A New Post?

Yes, a new post-imagine that. It's been a month since my last post. Yep, I am getting erratic again. I'm sticking to the same old excuse, and you know what his name is. ;)

I guess it's a good thing, though. School life is still bumpy, but no major upsets like the AC fiasco this summer-but I do think my washer is on its last legs-or spins, as the case may be. Sometimes it's just too tired to spin the clothes during the wash cycle. I have asked around and pretty muched confirmed that all westerners i know think that their korean clothes washers suck, so I am not the only one in this boat.

As it is the home strtch before vacation, I find myself insanely busy and hating it. So much to get done, and all I can think about is being on vacation. I will spend some time in Changwon and I am actually going somewhere outside of Korea-finally! I will be headed to Japan with Aaron for a short trip to Fukoaka. Just because, really. I'm sure I could head to fancier (and more expensive) places in Japan, but we're just doing it for a quick break.

I have officially stopped the log cabin blanket and am waiting on more yarn which I have ordered and expect to have before the break. So, I'll be knitting a blankie in Changwon. I'll also be headed to Seoul for at least a couple of days and hope to hang out with frineds there and do a little shopping.

Don't hate me for saying this, but lately I have missed shopping. No, really. I miss being able to go out and find what I want. You know, in my size, regular (read: not Korean) style for a reasonable price. All the things I can't do here. That goes for clothes, food, homegoods, school stuff...yeah, everything. It is officially driving me crazy. I priced out some storage stuff-basic plastic boxes with drawers today, and cannot believe how much more this stuff costs here. Korea is not cheap. Which is crazy, because korean made stuff goes for a lot less in the US than here. Go figure. Consumers do not dictate prices in any way here.

Ah well. Just my 2 cents before I make dinner, do dishes, fold the laundry, grade tests, make a sample project for Tips class, and go through the workbook for winter camp. Yes, I am kidding myself. Somewhere between dishes and laundry I will be too......meh....to continue. And that's not the whole list.

Maybe I should order out for dinner?

Tryig to upload more photos, but blogger seems to be having issues. An excuse for another post, I guess!

Just cuz

Azza turned into a shutterbug after we bought him a new hat and came home. He's got a whole album of goofy hatted craziness. I'll spare you most, though may add more later. I like this one, though.

All is Quiet

Well, no, not really. I've ben rather busy and distracted. No new knitting goodness to share, and teaching continues as usual. Considering my readership is 2, I figure it's no big deal. ;) Actually, I hope my family is still stopping by. Too many places to keep up online, though.

Would like to find an easy to knit hat that still looks nice for a guy-no sweaters, for obvious reasons, and I am not referring to time constraints here. Ideas welcome. Let me know what you have been up to. Comment, leave a link and I'd love to check your stuff out. I'm a bit stalled at the moment. I was supposed to have knit wool socks aplenty by now, but still have only the one pair, which is terrible, because it is definitely getting cold. Plus wool socks, when I can find them here, are outrageously priced!

I'll try to post a little more often this month....

Knitting

No, really, I have been knitting. Not much, cuz I've been busy...OK, not really. But when Azza leaves, I actually do knit. Well, I actually knit with him around too. Told him it was very Zen, like Qi Gong, and he gets it (yes, I know, I am mixing my disciplines, hear me out, though, OK?). It's my Qi Gong ('course, I expect to be doing that, too). So, I have started a log cabin blanket, but I think I have too many shades of purple, and I am thinking I should order something more contrasty from handpaintedyarn and wait for it to get here. I think maybe I should see if I can get another pair of socks done (only my second). See, the 1st sock of my second pair sits neglected on the needles due to my frustration with it. But, since I am taking the 4 hour bus ride to Changwon next weekend, I need something portable. Log cabin, not so portable. Decisions, decisions. Pictures, no. I'll get around to it, though, I promise.

I could blame the acupuncturist, I suppose. Started going for the sciatica and back pain. As you may remember, I have been getting physical therapy for months, and it worked.....up to a point. So, my friend Chris took me to the acupuncturist he has been seeing for the same problem. I think it is helping, so I will continue for a while. I am still hoping that total relief is a possiblity.....

As Per Request

OK, before I fill said request, will the anonymous commenter please step forward?

OK, now that that's done, this is Azza (apparently that is Aussie-speak for Aaron), otherwise known as chivalrous cutter of onions and sleeping man. He's an Aussie, works in Changwon, and has been spending quite a bit of time in Wonju lately. I'll take credit for the last bit. You can figure out the rest, right? 'K :)

Unlike me, he cries when cutting onions and can fall asleep at the drop of a pin. Lucky him. I'd be more than happy to cry cutting onions if I could fall asleep that easily.

Pics and Spam

Complaints were registered about the onion shot in my last post. I think it is a great shot, but......I will add another, to give you a better idea. See, some people can fall alseep at the drop of a pin. I cannot conceive of this, but I tolerate those who can do this as long as they have other endearing qualities. And Azza does.......(but I am still terribly jealous). Besides, I like the pic.



And, because I find it hilarious yet again, a lovely Chusok gift set...yes, it is spam, and yes, that is roughly $40.00 US for the thoughtful holiday gift. I kid you not. This, I truly do not understand!

More Random Stuff

Well, I started a log cabin blankie, but I haven't gotten far enough to warrant a photo yet. I am continuously distracted from getting work done. This includes: knitting, school work, and basically anything that involves, well, actually doing anything. Not that I am complaining. Besides, after all that nothing, the chiropractor said I was doing better! But doing nothing has been a blast over the Chusok holiday.

So, I thought I would share some photos.

First up:

When Eddie moved in across the way at the beginning of the month, her toilet was not working properly. No idea why. She was wondering how the woman who lived there before her had dealt with it, as she had said nothing to the landlord. He came up and after a great deal of time plunging, disassembling, and snaking her toilet, this is what finally came out....



Yes, it IS a cell phone. From the TOILET. May have fallen off the itty bitty shelf above the toilet. May have.

Next up, just for kicks:



Yes, I can make grown men cry. Barring that, I make them cut the onions up so I don't end up crying. Yes, I know, I am awful. But the tacos were tasty!

About to pop!

I can't believe it. My nieces are both pregnant and about to pop. Steph, shown first with Matt, aka Baby Daddy, is on bedrest.



N., is here, with Jordan, her oldest. I think he's excited.


They both look ready to pop. Wow. Where did the time go? I remember when my nieces were born.......

Did I mention...

I went to Seoul in August to hang out with a friend. We ended up in, um, three different Starbucks, I think. And Aaron doesn't even drink coffee! Anyway, we went to a Korean palace from back in the day...it's out in the hood north of the river, ya know? So, I have a photo of myself with a guard in traditional dress, but that one won't load. :( But I have others of me and another new friend. He was very accomodating. I think he was happy for the company. Sorry the shots stink. He wouldn't hold still.

Beach!

I went to the beach about a week and half ago. Well, I wasn't expecting much, so I wasn't too disappointed, but I still hoped it would be......I dunno. Since we were at one end of the allowed beach area, this shows a pretty empty part of the beach. Most of it was covered in umbrellas, and the water was packed.

But, I enjoyed it nevertheless. Can't really swim, they won't let you go out far, and the water is full of inner tubes. Many people don't go to the beach to swim. Most people "swim" (i.e., go into the water) in shorts and a shirt over a swimsuit, though there were some women who were just in suits. Most of them weren't the type to hit the water though. My friend kept noting when one such girl put on more lipstick.....definitely there to "be seen." Not that that doesn't happen plenty back home!

I enjoyed a bit of swimming, and just floating in the water, staring at the dome of the sky, and just listening to the surf. I really, really miss the sound of the ocean. REALLY. ;) We buried J. and then A. in the sand. It was the only time we could keep J. in one place for any length of time. She wasn't too keen on the ocean-the water moved too unexpectedly, I think.

Back at school now. It's OK. Very school-like. Very unvacation-like. No surprise there, eh? Vacation wasn't quite long enough for me. Ah well.

Hweongseong...or however you spell it.

