“Dukey” Vita

Posted on 11/February/2007 by John McCrarey

So last night was the going away party for Duke at Dolce Vita. In his honor we renamed the bar Dukey Vita.

Bottom line, we ate some good food, drank copious amounts of booze, and threw a bunch of darts. Rather than bore you with my written account of the evening, I will bore you with my photographic record of the events as they transpired. Here we go:

Duke and his sweetheart Ji Young.

Duke is the one who brought me into the dart league and really helped me improve my game. Sometimes now (a lot more than he likes) I kick his ass. And even when I don’t he has to work hard to win. Thanks for the lessons Duke.

And thanks for introducing me to your girlfriend. She shore is purty….

And if you don’t like me hugging on your girl, whatcha gonna do about it?

Lonnie made that tasty con queso dip. Jim made the spinach dip that everyone loved. I brought some deli cuts (ham/turkey/roast beef) and baked a carrot cake.

Duke, Lonnie and Jim chowing down

Duke and my coworker Corine.

I’m pretty sure Ji Young won’t like this photo, but it is part of a series. She goes from this…

to this…

to this. She recovered rather quickly though and was soon back in full party mode….

Lonnie was having a good time…

Duke and Grant. Not sure why Grant was practicing his Nazi salute…

one of the “hash house harriers” joined the party…

Corine was a good sport to hang in there with a bunch of drunk dart players…

Ji Young giving Duke some flowers. He is not going to San Francisco however. He’s on his way to Fort Drum, New York. Heard they had 110 inches of snow up there this week…

No Duke, we said stick the flowers up your….

Friday night Ji Young broght her brother, aunt and sister-in-law to Dolce. They didn’t speak much English, but the sister-in-law told Ji Young I looked like KFC. That’s like ten times that has happened to me now. I am either going to have to start taking it as a compliment or lose some weight. Kamsamnida!

Corine gets the obligatory hug from Duke….

….and seems joyous about having survived to live another day.

Song Hee and Hae Lee took good care of us all night. Thanks!

Coincidentally, Gina from Bless U was celebrating her birthday. She brought her entourage by and we merged parties for awhile.

I got Gina a hug (and a box of chocolates) for her birthday.

I think she liked my hug better….

Gina also brought along her bar’s dart league team…the Blessed Bulls. We have a friendly rivalry and will be playing each other in two weeks…

What the hell?

We had a little impromptu dart tourney…

And me and Scott took Craig and Colin down for first place. Craig is proudly displaying his second place winnings…

My friend Cindy who is going through some sad times right now.

Geez Duke, get a room!

Well, that was pretty much the going away gig. Everyone had a great time I think. Duke’s farewell tour continues today with the BUD Challenge League Tourney. I will also learn today whether I am the league champion. I am two legs ahead of Jin who has to play three legs against Rick this afternoon. He sweeps, he wins. Two legs forces a playoff. We shall see.

Tomorrow will be Duke’s last SIDL game with Take it Easy. Thursday is Duke’s last night in Korea and we are all heading out to the new Hooters for his farewell dinner. I really hate to see him go, but such is life in Korea.

I left Dolce around 1 and stopped into Debut, my favorite after hours bar for a beer and some Korean eye candy…

That’s Ji Young who had DJ duty last night. Ain’t she sweet?

I was sitting at the bar next to a New Zealander pacifist (is that redundant?). He wanted to talk politics so I indulged him for awhile. His world view is of course that America is evil and the root cause of all that is wrong. He actually advocated that Bush be assasinated. Seemed a little inconsistent with his professed belief in non-violence. I tried to talk some sense into him to no avail. The conversation ended when I called him a pussy who was unwilling to fight to defend the freedoms he enjoys in a western society. I told him not to worry because it was likely the USA that he despises would be there to bail out New Zealand when the Islamofascists come calling to impose Sharia law. What a fuckin’ weasel he was.

Oh well. So ended another night in Itaewon.

A good night for darts…

Posted on 06/February/2007 by John McCrarey

At least last night was. We beat our arch rivals Eberhardt from Scrooge Pub 15-4. Some damn fine dart throwing for Mario and Cuatro. Duke beat the guy he wanted in a grudge match and I threw a six mark and two five marks in cricket. Not too shabby.

Afterwards we went back to Dolce and did lots of shots.

And so ended another day in the life.

The more things change….

Posted on 01/February/2007 by John McCrarey

….the more they remain the same.

I guess the big news around here is that my good friend Duke is moving back to the States in a couple of weeks. Sounds like a good opportunity for him, but he will really be missed. One of the things I have had a hard time adjusting too here is the transient nature of friendships. I’ve been here two years and seen so many people I have come to know, respect, and enjoy pack up and move on. Yeah, it’s the nature of the expat lifestyle, but I don’t have to like it.

With Duke’s departure we have a big hole to fill on the dart team. Luckily, we picked up Mario. Good guy who hangs out at Dolce a lot anyway so he will fit right in. Duke was numero uno last year, so those are big shoes to fill, but if we all step up our games a bit we should remain competitive.

I’ve also assumed the duties as team captain. Mostly by default, but I don’t have a problem with it. Its mostly just setting the lineup and making sure everyone gets a chance to contribute, while still putting the best possible team on the line each week. I have two goals when it comes to darts: winning and having fun. So hopefully I can maintain the right balance and everyone will be on board.

We lost our first match 9-10 but came back this week and won 16-3. Real tough game coming up against Eberhardt from Scrooge Pub. There’s some bad blood from a couple of years ago (really just one guy on their team) so we are motivated. It will be interesting.

Not much else to say right now. Well, there’s more but I’m not ready to say it.

