In appreciation

So as I understand it, today is National Blogger Appreciation Day or something along those lines.  My, my, how far we have come.

I began reading blogs in earnest around the time of the 9/11 attacks.  I guess all of us were looking for some understanding about how and why things had gone so terribly wrong.  I found the insights, opinions, and analysis from some truly great thinkers to be so much more in depth and incisive than what I was finding in my daily rag (The Washington Post).

And it wasn’t long before I discovered something else–there’s a helleva lot of news that just doesn’t get reported by the mainstream media information gatekeepers.  I’d read the Post every morning during my long ass commute to D.C. and then go to the internet to get “the rest of the story”.  Now, I was not so naive as to believe that there was no liberal slant in news reportage, but I was shocked to discover how “news” was being shaped to fit a certain narrative.  And in most cases this “shaping” was accomplished by leaving contrary facts (inconvenient truths)  completely out of the story.

I guess this was the way things had always been, but bloggers have changed all that.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that newspapers are losing subscribers and that many are on the verge of bankruptcy.   They’ve been exposed as frauds and agenda driven propagandists and as such have lost nearly all credibility.

Anyway, my point is that blogging (serious blogging, unlike what you find here at LTG) has moved beyond mere commentary and opinion.  More and more I’m seeing the MSM beaten out on major stories by blogging journalists.  This is a great thing for democracy and scares the hell out of repressive regimes around the globe who can no longer easily control what information will be consumed by the masses.

Geez, I didn’t mean to go off on such a rant.  What I really wanted to do was throw some appreciation out to the bloggers I read everyday.  So, in no particular order here goes:

Big Hominid’s Hairy Chasms.  Kevin Kim is one of the smartest people I’ve never met.  His blog is generally apolitical, but his insights on a wide range of topics have got me thinking about subjects that I would never have otherwise considered.  It helps that he’s a great writer with a wicked sense of humor as well.

Instapundit.  The Blogfather.  One of the most widely read blogs on ‘net.  Glenn Reynolds is a libertarian who leans right on foreign and domestic policy and left on social issues.  His links are always carrying me off to interesting stories in places I might not have otherwise traveled.  Or as Glenn might say: “Good stuff.”  “Heh.”

Althouse.  Ann Althouse is a law professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, one of the most liberal cities in America.  She steadfastly refuses to be categorized politically.  She voted for Obama (I think I’ve forgiven her that) but leans right on most domestic issues, and left on social issues.  She’s a Feminist in the truest sense of the word and often battles with those who demean women by insisting they need special protections in the work place and society.  Her blog is often political, but it is also a nice mix of the personal (she married one of her frequent commenters), pop culture and stuff she finds interesting.  And I usually do too.

PowerLine. A group blog that brings a view of the world from a decidedly conservative perspective.  Sometimes the writers disagree on issues (like viable Republican presidential candidates) but they are always insightful, honest, and respectful (I have a hard time with similar blogs from the left, because it is usually just name calling and insults versus reasoned commentary).  These guys are Republican party insiders and that perspective is sometimes quite revealing.  They also have guest writers like Stephen Hunter who knows about Hollywood and movies, his books, and other popular culture stuff.  They are big music lovers, so you get some good stuff on lesser known musicians (or stuff you didn’t know about well known acts).  Oh yeah, the like to post photos from the Miss World beauty pageants as well.

ROKDrop.  This is my favorite Korea-centric blog.  Always something of interest here, often from a military perspective, but just as often about the joys and hassles of living in Korea from an outsiders perspective.  Great photos, great links, and excellent interaction in the comments section.

Thanks to all of you for helping me fill the hours and my mind with some great reads.

And so ends another long ass post that will likely go unread.  Such is the life of a blogger.  I’ve been at it for going on 7 years, so I guess it is still filling some need in me.  Folks who happen along for a looksee are frosting on the cake.  Thanks to both of you!

