or does something seem just a little unbelievable about this story?
Is it just me….
3
Monthly Archives: April 2005
A visual taste of Seoul
Kevin at Big Hominid has a great photo essay today. First he prepares a virtual meal then shares his daily constitutional up Namsan to the Seoul tower. That is the hike I am planning for this weekend. Great photos and commentary. So if you want to experience Seoul vicariously through Kevin’s eyes, you are invited to take the tour here.
Best laid plans….
I had actually intended to entitle this post “Good intentions gone wrong” but apparently I have used that already on another long-forgotten post. Is this getting to be a trend? I did have a post in mind for yesterday about the UN scandal. Was going to call it UNforgivable. The corruption at the UN is almost legendary these days, but for Kofi to claim he was exonerated and for our diligent media to perpetuate this lie, seemed worthy of comment. Since I didn’t get around to it, I hope you will go read Roger L. Simon’s take here. He has been a major driver in keeping the oil-for-food fiasco on the radar screen. I’m actually torn. I don’t know which scandal sickens me most, the stealing of money from the people of Iraq or the epidemic of UN personnel using the children of Africa as their sex toys. It is time for either a major house cleaning at the UN or better yet, a dismantling.
Instead of doing my duty and posting yesterday, I goofed off. Except at work. Busy day and it looks like it is going to stay that way for awhile. I don’t know when, how, or if this disagreement between the USA and ROK on funding support for USFK will be resolved. I guess my position is you get what you pay for. So, if ROK does not want to pony up the dough to keep things as they are, we will downsize to fit their pocketbook. As a COL mentioned yesterday, they should take a look at the price of a carrier battle group then they would see what a bargain they are getting. Right now we appear to have a Mexican stand-off between the two governments. It is just a matter of who blinks first I guess. But I have no doubt that these reductions are not an idle threat.
Anyway, I didn’t post yesterday morning because I slept a little late. I had taken a two hour hike along the Han river on an absolutely gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Guess my body said “whoa dude, I ain’t getting up now so you can go post on the UN.” Figured I would do my posting last night, but instead I watched Lonesome Dove. I’ve seen it several times over the years, but I guess I was just in the mood for something totally American. It did the trick.
Tomorrow I hope to carry my camera to work and photoblog my commute on foot. I saw some signs of spring yesterday, and it is going be cherry blossom season in a couple of weeks from the looks of things. I’m told springtime is the best time in the ROK and I am so looking forward to it.
So that’s my story this morning. Time to get ready for work. And I am back to my Korean lessons tonight. I really need to buckle down and practice, practice, practice. I have no illusions about speaking fluently, but damn I would love to understand what is being said when Koreans look at me and laugh…..
Weekend update
Sunday morning here and its raining. It is rather irksome because all week the weather has been great, highs in the low 60s and very pleasant. I had hoped to go down by the Han River today and I still might if the rain stops by early afternoon as predicated by the weather forcast on AFN.
Yesterday was a good day. Started with a breakfast of bacon and biscuits, and then pampered my feet (one of the issues that led me to the doctor last week). Then I went on post to do some shopping at the PX and commissary.
When I flew over here way back in January I only packed winter clothes. So the recent warm weather has left me in a bit of a bind. The clothes I left behind are enroute but are not scheduled to arrive until 8 May. Plus I needed to replace some worn-out looking work clothes. They had a big sale on Dockers slacks (half price) so I bought 3 pair. The big news is I’m “down” to a 36″ inch waist. So I am slowly walking off my some of my unsightly spare tire. I also got a couple of short sleeve knit shirts to wear on these warm weekends. Hopefully this will hold me over till my summer wardrobe arrives. Looking forward to wearing shorts and sandals again.
Later in the afternoon I walked into town for a bowl of raman. It is cheap and one of my favorite dishes, and when I can use wooden chopsticks I am able to get most of it in my mouth (as opposed to my shirt). I am still a total klutz at using those metal chopsticks that the Koreans prefer. I haven’t been practicing so I have no one to blame but myself.
Last night I ventured out to Sweet Caroline’s. It’s payday weekend and the place was packed with young soldiers. They were having a great time and I enjoyed watching them. Sometimes I envy youth. I got to talking to one of them, a guy named Matt. He’s an E-4 from Tulsa, Oklahoma and so we were able to chat about our shared experiences in that wonderful state. He’s 22 and is finishing his tour in Korea in 47 days, then it’s off to FT Hood, Texas. He introduced me to his fiancee, a beautiful Korean woman who went to college in New York. He was an impressive young man, very gung-ho about the Army and is actually looking forward to his next deployment in Iraq.
Later when they were leaving I bought us all a round of soju and we toasted the USA. These guys were a lotta fun and I was glad to have partied with them for awhile. I expect that they fight as hard as they play, and that should make our enemies very nervous.