Went swimming yesterday, finally! After a night hanging out with friends and no sleep (for me, the insomniac) we all went about an hour out of town to a popular river spot. It's a mountain stream, plenty cold, refreshing, and it was really beautiful. The cold water did what the coffee did not manage to do and wake me up for a bit.

We managed to find a spot we more or less had to ourselves. There was a big group upstream, and when we went to the deeper area downstream, there were people there too, but we had our little area for cooking and chilling. It was nice to be swimming, to be out of town, and not have any expectations.

I don't care for kimbop, so I was glad that we had a bit more. The guys took a while, but managed to a get a good fire going. They don't have to same rules about fires here as back home. It was kind of a hoot to watch the guys with the fire. In the beginning, I wanted to help out (if you know me, you know I am a pyro-just like the rest of the family) but the guys were.....well, guys. So I just sat back. Eventually the sausages got cooked, and that's what matters, right? ;)

The funniest part for me was seeing all the Koreans cavorting in the water fully clothed. My friend N. started the same, in the water with her clothes over her bikini. Eventually I think she took a little pity on me, looking so white (and Caucasian) in my bikini, and swam without the extra clothes over her suit. It's quite normal for Koreans to swim with shorts and shirts on. Many of them can't swim at all. Even though I saw lots of swimmers at the pool last year, I think those Koreans may be more the exception to the rule. I haven't had the heart to return to the pool and be stared blatantly at in my one piece, even, this year. I can be just as self conscious about being in my bathing suit as the next gal, and an idoor pool is too much of a fish bowl. Between staring at me because I am white and because I do the sidestroke (poorly-I am not a good swimmer), I'm just not up for it.

Unfortunately, the pictures I managed to snap did not do the place justice, and the best shots were of J. looking the part of an adorable 3 year old, as she always does.

More Random Thoughts

Yes, I have a lot of those. Entirely too many, in fact. I have been pondering the vagaries of friendship. Perhaps it is so-called frinedship? I don't know. But something I haven't quite been able to put my finger on has been bothering me. Well, many things. One of them is the nature of friendships. I have, in a way, been morning the loss of some friendships lately. I don't do that very well. It was a long long time growing up before I realized how transitory frinedships really were.

It seems to me that a lot of people keep their friendships fairly superficial, and seem to do so quite deliberately. I prefer to let a relationship develop as fully as it naturally would on its own. A friend of mine keeps commenting on how "deep" I am. "You seem like you would listen to deep music," or just,"you seem pretty deep." It makes me wonder, do most people just live most of their lives on a superficial level? Am I really that different? Are people that aren't "deep" happier?

Maybe I should try to just stop thinking so much. Yeah, fat chance of that, right? Nevertheless, there are some friends, new and old, that I miss sometimes.

Summer Camp

My 1st grade art class at summer camp. Sorry I'm so loud. The kids are having fun, so I have to get their attention. :)

I loading a couple more vids of my kids on youtube. www.youtube.com/mmstyleknits

Thought for the day

Which I may delete later (posting under current conditions=bad idea). Nevertherless:

We change and grow, hopefully, as we get older. We hope that these changes are for the better, although I can personally attest to slowly integrating bad habits that aren't helpful. For example, I procrastinate way more than I ought, and I find that I am not as able to focus as I was, say, 10 years ago. I am learning less, among other things. That may be simply because I am not in school and I am much less likely to read clearly educational materials (as opposed to novels) in my free time. In school, reading materials and what I gleaned from them, were not optional. But, I know I have time to keep learning much more, but do not take proper advantage.

So, my question, after discussing things that I think can change, is this:

Do we hit a point where, assuming we are "average," that we cannot change our moral and ethical leanings, and therefore, the actions that they govern? Or can we only change them minimally? I should put some time into defining average. I am referring to people who are not at the extremes of society. Criminal elements (I know that this comprises at least a siginficant portion of the population of my own country, but many are extreme, and so changes, through rehabilitation are drastic, but in many cases, change will never occur because they are so marginalized).

I guess what I mean to say is, if you long thought certain things were right or wrong, morally, can that change, really change, in your thinking? Can it change the way you would act in relevant situations? Not that long ago, a friend put forth the idea (possibly something that was read) that the personality is formed by the time we hit 30. What if I don't like parts of my personality-even though I know that much of it is based on experiences and reactions to them? What if I were to change the reaction to a situation based on a long held belief? Am I going to be able to look at it from a new perspective and feel like I can accept the change/response I had and move on? Or am I going to regret acting on new ideas that don't mesh with beliefs that are still informing part of who I am?

OK, I know this is not well written or informative, even. Thoughts?

Settling-should you do it to bring a measure of peace that lacks a sense of truth to you, or keep striving when you think (in all honesty) "it" might be beyond your reach? I thought this might be separate (it is, in some ways) but it also has do to with the way I have lived my life to now. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense.

Concert

I was at a great concert last night. The main performance was a Korean band called Boom Boom. Drums. Lots of drums. If you know me, you know I am a sucker for drums. It was a blast. Small performance space, big drums-especially the traditional Korean style one. It was great. Because of the nature of the space, I could feel the drums resonating through me. Loved that.

A TV station was filming, and as the only non-asian person there (there was one other foreigner-a Vietnamese fellow who was great sport when they put him on the spot) I stood out. So, the camera man interviewed me and the man I was with translated for both of us. He also translated the jokes that were sung in the at the end in traditional korean style. Boom Boom is 6 performers, including a dancer, and man on a traditional horn and the drummers.

Normally, there are no performances at this time-it's normal vacation period, but I think they made an exception for the TV station and others. My companion at the show, Michael, told me that it was a shorter than usual performance. There was dinner and tea first. I don't usually care for Korean green tea, but this was mild and pleasant. Maybe because I don't usually like most teas here, I was not too surprised to find out it was from a $100 bottle of tea. Dinner beforehand was apparently something new-a spicy chicken stew, with rice and veggies-which are the norm.

Because I had to catch my bus back, I missed the after performance party, unfortunately. I would have loved to find out more about where and when this band plays. Plus, if the tea was $100 a bottle (think the equivalent of paying $4-5 US for coffee, but in a setting that is much more special than Starbucks), then I imagine the Makoli (which I do like) was probably significantly better than the $3 kettles I've had with friends!


Unfortunately, I did not film it with my camera, which would have been a great addition for my class coming up in camp. I will ask Eun Jeong to look at the brochure I brought home to find out if I can get CDs of videos to show my kids. I'm still hunting for good supplemental materials for that.

OK, please don't mind me if I don't check this over before posting. I recently got a pretty good idea of my "usual" readership, and I don't think either of you will mind! (PS, Lurking family members are REQUIRED to comment and leave their name in! I know where you live!)

Aww shucks

....Aww, shucks, thanks, Spin, for giving me the rockin' blogger award. Had I known, I would have nominated you first, because you are a great knitty friend and an amazing knitter. Given that you already got one, just make room on your mantel for one more! Also, I'd give one to Sade for interesting posts, and being a helpful, kind fellow knitter, and to Shona because she has been so cool and supportive. I'd give one to Rob, but, well, she doesn't actually blog, she Tweets! But, she has been a great help and a lot of fun, online and off.


A bit pink for me, but......

Sweet! Podiobooks just added 3 chapters to Full Share. Gets better.....Dexter Preair episodes 1 & 2 were on my RSS today! Little things....

Off for more PT. Yesterday they had to stop the black monster early. Usually it doesn't hurt a whole heck of a lot, but it "pulled" further than usual-strtching my back. Stretching the back feels good, but the chiro saw the look on my face due to the ache that starts up in the hip area. Ugh. It's weird, the pain isn't extreme or anything, just persistent. I hope that this heals up soon. I have no idea how long I'll be doing this.

I met the doctor's wife yesterday, my student's mom. She was nice, but it was one of those awkward moments of obligatory talk when you don't know someone at all and have no idea what you have in common (besides Anna, of course). So, it was the usual how are you's, Anna says she like's Mallory Teacher, Anna's a great student, blah blah until an appropriate amount of time has passed that makes it OK to beat a hasty retreat. Sounds worse than it is, but these meetings are often awkward for me. I can never think of the right things to say to parents. It's easier when it's a student I really enjoy and who does well, like Anna. Ideas appreciated to help me with future awkward moments!

