Well, not the Army Birthday Ball. But still having a good time with my dart buddies in Itaewon. An impromptu tourney broke out at Sam Ryan’s last night and some pretty intense games ensued.
Back out for my chuckin’ and chuggin’ at Dolce Vita tonight!
Nothing to see here and nothing much to say. Dinner in Myeong-dong Tuesday and I’ll venture out to Itaewon to chuck some darts later tonight. And that’s about all there is to it.
Well, some Moroccan guy got busted for stealing I-phones from bar patrons in several locations. I don’t imagine he’ll lose his hands over it, but rumor is he is here illegally so it will be back to the 13th century for him I suppose.
What else? Planning a road trip in a couple of weeks. Probably to the West Coast. More on that as it happens.
Stay tuned.
…and a different spelling.
I’ve lost my voice. No smartass, it’s not obvious from the quality of my posts here lately. I mean I can’t talk. Well, I can sorta squawk and croak. Bridget Werner from the dart team calls it “a creepy old man voice” in a “hey kids, wanna come to the basement for a Popsicle” kinda way.
It’s mostly just a pain in the ass (and throat) and mildly distressing. I mean, it’s been over 3 weeks now. I checked the internets and apparently it is not that unusual for laryngitis to take several weeks to heal. So, I guess I’ve just got to tough it out and ride this hoarse till it drops…
Well, maybe not the Empire State Building. But the Ride it In dart team took a big victory tonight against the Pins from the Loft Pub. I didn’t throw many marks but still managed a 7-2 showing on the night. So, I’ll sleep happily tonight even if I’m not a true superman…
Part of the old fortifications that run across the crest of Namsan in Seoul.
If days were bricks in the wall of life, all in all yesterday was solid if unspectacular. Practice with my dart teammates at Dolce Vita, then me and the gal had a quick bite to eat (bimbibap and bulgogi) before catching the subway home.
And just so you won’t feel this post was a total waste of your time, here’s a link to the classic music video of Pink Floyd performing the title of this post.
This is part of the Korean War Museum.
Coincidentally, darts were flying last night in a tough battle not far from here at Phillies Pub in Haebangchon. Although I went down in defeat relatively earlier in the fight, there were some great moments throughout the tourney. Afterwards, six of us bussed over to Myeong-dong for some delicious budaejigae.
A fine time indeed.
Well, the 8th U.S. Army band was not there, but I had a rockin’ good time last night anyway. Played well enough to win the early bird tourney at Dolce Vita. Later enjoyed dinner with the Werner’s and Scheepstra’s at Don Valley.
Guess you could say we got our DVs on, if you get my meaning, if you catch my drift…
Sorry for the obscure JD Salinger reference which has absolutely nothing to do with this post. A great short story though.
Last night I had a great night out with Jee Yeun, Lonnie, Jaime, and Bridget. Threw some darts at Sam Ryan’s, ate some wings, drank some beers (OB drafts are half price on Thursday!). Enjoyed the good banter and camaraderie most of all.
Finished the evening with a nightcap at Bless U then taxied home to Gireum-dong. Feelin’ so good we tipped the cabbie W5000 and made his night too.
Heading out again tonight for the Friday night tourney at Dolce Vita. That’s the way I like it.
I love the juxtaposition of old and new Seoul…
So, courtesy of a kind friend I scored some comfort foods from the commissary, including hamburger patties.
And the first thing I asked Jee Yeun to make me was one of her famous “eggaburgers”.
You got your 1/3 pound hamburger patty, a fried egg, lettuce, ketchup, and cucumber on toast. I first experienced this treat one drunken night from a street vendor in Itaewon. Good as it was, no one makes an eggaburger quite like Jee Yeun’s.
I guess the irony is that I was enjoying this delicacy immediately after getting doctor’s orders to lose weight. Since it doesn’t appear the diet part of the equation is likely to succeed, Jee Yeun called a second hand store in Uijongbu about a treadmill. Actually, she calls it a “running machine”. I don’t know if that is a literal translation from the Korean or just a “Jee Yeun-ism”, but it always cracks me up. So, the store has three for us to choose from and we make plans to go up for a looksee today.