Weekly update

Posted on 14/January/2007 by John McCrarey

Just been getting settled back into the Korea lifestyle. I was over my jetlag by Wednesday (helped by sleeping from 7pm to 4:30am Tuesday night). Thursday was the first night of the Bless U/Dolce (BUD) Challenge League. I threw pretty good darts taking 9 of 12 legs. Also met another blogger, the guy who writes Thoughts of a Goat. Nice guy who throws darts but is unable to participate in the BUD league because of a busy schedule. He’ll be playing for Bless U during the regular dart league starting the 22nd.

Friday night I had some people from work over for burritos and movies. Then I went out on the town and wound up making it a late night. Did my regular bar circuit, then dropped into the Grand Ol’ Opry around 2am. It was pretty much dead by then but I chatted with a couple of Koreans at the bar for awhile and that turned out to be enjoyable. One of them had spent time in Northern Virginia and South Carolina so we were able to share something in common.

Last night I met up with some of the guys from the fantasy football league. Scott, the guy who beat me in the championship game (by three frickin’ points) was there and in lieu of a trophy he got his hamburger paid for. Andy and the Dram man of Marmot’s Hole fame were there as well and they are always interesting to talk with. Brian isn’t a blogger but he’s a nice guy from Alabama and we talked a little SEC football, along with politics and religion. He also joined me for some brews at Dolce, Bless U, and finally Metro bar which is where I left him at midnight. At my age I just can’t pull off two late nights in a row. It was a great time though.

Today I’ve just been lazing about the house (I’m still in my robe as I write this). Later I’ll be heading out for the Sunday edition of the BUD Challenge League. And tomorrow is a holiday so hopefully I can avoid the Sunday night blues.

And that’s about it from here. Yeah, I know I need to get off my ass and do something with myself that doesn’t involve bars. I’m working on it. It would be good to have something to write here that wasn’t just boring drivel, wouldn’t it?

We shall see.

I’ll be home for Christmas…

Posted on 22/December/2006 by John McCrarey

Flying out this afternoon for a couple of weeks with the family in Virginia and South Carolina.

In other news, we suffered our first darts defeat of the year and were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Alas.

Actually, that’s a picture from the CPAC Christmas party (although it probably does accurately capture my mood after the darts loss). Technically, this is after the party, I really did have a good time. The party was held at 3 Alley Pub, and there was good food, karaoke, and a Yankee gift exchange. I got drawn to make the first gift selection and snagged a nice set of wine and champagne glasses. Which my co-worker Corine promptly took from me when her number was drawn. I wound up with the Hickory Farms pack of sausages which was a little ironic as that is what I had brought to the gift exchange as well.

Seeing as how I was expected to take my turn at karaoke I needed to obtain the courage that is found after several mugs of beer. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes enjoy the norebang experience after a night of drinking with friends, but singing in front of 50 people I work with is a different story. Unfortunately, my “big voice” was not designed to carry a tune or sing on key (whatever that means), but what the hell. I did a Beatles tune “All my loving” and did backup vocals for Leora on “End of the world”. No one said I did great but they didn’t laugh either, so I call that a success.

I really haven’t had much Christmas spirit so far this year but I hope to capture some when I get back home. Here’s wishing each of you of the happiest of holidays.

A clean, well-lighted place

Posted on 09/December/2006 by John McCrarey

I don’t know why really, but in my boredom this morning I am recalling a short story by Ernest Hemingway which not so coincidentally has the same title as this post. I was a much younger man when I had to write a paper on the story for a college course in American literature. I found it haunting then, but from the perspective of my advanced years I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what Hemingway was saying. Of course, the paper I wrote is either long gone or in a box in the garage back home (I do tend to be something of a pack rat), but you can read a take on the story by Elizabeth Wall I generally concur with here. A teaser:

The main focus of “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is on the pain of old age suffered by a man that we meet in a cafe late one night. Hemingway contrasts light and dark to show the difference between this man and the young people around him, and uses his deafness as an image of his separation from the rest of the world. Near the end of the story, the author shows us the desperate emptiness of a life near finished without the fruit of its labor, and the aggravation of the old man’s restless mind that cannot find peace. Throughout this story stark images of desperation show the old man’s life at a point when he has realized the futility of life and finds himself the lonely object of scorn.

Anyway, here in the real world I continue to plod (or maybe slog) along. Work was a little stressful this week. My boss was on leave the past couple of days so I had the pleasure of attending several meetings in her stead. Actually some interesting stuff going on but it’s classified so I’m not at liberty to talk about it here. I did have the experience of being grilled by a 3-star on a topic I was not as prepared for as I should have been. Not real pleasant to be sure.

After work yesterday we all went to the boss’ house for her annual Christmas gathering with the staff. She’s an excellent hostess and cook and it is always nice for everyone to get together outside of the working environment. I’ll post a couple of pictures of our group next week.

I got back home around 8:00 and it being Friday night and all I headed out to Dolce Vita. Duke and Lonnie had already left for Hongdae to play soft tip darts. Jim was there though and we killed a couple of hours at the dart board. Later June (I wrote about her once in a post called “Sodomy”) came in half lit and wanted to throw darts with us. Lonnie’s girlfriend Cindy was there as well and she was feeling like a darts widow (my words, not hers) so we invited her to join in for a doubles match. Jim and June prevailed in a hard fought match despite Cindy throwing an unlikely ton-17 (two double bulls!) in the ’01 leg.

I was ready for a change of scenery and Cindy asked if she could tag along. Cindy is a sweet Korean gal who has not had much exposure to Americans prior to hooking up with Lonnie (although I understand she did live in Canada briefly). I asked her if she had ever been to a country bar and she said no so it was off to Grand Ol’ Opry. Turns out she had never been up “the hill” either and she was quite taken aback by the prostitutes sitting in the doorways of the hooker bars as we made our way to the Opry. Somewhat surprisingly, the place wasn’t too crowded and we were able to get a table near the dance floor. She was quite impressed as she watched some pretty good country dancers. I introduced her to the Texas two-step and she did pretty good for her first time (especially since I’m a generally crappy dancer). At midnight, as is the Grand Ol’ Opry tradition, we all stood and sang “God Bless the USA” followed by “The Star Spangled Banner”. Not sure what Cindy thought of that, but I love the hell out of it. We watched a couple of line dances (which I DO NOT ever attempt) and having finished our beers departed.

