Noisy is the theme this week at PhotoFriday. This photo was taken somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is the engine of the Hanjin Phoenix, a freighter ship that I had the opportunity to spend a couple weeks on. The engine room was one of the main areas that was off limits to my wanderings, but the chief engineer did give me a private tour. Unfortunately, it was so loud that I could barely understand half of what he was telling me about the machine.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a live taping of Whad'Ya Know, a comedy and quiz radio show. As a fan of the show, it was interesting to see how the show works, as well as to put faces to the voices I have listened to for years. But the best part was being selected from the audience to take part in the quiz. Sure, it meant that I was made fun of a little, including a short discussion about how I lack a middle name, but hey, I got the chance to go for the Mother Lode of prizes.
Thanks to the power of the internet, you can listen to the show, if you failed to catch it live. Download the June 13, 2009 episode or listen online if you prefer. I can be heard during the last fifteen minutes of the show, if you don't want to listen to the whole show. Enjoy.
For those unaware, or those who really care, I have found some employment with the United States government. I would love to tell you I am now a special agent in the FBI with the task of trying to solve the cases they have assigned an unsolvable status due to some unexplained phenomena. Unfortunately my X-file solving will have to wait for another day.
Right now, I am working as a lister for the Census Bureau. I basically will be assisting the government as they update their address lists. This means I will be going door to door checking addresses. There is a press release telling a little more about what I am doing, and not to fear me, and others like me, if you see us walking up your driveway. But if you see me walking by, and the tears are in my eyes, look away, baby, look away.
I am just glad I do not have to ask any personal questions at this point. I fear I would encounter too many people like this guy.
I know many parents do not want to hear a single childless guy tell them how to raise their kids. But take into consideration that this guy has helped raise hundred of kids who were dropped of at boarding schools around the world, and hopefully you will heed the following advice.
This is a very important tip for those of you with young boys. When teaching them how to use a urinal, please instruct them that talking is limited to very close friends and family. In those two situations talking should only be limited. But in no situation known to man should a child start a conversation with an adult while both are using urinals.
I give this advice today after an awkward situation I was in today. I stopped at one of those large everything including the groceries stores. As I had been on the road for a couple hours, I made my first stop the bathroom. As I walked through the door, there were a couple small children blocking the entry. Their father asked them to move so I could pass by, and I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, a minute later as I was taking care of business, when I heard a voice coming from the urinal next to me. "That was my dad out there," he began. I, not knowing exactly what was going on, just kept to my business and didn't say anything. But the little kid kept talking, as kids often are prone to do. So I finished up, zipped up, washed up and headed to the door. I think the kid still might have been talking to me as I exited the door. I was tempted to say something to the father about proper urinal etiquette or even about supervising your children in the restroom. I figured it might be more of a hassle, so I just went about my shopping.
But for you my readers, please do me a favor and have a talk with your sons tonight. Tell them that when you use the restroom the only things other than air exiting your body should be from below the belt.
As a bonus, you should also tell them that talking to guys with creepy mustaches is usually not a good idea, especially in light of the above tip. I am not saying all guys who have mustaches are creepy, but as a general rule of thumb...
This week the theme at PhotoFriday is Edible. I had several photos of foods from around the world I have consumed, but figured I would go with what many might find one of the more disgusting items. This is some balut from my last trip to the Philippines. While it might not be the most appetizing images, it actually was a whole lot better than I expected.
The Weekend is the theme at PhotoFriday this week. I have spent the last three four days sitting inside a vehicle watching the pavement pass by, and my weekend is looking like more of the same. I am not exactly sure which way I am heading, I just know I need to get home from this long road trip I am on.
Isolation is the theme at PhotoFriday this week. This shot was taken towards the end of my self imposed hermit days this winter. Guess after so many days without contact you get a little stir crazy. And being stir crazy can lead to ideas like canoeing in the snow or setting up your own bowling rink.
This week at PhotoFriday the theme is pet. I do not have a pet. Part of the reason is that they limit the vagabond lifestyle. I would also have a hard time spending money to take care and feed something that I am just going to have to clean up after.
But if I had a limitless supply of money and land to have animals to call my own, I would probably have to have an elephant. There is just something cool about seeing one up close. Perhaps it is due to my desire of being in a circus as a kid. It could also could be related to the Simpsons episode where Bart wins an elephant. Either way, I am guessing I would be the coolest guy on the block, owning my own pachyderm.
For some reason Denny's restaurants decided to offer free Grand Slam breakfast meals from six until two today. This came to my attention during a little football game on Sunday. Being unemployed, I had some time on my hands to take advantage of this fine deal. I set my alarm for the crack of dawn woke up sometime around nine, hoping to avoid all the working class people who might try to get in before work. I figured that arriving around ten would be a good time. Unfortunately, when I walked in the cute gal behind the counter informed me it could be a two hour wait. Luckily, a friend had tipped me off of potential long waits, and I came prepared with a book to read. An hour later I found myself saddled up to the bar awaiting my Grand Slam. Sitting there gave me an interesting view on the kitchen crew as they cranked out more Grand Slams that Bonds, McGwire, and all the other enhanced baseball players ever have. Twenty minutes later, mine arrived. Mission accomplished.
Since I was a couple miles from my brother's house, I decided to go spend a little time with my nephew. After some quality time discussing politics, the fact he should buck his dad's views and become a Cub fan, and him getting his first two teeth, I decided it was time to head for lunch. Hmmmm, if there was only a place giving away free food. Oh wait, there are two Denny's in a short driving distance. So it was off for Grand Slam number two. This time it was only a thirty minute wait for my table, and about ten minutes until the plate landed. Not only did the meal arrive quicker, it tasted better. Although I did have to wait for the waitress to bring me some silverware, which were in short supply today.
As it was nearing two o'clock as I headed out the door and the next closest Denny's was about forty minutes away, all I could do was drown my sorrows and Slams with a little happy hour special.
In my cleaning process, I have come upon a large crate of cassette tapes from a time long ago. For those of you who do not know what a cassette tape is, it is what people used to listen to music before Ipods and even CDs, although not as far distant as the 8-track.
I want to see what is recorded on them before I either toss them or return them to storage. Unfortunately, most are unlabeled. So I have dusted off the old boom box, and am listening to all these tapes. I am hoping to find some of my long lost interviews with several artists, but so far I have found:
1. Answering machine tapes from both my brother and my machines during college. 2. A recording of 20 The Countdown's tribute to Rich Mullins 3. A recording of Jerry Springer's Dr. Talk. 4. A couple tapes where I am driving around talking into a recorder for no apparent reason. 5. My first broadcast on KLRC 6. My airchecks that I sent to radio stations in hope of a job. 7. The theme songs from 1991-1995 summer camps at Miracle Camp. Word! 8. Some salsa and meringue music from my time in Venezuela. 9. A tape I made of Christian music sped up to sound like the Chipmunks. 10. The KLRC Christmas greetings circa 1995 or 1996.
There are some gems that I might even transfer to MP3 for all to hear. But for now I must go back to cleaning.
The big craze sweeping through my friend list on Facebook is to post 25 random facts about oneself. You are then to tag 25 friends, who are to do the same. It is like a friendship knowledge Ponzi scheme. I figured I should post the list here as well, since some of my readers here are not my facebook friends. Yeah I'm talking to you, Fox's dad. So here are twenty-five random facts about myself that you may or may not have known. I know I have posted about a few of these. Enjoy.
1. I have three different valid drivers licenses in my wallet. 2. I have been to as many countries as years spent on this planet. 3. While I started my musical career on the French horn, I quickly switched to the tuba partially because I thought it would be more impressive to the ladies. 4. There have been few days in the last fifteen years when my face was completely shaved. 5. I am a big fan of the judge shows, especially People's Court, Judge Judy and Judge Mathis. 6. My name appeared in a list of thanks in a nationally released album. 7. I am a bit of a pistachio snob. If they are not Turkish, I will probably pass them up. 8. My minor in college was camping. 9. CNN has broadcast my face on at least two separate occasions. 10. I drive a twenty year old car that a friend gave to me. And I love it. 11. The last free car I owned, I totaled in Italy about a mile from the Mediterranean Sea. Bon Jovi was on the radio at the time. 12. Speaking of Bon Jovi, if you watch their Crush DVD close enough, you might see me in the crowd. 13. According to iTunes, you can listen to my music collection for one hundred days. That doesn't include the cassettes and records that have not be converted to mp3s. 14. I have consumed balut, dinuguan, and kimchi, yet still find banana to be the most disgusting taste I have encountered. 15. One of my favorite ways to sightsee is to wander around cities in the middle of night. 16. I have an amazing sense of direction. Sense of style still lacking. 17. When I travel, I like to read appropriate books. Romans in Rome, Ephesians in Ephesus, Dostoyevsky in Russia, Moby Dick while out at sea, etc. 18. Scuba Advanced Open Water certified 19. I am a sucker for street musicians. I have a collection of cds from some of my favorites. 20. I own the Marvin the Martian t-shirt and cape that Jack Black wore in Daddy Day Care. 21. I was picked up by the Chinese military near the Russian and North Korean borders with China. 22. Because of stories like that, some I know thought I wasn't really a missionary, but a spy. 23. I messed up some psychology tests because I love the solitude as much as the center of attention. 24. I had to talk to a counselor about those messed up tests. He looked just like Dr. Leo Marvin. 25. Someday I am going to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
I got some random stuff on Ebay, as I am trying to clean out my parents' basement. At this point there are some DVD sets, some CDs, some movie memorabilia I have collected over the years, and a few random action figures, including Ponch.
Some items are ending in the next day, and there will be more posted in the next few days. Heck, if there is something I own you would like in your possession, give me a call or leave a comment, and I might just put it up for bids. I am trying to clean out the closet, so you just never know what I am willing to get rid of. Who would have thought I would have put Ponch up for bids?
