From the Land of the Morning Inconvenience

Starting a new blog

2009-12-15T15:46:00.002+09:00

Well folks, I've decided to start a new blog called ...And so it goes. Please head over there for all the stuff that's happening to me in Taiwan.

See you on the flipside!

Eric

Coming to the end of an era.

2009-08-16T13:04:00.002+09:00

For those of you who may not know, I'm in my last three weeks here in Korea. I'm moving to Taiwan on Sept. 7. Thus ends a nine year run in The Land Of The Morning Inconvenience. Those of you who follow this blog know that, for the most part, my experience here has been a positive one. However, it is definitely time for a change as, to paraphrase on of my favorite book titles, I've gone A Year too Far.

Korea is an interesting place to live to say the least. As with every other place in the world, it has its good points and its bad. For eight or the past nine years, I've been able to let the constant little annoyances, i.e.: the stares, the comments, the rudeness, and a few other things, wash off my back. However, this past year, all those things have been getting under my skin and pissing me off. So, rather than climbing to the top of the highest building I can find and taking pot shots at taxi drivers with a high-powered rifle, I've decided that moving is the more appropriate response.

The beauty of moving is, of course, that I will now have a whole new country and culture to explore. I'm sure there are things about Taiwan that I'll eventually find annoying (I'm becoming rather grumpy in my old age, lol), I expect my first year or so will be much like my first couple of years in Korea: excitement about all the new experiences I'll have and new people I'll meet.

I'm not really sure what I'll do with this blog once I get to Taiwan since the title is strictly tied to Korea, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Regardless, I'll be incommunicado from the end of August until I can get myself a new computer.

See y'all on the flipside!

How 'Bout Them Nats!!!

2009-08-07T15:40:00.003+09:00

I haven't posted about the good old Nationals lately, but it's far past time. Why? Because the Nats are on a tear! The boys just completed a sweep of the Florida Marlins today to win their 5th straight game and have won nine of their last thirteen games. Since the All-Star break and a management change from Manny Acta to Jim Riggleman, the Nats are at .500. So long to the fear of breaking the dubious losing record of the '62 Mets.

Today was a fine example of the Nationals resilience. Craig Stammen, the Nats starting pitcher didn't even make it out of the 2nd inning before being pulled and by the 3rd, the Nats were down 6-0. However, the offense never let up. On a day where Ryan Zimmerman went 4-5 with a home run, a triple, 2 singles and a walk, the Nats battled back to win the game 12-8. The sweep is a minor miracle given that the Marlins have simply owned the Nats for the last two years.

So all-in-all, it's a good day!

GO NATS!!!

Song of the day!

2009-07-26T23:40:00.000+09:00

FEAR - LET'S HAVE A WAR

[Chorus:]
There's so many of us
There's so many of us
There's so many [x2]
There's so many of us
There's so many of us
There's so many

Let's have a war
So you can go and die!
Let's have a war!
We could all use the money!
Let's have a war!
We need the space!
Let's have a war!
Clean out this place!

It already started in the city!
Suburbia will be just as easy!

[Chorus]

Let's have a war!
Jack up the Dow Jones!
Let's have a war!
It can start in New Jersey!
Let's have a war!
Blame it on the middle-class!
Let's have a war!
We're like rats in a cage!

It already started in the city!
Suburbia will be just as easy!

[Chorus]

Let's have a war!
Sell the rights to the networks!
Let's have a war!
Let our wallets get fat like last time!
Let's have a war!
Give guns to the queers!
Let's have a war!
The enemy's within!

It already started in the city!
Suburbia will be just as easy!

Manny's Gone!

2009-07-14T14:04:00.002+09:00

The Nats fired manager Manny Acta today and replaced him, for now, with bench coach Jim Riggleman. Whether this is the solution to the Nats hideous 21-62 season, only time will tell. I suppose something had to be done. They say the fish rots from the head, so it's logical that Manny got the axe (any possibility of firing the ownership??). I doubt Riggleman will be the long term solution for the Nats as he's below .400 as a manager in his own right. I think the Nats need to go out and get an old school guy like Davey Johnson who is proven and might light a fire under our underachieving team.

Anyway, maybe Manny's firing will send a message to the team, and we'll have a better second half.

Holy Crap, Batman!!!

2009-07-12T11:03:00.002+09:00

Nationals 13 - Astros 2

After a miserable start to this current road trip, where the Nats couldn't do anything right, the boys came alive. 13 runs on 21, count 'em, 21 hits, including three back to back solo home runs by Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn, and where EVERY player in the starting line-up got at least one hit.

The game started out looking like a typical Nationals blunderfest as Adam Dunn completely missed second base while running on what should have been a Josh Bard RBI double. The mistake not only ended the first inning but cost the Nats a run. After that, though, the bats exploded. Nationals hitters rocked three of the four pitchers sent to the mound by the Astros and Craig Stammen, the Nats pitcher, only gave up two runs on nine hits while pitching his first complete game.

This game was a stunning turn around that hopefully, with one game left before the All-Star break, will give the Nats a bit of momentum going into the second half. The Nats get the struggling Cubs at home to start the second half, so anything is possible.

Pinch me I'm dreamin'!!

2009-06-21T11:49:00.002+09:00

Nationals 5 - Blue Jays 3

The Nats, after going 0-8 in extra inning games (including 7 extra inning losses at home), win their second in a row on a Willie Harris walk off home run in the 12th. The boys have got themselves a season first 4 game win streak and, how's this for a stat from hell, finally made it to twenty wins (the last team in MLB this year to do so).

Last night, Adam Dunn got a walk off single to win the game in the 11th, but this was Willie harris' game. he robbed the Jays of two runs in the 5th with yet another spectacular diving catch in center field. Then manufactured a run in the 6th by hitting a double and then stealing third and scoring on a Will Nieves single. Finally, in the top of the 12th, with a runner on first, Wee Willie smashed a 2-2 fastball into the Nats bullpen for his second home run of the season. Absolutely beautiful!!!!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Manny Acta, the Nats manager, has been under the gun with rumors of his impending ouster flying fast and furious, especially before the start of the New York series. Well, to all of those Nats fans that think Manny ought to be fired: BITE ME! Show me any other team with a record as bad as the Nats (27 games under .500) in the history of baseball that plays and fights so hard for their manager? The big knock on Manny is that he shows no emotion on the field; that he doesn't argue with umpires or yell at his players. I say, good. He has commanded the respect of the players, and while the team hasn't always played well for him (understatement of the year), they have NEVER given up on him or a game. The Nats battle every game.

We got a four game winning streak, the pitching staff has taken a definite turn for the better, and although some of the big guns at the plate, Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman in particular, are suffering through a slump, the bottom of the order: Willie Harris, Alex Hernandez and Alberto Gonzalez, have stepped up with timely hitting.

The Nats may not be a great team, but they are young, fiesty, and showing flashes of pure brilliance.

GO NATS GO!!!

Nats win a series!!!!

2009-06-19T10:33:00.002+09:00

Behind some excellent pitching by rookie Craig Stammen (6 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 2 strike outs) and some spectacular defense, the Nats not only won, but SHUTOUT, the Yankees 3-0.

This game totally goes to the defense though. Bodies were flying everywhere. Alex Hernandez was superb at second base ranging from side to side and robbing Yankee hitters of base hits. At one point fully laying out to catch a line drive before it left the infield. Ryan Zimmerman was his usual amazing self at 3rd with yet another diving grab and flip to 2nd to end the 3rd inning. Maybe the most spectacular play goes to Willie Harris in left field who made an over the shoulder, diving catch at the warning track to rob A-Rod of what would have been at least a double. To add to all this, there's the fact that the Nats have played two nights in a row of error free baseball, which is saying a lot for the team that leads the MLB in defensive ineptitude with 61 errors.

Two games in a row may not seem like much to many people, but for the Nats it's huge. In my mind, if we can beat the Yankees in their own ballpark twice, we can beat anybody. The Nats have the Blue Jays starting tomorrow, then the Red Sox and Orioles. If, and this is a big if, the Nats can win at least one game in each of these series, I think it'll show that this team is on the verge of a turn around. The Nats aren't consistent enough to be labeled a "good" team yet, but they are young and certainly have the talent to eventually get there.

GO NATS!!!

Miracles may never cease!!

2009-06-18T10:58:00.002+09:00

THE NATS WON!!!!

The Nats beat the Yankees 3 to 2 in Yankee Stadium in a nail biter of a game.

In a situation where the Nats usually find a way to lose: Yankees at bat in the bottom of the 9th, 1 out, runners on 1st and 3rd, the newest closer, McDougal (he hasn't been around long enough for me to remember his first name, lol), got one of the Yankees' hottest hitters to ground into a perfectly executed double-play. It's a beautiful day.

I missed the first half of the game because I went for a swim, but apparently the starter, John Lannan, threw a hell of a game to get his fourth win in nine starts. It seems the bullpen did all right as well seeing as the Yankees only had four hits for the game. Of course one of those hits was a 2 run blast by John Damon in the 9th to get the Yankees within one and cause every Nats fan to chew their fingers down to the first knuckle.

The one thing that is great about this team despite the defensive blunders, pitching woes, and the current batting slump, is that they never, and I mean NEVER, give up on a game. Many teams with a record as bad as the Nats (on pace to lose 117 games) would be falling apart right now with players bickering and pointing fingers or simply just mailing it in on game day. Not the Nats. They play hard until the last out is recorded. That fact is probably the only thing that is keeping manager Manny Acta in his job.

Many Nats fans have been calling for Manny's head and rumours abound regarding the stability of his job, but I think they should keep him. He has players with talent albeit many of them are VERY young, and despite the losses, the team seems to making progress. Earl Weaver he ain't. Manny doesn't go out and scream at umpires, nor does he throw things around in the clubhouse after particulary embarrassing losses. In fact, what most people are troubled by it seems, is that he shows very little emotion at all. But that doesn't hide the fact that his players respect him and bust their butts for him. A number of the players have gone on record saying that they need to eliminate the silly mistakes and put a few wins on the board. They, the players, are being paid to do a job. It's not Manny booting a routine ground ball or swinging at pitches three feet off the plate.

Anyway, I'm happy because a) the Nats one a close game and b) they beat the Yankees doing it. :-D

The deed is done.

2009-06-17T12:49:00.003+09:00

It's official. At 4:30 pm, on Monday June 15, 2009, I gave my notice at Chungnam National University. Thus begins the final three months of my nine year stay in Korea.

It is a bit weird really. I've been here so long that I feel strange about leaving. I've been going through some of my previous posts, and it's been an interesting ride. Korea has treated me well over the years. Sure there have been ups and downs, but for the most part, the experience has been very positive.

That said, however, it is time for me to leave. The last six to ten months have been trying. All the little cultural and professional things that that were minor annoyances in the past, are starting to piss me off. I'm also finding that when people ask me how it's going, I can't really answer them. There's none of the excitement of being in a new country anymore. Everything has become quite routine. I still enjoy teaching my students, but that only gets you so far. Even hanging out at Santa Claus has lost a bit of it's appeal (although we all know, that isn't going to stop until I'm on the plane out of here, lol).

Thus we come to the end. In three months I'll be in Taiwan and beginning a whole new adventure; another country and culture to explore. Maybe in time I'll return to Korea, but it won't be for a while. I need to get out of here for an extended time before I'll once again be able to appreciate the things that I enjoyed about this country.

Song of the night

2009-06-11T00:32:00.002+09:00

Running On Empty
Songwriter: Jackson Browne

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-o-one
I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on

Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own
I don't know when that road turned onto the road I'm on

Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Everyone I know, everywhere I go
People need some reason to believe
I don't know about anyone but me
If it takes all night, that'll be alright
If I can get you to smile before I leave

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to, to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Honey, you really tempt me
You know the way you look so kind
I'd love to stick around
But I'm running behind

Running on
You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find
Running behind
Running into the sun but I'm running behind

Graduating for Dummies, Vol. 1

2009-06-09T16:33:00.004+09:00

This is a quick and easy guide for all of you who would wish to graduate from a Korean university.

Step one: Sign up for the classes you put off until your final semester.

Step two: Get a job as a flunky at some Korean firm.

Step three: Never go to any of the classes you registered for and make certain that the teacher has no idea who you are.

Step four: Show up on the day of the final exam with a note from your major department excusing you for four months of absents.

Step five: Demand a passing grade, most preferably an "A".

Step six: Look shocked and close to tears when the teacher says, "No. I can't pass you. You never came to class."

Step seven: Complain, cry, or whine at every person who you think has the power to force the teacher to change the grade.

Step eight: Wipe your forehead and breathe a sigh of relief as an English Department flunky changes your grade regardless of the teacher's wishes.

Step nine: Skip happily off to your stupid ass job, degree in hand, and bully any one who dares to interrupt you while you play computer games at your desk.

***You think I'm kidding. I've had three so far this semester.***

Something strange happened on the way to the ballpark...

2009-06-07T11:50:00.003+09:00

What's this? The Keystone Cops are suddenly The Untouchables! The reliably inept Nationals did something completely surprising today: they won a game. Not only did they win, but they won convincingly. Only a stupid fielding error in the 8th inning by Elijah Dukes marred what was an overall stellar performance by the team.

John Lannan pitched a masterful four hit complete game (the first of his career). Lannan got early run support in the form of an RBI single from Ryan Zimmerman and home runs from Adam Dunn, Dukes, and Nick Johnson as well as help from an unusually sharp defense which turned five double plays. The result: Washington 7 - New York Mets 1.

If you lived in a cave and only saw this game, you might be fooled into believing this was a good team!!

GO NATS!!!

It's gotta be a record of some sort...

2009-05-18T18:47:00.002+09:00

The Nationals managed to lose four games in 48 hours. The Phillies, who after losing 6 of 8 prior to coming to Washington, got a morale boost by sweeping a four game series IN Washington. Woo Hoo!

Sigh...

2009-05-16T12:39:00.003+09:00

The Nats managed to tie the game in the 8th, get the winning run on third with no outs in the 9th, fail to close the deal, and give up 4 runs in the 12th for yet another loss.

The Nationals Mystery

2009-05-16T10:03:00.002+09:00

This team simply boggles the mind. The Nats are in the top four in the National League in all offensive categories: home runs, batting average, on base percentage and runs per game (at an outstanding 6.5 runs a game), yet they can't seem to win on a regular basis.

The starting rotation has problems, Daniel Cabrera (why he hasn't been sent to the minors is beyond me) and John Lannan have struggled in particular. However, rookies Shairon Martis and Jordan Zimmerman, as well as Scot Olsen have been putting up quality starts and keeping the Nats in the game in to the sixth and seventh innings.

Then there is the bullpen. It's a disaster. Take today's game. It's the seventh inning, there are no outs, runners on first and third, and the Nats have been through four pitchers already because not a one of the relievers can throw a Goddamned strike. When they do throw a strike, it's a pitch right over the plate that quickly ends up in the outfield.

**Case in point: The Nats just finished a painful 7th inning in which they used five, count 'em FIVE, relief pitchers and gave up three runs to take a 6-4 lead**

The Nats have two first round picks in the up coming draft (thanks to last season's 102 losses). They're bound to take Stephen Strasbourg, a young kid who's been pitching lights out ball in the minors. Hopefully, they'll be able to find someone, ANYONE, to help this staff. There is also the possibility of getting some trades done as the Nats have an abundance of quality outfielders.

Anyway, at least with the way the Nats are hitting, they're never out of a game and the Phillies' bullpen has about as many problems as the Nats. Here's hoping.

Gonna be a good day.

2009-05-16T09:34:00.002+09:00

This is one of those perfect Saturdays. I had a good night's sleep for a change, it's cold and rainy outside, and the Nats are winning (at least for the moment). The weather, of course, offers the perfect excuse to be a complete vegetable, so I'll take full advantage by watching some ball, reading the paper and puttering around the house. I downloaded a couple of movies last night, so I have something to watch if I get bored.

