I’ve mentioned before about the interesting people I meet as I socialize in the bars of Itaewon.  In fact, I actually enjoy the company of almost everyone I meet.  But inevitably there’s always the exception to the rule.

Friday evening I was on the back deck of Shenanigans with a friend from work and these two 20-something guys came out and sat in our proximity.  It was early, maybe 5:30 or so and they were already in a highly intoxicated state.  One of them (his name is Mike as I recall) out of the blue asked me to tell a joke.  The request struck me as somewhat odd, but I have accumulated a rather large repertoire of humorous (admittedly, that’s a matter of opinion) anecdotes over the years, so I let one fly.  He laughed hardily, but then drunks are a pretty easy audience to please.  He reciprocated with a “joke” so horrible that I immediately erased it from my consciousness.  Suffice to say it was some sick and twisted thing involving infant pedophilia.  My friend had the same reaction.  We gave each a what the fuck look, and hustled back inside the bar wanting nothing more to do with our new found “friends”.

So Monday evening I’m sitting at the bar in Shenanigans and Mike comes into the bar.  He fiddled around with his phone for a bit, asked someone how to spell “psychiatrist” and then to my chagrin he plopped himself down on the bar stool next to mine.  He asked me if I remembered him and I reluctantly admitted that I did.  He then said “do you mind if I tell you something?”  I shrugged and said go ahead, thinking odds were high I’d regret it.  And then he laid it on me.

“There’s something wrong with me.  I mean inside my head.” Mike told me solemnly.  “I need to see a psychiatrist and get on some meds or something.”  Despite our brief acquaintance I found myself nodding in agreement.  All those years of HR training kicked in I suppose because I felt an obligation to ask him if he was thinking of hurting himself. He told me yes, and said that he had beat himself up that morning.  And then he showed me his arms covered in fresh bruises.  So then I gave him the speech.  “How old are you? I asked and he responded “27”.  I said “Dude, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you, and whatever is going on with you right now, is going to pass.  It may not feel that way now, but if you get some help you will get through this”.  He told me he had quit his Hagwon job that morning (pretty scary to think of him around kids, right?) and that his parents would be so disappointed in him.  I told him that if he did something stupid and irrevocable like suicide they’d be a lot more than disappointed.  I asked him what his plans were, and he told me he was flying to Thailand on Wednesday.  I’m not sure how good that plan is, but he said he has a friend there, and now that he is jobless in Korea he doesn’t have many options I suppose.  So, I made him promise that he’d visit a shrink when he arrived and I advised him to stay away from ladyboys (I refrained from saying “and children” given the circumstances).

It was time for me to leave for darts and he thanked me for hearing him out.  I took a piss and came back and asked him what his money situation was.  “I’m dead broke” he told me.  I gave him a W50,000 note, wished him luck, and left.  And yeah, that was probably stupid on my part, but I felt better for having done it.  The rest is up to him.  I don’t expect or particularly want to ever see Mike again, but I also don’t want to read about another expat suicide.  I’ve been in those dark places myself so I hope he finds his way out.

And I’m ok with that.  When you get to be my age you realize that possibilities are no longer limitless.  And that is sometimes depressing. Which to me makes wanting to kill yourself at 27 insane. As we used to say back in the day “keep on truckin'”.

Ah, it’s been a week since I last posted.  You ain’t missed much, trust me.  Truth is I’ve been in something of a funk.  Just tired and unmotivated and generally out of sorts.  But here I am and here you are so let me share some random-ass shit.

Jee Yeun’s aunt died on Friday.  Her favorite aunt, the one she used to stay with in the countryside.  Heart attack apparently, so she went quick at least.  I’d never met the woman, but it’s sad to see Jee Yeun grieving.  Well, I’m not seeing it now because she’s left for the funeral, which in Korea is a three day affair.