So get on over to Ebay and get yourself a deal on a piece of Ryan Cordell history.
Sometimes I am amazed at the things people announce to the world. A few months ago I posted about the lady at the Grand Canyon who couldn't wait to see what her photos would look like on the computer. I honestly thought it would be a while before I had something as golden to pass along.
Well, tonight it happened again. I overheard another phrase that made me wonder if there are too many chemicals in the foods we consume. This evening I had a ticket to see Spamalot. As a fan of both Monty Python and tolerator of musical theater, I figured I was in for a good time. I was not disappointed. It is a funny show, so funny I think the guy a couple seats over laughed to the point of wetting one's self. But the line that made me laugh the most was not from the show, but the couple behind me. At intermission, one turned to the other and said,
"I did not know this was a comedy"
Think about this for a second. A couple paid money for seats to a musical written by a comedian based on a comedic movie that he and other members of his very famous comedy troupe wrote and stared in. Even the title sounds humorous. Spamalot! Or were they expecting a sad tale about someone's email inbox and while they did find cheap drugs, ways to increase their size, and helped a widow transfer her late husband's great fortune out of the country that killed him, they could never find true love?
And if that wasn't bad enough, I heard a similar sentiment from someone else near me as well. This made me wonder if these people have extra money laying around and will go to see anything playing at the local civic center. Is it that hard to use the Google to find out if Spamalot is a comedy? But most of all, did they need to announce to the people in the cheap seats that they probably should have stayed home and watched American Idol? Really people, sometimes it is best to not verbalize all your thoughts. But I guess I have to thank those who do give me a good laugh once in a while with their clueless comments. So there you go.
It has been a while since I have been online on a Friday for PhotoFriday. This week's theme is White. I chose one of the photos I took last month while I was wandering around the frozen lake. This was from one of the sunnier days. Part of me wishes I was back up there, although I hear it is bitter cold. But that is what the wood stove is for, right?
Did you miss me? Cause I missed you. It has been a few weeks since I have posted. The funny thing is that I have had a steady internet connection during most of that time. In fact, I think since I left my hermit ways in the woods, I have had less social interaction with people outside my family than I did before. That could be a sad commentary on my life, but I'll just say it was due to the holidays.
So now I am still in civilization and trying to figure out what to do next. Do I return to the woods? Do I use my frequent flier miles and travel somewhere fun? Or do I try to find a job? So many choices, so many directions.
I do know I am hoping to do some house cleaning. Both online and off. I just renewed this domain for a few more years, so I would like to revamp this site. I am also planning on cleaning out a lot of junk I have collected over the years in the material world. I will probably be posting links to eBay soon.
I had to make a trip to town to pick up dish soap. Yep, if it were not for a need to have clean pots and pans, I probably would have stayed in the woods a little longer. To bad there are not some disposable pots and pans, in a paper plate style that could be just used and then tossed. Oh well. This gives me an opportunity to grab some Thai food, pick up some other supplies, and upload some more fun stuff.
Today at the request of my friend Mickie, who might comment here the most, I have made a video of me popping corn over a bonfire. I shot this the other day in single digit temperatures, so I hope you all enjoy it.
By the way, while I am here at the library, there is a lady fast asleep in the room. I know because I can hear her snoring. And I thought I would be the one most likely mistaken for a homeless person when I entered the library.
Well, I have one more week before I head home for the holidays. So until then, stay safe and happy holidays.
So I stepped off the island the last couple days to assist in the butchering of a deer. This was supposed to happen before Thanksgiving, but due to the lack of solid ice, I could not make it. Luckily for me, my relative was able to score another deer. Thus, I now have a cooler full of deer meat to experiment with. So if you are in the area, come check out my deer delights.
Here is the latest of videos. Some are already commenting that this could prove that I have snapped. You be the judge.
There have been several things I have thought about posting about, but due to a drop in temperatures the last few weeks, I found myself trapped on the island. A week ago last Friday night the entire lake froze over. The ice was too thin to walk across for most of the week, yet almost too thick to bust through with the boat. I did not feel like taking any risks, so I found myself wandering around in circles for over a week.
Here are a few news items I am late to the party to post about, but better late than never, right?
The local news earlier this week said that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome can be reduced greatly by using a fan in the baby’s room. While there might be some research that proves this could work, I don’t think the scientists have considered that it would only put them at risk of the dreaded Fan Death. I am betting most of my readers have never heard of this deadly killer, but to those who believe it is no laughing matter.
I have seen a few clips about people being trapped at the Bangkok airport for the last week. As one who has passed through that airport, my heart goes out to those stranded. While I found most of the people of Thailand I encountered to be a friendly, this was not the case at the airport. A couple years ago, a friend and I had a layover there. As we passed through passport control, I was sent out towards baggage claim, while my friend was directed to the transit area. The guards would not let him follow me, or even send someone to find me, as it was my first time in the airport. Due to the time, I actually had to run to get to the gate, only to be told by the lady behind the counter that I needed both the boarding pass (which I had) and the receipt (which was in my friend’s possession). They were very unhelpful, not allowing me to page my friend or even have them find him themselves. I returned to the counter several times to see what I could do to make sure I was on the flight out, only to be told on my last visit that they were paging me. That was funny, as I was within eyesight of them the whole time, and never heard my name announced. Luckily, I was able to get to the plane, where my friend had been waiting for a while.
The media has been telling us lately that the economy is so bad that people are not shopping. Guess that was proven wrong on Friday, when not only did people go shopping, but they did it with lethal force. It is sad to think that people are capable of trample a person to death in order to get a good deal on a television. Hopefully those involved will spend more time behind bars than they will spend paying for that television.
And how in the world can you plead not guilty to shooting yourself in the leg? Seriously, it was his gun, in his possession, and the bullet ended up in his leg. Can we not save the tax payers' money on a trail? Perhaps this is yet another reason why our country is a little messed up.
I am beginning to think that if Ted Kaczynski had a YouTube account he might not have gone the route he did. All I know is that after spending over a week completely trapped on that island one of the things that prevented me from going on some crazy binge was making stupid videos for you all to see. There are more where this one came from.
New photos have been posted on my flickr account. And more videos including the one posted below, can be viewed on my YouTube page.
Oh, and speaking of photographs, and the title of this post... Is Citibank trying to get me to stop using my credit card? They are offering lucky winners the chance to go on the road with Nickelback, all you have to do is use your Citibank credit card to enter. Sounds like a reason to use cash.
So another video has been posted. My friend Chris, asked for either a hunting or sock puppet video. One of these has been granted, the other might still be in the works. If you have any requests for videos of the woods, leave them in the comments.
Also, from time to time I come across an artist that I feel I need to recommend. The latest is Brendan James. There is a long story about how I came to hear his album, but the short of it is that I bought it from him on a bus. When I finally put it in my CD player, I was amazed. So give him a listen, I got a feeling you will be hearing his name in the future. And if so, remember you probably heard it first from me... unless I have been in the woods so long that he is already a household name.
I am still alive. The lack of internet has provided much time for good thought, but no way to update it. There is a lot I could say right now, but instead will just post one of my photos from the fall.
By the way, don't forget to vote. This is the first presidential election that I meet all the requirements to run for the position. So feel free to write me in if you are undecided, or just would like to impress me.
A quick update from the woods.... last night I was outside taking care of a full bladder when all of a sudden a growling sound caused me to try to speed up my business. I have no idea what it was, but just knew it wasn't happy that I was marking my territory. I guess he already had.
Here are a couple videos I made in the last couple days.
A Tree Falling In The Woods
Out On The Lake
And here is one that is part of my inspiration for wandering into the woods in the first place.
After my last post, Mickie asked for photos. While I am assuming that she was hoping for ones of the baby, I figured I better cover all the areas I mentioned. So here you go.
Cubs v. Astros at Miller Park Aasif Mandvi from The Daily Show Avery and Uncle Ryan
There are plenty more photos on my flickr pages. Looking at those should kill some time. Enjoy.
I have been quiet on this blog lately. I really do not know why, other than I just have been a little lazy. It is not like cool things have not been happening worth telling. There have been things like getting to see the Cubs play the Astros in Miller Park, allowing me to cross another stadium visited. Or how about getting to hear one of the correspondents from the Daily Show talk about the behind the scenes stuff of the show? That was cool. I guess the biggest news is that I now have a nephew.
Just thought I would share. And now back to more blog silence for the time being.
The time has come to once again say goodbye to California and all my friends out here. And once again, I am about to board a train heading east. It has been a good week out here, perhaps one of the best I have spent on this side of the continent. But every good thing must come to an end, and every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. I am just not sure if this is some other beginning's end, or somewhere in the middle. Only time will tell.
But now, I must take the Mustang for one more good drive on the highway before I drop it off. Then it is a bus to Union Station, and a train to the middle of Illinois. Perhaps I will find someone near a train station with their Linksys open. Otherwise, I will post from the other side.
Today I decided to head to the Hollywood area to check out a couple events I had seen online. Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys was going to be autographing his latest CD at Amoeba Records. I also noticed that Howie Mandel was going to be getting his star on the Walk of Fame. Sadly, the holiday on Monday has even thrown off the schedule of this unemployed guy, as the Wilson thing was yesterday, and Howie doesn't get his star until tomorrow. Whoops.
I really hope there is not anything else I am missing or forgetting about that is more important that watching Howie get his star.
Ah, Labor Day. Nothing like a holiday to make you really appreciate the fact you have not worked a day in the last two months. Just remember, the unemployed do not get days off. Luckily for me, I was able to make myself handy these last few days, as one of my friends from my Germany days needed someone to ride along to California. I told her to pick the route, and I would provide driving assistance, musical entertainment, as well as find a few places along the way to make the trip memorable.
