A Good Day

Today was a good day. My good friends Greg and Hyun-suk got married in a very pleasant ceremony here in Daejeon. There were some pretty funny moments as Greg's dog Bodhi was the ring bearer (and very well behaved at that). At one point, during the vows, the preacher said, "And do you, Greg Smith..." Right after he said Greg's name, Bodhi lets loose a single, "WOOF!" It was perfect.

After the ceremony and lunch, I came home for a relaxing afternoon of music and beer in preparation of the festivities to come at Santa's later. Since I haven't put one up in a while, here's the list:

1. Judas Priest: Run Of The Mill

2. The Clash: Somebody Got Murdered

3. Korn: I'm Done

4. Terrorvision: Oblivion

5. Eric Johnson: Ah Via Musicom

6. The Misfits: Static Age: Theme For A Jackal

7. Sweet: Man With A Golden Arm

8. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: You Tell Me

9. Warren Haynes: Blue Radio

10. Thin Lizzy: Cowboy Song

11. Wolfstone: Howl

12. Stevie Ray Vaughn: Honey Bee (Live)

13. Grateful Dead: Believe It Or Not (Live)

14. Queen: Staying Power (Live)

15. The Black Crowes: Cypress Tree

16. Prong: Your Fear

17. Exciter: Brainstorm

18. The Tubes: Don't Touch Me There

19. Johnny Cash: I Still Miss Someone

20. Jethro Tull: Cross-Eyed Mary (Live)

21. Mercyful Fate: Is That You, Melissa

22. Bay City Rollers: Let's Pretend

23. The Blarney Lads: Bold O'Donaghue

24. Be Bop Deluxe: Love In Flames

25. Sammy Hagar: Baby, It's You

26. The Reverend Horton Heat: One Time For Me

27. Black Oak Arkansas: Older Than Granpa

28. The Eagles: Life In The Fast Lane

29. The Marshall Tucker Band: Unto These Hills

30.The Cure: The Lovecats

Home Again. Home Again. Jiggity Jig.

I had a wonderful time with my mom and uncle in ever exciting Crescent City, CA. I ate like a pig thanks to mom's home cooking (I'll probably be having dreams about roast beef, mashed potatoes, and lasagna for weeks to come). I also got in a great deal of sleep. My mid-afternoon snore fests probably loosened some roof tiles, but there's something about nodding off in a comfy chair to the sounds of a baseball game that's truly good for the soul. Add to this the quiet comfort of sitting outside with my mom and uncle chatting away and watching the sun go down over the Pacific, and you have the makings of a pretty sweet time.

The other thing I got to do while I was there was make a pilgrimage to Amoeba Records in San Francisco. Amoeba is probably the greatest record store ever. Tens of thousands of new and used cds, tapes, and lps all at VERY reasonable prices. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go there. I bought thirty "new" cds and still managed to spend only $260. I could have easily spent more, but figured that going for a second basket to carry stuff was probably a bit much. I still think about stuff that I forgot to look for...sigh.

So another vacation is in the books. I'm back in Korea jet-lagged and discombobulated (I woke up at 3 am this morning and have been unable to sleep since). Fortunately, I don't have to be back at work until Tuesday, so I have an extra day to try and get my brain and body back into Korea time. This means, of course, that on this rain soaked, dreary Sunday, I have to avoid taking a nap. Yeah. Right.

Here are some photos from the trip:

Crescent City, CA at rush hour.

The hustle and bustle of this booming metropolis can be a bit overwhelming at times.

However, the scenery certainly makes up for it.

The Crescent City Lighthouse.

Iceplant

An osprey after a successful hunt.

There's even the occasional nuclear test! Just kidding!

There are always spectacular sunsets. I think this is my favorite photo.


Even when the fog rolls in it's beautiful.

A little image tampering can create some cool effects.

Weird driftwood.

Attempt at being artsy. Came up with rocks.
Seagulls.
Turkey vultures munching on a dead sealion.

Happy dog.
In trying to get these shots of the moon over the ocean I discovered a couple of things. I desperately need to get a tripod, and I don't really know how all the functions work on my camera.


With my mom and my uncle














If you get tired of the ocean, you can wander a ways up north into redwood country. The following jumble of photos are from the Smith River and Stout Grove near the Oregon/California border. There are some ridiculously big trees up there.