Today makes four weeks without a cigarette.  I have done some vaping when the urge for nicotine is especially strong, like when I’m out drinking throwing darts.  The new anti-smoking laws here in Korea apparently include vaping, or at least there’s enough confusion about the law’s applicability that most bars make me take it outside.  So far, my favorite bar has allowed me to puff inside which is nice.  The other day a guy came up to me and asked me what flavor oil I was using.  I honestly don’t remember, I’m all about the nicotine.  He laughed and said he and his buds had been smelling what they thought was someone baking cupcakes.  I was surprised because I was intentionally sitting near an open window so as not to be offensive.  I apologized, but he said no, it’s actually quite pleasant although he said he was now hungry for something freshly baked.

I had filled a prescription for Champix several weeks ago in anticipation of the day when I would again attempt to quit cigarettes.  So I added it in to my daily pill ritual.  I’ve taken the drug before and the only side effect was having some pretty vivid and intense dreams. This time around I found it difficult to fall asleep (my mind seemed to always be racing with random and disjointed thoughts).  Once I managed sleep, the dreams were much more intense (and more nightmarish) than what I’d previously experienced.  So, I’d wake up and repeat the cycle of trying to get back to sleep only to be reawakened by another bizarre dream.  Needless to say, it did not make for a restful and satisfying sleep.  Hence, I was always tired which may explain my lack of motivation.  I finally had to give up on the Chanmpix a couple of days ago, and things are going back to normal nocturnally speaking.

I’m between jobs which has also disrupted my weekly routine.  Who knew I’d actually miss getting up and going to work?  Presumably I’m still on track to start the new gig on the 18th.  I got an email on Thursday indicating that a security clearance has been initiated and I should stand by for further instructions.  And I’m still waiting.  It’s frustrating because I just did all that security paperwork (everywhere I lived and worked with names and addresses of people who can verify those facts) a couple of months ago.  But whatever, I have no choice but to go along to get along.

I’ve also been feeling grumpier than usual.  It’s just too bad that I don’t have a yard so I could yell at kids to  “get off my lawn” now and then.  Instead, I got a little angry at darts on Monday night when a hot-shot Korean was more interested in running up the score than in winning the game.  And then on Friday night I got pissed at Dolce Vita and walked out without playing in the tournament.  Here’s the thing.  I’ve been a patron of DV for ten years now.  That doesn’t make me special, but it does make me a regular.  And I’ve been ordering the same goddamn thing every time I’ve been there–a mug of Cass beer.  There were two other people sitting at the bar, but I set myself up at a table near the dart boards. Now, although the bartender (who happens to be the owner’s niece) made eye contact she didn’t offer a welcome or a greeting.  I don’t require those basic courtesies, but I do expect to be served.  And for whatever reason, I decided to take a stand by refusing to go to the bar to place my order.  It’s her job to come to me.  So after several minutes of a Mexican standoff, I packed up my darts and headed for the door.  One of the guys at the bar asked me where I was going.  I responded “somewhere where I will be served a beer” and walked on out.  Shocking, eh?  Keeping it all in perspective, I was no where near this angry.

After my early exit from Dolce Vita I hiked over to Sin Bin, the bar that has a competing Friday night tourney.  They’ve been trying to get me out there for quite some time, but I’ve stupidly always been loyal to DV.  And even in my pissy mood I couldn’t quite bring myself to play their tourney.  Fact is, I’ve been unhappy with the fact that Sin Bin chose to split the crowd on Friday’s rather than do a tourney on another available night (Saturday for instance).  Anyway, I chatted with some folks and enjoyed the promptly served beer. Afterwards, I went on an old fashioned Itaewon bar crawl, visiting some of my favorite old haunts from days gone by.  Got good service everywhere and had a pretty good time before heading home satisfyingly inebriated.

Last night I met up with my nephew Justin at Shenanigans and we had an enjoyable time shooting the shit, drinking beers, and doing shots.  I’m always trying to hook the boy up with one of the cute bar girls, but have not had much success in that regard.  There was a new gal last night so I got the ball rolling for him.  Turns out she has a boyfriend in Canada, but she still seemed to enjoy the attention.  She got off work about the time I was leaving and she invited Justin to join her and her friends for a drink.  He seemed pretty happy about that.