So she picked a southern route with three overnight stops in Amarillo, Grand Canyon Village, and Las Vegas. Day one was basically a haul of a drive with little stopping. We did stop to see the second largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. Sadly we could not stay long due to the hundreds of mosquitoes that attacked us. A little later we found ourselves at the Big Texan, home of the famous 72 ounce steak. I could barely finish my twenty-one ounce steak, so I could not imagine attempting to down the ole 72.
Day two found the spray paint mentioned in the last post to find use as we visited the Cadillac Ranch. We left our marks, and then left the remaining spray paint for some Germans who were there checking out the place.
Later that day as we neared Flagstaff there was a stop I need to make. I wanted to stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, just to Take It Easy.
A couple hours later, we stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon to watch the sunset. As we stood there, I overheard one lady say, "I can't wait to get back home and see how this looks on the computer." Dang, what has this world come to? We stand on the edge of a beautiful scene and think about how this will look on our digital picture frame. By the way, doesn't this look great on your computer?
The final night of the trip found us in Vegas. And while many hold to the old adage of "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," I will tell you at least one thing. I not only got to see Penn & Teller, but got my photo with them after the show.
And yes, they have now joined Nelson in the small number of celebrities I have given bunny ears to in photos.
Now I am sitting in Los Angeles for the next week, hanging with some old friends, making some new ones, and enjoying a fine little rental car I got.
Well kids, in the spirit of many males during the gold rush and L.L. Cool J, I am going back to Cali. A friend is moving out there and was looking for someone to help with the drive. My love for road trips and my current employment status have met in a perfect storm sort of way that will allow me to once again crisscross this great nation of ours.
Tonight we picked up some basic supplies for the trip: Candy, drinks, spray paint, crackers, apple sauce, and beef jerky. Then we went to find some ethnic food in the area. I am very happy to say I am stuffed with some of the best red curry I have had in a long time. At least I have that going for me.
Many of you know that I am currently in between jobs. Or at least I really hope I am, as I do not have enough saved up to call this retirement. So, I am casually looking around at various job opportunities to see what I might like to do next.
The other day, while I was watching my judge shows, I noticed two jobs that are on opposite ends of the job desirability scale. On the side of jobs that I would love to have for at least a little bit is bailiff on one of the judge shows. I would prefer to serve with the honorable Judge Mathis, Judy or Milian, but I am not too picky.
On the far other end of the scale, the job I would not want for a minute is a personal incontinence consultant. I wish I was kidding about that title. Unfortunately, a commercial for ActivStyle interrupted the court proceedings. In it they mentioned that personal incontinence consultants are standing by for your call. I began to imagine what it would be like to explain your career to friends at a party. Heck, I bet they are the life of the party with all their incontinence talk. Do you think they have that listed on their business cards?
According to the ActivStyle website, they have "a highly trained staff of incontinence specialists," so I doubt I even have the training needed to make the cut. Oh well, you never know when it will happen. I'm talking about getting that next job of course.
On a warm summer's evening on a train going nowhere I met up with this gambler. We were both too tired to sleep. We took turns staring out the window at the darkness, until boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
OK, so my train ride did have the warm summer's evening, and often I was too tired to sleep, but no gambler came my way to impart words of wisdom before taking his final breath. Instead, I was seated next to the Staring Sisters. It felt like these two girls were taking turns keeping their gaze upon me. And when they were not staring, one of the girls would proceed to recline and upright the chair in front of me, the one that was attached to the tray table holding my laptop.
All in all, it was a good trip from Seattle. I met a couple decent people on the train. I had the smarts to stop at Pikes Place Market in Seattle to pick up some fresh fruit and snacks for the journey. This allowed me to avoid being taken for the high priced fare aboard. I was even able to scam some wireless internet signals at a couple stops.
It was all going well, until the night before Minneapolis, when we were informed that the train would not be going all the way to Chicago. Due to recent flooding in Wisconsin, the tracks were currently being worked on. The train would have to take a detour, but many passengers would have to take a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago. I was one of those chosen ones. But we were in luck, as Amtrak was generous and gave us a very posh bus to ride in. If that were only true, what they gave us was a cramped bus, a cake doughnut, and an eight ounce bottle of water. That, my friends, is service that will keep me coming back. A freakin' cake doughnut!
Well, we finally made it to Chicago, and were told to go to the baggage claim to get our bags. For some reason, I decided to check with a staff member about my checked bag, which in a real world would be transferred to my train to Bloomington. He informed me that only the earlier train to Bloomington had checked luggage service, and that my bag would arrive the next day. He did offer me a chance to get my bag, and so I found myself under the belly of Chicago's Union Station. It was an interesting place where few venture. Down there I met the men who get no thanks for getting the bags from train to baggage carousel. I found my bags, and proceeded back to the surface, only to discover I had about fifteen minutes to spare before my next train departed. No time for that slice of Chicago style pizza that I had hoped for.
Three hours later, I was at my parents' place trying to remember where they hid the spare key. It was found, a much needed shower soon followed, and now I am hit with the fact that the trip from Korea is finally over. It is a sadder thought than I expected, but at least it means that the next adventure is ready to be planned. Where to next?
I am actually on American soil yet again. Currently I am sitting on a bus on the Canadian/American border waiting for all the people to clear customs. The bus is hot, as the air condition has not been turned on. And I am strategically sitting with the hope of having both seats to myself for the rest of the trip to Seattle. Plus there is wifi on the bus. How freakin' cool is that? Sadly, I was an idiot and left my iPod and headphones at my friends' house in Vancouver. So it is going to be a quiet ride.
There have been so many stories and adventures on this trip, and perhaps when I get back to Illinois I will share a few here. For now, check out my trip photos. I have a few more to add, but that only gives you a reason to keep checking back.
The aircon just kicked on, and it looks like me intimidating seating worked. Seattle, get ready for my arrival.
Currently listening to: My Last.Fm Neighborhood Station Thanks to free wifi on a bus and a extra set of headphones I found in my computer bag.
I have spent the last few nights sleeping in a tent on Orcas Island. I came up here for a music festival, and now wonder why I never made it to this part of the world before. There will probably be a greater update on this portion of the trip, as well as the trip as a whole. (Don't worry Dave, I have not forgotten the freighter posts) But for now know that if it were my desire for a shower and a room with heat for the night, I would stay here a little longer. There is only so much that a pack of Wet-Wipes can do to keep you clean. And cheap me did not plan properly for the cold nights. The cheapest and lightest sleeping bag at Target is not always the best option. Luckily for me, Bill Mallonee offered my a spare bag for one night. (How about that for cool name dropping stories?)
So now I sit and wait for a ferry to Canada. Yep, time for another boat ride to another country. Perhaps I should start to see how many countries I can enter by sea. So far.. Ireland, England, Belgium, Greece, Japan, USA, Canada, South Korea and I think France. Not too bad start.
It was a Fourth of July to remember. I joined Dave and his extended family at Surfside, California for some festivities. We started the day taking part in a parade. This isn't the first time we have taken part in a parade together, but I am kind of hoping it is the last. It was good times as we walked around the community to a backdrop of patriotic music.
After lunch we were all hanging out on the beach. At one point, several of us headed in to avoid any further sunburn. As we were sitting and talking, Dave noticed that many of the people outside were pointing and running. We jumped to the balcony to see a plane that had just crash landed in the ocean.
Oddly enough one of the others at the party had commented earlier about how dangerous those banner planes were.
Luckily, the pilot was able to touch down with minimal injuries to himself. He actually was able to walk away from the plane, although the lifeguards quickly assisted him.
For the next hour or so, we watched as the news media descended on the area. One even interviewed Dave's dad for the evening news. The authorities managed to pull the plane out of the water using a John Deer tractor. Then two lucky officers were able to spend their holiday guarding a plane, until it was taken away a few hours later.
Here is a news report on the crash. If you look hard enough in the second photo in the slide show, you can see me.
After that I enjoyed a fireworks display, hung out with some friends, and even had crazy story from Ryan's travels for a while. But really, it was all downhill after the plane hit the water.
So the other night, my friend Dave told me he wanted to see more posts here on my blog. Quantity, not quality was his request, if I remember correctly. In order to appease him, I give you a brief summery of yesterday.
It started off by seeing Dave and his family off to their various work and school responsibilities. An hour later, I was picked up by a former coworker from BFA. We headed over to the California Grill for some breakfast and catching up. It was good to be able to talk about our old days in Germany. The cool thing was that he also worked in Korea for a time, so we were able to exchange stories about our different Korean experiences. It was an encouraging morning.
At noon, I was heading to Angel Stadium of Anaheim to watch a battle between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was a beautiful day at the park, and I was sitting closer to the action than I have ever been. It sure beat sitting in the very top row of Minute Maid Park last year. Plus I had my Nolan Ryan Angles jersey on, not as I am so much a fan of the team, but a fan of my name on baseball jerseys.
Good times were had in the stands, enjoying the game, talking baseball and life, and cheering on the Angels. Sadly, the Athletics took the lead. Fortunately, the Rally Monkey came out and boy that little primate did his job. Minutes after the Rally Monkey appeared, Juan Rivera hit a two run homer to seal the victory.
At dinner we celebrated the Thompson's anniversary with the help of George Forman and his fine grilling skills. A couple Marie Callender pies finished out the meal.
So I headed to bed thinking what a great day this had been. As I slid my feet into bed, I felt a little moistness. My first thought was I had left my towel on the bed in the morning. Sadly, I was incorrect. The best I could deduct was that one of the cats had decided to mark his territory. Actually, it was more like he got trapped in the room when the pressure mounted. Not wanting to wake anyone, I decided to sleep on the floor. Later in the night, I found my way to the couch.
Dave did tell me that it never happens with their cats, but then again, he sounded like one of those parents who say their kids never act that way, when their kid acts up. Actually, I think he has told me that too. Ha. And in order to keep my lodging safe, have I mentioned Dave's new website and podcast?