And that’s about it. It is almost embarassing that my life is so devoid of adventure that these updates are reduced to discussing mundane details like my waist size. But things are what they are and I am not complaining. Living and working here has been an amazing experience. I expect there will eventually be some adventures, but until then I’m just taking it a day at a time.
Thanks to everyone for bearing with me.
Damn, I hate when that happens…
I got this email entitled “Why I fired my secretary”. Reprinted here as a public service.
A few weeks ago was my birthday and I wasn’t feeling too good that morning.
I went to breakfast knowing my wife would be pleasant and say, “Happy Birthday!”, and probably would have a present for me. As it turned out, she didn’t even say good morning, let alone any happy birthday. I thought, well, that’s wives for you, the children will remember….
The children came into breakfast and didn’t say a word. So when I left for the office, I was feeling pretty low and despondent….
As I walked into my office, my secretary Janet said, “Good morning, Boss. Happy Birthday”. And I felt a little better that someone had remembered.
I worked until noon, then Janet knocked on my door and said, “You know, it’s such a beautiful day outside, and it’s your birthday, let’s go to lunch, just you and me.”
I said, “That’s the greatest thing I’ve heard all day. “Let’s go!”
We went to lunch. We didn’t go where we normally go; instead we went out to a private little place. We had two martinis and enjoyed lunch tremendously. On the way back to the office, she said, “You know, it’s such a beautiful day. We don’t need to go back to the office, do we?”
I said, “No, I guess not.” She said, “Let’s go to my apartment.”
After arriving at her apartment she said, “Boss, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go into the bedroom and slip into something more comfortable”
She went into the bedroom and, in about six minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake…
… followed by my wife, children, and dozens of our
friends, all singing Happy Birthday.
And I just sat there………..
on the couch………….
naked.
More on the US-ROK relationship
This article in the Chosun Ilbo indicates that at least some folks here see the implications of what may be a fraying alliance. As I said yesterday, it is just a damn shame.
From the homefront
Daughter Hillary just completed her two weeks of R&R and is enroute back to Afghanistan. I got to visit with her by phone yesterday and she is in great spirits. She spent some time in South Carolina and in Florida while on leave, but mostly just caught up with friends and family. Carol reports that Hillary and sister Ashley stayed up late into the morning yesterday drinking and laughing, and when those two get into that mode, there is just no hangin’ with him.
Anyway, Hillary called from the airport in Atlanta and relayed a very touching story. They were in line for lunch at one of those Chinese concessions and the man in front of them turned and said “It would be an honor if you would allow me to buy your lunch” and when they thanked him he said “it is such a small thing to do for you our soldiers.” Hillary was almost moved to tears.
I am so proud of my fellow Americans. They get it. Oh sure, you have the Michael Moore fringe out there, but I expect for every barking moonbat who denigrates the real freedom fighters, there are a million people like that kind man in the airport.
I have said many times that the only way we will be defeated in this GWOT is from within. I think we are winning the critical battle on the homefront.
God bless America and our brave soldiers.
This is gonna hurt…
Today I attended a press conference where GEN Campbell announced that because of budget shortfalls created by the just negotiated Security Measures Agreement (SMA) with the ROK, some serious changes have to made in the way USFK operates. The SMA is the bilateral agreement on how much ROK contributes to certain costs associated with maintaining our forces in Korea. We wanted an increase, the ROK wanted to decrease its contribution, and apparently “succeeded”.
I’m not going to speculate on who’s right or wrong in this regard, but I do know some big changes are in store. To begin, it looks like 1000 Koreans will be put out of work. And some weapons systems previously promised to the ROK won’t be delivered anytime soon. Here’s how the Korea Times reported the story.
I think it is a shame really. It can’t do anything but weaken our ability to achieve our mission of deterring North Korean aggression. And in the long run it may cost ROK more than they save. Plus anytime you are dumping hundreds of workers into a weak economy you wreak havoc on many levels. Selfishly, I’m also worried how this might impact my ability to fill a critical vacancy on my staff. Well, we shall see how it all shakes out, but I don’t think it is gonna be pretty.
Seems to me the ROK needs us more than we do them (militarily speaking) and I wonder how this might impact the long term relationship in what has historically been a very successful alliance.
I think it right that the host government pay its fair share of the burden when our sole purpose for being here is to assist in defending their country. ROK says when its contriubtions in Iraq are factored in they have more than met their obligation. Maybe so. But the bottom line is still the bottom line, and I just don’t believe now is the time for the Koreans to be fooling around about money. It’s a dangerous world out there, and it might have just gotten a tad more dangerous here.
And my job just got a lot more complicated.
American girls
Now here’s something you don’t see much of in Korea. Plenty of women here of course, but they just don’t grow them like this, if you get my meaning.
Anyway, nothing like a little Mardi Gras magic to put you in the mood to unwind and let it all hang out. Me, I just like the art.
Since some might not find these appropriate for work, you can view them on page 2.