Living in Gireum is a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes.  The thing I like least is having to rush out of Itaewon with ample time to catch the last subway home.  I was taking no chances last night, so I headed to the station well before 11:30.  Got to Itaewon station just in time to board the train for my connection at Samgakji.  Where I waited and waited until a train finally arrived, which proved to be the last one of the night.  And it was only going as far as Hangsun University station, two stops prior to Gireum.  And so like magic, my foul mood returned.

So it’s after midnight, I’m without my Korean guide, and wasn’t exactly sure which exit would lead me to the right bus stop.  At least I knew I needed to catch the 143 bus.  The thing is, once the subway stops running you have hundreds of people exiting the station at the same time.  I guessed the exit that my drunken sense of direction told me was right, and sure enough there was a bus stop.  Swarming with people so thick it took my several minutes of salmon-like maneuvering to get anywhere near the place where buses were loading.  And there were lots of buses, but no 143.  I glanced over at the electronic sign announcing arrivals and didn’t see the 143 listed.  I figured I was at the wrong bus stop or the last 143 bus had already come and gone.  So I crossed the street in search of a cab. Ha!  I’m such a dreamer.  There wasn’t an empty cab in sight, and even if there was one coming, I’d reckon at least ten people were on the street in front of me hoping for a miracle.

My leg was hurting again so I was not feeling good about the prospect of finding my way to Gireum on foot.  As I stood there mentally cursing my foul luck, what should appear out of the blue–the 143!  Of course, now I was on the wrong side of the street from the bus stop. Decisions, decisions.  Do I risk jaywalking in heavy traffic or play it safe and potentially miss the only bus I knew was coming.  Fuck that, I ain’t missing the bus!  There was a fortuitous gap in the cars and I used my Frogger skills to make a successful dash for the bus.  Which I boarded and then stood (no seats available of course) feeling foolish while the driver waited for the passenger’s who had the good sense to use the crosswalk with the light.  I made it home though, so there’s that.

And that’s pretty much what you missed during the week I couldn’t be bothered to write a post.  You can thank me in the comments.

Well, it’s been awhile since I last posted, and if you make it to the end of this one you will know why.

It was back to the dentist on Saturday to rebuild and prepare the tooth that was subjected to a root canal for a permanent crown.  That entailed nearly two hours in the chair which was pretty much the extent of my tolerance level.  Taking the mold for the crown proved problematic because the construction work on the tooth left my gums bleeding profusely. She eventually finished with the mold and inserted a temporary crown.  And then abandoned me for another patient.  After about ten minutes of sitting there alone, I got up, removed my bib, and made my way up front.  I was given two options on the crown, W700,000 for the Cadillac of crowns, or W450,000 for the Chevy.  Hell, at my age I expect the cheap(er) crown will last a lifetime.  At least that’s the gamble I’m taking.

All that stuff going down in my mouth left me sore for a couple of days, but manageable enough with aspirin.  And just about the time my mouth stopped hurting, some pain in my right knee flared up.  I’ve not experienced joint issues but it is frankly one of the things I fear.  My lifestyle necessarily requires climbing multiple flights of stairs on a regular basis to access the drinking darting establishments I frequent.  Jee Yeun (bless her heart) went on the internet and announced that all the extra poundage I’m carrying around my middle is stressing my knees.  So in addition to the pain, I’ve had to endure her beseeching me to exercise.  Oh well, for what it is worth after my morning commute today (which does involve a fair amount of walking) the pain in the knee went away.  So maybe the doo doo alluded to in the title of the post is not so deep after all.  We’ll see.

What else?  Well, I came across this:

One of my petty pet peeves about the sidewalks of Itaewon is Korean pedestrians with no sense of situation awareness. The other night I encountered three young women walking side-by-side with their arms intertwined. Getting past them was like breaching the Berlin wall. And yes, if that’s my biggest gripe about Seoul city life things must be pretty good.