Jeff Reimer, a former coworker and still cool guy, dropped a meme on me the other day. While I was ready to post stories of adventure on the high seas, I decided to take care of this. Here are the rules: 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. 2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. 4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So the facts: 1. I have been to over thirty five countries, but have never crossed the equator. 2. Around the millennium, I won a Nokia cell phone of my choice from CNN. I picked the most expensive one they had. Only one or two calls were ever made from that phone. 3. I hate bananas more than any other food substance known to man. 4. The artist I have seen the most live is Bill Mallonee, with or without his Vigilantes of Love. I've attended two shows in Scotland, five in England, and over ten in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Before this current trip is over I will see him in California and Oregon. 5. I have three different valid drivers licenses. Oddly enough, I have also received a speeding ticket in three countries. 6. I have spent more time waiting in line for the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland than I have ever spent watching any of the Indiana Jones movies. 7. One Easter many years ago, I was employed by a greeting card store to wear an Easter Bunny costume and pose for photos with children.
I do not think would be able to get seven people to actually follow this, so I am going to tag Jim, Mickie and Dave.
In the words of Styx, "I'm sailing away, , set an open course for the virgin sea. I've got to be free, free to face the life thats ahead of me..." Yep kids, it is about time for me to set sail on the open seas. In a few hours I board a train heading to Pusan. There I will be taken to the freighter that I will call home for the next ten or so days. There have been times when I have wondered what in the world am I doing taking a freighter across the Pacific, but then there are times when I remember why I am doing it. Because I can. I long to stand on the deck and see nothing but open ocean. I am excited to see how people used to travel to far away places. Plus, I look forward to ten days when I can get some serious reading done.
Tonight I go to bed for the last time here in Korea. I am ready to wake up for the next adventure. Figure a container ship is a good start. See you all when I wash up on the other side of the ocean.
This xkcd comic pretty much sums up my feelings right now:
Currently listening to: (not really, but how cool would that be?)
I can now officially leave this country, even this continent. No it is not because the school no longer employs me. It has nothing to do with the fact my passport has been filled with enough Asian stamps. It all has to do with a simple photo that was taken yesterday on the Seoul subway system. Yep, I have acquired my photo with a group of Korean nuns. This will join my photo of me and the Italian nuns in my little collection of "me and the nuns" photos. And do not forget the classic, "Drinking Beer With A Nun" photo.
Looking at the calendar, I notice that it is almost time for another potentially epic summer adventure to begin. The last couple summers I have been fortunate to see some amazing things, hang with some cool people, and do what I often love to do most, wander. This summer's schedule is set up to allow for some more of that. Here is my rough schedule for the summer:
June 17 (or 18)* - Depart Pusan, Korea aboard the Hanjin Phoenix June 27 (or 28 or 29)* - Arrive Long Beach, California July 8 - Fly to Sacramento, California July 16 - Fly to Seattle, Washington July 17-20 - Attend Woodsong Music Festival July 21 - Ferry to Vancouver July 25/6 - Seattle again July 27 - Depart Seattle on the Empire Builder July 29 - Arrive in Bloomington, Illinois July 30 - Wake up in my parents house in Morton, Illinois
* I started writing this post yesterday, and already my departure and arrival dates have shifted. They could aways shift back. Guess that is the way of the seafaring vagabond.
If anyone in the Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle, or Vancouver area would like to hang out, drop me an email or comment. Depending on Amtrak's commitment to staying on schedule, I might even be able to grab dinner in Chicago with some fans.
Today is Scurvy Awareness Day. What better day to announce that in a six weeks I will be taking to the open seas. I have chosen to schedule a voyage on a freighter to return to America. Many have question the logic in this decision. While a fraction of the choice was made in an attempt to never fly Northwest Airlines again, mostly it is because it is there. I have flown across the ocean dozens of times, but for once would love to see it first hand. I look forward to standing on the deck with nothing but blue for as far as the eye can see.
As I prepare for the voyage you can help. I am looking for suggestions for entertainment to occupy my time. Specifically, I'm looking for some good ocean/boat/voyage media. So far I have packed Moby Dick and Cabin Boy. I have also loaded Come Sail Away and Every Ship Must Sail Away on the iPod.
So any suggestions? (Beatings for the first to mention Titanic!)
For a couple years I have been posting videos over on the YouTube. I figured a few random people would watch them, and perhaps leave some stupid comments. So I was shocked when I was asked if one of my videos could be used in a music video. Rafael Gazzi and Paul Sonnenberg created an amazingly beautiful song, and chose my tram ride through Basel to accent their song. When Paul emailed me and told me the song was "about the feelings of longing and hope experienced by an expatriate in a new country," I knew this was a song I could embrace. Be sure to check out their sites, and even leave a comment on their Myspace or YouTubepages.
Arrivals (Noutro Cais) By Rafael Gazzi English lyrics by Paul Sonnenberg
Headlights of a train Has something come to an end Or has something good begun? Beautiful and new Welcoming me like a friend Ah, such colors, and such tones
How much will I be changed? How much will I change? How much, here, will I know and be known? At last, to be known! Will this loneliness always remain? This longing for my family back home? Can I build a happy life from A loving heart alone This heart is all I own
I want to see the sun rise at dawn On other landscapes and yet I still want even more I want to see the sun set upon Other places and yet I still want even more The soft turn of a loving hand Meet the eyes, watch the stars, be the sea Let the waves of love from this heart of mine Embrace all I see
I want to see the sun rise at dawn Over the mountains and yet I still want even more I want to see the sun set upon Other places and yet I still want even more Hear the voice of a gentle hand Striding angels that rustle the trees To recognize the voice of a loving heart When she speaks to me
Last Thursday I took the train up to Seoul to catch Duran Duran. It was the first time in almost twenty years that they were playing South Korea. I figured that they would be a great band to see as my last concert here in the ROK. With that in mind, I scored a ticket in the standing area right in front of the stage. In fact, it was the sixth row of the standing section. Wrap your head around that concept.
So I get to the Olympic Park Gymnasium and pick up my ticket. The security guards then directed those in the standing section to proceed to one side of the venue. Now here is the part of Korean concert going that I will never understand: They then lined us up by ticket number. The standing section of most of the concerts I've attended in North America and Europe are first come first served. Yet here in a country that still struggles with lines at the grocery stores, they have people line up like those crazy "get to know you" games at camp. "OK, this time everyone line up by height. Next by reverse alphabetical order of your middle names." Security guards spent the hour before the doors opened making sure that people were in numerical order. Once the tickets were taken and the doors opened, it was all a waste as people just rushed to the spots nearest to the stage. My long legs, quick stride and determination allowed me to find a spot on the front row.
Now another aspect of the oxymoronic aspect of entertainment here is that you can buy bootlegged DVDs on many street corners, yet they are fairly strict about taking photos at some concerts. Four or five guys, who I guess might be drop outs of the military, were stationed in the front to crack down on cameras. They would scan the audience looking for the metallic shine or unfortunate flash. For some like myself and the guy next to me it becomes a game. The goal is to see how many shots you can get without being noticed. Needless to say, I think I won this concerts game. Although the dude next to me with the SLR wins top prize for both most photos and largest camera used categories.
For those wondering about the show, I'll just say it was everything I expected. They busted out all their hits, as well as the newer stuff. I actually really enjoyed some of the new stuff, even if Timberlake's name was dropped as a co-writer of one song. I was a little worried when I heard that they had forgotten some lyrics at a previous show. I can report they didn't forget the lyrics, just forgot the order. As they closed out the show with "Rio" it sounded like they were trying a round as Simon sang "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand" while John was busting out, "Her name is Rio she don't need to understand." I'll cut them some slack, as they are pushing 50, have recorded over twelve albums, and the song they were singing was older than some of my coworkers.
A nap is defined as sleeping a short period of time. This is usually done to break up the day, and catch up on rest. So what do you call when you wake up for about ten to twenty minutes in the middle of the night for no reason? Is it the reverse nap? Cause I'm reverse napping right now.
Odds are I will remember there really is a word for this tomorrow when my brain is fully functioning.
"Fragile" is this week's theme at PhotoFriday. This was a bomb I came across while wandering around some old war trenches in the Vosges Mountains of France. I tried to pick it up, just to see how heavy it was. I even thought it would make a cool conversation piece in my apartment. Luckily, there were some people who felt it would be unwise to load a undetonated WWII bomb into the back of van full of students. Those same wise people were not on another trip we made to the area, but that is another story for another time.
"Far From Home" is the theme at PhotoFriday this week.
I have considered myself fortunate to be able to wander so far from the pumpkin fields of Morton, Illinois. There are hundreds of photos I could use to show myself "far from home" I picked this one, just because it is one of the more recent photos. It was taken in Subic Bay, Philippines, while I was in the area helping with a Habitat for Humanity building project.
To be honest, home is a concept I struggle more and more with. While many of my peers have a place to call home, I feel homeless. Sure there are places I know I can stay for long periods of time and feel comfortable, but a home I feel I lack. In some ways I would love to say because I am longing for a heavenly home, but I think it might have to deal with my ever need to wander.
This actually line of thought could fill a huge post, so for the time being, just enjoy the photo. As with every photo, it was so much better in real life.
I am back from the trip to the Philippines. It was an interesting week. The team made several thousand bricks. Unfortunately if you make them, you usually end up having to move them too. So we got to move a lot of bricks too. But it is good work, knowing that someone is a lot closer to a home because of our work. I am a big fan of Habitat For Humanity and the work they do.
What a post that does not just include a photo with a short story? Yep, it is true, I have decided to post a little entry. I guess lately I just have not felt the stories of life have been worth posting online. Or have there been any stories at all?