I didn't go out last night, which is the biggest reason I feel so good today. I was supposed to meet my buddy Ian for dinner but fell asleep and just didn't feel like going out when I woke up. I might go out later, but that decision is a long way off given that it's only 9:45 in the morning.

(Nats update: We had a 4-1 lead going in to the sixth, but the starter John Lannan just hit two batters and gave up an RBI single, and has been pulled. It's 4-2, the bullpen is in play, and the adventure begins...make that 4-3...sigh)

Could this be a turning point?

2009-05-03T14:24:00.002+09:00

So far this season, watching the Washington Nationals play baseball has been an adventure. Whether it's through horrible pitching or lousy defense the Nats have usually found a way to shoot themselves in the foot; snatching defeat from the mouth of victory in dumb-founding ways. The positive spin on this is that at least the games are never dull! Well maybe, just maybe, yesterday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals might prove to be the catalyst for something good to happen.

The game's star by far was a little known rookie pitcher, Shairon Martis, who, in only his ninth start as a major leaguer, shut down the high-powered (albiet Albert Pujol-less) Cardinal line-up, giving up one run on six hits over nine innings. Martis also became, amazingly enough, the first pitcher since the Nats moved to Washington five years ago, to pitch a complete game. To back Martis up, the Nats played error free, often inspired defense; robbing the Cards of base hits with spectacular play. Christian Guzman and Adam Dunn both broke out of distressing slumps at the plate (a combined 0-17 prior to this game) with Dunn crushing a two out fastball into the second-tier seats for three of the Nats five runs.

I'm not surprised that Manny Acta left Martis in the game. Martis had thrown only 85 pitches by the end of the seventh, and given the spectacular bullpen collapses over the past ten games or so, why in God's name would you take the chance of another late inning disaster. The kid was in command, let him pitch!

Hopefully, Martis' performance will inspire the other starters (who, with the exception of Cabrera, actually haven't been too bad) to really bring their A game, last into the later innings, and reduce the chances of the bullpen blowing things up.

In other Nats news, Ryan Zimmerman continues to impress with his stellar defense at third base as well as a league leading 21 game hitting streak, and making it look easy to boot. At age 24, and signed to a new contract, Zimm's going to be a great asset to the team for many years to come.

All I ask for is baby steps. Let's get the first back-to-back wins of the season tomorrow and build from there!

GO NATS!!!

On a roll, sure, but can the Nats ever get out of the driveway?

2009-04-20T07:51:00.002+09:00

After a stirring win over Philly, the wheels came off the bus once a again. The Nationals got swept by the Marlins for the second time this season dropping their record to 1-10. I won't bother to watch Sunday's game a) because I already know the score (yet another blown ninth inning lead), and b) after watching the two previous games, I'm not sure I could bear the pain.

Friday's game at National Park saw the Nats take a 2-1 lead into the ninth on the back of quality pitching by starter John Lannan and set up guys Julian Tavares and Joe Beimel. Then on comes Joel Hanrahan for his first real save opportunity of the season. Result: hanging slider out over the plate for Cody Ross to deposit over the fence and tie the game. That of course led to an RBI single in the 11th. Nats lose 2-3.

Saturday was even worse. The Nats line-up rocked the Marlins pitcher J. Johnson for five runs in the 1st inning including a grand slam from Austin Kearns. Then scored another run in the 2nd to give the Nats a 6-0 lead. Scott Olsen, coming off a disasterous first start, responded by shutting down the Marlins high-powered offense, giving up only two runs, until he left in the 7th - Score: 6-2. Even though the Nats hitting cooled down in the later innings (one hit after the 3rd), the game still seemed well in hand. Some good relief pitching and a spectacular leaping catch at the wall by Roger Bernadina (during which he unfortunately fractured his ankle) kept the game at 6-3 going into the 9th. On comes Joel Hanrahan for his second save opportunity. A couple of stupid errors by the Nats defense puts Marlins on first and second base. In steps the bane of the Nats existence, Jeremy Hermida. All Hanrahan has to do is get him to ground into a double play, and the Nats go home with a win. Instead, Hanrahan throws a fast ball right over the plate, and Hermida dumps in the centerfield seats. Tie game. The Marlins go on to score three more runs and win 9-6.

Sunday's game? Same thing only this time it was Saul Rivera who couldn't hold a 4-3 lead in the 9th. Final score: Nats lose 7-4.

How badly do the Marlins own the Nats? Since last season the Marlins are 23-3 against the Nats. Aiii-go!

If there is a bright side to all this, it's that I get to take out my frustrations by giving my students their mid-term exams this week. Misery LOVES company. hee hee hee heeeeee!

One in a row! Nats on a roll!!

2009-04-17T17:16:00.003+09:00

Washington 8 - Philadephia 2

Well, it's certainly nice to see another team's pitchers get rung up for a change. The Nats put on a display of power today against the Phillies that seems to be becoming more and more common: Adam Dunn and a Elijah Dukes both homered again. Josh Willingham jacked a fat fastball into the Phillies bullpen in the 7th, and Alberto Gonzales, known more for his speed than his power, got his second career HR in the 8th.

The big difference, of course, was that the Nats pitching staff didn't give all the runs back. For the first time this season, a Nats pitcher lasted a full six innings, the bullpen actually did their job and shut down the dinger-happy Phillies line-up. With the 8-1 Marlins coming to town this week, let's hope that the disasterous first run through the rotation is a thing of the past.

GO NATS!!!

The End Of An Era

2009-04-17T08:14:00.002+09:00

It's a sad day for football fans. John Madden, the true voice of the NFL, is retiring. It's going to be really weird to watch games without his inciteful commentary and his silly "Boinks" and "Booms". The isn't a sports commentator out there that, in my mind, can hold a candle to Madden.

Sure, he sometimes had a pentient for stating the all-to-obvious: "If the quarterback throws the ball to the receiver, and the receiver runs into the endzone. Well, that's a touchdown." But the thing that I'll miss most about Madden is his knowledge of the game and especially his love of the big men in the trenches. Those guys that do all the dirty work but get few of the accolades. Madden had a knack for getting you into the line, showing how important footwork and technique were; what made a Hall of Fame guard or defensive tackle. Give John a game to call where it was raining or snowing, and he was in his element, pointing out some lineman with mud dripping off his facemask and blood smeared on his uniform, and saying, "Now, there's a football player!"

I remember Madden doing a Redskins/Dallas game back in the 80s and he was comparing Redskins receiver Gary Clark to Dallas' then prima donna Micheal Irvin. He'd put Clark up on the telestrator and circle his untucked, grass-stained jersey, talk about how small Clark was, and about how hard he worked. Then Madden would get a shot of Irvin in his spotless uniform and practically scoff. Madden loves the underdog; the small guy who plays ferociously in a big man's game.

Apparently Chris Collinsworth, who, in my opinion, is a top flight commentator, has been chosen to replace Madden, but football just won't be the same.

So long, John. Enjoy your retirement. You'll be missed.

Departmental Review

2009-04-15T08:34:00.002+09:00

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy" Dept.:

Yesterday was the last day of the spring institute session, and, as usual, the institute had it's end of session lottery in which the main prize is a 1.5 million won travel voucher students can use to travel to a foreign country (secondary prizes include free tuition for the following session). Anyway, one of my students, Ryan (Seung Min-Jeung), won the big prize. I'm very happy for him. He's a really good kid and has very good English skills. The best thing about it is that he's never had the opportunity to travel abroad before and now he gets the chance. It shows that good things do indeed happen to good people!

"Medical Anomoly or Baseball as Holistic Medicine" Dept.:

Last week, Wednesday to be specific, I blew out my left knee. The miniscus ligamet tore and I was hobbling around in a great deal of pain. I went to the doctor on Friday, and he informed me that I would need surgery, which we then scheduled for Friday this week. The idea of surgery, coupled with being in pain, did nothing for my mood on Friday, so as a distraction, I decided to go to a baseball game and get drunk. I accomplished both goals and had a damn good time in the process.

Well, it seems that the combination of baseball and massive quantities of alcohol have magical curative powers. Yes, I can see the raised eyebrows and the hear the sarcastic, "Oh, really?" It's true, and I'm a believer. I believe because I got up the next day, hung over as stink, and was wandering around the house for about 30-45 minutes before I realised that my knee wasn't bothering me. "Odd," I thought, but I remained PAIN FREE all day Saturday. I figured it had to be some sort of fluke; a weird psychosematic reaction to having surgery; and that the pain would surely be back on Sunday. Nope. No pain. I felt so good that I went to another baseball game, had a great time, and figured I'd be back to my old gimpy-ass self on Monday. I woke up Monday feelin' fine. It's Wednesday now, and I still have no pain and a full range of motion in my knee. Go figure.

Now I may be making a mistake, but I'm going to stop by the doctor's office this afternoon and cancel the surgery. First of all, surgery sucks. I don't want to do it period, but if I was still in pain, I'd suck it up and go. But I'm not in pain; I feel fine. Will this aggravate my knee problems in the future? Maybe. But given the choice of no pain now vs. certain excruciating pain for a month and three months of being on crutches...well...I'm opting for the no pain now course.

"Baseball as Soul Butcher" Dept.:

As much as baseball may have holistic healing powers, it also the power to rip out your soul and cast it deep into the fiery depths of Hell. Thus it is for Nationals fans. The Nats this season have a revitalized batting order that has provided more scoring in a week of games than the team put up in the entire first month of last season, and yet the team is 0-7.

I watched the opening day game at Nationals Park yesterday against the World Champion Phillies. Now the Phillies team was reeling from the death of long time announcer Harry Kallas, who had collapsed and died in the announcer's booth two hours before game time (Kallas had been the voice of the Phillies for 38 years and was to Philly fans and the team as Harry Carey was to the Cubs). Despite 14 hits, including home runs from Elijah Dukes, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman, and putting 8 runs on the board, the Nats still managed to lose the game 9-8. This is due to some really shoddy fielding (3 errors) and a Nats pitching staff that has a tendency to throw fat, hanging, breaking balls over the middle of the plate that leave the park with alarming quickness.

If the Nats want to avoid another 102-loss season, they're going to have to do something about their bullpen. They've got the bats, but if they keep giving up 7-8 runs a game, it's going to be a lo-o-o-o-o-ong season.

"Life in General" Dept. :

Same shit, different day. Sigh.

Quote of the week:

2009-03-01T16:13:00.002+09:00

Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta while watching new acquisition Adam Dunn crush balls over the right field fence during batting practice: "How stupid am I? That's where I parked my car. Nobody ever hits it out there. I wonder if I have a windshield."

Things are looking up a bit for the Nats. If they can get some pitching, they have the line up to get 'em out of the MLB basement.

Daniel "ATM" Snyder does it again!

2009-02-28T15:29:00.002+09:00

The Washington Redskins is a team with troubles. There's the aging, porous offensive line that seems unable to stop pre-schoolers from getting to the quarterback, a defensive line that hasn't reached the opposing quarterback since man first walked upright, only four picks in this years darft due to prior wing-and-a-prayer trades, and a salary cap situation as close to desperate as one can get. Let's not mention that the economy is in the tank.

So what does The Danny do? He drops $170 million on two defensive players: free agent "Fat" Albert Haynesworth, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and returning ex-Raider DeAngelo Hall. The upside of this is the fact that Haynesworth, when not injured or winded, is arguably the best defensive lineman in the league. He's a commanding presence in the middle who often gets double and triple-teamed thus opening holes for the linebackers and defensive ends to get to the other team's QB. The downside is that he comes laden with baggage. This is the Albert Haynesworth who was suspended for five games for stomping on the unprotected head of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode during a game. He has been cited in a few off the field road rage incidents (he has apparently been getting anger management counseling) and has been accused of not having a very good work ethic and being difficult to coach. Which Albert Haynesworth shows up at game time is anyone's guess. Is he worth the $100 mil The Danny gave him? Not so sure.

DeAngelo Hall played well after being signed by the Skins last November after being let go from the Raiders. However, he also has a rep for being a "problem child". So far, he's been a model Redskin and should be happy with his new $55 million contract, but like Haynesworth, part of his baggage is the suspicion that he's a play-for-contract guy who slacks off once the money is pocketed. Again, time will tell whether or not things work out.

The bigger issue though is that, now, the Skins have no money to pursue other needs, of which the offensive line is most pressing. The Skins could have gone after Dallas defensive lineman Chris Canty, who has tremendous upside with none of the baggage, signed him for a third of the cost of Haynesworth, and still had money to go after some free agent offensive linemen. However, that's not how The Danny operates. It seems that if he can't make headlines by drowning a player in money, Danny doesn't want to do the deal. Other teams, most notably the Pittsburgh Steelers, have created winning franchises by eschewing the splashy (read expensive) free agent signings and building from within through quality draft picks and taking the time to forge great players out of untested rookies. Snyder has more money than God but lacks the patience and simple football sense required to build a winning team.

Once again, the Skins "won" the off-season. Let's hope it translates to something better than another 8-8 season.

From the mouths of...er...well...

2009-02-18T00:42:00.003+09:00

Got home tonight, drunk off my ass. Yeah, yeah, nothing new to report there, BUT! I bought some shit from the 1st floor store and met a guy at the elevator. Young, healthy westerner (if he was 22 I'm George Washington!) with his hair in dreads, Feeeling socialable I naturally asked, "What's up?'

He responded, "I'm going to have a beer with my martial arts instructer."

To which I responded, "Well, I'm off to destroy myself."

I thought, well, to each his own. I got beer and ice cream. I'm set!

Song of the day:

Wall Of Voodoo: Mexican Radio

I feel a hot wind on my shoulder
and the touch of a world that is older
I turn the switch and check the number
I leave it on when in bed I slumber

I hear the rhythms of the music
I buy the product and never use it
I hear the talking of the DJ
Can't understand, just what does he say?

I'm on a Mexican radio
I'm on a Mexican, waah ooo, radio

I dial it in and tune the station
They talk about the U.S. inflation
I understand just a little
No comprende - it's a riddle

I'm on a Mexican radio
On a Mexican waah ooo, radio

I wish I was in Tiajuana
eating barbequed iguana
I take requests on the telephone
I'm on a wavelength far from home

I feel a hot wind on my shoulder
I dial it in from the south of the border
I hear the talking of the DJ
Can't understand, just what does he say?

I'm on a Mexican radio
I'm on a Mexican waah ooh, radio

Radio

What does he say?

or maybe this

Warrior Soul - Losers

Have you ever wanted
To be someone you're not
But you look into the world
And you see what you've got
There's nothing there
But brains and guts

Finally open the door
And then it shuts
Look to the center
And I think you'll find
The people that are gettin
'They are blind

You changed the channel
And there's nothing there
You weren't born pretty
And it isn't fair...

Here's to the losers
The substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects
'Cause I think we're beautiful
'Cause I think we're beautifu
l'Cause I think we're beautiful
No matter what anyone says
I think we're beautiful
Them most beautiful

In the world
You try for jobs
But they say you're strange
You're sportin' a style
That they call pain
So you get in trouble
And your brain is gone
You're cryin' out man
But the words are wrong

Here's to the losers
The substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects
'Cause I think we're beautiful
'Cause I think we're beautiful
'Cause I think we're beautifu
lNo matter what anyone says
I think we're beautiful
Them most beautiful In the world

I know you're tired
Of being put down
And all the crap that's said in town
But you're the person that matters most
I raise my glass, and make a toast

This one's for the losers
Substance abusers
To the rejects
All the imperfects
To the retarded
And the broken-hearted
To the starving massses
And the lower classes
'Cause I think we're beautiful

'Cause I think we're beautiful
'Cause I think we're beautiful
No matter what anyone else says
I think we're beautiful

Harummpf!

2009-02-06T16:18:00.002+09:00

Football season is over, and the Skins once again battled their way to the bottom of the NFC East, baseball season is not for another two months, I'm broke, I'm bored, and I hate my job. Other than that, things are ju-u-u-u-ust dandy!