The A.C. was finally installed last Sunday. YES! What a difference. Of course, my !@#?!! landlord made the installer drill the hole in my wall over a meter below the ac unit, so it doesn't look pretty. And it's running from my 2nd floor apartment to the compressor on the ground. Need some spray foam for around the hoses, but I don't know if they have that sort of thing here. Probably, but I've no clue how to ask for it, and Amy looked at me like she had no clue when I asked. I also don't know if the hoses should be packed away in the winter. Will they have water in them? If so, I figure that can't be good. I know nothing about AC. I've actually never had it before, except in other people's places.

On another note, I have started physical therapy. X-rays showed that I have a compressed disc between the L4 and L5. It's a long process here-at least for me. The doctor is the father of one of my students. He must have written that I am not to be charged any out of pocket fees. The first time, Amy translated, as she was kind enough to come with me. Second time, the women at the front desk kindly signalled no charge-saying as much, but not that I can understand. So, I don't know if they've said, no charge at all. Thrd time they laughed and waved me off with a scrip for pain meds I don't fill. They don't do anything. Yesterday, the fourth time, they had my scrip ready as I walked out and were saying goodbye before I had it in my hands in order to avoid the whole bit entirely. Not that I mind-they can have a laugh at my expense-because the doctor is not charging his daughter's teacher! Cool. Granted, co-pays here are much less than in the US, but still, nice benefit of being a teacher.

The whole PT set up is rather assembly line, unlike the limited experience I have had back home. Many people are in line and in various points of treatment. I start with heat on the spine, then electrical stim, then some sort of traction machine that is more like a long black torture device. I lay down on it. It has seprate pieces fitted together to support the different parts of the body. The part that my pelvic region is on isn't full wiidth. I lay flat, and one of the nice staff people-usually one particular woman, screws two curved peices onto the machine. She lines me up until my hips are in the right place to have these curved vices tightend on the side of either hip, holding me quite firmly in one spot. Velco straps are criss-crossed over my midsection. Something that sounds like a blood pressure monitor is pumped, and under my back I feel the pressure change slightly.

I should note that all electronic medical equipment that I have seen is labeled in English, sometimes with Korean overlay, but more often not. So this efficient woman who straps me in swings the monitor over that has a time graph, many buttons and notes regarding the pounds of pressure, and various other things all only in English, in front of me. The first two times she explained the whole thing to me in Korean while I waited patiently, grinning inwardly.

At this point, the slow torture begins, lasting 30 minutes. She turns the machine on and leaves. It begins to slowly apply pressure, which I can only just feel, while it slowly stretches me down the table with each round. One minute on, thirty seconds off. The first time the pressure was too high and my whole lower back/pelvic area hurt by the time I was out of the machine. When it finally finishes, it releases me, and when I am not prepared, my streched body, held in the vice, is forcibly brought back to the starting position. Let me tell you, if I haven't raised my back and feet to sort of slide with it, it HURTS. Ugh.

The torture device is followed by a session of chiropractic. The chriropractor usually does more electric stim first. From the point that I am on the black bed, I am in his area, and he sees at least one patient every ten minutes or so, usually more. The whole PT area is one large room, with 3/4 walls, so that from beginning to end you can hear ubiquitous cell phones ringing, fans whirring, the chirpractors table kirchunking with each hapless victim...er, patient. Actually, he is a very nice man and we manage to communicate sufficiently with my mangled Korean and his basic English. He knows more medical terminolgy than everyday conversational words. But, it works. Depending on wait time before treatment, and various points in between, the whole thing takes at least two hours.

Thus far this is no change with the treatment, but I have hurt for well over a year, so I think it could take a while for my body to get back to "normal." I am headed back for more torture today after school. Yippee.

I$* {(*$%# % O*&#%$P#^TPQ#*%BIW#*&RW*(#Y!!!!!!????!

Articulate, no?

They came out to install my air conditioner today and when they found out that they would have to put the compresssor on the roof, the guy wouldn't install it. Said it was too far. I am REALLY annoyed. and hot. and annoyed. I have too much to do to go AC shopping again. it will have to wait.

And, yes, Robin, I am certifiable. Would you like me any other way? Easy for you to say, Michigan is a lot cooler than ROK, ja?

I Had to Do it.

I broke down. I couldn't take it anymore. It was getting to me, wearing me down, day after friggin' monsoonal day. It was just too much, I tell you. Everybody else was cool with it, why not me, right? So, yeah, I had to do it....I bought an air conditioner, or, "Aeh-Kon" today.

My friend Chris drove me to a part of town where he had looked before. He couldn't find the store he had been to, but the one we stopped at had more used ACs to choose from. So, it was less than a new AC and the price included installation, boring the hole through the wall, etc. I talked them down by 20 bucks. Yeah, not much, but I think (just my opinion, mind you) that waegookins have less bargaining power.

Chris' Korean is definitely better (even if his wife wasn't Korean, he spends a lot more time studying than I do) so he asked the when, etc. But initially I asked for 20,000 won less and the woman said no. She went and talked to the guy in the shop, and when she came back, she didn't say yes or no. I basically showed her the money I had in an envelope and Chris said this is what I had-point being that that was all I had. Since I never spend all my cash, it was close enough. It was an effective bargaining technique.

It will be easier to hang out in my apartment and get stuff done now, although I really need to get a better desk. This isn't an actual desk and it is too tall to work at comfortably. But I waited this long to get AC!.......

KT saga continues

KT, the Krappy Korean inTerneT company does not have hold music when you call the Engrishee hep-uh line. No, but they do need someone to check the translation, instead of using Babelfish, or a person with equally poor skillz.

Diall 100, press 8 for Engrishee, press 1 for anything not related to repair.

Hold. Listening to the following, mostly in seemingly random order:

"The line is busy."

"Now is on another inquired call."

"Connection is delayed."

"It is a lot of inquiring call now."

"One moment please. Please wait for a while."

I used to wonder what the heck someone was thinking naming a brand called "Ask Inquired" here (repetitively redundant, anyone?). But they seem to use the word inquire very differently and thus translate it strangely. Hmm, is that (inquiring call now) a present progressive used as an adjective? I get my perfects and progressives mixed up until I look them up-and sometimes I still do!

Anyway, this all came about because KT sent me another bill-yes, another one-for service at the old place that I moved out of 4 months ago! I called and was bumped to the pleasant English speaking womanin Seoul that I have spoken to all along, and she called the Wonju office (no English speakers there) and they said they had not turned it off and promised to do so-again. No explanation as to why. Idioterna. Yep, you can guess what that means. We'll see if they actually get around to it.

Eddie, who has been kind enough to bring the bills to me, moves out of that building at the end of next month, I believe. I don't care about my credit here, perse, but what if I move again?

Muhahahahahaha!

Oh, my stomach hurts, I laughed so hard.

More funnies, not for all.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Pachanka/OMGBunny

I'm melting, I'm melting....ahhhhhhhh! Watch my koreanized stripey leggings, etc, melt into the floor, leaving nothing but my teacher's witch hat. Ahhhhhh....it is so frackin' hot out there, I could fry an egg on the sidewalk. I need an A.C. somethin' fierce. "Aekon" periohaeyo!! Now, please.

Trackbacks.

Will someone please 'splain this to me? I click to trackback, thinkin' I can link to my site somethin' cool, ya know? Nothing happens. What are they and how do you make them work? I wanted to trackback to Sade's blog and nothin' doin'. Grrr.

BTW: thanks to Robin (yes, it IS your fault :) Resistance is futile) I now have a twitter site:

http://twitter.com/Malcontent

Just because, you know, I needed another website to keep up along with my facebook account and this one.

Hehehehe.