On the way back down the hill we stopped in to see my friends at Debut. I’ve written about it before, just a small place filled with good people (at least most of the time), good music and friendly staff. It’s like an oasis in a desert of depravity and I will stop in once a week or so for a night cap as I make my way home. It’s definitely an after hours kinda place, doesn’t open till 9:00 and doesn’t get busy until 2 or 3 a.m. Anyway, Cindy caught the good vibes there right away and seemed to enjoy the cozy atmosphere. She was trying desperately to reach Lonnie on her cell phone without success, but I reassured her that he was busy with darts and likely couldn’t hear his phone.

Being the gentlemen that I am, I escorted her back to Dolce Vita so she could rendevous with Lonnie when he finished darts. It was almost 1:00 and all the soldiers were rushing out to beat curfew. Jim and YJ were there along with the bar staff, and Jim bought us a round of drinks. Lonnie and Duke arrived around 1:30 and I told Lonnie he owed me 20 bucks for babysitting his girlfriend all night. Of course, I actually enjoyed showing her a good time and since I never have an escort when I make my bar circuit it probably helped my image to be seen around town with an attractive Korean woman.

June came in around 2:00 about as drunk as you can be and still be standing. Actually, she was not standing long because next thing we heard was a big crash and we turned around to find her sprawled on the floor. Duke helped her up and into a chair where she sat for a few minutes before heading out. June is a really cool woman and it makes me sad to see her drink to excess. Duke says her problem is that she makes bad choices with men, gets her heart broken, and then drinks to get them off her mind. Well, there are lots of sad stories in Itaewon, that’s for sure.

The McDonald’s in Itaewon is now open 24 hours. It had been awhile since I had anything to eat and I got to craving some trans fats from Mickey D. Only the second time that’s happened since I’ve been in Korea. Duke agreed to join me, so we said our goodbyes to the Dolce crew and headed out. There was a light rain falling and out in the middle of Itaewon Blvd we observed June staggering about apparently trying to hail a taxi. Seeing as how it was just as likely that she would get run over as catch a cab, Duke pulled her out of the street and I took on the chore of finding a cab. Which proved to be unusually difficult. I guess because of the rain and late hour, everyone in Seoul had filled what is normally an endless supply of taxis. Meanwhile June was resisting our efforts to get her home safely and Duke had to physically restrain her, taking a couple of blows to the face in the process. As I looked down the street I could see several people also waiting for an empty cab. Realizing it may take an hour of standing in the rain before an empty cab got to us, I suggested crossing the street where at least we would be at the head of the queue. June was not happy about that insisting she wanted to go in the other direction. Well, there’s no reasoning with a drunk person so we manhandled her across the street.

About this time SongHee, one of the Dolce bartenders, got off work and she assisted Duke with controlling June while I continued my attempts to get a taxi to stop. Finally one did. We wrestled a reluctant June into the cab who was protesting that she didn’t want to go in that direction. She couldn’t grasp the concept of a U-turn apparently. So she’s in the cab but the driver refuses to take her anywhere in her inebriated condition. Out she comes, and we are back to square one. I’m a little pissed at this point and I tell her in my “big voice” that she is going to get in the next fuckin’ cab and go home. She nodded sheepishly and five minutes later we had her in a taxi and on her way. Hopefully she made it home without incident, but there is only so much you can do.

SongHee needed a cab too, but we invited her to join us at McDonalds. She thought that was a great idea and off we went to dine on burgers, fries, and sundaes at 3 in the morning. After our meal Duke headed home on foot and I managed to snag a cab for SongHee which I shared as far as the Cheil building near my villa.

Yep, it’s a wonderful life. Tonight I am playing in a soft tips tournament in Nowan (I have got to get out of Itaewon before I lose what is left of my mind). Tomorrow is another darts tourney at Dolce. Yes siree.

After re-reading the sad commentary above, I guess I understand why I’m in a Hemingway state of mind:

It was all nothing, and a man was nothing, too…Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it was nada y pues nada y pues nada. Our nada who art in nada nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee…

I’m just too old for this shit.

Trapped

Posted on 05/December/2006 by John McCrarey

My apartment has a key pad entry system. Tonight it made the tell-tale sound that means it’s time to change the batteries. Having had the misfortune of being locked out when the batteries failed in the past, I keep a supply of trusty AA’s on hand.

So, I replace the batteries but now the keypad is not working at all. At least I’m inside my apartment, but if I leave I won’t be able get back in. So, I am effectively a prisoner in my own home. At least until my landlord gets here in two hours. Nothing urgent tonight fortunately. Wasn’t even sure I was going to go out at all. But now knowing that I CAN’T I have the urge…

I will survive, but life is just a pain in the ass sometimes, isn’t it?

Finished with darts

Posted on 05/December/2006 by John McCrarey

Well, the regular season anyway. Playoffs start next week.

Last night we played at 3 Alley Pub against the Cunning Linguists and we were able to take the match 15-4 and finish our season undefeated. Tip of the hat to the CL team though, great sports who keep in mind the bottom line is to have fun. After the match shots were exchanged (the good kind) and they wished us luck in our playoff run.

We are going to need it. Our number two player Cuatro is going to be unavailable because of some soldiering conflict. We picked up Lonnie from the other Dolce team to give us the required four players, but we will all need to pick up our games in what is going to be a very competitive playoff.

I finally broke out of my personal slump and threw some decent games last night. I was on fire in my singles Cricket leg, and threw solid in ’01. 6-0 for the night and I am pretty sure that will lock up the third place ranking I’ve been vying for. My goal this season was a top ten finish so I’m actually very pleased. It’s also cool that my teammates Duke and Cuatro are ranked 1-2.