I decided I'd write a bit on the blog because I have 45 minutes to kill before my final class of what has been the longest week in the history of man...er...humankind (don't want the PC Police to come after me). What's that Green Day song that says that when even porn gets boring you're in trouble? Anyway, I figure I'll just sit here and rant for a bit.

Breaking news: the economy sucks!! Oh. You knew that did you? Ok.

How 'bout this? Wall Street bankers are greedy sons of bitches!! Knew that too, huh? Damn.

Ah-HAH! The war in Afghanistan is going to get worse!!!! Crap. Don't tell me, you heard that as well.

Then let's go with this question: why are people treating Michael Phelps like he's a mass murderer? He's a 23 year old kid who took a hit off a bong for crying out loud. What? Did he then chew someone's leg off in a fit of ravenous munchies?? Give the poor kid a break! Like one of my friends mentioned yesterday, the kid works harder in one swim season than most folks work in an entire year. He's not allowed to relax? I want to know how many of the people who have said, "He's a role model, kids look up to him," have hit the bong themselves? How many of the outraged parents spent their college years stoned out of their jockeys. Bloody hypocrites! It's the old "Do as I say, not as I do" routine. The thing I find really interesting is that the US swim team didn't suspend him last year when he was busted for DUI, which, if you ask me is the far worse offense, but they've suspended him. Kellogg's pulled their endorsement (guess he's coming off the Wheaties box), and the world, no, not the world, just the holier-than-thou fuckers who run the show in the U.S., are crucifying the poor bugger.

Well, my brain just went on the fritz, and I forgot what else I was going to say. I guess I'll go out and have a smoke and decide what the hell I'm gonna do with this last class; can't teach 'em, can't shoot 'em.

Stick a fork in 'em; they're done.

2008-12-15T06:29:00.003+09:00

Redskins 13 - Bengals 20

In what I have to say is a brilliant start to my vacation, the 1-14 Cinncinnati Bungals knocked my beloved Redskins out of playoff contention. There is nothing quite so deflating as getting up at 5 am, excited about hopping on a plane, doing last minute packing and preparation, and sitting back to relax for the last half hour or so and watching the Skins get spanked by a bad team. Of course the way the Skins are playing these days, bad teams look like Super Bowl contenders. I think I would have felt much better had the Skins been this year's Lions rather than having them unexpectedly get my hopes only by once again crushing them by going 1-6 down the back stretch.

Hey Vinny, how those draft picks lookin' now, ya putz?!?

Playoff hopes die with a whimper.

2008-12-08T13:32:00.003+09:00

Washington 10 - Baltimore 24

Hopes raised. Hopes dashed. Welcome to another season of Redskins football. After losing 4 out their last five games, the Washington Redskins can pretty much kiss off any hope of making the playoffs. It would take a miracle of biblical proportions for they Skins to have a hope; more likely several miracles. The first miracle would be the offense actually accomplishing ANYTHING! Then, of course, the Skins would have to win the remaining three games along with everyone else in the NFC losing all their games. 'Nuff said.

Pathetic.

2008-12-01T15:20:00.002+09:00

Giants 23 - Redskins 7

I don't know what's up with the Redskins, but they looked horrible on both sides of the line. The recievers couldn't catch, the line couldn't block, the defense, normally the strong point of the team, was simply bad. The Skins barely beat bad teams and can't even come close to beating good teams. I'm thinking a trip to the playoffs is rapidly becoming a pipe dream. The Skins get the Ravens next week, which will probably be another loss because the team simply can't play against good defenses. Three winnable games finish the season, but that will probably not be good enough. The promise of the early season is withering on the vine. Sigh.

Words are simply inadequate for this...

2008-11-28T15:58:00.002+09:00

A Korean federal court judge recently gave four men, a grandfather and three uncles from the same family, suspended jail sentences for seven years of repeated rape of a mentally challenged family member whom these men fostered in the absence of her parents. The suspended sentences are bad enough (given due to the age and health issues of the defendants), but then the judge ordered that THE GIRL BE RETURNED TO THE CARE OF THESE MEN! The reason for this outrage: the men had fostered her for years and due to her mental illness, she would need someone to care for her.

Are you kidding me?!?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

2008-11-17T20:20:00.003+09:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DALLAS 14 - REDSKINS 10

Ker-SPLAT!!!

2008-10-13T12:58:00.002+09:00

REDSKINS 17 - RAMS 19

With a resounding THUD, the Redskins came crashing back to earth against the lowly St. Louis Rams. In a game the Skins should have dominated, they let the Rams hang around and hang around until finally giving up the winning field goal with 2 seconds left in the game.

The Redskins offense just could not seem to get in any kind of rhythm, and after not commiting any turnovers in the first 5 games, the Skins coughed up the ball three times in the first half including a devastating fumble which the Rams returned for a TD just before the end of the half.

I have to admit that, while this game should've been won easily by the Skins, I'm actually not that surprised. After the highs of beating the Eagles and Dallas on the road, the Skins were bound to have a clunker. However, if they ever want to shake the "pretender" label and move forward, the Skins absolutely MUST win these games against 0-4 teams. We have Cleveland at home and then Detroit on the road. There is no way we can afford to lose those games.

Once again; time will tell.

I'm totally losing it.

2008-10-08T19:27:00.003+09:00

Today is Wednesday, and it is the first day of a week long break between institute sessions, which means that I don't have to be at work at Oh My God O'clock in the morning. I'm a bit discombobulated. I woke up at 8:00am (normally get up at 5:00am) in a brief panic thinking I missed my first two classes but calmed down and enjoyed a leisurely morning. Around 1:30 this afternoon, Ian and I took a trip to Costco, and I got back around 3:30. I had some lunch, put on a movie, and promptly fell asleep.

I woke up, looked at my watch, which said 7:00. I got up up, put the water on for coffee, used the facilities, and was wondering if I had enough time to eat something before heading to class at 9:oo. Well, with winter coming on, it's usually dark outside when I wake up. There I am, standing in the front balcony pulling clean clothes off the the drying rack and getting ready to take a shower, when I took a look outside and saw that the store on the first floor was open. "Weird," I thought, "He's open early." Then it dawned on me that it wasn't getting light outside as it usually does as I'm off to work. I turned around and the clock by my bed, which is on 24-hour time, read 17:10. I'm thinking, in my dazed state, "huh?" Finally, as the kettle started to whistle, I realised that it was 7:00 PM on Wednesday night, not 7:00 AM Thursday morning.

So here I sit, in a rather befuddled state, wondering what to do with myself.

I BELIEVE, BABY! I BELIEVE!!!!

2008-10-06T19:58:00.002+09:00

REDKINS 24 - EAGLES 17

Oh my oh my! Seven minutes into Sunday's game against the Eagles, the Redskins were down 14-0, looked out of sync, and couldn't seem to anything right. Then, ever so slowly, the Skins started to come alive, started to bash the Eagles in the mouth. A drive in the second quarter for a field goal began a 23-0 run that completely dominated the Eagles on both sides of the ball. Clinton Portis ran for 145 yards and a TD (against what WAS the best run defense in the league), Chris Cooley broke out for a career high 109 yards receiving and the TD that put the Skins ahead for good. Santana Moss, the big play guy who's been so spectacular this season, had only one catch (called back by a penalty on rookie receiver Devin Thomas) made his mark with spectacular downfield blocking. Antawan Randel-El, despite dropping a number of passes, threw the pass that Cooley caught for the touchdown. It was beautiful! The defense, missing four, count 'em FOUR, starters, held the powerful Eagles offense to only three points after the first quarter. Brian Westbrook, one of the top five running backs in the league, was held to 33 yards rushing and 51 yards receiving. Gotta love it!

Now, after winning four straight and beating two of our three division rivals ON THE ROAD, the Skins get the doormats of the league: St. Louis and Cleveland at home and Detroit on the road. If this is the team I'm thinking it is, we'll thrash those three (although nothing is guaranteed these days) and come home to play Pittsburgh before the bye (Sorry Mom, but you gonna lose!). The possiblity of being 8-1 going into the bye week is there. Will it be so? Time will tell. I hate playing the bad teams because every now and then they jump up of the ground and kick you square in the balls.

That said, I've drunk the Kool-Aid, and it was GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!

GO REDSKINS!!!

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm?"

2008-10-02T06:40:00.002+09:00

While it went completely unreported in the English language press and was partially covered up by the Korean governement, the Chosun-Ilbo (one of Korea's leading newspapers) reported that one coast guard sailor was killed and four other held hostage for an hour and severly beaten when they tried to board an unlicensed Chinese fishing vessel in Korean territorial waters. This is not the first time the Korean Coast Guard has been violently opposed by Chinese fisherman fishing illegally of Korean shores, nor, apparently, is it the first time a Korean sailor has been killed in such incidents.

Next, you have the current melamine crisis coming out of China. Koreans have already been warned of several Korean food products possibly containing this toxic chemical. Add this to the previous problems with China: lead based paint on children's toys, parasites in imported Chinese kimchi and you would think the Korean population would be up in arms.

Not a peep.

When the Korean government authorized the import of U.S. beef to Korea last spring, fear of mad cow disease sent hundreds of thousands of Korean citizens into the streets protesting that the U.S. was trying to commit genocide on the Korean people. Misinformation was rampant despite government efforts to calm fears by posting scientific proof that the chances of contracting mad cow disease from U.S. was statistically non-existent.

I'm stealing this direct from www.koreabeat.com:

You do the math:

Deaths from mad cow disease = 0

Number of protesters against the U.S. government = hundreds of thousands

Deaths from Chinese fisherman = up to 27

Number of protesters against the Chinese government = 0

Hmmmm?

HOW 'BOUT THEM REDSKINS!!!!

2008-09-29T15:38:00.002+09:00

REDSKINS 26 - DALLAS 24

This team could be for real!!

Beating Dallas, arguably the best team in the NFL going into this game, at home is a HUGE step forward for the Skins. While the score doesn't necessarily reflect it, the Skins pretty much dominated on offense in yardage, time of possesion, and first downs. Given the points left on the field by the Skins - two touchdowns called back by penalties - the score could have been higher.

As a dyed-in-the-wool Redskins fan, there is nothing that makes me feel better than takin' it to the Cowgirls in their own stadium. To all the nay-sayers, who belittled Jason Campbell's ability, you can all kindly just SHUT THE F%#K UP!! Campbell has turned into a class QB. He showed poise and control throughout this game despite a bruising pass rush from the Cowboys front four (the fact that he has yet to turn over the football this season is testimony to his improvement). I had my doubts after the miserable loss on opening day to the Giants, but I'm a believer now.

This was the first big test as to whether the Skins were going to be contenders or pretenders this year, and they passed it with flying colors. Next week's game on the road in Philly will be the second part of the test. If the Skins can come away with a victory there, then I don't think there will be any doubt that we're back! As Troy Aikman, who was effusive in his praise of the Skins during the game, said, "If you can win in the NFC East, you can win anywhere else."

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Battling to Lose

2008-09-21T05:36:00.002+09:00

The Washington Nationals are faced with an interesting, "only in baseball", conundrum: Team pride, a 100 loss season and last place (a dubious acheivement that everyone from the top brass to the batboy would like to avoid) vs. team pride, 100 loss season and first pick in the MLB draft, where highly-touted pitching prospect and Olympic bronze medalist Stephen Strasburg awaits.

With the ghosts of Washington's baseball past swirling through the gleaming corridors of Nationals Park (both incarnations of the Washington Senators shared the same less-than-complimentary slogan: "Washington: First in peace, first in war, last in the American League."), manager Manny Acta's goals for the team at this point are simple: don't finish last. The Nats barely managed to acheive that goal last year with a surprisingly strong finish in which they knocked the Mets out of the playoffs. This year, with the only possibility of playing the spoiler being beating out the Padres and Mariners in the race to the bottom, the Nats have to decide, without making it obvious of course, which direction they want to travel.

Grumbling fans (I don't know of any fans more fickle than those in Washington), mediocre attendence, and falling revenue have increased the pressure on the Nats to field a good team and do it soon. The city government, which ponied up 600 million tax-payer dollars to fund the new stadium, has been vociferous in its criticism of the Nats ownership and the lack of return on their investment. Washington is a win now or be damned kind of city and doesn't have the patience for the build from scratch plan currently under way by the Nats front office. However, patience is what is needed most.

Jim Bowden, the Nats GM, and Stan Kasten, the director of operations, both have proven baseball credentials. They are responsible for taking the Atlanta Braves from MLB doormat to perennial pennant contenders by starting at the bottom and rebuilding the Braves farm system.
In the process, they eventually saved the Braves millions of dollars that would have gone to signing superstar free-agents by grooming their own talent.

Given that they started in D.C. with a farm system virtually destroyed by an uncaring, inept Expos organization, I believe Kasten and Bowden are right on track. The pitching staff, drawn mostly from the minor leagues, is made up of young guys (the average age is around 23) who have shown flashes of brilliance but have lacked the consistency that experience brings. A mid-season trade brought youth and speed to the offense and re-energized the team. The bats have come alive since the all-star break and, while the Nats are still losing, they're losing 10-9 instead of 10-0. I think the pieces are starting to fall into place.

Could the Nats use a pitcher like the 20 year old Strasburg, who has been called "the most refined pitching prospect in a decade" and "an instant franchise anchor"? Absolutely! Can they afford to get him by dropping the last 7-8 games of the season? Probably not.

REDEMPTION!!!! Redskins 29 / Saints 24

2008-09-15T10:05:00.003+09:00

What started out as a game that probably left most Redskins fans holding their heads in exasperation, ended in spectacular fashion as the Skins came from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Saints.

While the Skins looked greatly improved on offense and made it to the red zone four times in the first half, they came away with only 6 points. At that point I was wondering if this was going to be another frustrating loss against a team that normally will put up scads of points. However, after giving up a punt return for a TD (Yeah Vinny! How about that rookie punter you drafted? you F%#@ idiot!) and down by 9, the Redskins came alive. A beautiful 80 yard drive in which Jason Campbell ate up the Saints secondary with precision passes and culminated in a sweet draw play that sent Clinton Portis relatively untouched into the end zone. Redskins down by 2. A brilliant defensive stop gave the Skins the ball on their own 33. On first down, Campbell showed great poise stepping up in the pocket, avoiding the pass rush and launched a 67 yard bomb to Santana Moss for what would turn out to be the winning touchdown.

This game, however; belongs to the Skins defense. Through the first half, the Skins held the vaunted Saints offense to somewhere around 70 total yards. They completely shut down Reggie Bush (although he did score on the punt return, but I blame that on the punter). They had critical 3rd down stops and, for the first time in what seems like forever, generated a pretty good pass rush. The real key came thanks to a rookie so new I can't remember his name: Horton or Orton or something like that. Playing in his very first game, this rookie corner came up with two picks, a fumble recovery, several key tackles, and performed well in man-to-man coverage. The D gave up some points but kept it close enough to give the offense a chance. What more can you ask for?

Now let's take a quick look at Vinny's choice to draft a punter (???) and then release the veteran Derrick Frost, who has since been picked up by the Packers. In the game today, Durant Brooks had punts of 30 and 28 yards one of which was returned for an easy TD! Now let's compare this year's stats:

Durant Brooks (rookie): 9 punts, Avg. 36.8 yards

Derrick Frost (4 year vet): 9 punts, Avg. 46.4 yards

Hmmm? Way to go Vinny, you putz!

Despite Vinny's draft day brain freeze, the Redskins showed serious improvement over last weeks futility. Let's hope they can gain some momentum going into next week's game in Arizona.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

On a far more depressing side note, al three of my fantasy teams are TOTALLY getting their asses handed to them.

It's gonna be a lo-o-o-o-o-ong season.