This and that

Good showing for the Ride it In dart team last night as we defeated Sin Bin Bar 15-10.  Yours truly opened the match with a 9-mark, which as they say is a pretty good start.  Or it’s all downhill from there.  5-4 for me on the night, but I was not unhappy with my performance.

In other news, today is the one week milestone in my quest to quit smoking (again).  Last week’s illness proved to be a good motivator seeing as how my throat and lungs were so raw that ingesting smoke just couldn’t be done.  Making it through darts last night without a fag was quite the accomplishment, if I do say so myself.  I was surrounded by smokers but kept my head about me anyway.  So we shall see how it goes.  When I get the urge at home, I just take a nap.

I’ve been sleeping (and dreaming) a lot these days…

Here’s the story

So, I am walking through a small Southern town on my way somewhere, in no particular hurry, but still moving along purposefully as people are wont to do if for no other reason than force of habit.  Now, in this town there had recently been completed a mural painting covering a small city block of buildings.  The art work depicted scenes of the town’s history, focusing on the contributions of the African-American community.  I gave it an admiring glance from a distance as I passed by, but didn’t really break my pace.

As I reached the end of the block I encountered a small old black man sitting on his porch step.  He was well dressed in a black suit and tie and was giving me a knowing smile as I approached.  “That’s really somethin’, ain’t it?” he asked, gesturing towards the mural.  Somewhat startled, I paused and glanced back across the street and replied “it certainly is”. He proceeded to share some of the details about how the mural came to be and I politely nodded as he spoke.  After a while, he paused while we both admired the painting.  And then I said “this sure is some fine weather we’re having, isn’t it?”

The old man laughed and said “that’s some attention span you got there son.  Before you lies the tale of how this town came to be, the drama and suffering, the joy and sorrow, and you stand there and want to talk about the weather?”  I half smiled in shame and said, “yeah, you’re right.  Sometimes we just don’t appreciate the past even when it’s staring right back at us.”  He grinned and said, “okay then, whaddaya say me and you go take a closer look?”  Really having nothing better to do and wanting to make some amends for my insensitivity on the subject I agreed to join him.

And you know what, close up it was all the more impressive.  I was astonished by the intricate details that are missed with a mere casual glance and was impressed by the artistic talent required to capture the human emotions from a long and tragic past.  I told the old man that I had viewed paintings by the Dutch Masters in Amsterdam, but I thought this paint on bricks was every bit as good.  He gave me a satisfied smile and then introduced me to several members of his family who were standing about.  One of them brought out a big pitcher of sweet iced tea and we all set curbside and I listened while they told stories about the triumphs and sorrows in the history of their extended family.

After awhile the old man said “son, why don’t you take a ride with me out to the old homestead for a look around.  It ain’t far and I think you’ll enjoy seeing what you never get the opportunity to see”.  Well, why not I decided and we were soon off in his big old 1970s vintage luxury vehicle from Detroit.

The old man was unusually quiet on the drive and I sensed in his demeanor that his mood had changed.  We were deep into unfamiliar countryside when he finally spoke to me in a low cold voice “I should just pull over and drop you off right here”.  I was startled by the stark hatred in his words but managed to ask him why he would want to do such a thing.  He responded “because that’s exactly the kind of thing that’s been happening to my people here for hundreds of years”.  I couldn’t believe how this friendly old man had so quickly become so very furious.  “But what has that got to do with me?” I asked plaintively.

“Everything” was all he said and he continued to drive deeper into the backwoods.  After what seemed like a long silence he said in a calm but menacing way “So, I don’t suppose you feel like you have any responsibility for the past?”.  I responded that I was sorry things happened the way they did, but it wasn’t my doing.  I told him I had always tried to live a life where I judged people on character, not color.  And I had never done anything to harm anyone.

“So, you don’t believe in reparations, huh?  Not surprised, none of you do.  It’s always someone else’s responsibility with you people.  Well, I don’t see it that way”.

He pulled the car off the road and parked behind an old abandoned homestead.  Before I could make a move for the door, he had a pistol pressed firmly against my belly.  I could feel the cold of the steel barrel through my shirt.  I screamed, “what the fuck!  Are you going to kill me?”

