Greetings, patient and faithful readers! It is Saturday morning here in the Land of the Morning Calm and I am going to spend part of it with you.

Let me begin by offering an apology for my selfishness. It is an aspect of my character that I always have to work hard at keeping in check, but living alone really seems to exacerbate this flaw. I used to think this blog was just my plaything to do with what I will and you folks who cared to were welcome to come along for the ride, or not. But I have come to realize that I also have a duty and obligation to each of you who pays me the honor of visiting here. So I am resolved to rededicate myself to sharing something with you here everyday. I can’t promise that it will always be worthy of your time, but at least you will know I am making the effort to stay in touch.

So what has been going on in my world? I have fallen into a pretty uninteresting routine which is compounded by a general malaise. It is not just the blog, it is everything that I used to enjoy that I have not been motivated to pursue. CIV III, fantasy baseball, reading blogs, responding to email, posting here; all have suffered from my neglect and lack of interest. I’m not exactly sure why this is, but I suspect it is a manifestation of some pretty deep loneliness. All of those activities also remind me of my life in the States, so perhaps my disconnect is a defense mechanism against homesickness. Who knows and who cares. It is a problem I have to work through and the first step is to get back into the routine of communicating through this blog.

Having said that, let me assure you that I am in fact enjoying my Korean experience. I am meeting people, Koreans and other expats. I am a regular at Sweet Caroline’s and it is nice to have a place “to go where everyone knows your name”. Still, I don’t want a life that revolves around bars and drinking, so I’m looking for other ways to fill the hours. It is finally beginning to warm up enough where I can walk around and do some exploring outside of Itaewon. I also plan to take some weekend trips into the countryside to see the “real” Korea. One of my new Korean acquaintances, Mr. Park, has invited me to his hometown (sorry, the name escapes me this morning). It is in the mountains about 3 hours south of here and I am looking forward to taking him up on the offer. I wish my Korean language skills were better, because communication is quite difficult without an interpreter. Day by day I am increasing my vocabulary and I’m told my pronunciation is pretty good, but I still lack confidence and I know my sentence structure is still bass ackwards.

I am going to buy a gas grill later this month (already have one picked out at the PX) and my plan is to invite my small circle of newly met friends (Americans Jeff and Rob, the sisters from Sweet Caroline’s, and Mr. Chun and Mr. Park) over to my place for a little taste of America. Steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, baked beans, etc. Everyone says they are looking forward to doing that and they have the mistaken impression that I actually know how to cook. Which is really quite funny if you have ever seen my kitchen work. I usually bake something for dessert on Sunday’s (brownies, carrot cake, cookies) and carry the left overs to the bar (I have no self control, and a plate of brownies would more than counteract my daily walks to work). Hell, it is just using the packaged ingredients but they are always quite impressed. I’m told that cooking is considered women’s work in Korean culture, so I guess I’m striking a blow for male liberation.

Anyway, when I’m not hanging out at Sweet Caroline’s I’m usually just sitting around the house listening to music or watching Korean television. I am getting addicted to some of the melodramas. Don’t have a clue as to what is being said, but I just sit there mesmerized anyway. Go figure.

Work has actually been a good respite from my otherwise mundane existence. I have been reassigned into a supervisory position (same pay, more responsibility), but I agreed to do it because I prefer being the boss and I like the challenge. I am trying to recruit someone to fill the job I just left, and I hope to get some good candidates to select from in two weeks. We are dealing with some interesting issues, and one in particular has been in the headlines of Stars and Stripes this week. The union wants employees to be paid for the hours they were confined to quarters during the curfew, the Army says they are not entitled to additional compensation. I’m with the Army on this one (actually, since I represent the Army, I’m ALWAYS with the Army, but I personally agree with the Army’s position in this case). We shall see soon how it plays out, but this is the kind of issue that makes my job so enjoyable (even after 20+ years of labor relations work).

I guess by now you are thinking, “first this guy doesn’t write a substantative post for weeks, then he comes back and tries to bore us to death with the insignificant details of his life”. Hey, what can I say? What you see is what you get. Think of it this way, if you keep coming back the law of averages dictates that I will eventually have SOMETHING interesting to say. Kind of like an auto race. Lots of cars going in circles, then all of the sudden there is a big crash and lots of excitement. Hmm, scratch that, using a car crash as an analogy for my life is not what I had in mind. You get my meaning though.

Speaking of which, I had a bad driving experience Thursday evening. Traffic was real bad and I couldn’t turn left where I normally do, so I went up to the first place I could and planned to circle back. I had done that before in daylight, but at night I missed my street and got lost. Which was bad enough, but I got on the worst street I have ever seen. It was not really a street, more like an alley. Or a wide sidewalk. It was so narrow, my mirrors were brushing the trash cans on either side, and I drive a small car. If I had been in my Jeep there is no way I could have made it. And then I came to the steepest hill I have ever seen (including that famous street in San Francisco). I’m not sure if I was even on a road at that point, but there was no way I could back up so I plunged (literally) ahead. Scared the hell out of me, and the front of my car was scraping ground at the bottom. But I made it down and eventually found my way home. I would go back and get you a picture, but I still have no clue how I got myself into that situation, and doing it once was enough if you get my meaning.

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions to get me out of my blog funk. Be careful what you ask for, because look what I have spewed out here this morning!

TJ: I did not mean to imply there was nothing interesting going on in the world, just that I felt I had nothing to add to the discussion. But that never stopped me before, right? So yes, I am going to be going political on this blog again real soon. Thanks for your kind words. I do enjoy sharing my perspective and it is good to know you have an interest in that.

Mom: You made me feel guilty like only a mother can! 🙂 Thinking of you and Dad anxiously logging on each morning to see what I have to say only to be disappointed should be plenty of motivation for a good son like me not to let you down. I will do better, promise.

Ashley suggests that I make note that our soldier is home on leave from her tour in Afghanistan. Welcome home Hillary! I know you will have a good time and I’m sorry I can’t be there to give you a big hug. You have made me so proud. I am looking forward to you coming to visit me in Korea. I’ll make sure you have a blast.

Carol wants photographic evidence that Seoul really is a shopping Mecca. Look for that soon. I am in the market for a chair or a bench to put in my entry way. As I mentioned, shoes in the house is an unforgivable faux pas in Korean culture. Plus since I have to do my own cleaning it is a tradition that makes perfect sense from a practicality standpoint. Most Koreans wear shoes that are easily slipped on and off. Mine all have shoelaces. My belly being what it is, I find it to be somewhat of a chore to bend over repeatedly to tie my shoes. Hence, my quest for a chair. I will photoblog that “adventure”.

Leslie says don’t forget March Madness. Hmm, if you have made it this far into this post you might surmise that I have indeed succumbed to some form of madness this March.

Baltimore wants clever puns and jokes. Other than my so-called life being somewhat of a joke these days, the title to this post is about as clever as I feel this morning. But who knows, I might get inspired one day soon.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. A classic LTG ramble. Lots of content, no substance. But I hope I have re-primed the pump and some good work will follow. I am committed to renewing my dedication to this blog and to you my loyal readers. Thank you for hanging in there, I will try hard to be worthy.