If Namsan were the world and I was a Spanish explorer my name might just be Magellan. I circumnavigated that bitch of a mountain on Saturday.  And that required some creative walking since I had to find ways to work around the tunnels.  Nothing like a little adventure in life!

Bring it on Lapu Lapu!

You’ll note I finally had the good sense to buy a headband.  Looks dorky but it keeps the sweat out of my eyes.  I’m convinced it was the sweat that caused the stye.

One of my tunnel detours put me smack dab in the middle of the Dongguk University campus…

…where I unexpectedly encountered a herd of Republicans…

Came home after 3 hot hours and had a spare rib lunch.

Saturday night I met up with Sam, an old pal visiting from the UK.  Had a nice chat about Brexit (he was against it, and I of course favored it) then threw some darts.  Sam was still on British time so he made it an early evening.  I must have stopped by Debut bar on the way home.  I don’t actually remember getting home.  I woke up on the floor.  And later found a receipt in my pocket from Debut for W135,000,  I hope I had a good time!

Fixed this fine breakfast Sunday morning and set out on my river walk…

I was bound and determined to go further west than I ever had before.  It was not a good plan for an extraordinarily hot day.  It took me two hours to reach my destination bridge which I feared might wind up being a bridge too far.  I was getting lightheaded and although I didn’t hallucinate like Kevin Kim, I did imagine myself having a heat stroke.  I seriously considered taking a taxi home, but then decided fuck that, I’ll just plop down at a convenience store and drink copious amounts of water.  And so I did.

The view from the bridge over the river Han.  At least the last bridge over the Han that I made it to…

I was trying to capture that huge ass Taegukgi flapping in the wind. My stunted skill with a camera (and lack of patience) doomed me to settle for this…

Anyway, four hours and four bottles of water later I was safely home enjoying the pulled pork bbq out of the crock pot. I went out later and brought my step count to just over 30,000 for the day…

Monday night was dart league, and me and my What the Bulls? teammates took home a 20-7 victory over our sister team from Shenanigans…

Today was a busy but satisfying day.  For one thing I purchased an airline ticket for a planned Labor Day adventure outside the friendly confines of Korea.  More on that another day.  Had a refreshing walk into work, a sweaty lunchtime walk, and then I got the bright idea to stroll home via the Han river.

It started out pleasant enough…

And then almost out of nowhere the sky opened up and dumped some of the hardest rainfall I’ve encountered in quite a while. Not to mention lots of thunder and lightning. Seeing as how I was on the river sans umbrella, there was nothing to be done but walk on through it.  For an hour and a half.

I took this photo under the bridge that adorns my masthead. And yes, my spirits were somewhat dampened.

Still, not bad for a weekday…

And finally (the words all my readers doubtlessly look forward to seeing), I got some news today.  It seems I’ve arrived back to where I ended.

Yes, I’ve been promoted to the job I retired from over 5 years ago.

Well, I don’t blog about work these days so I’ll just say I expect it to be challenging, necessary, and well-compensated.  The plan is for me to lead us through the transformation and relocation to Pyeongteak.  I’ve promised to stay on through the move and several months after, then I will re-retire.  And then what?  Stay tuned.

I celebrated my good(?) fortune with a rib-eye steak and green beans.

And now it’s time for the periodic legal disclaimer:

All thoughts, opinions, and commentary expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone.  My views are not sanctioned (or necessarily condoned) by my employer.  I blog on my own time, from my own computer, strictly in my personal capacity.  I do not speak for the government I serve (and lately they don’t speak for me!) Thank you for your support.

You can spend all your time making money
You can spend all your love making time
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow
Would you still be mine?

And when you’re looking for your freedom
(Nobody seems to care)
And you can’t find the door
(Can’t find it anywhere)
When there’s nothing to believe in
Still you’re coming back, you’re running back
You’re coming back for more

So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fyY-TxGEwE