And I’ll be walking to work (left my car there Monday).
Hope there’s no wind.
-6F
3
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Under the Dome
So, I’ve had a lot of down time lately. Spent New Year’s weekend with a cold so I stayed inside warm and hunkered down. And I whiled away the hours reading the latest novel by Stephen King Under the Dome.
I guess I should preface this by saying I’m a big King fan. Yeah, I know the literary elites like to turn their nose up and sniff that he is just a hack who churns out pulp fiction for the masses. But I think the bigger point is that King is a master storyteller whose creativity in creating worlds (not just supernatural ones, but yeah a lot of that too) and characters that are almost real to us. Certainly the reader can almost always relate to the extreme challenges they face in King’s bizarre stories. The Stand remains one of the best novels I have ever read.
It was also the longest until I tackled Under the Dome’s 1072 pages. A hefty read indeed. It was a good story built around an interesting premise. But I thought it was overlong, sloppy, not particularly well written, and chock full of cliches and caricatures. Yep, despite its length it seemed like King just phoned this one in.
I wouldn’t say don’t read it, it is a fine way to kill time. But if you are expected a classic King spellbinder you will share my disappointment.
Another frozen day
12 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, which means all the slush on the roads is now ice. No worries, my car remains buried in snow on base. I won’t be walking to retrieve it today because USFK leadership granted an excused absence to non-mission essential personnel.
How bad was this storm? According to AP, the worst to hit Seoul in 70 years.
I think we can all be thankful that global warming has prevented the ice age scientists were predicting in the 1970s…
Snowy Seoul
Well what would a snowy day be without pictures?
The view this morning from my office…
We had our office picnic in that park just a few months ago, but my skeleton crew who made it in today stayed hunkered down inside.
The Korean War memorial is across the street from my building…
Easier walking down this hill that driving up it. Later in the morning a tanker got stuck half way up.
With road condition RED in effect, my staff car remained safely sleeping under a blanket of white…
Namsan Tower is still visible in this distance.
The White House (USFK HQ) was looking particularly white today.
Looks quiet now, but us 8th Army folks had a busy morning dealing with the snow emergency…
Mother Nature’s artistry…
So, I walked home this afternoon to avoid driving on the treacherous streets of Seoul. I was glad to see the highly trained and efficient snow removal team hard at work. It is my understanding that by using this method all streets will be clear of snow and ice by mid-April. At the latest.
Coming into Itaewon-dong as my trek home continues…
Ah, Pub Dolce Vita. I’ll be heading out there soon for my first dart league meeting as President.
The Hamilton Shopping Center…
…at the crossroads of Itaewon…
Tough day to be a delivery driver I suppose…
Home at last!
Looking out my back door…
Ok, wasn’t that fun? I’ll be reversing my journey tomorrow when I walk to work. Don’t expect it will be nearly as pleasant, but that’s what January is all about, right?
Snow day!
Well, here’s a first after 5 years in Korea:
5W Report on Early Dismissal of Non-mission essential military and civilian personnel
WHO: ALL non-mission essential military and civilian USFK personnel at Yongsan Garrison
WHAT: Early dismissal
WHERE: Yongsan Garrison
WHEN: 4 Jan 2010, 1200(I)
WHY: Current snow emergency and associated safety concerns
NARRATIVE: Per authority of the Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Forces Korea (USFK), due to the current snow emergency and associated safety concerns, all non-mission essential military and civilian USFK personnel located at the Yongsan garrison are authorized early dismissal at 1200 hours, Mon 4 Jan. Authority for release of personnel at other locations resides at garrison commanders at each respective location. To avoid unnecessary congestion at gates, supervisors should establish a time-phased dismissal plan for individuals driving POVs.
Employees subject to early dismissal will not be charged personal leave for this absence. Essential employees required to remain on duty are not entitled to additional compensation.
Employees who are on previously approved leave shall continue to be charged leave for the entire workday.
Questions regarding this policy should be directed to DHRM 724-3992.
Employees should be reminded to exercise extreme caution as they return to their homes.
All personnel are directed to monitor AFN radio and TV during 4 Jan and through the morning of 5 Jan for updated information on road conditions, closures, and any potential delays.
Ok, it is only half a snow day, but still. We’ve got a good 10 inches or so on the ground and it is still falling. I drove in this morning and barely made it up the hill to the main drag. I’ll be walking home this afternoon.
It’s pretty outside, but a royal pain in the rear.
New Year Yoja
Happy New Year! All I can say is this week’s yoja is a J. Crew model. Um, I guess where she was made speaks for itself…