Last night Jee Yeun’s mom came by for a visit. Now, we live on the 5th floor. There are two elevators, one stops on even floors, the other odd. For some reason Oma decided to go the the 6th floor and walk down. And on the 6th floor landing she spots a perfectly good treadmill running machine just sitting there looking for a home. So, Oma comes in all excited and Jee Yeun gets equally excited, makes me turn off the TV (Band of Brothers, D-Day episode) and go have a look.
Well, like I say, it looks perfectly fine but there’s still the question of ownership. Jee Yeun puts a note on it and goes downstairs to ask the security guard. The guard says the people in #608 didn’t have room for it and he’d be happy to see it moved out of the vestibule. Jee Yeun confirms with the folks in #608 that the treadmill is in working condition and that we can take possession.
That turned out to be the easy part. Because of course we still had to get this contraption from the sixth floor into our fifth floor apartment. Now generally speaking when folks move big heavy furniture (or running machines) into high rise apartments, they bring it in through the window using one of these:
A furniture escalator not being an option, Jung bae (Jee Yeun’s daughter’s boyfriend) and I managed to wrestle the treadmill down the flight of stairs (technically two half flights, but who’s counting?) and park it at the entrance to our apartment. That’s another thing about Korean apartments, the front doors aren’t very wide. Which I guess is why they use the window, duh. Well, we tried every which way to maneuver the damn thing through the door, but like OJ’s glove, it just didn’t fit.
I had two thoughts at this point–an understanding that when the folks in #608 said they didn’t have room for the treadmill they must have meant they didn’t have room to get it through the door. And that paying to have a treadmill from Uijongbu delivered was looking like the best possible option.
Koreans love a bargain, and Jee Yeun and her mom were not about to let this freebee get away. So Jung bae (bless his heart) removed all the screws holding the control panel in place (I supervised, which is consistent with my professional training). Screws removed, it still took some yanking, pulling, prying and possibly breaking to get the top removed. Once more we tried every which way to get it through the door. It almost fit this time, but we still needed another half inch (or its metric equivalent) clearance. Damn.
Looking back on it, it was kinda comical I suppose. My Korean is about as good as Dong bae’s English. In her excitement and frustration, Jee Yeun wasn’t being much help as a translator. But in the end I was able to get across that maybe removing the motor cover would free up enough space to make it through the door. I’m not that brilliant really, it was just the last f’n piece that could be removed without a blow torch. And yes, with the cover off we were able to just squeeze it through the door.
I then proceeded to relax while Jung bae reassembled the running machine.
Ain’t she a beauty? A bargain at half the price. Just looking at it I can feel the pounds melting away. That’s how it works, right?
…than I did this morning.
In order to make my doctor appointment in Hannam-dong I had to catch the subway at 7:30 a.m. Wow. Other than clowns in a VW or college kids in a phone booth, I had no conception that so many people could be squeezed into such a restricted space. I literally could not move and wondered how much longer I’d be able to draw breath, but at each station stop a few more folks defied physics and somehow managed to squeeze aboard. And then someone starting touching my junk (although I’m pretty sure it was Jee Yeun and not the crazy guy behind me who kept mumbling unintelligibly the whole ride).
Mercifully, at Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station (which is a transfer point for two lines), a tremendous surge of people flowed off the train, like a wave of pus escaping from an overripe zit. Of course, I was standing near the front of this wave and was battered and jostled but I managed to both keep my feet under me and to avoid being forcibly ejected from the train, so I rate that a success.
Oh, the doctor says my liver is still fat and that I need to exercise. He said my throat problem is just post nasal drip and he prescribed an antihistamine. Actually, he prescribed some other stuff for cholesterol and some blue pill that is supposed to do what I don’t know. But he prescribed 8 months worth of each which ran me 700 bucks at the pharmacy. I guess I could have just had the heart attack there and then and saved the cash, but what’s the fun in that?
I haven’t been this medicated since the 1970s. But I’m sure these pills won’t be as much fun.
This sculpture is featured on the DMZ tour.
And this song is featured on the Hawks and Doves LP.
I’ve had a sore throat laryngitis thing going on for two weeks now. Doctor appointment in the morning. Hopin’ to keep it all together for awhile longer yet…
In my lazy mode I reckon, at least if lazy can be defined is staying home on Saturday night and watching The Walking Dead. No apologies, no worries. The sun sets and then it rises again.