Well, no, I am in Korea so, it's kekekekeke. One of my kids said this in my 7th period extra class on Monday. I got the giggles. Dorky goofy giggles. Kekekekekeke. He's so l337 and he doesn't even know it! You should see this kid, too. He's really grown on me. He sometimes gets this "I'm a wee bit evil and adorable" smile on his face sometimes, like when he kekekeke'd. He didn't know what he did that was so funny, so that made it even better. Anyway, imagine Teacher having a giggle fit in front of 11 slightly bemused children (cuz you KNOW that never happens to me, right?!) whose grasp on English is tenuous at best.

"Teacher, wheh?"

Giggle. Faces chalkboard.

"Teacherrrrrrrrrrr...wheh-guh-rae?"

Turns back. "Paul's silly." Giggle, smile.....lightly, "Kekekeke."

Class continues.

Strange...but this mught be true. Well, except that I think the whole left/right brain thing isn't quite what people used to think it was. But we use the terms more loosely now. Well, I don't know-do you use the terms left and right brained loosely or do you believe that the hemispheres of our brain are that specific? Comments welcome!

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

The job

Signed up for another year on Friday. Got what I asked for cuz I was reasonable, but made sure it was fair to me, too. Damn fair. What commercial is it? Because I'm worth it......:P

No kidding....

You Are 87% Non Conformist

You're incredibly strange. And a weirdness like yours takes skill to cultivate! No one really understands you. And you're cool with that. You just hope you never have to understand them!

Are You a Nonconformist?

W00T!

I have tomorrow off. I don't know why. Some Korean holiday. I don't know which one. Frankly, I don't care which one. I just know that I have tomorrow off. Sweet!

Tagged

I was tagged by Shona, a.k.a. Gourdongirl with the "What's in your bag" meme. Ergh. Memes. Love 'em, hate 'em. So, my bag, as of right now, has:

Anna's copy of "Self Made Man" by Norah Vincent
My sunglasses w/ case
My sudoku book
Ticket stub for Pirates of the Carribean III
My bag to hold various smaller items so I can find them, which had:
Eyedrops
A thing of tissues I was handed by a woman on the street. It is a common form of advertising here.
Lip stuff, as we call it in my family-not lipstick, but for moisturizing
Lipstick
Some Arnica Montana, which I am almost out of
My be-stickered altoid tin, which is for ibuprofen and the like
Pen, pencil and eraser
and my Korean health insurance card thingie.

My wallet, when I was hit with the meme, was not in the purse. Go figure.

I'll make tagging optional. If you leave a comment on this post and you have a blog (or blog tyoe account, like facebook), consider yourself tagged. I will check! :)

Now I will transfer everything to my book bag, which I use during the week...the damage would have been much worse there!

Socks, as promised

Finally, a matching set! OK, so I actually finished them a while ago, and have since started working on the first of another pair (since frogged due to gappy heel frustration at the ?gussett?). And it's much too warm to wear them :) now. But once I figure out this gappy problem, I should have some lovely socks by the time is gets cool again.

They wrote what?

Bear in mind that this is an official Adidas store in Seoul, with requisite photos of some one famous. The first photo is for context. Easier to see in the second one, though. In this case, the famous face is David Beckham. I am sure he would be oh-so-proud to be lending his name to this poster (What do I know-maybe he would be). Note the writing below the photo. I can't recall the full text hidden by the clothes. But I couldn't help but notice the glaring lack of an "I." This, I have to tell you, is quite typical, even in high end advertising. Then there is the comma, and capital letter. Is this a new sentence, or what?

Yes, I have been neglecting my blog lately. Apologies to those who check in regular-like to read about the goings on in my life. I have been fairly busy, with school, friends, etc. I went to Chiak Mountain a couple of times, learned to make Mak-Ci (I don't know the spelling, but pronounced Mahk-sigh), visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, lost and replaced my passport.....all in all, no excuses for ignoring my blog, but there it is. Oh, yeah, and I finished a a pair of socks, too. I'll show those shortly. Meanwhile, my trip to North Korea (same as the email many of you got.)



This is the view into North Korea that you get from the part of the DMZ that we are allowed to cross. South Koreans are not allowed to come here, out of fear of defection. The actual line is inside the blue buildings. Our American tour guide is the friendly looking guy at the bottom. Behind the blue buildings is North Korea, and the building their representatives come out of. We saw 2 soldiers at the top of the steps. It was a hazy day, which is common here, so good shots are hard to come by.



There are 3 Swedes and 3 Swiss military personnel at all times on site. These are two of the three Swedes.



This is me, in one of the blue buildings. There are clear markers (speakers and a flag) in the middle of a central table to show where either Korea ends/begins. The reps from either side sit on their own sides. However, there have been times when North Koreans have come in and walked (considering the lack of dancing I have seen here, I doubt they were dancing, despite our guide's description) on the tables. Whatever is on the boots, those responsible for the South Korean maintenance have been unable to remove the boot prints. By the way, in this picture, I am actually in North Korea.



See how fierce he looks? Apparently South Korean (or ROK) soldiers posted here are supposed to do this at all times. The Taekwondo stance, balled fists, and even the sunglasses meant for intimidation. You do not walk between this soldier and the flag on the table in front of him out of respect. He is standing on either side of the line. When they lock/unlock the door on the far side, they now do it in pairs-one with weapon drawn-as there was at least one instance of them being charged by North Korean soldiers. ANd, yeah, don't I look thrilled? You are allowed to take these shots as long as you do not touch them. Still, I felt a little disrespectful, unit it was pointed out by a friend that they do this all day long. Maybe they get a kick out of it?



There are 2 towns in the DMZ-one South Korean, one North Korean. The North Koreans built a fancier one than the South Koreans had, along with music and propaganda that used to be broadcast VERY loudly for the ROK residents to hear, telling them they should defect. ROK built an impressive flag pole, to which DPROK (North Korea) responded by building an even larger one. The flag weight is some insane hundreds of pounds and is cranked manually. Not much breeze that day, and very hazy. Nowadays, ROK residents that live in the DMZ have it pretty good. They are all descendants of original residence from before the war. They are exempt from the 18 month military service required of SK men. They have nice houses built by the government, and do not pay taxes. The average income is about $82,000.00 which is many times the average of most Koreans. Many hire workers to work the farms here, while they live in Seoul (among the most expensive cities in the world) and own businesses. The DMZ is a wild life refuge, having many animals that now live nowhere else in Korea. It will never be reclaimed, as there are too many mines laid by both sides.

The Golden Compass

See the post below. Roll your cursor over the animal/daemon and click on the question to go to the site to answer some questions. If the assesment is different, the animal could change.

P Meme

Well, Sade, if you were wondering, your mail was, for some reason, put in the junk mail! Therefore, I did not discover it for many days. Errgh.

Anyway, Sade got the letter T and posted 10 things that she likes that begin with T. Then she said that anyone who would like to pick up on the meme should leave a comment for that post saying they would like to be tagged with a letter, and so on. If you would like me to leave you a letter, comment away. If you're visiting from facebook, post it on your wall.
I have been bestowed the letter P. At first I was thinking.....P?!? But I am all good, I think. Anyway, I decided to do this in the first place because I have been feeling down lately, and I figured thinking about good things certainly can't hurt. And so:

1. Patrick, my brother. I love him very much, and miss him.
2. Patricia, as in Fasold. She is a great woman and thanks in part to her, I now know my awesome kid brother, Danny.
2.5 (I have decided that even though I love my uncle Patrick, this would be cheating, or doubling, anyway.)
3. Passports...for 2 reasons: 1. They allow you to travel to new and interesting places and 2. I have lost mine and the sight of it before I pay for a new one would be terrific beyond belief right now. If not, I will go the embassy on Friday.
4. Payday. Paychecks, paycheques. Pay packets. Wage packets, whatever ya call it. Enough said.
5. Harry Potter. Yes, but his last name begins with P. Besides, in Korea, where I am now, everyone uses their last name first.
6. Primeval. A British show currently on break. I'm saying-this is not an easy letter. Maybe I should think about this for a while.
7. Peppers, small hot korean ones that are part of the flavor in dagalbi, green ones, red ones, yellow ones, and I miss zesty banana peppers like CRAZY!
8. The Piano. I actually like many of Jane Campion's films.
9. Panacea. (A solution or remedy for all difficulties) I like the way the word sounds, and even if it is a flawed idea, it would be nice.
10. Photography. I'm not very good, my camera can't do much, but it is a skill I appreciate and admire all the same.