Speaking of gripes, I came across this article in the Korea Observer entitled Expats Speak Out: What Seoul Needs.  The responses ran the usual gauntlet–traffic laws should be enforced “people in France fear the police”; you should have to pay to drive a vehicle into the city “like they do in London”; Seoul should be multilingual (meaning English) “Fine businesses who are not accessible because of language”; more trash cans, free Korean lessons, less racism, etc. etc.

Alright, well I’m not going to rag on those quoted too much because they were responding to a survey the city initiated as part of its quest to become a “global city”.  I did leave this comment on the article:

I’m sure all the survey responses were made with the best of intentions, but really I couldn’t help but be reminded of the tendency of some folks to leave their country of birth looking for something new and different, and then they set about trying to make it more like home.

What I love about Seoul is its quirkiness and organized chaos. Sure, things could be better I suppose but heaven forbid it becomes homogenized and vanilla like the country I fled (USA).

Moving along to things I love about Korea, high on my list is the beautiful women outstanding food.  Last night we enjoyed this:

Right downstairs from my apartment building is a place that features beef. All the meat pictured is a mere W39,000. Sure, you’ve got to cook it yourself, but that’s part of the fun. Just ask Jee Yeun!

Another thing I like is the subway system.  There is even a hierarchy of seating preferences:

Now, when I find myself seated in the “red zone” (i.e. middle seats) I’ve observed a certain reluctance of some Koreans to sit beside me. It’s amusing that some folks prefer to stand than to squeeze in beside the big, burly, scary waegook. Heh, more room for me!

Now, maybe I’m just easily entertained but I find the subway advertisements amusing. Like this one:

Inbred dog or a Korean corndog. You decide.

Lest you think I’ve unfairly maligned the Korea people whom I actually admire (notwithstanding how they walk, don’t sit, and that whole eating dog thing) let me relate a small kindness that occurred when I exited the train at Gireum station today.  I was carrying 24 cans of diet Coke in my backpack, plus an 11 piece box of Popeye’s chicken and two Whopper Jr.’s.  Well, the backpack was heavy and I was struggling to get the strap over my left shoulder.  An ajussi passing by without saying a word helped pull it up onto my back.  That earned him a hearty “kamsamnida!” and prominent mention in this post.

Finally (ah, there’s a word you’ve been waiting for I reckon), regular readers may recall that I’ve been angling for a position with my old organization.  It would be a sweet gig for me, doing work I know and enjoy.  The woman who would be my boss has her doubts however, so last week I did a one hour sit down with her to try and alleviate whatever concerns she may be entertaining.  I thought the meeting went well.  For my part, I was actually quite impressed with her–smart and motivated.  I hope that I left a similar impression on her, but although she promised to let me know her decision in a “couple of days” a week has gone by with no word.  I’m trying not to read too much into that, but at the same time I’m steeling myself for possible rejection.

Whatever happens I’ll be okay of course.  Unless I blow out my knee.

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.

Or should I say “movin’ on up!”

The view from the 19th floor…

On Thursday we moved into this brand spanking new apartment building…

Still in Gireum, in fact we are across the street from the old joint. We lived on the 5th floor of Building 105 shown in this photo I took from the new apartment. Not directly above the subway anymore, so I have an additional five minute walk added at the beginning of my commute…

I was pretty impressed with the efficiency of the movers. One million won bought 3 men and 1 woman for the day, including a truck and…

…this elevator like device.

So, the movers show up at 0800. The woman does the kitchen (naturally) while the men set about disassembling things that needed disassembled and packing up everything else that didn’t. They had the old place emptied out by noon.
Given our dizzying new heights, they used the elevators to bring our possessions into the apartment.
When I had my shit shipped back to the USA, they just left my house filled with boxes (although they did put the beds and stuff together). Not these Korean movers–everything was unpacked and if something was dirty (like the refrigerator) they cleaned it!
It was all completed by around 1830. They all worked their asses off and it made that one million seem like a pittance.

