My tooth starting hurting Tuesday night.  Being on the cusp of the long Seollal holiday I figured I’d have to tough it out until next Tuesday (Monday being a workday).  For the first couple of days I managed the pain with large doses of Tylenol and Alleve.   By Friday though those wonder drugs were not having much impact.  I also read the warning label which advised in bold print that taking acetaminophen at the dose I was consuming and drinking three or more alcoholic drinks could lead to liver damage.  Knowing that Friday night darts were looming I went out and purchased some old fashioned Bayer aspirin.

When I arrived at the bar the pain was approaching a level best described as excruciating, despite having recently downed three tablets of Bayer and so I decided to visit experts that I found on he OB’s I was drinking did seem to take the edge off the pain some, so I kept on drinking them until I was in a state of inebriation.  The tooth probably still hurt, I just didn’t care anymore.  I experienced a good night of drunken slumber, but awoke this morning with the pain back at full volume.  In desperation, I dialed the number for the U.S. Dentist clinic I had visited when I encountered similar difficulties last year.

A masculine sounding female answered “hello” in English.  I said “is this Dr.?”  She replied affirmatively so I asked if she was open today and joy of joys she was.  I told her I was suffering and asked if she could see me today.  She said she’d call back in 30 minutes, and true to her word she did and offered me an 11:00. As I suspected, I was once again experiencing the agony of an abscess.  This time it was in a “live” tooth and as I expected the recommended treatment was a root canal.  That little prick in my mouth was a blessing.  (I’m talking about the Novocaine shot you sick bastards.)  Once I was numb Dr.  set about removing the offending nerves that had led to my misery and in less than an hour the work was done.  It set me back W450,000 but you really can’t put a price tag on elimination of pain, right?  I’ll go back next week for the crown which will also no doubt be as expensive as it necessary.  Easy come, easy go and all that jazz.

Having not eaten since noon on Friday I came home from the dentist feeling hungry.  So I set about preparing a remedy.

I’ve never cooked in one of these Korean stoneware pots before.

Turns out they are perfect for making chili! Back home I always used a slow cooker, but this method worked just as well and was a damn site quicker.

And damn it was delicious, if I do say so myself. Now, I like my chili with cornbread but given my lack of a proper oven, I made do with a baguette from where else, Paris Baguette.

After consuming two bowls, I took the antibiotic capsule prescribed b.  Then I took a nap.  I awoke refreshed and pain free!  Woo Hoo!

Finally, there’s this:

This was posted above the urinal in the subway restroom. Given my lack of reading skills I imagined it was the urinal’s unhappy response to being pissed on all day, everyday. Alas, Jee Yeun says it’s an advertisement for men who have trouble with urination. Me, I have the opposite problem. I have to pee so frequently it’s downright embarrassing.

And that’s all I’ve got for you today.  Well, there is the song I always sing to myself while reclining in Dr.  dental chair.

Happy Lunar New Year, or as they say in Korea, Seollal.  I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one confused about whether this is the year of the Lamb, Sheep or Goat.  Me, I’m going with Ram.  Sue me.

What I like best about this three day holiday is Seoul actually slows down a bit, with a goodly portion of the population heading out of town for family gatherings.

Wednesday morning 0700, line 4, Gireum to Samgakji. I normally have to stand for half the trip, but not yesterday. And my bus ride out to K-16 took half the normal time. Is this a great country or what?

UPDATE:

I guess yesterday was the calm before the storm.

I have prevailed in my battle with Blue Cross for reimbursement of a claim for my comprehensive physical at Soonchunhwang hospital last April.  They paid $1288. on a bill of $1378., which is admittedly pretty sweet.  But they didn’t make it easy.

On the other hand, I have to pay the insurance on my stateside house, which coincidentally is $1300.  So, I guess the universe (or at least my bank account) is in balance.

I had to chuckle over a cc: email I received regarding my security clearance application.  It basically said “this guy held a higher level clearance than you are asking for now, so we don’t need to do another background investigation”.  Which is what I’ve been saying all along.  Anyway, I now have the clearance required for me to be permitted to utilize the DoD computer network.

So, I spent the better part of my non-work day today at the Yongsan office of my employer trying to get my access to said computer network squared away.  I have to submit a form with my electronic signature to request access, which of course means I have to do it online.  And while I have succeeded in getting my electronic signature to work, I can’t submit the required form because I can’t access the computer network.  Someone should write a book about military Catch-22’s.  Oh wait, they did.

Anyway, I think the problem is that I’m still in the system under my former life as a civilian employee.  I now need to be re-designated as a contractor, but my efforts to accomplish that online were fruitless “that SSN is already being utilized by an account holder” was all I could get from AKO (Army Knowledge Online).  Which means I’m going to have to speak with a human being on the help desk back in the states.  Which I guess will mean staying up late one of these nights.

