Things I don’t miss…

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…include my long commute from Stafford, VA to L’Enfant station in D.C. and back on the VRE.  If everything went right, it was about an hour and a half each way.

Somewhat surprisingly, I do miss work my working life.  I actually dream about my old job and co-workers quite frequently.  Ironic, given how I used to dream of being retired.

Things that make noise in the night

So last night at o’dark-thirty I wake up and hear a strange noise in the house.  I’m laying there deciding if I’m dreaming, and I hear it again.  It’s a loud “poooosh” sound, kinda like steam escaping from a pot.  I say out loud to Jee Yeun “are you cooking something”?  She responds: “poooosh”.

Never heard snoring like that before.

Recycling here and there

So, this is how I recycle here in Richland County:

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Basically, paper, cans, and plastic.  Oddly enough, no glass.

In Korea, they take recycling to a whole ‘nother level:

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We schlep a week’s worth of garbage down the elevator…

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…and sort it into specifically designated bags.  Woe be to you if you use the wrong bag, as the “trash police” are there to keep a careful eye on things.

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And once the trash boxes are empty, they go on the cardboard pile of course.  There’s even a place for food waste.  I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as a kitchen garbage disposal in the ROK.

Anyway, it’s a pretty efficient system and given the lack of landfill space on the peninsula, necessary.

I do confess that when I worked for USFK I’d take my trash to the dumpsters on base.  Supposedly, USFK would do the recycle piece off post.  At least that’s what it says on the side of the dumpster…

Amongst the things I miss….

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When making a subway connection at Samgakji station, we’d pause for these hot out of the cooker cream filled cakes and enjoy them on the platform and in the train.

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Yummy!

I had at first titled the post “Among the..” but changed it to “Amongst”.  Now I’m not sure that’s right either…

Raising Cain

Glenn Reynolds links to this NYTimes column regarding the slippery slope of the ever expanding definition of sexual harassment.  Since no one has offered any substantive specifics on just what Cain did or didn’t do, and whether it crossed any legal or moral boundaries, it seems to me this situation is as likely to be political dirty tricks as it is inappropriate behavior. 

Having recently retired after 34 years of federal government service, this post brought back memories.  We had annual mandatory workshops on “sexual harassment” and “diversity” and sometimes the content was downright Orwellian.  My favorite story was the time the diversity instructor told us solemnly that the paper easel he was using for his presentation should not be called a “flip” chart as that term would be considered offensive to people of Filipino origin.  Instead, we should call it a “rip chart”.  To our credit, several folks immediately burst out laughing.  And then we started asking what we should do if called upon to “flip a coin”.   Or if we could no longer “flip the bird” when cut off in traffic.  In went on in that vein until the flustered diversity expert gave the class an unscheduled coffee break.  I guess he was surprised we all flipped out on him by being so flip about such a serious matter.