And, in case Harry Potter is cheating (although I would include it anyway)

11. Paper. I like paper.....I like decoupaging my daytimers and journals with it, I like hanji and other specialty papers, I like cool looking wall paper. I like writing sometimes and I like drawing sometimes....on paper. I like paper towels for cleaning (terrible, I know), I like toilet paper for obvious reasons. I like the font named papyrus. Yep, paper.

They Said What?

Yep. I think I might start carrying my camera around. You see this all over the place. Translation programs (although they have there uses for single words and the like), what a waste...more than a waste...please help me find the word I am looking for. As far as Koreans are concerned, translation programs might as well be the opposite...create gobbilty-gook (pun intended from the waygook) from your language to another language. Say something...just not quite what you meant to say....and likely not even close.

Sample 1:

Progress Report Hell

It's back again. Every month. Why do they do this? I have a long list, thanks to Charlie, of comments that can be used on progress reports. As he put it, he hasn't written an original idea in years. But slogging through to find the right one, or even just the time it takes to get through all these children. I want to do them justice, but.....er......I want to finish too. Thanks to those and PMS, cramps, etc., I have come to the conclusion that I will get nothng further done that is school related today, despite having almost the whole day off. I can only concentrate for so long on that stuff, and the progress reports took up all the alloted time and then some. I also discovered that there are words I cannot remember how to spell properly without a dictionary (or, in MacWorld, a dictionary widget) at my finger tips. Yes, I am an English teacher.

Yes, Robin, my apartment, as you put it, is cozy, but bigger than the last. I was not blessed with matching, functional, properly sized (for the space) furniture as you were. But, I did not pay for it. If I decide to satay another year, which is likely, I may splurge on some incredibly over priced, relatively poorly made furniture that better suits my needs. As one who likes to be as organised as possible and as neat as possible MOST OF THE TIIME, I may have to break down before I have a break down, if you catch my drift. I just hate spending the money when I'm not here to stay. I want to save the money for when I go home to stay. Not that I know when that will be or where home is, actually. But that's another post to ponder.

My first Sock!

And, yes, it is wearable! Yippee!!!! Notice I said "sock" not "socks." Sock #2 is on the needles. I be so happy. I have a waerable sock. I be so proud o' me.ou must tilt sideways to fully appreciate this post....I'm lazy today, and it is almost time for dinner.

And, yes, it is wearable! Yippee!!!! Notice I said "sock" not "socks." Sock #2 is on the needles. I be so happy. I have a waerable sock. I be so proud o' me.

Next my nifty new cell phone. Number to be given to friends only. Old phone can be reserved for annoying early/late/last minute texts. I know it won't last.



My new digs.



The best view from my new digs. I don't see this if I look directly out any window. Skipped the kitchen window in this post due to limit on photos allowed by blogger.

On my bedside table: Fionavar Tapestry book 3.
Weather: yellow dusty.
Mood: pretty good:
List of things to do: a ton.

Sock knitting: disasterous. Frogged the "completed" one for yarn. Started another. Got to the second half of the heel and it didn't match the forst half. Frogged, as per usual. Good yarn, though, it's holding up through all of this. Aobut six froggings.

New TV viewing: Vicar of Dibley, funny. Regenesis, promising, not yet yet addictive. Charlie Jade: good stuff, Robin Hood (no, not the one I loved as a teenager with Michael Praed) doesn't take itself seriously, which is good. Amusing fluff. Some good eye candy.

Music: nothing new :(

"These are the times that try mens' souls. In the course of our nation's history, the people of Boston have rallied bravely whenever the rights of man have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as the MTA, has attempted to levy a burdensome tax on the population, in the form of fare increase. Citizens hear me out-THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!"

Cue the music.

" Well let me tell of the story of a man named Charlie on a tragic and fateful day. He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, and went to ride on the MTA.

But did he ever return? No, he never returned, and his fate is still unlearned. (What a pity) He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston...he's the man who never returned." (Kingston Trio, Charlie and the MTA)

See, poor ol' Charlie, he gave up his dime at Kendall Square station, then he changed for Jamaica PLain (better known nowadays, as JP), but, you see, when he got there the conductor told him, "One more nickel." Think he had it? No! Charlie couldn't get off of that train. Charlie rides all night long, lamenting that he can no longer afford to see his sister in Chelsea, or his cousin in Roxbury.

I'm paraphrasing, of course. Needless to say, I'm waxing a bit nostalgic for the good ol' days when I was a kid, and this was some of the music we listened to, and we all can sing together in unison now. I gotta say, I miss my family south o' Boston and on the West coast. Love you guys. Wish my Ma, like Charlie's wife, could go down to the Scully Square Station with a sandwich at quarter past two. If we vote for a guy named George O'Brian, do you think we can get fares back to a dime on the T (as it is now called)? I think not. But I bet there are no shortages of G. O'Brians in Southie.

Pardon me, I'm off to the Tijuana jail. Got no one to go my bail. Just $500..........guess I'll have plenty of time in the slammer to do lesson plans! :)

They don't stop!

I wish some one would tell the Jehovah's Wintnesses that a foreigner who speaks almost no English lives in i-bek-o-ho (my room number). They must be close by. Third time already. Foiled each time. Wide eyed at the foreigner each time. Spread the news....no not that.....the news that I can't talk to y'all. Last time it was funny. This time I am PMSing. It could get ugly, I swear. Hehehe.

Just a shout out to those who check my blog regularly. Thanks. It is always nice to read your comments and know that you've been here. Robin, love the story about clockin' the ajoshi. For the rest of y'all, who may remember that Rob's super power is super speed, she's at least 2 inches taller than me. I'm taller than 90% of the Korean population....you do the math. No wonder she landed it on his forehead. Spin, thanks for the bind off advice. (I almost wrote BO advice, then remembered that 99.9% of my wonderful readers-that's the other 5-would think I meant body oder. Hehehehehe......especially funny in Korea, land of the imported, overly girly, smell ya coming from a block away deodorant).

Weather: rainy
School: busy, gotta get the progress reports done. Planning, planning planning. It never ends.
Laundry: dry, needs to be put away.
House: clean. still got to get the crappy desk out on the street. I feel weird doing that. Under the cover over darkness (of which there is none here)
stomach: not quite empty
battlestar galactica: downloading, much too slowly
dinner: don't want to make it. Don't want to bust out school books either. I want to read my regular book
on my beside table (which is actually a chair): Book 2 of the Fionavar Tapestry, which I highly recomend to those I know read fantasy.
Typing skill: non-existent. Spelling skillz left with the typing skills. Maybe they're looking for some soju?
PMS: rampant. Get over it.
Me: Done. Decision made-I'm going to read, cook, watch TV, and if any school books get looked at in the meanwhile..well, wouldn't that just be shocking.

Random Thoughts

I knit my first sock. Need to fix one hole. But what pisses me off was that I was trying to be a good girl and cast off really well, and it's too tight! !#U(*U(*Y$*(!@Y$!!! I can only just barely get it over my ankle. This just will not do. I am trying to fix it, but I ca't figure out how to get thread to the stiches to loosen them. Grrrrrr.

Saw 300 with Kristy. Mancandy.......mmmmmm....even with fakish abs. Flexfest. No one has abs like that all the time. But still...mmmmmm. Kristy about clocked a drunk ajoshi (korean guy) on the way home. We were waiting for the crossing light to change and he was yelling progressively more loudly at us. Wanting nothing whatsoever to do with him, we ignored him, though Kristy commented that she would essentially take him out if she had to. I felt exactly the same. Most of these people are smaller than me. Anyway, he finally came up to us. He kind of tapped me, but Kristy said he grabbed her shoulder. We both spun on him, and she started yelling at him. She raised her fist and he backed right off. We turned back around to finish waiting for the light and he kept saying the only thing he probably can in English, "Thank you, thank you...." I took that to be more of an, "I'm sorry'" from his tone. Needless to say, he did not try to bug us again. Good thing it wasn't Wednesday night, when I was in a downright evil mood.