2008-09-06T10:00:00.004+09:00

Watching the Redskins last night was like running over a skunk with your car: it was a mess and the stink will linger. Welcome to the Vinny Cerrato era. Those first three draft picks are looking mighty good now, eh Vinny? Oh wait, that's right, THEY WEREN'T EVEN ON THE FUCKING FIELD!!! Of the ten future Hall of Famers Vinny picked in this year's draft, six were on the inactive list (The only draft pick that played was the punter. Who in their right mind drafts a punter???). The guys that played well in preseason? Oh, they're sitting at home or on their way to make an impact on a team that has a clue. Vinny cut two receivers who had outstanding preseasons in favor of his top two draft picks (wide receivers) who came to camp out of shape, unprepared, and managed to get injured in practice. The only impact they've had on the team so far is the indent their collective butts have made on the bench.

After watching the Redskins inept play on both sides of the ball (the only bright point was special teams), I wonder if Vinny, sitting up there in his cushy office, is wondering, "Hmmm, there were a lot of very talented offensive linemen in the draft. I wonder if grabbing a couple of them would've been a better idea? Maybe someone for the D-Line? Nah. Picking two useless receivers and a tight end was good. His Grand Omnipotent Pubahness, The Danny approved, so that must validate my existence."

Sigh....

My New Digs

2008-08-29T15:12:00.008+09:00

With much trepidation I was moved to a new apartment off campus last week. At first, I was vigorously opposed to the idea of moving for the basic fact that I had a very nice on campus apartment and was quite comfortable there. Add to that the fact that the university could come up with no good reason for the change, I was more than a little pissed off.

Moving day was a sight to behold. If Koreans do nothing else well, they sure as shit know how to move people. Five guys showed up at my house last Wednesday, packed all my stuff ( I didn't have to do ANYTHING), loaded the stuff into the truck, ran it to my new place, and then UNPACKED EVERYTHING AND PUT IT AWAY!! These guys managed to do all this in just about three and a half hours. It was unbelievable.

Now that I'm settled in, the move is turning out to be a pretty good thing. While the new lace is significantly smaller than my old one, it's quite comfy. The thing I like the most is that it's at the end of the building, so I have balconies at each end of the apartment. Because I'm on the 12th floor, this allows for a great cross breeze to run through the apartment and keep it relatively cool even on hot days.

Here are some pics of the new place.

I have to say, I really like the view from the front of the apartment.

It's a long way to the street.

The front room.

The kitchen.

The backroom which I'm using as an office.

The view from the back of the apartment.

Sunshine? We don' need no steenkin' sunshine!

2008-08-21T08:27:00.005+09:00

Summer is BBQ season damnit!! There is no way that we're gonna let something so trivial as a little rain get in our way!

Art Monk (81) and Darryl Green (28) Enter the Hall of Fame

2008-08-03T17:19:00.002+09:00

In fist-pumping vindication to the class, humility, and professionalism that seems so lacking in today's sports world, two of the classiest, most humble and professional figures in sport were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio today: Art Monk and Darryl Green.

Monk, the quiet, dependable receiver from the glory days of the 80's Redskins, who made his living making all the tough, clutch catches going over the middle, had to wait almost ten years for this moment. For Skins fans like myself, every year Monk was denied enshrinement was like a knife in the throat (Steelers fans had to feel the same way when Lynn Swann was over-looked repeated times before his eventual trip to canton). No one who lived in D.C. during the 80s, who watched Art Monk, week after week, make clutch catch after catch will ever understand the thinking of the sports writers that denied him for so long. It just seemed SO wrong. Justice has finally been served and Art Monk is enshrined among the greats where he belongs.

Darryl Green is another story altogether. It was impossible to imagine he wouldn't get in the Hall of fame on his first year of eligibility. The undersized, ebullent, speedster drafted in '83, who went on to play an unbelievable TWENTY years for the Redskins (with the exception of one other, Jackie Slater, the longest tenure on one team for any position player). His speed - who can forget him in his rookie year coming from twenty yards back and across the field to catch Tony Dorsett from behind - and his sheer enthusiasm for the game and life in general made Green an instant favorite in Washington. His loyalty to the team after free agency began, when he had ample opportunity to chase the money and chose to remain a Redskin, earned him undying respect and adulation.

According to the Washington Post, more than 15,000 Redskin fans from all over the country invaded Canton for the induction ceremonies; turning them into what Michael Wilbon called a massive Redskins tailgate. In these days when snotty, self-absorbed, prima-donnas who have no values other than, "What have you done for me lately?" rule the sports scene, it's good to know that TRUE sportsmen can given the accolades they so richly deserve.

Photos from England...more to come later.

2008-07-13T16:16:00.036+09:00

Westminster Abbey

The London Eye
Me and Westminster. You can't quite grasp how HUGE this place is until you're right up next to it.

Hmmm. Why do you think they call it "Big" Ben?

Big Ben

Oliver Cromwell

The Union Jack flying proud over Westminster

Westminster

The Imperial War Museum. This is a very cool place. I spent the better part of four hours wandering around in here.

Russell Square Tube Station

Warner Street. Tough neighborhood, lol.

Had a pint here. It's a bit pretentious and proof that Yuppies still exist!

The Duke Of York. I had a few pints in this fine establishment. The had a help wanted sign on the door the said "Perfect English Required". I had to go in and ask if they would hire an American!

The Thames looking toward the Tower Bridge.

I Eat Rubbish!

Dogs on the Thames.

St. Paul's from the Millenium Bridge.

The dome of St. Paul's and a statue commemorating the fire brigades that helped save it during the Blitz.

One of the most enduring images from WWII. St. Paul's during the Blitz.

Statue in front of St. Paul's

St. Paul's Catherdral. Unfortunately I was too late to get to go inside.

Old Bailey. It must have been a little intimidating walking through these doors.

Straight and to the point!

Yep. Had a drink here! Right across from Old Bailey.

Inside the Viaduct Tavern

Old Bailey

Where ever you find a church, you find a pub.

The Three Kings Pub. Somehow I don't think this is the original sign.

A solid gold clock in the British Museum. Apparently, when this clock sounded the hour, the guns would roll out of the ports and fire.

The library in the British Museum. This was actually my favorite room because it smelled of old books.

Better late than never; the England blog continued...

2008-07-12T07:53:00.015+09:00

It sometimes takes me a bit, but I do finally get around to blogging all the stuff I should, i.e.: finishing incomplete posts, putting up photos, etc. I would like to blame it on my hectic work schedule, but since I'm only working three hours a day, I find it hard to justify. That said, I'll blame it on the traumatic experience of going back to work after a fabulous vacation. Anyway, on to the Kommotion.

For those of you unfamiliar with this grand event, a little history should be given. Three or four years ago, I started hanging out on a p2p music site called Komodo Island where I learned the ins and outs of sharing music on the net. The Island was (and is) a fairly close-knit online community with tons of cool, helpful people who have excellent tastes in music. Well, last year, two of the site's regulars, Susysue (Sue) and zzzhazz (Rich), purchased a pub in the tiny Yorkshire village of Bellerby. Somewhere along the way, some one suggested having a get together for people on the website to meet in person. Thus the Kommotion was born. The first Kommotion was an unqualified success, so naturally another had to be arranged. Having seen the photos from the first Kommotion, I figured I couldn't miss Kommotion II. Hell, what better excuse to travel half way around the world than to meet a bunch of cool folks and drink your face off!!

The folks of Kommotion II

As I mentioned in the previous blog, I stayed with Mark (Scorpio Rocks) and Coreen (psycho_coco) in Rotherham for a few days leading up to the Kommotion, and we drove up there together. We arrived in Bellerby in the mid-to-late afternoon on Friday. Having had
a beer or two before leaving Rotherham, I arrived at the Cross Keys in a fairly agitated state. I ran in to the bar, stared wildly around and said, "Hello, hello! Bathroom!" Thus my introduction to the small crowd already gathered. Anyway, the drinking pretty much began in earnest as we waited for the other folks who were to arrive for the first night's revelries.

Things went pretty much as expected for the first night of the party: lots of small talk getting to know folks and many, many pints of Fosters. The first real adventure came at the end of the night. My tentmate for the first night, another Mark (FoxRiver), and I staggered off to the tent around 3 am. About 4am, I woke having to return many of the Fosters I drank to nature. I rolled over and straight into a puddle of puke. Disgusted, but having to pee bad enough that I didn't really think of the repercutions of this situation, I stumbled out of the tent, stepping over Mark, who was by now dead asleep outside the tent in little more than his tattoos. It was when I stepped in the first puddle (it had been raining by then) that I realised that there could be a bit of a problem with this. Still a bit addled from a)waking up, b) rolling in puke, and c) old BarfRiver's gleeming white carcass lying on the ground, I crawled back into the tent. It was at this time that I noticed the smell. Uttering a few choice words, I grabbed my sleeping bag and my shoes and went hunting for a place to sleep. I ended up in the gazeebo set up earlier that day (which had already claimed the big toe of one of the other members of the group, but that's another story altogether involing a tent peg, a shoe, and a ride to the hospital) sleeping in a cair wrapped snugly in my hoody and sleeping bag. There I woke up, my spider sense tingling, to the sounds of giggling and the snapping of photos.

Thus began the second day of the Kommotion. It was a fairly subdued crowd that slowly staggered out of their tents that morning. If it wasn't for the saving grace of Lincoln and her camper full of coffee and tea and several morning drives to the local Tesco for sandwiches, the morning could have been downright ugly. By about 11am, I was feeling pretty good and chomping at the bit for the pub to re-open it's taps. I think Drita beat me to the pump that morning, but I wasn't far behind. It's funny how the first beer of the day when you don't have a care in the world is such a glorious thing. While things got off to a slow start, the party started to pick up steam as the fire for the BBQ was lit and more people discovered that the bar was open. We ate a great meal of sausages and burgers while sitting around and making fun of FoxRiver and the other miscreants from the night before.

As darkness descended on the unsuspecting, sleepy hamlet of Bellerby, the alcohol began to kick in and things started to get really fun. Sue had hired this band, well, really two guys with guitars and a drum machine. Not only did it take these guys almost four hours to set up their gear, but, and I'm certainly not alone in this opinion, they SUCKED. The true highlight to the night was when the kommodians stole the stage and Ross (RossUK), Bully (pmsbull or Daisy the Sheep, depending who you talk to), and Marco (pedulla) jammed away on a few tunes. Ross is a young guy in uni, but that boy can seriously play the guitar. He pulled a note for note perfect Joe Satriani tune right out of his ass and crushed it. After that, Spidey Slim ... Slim Spatula ...or whatever the bands name was came back on and played a bunch of tunes that had people dancing around (simply because there was nothing else to dance to. You gotta make do sometimes, lol).

Oddest question of the night: "Do you have a soft ass?" This was asked by Sarah (Bag Lady) right before she stuck her hands down my pants and grabbed my ass! Apparently I didn't have the softest ass in the bar. That honor went to Rick (zzzhazz). It was turning into that kind of night.

I had brought a two liter bottle of soju with me to England with the idea of making soju jello shots for the party. Unfortunately, I made the stuff a bit too late in the day because by the time it came to serve them, they weren't jello. They were still liquid. However, not being overly bothered by this and with the enthusiastic help of one of the bar girls, Gemma, the shots were served. Gemma, taking one for the team, did quite a few of these shots in the process of convincing the others they weren't death in a glass. It was quite funny. I think they went over fairly well despite the obvious problems (best thing about a roomful of drunks is that they'll drink just about anything, lol).

The night continued on with more dancing and general drunken frivolity, and I finally staggered off to sleep (not in the same tent) somewhere around 3am.

The next day dawned and keeping with my usual schedule, I was up at 6:30. Since very few people were stirring at that hour, I decided to go for a walk and check out Bellerby. I wasn't fully awake or I would've remembered to bring my camera with me because it is a very quaint, old English village. The thing is, Bellerby consists of a church, a pub, and about twenty five houses. It took me 15 minutes to check out the entire place. I got back from my walk and found that people were up and about and looking none the worse for wear (more or less). The best thing was that there were people in the pub kitchen cooking up a bunch of bacon butties (sandwiches to those of you not from the UK). A bacon sandwich is a beautiful thing after a night of heavy partying, and I think I ate 3 or 4 of them.

Later that day, Mark, Coreen, and I loaded into the car and headed back to Rotherham where I spent one last night before hopping the train to London and the plane back to...sigh...Korea. All in all, it was an awesome trip. One of the things you naturally worry about going to something like this is are the people really going to be like their online personalities or not? Am I going to get along with folks? Suffice it to say that the folks at the Kommotion, while lunatics all, are probably the nicest bunch of people you'd ever care to meet. They're already planning next year's Kommotion, and as I sit here, sipping on a beer and writing this, I'm VERY tempted to make the trip again.

At Jounrey's End

2008-07-01T19:13:00.002+09:00

I find myself thinking that there's really nothing quite so depressing as the last day of vacation. I'm sitting here in an internet cafe with my luggage (had to check out of the hotel at 10 this morning) with nothing to do until I have to head to the airport. It's an absolutely glorious day in London. Not a cloud in the sky, warm...sigh.

Anyway, all maudlin self-pity aside, I had a fantastic trip. I met tons of cool folks and pretty much had a blast. My last couple of days in London (this is where I left off on the last post) I kept it pretty mellow. I'd done so much walking and site-seeing in the days before that I felt I had a well-deserved break coming (plus my feet were KILLING me!). I had found a pub the day before called the Queen's Head. It was very much a neighborhood pub with both friendly bartenders and clientelle. The other thing it had was this bar game called Buzztime - sort of an electronic trivia game. The game is a great way to pass the time although many of the questions were quite England-centric (I mean really, how am I supposed to know who Liverpool beat the first time they one the FA Cup or who was the first African cricketer to play in England??). It was fun none-the-less, and I got to chat to some very cool folks. Later that night, I went to a place called the Water Rats Theatre and watched a bunch of bands play. The bands ranged from spectacular to brutally bad, but it was a kick in the head to watch some live music.

The following Monday, I hopped on the train at King's Cross Station and headed up to Rotherham in Yorkshire. There I met Mark and Coreen, the first two of many from the music website I've been on for the past few years. Mark had generously offered up Coreen's sofa for me to sleep on for the week leading up top the Komodo Kommotion (my real reason for coming to England in the first place). Both are very gracious hosts, and I greatly appreciated thier hospitality. The funniest part of staying there is that, while I'm still pretty much on my work-week sleep schedule, i.e.: up at 6:00 am, Mark, being the vampire that he is, was not. Coreen, though initially a bit shocked at my early morning habits, handled it with relative aplomb. Mark basically had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the dawn's early light where he suffered flash burns on his vampiric skin ("Bloody 'Ell!! I'm Pink!!"). Mark, being the trooper that he is, soon adjusted...well...sort of adjusted. Anyway, we did some touristy stuff with Mark taking me to the Leeds Armory; a very cool museum full of weapons and armor and such. After that, I just had reached saturation point with museums, so Mark and I went back to Coreen's house and settled into what turned into two days of relaxing drunkeness in the backyard (I wanted to take Coreen's backyard with me when I left, but I couldn't fit it in my pack and probably would have raised some eyebrows going through customs).

The next post will be about our adventures at the Kommotion in Bellerby over the past weekend, but I need a smoke and something to drink.

THANK YOU MARK AND COREEN FOR THE GREAT TIME AND HOSPITALITY!!!

Man! There's a lot to drink...I mean do...here!

2008-06-20T00:05:00.002+09:00

London is a cool place! I've been having a blast so far!

I arrived Tuesday morning around 7 am. Although fairly crippled by the flight, I got to my hotel (which was not what I expected. I booked a room that I thought would have a private shower and bathroom. What I got was four beds and a sink! It's relatively cheap though, so who am I to complain.), checked in and rather than take a nap, I decided to go for a walk. Being completely unfamiliar with my surroundings, I got lost in no time. My wanderings were not in vain however; as I stumbled upon the British Museum accidently. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I went in and checked it out. It's a pretty cool museum, but it was also full of screaming school kids on field trips. I stayed there as long as I could stand it and then went off to see if I could figure out where I was.