But today I had a couple funny moments I thought I would share. Today has been a busy day, as I am about to leave for a week long trip to the Philippines to work with Habitat For Humanity. I also was hoping to get my taxes filed, and a few other tasks done. After doing laundry, I began to pack. During this process I decided to dress for the day. Figured I have plenty clean clothes to pick from. Unfortunately, I could not find my belt. I looked everywhere, but no luck. So I had to use a different belt. Skip ahead to a few hours later when I needed to use the facilities. I undo my belt, only to discover my pants did not loosen. Guess what? I found my other belt.
This afternoon we also had to escort the students to the train station, as the dorm staff does every weekend. As we left we got into a taxi cab, and gave him the location. He asked again, which usually is not a big deal here. We told him, and then he started entering it into his GPS device. The cab driver behind him walked up and asked him where he was looking to go. When our cabbie said our location, the other driver began to belittle him, explaining where it was, and listed every place in the area as landmarks. Our driver finally found it on his map, and tried to start the car. Surprisingly, it would not start when the gears were in the drive position. When he did get it started, his GPS unit reset itself. He began the tedious task of reprogramming the location. By this time, we could have made the trip twice. So I suggest we jump out and grab the taxi behind us. My coworkers said they would join me if I did, which is all I needed to hear. A few seconds later our new cab driver was telling us the other guy had only been driving five days. He had a good laugh about the whole thing, as did we. Ah, good times in foreign lands.
Perhaps I will bring some good stories back from the Philippines. I will at least bring back some photos and plenty of dried mango. Mmmmmmango.
PhotoFriday's theme this week is "The Good Life." You probably are wondering why a photo of the shore of Lake Baikal is a representation of the good life. Here is the simplified version of the story behind this photo:
I was traveling across Mongolia and Russia with two good friends. We stopped ended up in Port Baikal for the evening due to a mix-up out of our control. In the process we found ourselves on a hike with two complete strangers. As we walked along the train tracks outside of the desolated area, my brain began to play tricks on me. I wondered exactly why these two men had a large backpack and a full shopping bag. My brain was flashing thoughts about the Russian mafia and various ways tourists have been mugged. As the mist began to come down, and my blood was being pumped out by the thousand mosquitoes that surrounded me, I began to wonder if this was the end. Could this be where this crazy adventure of my life ends.
Our two guides then told us to walk ahead another kilometer to a train tunnel, look around for a while, and then return for dinner. We walked ahead to the tunnel, where two of us shared similar thoughts. After some laughter we returned to a campfire along the shore of the lake. The contents of the backpack and bag were being cooked over a fire for our consumption. Our guide had even made tea from various leaves he had collected along the walk. It might have been one of the best meals I have ever had.
Perhaps a little thought about death makes you realize how good life is. I was enjoying a meal beside a beautiful shore with two great friends in a part of the world I never imagined I would explore. That my friends is why I feel I have the good life. Good friends, good travels, good food, and a good God who has provided it all.
I was trying to do the right thing and pay my recent speeding ticket. It is a little complicated because it was sent from Switzerland to my parent's address in America, and I am sitting in South Korea. I was on the phone trying to help my parents decipher the ticket, as it is printed in German, French and Italian. Ultimately, I want to make sure the money gets to the right Swiss bank account, and not mysteriously end up in the account of a doctor of economics, who by the way wrote an amazing thesis on Switzerland and the Euro. (If anyone would like some good reading, I can loan you a copy)
They give me the number on the ticket, and I decide I will try giving it a call. It goes through, and the lady answers in Basler Deutsch. I quickly use my command of the German languages to ask if she speaks English. Her response was negative. I was hoping she would transfer me to someone who did, but instead repeated twice to call back in "fünf Minuten"
Five minutes later I call, and get a recorded message telling me this phone line is only open from 9-12 and 13-16. I do not know if she did it on purpose, but she completely blew me off. I was a bit shocked, and yet impressed.
So hopefully the money is being sent to the right place. I would hope that with all the money I am sending them for a few miles over the limit, they could be nice enough to send me my receipt printed on some fine Swiss chocolate.
I was notified this week that a speeding ticket with my name on it arrived at my parents house. Guess while I was in Europe over the Christmas break, I was going a little too fast on the Swiss autobahn. Whoops. So now I get to make a nice donation to the Swiss economy. You would think they have enough money, and would not need my hard earned money. The least they could do was print my receipt out on some fine Swiss chocolate.
For those interested, my international driving record now looks like this: Switzerland - Two speeding tickets Germany - One speeding ticket USA - Two speeding tickets, one warning for driving in Georgia with a cracked windshield, and one warning for driving through Texas. Seriously, the officer told me there were more direct ways to get from California to Illinois. One minor accident. Italy - One completely wrecked automobile. I left it at the junkyard. Korea - One Ryan sized dent on a stranger's automobile.
Nothing makes you feel like you are back in grade school like a good old fashion lice check. Today, the school nurse carefully checked through my hair for any little creatures that are not welcome under my hat. I am glad to announce that I am "Lice Free since '73." I'm really thinking of making a t-shirt with that printed on it.
There is part of me that wishes the tickets were dated for tomorrow. Alas, I meet the team in two hours to head to the airport. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about heading back to India. I just wish I could get a little more sleep, especially as we will have the fine entertainment system on Singapore Airlines. You do not want to miss that.
Honestly though, I am looking forward to returning to the orphanage. I think you can see by the smiles on the faces in my photos from previous trips, that the place is full of joy and love. It is too bad many of you could not join us to experience it firsthand. I have said it before, I think the kids are not the ones who get the most out of our visits. Often my mind and heart have been given a healthy dose of reality. I am not sure what God has in store for me on this trip, but I look forward to discovering it.
A few more items need to find their way into my luggage and I will be ready to roll. Speaking of rolling, enjoy this fun video of a rickshaw ride from last year's trip.
My sleep pattern has been goofy since returning from break. I know that the garbage man shows up at 4:30 most mornings. I know this not because he disturbs my sleep, but because often that is my sign that this body should really be in bed. I am just going to assume that it is my body just getting ready for the next adventure. In four days, I will be back in Bangalore, India. Right now it is 3:20 AM in Korea, but only 11:50 PM there. See, I am already on a good schedule. I am just in the wrong location.
"The Machine" is the theme at PhotoFriday this week. Above is the 1989 Toyota Camry that was kindly donated to me this summer. Thanks Dave! I do not know if reasoning was as an easy way to get rid of the car, or because he secretly wanted me to end up broken down along the side of a highway. I was impressed with how well that car performed. It made it all the way from Los Angeles, CA to Marquette, MI without any issues. It did not even take the shortest route, much to the chagrin of a Texan police officer, who told me I should not be driving in his state. That was right before he did a thorough drug search of the car and those riding it in.
Now it sits in storage, awaiting the next big adventure. In fact, last night my dad was asking me if I thought it would make another trip to the west coast and back. Not sure, but I would be game to find out.
I also like this photo of the car, taken by one of my friends who decided to join me for a week of the road trip.
One of my pet peeves is when people post their "best of the year" lists before the year ends. It is like they have given hope for anything appearing in the last few weeks that might amaze them. Had I made my list before the year was out, I would have failed to included what was possibly the best concert I saw this year. So, now that the books have been cooked on 2007, I can give you my favorites of the year in the following categories:
Books: (read for the first time this year) 1. Travels With Charley - John Steinbeck 2. Under The Big Top - Bruce Feiler 3. Walk On - Steve Stockman 4. The Culturally Savvy Christian - Dick Staub 5. OverClocked - Cory Doctorow (yeah, I am shocked too Dave - just proves I need to read more)
Movies: (Seen on the big screen) 1. Once 2. Into The Wild 3. Stardust 4. Bourne Ultimatum 5. Live Free Or Die Hard
Although I didn't see it in the theater, I must give an honorable mention to Hot Fuzz.
Concerts: 1. The Frames with Sunflower Caravan - Dublin, Ireland (video) 2. Calexico - Fukuoka, Japan 3. Eric Clapton - Seoul, Korea 4. Scorpions - Seoul, Korea 5. Boney M. - Taejon, Korea (video)
And now we begin working on next year's list. Seeing that the Frames concert was a New Year's Eve show, I got a feeling it might make next year's list as well. Especially with the only concert prospects at this point being Bjork, Celine Dion, Helloween and James Blunt. Although, if they were to appear at the same time, I might be interested. Just imagine that collaboration.
It has been great to be back in Europe again. It is great to be able to wander around Dublin or Basel without a map. It has also been fun to have people give reference points like statues to meet up at, and know exactly where they are talking about. I even had one friend give me the wrong address for the Indian diner, but I knew exactly where he meant. I have been asked by several people for directions, and have been able to point them in the right direction. The oddest request was a man who asked me how to get to Trinity College about a fifty yards from the entrance to the college. I pointed to the building right across the street, and laughed as he walked off.
Besides knowing my way around, I also feel at home with the German radio stations. It appears they have not changed their song lists since the day I left. I have actually heard "Anything For Love" by Meatloaf twice in the last two days of driving around the Black Forest. And when Men Without Hats told me, "I could leave my friends behind," I almost had to pull over to do the "Safety Dance." Makes me wonder why I even left this audio wonderland.
I sit here waiting for my laundry to dry. I wonder why I always put packing off until the last possible moments. Even more so, I am curious how I ended up like this. I look at my siblings and those who grew up around me, and none have traveled to the extent that I have. Many would see it as a blessing, but there are times I would beg to disagree. Another country, another town, another frustrating language. Do not get me wrong, I am very thankful for the miles I have traveled, and even more so for those I have met along the way. But who else do you know that uses luggage as furniture? That nightstand by my bed is a suitcase. And my laundry bin is the Rubbermaid tub I shipped some of my stuff over in. I even have a collection of alarm clocks I have bought around the world, not because I collect them, but I end up forgetting to pack one. Which reminds me, I better pack one of those.