Finally, sick as a dog, and I could really smell/taste the pollution on the air tonight. Disgusting.

Random Thoughts

I knit my first sock. Need to fix one hole. But what pisses me off was that I was trying to be a good girl and cast off really well, and it's too tight! !#U(*U(*Y$*(!@Y$!!! I can only just barely get it over my ankle. This just will not do. I am trying to fix it, but I ca't figure out how to get thread to the stiches to loosen them. Grrrrrr.

Saw 300 with Kristy. Mancandy.......mmmmmm....evn with fakish abs. Flexfest. No one has abs like that all the time. But still,...mmmmmm. Kristy about clocked a drunk ajoshi (korean guy) on the way home. We were waiting for the crossing light to change and he was yelling progressinvely more loudly at us. Wanting nothing whatsoever to do with him, we ignored him, though Kristy commented that she would essentially take him out if she had to. I felt exactly the same. Most of these people are smaller than me. Anyway, he finally came up to us. He kind of tapped me, but Kristy said he grabbed her shoulder. We booth spun on him, and she started yelling at him. She raised her fist and he backed right off. We turned back around to finish waiting for the light and he kept saying the only thing he probably can in English, "Thank you, thank you...." I took that to be more of an, "I'm sorry'" from his tone. Needless to say, he did not try to bug us again. Good thing it wasn't Wednesday night, when I was in a downright evil mood.

Finally, sick as a dog, and I could really smell/taste the pollution on hte air tonight. Disgusting.

And I always wanted to be a pilot.......

Your results:
You are Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)

---

90%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

---

85%
River (Stowaway)

---

75%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

---

70%
Inara Serra (Companion)

---

55%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)

---

50%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

---

50%
Wash (Ship Pilot)

---

45%
A Reaver (Cannibal)

---

35%
Alliance

---

30%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)

---

30%

Medicine and physical healing are your game,
but wooing women isn't a strong suit.



Click here to take the Serenity Firefly Personality Test


45% Reaver. Hehehehe. Watch out, I might bite! 90% Simon...that's twisted, cuz he's hot.

Muhahahahahaha!

The scene: Western woman is chillin', hanging out doing comoutery stuff. William Orbit plays in the background. Knock on door, repeated shortly.

Woman, "I'm coming." Opens door. Two Koreans, a man and a woman, are outside. Eyes widen slightly at the unexpected sight of a white woman.

K-Man, weakly, "Oooh." Pause, "Korean?"
W-Woman, smiling knowingly, "Aniyo."

All look at each other briefly. Door closes. W-woman smiles to herself. Hehehe. Foiled again. The Jehovah's Witnesses in this country are quite persistent. Actually, this is the only place I have been where people try to convert me more than back nome in the US.

Some Photos

Some photos in no particular order. First, Robin and Chai. Most are from my most recent visit to Seoul to hang with Robin, aka, Beta Clone 62. With her is her friend Chai, a killer Blues guitarist. He owns a bar called Just Blues in the Apkujong area of Seoul. He plays with his band, and it was great. I have some short film shot of him rockin' out that I will get up on to Youtube so you can check them out. Also, there is a shot with me and Desi, who I hang out with sometimes when I get to Seoul and we can actually coordinate time. Then Rob, Chai and I after we've had a few. Well, Chai, more than a few. I can't believe he can play like he does with that much alcohol in his system, but the dude can play! Finally, the view out of Rob's apartment in Seoul.

Now that I've moved, I'll get some shots of the new place and shots around Musildong, the new part of town where I live.

Yes, I have been remiss. No, I haven't forgotten any of you. Have you forgotten me? I hope not. I had a very busy last half of my "vacation." I went to Seoul and rocked out with Robin (yes, I meant it, get it? Rockin' Robin, and yes, that was Uncle Mal's favorite tune.) We drank too much, had lots of fun, saw skinny dancing korean girls at Hooters-yes, I know. But it was funny, I swear. The food sucked, the beer sucked, and the dancing was hilarious in that it was, well, I dance better. That's sayin' something. Pictures to follow, when I get to it.

I also moved. There are bugs here. Ick. Most are hopefully dead or afraid of me. I cleaned like crazy. It STILL need to be cleaned more. My bleach needs to do it's part. Some stuff needs to go. The TV is pointless. The broken desk it sits upon is pointless. You should see my kitchen shelves. They are so HIGH. If I were taller, OK, but I am taller than 90% of the population of this country, and I need a chair to reach the third shelf. The second shelf is marginally usable. Nut, I have a bigger fridge. I am missing the dryer at Halla. I love being able to walk to school. One of my best friends lives right around the corner.

I have been trying to do lesson plans, but they keep having school dinners. And meetings, and meetings, and meetings. I keep getting sidetracked due to an apartment that needs cleaning. Oh, and I hate doing year long lesson plans. Hate it. If, like Rob, I had 2 books (those books are so thin, too, Rob!) I could plan in no time. But I have a multitude of heavy books. Did I mention I hate doing lesson plans? They never work, and once I do them, I hate getting told that they aren't right. If they tell me that, I will say, well, this is how I understand them, and if you would like to change the format, go ahead! That'sgoing to have to be that. You should see the daily lesson plans that Kristy puts together, the other second grade teacher. Crazy long and involved. They're really nice, and she said it is cool that the ones I give her won't be like that. :)

Well, I guess I should plan a lesson, huh? More later y'all. An oh yeah, my first sock is still coming along. Like the leasson plans (because of them?) it has been slow going lately, thanks to so many other things needing my attention.

Ergh.

Toof wath yanked a week ago. Ith sthill huths. Yuck, but ith getting bettah. Tomorrow I go to Seoul after getting the stitches taken out. Hurray for appointments at the dentist, a perfectly valid reason not to attend the 10 am school meeting I was informed of via text messaging at 6pm tonight. Hahahahahaha. Oh, yeah, that and the reason that I am ON VACATION!!! Thanks to time and some good examples to follow in my fellow teachers, I am learning to navigate and live with the last minute craziness which is working in Korea. I believe the technical term is lastminititus. It infects a huge portion of the population here. Thankfully, it is a largely non-threatening, though frequently annoying, infection that can be avoided with simple, practical precautions. That is not to say that I haven't met several previously uninfected individuals who did not take proper precautions, unfortunately.

I have another invite to return to Seoul on Monday for dinner from a woman I 'met' on Knitty who was living in Mokpo for 3 months. Her husband ships out to sea and she gets a great trip from a family member. It would be great to actually meet her. Her letters home, which she forwarded to me, where descriptive, interesting, and sometimes laugh out loud funny. I could really relate to a lot of what she said. I am not sure if I will make it, but I may try. I just get so sick of being on the bus, and I have moving to think of, utilities to get switched, and eventually, basic lesson plans to be pondered.

I frogged the 1st sock about when it was 40% through because I decided that part of it was too big. If it had been the whole thing, then I would have just shocked it into shape, but it was only a large area after the inside end of the toes. It would of been too floppy, methinks, but I am far from a sock knitting expert. The blanket still sits in the box it has been exiled to. Pardon me for ending a sentence with a preposition. Life goes on, even for English teachers-my apologies to Sarah K., one of the best teachers in the world, and my English teacher for 4 years in private school. One of my favorite not-exactly-a-rule English rules is that once you know the language well enough, you can break the rules. And it is for this reason alone that I may start a sentence with either 'And' or 'Because,' or end a sentence with a preposition.

Had a most fabulous internet chat with T. last night. She finally got on Skype and bought both a mike and camera for her computer. It was so cool to see her and hear her. As she said, we are finally in the age of the Jetsons'. No flying cars on the market yet, but as I saw on 60 Minutes last year or so, there are several prototypes with promise. How cool is that? Maybe, just maybe, my dream of flying will finally come true. So I won't be breaking the sound barrier, flying Tomcats off of air craft carriers or piloting shuttles to space (with role models like Lisa Nowak, that might not be a bad thing!) but I might be able to fly my personal aircraft to the 200 meter (high) tier parking level someday!