By this time it was around noon, and I was quite hungry (my last meal having been on the plane around 5am) and thirsty. I found a pub, ate a glorious bacon/cheese burger and had a few pints. Sated, I asked the bartender to point out where I was in relation to my hotel on the map I had. Turns out I had been wandering in the opposite direction of my hotel. Armed with the knowledge of where my hotel was, I confidently strolled out of the pub, took a wrong turn and immediately got lost. Thus started my first London pub crawl. I would walk around, find something interesting (I found Old Bailey and St. Paul's Cathedral this way), stop in a pub for a pint or two and some directions. Rinse and repeat. Who knows how far I walked but I made it back to the hotel tired, quite buzzed, and ready for bed. I crashed at about 9pm.

Yesterday, I was up at 6am. I bought my Oyster Card (discount Tube rates) and hopped on the Tube to go check out the Imperial War Museum. This is a very impressive place. I ended up spending almost three hours wandering about inside. After the museum, since it worked so well the day before, I set off to find a pub and start another tour. After I ate, I formulated a plan of sorts: orient myself with the goal of getting to Buckingham Palace. This turned out to be a good plan in that I ended up seeing Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Palace. Westminster is stunning. You see the pictures, but you never realise how huge it is until you're right up next it. I went into the Abbey itself, and checked out all the monuments to the illustrious dead of England's past. The worst part is that I couldn't get the scene from The Sixth Sense out of my head where the little kid says, "I see dead people." People kept looking at me slantwise because I kept giggling to myself. Buckingham Palace was a bit of a disappointment after Westminster. I wanted to get a picture of the Palace gaurds in their red uniforms and tall bearskin hats, but it seems there's been a uniform change (maybe it was only that day) and the gaurds were in dark blue uniforms and peaked caps with a silly little poofter thing sticking out the top. Oh well.

I headed up the street to Trafalgar Square and then onto Leicster Square where I stumbled upon the Opening preview to Will Smith's new movie: Hancock. I managed to get photos of Will Smith, Charlize Theron (sp?) and Justin Bateman. After that, I hopped on the Tube (I was tired of walking) and headed back towards my hotel. I stopped for a kebab on the way and went into the hotel bar to eat it and have a good night pint. However, I ended up chatting to a cockney guy with the odd name of Dabar, or something like that, and playing pool and drinking. It was afun night.

Today, I'm taking it easy. Woke up around 1 pm, and dragged my sorry, hungover ass to the train station to get my ticket north. The price difference buying tickets in advance rather than day of? Advance: £21. Day of: £55!!!

Anyway, I'm off to have a quiet pint somewhere and take it easy. Plenty of photos on the way.

Later!

Korea and the Politics of Mass Hysteria

2008-06-10T16:39:00.002+09:00

There have been times in the eight years that I've been here in Korea that I have to wonder if Koreans, as a collective society, are capable of rational thought. Koreans themselves admit to being an emotional bunch - there's a Korean saying that compares the Korean people to an iron pot; quick to heat up, quick to cool - and nothing illustrates this better than the current flap over the US-Korea FTA and specifically the import of U.S. beef slaughtered after the age of 30 months.

For the past month or so there have been massive protests in Seoul demanding the renegotiation or cancellation of the FTA sparked by fears of Mad Cow Disease. Lee Myung Bak, elected by a historic landslide in January, obviously underestimated public sentiment, when he told the Korean public that US beef imports would resume, and if "You don't like U.S. beef, don't buy it." The government also released numerous scientific studies disproving the threat of mad cow disease in an effort to ease the public fear. The country exploded. Lee's approval ratings after three months in office are hovering around 20%, and the masses are calling him a dictator and demanding his resignation.

Much of the language coming from the protesters in their opposition to U.S. beef borders on the ridiculous. Signs calling for the end of American genocide in Korea are popular among protesters. Interviews with protesters have revealed that many Koreans believe that if you eat U.S. beef, you will, quite simply, die. Apparently there are some people out there saying that Koreans are genetically more suseptible to mad cow disease, that you can get it from kissing or simply breathing the air (some of these rumors are purportedly being diseminated by the left-leaning teachers unions in order to get high school and middle school kids involved). Of course, Korea's favorite political forum, the internet has got into the act.

All of this, of course, caused the Lee administration to cave, reinstating the ban on U.S. beef and resulting in the firing of a large number of newly appointed cabinet officials.

The protests are continuing this week with a reported million people expected to participate. Although the FTA and U.S. beef remain the focus, it would appear that other forces are going to use the issues as means to other ends. This weekend marks the sixth anniversary of the death of two Korean middle school girls who were crush by US military vehicles while walking home from school, which should ramp up the anti-American sentiment (I'm surprised no one has brought up Apollo Ohno yet). It also marks the anniversary of the student protests which led to the ultimate downfall of Korean military rule and the beginning of the "democratic" process here, which should ramp up the hysteria in general.

I'm not anti-Korean by any stretch of the imagination, and I like living here (90% of the time anyway). Maybe my inability to get my head around the hysteria this issue has caused (much in the way the whole Dok-do thing boggles my mind) has to do with being raised in a different culture. The thing is that, at times, Koreans seem to approach social and political issues in much the same way they drive: don't look left or right, just plow straight ahead and be damned with the consequences.

Prophecy???

2008-06-03T16:21:00.002+09:00

In the next week, I have a staff meeting that's going to be a complete pain in my ass and my contract renewal meeting.

This is my horoscope in today's Korea Herald:

"Don't count on anyone or anything. Do what needs to be done to your specifications and keep moving forward. Consider carefully walking away from anyone who doesn't give you a fair shake."

Hmmmmm.

Harvey Kormann R.I.P.

2008-06-01T08:46:00.003+09:00

Anyone who grew up in the seventies probably knows Harvey Kormann either from his movies with Mel Brooks or my personal favorite, The Carol Burnett Show. Kormann's interplay with Tim Conway on the Burnett show was almost guaranteed to have you rolling on the floor, tears streaming down your face, belly aching from laughter. Even if the gags weren't exactly funny, Kormann's seeming inability to play it straight when faced with Conway's goofy antics often made the scene all that much funnier. Some of the funniest scenes ever came simply from watching Kormann trying not to laugh and yet still get is lines off. The man obviously loved his job.

See ya Hedy.

"It's HedLEY!!!"

Movie Masochism

2008-05-12T20:29:00.000+09:00

Have you ever watched a movie that was so bad you couldn't stop watching it? I'm talking about the kind of film that you know is going to be horrible from the opening credits. The kind of film that, if you actually went to the theater and paid to see it, you'd have no recourse but to kill yourself. Yet, you can't turn it off. You're thinking to yourself, this is horrible. There isn't possibly a movie out there with less redeeming features than this movie. WHY CAN'T I STOP WATCHING?!?! AIIIIGH!!! MY BRAIN IS MELTING!!!!!!Then you get to the end of the movie wishing that some how, some way, you could get the last two hours back, but you can't...sigh.

My friends...Strange Wilderness...is that movie.

If you are tempted to download this movie, go to the kitchen and stab yourself in the eye with a fork.

AIIIIGH!!! Just shoot me now!!

2008-04-28T19:04:00.002+09:00

Ahhh draft day. The brain mush...er...trust at the Washington Redskins draft HQ, football masterminds Daniel Snyder and Vinnie Cerrato showed their football acumen in exhilerating style.

The Skins are in desperate need of fresh blood on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as in the secondary. So what did The Danny and his rabid chihuahua Viinnie do with their first three picks? Naturally, they picked two wide receivers and a tight end.

The last time I looked, the Skins had a bunch of quality receivers and a top tier tight end. I'm all for getting good receivers, however, here's the rub: WHEN YOUR QB IS SPENDING 90% OF HIS TIME RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE OR PICKING DIRT OUT OF HIS TEETH BECAUSE THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS OLD AND INJURY PRONE AND CAN'T STOP A BUNCH OF GRADE-SCHOOLERS, WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!! AIIIIIIIGH!!!!!!

Lora Colon R.I.P.

2008-04-16T08:48:00.002+09:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a friend of mine informing me of the suicide of an ex-girlfriend, Lora Colon. Lora was one in a string of completely disasterous relationships for me. The news of her death didn't cause any great personal emotional shift. In fact, the only thing I really felt was a lack of surprise (if that's a feeling) that it happened. My feelings for Lora are very uncomplicated. I have none. At the end of the relationship Lora didn't burn the bridges between us, she nuked 'em (she tended to do this with most people).

However, the news left me thinking about the person Lora was and how she ended up dying what I can only imagine was a very lonely death.

Lora was a person who was never comfortable in her own skin. She was a beautiful woman who had suffered abuse in her life, but seemed drawn to abusive relationships. Lora had a huge ego and grand plans for herself but neither the will or ambition to achieve her dreams. She seemed to feel the world owed her something. However, when people went out of their way to help her or even simply do something nice for her, it often was thrown back in their face. She was a tortured soul.

My friend said that rumor had it that Lora was pretty much used up and living in a trailor on Stock Island in the Florida Keys; that drugs and life had taken their toll. She would have been in her mid-thirties by now and age and her circumstances most likely weighed heavily upon her.

I hope she's managed to find some peace at last.

I guess quitting smoking might be a relative thing

2008-04-09T03:10:00.002+09:00

My statement to the public must be re-phrased.

I quit smoking AT HOME.

This is a good thing. Really.

I smoked more sitting in front of the computer wasting my days away than I did at any other time. I chain smoked like a motherfucker (sorry mom for the language, but I'm drunk and well...). I would say 70% of the two packs I smoked a day were smoked in my house.

I can't say I quit smoking. I have to be honest about it. I keep a pack of smokes at school for those frustrating, my-students-are-idiots days. I keep a pack at Santa's because, face it, I ain't gonna drink and not smoke.

Tonight, I probably smoked a pack at Santa's (I have the day off tomorrow). I didn't, and won't bring smokes home. Surprisingly enough, I'm not bothered by not smoking at home. I don't miss it. My apartment certainly smells better.

Will I quit smoking all together? Honestly don't know. I could probably cut out the smokes I have at school. However, drinking and smoking go too well together. Again, Mom, I'm sorry, but I ain't quitting drinkin'!

And now to the song of the day. This is a definite "desert island" song:

ALTHEA
Grateful Dead

I told Althea I was feeling lost, lacking in some direction.
Althea told me upon scrutiny that my back might need protection.
I told Althea that treachery was tearing me limb from limb.
Althea told me better cool down boy, settle back, easy Jim.

You may be Saturday's child, all alone, moving with a tinge of grace.
You may be a clown in the burying ground, or just another pretty face.
You may meet the fate of Ophelia, sleeping and perchance to dream.
Honest to the point of recklessness, self-centered in the extreme.

Ain't nobody messing with you, but you, your friends are getting most concerned.
Loose with the truth, baby, its your fire, but baby don't get burned.
When the smoke has cleared, she said, that's what she said to me.
Gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy.

There are things you can replace, and others you cannot.
The time has come to weigh those things.
This space is getting hot, you know this space is getting hot.

I told Althea I'm a roving son, and I was born to be a bachelor.
Althea told me, okay, that's fine, so now I'm trying to catch her.
Can't talk to you without talking to me, we're guilty of the same old thing.
Been thinking alot about less and less and forgetting the love we bring.

Not smoking and other weird stuff...

2008-03-24T17:57:00.002+09:00

Before I get to the main reason for writing this post, I just want to point out something that is REALLY messed up: folks that have to die in the US armed forces before they can become citizens. At least have the decency to make these folks citizens when they VOLUNTEER for the US Armed Forces. Maybe there's less paperwork if you kill 'em first and THEN make them citizens. Sheesh!

Anyway, not smoking is weird. It's simply a bizarre way to go about things. While I'm certain that my body is going through a certain amount of physical distress as it weens itself from the nicotine that has been present in massive quantities for the past 14 years. However, that's not the strange thing. I can honestly say I don't CRAVE a cigarette. The thing is, I have no idea what to do with my hands. I'm so used to having a smoke attached to my fingers that now I feel as if something's peculiar; out of whack as it were. It's especially strange in the morning. My normal routine was to stumble out of bed, put on the coffee, turn on the computer and light up a smoke. I never really liked that first smoke, but ya gotta have it at some point so might as well get it done early. Now, I get up, put on the coffee, turn on the computer and...and...kind of spaz out for a moment. If I'm not typing or eating, I find myself clutching my fingers to keep them still. If I don't do that, I end up drumming on stuff.

There are other weird, "my routine is f**ked up" moments throughout the day. The 15 minute break between classes that ALWAYS included a smoke or two. The "hell, I've got nothing better to do, might as well have a smoke" moments, that could happen at any time (usually when my fingers began to twitch). Weird, strange, bizarre, yep.

Well, as they say: that which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. Or maybe it should be that which hasn't killed you yet, possibly won't kill you now? Who knows? Will it last? Yes, I think so. I'm not ruling out the odd smoke here and there, but I'm certain that I'll never get back to the 2 + packs a day I was smoking before.

I'm simply ready for the change.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

2008-03-22T03:30:00.002+09:00

I love my life!!

I want to stop smoking. A difficult task at any time, right?

I'm drunk off my ass. The first thing I do when I stumble out of a bar is buy smokes and beer. I got home with beer, HEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

No smokes

FUCK YEAH!!!!!

Song Of The Day: Juluka - African Sky Blue

2008-03-08T13:28:00.002+09:00

I love Johnny Clegg for many reasons, but first and foremost is the visual nature of his lyrics and music. While he sings often of the troubles of the African continent, South Africa in particular, his songs always have an undercurrent of hope, perseverance and humanity. Simply brilliant!

AFRICAN SKY BLUE

African sky blue, your children wait for the dawn
African sky blue, soon a new day will be born
African sky blue
African sky blue, will you bless my life?
African sunshine, soon you will warm your children's eyes
The African river water will dance and leap in your morning light
African sunshine
African sunshine, will you bless my life?

Oh will you bless my life? (3x)

What can I know?
What can I dream?
What can I hope?
What will the future bring?
You shine through me, but will you see me through?
African sky blue

African thunderstorm, your soldiers march through the air
The African rain will fall and wash away all my tears
African falling rain
African falling rain, will you bless my life?
Oh will you bless my life? (3x)

The warrior's now a worker and his war is underground
With cordite in the darkness he milks the bleeding veins of gold
When the smoking rockface murmurs, he always thinks of you
African sky blue, will you see him through?

Hum-oh-hum (repeat)

Three years of blogging and counting!

2008-03-08T10:42:00.004+09:00

It's hard to believe that I've had this thing going for three years, but there it is.

As I look towards another year in paradise (?), I find there are a number of uncertainties to be faced: My job situation (whether I'll be back at CNU next year or not), my housing situation, which may become part of my employment situation, and my Korea situation, which will be decided by the other two. In the meantime, a new semester has started (I survived the first week!), and I'll just have to be patient and do what I do.

At first glance, my classes, especially my institute classes, look like they should be pretty good. The institute classes are confident and very chatty, which at 7 and 8 am, makes things far easier for me. There's nothing more difficult than getting bleary-eyed, groggy students to talk at that time in the morning when they lack confidence in their ability (I always supply coffee and tea for my students. Anything to kick-start the process. lol). My freshmen are typical first semester, I-can't-find-my-ass-with-both-hands, beginners who look like they're wondering what the Hell they've gotten themselves into. At least they laughed at my jokes!