A highlight of the evening was meeting Neil. He introduced himself as a reader of this blog and said his favorite post was about my falling down and cracking open my head. Yeah, that was pretty funny wasn’t it? He also knows the guy I saw fall out of the cab. Anyway, we were chatting between throws in my singles games so I didn’t get much chance to find out more about him, but it was nice to meet someone who has stomach to follow my exploits here on LTG. Of course, meeting a reader also makes me feel guilty about not keeping the content fresh and interesting, but who knows maybe something extraordinary is just around the corner.

Anyway, cheers Neil. Next time you are in Dolce I will buy you a drink.

Thanksgiving and Goodbyes

Posted on 26/November/2006 by John McCrarey

I’ve been a long time gone, haven’t I? What can I say other than to apologize for my general lack of motivation to post. But I have a quiet moment on a Sunday night so I’ll share it with you. Yeah, you. You know who you are. (Kinda neat how I made anyone who is reading this post feel special, isn’t it? Like when Elton John did “Your Song”. There is something to be said for the universal approach, and I do want both of my readers to feel included. Just the kinda guy I am).

Anyway, today I took my son Nolan to the airport and he is currently somewhere over the wide Pacific on his journey home. He had three great months in Korea and hated to leave. But no job (or visa) was found, so he had to go. He made lots of friends (certainly far more than I have in over 2 years here) and I think the experience was a very positive one for him. Anyway, he is always welcome to come back and I think that is an option he will consider. I know he will be missed by many, including me. The house already seems oddly quiet and empty. Much like my life, but I’m not going there in this post!

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration at Dolce Vita. We bought 2 nice turkeys on base (already cooked and surprisingly moist and tasty). Did pot luck on the sides, and had the usual fixin’s including mashed taters and gravy, dressing, corn, cranberry, rolls, pumpernickel bread (with YJ’s great dip) fruit salad, carrot cake, pumpkin and apple pies, and a cobbler. It really turned out well. I eat American all the time having access to the base commissary, but my expat English teacher friends really enjoyed having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Our Korean guests got a taste of something new and even added kimchi as a side. Yum, turkey and kimchi! I did miss having candied yams and green bean casserole, but the guys did the cooking for this event and having no Big Hominid amongst us, we had to make do with what our limited skills allowed.

Wanna see some pictures? Ok then:

The bird. We bought two of them and had precious little leftovers.

Somehow I got stuck with carving duties. Back home I use an electric knife. I managed though.

See? I cut that baby up into tasty morsels. You can see my famous “Aunt Pat’s Recipe” fruit salad in the background. Lonnie did a great job on the potatos and dressing.

I baked that carrot cake and we bought some pies from the bakery on post. It was all good.

Cuatro is a soldier and captain of our dart team. He arrived with his girlfriend (whose name escapes me at the moment, sorry) ready to chow down.

After dining, we did some socializing…here’s Nolan with Duke’s mom, Candy.

Of course, some dart games broke out. Here’s Mario taking his best shot (of course the flash was a little distracting).

Lonnie takes his turn…

Wherever there is a pool table you are likely to find Nolan.

Me and Duke posing for the camera. No, I am not as drunk as I might appear in this photo. I probably am that fat however….

Jim seemed awfully happy to pose for a picture with Bill’s girlfriend Joon…

Nolan’s girlfriend (well, I guess former girlfriend) Sophia. A German exchange student. I know she hated to see him go. I have a funny story about her but I think I will keep it to myself. I am sure she would be grateful for my discretion.

Joon and Nolan became very good friends during his time here. And yes, Nolan *may* have been as drunk as he appears…

“The 8 ball goes in the middle”. The Korean women in attendance spent a lot of time on the pool table.

Gene throws while Kyle looks on. We had an impromptu dart tourney which Kyle and I had the good fortune to win as partners. 20,000Won each. WooHoo!

Zeke and his lady friend. SongHee is one of the new barkeeps at Dolce. In the deep background is Haelee who is very camera shy. I was surprised I actually captured her here. Zeke is a great guy who works at the hospital on base. A couple of months ago I was getting treated for diaper rash (don’t ask!) and he told the nurse I was a VIP. She believed him and I got excellent treatment during my visit. Thanks again, Zeke!

“Dead eye” Joon lines up for the shot…

“No way you are going to make that shot Nolan”

Joon, Yoolee, and Sophia looking pretty as usual. Yoolee is from Indonesia and just married Tom here in Korea. They are going to do a traditional Muslim wedding back home in January. I’ve been invited to the reception in Bali and if things work out I’ll be there.

Duke’s girlfriend JiYoung is a fine looking darts player, if you know what I mean…

JiYoung and her cute girlfriends. If we ever got introduced the names are lost in the fog of too much turkey and beer…

Tom and Dave, two great guys who happen to play darts for our arch rivals the Rubbies. As of today Tom is ranked number 3, I’m 4 and Dave is 5. Its very close and with two weeks to go in the season we all think that order is subject to change. They way I have been throwing (lousy) it just might.

So that was my Thanksgiving. Really had a great time. Wish y’all could have been there. Yeah, I’m talking to you!

Cold and Snow

Posted on 07/November/2006 by John McCrarey

As in, last night we had a few snow flurries and I have caught a cold. The snow didn’t stick but this cold is kicking my ass. Ah well, better now than over the holidays I suppose.

In other news…

In fantasy football I eeked out a victory against the Wonju Wobblers which keeps me tied for first in my division at 7-2. You can follow all the action here.