In an almost sad voice he said matter-of-factly “that’s exactly what I’m going to do”.

A million thoughts raced through my mind at that point, the primary one being that I didn’t want to die this way.  I wanted to beg, plead, and try to reason with the crazy old man, but words wouldn’t come.  The he took the barrel of the pistol and pointed it directly at my crotch.  I yelled “NOOOO!”

And then I woke up.

Pretty fuckin’ weird, huh?

Fly me away on the big blue bird

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This is the plane that carried me to Korea for the first time in January 2005.  Tomorrow morning I’ll be flying back on a KAL 777.  I’m looking forward to hanging out in all the old familiar haunts and spending time with the friends I made Korea.  But it is not without sadness that I bid farewell to my family here.  It’s no easy thing living life with one foot in one country and the other in another.  But really I wouldn’t want it any other way.  It’s good to change your point of view every now again.  And really, who wants to lead a boring life?

All the comforts of home

Well, almost.  Still, it requires a great deal of foresight when you are preparing for an extended visit overseas.  Especially when one no longer has commissary privileges.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Korean delicacies as much as the next guy.  And truth be told, you can find just about everything you need in the larger grocery stores or if push comes to shove, Costco.  They even have “black market” markets where you can purchase purloined duty free imports at exorbitant prices.  One example:  A box of Jiffy corn bread mix sells for about 50 cents on the military base and it’s 4 bucks in the foreign market.

Last trip I could find cereal, but not my favorite brands.  Candy and snacks are available too, but there are just not as pleasing to my palate as I’d like.

So, I’ve got a fifty pound limit on each of my bags.  I’ve not weighed my purchases, but I’d reckon I’m pushing around 20 lbs.  Heck, who needs clothes anyway?

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Another one bites the dust

So, I was playing around on Google and came across this arbitration decision posted by the National Association of Letter Carries (NALC).  It was a sweet reminder of those long ago days when I represented the Postal Service in grievance hearings.  I never took joy in seeing someone lose their job (ok, I took much satisfaction in winning the case, but I maintained empathy for the plight of the individual involved) but it was a responsibility I took seriously.
I miss my working life.  But looking back on 34 years of government service, I can see it was mostly meaningless.  It sure did seem important at the time though.

Here’s hoping things turned out OK in your life Mr. Brooks.

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…

Today is the day

That I post something hear on my long dormant blog.  I’m living a boring mellow life these days, and what little I have to say about, I’ve been saying to my Facebook pals.

Still, I feel bad about not putting this domain to work.  So I’m thinking I’ll do something here, even if it is just sharing a favorite photo each day.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even come up with a brilliant insight now and again.  But to avoid disappointment in that regard you might ought to just come for the pictures.

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So, I started blogging here back in December 2004.  That’s also the month I took a vacation in Istanbul (because I couldn’t Constantinople).  Yeah, my jokes are about as good as my photography skills.  But hey, that’s never stopped me, right?  Anyway, this photo is of the famous Hagia Sophia.

Stayin’ alive

Well, just a quick check-in to let the faithful few know that we are still alive and kickin’.  Having some interesting times here in the Land of the Morning Calm, but also looking forward to getting back to my American life later this month.

You may have noticed that LTG was hijacked recently due to some malware that was in some old blog rolling code I used.  Got that fixed, so at least you can check in and see what I’m not posting about.  Although I do have good intentions to get back to posting one of these days…

A two alarm day

Combine a new home security system and a concrete grinder (to even out the slab prior to hardwood installation) and what do you get?  Two firetrucks at your front door.  Seems the concrete dust triggered the fire alarm.  And when ADT couldn’t reach me (my cell phone was inexplicably in the “off” mode), the firetrucks rolled, sirens blaring.

Well, I’m just going to consider it the neighborhood welcoming committee.  And hope it never happens again.

On the plus side, the floors (bamboo) look bitchin’.