Alright, time to get to work on that sock I recast. Well see how much I can get done whilst watching a subtitled movie. And for those of you who think that Americans using 'whilst' is snobby (I read this the other day), kiss my gluteous maximus (private joke, sorry y'all).

I'm tired. And silly. Haven't played with photobooth since resurrecting The Lifeline (aka, my computer).

After looking at this I realized, "Look, Ma, no arms!" I'm sick. Hehe. There's lots happening, but I'm pretty tired today, for no good reason. Met the new teacher, seems like a nice guy. He's from Texas, and I know any time I talk to him for 10 minutes, I'm going to get my southern twang back. Apparently, his wife speaks English quite well, so I am looking forward to meeting her as well.

........

Doorbell rang it was Anna. She is always bringing me up goodies she's cooked. I am a terrible cook, so I don't reciprocate (at least not with food-I try to keep her in mind for other things). Tonight's offering was noodles in cream sauce. Smells good. My last good meal before I get the tooth yanked! ;) R&A have said I ought not eat in the morning, though the doctor didn't mention it. But then again, his English (and my Korean) made it easy to miss a few things. Can you tell I am nervous?

Anna was nice enough to offer to go with me. A good thing, too, because I forgot to have Halla U. written down so that I could hand it to the cab driver. Can you imagine if I tried to tell a taxi driver in Korean where to go after having a tooth extracted? As if I don't mangle the language enough, right?

So, I think I will enjoy this and then try my hand at knitting the socks once again. I have cast the darn things on about 8 times. Lorna's Laces Shepherd sport in Aslan. I'm using 2's and despite my best efforts, I keep messing up the increases (the pattern is toe up gauge free by Stasia that I got off a website recommended by some folks at Knitty.

Moving

Well, it is official, I will be moving. Charles is leaving to work in a new town and school, and I will take over his apartment when he leaves. The people who run the building where I currently live are great and I will miss knowing that getting someone to take care of something, or getting packages delivered is no problem, but the new place is walking distance to school and is in an area with restaurants, coffee shops, etc. It is closer to downtown as well, and is still close to my friends who will continue to live in Unisville. Hopefully moving will not be too much of a hassle, and I will be able to just switch the utilities into my name. I will probably cancel my landline and couldn't get cable in that building if I wanted it. The owners have a deal with the satellite company, but satellite is too expensive to be worth it, and I will not pay to get cable in the new place-installation is expensive and I hardly use it. So, internet is my main concern.

Once I move my packages will be delivered to the school rather than my home, and I will get the new address out to anyone that wants it. Hmm, I will miss having a dryer, but I will have my own washer, and the utilities will be cheaper, so I can turn on the floor heat to dry my clothes in the winter. :)

Also official, this school year is over. A new teacher that will be coming in tomorrow to look for an apartment for himself and his wife. We still do not have a replacement teacher for Charles. At this point, most reputable teachers have positions lined up for the new year. We may well all be pulling down some overtime to cover classes for a bit. That should be interesting. How much overtime I am williing to do, quite frankly, depends on how well my classes are blocked and what grade I will be teaching. That's right, I still don't know.

The new head of the English department has been chosen-a Korean teacher that I do not know at all, except by sight. She doesn't speak English. My current co-teacher will be her assistant (basically overseeing) immersion classes, J. will oversee regular English classes, and D. will oversee English specail classes. I do not think that my current co-teacher will be my co-teacher next year. Who that will be remains to be seen.

All in all, things are looking pretty good. Now, I am just waiting to get the darn tooth pulled. It hasn't bothered me much, but has been just troublesome enough that I have decided to keep my appointment to have it pulled. If all goes well and I am not in pain, then I will make it the Stitch and Bitch on Sunday too!

KT still sucks

Yup, they sure do. First, Eddie and I both lost internet at the same time on Friday night. We could only get to an all korean web page that was clearly asking for an ID and passqword, which neither of us had ever set up. So, she souldn't even check her email. I knew I still had an actual connection, because my email worked, since I do not got to a weebsite, but use a separate program. The "engineer" (read, tech, as I well know from back home-if you had called the techs at Adelphia engineers, oh, the hilarity that would have endsued!) arrived and got us both bak online and gave us both IDs and passwords for future reference. He said they are having server problems affecting all customers, which was to be fixed by today, but let me tell you, moving from one site to the next is like watching paint dry right now.

Hmmm, so one teacher is leaving to get married and move, and the school is frantically looking for a replacement, who will get his apartment rather than a more senior teacher (read, me, because I asked for it and don't have other forms of compensation that others have accepted-selfish, probably, do I care? Not really. I want to be able to walk to school and pay 2/3 less for heating bills). So, we are losing a good teacher and a great guy. Also, our director is leaving. Losing a another great guy who really cares about the teachers. Heaven only knows what will happen now. Did I mention that I probably won't know wjhat grade I am teaching until a week before term starts? Ugh. I'd rather prepare now and be done with it.

Sorry folks, too lazy to get some pictures on from a walk in the area. Maybe next time. It would take for-frackin'-ever for them to upload anyway!

Imagine This Scenario

Mallory Teacher: " Goo morning, childwen."
Children (giggling): Goo morning, Miss Mallory Teacher!"
M.T.: "How ahh you (sounding like the true Bostonian she isn't)?"
C.: "I'm fine," and a few, "teacher talking funny, hehe."
M.T.: Ahh you weady to get stahted?"
At this point the highest level girls will begin giggling uncontrollably.
Ever curious, never shy male student with great English raises hand and says, without waiting," Teacher?"
M.T.: "Yes, Wyan?"
Half the class giggles. The 2 lowest level students have quizzical expressions.
Ryan: "Teacher, why do you sound funny?"
M.T.: "Because my wisdom toof hurts, Wyan."
Ryan, looking interesting and ready to crack up: "Wisdom toof?"
M.T."No, 'toof, Wyan, toof....Errr......(trying to pronounce what should be 'sah-rahng-nee' or 'love tooth' in Korean)
"......Sahwangnee...."
Everyone sitting in an orange child sized chair at an undersized desk starts laughing and hooting. This goes on for a while, until Mallory Teacher gives a teacherly glare and says,
M.T.: "Fingahs on lipssss!" Before she can put her on finger on her lips she starts laughing until it hurts her toof.

Yep, the next 2 weeks should be interesting. It hurts A LOT and I'm really nervous about getting it pulled, since I have never had anything but a cleaning. Ah, well. My coworker went to the same place in December. As long as I can find some one to go with me so that some one can actually pronunce the destination to and fro to the cab driver, I am sure I will be OK. Without that, all will be lost!

Six months

Six months today. In a way, my time so far in Korea seems to have moved at a snail's pace, but looking back, it seems to have gone by so quickly. Of course, the mostly downtime of the last six weeks (excluding last week and the week before, where I actually put in O.T.) has gone quickly. It stinks that most of my downtime happens when it is so friggin' cold. But, since the school is not properly heated, it has its advatages. I haven't kept the shoebox properly heated either, but I can always jump under the covers or take a long hot shower. I'm sure my long showers are partly to blame for my last whopper of a utility bill-that I and I actually let the temp go up to 17 or even 18 upon occasion. Not lately, tho. I think my house is colder than Mom ever kept our house. Of course, I am a lot more susceptible tothe cold than I used to be. Sixteen degrees is......60.8 degrees Fahrenheit...yeah, colder than Mom's, fo' sho'. I have to get the school to move me somewhere that isn't LPG-too expensive!

Six months.....wow.

Little bit a Shakin'

PS, We actually had a minor earthquake here the night before last. From the Korean text that came through on my phone, which I can't read, it looked like it was a 4.something, I think. I didn't even feel it, but some coworkers and friends did. I think the epicenter must have been a ways out, but I haven't found anything on the English speaking internet to get details yet. I think the only other one I have been in, in Seattle, was stronger-but that's not saying much.

Sci-fi, Death and Taxes, Oh My!