The new place has three bedrooms and two baths and is much more modern and high tech.  I was trying to figure it all out and set off some alarm, so the maintenance guy had to come up and reset it.  Jee Yeun admonished me to not touch the control panel again.  Fine by me.

Yesterday was my half-day at work (I’m on a 20 hour per week contract, and do 8 hour shifts on Monday and Wednesday) so I got to test out my new commute.  I had some things I wanted to take care of on base, so I headed out at 0900.  You are welcome to join me for the ride if you want…

Every commute starts with slipping into your shoes, right?

Stepping into the scary elevator for the ride down. I say “scary” because they are all encased in plywood, with tape and graffiti. I guess they’ll stay that way until all the apartments have been occupied.

Down the driveway…

…across the boulevard and past the bus stops…

…Gireum station, line #4, entrance #3…

through the turnstiles…

…and onto the train. I actually had to stand for 3 stops, but seats usually open up at Dongdaemun…

By Seoul station the car was almost empty. Two more stops and I’m at…

…Samgakji! This puts me 25 minutes into my commute.

This guy is always in the station. Never heard him sing, but I assume he does golden oldies. *ahem*

As I leave exit #1 I see it has begun to rain. I have a ten minute walk yet, but I’m too lazy to dig the umbrella out of my backpack…

Through this gate and I’m on the hallowed grounds of US Army Garrison–Yongsan.

Plenty of time to take care of a little banking…

…and grab a quick bite to eat at the food court. Wasn’t feeling like BK or Popeye’s….

…and Subway or Chinese weren’t what I wanted either…

Ah, but some Taco Bell would hit the spot. Three crunchy taco supreme and a large diet Coke took the edge right off those hunger pangs…

So, I work for the Yongsan Army Education Center, which as you may have discerned is upstairs from the Post Office. But I don’t work there, I just drop by to pick up mail…

I’m still facing a one hour bus ride to get to work. Although I do get paid for riding the bus…

My destination is K-16. The ROKs use it as a military airport, the Army has a fleet of helicopters based there…

Crossing the Han…

Better to be riding than driving…

Finally arriving at my duty station. I’m downstairs in the computer lab. Where the work is not quite as intellectually stimulating as my morning commute…

Speaking of being stimulated, one of the purposes of going in early yesterday was to check in with the boss of the unit I use to run.  I’m holding out some hope that he may choose to re-employ me.  With my friend Dennis’ recent departure, there is a vacancy.  Unfortunately, the boss was in a meeting.  So, I had a nice visit with some of my old staff and they all expressed the hope I’d be brought on board.  Well, Dennis’ job as the supervisor has been filled by an internal promotion, but that still leaves a vacancy.  The person I would work for was hired after I left, so she doesn’t really know me (although I did join her and Dennis for dinner last summer).  So, I dropped by her office to say hello.

I asked how things were going and she said it was pretty hectic since Dennis left.  I casually mentioned that I’d be happy to help her out with that, but she really didn’t respond to that one way or the other.  I visited with a couple of other folks and as I was leaving, she asked if she could talk with me for a few minutes.  Of course I said of course.

She showed me a policy memo that had been written during my tenure and asked for my interpretation of one of the clauses.  Well, I frankly didn’t remember much about the policy or why it was written, but I gave it a quick read and hemmed and hawed my way through my best guess of what it meant.  I wasn’t really satisfied with my response and I’m not sure my insights answered her question.  She thanked me and I left.

During my long bus ride I got to wondering if that had been an impromptu interview or test or whatever to ascertain if I still had what it takes to be a useful addition to her team.  Now, I’ve been out of the game for four years but I don’t think I’ve got that much stupider.  And when I was in the game, I didn’t tend to shoot from the hip and make any policy interpretations without much more careful consideration.  So, maybe I should have told her that instead of trying to come up with a best guess on-the-spot.  Or maybe she was just seeking an opinion and there was no other motive so I should stop stressing about it.  I guess I’ll find out in due course.

