squeak by in the first round, however after that they would most likely be beaten to a mushy pulp.
Hey Bill, where's your support for your team?
I will still support the Tigers whether they win or lose.
That doesn't stop me being a realist.
They just don't have the pitching or hitting to get far.
Without those things they're not going to win games.
Also, the manager must go.
That is a must.
Please.

(C)ool

2011-09-20T20:34:00.003+09:00

It seems we're finally out of summer here in Korea.
Since Sunday the weather here has been a lot cooler.
The first two weeks in September were unusually hot for Korea.
Now the temps are in the 20's (70's in the farenheit range).
It's still not time to break out the jackets, but you're also not sweating profusely.
With the weather cooling now you won't see too many locals in t-shirts.
It's usally only foreigners who wear short sleeves this late.
I figure jacket weather will hit on ther 1st of October.
I know, I can't be sure of the date, but sometimes here in Korea it's pretty damn close.
Anybody wanna take any bets?

Smoke gets in your eyes

2011-09-18T23:50:00.001+09:00

Today I went to the bus terminal to meet the Mrs. and my son after they got back from Cheonan. Before they arrived I waited outside on the terminal's terrace. The terrace is a popular place-for women to smoke. You don't see many women who smoke in public. The terrace is upsyairs and is not a place a lot of people go to. Back in the day the only women who smoked in public were prostitutes. Times have definitely changed, but there is still a stigma attached to women smoking in public. Interestingly, the only times I have seen women smoking on campus is behind an art building.
Must be something about those art majors.

(C)huseok

2011-09-13T21:24:00.004+09:00

Today was the last day of the Chuseok holiday.
I was over at the in-laws for most of it so I've been away from the computer.
We had a good holiday-relaxing as usual.
It's nice that we only have to go across town to the in-laws house.
There was lots of food eaten . . . and of course a lot of drinking.
My son had a good time playing with his cousins (he cried when they had to leave).
Today we came back home and really didn't do much except for some cleaning.
It's back to work and school tomorrow, although it will be an easy two days.
Last night I was talking to my friend about the 1st Chuseok I celebrated here 10 years ago.
We laughed about how out of boredom we went outside and helped burned trash.
Then later on that night I was back in Cheonan wandering the empty streets with little to do.
I ended up meeting two other foreigners in town and we ended up at a bar ( I know, surprising) where there were other foreigners.
I hope everybody here in Korea had a good holiday-because there's only one more until Christmas!

11

2011-09-11T13:51:00.003+09:00

I had only been in Korea for a couple of weeks.
I didn't have internet in my apartment yet so I went to a PC room after work.
I sent an e-mail to a friend of mine telling her about my life in Korea.
I came home and turned on the TV to the only channel that I got in English-CNN.
There was a report about a plane crashing into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
Then the second plane hit and everything changed right there.
I called my friend who was also in Korea and we talked while watching the reports.
I fell asleep on the couch that night watching CNN.
When I woke up the next morning the towers were gone.
Our feeling of invincability was gone.
It wasn't just America that had to face a new reality of fear and terror-the whole world had to as well.
It all happened ten years ago today.
We remember all those who lost their lives on 9/11, and we will never forget.

(T)hink

2011-09-08T15:52:00.003+09:00

If you were in college, and had to pick an elective, would you pick something you had no idea about.
Would you take history of trigonometry if you were terrible at math?
Today was my one elective class that I teach this semester.
It's about resume writing, and preparing for interviews.
The class of course is taught in English.
After class was over I had a student come up and give me a note.
The note said that she was poor in English and she didn't know what to do.
I asked her if it was her speaking, listening, or writing skills, or all three.
She shook her head yes.
Now I'm sure this is a nice girl, but why would you take an elective class in English if you can't speak, can't understand, and can't write in English?
So now I'm stuck with a student (who probably cannot change classes because it's too late) that won't be able to do anything in class-except to sit there.
Well, at least I won't have to worry about her talking in class and interrupting me.