Saturday night four of us from the the league met at Nashville Pub for some brews and chat. Coincidentally (or not) they all have blogs and while we did a little football smack talk, mostly it was geo-political pontifications and the like. Fascinating insights and perspectives from some really bright guys. I’m pretty sure we came up with solutions for 90% of the world’s problems, but then I got drunk and I can’t remember what they were. No worries, we plan to meet again at the conclusion of the season and celebrate or drown sorrows as circumstances dictate. Anyway, it was great to meet some fine bloggers (and football geeks) live and in person. So mucho gusto to Andy who you can also read at The Marmot’s Hole, the Dram man (posts at the Marmot as well and has promised a review of the Bless U Pub hamburger) and Shaun our “token” Canadian who was gracious in the face of my good natured teasing (actually, his perspectives were really interesting and appreciated). Looking forward to seeing y’all again soon.

Also on Saturday I played in the league mid-season singles tourney. I was the number one seed in “B” division, but played like crap and finished 5th. No excuse for that, just lost my focus. Last night in a key league match I went 6-0 which somewhat redeems me. I’m currently ranked at #3 and played the guy ranked at #4. Victory helped my confidence immensely. We took the overall match 15-4 which pretty much makes us a lock for first place. You can follow our exploits in the Seoul International Dart League here.

What else? Nope that’s my life. Just call me lucky.

Everybody knows this is nowhere

Posted on 29/October/2006 by John McCrarey

Just dropped by to prove that I remain among the living. Nothing much to say however. Just more of the same, work, darts, rinse, repeat.

Busan was good, although I didn’t do much of the film festival activities. Nolan and Grant did some backstage stuff and had a good time. Me, I walked around alot and spent time in the casino. Big (read expensive) mistake. Ah well. I did run into the blogger from The Homely Planet. He was playing with his band in a bar I spent some time in. Our politics are as far apart as east is from west, but he’s a pretty interesting guy regardless. It was kinda cool meeting a fellow expat blogger in 3-D.

Since I’ve nothing to say, here’s some random pictures. Mostly from the dart tourney a couple of weeks ago, but a couple of Busan shots as well. Hang tough, people. Life is good.

Rick. Pretty cool guy in our league. English teacher.

Joon. A sweet girl who is dating another teacher in our league, Bill.

Yun Jin (aka YJ) owner of Dolce Vita, Jim’s yobo, and a good friend.

Me, Petro, Duke, and Tom.

Bill and Tom playing a match

Joon sizing up the situation

“I woulda won it all if that double bull hadn’t bounced out”

Lonnie, yet another English teacher.

Nolan, Doug, and Steph.

YooLee, Tom’s girlfriend recently arrived from Indonesia

Me and my meager winnings from a 4th place finish

Tom beat me to take 3rd.

Duke got 2nd place.

Petro took first but he ain’t showing the money. It was W140,000

Grant won the mystery draw.

As is our custom, shots flow at the conclusion (hell, during too) of the tourney. Here YooLee and Duke demonstrate the “proper” way to drink the shot known as a blow job. I refuse to drink one that way, but it is fun to ask the cute barkeep for a blow job now and then.

I’m sure there was a reason I took this picture. I just don’t remember what it is.

The love motel where I stayed in Busan.

The bed in which I slept rather uncomfortably.

School girls on the beach in Busan.

More school girls.

Haeundae Beach.

Ok, that’s it.

I think I’d like to go back home
And take it easy
There’s a woman that I’d like to get to know
Living there
Everybody seems to wonder
What its like out here
Gotta get away from this day to day running around
Everybody knows this is nowhere

Everytime I think about back home
It’s cool and breezy
I wish that I could be there right now
Just passin’ time
Everybody seems to wonder
What its like out here
Gotta get away from this day to day running around
Everybody knows this is nowhere.

–Neil Young

By the time I get to Busan

Posted on 13/October/2006 by John McCrarey

Actually, that’s just a riff on the old Glen Campbell tune, but it works. I’m fixin’ to head out to Seoul Station to catch the KTX. I’ll be back Sunday and hopefully be able to post some photos and tell you all about the Pusan International Film Festival I’ll be attending.

Cool thing happened last night on my way home. A stranger on the street stopped me and said “hey, I know you!”. Turns out he recognized me from my blog. Says he’s a frequent reader. I apologized for being such a slacker and not posting more often. He said he enjoys reading about darts (which is about all I write about these days, darts being the focal point of my life and all). Ah well, pathetic beats dead anyday. So, James (it was James right?) thanks for reading. It was really fun to meet you that way.

And last night we whipped Blue Frog 17-2 which should keep us in first place for another week. Rubbies and FFOD have been coming on strong, and we meet Rubbies head-to-head on Monday.

Well, I gotta catch that train. Have a great weekend everyone!

McCain on North Korea

Posted on 11/October/2006 by John McCrarey

Captain’s Quarters has a guest blog today from Senator John McCain. I think his words are especially important as he seems as likely to be a strong contender for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008. He has some strong criticism of President Clinton’s failed policies and those who are calling for a return to a “carrot and no stick” approach with Kim, Jung-il, including Hillary Clinton.

I’m going to beg the Captains indulgence and reprint McCain’s words in their entirety here:

Korea doubts the world’s resolve. It is testing South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, and the United States. They launched seven missiles in July, and were criticized by the Security Council, but suffered no serious sanction. We have talked and talked about punishing their bad behavior. They don’t believe we have the resolve to do it. We must prove them wrong.

I am encouraged by the Security Council’s swift and strong condemnation of the act on Monday, but the permanent members must now follow up our words with action. We must impose Chapter 7 sanctions with teeth, as President Bush has proposed.

China has staked its prestige as an emerging great power on its ability to reason with North Korea, keep them engaged with the six party negotiations, and make progress toward a diplomatic resolution of this crisis. North Korea has now challenged them as directly as they challenge South Korea, Japan, Russia and the U.S. It is not in China’s interest or our interest to have a nuclear arms race in Asia, but that is where we’re headed. If China intends to be a force for stability in Asia, then it must do more than rebuke North Korea. It must show Pyongyang that it cannot sustain itself as a viable state with aggressive actions and in isolation from the entire world.