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!
Ventured out to Soonchunhwang Hospital and scheduled the full “well being” series of exams. I did this a couple of years ago, and to the extent a medical process can be cool, this pretty much is. It’s basically an assembly line of check-up stations (chest x-ray, hearing, vision, etc) and some more intensive, make that invasive, procedures like an endoscopy.
Jee Yeun is doing the full monty as well. We like to go at this time of year to take advantage of “sale” offered by the hospital this time year. My total cost will be around $900. provided they don’t find anything wrong with me. The same tests and procedures in the USA would run several time mores, plus it would be a pain in the ass since I’d have to spend several days in several places to get everything done.
Anyway, that’s my big news.
Ventured out to Hongdae yesterday to play in a darts tournament. First time in that famed bar district, although on a Sunday afternoon it was relatively quiet.
Hongdae street scene.
The Beer Box hosted the tourney. Not a bad place to spend some time chucking the arrows.
Getting warmed up for the main event. Blind draw Doubles 501 was the format, double elimination. There were a few of us miguks out from Itaewon, a large contingent of Filipinos, and of course some quality Korean players.
Things started off on a winning note as me and partner Jeremy defeated a strong team of Korean HK and Pinoy Rey. We weren’t able to maintain that level of play however and wound up meeting HK and Rey again in the losers bracket where they achieved revenge in a hard fought battle.
My sweet dart widow Jee Yeun was there to cheer me on and she also pitched in by scoring a couple of matches.
Jeremy and I didn’t make to the money round but we had a lot of fun and threw a lot of darts, so it was a good day. I stuck around to play in a singles tourney. For some reason I was put in the “A” division group. I managed to win a couple of matches but quality prevailed in the end as I was dispatched by superior players.
I didn’t play like Jindogae for the most part. My game seems to be generally improving. Let’s hope I can carry that forward in league play tonight.
Darts at Dolce Vita where I managed to take away some first place cash.
Lonnie and his bride joining us for a dinner of Galbi and Bulgogi at Don Valley.
Late night norebang even when I am so hoarse I can’t sing a lick.
Sweet.
Bukhansan to be exact.
The girlfriend “suggested” in Korean fashion that we go to the mountainside for exercise. Which is to say it wasn’t really a suggestion at all. So, off we went.
Waiting for the bus in front of our apartment building. After a 20 minute ride or so we were deposited a short walk from the trail head.
Let’s go!
The weather was pleasant enough for a hike, but this stream bed was still firmly in the grip of old man winter.
When we got thirsty, Jee Yeun filled our water bottle from one of the mountain spring outlets.
It wasn’t a hard hike. Unless you are fat and out of shape…
Hey, it is steeper than it looks! Jee patiently waited for me to catch my breath and catch up…
I took this pic around the time I was convinced I was getting ready to have a heart attack. You can kinda sorta see the city through the trees. Not my best work.
So, as we steadily climbed up, up, and up, I couldn’t help but wonder what awaited us at the end of our trek. Perhaps a garden of Eden-like park setting, with hammocks, swings and rocking chairs. Or something restful and relaxing…
Nope, what do Koreans do after a long exhausting mountain climb? Why, they exercise of course! They even had freakin’ volleyball courts. No wonder most Koreans are so skinny…
Me, I found sitting on the free weight bench watching Jee Yeun hula hoop to be all the exercise I needed…
I made it down alive and that small victory seemed worthy enough of celebration…
Jee Yeun has “suggested” we go to the mountain henceforth on a weekly basis. It looks like I picked a good time to quit smoking…
Will be heading into the ‘twon tonight for dinner with my old friend Dennis McPeters. Dennis and I worked together in various locations and agencies throughout most of our long federal careers, culminating in my bringing him to Korea a few years ago. He’s still here, and I’m back. Celebrate good times!
By the way, I took this picture on my first weekend in town back in January 2005. Looks about the same I suppose, but really there has been an amazing transformation in Itaewon. Gone are most of the sleazy bars, replaced with many upscale restaurants with a wide variety of international cuisines. Still lots of good pubs (and darts!) of course. But what you see in Itaewon now that you didn’t see much of back then is regular Korean folks out and about.
My suggested town motto: Itaewon–it’s just not that scary anymore!