As always, music will be the key to my survival. Here's the list for today:

1. The Romantics - Do Me Anyway You Wanna

2. King Diamond - The Puppet Master

3. Johnny Cash - Daddy Was A Bass Singer w/ June Carter

4. The Pietasters - Movin' On Up

5. Ozric Tentacles - Pyoing

6. Deep Purple - The Battle Rages On

7. Stiff Little Fingers - Running Bear

8. Frank Zappa - The Black Page (New Age Version)

9. Mojo Nixon - Burgers Of Wrath

10. Grateful Dead - Me & My Uncle (Live)

11. Camel - Rhayader Goes To Town (Live)

12. The Fixx - Treasure It

13. The Exponents - Sink Like A Stone

14. Warrant - Cherry Pie

15. Descendents - Everything Sux

16. Bad Religion - The State Of The End Of The Millenium Address

17. Jackyl - We're An American Band

18. Violent Femmes - Prove My Love

19. Rush - Way The Wind Blows

20. The Seldom Scene - Rider

21. Rotting Christ - Where Mortals Have No Pride

22. Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire w/ Bob Dylan

23. Bill Nelson - First Boy On The Moon

24. The Clash - Spanish Bombs

25. Violent Femmes - America Is

26. Eddie Money - Take A Little Bit

27. George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Greedy Man

28. Guadalcanal Diary - Home (Joe Blaney Mix)

29. Judas Priest - Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)

30. Frank Zappa - Little Umbrellas

Song of the Day!

2008-02-28T02:40:00.002+09:00

Stiff Little Fingers - Tinderbox

Then the rain came down
And washed all hope away
And your life's a train
But it only goes one way

What about the times when you were happy
Balance them against the times you're sad
Was there once a time when you felt lucky
Or do you regret the times you've had[

Chorus:]
Cos sometimes I feel
I live in a tinderbox
And just one spark
Sets the whole thing off
And sometimes I see
The light die within me
And the flame go out
Leave me in the dark

When your world's a mess
And imbecility gets you down
When you can't accept
The stupidity that's around

What about the times when you were focused
What about the times you know who you are
Do you find it hard containing your emotions
Do you find it hard to just get out the door

I'm hangin' in you're hangin' on

Figured it was too good to be true...

2008-02-26T11:28:00.006+09:00

February, normally the worst month for weather in Korea, has been so mild this year I was thinking that maybe spring was coming early. Ooops. Today I woke up to:

Literacy and the Dumbing Down of America and the World

2008-02-18T09:11:00.002+09:00

Two Op-Ed pieces in the Washington Post today caught my eye. Howard Gardner's, "The End of Literacy? Don't Stop Reading.", which speaks to the changing nature of literacy around the world, and Susan Jacoby's, "The Dumbing Of America", which, as the title indicates, talks to how American's are not only becoming more ignorant, but are actually proud of this ignorance. They offer and interesting juxtaposition in that they both use the same ideas to reach different conclusions. Both Jacoby and Gardner agree on the obvious point that technological advances have changed the nature of learning and the acquisition of information. Where they diverge is on the effects of these changes.

Jacoby contends that the advent of video technology has not only affected the America's reading habits (as proved by the oft decried decline in book, newspaper, and magazine sales) but has affected the ability of people to focus on anything for any sustained period of time. She also states that Americans are going through an appalling period where learning seems to have become unimportant or, even worse, "elitist". It's not important to know WHERE Iraq is as long as we know something bad is happening there. Understanding the historical, political and cultural ideas and events that are the cornerstone of American society are now considered irrelevent. According to Jacoby, American's are keeping themselves purposely ignorant.

Gardner, on the other hand, seems to believe that technology doesn't effect the nature of literacy and knowledge in a negative way, but has simply changed the way we approach the wriitten word. While print media may be on the decline, literacy itself is under no threat. The written word will continue in new forms and a literate population will remain. There is the fact that 70% or more of all information on the internet is in written form. The explosion of the blogosphere has created a whole new medium for people to express their ideas. People aren't reading books, but they are reading.

I tend to agree with Jacoby. I am often frightened by the fact that a fairly large percentage of Americans couldn't find Canada on a map if you paid them or that we could elect a president that doesn't seem to have a decent grasp of the English language. It bothers me that Americans in general have little regard for, or knowledge of, the world beyond the national borders. Politics has been reduced to a sound bite filled beauty pageant rather than a discussion of ideas. Historical knowledge is a thing of the past (pun very much intended). The era of great thinkers has degenerated into an age of self-help, new-age, pyramid schemers more interested in a quick buck than actually having anything important to say. Literacy may not die, but critical thinking, reason, and rational thought are in rapid decline.

Namdaenum (The Great South Gate) destroyed by fire.

2008-02-13T13:20:00.005+09:00

Sungnyemun (Gate of Exalted Ceremonies) or Namdaemun (Great South Gate), as it is widely known, was one of South Korea's most recognizable landmarks. Almost every travel advertisement featured at least one image of Korea's National Treasure No. 1. This beautiful two-tiered pagoda which was completed during in 1398 during the height of the Joseun Dynasty, was destroyed Feb. 10 by a fire started by a 70 year old Korean man who was angry at the government.

You see more images of the fire HERE.

The search is over. The Skins hire Jim Zorn as Head Coach.

2008-02-11T07:58:00.000+09:00

I really do not know what to make of this. The Danny hiring Jim Zorn as Head coach. I'm puzzled, perplexed, befuddled, confused, bewildered and any number of words synonymous with "What the F**k?!?"

Jim Zorn?!?

Jim Zorn, former Seattle Seahawks QB who has spent the years since his playing days coaching quarterbacks at places like Boise State, Utah, and Minnesota Universities; finally ending up as QB coach for his former team. Granted, Zorn is credited with taking Matt Hasselbeck from bumbling rookie to perennial pro-bowler, but does that make him HC material?

The spin from Redskins Park is, of course, overwhelmingly positive. The buzz is that Zorn, who by all accounts is a straight-talking, even-tempered, Christian gentleman, is, or could be, the second coming of Saint Joe: a Joe Gibbs Lite. Zorn gets high praise from Seattle players and coaches alike as a "players coach". That's all well and good provided he has the will and tenacity to stand up against The Danny when it comes to the personnel decisions for which Danny Boy has proven time and time again he has no skill at all. Fan reaction to Zorn has been more positive than expected, especially in the light of the vitriol spewed forth at the announcement that Jim Fassel was the leading candidate for the job.

Is Zorn the guy? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing is certain: he has his work cut out for him. He is taking over a team that wanted Gregg Williams as its next leader and is trying to maintain the cohesion as a unit forged last season. He has to work with a fickle owner who seemingly has no idea how to run a football team (will The Danny keep Zorn next year if he has a losing season and some bigger name coach i.e., Bill Cowher, becomes available?) . Finally, he has to appease a fan base which may cautiously support him in the beginning but will turn on him like a rabid dog should he stumble.

I, as a dyed-in-the-wool Skins fan, am willing to give Zorn the benefit of the doubt. As I have for the past 15 years, I'm approaching the 2008 season cautiously optimistic. If the Skins, with a new and unproven head coach, can make the playoffs again, I'll be ecstatic. If they manage a winning record, I'll be happy with that. If they completely implode, I'll say, "Saw that coming."

Pats choke on the big one! Giants 17 - Patriots 14

2008-02-04T17:06:00.000+09:00

Going into this game, I really couldn't be bothered to root for either team. All I wanted was to see a good game. Well, I certainly got that. In a game that no one could have predicted, the Giants took it to the once perfect Pats and pulled off one of the great upsets in NFL Super Bowl history.

The Giants defense was in Brady's face all day and kept the vaunted Pats offense in check. Then, in what has to be one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen, Eli Manning pulled a Houdini, escaping a massive Pats pass rush and hit David Tyree, who made a Lynn Swann type circus catch, on a vital third and long. After that, it was just a couple of plays, some blown coverage, and, Bam! Game over.

Sorry Pats fans, but y'all got out-played, out-hustled, and out-classed today.

The Danny Strikes Again!

2008-01-24T09:10:00.000+09:00

After a season which the Redskins battled through extreme adversity, proved their mettle by making it to the playoffs, and seriously gelled as a team with the possibility of greater things to come, what happens? The Danny sticks his money addled brain into the works and fouls 'em all up.

Dan Snyder, probably the biggest idiot in NFL ownership history, has, after preaching about continuity, patience, and team chemistry will now screw the whole thing up by hiring Jim Fassel as head coach. JIM FASSEL?!? What in God's sake is he thinking.

The Skins have the coach they need: Gregg Williams. Williams has been with the team since Gibbs got there four years ago. He has the support and respect of the coaching staff as well as the players. He is the guy Gbbs picked to take his place as head coach when he left. Williams is as responsible as Gibbs for holding this team together through the trials of the past season. His defenses are always in the top ten in the league, he has previous head coaching experience (granted he wasn't that successful in Buffalo), and most importantly, he knows the team, knows how to continue Gibbs' vision. HIRE WILLIAMS, DAMMIT!! LET'S GET TO THE SUPERBOWL!

All the players who've been with the Skins over the course of the last 5-6 years have, despite some mediocre seasons, been happy that the coaching carousel of the late 90s/early 00s had finally ended. Now what's going to happen? New Head Coach, completely new coaching staff and back to square one.

Of course you know Snyder is going to throw boatloads of money at Fassel. The Danny doesn't know how to do anything else. Here's what we get for the muti-millions: a 58-53-1 coach who was fired by the last two teams he coached for (Ravens and Giants) because he was a lousy coach. He's coming into a close-knit team that has immense respect for its current coaching staff. Good luck, Jim. You're gonna need it.

To The Danny: Go soak your head! You're the king of one step forward, six steps back.

(insert stream of damning, bitter expletives here)

Photos from my New Zealand trip...Finally

2008-01-20T17:07:00.000+09:00

I finally found the energy to get my photos up on the blog. I got back to Korea and immediately got whacked by a full load of classes. Anyway, here they are.

Overall, this trip was exactly what I thought it was going to be: a good, relaxing time with a good buddy, drinking beer and bopping around. I met lots of good folks, ate EXTREMELY well (although I may never eat ham again), and got to see a good deal of the country. What will they remember about me? Most likely my uncanny ability to fall asleep almost anywhere at any time, and the extreme decibel level of my snoring. Hee, hee.

One of the only photos I took while I was in Auckland. I was sitting outside the train station at 6am and figured I might as well take a photo.
The Overlander from Auckland to Wellington. I had a great time on this train despite the 12 hour ride. I met a bunch of cool people and chatted and drank beer most of the way to Wellington.
Is this New Zealand or Newark??
There was this cool outdoor platform right behind the engine that you stand on to get a better view and take some unobstructed photos. What follows are a bunch of photos I took on the train ride to Wellington.
That includes YOU!!
One of the better photos taken from inside the train. Because of the cloud cover, many of the photos taken from inside had too much reflection from the windows.
Apparently, somewhere behind those clouds are some very beautiful volcanoes.

Glen's fridge. Portents of things to come.
The view from Glen's house in Wellington. This reminded me a great deal of the hills around Mrin in California.
The Quiet Lady in Wellington where I learned it's not such a good idea to talk shit about cricket, especially when New Zealand is getting trounced by Australia.
Christmas Eve at Glenn's Uncle Mike's house. This was an outstanding party: great food, music, and boatloads of booze. Unfortunately, due to a problem with my camera, this is one of the only photos that came out.
Part of the spectaclar view from Mike's house. I can't remember the name of the town though.
Glenn's family. I certainly can't argue with the hospitality I received.
Glenn and his brothers playing a little footy in his mom's backyard.
Max. This is a great dog and reminded me a great deal of my old dog George.
Drinki' at Pinky's. We ended up here for New Years Eve and watched a pretty cool punk band, Loretta Suede and The Motel 6. Good Cramps style garage punk.
"We ain't catchin' shit, but this is CHOICE!"
I like this shot.
Another shot from the boat.
The beach at Whangamata (pronounced phong-a-ma-TAH)
James and Emily
Where better to spend a Kiwi summer day than at the beach.
Debs, her sister Susan and myself hangin' at the bach (vacation house)
I'm not sure who had more fun in the pool, Glenn or Emily.
Susan and Emily.
Glenn and Deborah. Ain't they cute!
Glenn and Debs livin' la vida loca!
I had grand ideas of getting up at dawn on New Years day and going down to the beach to take some shots of the sunrise. Sadly, I only managed to make it to the deck outside the bach.
Glenn and I hangin' at the beach.
Mock rescue at Whangamata Beach. helicopter peels off after dropping rescue swimmers.
The lifeguards at the beach staged a mock water rescue before the surf boat competition. Here the zodiacs race out to retrieve the "victims" and the lifeguards dropped from the helicopter.
Surf boat competition at the beach in Whangamata.
ROW, YE BASTARDS! ROW!!
The race is on.

Getting out over the breakers is the tough part.
More from the surf boat competition.
Yes. The beach is good!

Havin' a blast, but first....

2007-12-31T09:54:00.000+09:00

THE REDSKINS ARE GOIN' TO THE PLA-A-A-AY OFFS!!! THE REDSKINS ARE GOING TO THE PLA-A-A-A-AY OFFS!!!!

Sorry. Had to get that off my chest (dancing on the chair in this coffee shop probably wouldn't go over very well). I didn't get a chance to see the game or even read much about it other than the score, but I'm happy my boys are in. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the games when I get back to Korea.

Anyway, to the present; I'm havin' a great time. I'm currently in Whangmata which is a beach town similar to, but smaller than Cape Cod or Plymouth, MA. There will be a great surge of people this weekend for the New Years (they say the town goes from 5,000 people to 70,000 over the New Years holiday).

This vacation has been what vacations are supposed to be: relaxing at the bach watching the cricket match, eating a ton of good food, and getting on the piss. Glen and I are both having a rather slow day due to celebrating New Year's Eve Eve last night (I found a place that sells Irish Mist, so I've been in trouble from the get go). Will probably go back to the bach (Kiwi slang for "vacation home") and start on the piss once again. WOOT!

Once I get back to Korea, I'm going to put together a brief dictionary of Kiwi slang. It'll be CHOICE!!

THE REDSKINS ARE GOING TO THE PLA-A-A-AY OFFS!!! THE REDSKINS ARE GOING TO THE PLA-A-A-AY OFFS!!!!

New Zealand - Dec. 21

2007-12-21T04:23:00.000+09:00

SWEET!! I thought I'd lost this post

Well...it's been an entertaining trip so far.

After a miserable 12 hour flight, I arrived in Auckland last Tuesday and was met by my friend Jo at the airport. We went to Jo's mom's house so I could get a quick shower and change my clothes and then went off to find some food. After stopping at a gas station, where I found out why I should've gone to duty free for some smokes ($10 NZD a pack!!!!), we headed down to Auckland Harbor for some lunch. The area where we ate reminded me a lot of the Marina District in San Francisco with it's toney, somewhat upscale cafes and psuedo nuveau cuisine. After lunch, we headed into downtown Auckland to find me a hotel and get my train tickets to Wellington. Once I got settled in to the hotel, Jo and I went to the station and got my train tickets. On the walk back to the hotel, we passed a bar that, lo and behold, had the Monday Night Bears/Vikings game. Needless to say, I stopped for a beer. Since Jo had some things to do, she left me sitting content with a beer in hand and football on the telly. The other immediate similarity to California is that you CAN'T SMOKE ANYWHERE!! Fortunately, the place I stopped at (which doubled as an Off Track Betting establishment) had outdoor tables where you could smoke and still see the TV.

The "Three in the morning and I've got nothing better to do" list.