And finally, after work I hoofed it into Itaewon, grabbed some dinner, drank some beers, and threw some darts.  Won the tourney (W30,000) and hit the double out jackpot (W66,000), so there’s that.

In a world of hurt

So my friend Jeremy is behind bars.  He’s being transferred today to a prison in Incheon where he will stay until his trial date, presumably in a month or so.  He’s been charged with “violence resulting in death”, which I understand is the Korean equivalent of manslaughter.

Several weeks ago Jeremy was at the Old Town Tavern in Itaewon.  He observed a young Korean man verbally and physically harassing a female friend of his.  Jeremy intervened, and a shoving match ensued (some accounts say Jeremy punched the guy). The Korean man subsequently fell to the pavement, struck his head, went into a coma, and later died from his injuries.  He was 20 years old. I’m hearing in his 30’s now, see update below.

I’m not sure how you say “screwed” in Korean, but that most certainly describes what Jeremy is. The altercation has been reported in the Korean media in terms much less favorable than those I’ve described above.  An attorney Jeremy has consulted advises that he is facing 7-10 years in prison, although that might be reduced to as little as two years, provided he makes some restitution to the deceased’s family.  The victims medical bills alone are fifty million Won.

Like many expat teachers in Korea, Jeremy is basically broke.  He was fired immediately after the incident hit the news.  He will have difficulty funding a competent lawyer, I see no possibility of him being able to pay off the family.  The Go Fund Me campaign started on his behalf had only generated several hundred dollars before it was pulled.  Go Fund Me doesn’t allow people to donate to the legal fees for individuals accused of a violent crime. So, like I said, he’s pretty much screwed.

I’ve known Jeremy for several years and I’ve never seen him be violent or aggressive.  But I knew he had been in fights before, mostly because he’s a stand-up guy who won’t back down.  As another mutual friend put it, Jeremy is a smart man who does some really stupid shit.  Now two lives have been destroyed and their ain’t a fucking thing anyone can do to change that.  It’s a nightmare for all involved.

So I offer this sad story as a cautionary tale.  Just walk away.  It’s not worth it.

UPDATE: A friend of Jeremy’s has created a Facebook page in an effort to generate some financial support for legal expenses.  I wanted to post the account of the events outlined there for clarification.  I wasn’t there and neither was he, but this is probably as close to accurate as we are going to get.

A good friend of mine, Jeremy Frye, was recently arrested on charges that could put him in prison for a long time. Because I wasn’t there at the time of the incident I can only relay the story according to Jeremy and a couple of other friends who were at the scene. I will try to simplify it. Here goes:

On Nov. 30th, Jeremy was at a local bar with his friends in the early morning. A Korean man in his 30’s sexually assaulted one of Jeremy’s Korean female friends by grabbing her inappropriately. The Korean man was removed from the bar by the security later to come back inside. The Korean guy pursued to apologize but instead tried to become physical with one of Jeremy’s mates. The Korean guy then left the building only to harass another one of Jeremy’s female friends and physically trying to harm her. Jeremy stepped in and removed the Korean guy which resulted in a scuffle. When this happened, he was almost immediately pulled away by the bar owner and security guard and went back inside. Several minutes later the paramedics arrived on scene because the Korean guy fell unconscious. When the police came, the Korean guy’s friend pointed at Jeremy. They questioned him and then let him go home. Later in the day, the police arrived at Jeremy’s apartment and arrested him for more questioning. He was held overnight and released again. The police told him the Korean guy was in a coma. About a week later the Korean guy died in the hospital. Jeremy is now in prison and awaiting his trial, which could be in a month.

If you feel like giving Jeremy the proper legal assistance, you can transfer funds to a bank account I have set up for him. I will try my best to keep everyone updated on his situation on this page. It will be difficult to contact individually.

KEB
620-237511-243
Murphy