Well, the laundry is done. Must finish packing and try to get a little sleep. I do not want to miss Ratatouille and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer on the flight. At least on my return they are showing The Simpsons Movie and Stardust.
Last week I was excited when I discovered that Once was coming out on DVD here in Korea the same day it was being released in America. This has to be one of the best films I have seen in a while, and I was planning on having the folks ship it to me. But if I could get it sooner, even better. So I had one of my students check the Korean websites just to make sure I was right. He told me he could just download it for me. After a little explanation about how I do not agree with that, plus want to physical dvd, he found that I was correct.
So this morning I was set to wake up and head to one of the local DVD stores to see if they had it. Well, morning disappeared before I got out of bed. But once I got up, I headed out fully intended to head to the store. I was then distracted by some friends watching the Monday night game. After it was apparent that Chicago was going to lose, I headed to the store. I walked in looked around, and figured it would be best to go straight to the counter. Showing a paper I printed off the Korean website about the DVD, I proceeded to see if the movie was in stock. She smiled and grabbed a copy of it from right in front of me. She then walked it up to the checkout counter. I got the feeling she had not even entered it into the system yet, as she was still putting pricing stickers on them when I showed up.
I headed home, hoping to put it into the DVD player. Alas, upon my return, I discovered a package from home with the Commitments. Seeing that I have been waiting a while for that one, I popped it into the player. Once can wait one more day.
Either way, these Irish films are getting me excited about the upcoming trip. Eight days from now I will be back in Dublin.
I have been lacking in things to post lately, but here are a couple random thoughts:
1. It is sad when a Popa John's Pizza across town is a note of excitement in your week, if not month. Too bad they do not deliver to this side of town. But if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.
2. When I die, I want someone to hire David Caruso (or a suitable impersonator) to stand off to the distance at my burial. Then after some silence, he should put on some sunglasses and walk away. This could be a sign I have been watching too much CSI Miami.
3. Today I was saddened by the news that Dan Fogelberg passed away. Unfortunately, most of the people I work with would have to google to figure out who he was.
4. I never expected that I would be my age and still counting down days until Christmas break. Heck, I might be more excited than some of my days as a student. And the number is 3, but that is including a day off.
The theme this week at PhotoFriday is "Primitive." I have spent a lot of time in this little outhouse. While I do enjoy all the benefits of indoor plumbing, I have to admit that I do find a simple enjoyment in using an outhouse. I am not totally sure I can explain it fully. Perhaps it is the feeling of privacy, going to a seperate location to take care of business. I could lie and say it is because it is wasting less water and potentially causes less impact on the environment. Maybe it is fact that most people I know have never used on, and thus it is yet another a unique experience that makes me who I am. Although I will say that using one in the winter does make me appreciate indoor plumbing, at least for the fact that the seat is not freezing cold upon contact.
As a news junkie, I usually get a good laugh at some of the odd stories out there. Unfortunately, a report of people stealing seventeen tons of ham made me cringe a little. See, before I started my world traveling ways, I spent many post college days processing meat for Rocke's Meating Haus. On a normal week I would process one to two ton of ham a week. During the holiday season, I saw two to three ton of ham pass before my eyes. To give you an idea, it would take two solid days of work for me just to pump the brine into a ton or two of ham. Then, there was the smoking, slicing and glazing to still be done. If the ham wasn't enough to occupy my time, I also would cure a large amount of turkey breasts as well. Needless to say, by the end of the holiday season, I would pretty much avoid any ham product. It was bad enough that I smelled of ham pretty much all the time, the thought of eating it was unbearable.
But to walk into work and discover that I would be having to redo all that work due to a burglary, I'd be asking for a serious pay increase and a Christmas bonus that wasn't meat related.
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know I enjoy the Korean baseball. It is playoff time, and the local team made it into post season play. The playoffs in Korean baseball are done differently than American baseball. Here is the basic version of how it works. The top four teams make the playoffs. The fourth and third place teams play a best of five series. The winner of that then plays a best of five series against the second place team. The winner of that goes on to yet another best of five series against the top team in the league.
Last night was game three of the second series for the Hanwha Eagles. They had been beaten twice by the Doosan Bears, so it was looking like this could be the last game of the season for the Eagles. I decided it was worth switching my days off to catch it. The only problem was that it was estimated to be a sold out game, and I did not know how to score tickets.
I checked with two different people to see if they knew anything. One got back to me informing me that tickets went on sale at three in the afternoon. I headed over to the stadium an hour earlier to get in line. On the way another coworker called me to let me know that the best way to see the game was probably on television, as I would probably not be able to get a ticket. Not being one to give up easy (as the many restraining orders are evidence), I decided to give it a shot.
I am happy to say that not only did I get a ticket, but I got six. This might not be a big deal to most, but it really is. See, they were only allowing two tickets per person at the ticket window. They had signs up stating this policy, but unfortunately they were all in Korean. After I got my first two tickets, I decided to get back into line. As I approached the window, I noticed they were stopping a guy. From the gestures, pointing, and tone of voice, he had already gotten his two tickets, and they were not letting him get more. I was a little worried, as I have a tendency to stick out in a crowd of Koreans. Luckily for me, I was able to get two more, get back into another line and score two more.
The best part of the ticket buying occurred while I waited for the ticket counters to open. As the lines grew longer, an older man walked through selling dried squid. Soon one of the stadium staff tried to get him to leave, as he was not allowed to sell in that area. The squid seller began shouting and waving his squid around. For about ten minutes he created a scene yelling, running around, and even selling some squid to the occasional person sympathetic to his cause. As I watched, I wished I understood more Korean. Yet at the same time, I enjoyed making up my own dialog for the argument. I could just hear him yelling, "But the people want their squid! You can't keep the Squidman down! " About ten minutes after the police escorted him away, he was back hawking his squid.
All in all, a good day of waiting in line, followed by some fun inside the stadium. But I'll save that for the next post.
Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. I decided to go to the park during a torrential rain storm with the hopes many would stay at home. This allowed me the opportunity to ride Space Mountain about six times in a half hour. I completely lost count of the number of times I rode Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters ride. I know I rode it enough to come to the conclusion that 273700 is a pretty decent score. I am also glad that I was able to visit the park before they installed the Small World ride. I think the ten minute wait at Autopia, the "hey I'm driving a car that is on a track" ride, was the longest of the day. I even had time to catch all the shows, as well as get my phototaken with allthecharacters.
I have been fortunate enough to walk down Main Street U.S.A. in Paris and Hong Kong. There is something interesting about visiting the Disney parks overseas. Everything feels very familiar, yet there is a foreign feel as well. Usually this is made most clear during the stage shows. All the characters are the same, but they sound so different. I'm not talking about pitch, but the language they speak. You expect to hear Mickey greet you in English, but when he is speaking in French or Cantonese it messes with your mind. Too me, it actually make me think of the many people who come to America to see the Disney parks. They might not understand the language, but they know the entertainment we have exported around the world. And in the end, freakishly large animals dancing around a stage is always good family fun.
I know some of you were beginning to wonder if there would be another real post, and not just those stupid haikus and photos every Friday. To be honest, I was beginning to wonder myself. It felt like life had gotten pretty routine and boring. Last week, however, I set out like Columbus, Magellan, Vasco De Gama, and other explorers of old looking for new worlds to explore, exotic foods to consume, and stories to post on their blogs. I have returned scurvy free and full of stories.
Today I tell the tale of the Hostel from Hades. After doing some research online, I booked the cheapest one I could find. For those unaccustomed to hostel life, this is not always the wisest move. But how bad can a place be if it is located between the Holiday Inn and the Imperial Hotel, and only a block from the Sheraton? Plus with a name like Chungking Mansion, it has to be good.
As I checked in, the guy looked at me and said, "You are big guy, the room is small. This could be a problem." Fearing that this might be the only bed he has, or that he would try to upgrade me for more money, I told him it should be a problem. A minute later I realized I could be wrong. He opened the door to the closet which held the bunk bed I would be sleeping on that night. I am telling the truth that when I was spread out on the bed, my head and feet hit two of the walls. I could touch the other walls with my elbows. At least the mirror made the room feel a little bigger.
After a rough night jammed in that room, I headed out on the town. When I got back later that night, I discovered someone was sleeping on my bed. I went out to the office to discover that they had moved my luggage out and I was getting a new room on the eleventh floor. This one was better. It actually had a bathroom attached, and space to breath. Even the air conditioner appeared to work. I woke up that next morning refreshed and ready for the day.
Interestingly enough, when I returned to the room about two hours later, I found that I was being moved to yet another room. The guy claimed that they were working on the air conditioner, and that he had a room back on the third floor. The room had the space and even had the bathroom attached. Too bad it did not have a toilet seat. But hey, I have traveled this world enough to deal with that. What I was not prepared for was sharing the room with people who have no desire to enjoy cool air, or air flow for that matter, during the night. For the rest of the week, battles were fought for the control of the air conditioning. At one point, one of my roommates felt it would be better to have the windows open, allowing the hot, humid air to permeate to room. With that hot air came the sounds of one of the busiest streets in Hong Kong.
In the end, I can not complain much, as my week in the hostel cost less than a fourth of what one night at the Holiday Inn would have cost. Heck, spending eight hours in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn would have cost me more than the hostel for the week. So would I do it again, perhaps. But next time I might pack my own toilet seat.
Friday I linked to the Youth Group song, "Start The Day Tomorrow." When I looked out the window this morning the first lines of that song came to mind:
The summer rain is falling like its never going to stop, it's been ages. Puddles form on city corners, businessmen they leap between the edges. Umbrellas take up battle spots but nature's fury always proves much stronger. I've been sitting in my room wondering if I'm going to last much longer
The forecast tells me that there is at least four more days of rain ahead. I am sick of rain. I am weary of dodging puddles and streams flowing down the street. I'm tired of carrying an umbrella. I want a rainbow to tell me that this too will pass.