2007-12-13T02:48:00.001+09:00

I haven't done one of these in a while so here goes:

1. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Misty Morning
2. Dick Dale - Miserlou
3. Too Much Joy - Goodbye Ohio
4. Rossington Collins Band - Don't Misunderstand Me
5. Chris Duarte - Poison (Commit A Crime)
6. Private Eye - Beneath The Wheels
7. Jethro Tull - Life Is A Long Song
8. Robert Gordon w/ Danny Gatton - Twenty Flight Rock
9. Styx - Too Much Time On My Hands
10. Guadalcanal Diary - Everything But Good Luck
11. Pink Cream 69 - Here I Am
12. Joe Satriani - Crazy
13. Queen - God Save The Queen
14. Rush - Entre Nous
15. Jimi Hendrix - Taking Care Of No Business
16. Louis Armstrong - I'm Not Rough
17. Bob Welch - Precious Love
18. Dave Matthews Band - #36
19. Voodoo Glow Skulls - The Drop In
20. Tygers Of Pan Tang - Don't Stop Now
21. Steve Earle - Amerika v. 6.1 (The Best We Can Do)
22. Funkadelic - Balance
23. Teenage Head - Ain't Got No Sense
24. Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic #3
25. Jethro Tull - Black Sunday
26. Marillion - Going Under
27. Hardcore Superstar - Last Forever
28. The Clash - Listen
29. Frank Zappa - Chocolate Halvah
30. Henry Paul Band - Longshot

Finally! The semester is over.

2007-12-11T09:39:00.000+09:00

This blog is a little late given that the events soon to be described happened last Thursday, but better late than never.

For this past semester, Thursdays have always been long tedious, affairs. My day started at 6:50 am and ended 6 classes later around 4 pm. Last Thursday was an exception simply because it was the last day of the semester. My early morning institute classes had ended the previous Tuesday, and my classes were simply party and game events to celebrate the end of the semester. The students for my last class of the day had decided earlier in the week to head to Gung-dong for dinner rather than meet in class, which, of course, was perfectly fine with me.

Normally with these things, especially with the freshman students, you don't get a very big turnout because it's getting on to the final exam period, and the kids have to study. So I was fairly surprised when a good 15 students showed up at the designated meeting place. Once everyone was gathered, we headed down to Sum-gyup-sal Street (my made up street name because there are something lke 20 sum-gyup-sal restaurants in a one block street) and found a place that could accomodate us all. Thus, the party began.

I've been out with students many times in my tenure at CNU, and sometimes you get a group of students that are simply no fun. They don't talk or drink, and you sit there looking at your watch wondering when you can escape. Thursday's group enthusiastically embraced the party concept. Most of these students have relatively limited English skills, but once the soju began to flow, they all loosened up, and the game was on.

After dinner, we headed down the street to a beer/soju hof for the "Second Stage". There we engaged in several drinking games; my faovorite of which is called "Titanic". The "Titanic" game consists of floating a shot glass in a half full glass of beer and then taking turns pouring soju into the shot glass. The person who sinks the shot glass has to chug the drink. It takes a steady hand which, of course, is more difficult once you've had a bit to drink. Needless to say, I NEVER lose in this game, hee hee.

All in all, it was a fun night. After the hof, the students headed back to their various homes or to the library to "study". Ian and I headed to Santa's to continue the party. Ian, who had had a very rough week (he was informed that he wasn't getting his contract at the university renewed even though the administration could not provide sufficient cause. Can you say "Labor Board"?), decided to head home early. I stayed on with a few other folks and spent the night drinking and playing Killer Pool (even won twice). It was a nice way to start my vacation.

Michelle and "Genius"

The "Hye-ran Progression": Wooo Hoooo!!!

Oh my...

ZZZZzzzzz...

Hey! Don't point that thing at me!

"Pumpiy" and "Sol"

Havin' fun!

The whole thing was a good laugh!

SEAN TAYLOR #21 - 1983 - 2007 R.I.P.

2007-11-28T09:23:00.000+09:00

The Washington Redskins suffered their most brutal loss of the season today when free safety Sean Taylor died at a Miami hospital early this morning after being shot in his home. While some in the media, particularly Micheal Wlbon and Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post, will try to impugn the memory of Sean Taylor by saying that his lifestyle brought on this tragedy, most fans and I will cherish the short time we got to enjoy the enthusiasm and tenacity with which he played the game. Taylor had unbelievale athletic talent and was really beginning to come into his own as an elite player. He was a ferocious tackler that instilled fear in all but the most iron-willed receivers. He was the backbone of the Washington secondary.

There is no denying that Sean had trouble when he came into the league and that most of that trouble was self-inflicted. However, when you listen to his teammates and coaches talk about him now, you are given a picture of a man in the midst of a drastic lifestyle change. He had matured as a player and, according to his friends on and off the field, as a man. Most credit the fact that he had recently become a father as the catalyst for his newfound maturity and sense of responsibility. The man had a great future ahead of him.

Wilbon and Shapiro, with a crass shamelessness that goes beyond understanding, seem to believe the idea of "once a thug, always a thug." Wilbon states in a chat after the news broke about the shooting: "I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn't surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn't random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain't the first and won't be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It's sad, yes, but hardly surprising." Both of these journalists seem to think the warm fuzzy feelings coming from the team are the Washington Redskins media machine hard at work. That this tragedy was simply a matter of time. That, as Shapiro put it, "the so-called new-Sean" doesn't fit his past image. The kicker is that both of these bastards seem to disbelieve the testimonies of Taylor's personal changes from teammates and coaches because Taylor himself refused to talk to the media and discuss his personal life; didn't explain himself to them, the avatars of moral righteousness. Given the way the media treated him in his first couple of seasons, his reticence is hardly surprising.

The bottom line here is that another young man, full of potential, was the victim of a senseless crime. It's a sad day.

Rest in Peace Sean. You will be sorely missed.

M/S Explorer

2007-11-24T13:57:00.001+09:00

I've been following the story of the ill-fated M/S Explorer since it struck submerged ice in the waters of Antartica. While it's fortunate that no one was injured in this incident, it's still a sad thing. For some reason, I find photos and video footage of sinking ships, especially large ships, to be disturbing at a deep emotional level. There is something forlorn and lonely about a ship in the process of going under. Maybe it's the idea of something once so powerful brought to it's knees that triggers this feeling of isolation. I'm at a loss to explain it.

The odd thing is that I find footage of ships at the bottom of the ocean i.e.: the well known videos of the Titanic and the wreckage of WWII planes and ships in Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, to be both fascinating and peaceful.

Maybe that's it. A ship in the process of sinking is still in the losing struggle between life and death. It has not yet been enveloped by the dark stillness of the ocean bottom.

Ok. This is just too much!

2007-11-21T04:33:00.000+09:00

The world is coming to and end. Sesame Street has been given a "May not be suitable for children" warning label.

Apparently, Oscar and Bert are too grumpy, Ernie, while perpetually cheerful, is "a little slow", Gordon is a potential pedofile, Cookie Monster is an addict (I almost died when I heard they made him start eating apples), and Big Bird suffers from delusions because only he can see Snuffleupagus. Oh, and the best part? Sesame Street is a too real, and possibly dangerous place to be. WHAT?!?!?

Now I don't know about you folks, but I grew up on Sesame Street (along with the myriad of other PBS childrens shows such as ZOOM!, The Electric Company, etc.). I was a pretty sickly kid when I was little, and I missed a lot of school through first and second grades. Sesame Street offered me endless amounts of entertainment as well as being a tried and true companion during my stays at home. The show encouraged reading and learning as well as respect and tolerance for ALL people. Sesame Street encouraged kids to go OUTSIDE and play. It's amazing I survived with all these dangerous concepts warping my brain.

The world has gone mad. I can just picture this Christmas as families gather around the tree to open their presents. Mom and Dad happily hand their 6 year old his brand new X-Box and a copy of Grand Theft Auto saying, "Here you go Timmy, you can now pretend to be a pimp, gangster, and murdering car thief, but that horrid Seasame Street is OFF LIMITS!!"

A game of "What ifs?"

2007-11-19T17:59:00.000+09:00

REDSKINS 23 - COWBOYS 28

What if, on 3rd and ten at the Dallas 20 with about 4:00 to go, Jason Campbell tucks in the ball and runs instead of throwing and ill advised pass to a VERY covered receiver? What if the Redskins defense actually tries to cover Terrell Owens on any of his wide open touchdown catches? What if the Skins had managed to get their running game on track? A change in any of these three things could've led to a much different, and happier, outcome.

The Redskins managed to stay in this game until the bitter end despite some glaring mistakes on defense. Penalties were kept to a minimum, clock management wasn't a factor for a change, and Jason Campbell had the game of his career. The only real mistake Campbell made in the course of a 344 yard, 2 TD game was that final pass. Had he tucked the ball and ran, he would have made the first down at the Cowboys 10 or at the very least got the Skins close enough to get the first on 4th down. The Skins still had all of their timeouts and momentum on their side. Instead he threw and pass into tight coverage that was picked off. If the Redskins had scored at that point, it would've given them the lead with about 2 minutes left. Not necessarily game over, but pretty close.

Now the defense...well...it was astonishing how open they let T.O. get. On two of his TDs there wasn't a Redskin defender within ten yards of him. As much as I hate him, T.O.'s one of the best receivers in the league, if not of all time. You simply can't let him get that open that often. Sean Taylor was sorely missed today. I certainly hope he heals up pretty quick because the Redskins secondary is not very good without him in. I can't totally rag on te defense because they did make a bunch of key stops throughout the game that helped keep the boys in it.

All in all, it was a great game to watch as are most Dallas/Washington games. I think I was most impressed with Jason Campbell. For a guy who's basically a rookie, he showed incredible poise and maturity especially while running the no-huddle offense. I think we'll see great things in the future from him.

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...again.

2007-11-13T09:20:00.000+09:00

REDSKINS 25 - EAGLES 33

What in God's name is wrong with the Redskins? Another fairly dominant performance, another lead going into the 4th quarter...another loss. What the Hell? Portis had another great game, Jason Campbell probably had the best game of his career, and the defense, despite being to blame for most of the dumb ass penalties that kept the Iggles in the game, played pretty well. The Skins needed this game and needed it badly, yet they couldn't put it away despite being handed six straight opportunities from inside the Eagles ten yard line to ice the game. Stupid, STUPID penalties, poor execution, bad clock management, a couple of costly turnovers, and a 4th quarter defensive meltdown are what you get instead. ARRRGH!!!!

The Eagles are far from the team that used to dominate the division. They're not even a fraction of that team. The Skins should have taken this one, if not easily, then convincingly (no one who watched the Jets game could say any game involving the Skins would be easy). If we can't beat the battered, limping Eagles at home, what possible chance do we have next week on the road against a Dallas team that's at the top of their game? {insert choice of scathing expletives here}

Joe Gibbs, in his post-game interview, explained that he can't understand why these meltdowns occur. Well let me tell YOU Mr. Gibbs, you better figure it out and fast!!!

{insert 7 dirty words you can't use on television here}

Redskins show some resilience.

2007-11-05T21:43:00.000+09:00

REDSKINS 23 - JETS 20

After getting completely stomped by the Patriots last week, the Redskins came out and beat (barely) what was supposed to be a bad Jets team in overtime Sunday.

Given the fact that I was going to watch the Pats - Colts game earlier today, I checked out the scores this morning before work and happened upon the Skins game late in the fourth quarter when they up 20-17. I didn't actually watch the last partof the game but follwed the Stat Tracker as the Jets moved down the field and tied it up. I figured at the time, the Skins had blown another lead, and was happy, once I got out of the shower to see they had pulled out the win. What I didn't know, was that the Skins had trailed most of the game.

I just finished watching the whole game - and it was actually an entertaining game - and was surprised by the fact that the Jets led at halftime 17 - 3. I thought the Jets were supposed to suck!!! Anyway, the Skins finally got on the same page and did what they are supposed to do best: run the ball. The second half was good, solid, Redskins smashmouth football. Portis finally had a good game putting up 196 yards rushing, and maybe, just maybe, the battered O-line is starting to gel a bit. The passing game needs work still, and if the the Skins are going to win anymore games, they're going to have to get that part of their game in line. Five field goals ain't gonna cut it against the Eagles and the Cowboys. We need to start putting up serious points.

The Redskins face a brutal schedule in the next few weeks starting with Philly at home, and then Dallas, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Chicago, and the Giants. Whooo boy! It's gonna be interesting!

GO REDSKINS!!!

REDSKINS 7 PATRIOTS 52

2007-10-30T10:44:00.000+09:00

THE REDSKINS ROCK!!!!!

My boys managed to hold the vaunted Patriot offense to a paltry 52 points on Sunday!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha...ha...heehee...heh...hoo boy...sigh.

I suppose it could've been worse, hee hee.

Megadeth and other stories...

2007-10-30T09:31:00.000+09:00

MEGADETH: UNITED ABOMINATIONS TOUR, SEOUL OLYMPIC HALL, OCT. 28, 2007

This past weekend was a good one. I went up to Seoul to meet my buddy Konrad for a weekend of drinking and metal music. Megadeth played Seoul last Sunday, and Konrad managed to score some tickets. I was pretty psyched because it'd been almost three years since I last had a chance to see a real concert.

Since the concert was on a Sunday, I figured I'd make a weekend of it and head up to Seoul the Saturday before. I rarely go to Seoul, so I was thinking I'll have a fairly relaxing party weekend. I had forgotten, however; that it was the weekend before Halloween, so when I got up there, I found all the hotels in and around Itaewon were booked solid. I'm not into the whole Halloween craziness, so I went and got something to eat and pondered what I was going to do since the bars I usually go to in Seoul were going to be packed full of drunken lunatics. Fortunately, Konrad called me and said to meet him at a bar called Dolce Vita, which turned out to be a mellow little pub off the Halloween bar circuit. We stayed there for most of the evening playing pool with the owner, his wife, and a few of the regulars, drinking Jaeger Bombs (Jaegermeister & Red Bull), and generally having a good time. Around 2am, Konrad and I headed to another bar on what is known, for the obvious reasons, as "Hooker Hill". One of the problems with Itaewon is that everything there is uphill. It seemed to drunker Konrad and I got, the steeper the hills became (my legs are still sore). Finally, around 3-4am(?) we staggered off to this guy Jim's house - of one of Konrad's friends - to crash. This guy's apartment is at the top of a road which I swear is at an 75 degree angle.

I woke up the next morning on this guy's floor hungover as stink and feeling like the entire 6th Army had marched over my tongue. The three of got up and showered and headed down the hill for some breakfast. At the restaurant, we met up with Konrad's girlfriend who dragged him off to church after the meal was over. Left to my own devices, I headed back into Itaewon and ended up at the Seoul Pub, which is a great place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon. Given that breakfast had not helped my hangover in the least, I figured a little hair of the dog was in order. So I sat there, drinking pints and listening to the retired military guys tell their stories and trying desperately to get rid of my hangover.

I met up again with Konrad around 5pm and we headed off to the show which started at 6:30. The opening bands were pretty bad, so Konrad and I sat outside smoking cigarettes waiting for Megadeth to come on. Finally around 8pm, Megadeth started their show. The crowd was relatively small, only about 3,000 people (maybe a third westerners), but very enthusiastic. Megadeth played for close to two hours throwing in a great mix of new and old material. About the only problem I had was that Dave Mustaine's vocals were often drowned out by the music, but other than that it was a kick ass show. At one point Mustaine comes up and asks the crowd, "How many of you have seen Megadeth before?" About half the crowd roars. Then he asks, "How many are here for the first time?" Part of the crowd roars. "How many non-Koreans are here?" Westerners put up a shout. Finally he goes, "How many of you understand a single word I'm saying?" Roar from the crowd with a lot of laughter from the waeguks (foreigners).

The show ended around 10pm, and since I needed to get back to Daejeon that night, I hopped on the subway thinking I had plenty of time to grab a train back. However, much to my dismay, I got to the train station only to find out the the trains stopped running at 11:00 (it was 11:15 a that point. Ok. No problem. I'll head to the bus station and get home that way. I hop in a cab and get to the bus station at about 11:50. The last bus for Daejeon left at 11:45. So there I am, sitting at the bus station at midnight wondering how the hell I'm going to get back home. My first class on Mondays is at 6:50 am, and I couldn't miss it without causing more aggravation than I was prepared to deal with. I finally found a cabbie to take me the 400 km to Daejeon which cost me about $140! Fortunately, the guy drove like a bat out of Hell, and I made it home by 1:30 exhausted but content.