They have missiles, and now they claim to have tested a nuclear device. Eventually they will have the technology to put warheads on missiles. That is a grave threat to South Korea, Japan and the United States that we cannot under any circumstances accept. North Korea also has a record of transferring weapons technology to other rogue nations, such as Iran and Syria.

The President is right to call on the Council to impose a military arms embargo, financial and trade sanctions, and, most importantly, the right to interdict and inspect all cargo in and out of North Korea. I hope the Council quickly adopts these sanctions, and that all members enforce them.

The worst thing we could do is accede to North Korea’s demand for bilateral talks. When has rewarding North Korea’s bad behavior ever gotten us anything more than worse behavior?

I would remind Senator Hillary Clinton and other Democrats critical of Bush Administration policies that the framework agreement her husband’s administration negotiated was a failure. The Koreans received millions in energy assistance. They diverted millions in food assistance to their military. And what did they do? They secretly enriched uranium.

Prior to the agreement, every single time the Clinton Administration warned the Koreans not to do something — not to kick out the IAEA inspectors, not to remove the fuel rods from their reactor — they did it. And they were rewarded every single time by the Clinton Administration with further talks. We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn’t work, we offered another.

This isn’t just about North Korea. Iran is watching this test of the Council’s will, and our decisions will surely influence their response to demands that they cease their nuclear program. Now, we must, at long last, stop reinforcing failure with failure.

BTW, if you are not a regular reader of Captain’s Quarters you are missing out on some of the best political insights and commentary out there.

It’s Chuseok day in the city

Posted on 06/October/2006 by John McCrarey

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy Chuseok.

It’s a strange time of year for sure. Seoul is actually quiet–no horns, no loudspeakers hawking goods from trucks, and no traffic. Not that I have anywhere to drive to anyway, but the change of pace is nice just the same.

No work today as Chuseok is one of two Korean holidays USFK recognizes for its US employees. It is also a glorious fall day. Went out on the balcony this morning and grilled up a steak, made some scrambled eggs (with salsa), toast and jam, OJ and coffee. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

Nolan is still sleeping, don’t know what time he rolled in last night. Arianna is sleeping on the couch. Not sure what’s up with those two but they seem to get along and I’m guessing they both like having someone to hang with to keep homesickness at bay.

This evening Dolce Vita is having a Chusok party seeing as how most of us migooks are without family to be with on this day of days for families. I’m giving YJ some smoked salmon as a Chuseok gift. I’m also bringing some shrimp and will be baking some brownies to take as well.

Later I’m meeting my boss and her husband to give them a tour of Itaewon. It’s probably a good time to do that since it won’t be as rowdy as usual (I hope). Figure I’ll take them by Dolce for a drink, then over to 3 Alley Pub for dinner, and since they both like country music I’m sure we will hit Grand Ole Opry before the night is through.

And that’s about all from the land of the morning calm. And damn, it actually is calm this morning. I like that.

4 Non Blondes

Posted on 03/October/2006 by John McCrarey

Nope, not a post about the singing group, just thought using that title for this post would be more interesting than “what’s going on”. Clever eh?

UPDATE: My usual boring drivel follows, but if you scroll down I have some pretty cool pictures to look at.

Yes, as I have been reminded several times it has been quite some time since my last post. You haven’t missed much. Long time readers probably know that when I take an unannounced hiatus I’m usually in some kind of funk or another and these past couple of weeks have been no exception. Not to worry, its no big deal. Just had to overcome some disappointment but I’m well on my way to regaining perspective and getting on with the business of life. Such as it is.

Actually, as mundane as things have been I don’t really have much to complain about. But I also have precious little to say that is blog worthy. Never having let that stop me before I will share what’s going on:

Nanta. A great show, in fact one of the most fun things I’ve done in awhile. Hard to describe really. Lots of percussion, but very creative use of kitchen utensils. Funny storyline, great acting and just flat out entertaining. I would go again and I highly recommend it.

Darts. I bought some fancy new darts and I’ve been throwing them well. Our team remains in first place. I’m holding on to my #5 ranking in “B” division. And I’m being asked about playing in “A” division next season. I’d only do that if Dolce Vita fields an “A” league team. I want to keep having fun and Dolce is where my bar loyalty resides.

Fantasy Football. My team, Itaewon Sweet Life, remains undefeated through week four. As much luck as anything because I’m not scoring many points, just more than my opponents. Having fun with it though.

Saturday night/Sunday morning. It’s not news that I spend my weekends throwing darts and drinking beer, sometimes doing both to excess. No exception this past weekend. My big blogable event was a couple of things I witnessed in Itaewon. After the darts tournament at Blue Frog (since the outcome was so disappointing I will not mention it here) I’m walking over to Dolce. I observed 4 people getting in a cab. One up front, three in the back. Well, two in the back and one half way in. And the cab took off. The poor SOB that had one leg in the cab and one on the street is screaming “wait! wait! wait! The cabbie either didn’t hear or didn’t understand English because he kept accelerating. Of course, the guy couldn’t run on one leg as fast as the cab was moving and he tumbled into the street and rolled over a few times before coming to a stop in the middle of the street. Where he lay moaning loudly. The cab finally stopped and his friends ran over to offer assistance. After a few minutes they got the guy up on his feet and he appeared to be mostly ok (at least no broken bones). The cabbie stood there looking sheepish while his passengers berated him with “what were you thinking?” I moved on. I guess the lesson learned is don’t be the last one in the cab.