In my radio days, I would humor myself and hopefully my listeners by playing rain based songs. So in that spirit, I made an iMix, I like to call, "Rain Rain, Go Away." Give it a click and a listen.
If it does not stop soon, the only joy I could get out of this rain is if it turned purple. Purple rain, purple rain, I only want 2 see u , I only want 2 see u in the purple rain.
As I scanned the news this morning, I came across some disturbing news. According to this source, I could only have about fifty three years left to live. Some scientists claim that redheads will be extinct in less than a hundred years, and as early as by 2060. That kind of puts a damper on things, now doesn't it?
Currently less than one percent of the world's population has red hair, a fact made very clearly to me on a daily basis right now. I am thinking I need to see if this allows me to have some kind of federal protection. This does give me a new excuse for avoiding certain things, "I am an endangered species, dang it."
A couple weeks ago, I had the displeasure of flying on Northwest Airlines. While I might tell more about that later, I will go on record saying I found my overall experience on Uzbekistan Airways last year far superior than any I have had with NWA (with I think stands for Numbskulls With Airplanes).
As we were preparing to disembark at the Incheon, Airport, one of the flight attendants paged one of the passengers on the flight. As she did she stuttered and messed up a little, or at least appeared to, and thus this is what the announcement and following comments sounded like:
Flight Attendant: Would passenger Marky Mark (mumble mumble) please contact... Me: Wow, I thought I saw a funky bunch on the plane, but didn't know their leader was with them. Other Passenger: So that wasn't some bad turbulence we hit, it was just "Good Vibrations."
And that my friends was the best part of the NWA experience.
Currently listening to: Marky Mark And the Funky Bunch - "Good Vibrations"
"Old" is the theme of PhotoFriday, not to mention how I feel some days. Here is a photo from my summer adventure. It is of my head and the General Grant Sequoia. The tree's age is estimated at 1650 years old, myself around 34.
Anne Murray sang, "How I wanna hear the anchor man talk about a county fair." Well, I hope I can help make Anne's dreams come true. Here are a couple commercials that aired last week in Kansas. They were recorded at one of the stops on the road trip.
Unfortunately the fair has past, but the commercials will remain in our hearts, not to mention stuck in our heads.
I ventured off the lake for a little bit of last minute shopping and internet checking. Think I will return there until my departure Sunday. That is unless Northwest cancels my flight. More and more, I wish I did not have to fly on Northwest Airlines. They are like the Best Buy of the airline industry.
Just a reminder to give a listen to 105.9, The Lazer, this week for a special surprise. You can either listen online, or drive to the greater Lawrence, Kansas area to tune in. If you listen in and think you hear what I am talking about, leave a hint in the comments.
The car is still rolling down the highway. It has three more states left to enter before it can get a good rest. I am also looking for some rest too. It would be nice not to have to get into the car, fill the gas tank, or spend hours scanning the FM dial looking for good tunes. But it has been an excellent trip so far. I think the stories will be posted later, as well as more photos and videos.
Here are a few more things I have learned on the road.
1. Everyone loves a parade. 2. Steak and Shake is always a good place to find interesting characters. 3. Slightly inebriated college students have no clue about Swiss geography. 4. Never trust a gas station attendant for directions in Topeka, Kansas. 5. The Douglas County 4-H fair is more than you can imagine. 6. Ratt's "Round and Round" is the most overplayed rock song from the 80s. 7. There is a highway dedicated to submarine veterans in the middle of Kansas. 8. Tim got a new job! (I didn't know he was even looking for one, or who he was to be honest.) 9. A higher woman to man ratio at a concert does not always increase your chances. 10. Once is the best film I have seen in a long time.
This could be my last post before Korea. If so, let me encourage you to listen to the Lazer between June 29th and August 3rd. I am not going to say why, but just know you might get a good laugh. (It might have something to do with #5 above.)
Just wanted to drop a quick update on the road trip. I'm currently in College Station, Texas. The wagon is about to start heading north on the highways and back roads of America. So far all is going well with the trip and the car.
Here are a few things I've learned so far along the way:
1. Abraham Lincoln was very fascinated with the process of embalming. 2. Phoenix is way too hot in the summer time for my liking. 3. The Alamo does not have a basement. 4. Astro fans hate Carlos Beltran. 5. Tumbleweeds and fireworks are just a couple hazards you need to watch for when driving on Texan highways. 6. Baseball games that go to seventeen innings have two seventh inning stretches. 7. Everybody claims their child "never usually acts this way." 8. Always double check the team's schedule to see if it is an away game. 9. The greatest product of space exploration is freeze dried ice cream sandwiches. 10. Avril Lavigne does not like my new girlfriend.
I guess that is all for now. I hope to see more of you soon on the road.
Good thing I did not have a case of the Mondays, because yesterday was the longest day I have ever had. On June 25th, I left my Korean apartment at five in the morning. Thirty four hours later, I was going to bed in California, around eleven the evening on June 25th. Fortunately, a good part of the time was spent travelling. Unfortunately, it was with Northwest Airlines.
Now I am trying to get adjusted to life in America. Yesterday, I spent some time wandering the grocery isles checking out all the varieties of foods I have missed out on. Today, I am spending some time catching up on my legal television. Currently it is the honorable Judge Mathis lawing down the verdicts. Wow, I am amazed how many studid people suing other stupid people there are.
Here is a shot of the auto that will soon be crossing America. I need to get Xzibit to stop by and pimp it. It could use a kicking sound system and a couple X-boxes in the back to help with the road trip.
I am looking for a cool name for it. If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments.
I am in limbo right now. I left Korea at 11 am on Monday morning, and my flight is set to get into Los Angeles at 10 am Monday morning. In some ways, these hours I sit here in Japan are just bonus. Wrap your head around that.
Here is something funny. While looking around the duty free store, I noticed that they were playing "Mr. Roboto" by Styx on the overhead speakers. I had to laugh. The only other song that could be as humorous would be "Big In Japan" by Alphaville.
I guess this officially starts my summer adventure. This week I buy my car and start the road trip across America. Hope to see some of you out there.
Got to go, only twenty seconds left to post this. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.
My name is Ryan. I have red hair. I worked in Germany for about six years. There I lived near Lörrach and Freiburg. I work at an international school in Korea, where I have for the last two or three years. Sometimes I go to Seoul and ride the subways, including this last Saturday. Usually when I ride it, I get out at the Seoul Station stop, and exit near the train station. One of my favorite shirts has an eagle on it and the name Sean, although it looks like it is spelled Seam. Oh, and I follow the Eurovision song contest every year. Did I mention I will be driving across America from Los Angeles to Chicago, which is near where I live in the USA? I think every one should travel more, and would like to go back to Europe someday.
This post makes does not make much sense to most of you, but if it makes sense to you, leave a comment.
Wayne Campbell once said, "I thought I had mono for a whole year, but it turned out I was just really bored." The last couple days have had that feeling for me. I'm not complaining, but just coming to the conclusion that life without students around can be very boring. I have barely left the apartment in the last 50 or so hours.
I did get out yesterday to go to the bank. I do enjoy living in a country where I can walk into the bank and ask the teller to take a couple million out of my account.
I have also cooked a couple good meals for myself. While I appreciate having ladies who make most of my meals, I miss cooking on a regular basis. So if anyone reading this is getting a visit from me this summer, I'm willing to cook a meal in your kitchen.
Last night "Cool As Ice" found its way into the DVD player. It is probably a safe bet none of my readers have seen that film and/or will admit it. After watching it, I can honestly say it actually is better than I remembered. Sure it is a bit cheesy, but what do you expect? Go out and find a copy for the weekend.
I leave you with the wise words of John Van Owen, "It is not where you are from, it is where you are at."
Last Friday, I posted that I was going to see Boney M. in concert. I am guessing that the reaction from most was either questioning who Boney M. is or laughter. What I failed to mention is that this is not the first time I have seen them live. In fact they join a short list of bands I have seen on more than one continent.
My friends and I arrived before the show to pick up the tickets. As I have had difficulty with reserved tickets before in the country, I was not too shocked to have to hassle and wait for my tickets to be found. But when the finally found them, there was my name right on the tickets. I tried to pass it off to my friends that I was listed as "Special Guest," and would be the opening act. They did not buy it.
As we entered the venue, someone referred to it as a large "hangar" with a bunch of lawn chairs. The chairs had been set up in sections, and we were in the cheap seats in section "J." At first I thought it was odd that we were sitting in plastic chairs, but the benefits of those chairs were soon to be discovered. As soon as the house lights went down, many around us picked up their chairs and moved forward. Soon section "J" was somewhere around the middle of section "D." When in Rome...
As concerts go, it was a rather enjoyable one. Boney M. played all their hits, save Mary's Boy Child. It was rather interesting to hear the translator explaining the banter between songs, or encourage people to sing along using words they do not teach in SAT hagwans. During the encore, the band encouraged people to get a little closer to the stage, so I abandoned my relocated lawn chair. I made it right up to the stage, where at one point my friends claim Liz Mitchell was singing directly to me.
After the show the group was kind enough to hang out and sign autographs for the fans. A couple of us stuck around and talked with them for a little bit, about life in Korea, working here, previous Boney M. concerts we have attended, and linguistic differences of North America. All in all a pretty good show.
I might not have had the best paying jobs in my life, but the vacation time has not been bad. I have been fortunate to have jobs that have allowed some good travel time during the summer months. The only downside is that my wanderlust is always wanting crazy adventures, fancy destinations, and epic journeys. Last year I was able to take a train from Beijing To Moscow with two good friends, and then spend a few weeks in Europe visiting friends. The question is how does one top that adventure?