Well, I did manage to take the required training that is a prerequisite for being granted access to the network.  It took over an hour and was pretty much common sense.  I really liked the section on identifying “internal security threats”.  It was a little interactive game where you had to note the classic characteristics of Edward Snowden someone who wants to steal and misuse government secrets.  I caught all of those deceptive bastards!

I passed the final exam and will upload the results.  Once I’m granted access to the network.  Which can’t happen until I’ve uploaded the results.

And the circle remains unbroken.

The world famous “arch of Itaewon”. Suck it St. Louis!

Ah, Itaewon.  The infamous foreigner district of Seoul.  Well known for it’s eclectic international dining options, vibrant nightlife, and plenty of sleaze for those depraved enough to seek it out.  I like it!

Now, I’m into the darting scene and I’d wager Itaewon hosts the greatest concentration of dart bars in the known world.  But do you know what’s more ubiquitous than the pubs?  Coffee shops!  Korean’s surely do love their coffee.

Today I had occasion to be out and about in Itaewon during daylight hours and I decided to answer a question I’ve long pondered: just how far away are you from a caffeine fix should the need strike?  Here’s what I discovered.

Starting at the arch pictured above, I walked 55 steps and encountered this bastion of a little known coffee chain:

It’s a long way from Seattle…

I ventured forward another 80 steps to find:

Ediya is a pretty large chain in Korea, but this is a rather small outlet.

And then I entered a coffee desert, walking around 140 steps before I arrived at:

I couldn’t be bothered to get a decent photo (I felt like a freakin’ tourist as was), but this coffeesmith is huge, the photo captures about 1/3 of its frontage…

Now, for those folks who can’t go that kind of distance without coffee, you might have the good fortune to encounter this:

The coffee ajumma and her cart of goodness…

Another 100 or more steps led me to a virtual coffee oasis:

Neal’s Yard Coffee on this side of the street…

And directly across the street there’s this:

A gigantic Tom N Tom’s coffee house…

And right next door to Tom N Tom’s:

An equally large Marley Coffee. Which strikes me as a more appropriate name for an Amsterdam-style coffee shop…

A short walk past the Hamilton Hotel and you encounter:

Holly’s Coffee, which appears to be larger than Tom N Tom’s and Marley combined…

And I think Holly’s next door neighbor is larger still:

Definitely giving Homestead the best signage award. I really dig that coffee cup!

If you don’t think bigger is better, you can just pop across the street:

To the second coffeesmith in Itaewon. Up until a couple of months ago, this was a Starbucks…

Onward we must go, and it isn’t far until we see:

A Nescafe cafe. Not to be redundant…

Or perhaps you like to dunk a donut in your coffee:

Have at it!  Now, that NY Hotdog Coffee place is technically on a side street, and I’m limiting this expose to the main drag in Itaewon…

Less than a hundred more steps until you can quench your coffee hankering here:

The secret to a good cup of Joe starts with the bean, right?

I don’t know if this is German or not, but it’s next door to the establishment pictured above:

Hell, I don’t know what that is supposed to mean. Reminds me of the internet for some reason…

But wait, there’s more!

This is sort of a specialty dessert with your coffee kind of place. Or so I’ve been led to believe…

And then, right across the road you can get a coffee and chocolate craving satisfied…

And making like a bookend, Starbucks has also anchored the other end of Itaewon…

Another monstrous venue for coffee…

I’ve always considered the Cheill building to be the line of demarcation–Itaewon ends, Hannam-dong begins. Plus I used to live just behind the Cheil back in the good ol’ days…

So, there you have it.  Roughly six city blocks and no less than 16 coffee houses.  And that’s not counting places like McDonald’s and restaurants that will happily serve up some java upon request.  Additionally, every alley and back street is replete with hole-in-the-wall style coffee shops..

And if you are broke and desperate, there’s always this option:

A taste of Joe for the Korean equivalent of 40 cents…

Now, I suppose regular readers may be wondering what the hell I was doing in Itaewon during daylight hours.  The sad fact of the matter is I lost misplaced a key that I require, and the only place I know that makes American-style keys is in the heart of Itaewon.  I figured if I was going to go through the hassle of making the trip in from Gireum-dong I’d at least generate a blog post while I was it.

And since I had to go on base to pick up some mail (what I hoped was a royalty check from my inherited oil leases, but alas, it was just the notice about Uncle Sam taking his fair share) I did a little shopping for some necessities.

Propane for the gas grill…

A resupply of diet Cokes. I squeezed 36 cans into my backpack, a new record, but quite the backbreaker. Why 36 cans all at once you ask? Because they were three 12-packs for ten bucks, or $4.50 each. Yeah, I’m a cheap bastard.

I also brought home an 8 piece Popeye’s chicken dinner and two Whopper Jr.’s (Jee Yeun loves them for some reason).

And so ends today’s big adventure.