The other incident occurred at the end of a LONG night out. I’m walking home in the wee hours of Sunday morning. In the narrow alley behind my apartment I see a body laying right in the middle of the road. As I got closer I saw that it was a western woman. I bent down and said “hey, you need to get up!” She kinda moaned and said “no, I’m ok”. I told her “you can’t sleep here, you’ll get run over by a car”. She didn’t respond, so I told her sternly “you have to get up” and grabbed her hand and tried to pull her to her feet. She didn’t resist and said “I drank too much tonight”. No duh I thought to myself. I noticed her accent and asked if she was Australian. She said “I’m from New Zealand”. I noticed she was bleeding on her forehead and chin, but she had no recollection of what happened. I asked if she lived nearby and she said yes so I told her I would help her get home. She lived down a small alley a couple of blocks from my place. She kept thanking me for helping her and I told her we all have to take care of each other here. As we got close she repeatedly said “oh, my husband is going to be so mad at me”. Which of course I wanted no part of, so once she assured me she could make it the rest of the way, I retreated.

Ok, so not much meat to those bookends of my night but that is basically the most excitement I have had in awhile. Save your sympathy, I’m not sure how much excitement I can stand these days anyway.

As for work, well we are busy. There will be some announcement coming next week on the future of 8th Army in Korea. No inside scoop, but I think we all see the writing on the wall. I’ll just say Aloha. Couple that with the pending wartime command and control decision and I have to believe this is the beginning of end for significant U.S. ground troop presence in the ROK. We shall see.

We recently had the Civilian Employee of the Year ceremony here at Yongsan. It’s a really big deal, with the Honor Guard, 8th Army band and all that pomp and circumstance. GEN Bell is the host. My office is responsible for making it happen every year and its a lot of work. And you absolutely cannot screw up any aspect given its high profile. This year was especially nice because one of my employees, Mr. Kim, Yong-tae, was selected as the Korean Manager of the Year. Well deserved and it was great to see him recognized for his many accomplishments and dedication. Here’s some photos:

The band enters the parade ground

Color guard front and center

GEN Bell and CSM Wheeler escorted to the review stand

The ceremony begins with the presentation of colors

And then the presentation of awards to the Civilians of the Year. That’s my Mr. Kim being honored by GEN Bell.

GEN Bell had some very nice words regarding the importance of our US and ROK civilian workforce to mission accomplishment here in Korea.

GEN Bell asked Mr. Kim to stand and then he publically thanked him for his 53 years of service with USFK.

LTG Valcourt, Commader, 8th US Army, and his ROK Army couterparts.

The 2006 Civilians of the Year. As GEN Bell said, they are truly the best of the best.

The Honor Guard passes in review…

…while the band plays the songs of the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army.

Mr. Kim, Yong-tae, the most amazing man I have met and been honored to work with in nearly 30 years of government service.

The proud team of the Directorate of Human Resources Management. And Nolan.

Ok, well that’s that. Nolan’s doing well, just need to get him that job so he can move forward with his life here. It looks like he’s settled on the German girl he met, although he admits its sorta ironic to move to Korea and date a European.

So I guess to end this post on the same theme it started I’ll say: Hey yay yay yay, hey yay yay yay [that’s] what’s going on….

Emptying the camera

Posted on 17/September/2006 by John McCrarey

UPDATE (9/23/15) Welp, for whatever reasons all the photos on this post became invisible. Rather than attempt to match them with the still remaining captions, I’m just uploading them again. Sue me.

ROK soldiers keeping us safe during our visit…

These guys are tough hombres…

Nolan talks history with our tour guide…

This ajumma didn’t give two fucks about the NORKs

We were warned not to touch this guy or he’d go all taekwando on your ass…

A North Korean soldier keeping a watchful eye on things (from a safe distance)

Everything put together sooner or later falls apart…

Flowers amongst the mines…

The memory card on the camera started filling up, so I’m dumping the images here for your amusement.

Part of our security detail while visiting the Joint Security Area (JSA). The ROK soldiers are quite impressive and very intimidating.

The only North Korean soldier we saw this time. He would periodically take out his binoculars to check us out. So I returned the favor by snapping a photo of him.

The Army Specialist in charge of keeping our group safe from aggressive actions by the communists (and to make sure none of us defected to the worker’s paradise that is North Korea). Interesting guy, a Russian who moved to the US at 16, and joined the Army.

Nolan posing with an ROK soldier. We were repeatedly warned not touch the soldier as they were under strict orders to respond physically to any contact. He didn’t look like someone I would want to mess with.

Another view of the every present security forces taking care of us during the tour. The ROK soldier stands halfway behind the building to reduce his profile should a NORK decide to take a shot at him.

From the bus window as we departed. Thanks for keeping us safe guys.

Looking into North Korea.

“Propaganda Village” the only North Korean “community” allowed in the DMZ under terms of the armistice. It get’s its name because no one actually lives there. The buildings are shells intended to demonstrate what a prosperous country the DPRK is. Until recently speakers would broadcast messages extolling the virtues of life in the North. On the ROK side of the DMZ is “Freedom Village” a farming community with about 240 residents.

Nolan gets a history lesson from the Major in charge of our security detail.

The bridge of no return, so named because after the armistice was signed POW’s were allowed to decide if they wanted to go to the North or South, but the decision was irrevocable. The last ones to cross this bridge was the crew of the captured USS Pueblo in 1968.

Next it was off for a lunchee of bulgogi at a Korean restuarant. Here’s Nolan sampling one of the side dishes. He’s still finding his way when it comes to Korean food.

Some wildflowers along the road.

A farmer ajumma who laughed when I asked if I could take her picture. Yeah, I’m such a tourist.

A traditional Korean bell at one of the observation posts we visited.

This sculpture outside Tunnel #3 was kind of interesting. Inside the the split globe on opposite sides are North Korea and South Korea. The figures are attempting to put the two Koreas back together in a humpty dumpty kind of way.

Nolan says not so fast….

I missed this on the DMZ tour….