Week one of immersion camp down. Too bad I have to get up early tomorrow. I get frustrated when I think about how few hours some people have to work, if at all. I try not to think about it too much. If I could sleep in more, I would not be so bothered about it. But, I have been managing to drag myself out of bed, at least. I can only hope that I have a better schedule next semester. It could make all the difference, truly. I must admit, I am entirely too dependant on being able to get enough sleep. Clearly, I must not be able to get enough, or I would be able to ramble on about something a bit more interesting, at least. But, as usual, if you know me well, you know how much of a difference it makes for me.

I am having a heck of a time keeping a schedule. That, and I am going through Stargate withdrawal. Finished a season, and the new program I am trying is taking forever with the next season. As soon as it is done, I am going back to my old program.

Guess I need to bust out some Firefly, so I can get my Sci-fi fix. As much as I like BBC's Hustle, it ain't shiny with big guns, fast flying machinnes, and has no weapons or machines with names like phasers, lassiters, or flux capacitors (sp?), and there are no time paradoxes, black holes, or scientists plotting to blow up suns in order to get out of the latest impossible fix-and look damn good doing it (hey, even the patches on Mal's brown coat just make him look cooler). How American can I be? Ooh, yeah, and Mickey and Danny aren't as drool worthy as Simon Tam. And what can I say-I've had a thing for Richard Dean Anderson ever since MacGyver, and Ben Browder since Crighton first sling shot into a galaxy far far away. Nevertheless, for those of you back home, I recommend the Brit show Hustle. It was playing on AMC, despite the fact that it is not American, nor movie, nor classic. Good grift, though.

Stay tunes for scenes of our next episode....Our intrepid heroine tries to untangle the impossibly labrinthine tangle known as the American tax system. One of the most popular characters, Bridget, returns, to help our heroine-will she be in time before Mal implodes, causing devastation thoughout HallaVersity that could reach as far as the Heungeop Nebula in the B31.34 galaxy?

Skull-less Skully is done!

The basic pattern is Skully from Stitch and Bitch. I did not add any Skulls because I need to be able to look teacherly at school. This is my second sweater, and it is warmer than most sweaters I could get in Korea. Unfortunately, it is already showing some wear after I've worn it only twice. Advice is welcome. Can I wash with dish soap, as wool wash does not exist here, or should I Ebay myself some wool wash? It is Knitpicks Sierra, 70% wool and 30% angora (slightly scratchy, so I need to wear something under it. The shape of the neckline really limits what looks nice.) Will reblocking help?

Anyway, I am fairly pleased with myself. Pardon the lack of a photographer. The color is most accurate in the shot of me wearing it. I modified the pattern slightly. The arms can be a bit of a hassle under a coat, but dang it's warm. Whatcha think?

Back to school.....

...on Monday. I was just getting to a point where I was really loving being on vacation. Well, no, I have been loving it the whole time. Now, I've just gotten USED to it. On the plus side, in just over a month, I will have 2 weeks vacation again. Boy, am I going to miss sleeping in. Getting up on Monday morning is going to be a tough one, I know that already.

Fixed!

Well, Blogger help was no help. But, By process of elimination, I found the right button and changed everything back to English. Hurray!

Korean

Sorry to all who hit comments and see what is almost certainly unintelligible to them. Yep, I can't read it either...it's Korean. For some reason, when I switched to the new blogger, since I am in Korea, Blogger must have ASSumed that I am Korean and would like said interface. l@%$@#!@#$$%%%^^&&*! That is instead of writing swear words in English, Korean, German, Spanish, French, and Swedish.

Trying to get it all sorted out. Your patience in this matter is appreciated. Please pardon our mess while we upgrade for your convenience......blah blah. Oh, yeah, and I haven't done much with pictures since I lost them all.

Skully needs to have lots of ends woven in, then I'll add a picture. I made something for some one back home, but I have yet to get it to the post office, so it shall remain unpictured here. Not that that is a word, but if you know me well, you know that I've a penchant for making up words as I go. Not that I can take credit for all of the unwords that I use. oochee-wahwah-chee-my-way! Jay, did I spell that right?

Bacon!

So, do you remember those commercials for some dog treat or other-I can't remeber the brand-that featured a cartoon dog that was all about the bacon? I don't remember the visuals so much as the sound track. Something like this:

Dog-Bacon!!

Narrator-Your dog won't know that 'name brand here' isn't really bacon.

Dog-Bacon!! (wagging tail)

Narrator continues along the same lines about how it isn't bacon, blah, blah, but your dog will smell it, taste it, etc, and think:

Dog-Bacon!!!!!

Shot to happy dog with said treat and the last sound is the dog:

Bacon!!!!!

OK, well, I've been in Korea for five months. I have eaten entirely too much Korean bacon for it to be good for my arteries. But Since I walk into the stores here and can't read directions, have to buy all fruits in veggies in bulk 90% of the time (90% of which will go bad before I can eat it all on my own), hate too good "real" meals (and none to good of a cook to begin with, I know), and can't find the ingredients easily (if at all) in Wonju for the kind of things I made back home, I have been eating a lot of bacon and eggs (and tobasco) and BLTs. That said, I have been eating them with korean bacon.

Allow me to explain the difference. Korean bacon is wimpy. Yes, WIMPY. Small, short, skinny, thin. Wimpy. makes me laugh when I remember Dad always saying at a restaurant that he wants it crisp. He always has to specify that to the waiter or waitress, sometimes in a way that just made me cringe to be with him (love ya, Dad, but still). Dad, you will not get your wish with korean bacon unless you specify that you want it BLACK. That is how you make korean bacon crispy. You burn the heck out it. A dog would be convinced that Korean bacon is, in fact, bacon. It's been so long since I have seen real bacon, that I forgot that korean bacon is not real bacon. Well, today I went to pick up my firewire cord that I had left with Robin on my last visit, so that I can back up this perecious hard drive o' mine.

Pant, pant.....Robin brought me BACON!!! Folks, we are talkin' the real deal. Kirkland brand bacon from Costco, same as dear old Dad buys at his Costco on the west coast. If they don't have Costco in Ronin (Ronan?) MO, he probably stocks up every time he heads through Spokane. Bacon and Salsa (Do I know dad or what? Eggs, some meat that comes packaged in a roll-like pepperoni, and some sausage patties, and some computery gadget and a couple of books to fill out the carriage, but I digress). So, bacon and Stich and Bitch were the hightlights of my day. Even if all I did was a swatch. Skully is almost done, and therefore too big to cart to Seoul and back. A couple of inches on the arm and I will have to attempt the dreaded seaming.

Yes, bacon. The real deal. Time to whip up some dinner, y'all. Far be it from me to change up my routine today.

On another note, I am hoping that the Airborne cold medication that T sent me will kick this cold right outta me in the beginning stages. None of that lingering of the last cold. Nope, I want to be healthy as a horse, and right as rain when immersion camp starts on Monday.

I'm Back!

'Nuf said. Mallory's a happy girl. Many, many thanks to Robin, who has gotten kudos here before, for help, TONS of info, and just plain good company whilst in Seoul. She helped me find a place that was an authorized mac repair center there, gave me Mac tips, Mac stuff, laughed goodheartedly at my Mac ignorance, then proceeded to lower my ignorance level by as much as possible in the time allotted. Oh, and she has my blog on her Newswire RSS feed...some one has me on an RSS feed. That's cool. ;) Now, if I can just get her to walk slower.......

Oh, T, I'm going to sign up for Skype. Then I'll give you info so we can talk for free-yes, FREE. Thanks Robin.
Now I am going to cook a very late dinner (it's 22.20) and watch the latest Heroes episode. Thanks Robin.
And while I do all of this, I am in Stealth mode. Nobody's messin' with me. Thanks Robin. ;)
Tomorrow I will find a back up software to use on my new back up hard drive.....yep, you guessed it.....Thanks, Robin!....so this never, EVER happens again.

(Psst, Robin rocks!....but you can tell that already, right?)

Ok, y'all, it'll take me a while to get everything back the way it was.......but I am soo happy to be back in business.

Ciao for now.