(F)atigue

2011-09-06T19:11:00.002+09:00

To be honest the reason that I haven't been posting as much is that I'm just not feeling it anymore.
At the end of this month this blog will be seven years old.
It's the longest thing that I've ever written.
I don't have writer's block-more like writer's apathy.
Originally this blog was just so that my family and friends could follow my life here in Korea.
This was before social networks made it so easy to communicate with loved ones far away.
When I started blogging it was still a relatively new thing.
Now it seems that blogs are already behind the times.
Last night I really wanted to post, but I was just too tired to come up with anything.
Perhaps I need to change the blog, maybe this will spark mr creatively.
Don't fret loyal readers (possibly still in the single digits), I'm not giving up-yet.
You just won't hear as much from me as you're used to.

By the way, I hope all my family and friends had a nice Labor Day holiday.
What did I do?
I labored.

(W)ork

2011-09-04T23:28:00.001+09:00

The first full week of classes start tomorrow. Am I ready?
I will be in time.
I have a really good schedule this semester so I can't complain.
Did I mention that I have Fridays off?
I have Fridays off.
Yes, it's tough.

Back to normal?

2011-09-02T16:15:00.003+09:00

Today I woke up at 8:30 which hopefully means I'm over jet lag.
I had to force myself to stay up until 11 last night.
I was pacing the house just to stay awake!

The Mrs. and I went shopping today.
We didn't go to our usual store-instead we went to HomePlus.
HomePlus is a chain that is co-owned by Tesco, which is a UK grocery chain.
They tend to have more foreign foods than the other grocery stores here in Korea.
We went there today because we had the use of a car.
We ended up buying a little more than usual because of the stuff we can't usually get.
Cheezits! OK, it's an impulse buy.
They also have a better selection of cereal.
They also had rice krispy treats-but I held back from buying them (maybe next time?).
There is just too much temptation at HomePlus.

Big weekend coming up. We're having dinner with friends on Saturday night, and then a going away party to go to later that night.
It's also the start of college football-yeah!
Go Noles!!!

Jet lag

2011-09-01T21:43:00.001+09:00

We've been back since Sunday,but this is the first night I have made it past nine at night. Since it is the 1st of September I thought now would be a good time to start blogging again. Not a lo to post tonight though because I'm typing this on my phone!
More tomorrow.

Hello, I must be going

2011-08-25T00:03:00.004+09:00

Sadly, all vacations must come to an end.
As cliched as it sounds though it's the memories that make vacations live on.
We did everything that we wanted to do and more.
We saw family and friends and had a great time with them.
Sean conquered Disney and he'll have a lot to tell his friends when he gets back home.
Probably the best part though was just relaxing at home with my folks.
After all, that's what vacations are all about-relaxing!

Later on this afternoon we'll be heading down to Orlando to stay there tonight.
We have an early flight tomorrow and we figured it would be much easier to stay near the hotel.
It certainly is going to be a long trip back, but I've done it so many times that I'm used to it.
It's not that I like it, but I'm used to it.
I wanted to post more while I was here but I never got around to it-hey I was on vacation!
I did get some good pictures that I will hopefully (accent on hopefully) post soon.
I want to end by thanking my parents for everything they have done for us.
I know they enjoyed the time as much as we did.

Finally, a quick shout out to our man in Scotland, who is now married to our woman in Scotland.
I wish them all the best and happiness!

(R)est

2011-08-19T11:50:00.005+09:00

Well it certainly has been an action packed vacation.
We've been to Orlando twice.
Two amusement parks.
We've also been to the beach, and done a lot of shopping.
So we decided that we would have a day of rest.
With the exception of going to the store we did nothing.
The weather was idea for this because it rained a lot today.

Tomorrow we'll be running more errands, and on Saturday it's more shopping.
Yeah, vacation is tough.
There will also be one more trip before we go back-to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa.
I'm looking forward to that-especially if luck is on my side.
I hope you're listening to me luck.