REDSKINS 21 - CARDINALS 19

2007-10-23T08:11:00.000+09:00

This team is going to drive me to drink. Well...umm...drive me to drink more. Despite having a two touchdown lead late in the first half, the Redskins, in their typical ulcer-producing, agony-inspiring way, came less than a foot away from blowing another game. Whatever little gust of wind or magic pixie dust that pushed Niel rackers kick, which from 55 yards out had more than enough leg behind it, just to the left of the upright was a miracle of great import.

The offense once again spoiled an incredible defensive outing by being unable to stay on the field when it counted most. One drive in the second half lasted a total of 48 seconds. 48 SECONDS!!!
That's not enough time for the defense to get a sip of water let alone catch a breath. I understand that the O-line is in turmoil due to injury and this does have an effect on both the running and passing output. However, as Ladell Betts said in a post game interview, both the starters and back-ups get paid an enormous amount of money to play a game and should be ready for any eventuality.

Next week the hapless Skins roll in to Foxboro to play New England in the first game of a brutal road trip. Barring some unforseen miracle, like a band of cannibal pygmies carting off Tom Brady and eating him for lunch or the entire Pats D coming down with salmonella, the Redskins are going to get crushed just like every other team the Pats have faced this year (the Pats are SCARY good).

The Redskins are a VERY lucky 4-2 at the moment but play the Pats, Eagles, Cowboys and Buccaneers in the next five weeks. If the offense doesn't get better in a hurry, and that means now, we're going to be 5-6 by December and on a spiral to Hell.

A Second Half in Hell...

2007-10-16T08:47:00.000+09:00

Redskins 14 - Packers 17

The game literally slipped away in the second half as Santana Moss, the normally sure handed, fleet-footed receiver for the Redskins put the ball on the ground during a reverse, and had it scooped up by the Pack for a 57 yard fumble return for what would be the winning score.

Like the Giants game 3 weeks ago, the Skins blew a first half lead with sloppy play and careless mistakes. Jason Campbell had a great game mostly. He would have had a spectacular game but for the entire Redskins receiving corps (with the exception of the ever reliable Chris Cooley) developing a bad case of the dropsies. Santana Moss, coming off an injury, could neither catch nor hold on to the ball once he had it. It was appalling.

To add insult to injury (literally), the Redskins O-line took a beating that could have repercutions for the rest of the season. The right side of the line, already reeling from the loss of veteran stalwarts Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas in the first two games, lost all three of their back-ups in this one. The Skins, who started the season with ample depth on the O-line, are now looking at the possibility of signing gaurds and tackles off the waiver wire for next week's game against the Cardinals. the thought of a patchwork O-line for te remainder of the season spells trouble with a capital "T".

On a brighter note, after seven years in Korea, I'm finally going to get to see some decent live music. Next Sunday, Megadeth will be playing in Seoul, and I have tickets! Those of you that know me, know my love of music and especially live music. I am totally psyched. Even the weather is co-operating. It's cool enough now for me to dust off my leather and go bang my head in appropriate style.

Another great thing is that I got my tickets to New Zealand yesterday. I'm heading south for the winter to go drink a few pints with "Kiwi" Glen and see what kind of trouble I can get into. I can't wait seeing that this will be my first time in NZ. Rock on!

1, 2, 3 - DOMINATE!!

2007-10-08T15:28:00.000+09:00

REDSKINS 34 LIONS 3

Whoooooooo-baby! Did the Redskins look good on Sunday! Complete, and I mean COMPLETE, domination of the Detroit Lions at Fed-Ex Field. The Defense came up huge, sacking John Kitna 5 times, and pulling in 2 interceptions. The real story though, was the Skins D-line. Those guys rushed like their butts were on fire. Hit after big hit rained on the Lions receivers and running backs all day long.

The offense looked incredibly sharp. Jason Campbell was poised and incredibly accurate. The O-line opened huge holes for Portis and Betts while affording Campbell plenty of protection.

In addition, with the help of good games by Randel-El and Chris Cooley, I managed to win both my fantasy league match-ups this week. It's a good day!

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

2007-09-24T08:35:00.000+09:00

REDSKINS 17 GIANTS 24

Despite an impressive first half in which the Skins got three turnovers and led the supposedly lame ass Giants 17-3, the Redskins lost. The offense completely disappeared in the second half, and the up til now stout defense fell apart. Still, the Skins had opportunities right until the end of the game but failed miserably with execution. We go into a bye next week leaving me once again cautiously optimistic about te future. Which Redskin team will show up in week 5 against the Lions: the Good, the Bad, or the Ugly?

REDSKINS 20 EAGLES 12

2007-09-18T12:53:00.000+09:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! 2-0 BABY!!!!

The Redskins took it to the Eagles in Philly and came out on top. While they weren't perfect by any means (see the goal line circus in the 2nd quarter), they looked better this week against a much stronger team in the Eagles than they did last week against the no account Dolphins. The defense was stellar; delivering big hits and completely shutting down the Eagles passing game.

BRING ON THE GIANTS!!!

GO REDSKINS!!!

Now we'll see what they're really made of!

2007-09-13T18:24:00.000+09:00

The Redskins pulled off a sloppy opening day win over the Miami Dolphins last weekend to start the new season on the right foot. The offensive line showed definite improvement in the running game despite the huge loss of RT Jon Janson in the second quarter (he's done for the year with fractured and dislocated ankle). The running game seems much improved, and the idea of giving Betts and Portis relatively equal time on the field paid immediate dividends. The passing game needs some work, though there were certainly signs of improvement. Jason Campbell needs to keep his cannon of an arm in check on short passes (he showed incredible touch on the few long passes he threw), and the receiving corps needs to catch more than they drop. the defense also showed some improvement over last year, especially against the run. However, the secondary looked a bit sketchy, and that's troublesome.

That was against Miami. The Monday night game against the Eagles is going to be a whole other beast. The game's in Philly, and the Eagles are coming of what could only be construed as an embarrassing loss to the Packers. Philly's going to be out for blood.

The upcoming game and the one the following week against the Giants will go a long way in determining what kind of season the Skins are going to have. Two huge divisional games and an early bye week; it's time for the Skins to claw their way out of the NFC basement and smack some folks in the teeth.

It all starts with the Eagles.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!

Maybe, just maybe...

2007-09-09T18:28:00.000+09:00

Can it be true? Is the rain finally over??? I don't know for sure, but the last two days have been absolutely gorgeous; prime fall weather. Naturally I did indoor activities, hee hee. Yesterday I went to Seoul to the Walker Hill casino and lost a bunch of money playing Texas hold'em. It was fun though, and given it was my first time, I did alright. Today I've been inside because I wandered home around 6 am this morning after going to a noreabang (karaoke room) with a couple of Chinese girls I met at Santa's. It's always kind of scary to walk out of a place and see that the sun is coming up. I had fun, so who cares!

Everybody SING!!!!

2007-09-06T16:34:00.000+09:00

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
I'm gonna sell my bike and buy me a boat instead
Floatin' down the street
Cuz, raindrops keep fallin' on my head they keep fallin'

I've got errands to be run
I'm up to my ass in water but I got to get things done
Paddling my canoe
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head they keep fallin'

Cuz I know
The changes in my body that are almost complete, I've got webbed feet
And I'll be sprouting feathers and growing a real long beak. QUACK!

Yep. Still raining.

Their coming to take me away HAHA HOHO HEEHEE...

2007-09-05T05:48:00.000+09:00

Yep. Still raining.

I feel that soon I shall descend into a quivering, raving, wide-eyed lunatic climbing naked to the tops of the trees and raging at the heavens...

Or I'll take a shower and go to work.

Sigh....

2007-09-04T05:56:00.001+09:00

Raining.

Guess what?

2007-09-03T06:10:00.000+09:00

It's still raining. It's got to end sometime, right?

At leeast there are other things these days to focus on. I'm into the second week of the new semester, which certainly helps keep my mind off the rain (until I have to drive my bike to my next class in the deluge). I'm also getting prepared for the upcoming football season. I'm in two fantasy leagues this year, plus have gone in with a bunch of folks on the purchase of this year's Yahoo NFL Game Pass. This means, of course, that I'll actually get to watch some games this year. WOOT!

Well, it's time to don the Gortex and jet down to the institute for my first class. Did I mention it's 6:15 am?

Jesus Bloody H. Christ on a Crutch!!!

2007-09-01T13:07:00.000+09:00

Rain.

Better call Noah. I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.

Rain.

Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. And more God-forsaken, gonna-be-surfin'-down-Mainstreet RAIN!!!!

Did I mention the rain?

Now I've heard of rainy seasons before, but this is boardering on ridiculous. My hand to God, there has been only 4 or 5 days this month where it wasn't pouring out. Hell, I'm not sure July had that many dry days. I'm amazed the damn place hasn't floated away yet.

If you haven't gathered by the tone of this little rant, I'M BLOODY WELL SICK OF ALL THIS (insert expletive here) RAIN!!!!!!!!!

Finally...

2007-08-12T00:56:00.000+09:00

12 hour shift at Santa's...Power's back on...I'm going to bed

More excitement than you could shake a stick at.

2007-08-11T19:11:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm not quite certain how to describe this day. Due to construction on campus it was announced that the power for THE ENTIRE campus would be shut down today (Saturday). You may think, no problem, simply find something to do. Easy, right? The fly in the ointment is that the power is to be out from 7 am until midnight!

I thought, ok, I'll go catch a baseball game. That'll kill a bunch of time. The Eagles are out of town. Ok. I'll go see a movie. The two movies I wanted to see I saw last week. Hmmm. Sit outside with a couple of friends and drink a few beers? Everyone's out of town or previously occupied, and it's like 1,000 degrees outside. Sigh.

So here I sit at Santa's. I've been here now for 7 hours and 20 minutes...and counting. I've eaten twice, played some X-Box, had a few beers, and yawned a lot. Oh, did I mention that I'm THE ONLY ONE HERE!! Sigh.

Oh well. Only 4 hours and 37 minutes until the power is back on. Maybe Mr. Ho willwant to play some pool.

Bonds hits 756...finally.

2007-08-08T19:42:00.000+09:00

It's about time. Barry Bonds finally hit home run number 756. Now at last we can stop reading about it. Bonds crushed a 3-2 fastball from Mike Bascik in to the right field bleachers. Everybody and they're grandmothers knew the Nats were going to give up the record, and I'm glad it happened early in the series rather than later. Now we can all concentrate on baseball. Lost in the madness was the fact that the Nats won the game, which gives them 7 wins in their last 8 games.

As much as I dislike Bonds, it was a rather touching scene at SF's AT&T park after he hit the home run. The San Francisco fans have always been loyal to Bonds, so it was only proper he should break the record at home. I watched the game here on Korean TV, and the most surprising thing was the sincere message of congratulations from Hank Aaron broadcast on the stadium big screen. Given that Aaron has been conspicuously quiet about Bonds assault on the home run record, most people thought he was doubting the legitimacy of the new record with all the rumours and accusations of steroid use and whatnot. However, it's sincerity and graciousness not only lends credence to Bonds' legitimacy, it might go as far as to quiet the scandal mongering for a bit. We'll have to wait and see.

Now that the spectacle is over, all I want is for the Nats to take the rest of the series and continue on their own race for legitmacy and a .500 record.

Well, the kid did pretty well.

2007-08-07T16:36:00.000+09:00

John Lannan's third big league start was alright. Despite giving up 8 hits and 5 walks, Lannan and the Nats defense managed to keep the Giants, and especially Barry Bonds in check. The Nats lost 3-2 in 11, but only because Chad Cordero blew yet another save and his replacement Shawn King couldn't throw a strike to save his life. I'll be happy if the Nats can get out of this road trip without letting Bonds do his thing.

The Washington Nationals on the wrong side of history?

2007-08-07T10:32:00.000+09:00

Today, in about 45 minutes, the Nats go up against the San Francisco Giants for the beginning of a four game series in SF. Waiting for them, of course, is Barry Bonds and the possibility of breaking Hank Aaron's home run record.

There are a few things going on for this game. First of all, I hate the Giants and despise Barry Bonds. The Barry Bonds issue comes for all the obvious reasons regarding his ethics and personality; none of which need to be rehashed here.

My dislike for the Giants as a team stems from a game 10 years ago when J.T. Snow hit a line drive foul ball which blasted my then 6 year old nephew square in the eye. After he was hit, my nephew was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery with a crushed orbital bone. Now every team in the league has, on their game tickets, a clause that says the team is not responsible for any fan injuries sustained while at the stadium. I understand this and don't have a problem with it. However, the minute the game ended, the home plate umpire arrived at the hospital to check on Gabe. The manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom the Giants were playing that day, called every hour from the team plane to get updates on Gabes condition. Fans from the stadium and some watching on TV - complete strangers - sent cards and candy to the hospital. The Giants did nothing. J.T. Snow, who was so upset he had to leave the game, did nothing. When my sister's insurance wouldn't cover all the costs for the operations needed, the doctors at the hospital passed a hat to help defray the costs. The Giants did nothing. My mother thought that the Giants, who when called spouted legalease about not being responsible for whatever, should at least make a gesture to a six-year-old boy who loved baseball and was now going through countless surgeries to repair his face. The Giants did nothing.

To make a long story short, the Giants eventually succumbed to threats by my mom to go to Hard Copy and other tabloid news shows over the Giants lack of compassion for a little kid (no one was looking for money, just a kind gesture from the team) and sent a limo to my sister's house to take Gabe to a game in the owners box, get him an autographed jersey, and hats for his first grade class.

The other issue is that the Nats are sending up a guy to pitch today that has three, count 'em, three, major league starts....sigh.

A Good Day

2007-07-14T18:39:00.000+09:00

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.

2007-07-01T10:17:00.000+09:00

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.

I've been here TOO damn long.

2007-06-03T03:24:00.000+09:00

Since this blog is only two years old, some of you may not know that I've been in Korea now for seven years. For my first three years in Korea I worked for a place called Yang-G ELS. This is what is normally referred to as a hakwon, a privately owned English language institute. At yang-G I taught students ranging in age from kindergarten through middle school.

For the last two years at the hakwon, I taught what are known as "Returnee" classes. These are classes designed for students who spent significant time overseas (usually a minimum of 5-6 years). These kids all speak excellent English and often have a difficulot time re-adjusting to Korea.

Well tonight I'm sitting at the bar at Santa's when this Korean girl, speasking impeccable English, approaches me and asks if I worked at Yang-G. Turns out she's now a freshmen at the University Of British Columbia, but I taught her when she was just a middle school student. FIVE YEARS AGO!!!

aiiiigo!

Nazi Raccoons Conquer Europe

2007-05-27T07:27:00.000+09:00

It seems that Hermann Goering's legacy lives on.

A Beautiful Day for Baseball

2007-05-14T12:35:00.000+09:00

Sunday was a perfect day for a trip to the ballpark for a game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Doosan Bears. Although the Eagles (the Daejeon team) lost 3-1 due to some very sloppy defense in the 4th inning, it was still a great day.

There was a stiff breeze coming directly in from center field which kept a bunch of well hit balls from going out.

Daejeon Stadium was refitted last year with new turf.

I bought a new camera and was trying to get some decent shots of the game action. The safety netting behind home plate was a bit of a pain in the ass.

A pretty decent look at the Eagles new center fielder Jacob Cruz.

Doosan player smacking a double into left which scored two in the 4th.

More fourth inning action as a Doosan player easily steals second.

The MC trying to get the crowd into the game.

Eagle at the plate...

Here's the pitch...STEEERRIKE!!

Why people REALLY go to the games!

The Eagles fight song.

Nice view from the stands.

Faith and Tolerance in America: A Cultural Divide, Pt. 2

2007-05-14T06:28:00.000+09:00

Well, it would appear that I'm not the only one who feels that discussion is the way to go with this issue. This article appears in today's Yahoo news. Maybe the "honest to goodness" miracle Metha is looking for is Evangelicals and non-believers sitting down together en mass and TALKING!