Posted on 16/September/2006 by John McCrarey

but here’s the video

From the DMZ

Posted on 16/September/2006 by John McCrarey

We are about 2/3 through the DMZ tour. Currently at Tunnel 3. Me, I’ve been there done that and I’m not about to make that f’n hike again. So while Nolan wears his ass out I’m sitting here at a free computer and relaxing. Anyway, I’ll have some pictures to post later.

A fun night out (of Itaewon)

Posted on 10/September/2006 by John McCrarey

Did something new last night. A group of us rode out to Nowan (about 40 minutes by taxi north) for a night of soft tip darts at the Dragon Bar. It was something new because I normally play steel tips in Itaewon at Dolce Vita Pub. Hey, variety is the spice of life and all that.

Anyway, it was my first time in that area and it is always interesting to see a new part of town. The Dragon Bar is a Western-style bar for Koreans. By that I mean it is frequented primarily by Korean patrons. Our group (me, Duke, Doug, Bill and Nolan) were the only foreigners in a crowd of maybe 75 people. Bill and Nolan had their Korean girlfriends with them as well.

We were there to play in a soft tip tournament. As I said, it was my first experience playing soft tips. The biggest difference is you have to throw lighter darts (I was throwing 16 grams versus my normal 24). It took me awhile to make the adjustment, but after a couple of hours I was doing ok. Unfortunately my successful practice games were not replicated in the tourney games. But it was all good anyway. In steel tips we don’t play much other than cricket and ’01. Last night we were playing roulette (the computer randomly generates 3 numbers you have to hit or have your cumulative score halved) and a couple other different games which made it both a challenging and entertaining evening.

Nolan has been practicing at home and he really played well. Took second in the doubles tourney and made semi-finals in singles. I was very impressed. Despite my poor play the Itaewon players had an excellent showing. Duke wound up winning the singles in a real dogfight with a Korean player.

Speaking of which, the Korean folks in the bar were all very gracious and friendly. The fact that it seemed strange to be in a bar full of natives says a lot about my sheltered existence here in Korea. I mean we have Korean patrons at Dolce but the expats far outnumber them. The role reversal last night was quite striking. All the announcements were in Korean, but Yun Joon (Bill’s GF) kept us up to speed on what was happening. They started the tourney with the Korean national athem. We all stood to pay our respects of course, but we were a little surprised that many Koreans remained seated and talking while the anthem played.

Anyway, the only thing that was a little weird occurred during the singles final. It was Bill, Duke, and the Korean guy (sorry, either I didn’t catch his name or forgot it). Bill used to live in Nowan and played darts at Dragon frequently so he knew many of the people in the bar. When the Korean was shooting the crowd would cheer and applaud loudly. When Bill shot he got some polite applause. When Duke was on the line, silence. It got to him a little I think because he commented on the home field advantage. So, the game is “half-it”. Basically, you have to hit at least one of a series of pre-determined numbers through each of 8 rounds. If you miss, your overall score is halved. The Korean guy did not miss through the first 7 rounds. Bill missed doubles and Duke missed triples. Going into the final round (bullseye) the Korean guy had over 500 points. Bill had 200 points and Duke 180. The weird part was when the crowd started doing this cheer for the Korean which translated was something like “Korea is number 1, go Korea!” I was watching a good match between 3 quality darts players, the Koreans saw it as a matter of national pride to beat the Americans. That NEVER happens in Itaewon. In fact, in Itaewon I’ve had Koreans cheering me on against a Korean because I was the underdog and they wanted to see a top player knocked out (they did get to see that happen, but that’s another story).

Well, I have to think carrying the weight of Korean national pride on his shoulders was a bigger burden on the Korean than was the silence Duke faced when he was shooting. So the Korean steps up in round 8 and misses three darts at the bull. Score halved to 250, but he’s still in the lead. Bill at 200+ just needs one Bull to win but he misses as well. Duke at 180 needs to throw 2 bulls. He steps up and hits a bull with his first dart. Then he throws his second. BULLSEYE.

After a moment of stunned silence the crowd did politely applaud. It was a great match and a beautiful finish. USA! USA! USA! I shouted gleefully. No, I’m kidding. That would have been incredibly rude. Duke won 100,000 Won for his efforts and bought his opponent a congratulatory drink. As well as his compadres from Itaewon. Once the match was over, everyone went back to having a good time and friendliness and warmth abounded. We didn’t make it out of there until 0230.

So there you have the fascinating tale of my evening out of Itaewon. Tonight I have challenge league games at Bless U and Dolce. I’ll be home early tonight though. I’m beginning to feel my age.

Oh yeah, can you believe this–Nolan has been here one week and he has already met a sweet Korean girl and they are spending lots of time together. Needless to say, he is LOVING his time in Korea! I’m very impressed.

The more you pay (the more it’s worth)

Posted on 02/September/2006 by John McCrarey

I have my car back. All things considered it went as well as could be expected. Ji Young sent me a text message in Hangul explaining where the car was parked. I showed it to the garage owner who relayed the whereabouts to the tow truck driver. So as I suspected it was a bad alternator. Replaced that, the battery (again) and a belt. 203,000 Won including towing and the parking fee at Riverside Park. Hopefully it will keep the going for the rest of my time in Korea, but with almost 160,000 miles on odometer anything could happen at anytime. Doubt I will be taking it out of town again anytime soon. I used a garage off post this time, Kim’s Auto Repair. I recommend them.

Today Nolan and I toured the War Museum. First time for me too and I was very impressed. It was a good primer for our trip to the DMZ. Bought tickets for that yesterday. We are going up Saturday morning, 16 September. I think we will go to Insa-dong on Monday. Next weekend I’m planning to KTX down to Daegu or Busan. Mostly for the train ride, but I want him to see some of the beautiful Korean countryside.

Nolan wants to see a Muay Thai match while he is here. I know nothing about it really. Anyone know of an upcoming event?

Long Time Gone

Category Archives: Life in Korea