I've decided the answer is a great American road trip. In the spirit of the The Muppet Movie, National Lampoon's Vacation, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and Long Way Round, I am hoping for some crazy adventures while seeing the country. The journey will be from Los Angeles, California to Marquette, Michigan, only stopping to visit friends and random road side attractions. Thanks to a good friend, I will be adding about four thousand miles to the odometer of a 1989 Toyota Camry wagon. There are no guarantees that the car will even make it, but my return flight to Korea departs from Marquette. That alone adds to the adventure that is ahead.
June 25 - Arrive in Los Angeles, CA June 30 - San Louis Obispo, CA July 1 - Hume Lake, CA July 3 - Fly to Ontario, CA and begin the drive east. July 5 - Austin or College Station, TX July 9 - Dallas, TX July 11 - Siloam Springs, AR July 14 - Springfield, MO July 16 - Newton, KS July 18 - Kansas City, KS or MO - still debating July 21 - St. Louis, MO July 22 - Morton, IL July 24 - Janesville, WI July 25 - Republic, MI July 27 - Marquette, MI
So why should you care? A large part of this trip to reconnect with some friends. And since most of the people who read this blog are friends, that probably means you. If you are in or between any of these cities, drop me a comment or email and hopefully we can meet up. If you are on Facebook, there is a group dedicated to this trip, where you can be kept up to date. Speaking of date, if you are a single gal on the route, perhaps you can get a free meal out of the deal by filling out this application. Oh, and if anyone wants to go along for part of the trip, let me know. There is room in the wagon.
Well, I looking forward to seeing some of you out there on the open highway. Stories will be told, good times will be had, and memories will be made.
It is every nerds nightmare. No, not the one about Lucas releasing another set of Star Wars movies with Jar Jar as the main character. The one I am talking about is the moment that your computer crashes while you helplessly watch. This unfortunate moment happened to me around 1:40 Saturday morning. I was sending out some emails, chatting with a friend, and watching a little online television, when the dang thing froze up. It then had the courage to tell me that it was going to begin dumping the physical memory. What?? I quickly unplugged my external drive which houses my music collection, and prepared for a quick reboot. Boy was I wrong. Upon trying to restart it, I heard horrible sounds. Then I began seeing messages like, "disk error," "disk failure eminent," and "say goodbye to all your data sucker." I was expecting the voice of HAL to resonate from the speakers just to mock me.
I now can only wait to see if the fine repair people can salvage anything. If not, I will lose a lot of photos, the latest version of my website, a good amount of writings, and who knows what else. I really need to learn to back stuff up.
And the kicker is now I am using my eight year old laptop to get stuff done. The one I kept mostly because I couldn't get much for it on eBay. Now it sits, probably mocking the newer model. It knows that even though it only has a tenth of the storage, it is working as more than a paperweight right now.
I just survived another trip around the sun. To be honest, there were two specific times when I did not think I would be celebrating that simple accomplishment.
Wow. What a year it has been. It could be just the memory starting to fail, but this last year is very well the best year that I have experienced. A brief recap: I had the chance to spend time with some amazing people on three different continents. I traveled thousands of miles by trains, planes, and automobiles, not to mention camels and horses. I watched the sun rise and set over mountains , deserts, big cities and forests. I had conversations with rock stars and orphans. I dined in fancy restaurants and around a campfire by a lake. I entered six countries for the first time, and even return a second time to one of them. Heck, I was even taken into custody by members of a communist military.
The best part is that I love my job, which allows me to work with some great students. Tonight they sang "Happy Birthday," with so much enthusiasm I almost wept. It ties the HBR boys of old for the spot of favorite times I've heard that song directed at me. It was the best part of this birthday.
Here is a little photo collage of some of the highlights of the year. Thanks to all who have played a part in making this a good one.
A couple weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to return to Europe for ten days. I went with the purpose of attending a conference for Christian educators and boarding staff. Fortunately my spring break lined up so I could get there early enough so I could get all my enjoyment out of the way before the meetings and sessions started. It was great to be able to walk along many of the paths I once wandered during my seven years there. It felt good to be able to still know my way around places like Annecy, Freiburg, or Laussane. Plus it was nice to be able to blend into the local population for a change. Heck, I even managed to get by with my limited German from time to time.
But the best part of the trip was the people. Sitting in one of my favorite churches listening to a great man of God preach. Being able to spend some time in the homes of some great friends. Sharing several meals with former coworkers. Listening to the plans and dreams of friends. While I know God has brought me to Korea at this point, I was glad he gave me an opportunity to return to reconnect.
One thing I heard at the conference was that there really are no coincidences, that God has a plan and order for all aspects of our lives. I saw this several times on the trip. For example, one day I decided to kill some time by heading into Lörrach for the afternoon. While wandering the streets, I bumped into some old friends I had hoped I would get the chance to see, but knew probably wouldn't. A few days while I took a break during some of the sessions, I walked into Lidl. Again, I bumped into some old friends who just the night before I was asking if they were around. I have had way too many things like this happen to just chalk it up to coincidence.
And I think it is those random events which are making it hard for me to fully plan my summer travels. Sometimes I hate having things set in stone. But if any of you are in America, especially between LA and Chicago and would be interested in a visit, drop me a comment, and perhaps you can help motive me to plan my trip.
During my surfing time last night, I came across a Yahoo page about the Annual Assembly About Aliens. I did not have to read too far until the flashbacks began. Do not worry, it is not that I was having flashbacks to a time I was abducted by aliens. Instead it is when I spent some time living in a foreign land known as Northwest Arkansas. During my senior year of college, I traveled up to Eureka Springs for an Easter celebration with my family. While we were there, the annual Ozark UFO Conference was going on. Being the curious one that I am, I decided to take some time and check it out. I was not too sure what to expect, although I had some ideas based on my viewing of the X-files. Interestingly there were people of all walks of life. There was not one specific "type" of person there.
I will tell you that I decided it was time to leave when I overheard a conversation which involved the thickness of the door of a spacecraft and what some of the aliens looked like. As curious as I might have been to see the video about the woman who gave birth to an alien halfbreed, I bolted to the door.
While I'm on the topic of aliens, space and entertainment, can you name the coolest person to ever pick up a lightsaber? While many of you might claim it is Samuel L. Jackson, I disagree. Here lies the answer.
I think I am becoming nocturnal. For more than a week, I have been getting very little sleep at night, and just a little more during the day. I am not sure why exactly, but I am hoping that at least it might help me adjust to the European time zone I'll be landing in this weekend.
Tonight during my sleeplessness, I have cleaned my entire bathroom. This would be a bigger task if it were not the size of many bathrooms found on recreational vehicles. I also created a new set of photos on my Flickr pages.
I figure this would be a good time to give you a few fun links I have come across lately. I bet you all missed the Swiss invasion of Lichtenstein. As I'll be in the area soon, if anyone would like to join me for a follow up invasion, email me!
It has been over ten days since I returned from India, and I have been pretty quiet on this page. I think part of the silence is because it took me longer to process all my photos and videos. Plus, it has been a crazy week or so of just trying to get back into the routines of life with twenty-nine students.
But I am back and ready to share. So grab your blankets and milk, cause it is story time. While you gather around, I'll share a couple of my favorite photos.
If you remember from last year's trip, I enjoy riding in rickshaws. I think my enjoyment comes from the fact that every time I get in one an adventure is just waiting to happen. This year it was no different. Our first full day in Bangalore we loaded up into five rickshaws to head to a main shopping area. Somehow it was my rickshaw that managed to get lost on the way.
A week later some students and I were riding in another rickshaw, heading to the same shopping area, when it broke down. And per my experience, it broke down in the middle of a busy intersection. I jumped out with the driver and proceeded to help push it out of harms way. We then sat for a few minutes while the driver opened up the back hatch and went to work on the engine. Soon we were back on our way, with yet another rickshaw story.
The best rickshaw story also happened the first full day in Bangalore. Keep in mind Bangalore is a city of over six million people and a crazy layout of roads and streets. It started after we finished dinner at a restaurant, which coincidentally I ate at shortly before getting lost last year. All the female students were going to ride back to our lodging with our local contacts. This left only the leaders and one male student to ride in rickshaws. So we split up into two different ones. Both drivers were given specific instructions on where to go.
Well, minutes later my rickshaw passed the fire pump station we were to turn at. The driver turned, but then got confused. We ended up circling around a little and then stopping in front of a store in an area that did not look familiar. I gave the driver the number for our contact and he walked off in search for a phone. While we sat there in the dark, we noticed another rickshaw approaching from the other direction with some foreigners in it. They were our foreigners, the other leaders. Somehow we all managed to get lost, but find each other in this crazy city.
Our driver came back and started driving slowly, with the other rickshaw in close pursuit. After a few blocks, I actually recognized a building and got my bearings. These came in handy when the driver came to stop and started looking around. I began to point to the left and was able to direct the rickshaws to where we were heading. For the second time in about a year, I was helping a lost rickshaw driver find his way around a city I barely know. What a great feeling.
I have the feeling I need to stop talking. Be sure to check out the photos and videos from the trip.
It started as a joke. While riding around in Bangalore, I had noticed mustaches on many billboards and posters, as well as in real life. So I turned to one of the other leaders and said we should name March the Mustache Month. We would encourage all to join us in growing them. It would be a celebration. And I am pretty sure I wasn't serious about the concept.
But then we came across what could be one of the coolest 'staches I have personally seen.
The momentum of that mustache was monstrous, and the joke became a reality. Thus, we have declared March Mustache Celebration Month. So if you can grow it, show it! I was shocked and comforted to find out that we were not alone.
I leave you with a photo of three cool guys sporting mustaches for inspiration for your own. So join us in the celebration!
Just wanted to let you all know I'm back from India. I am a little slow on the processing of photos, videos, and stories for you all. But don not worry your precious little brains, they will soon arrive online at a website near you.
I did put this one together of an auto rickshaw ride through the streets of Bangalore. In the words of Caedmon's Call, "Rickshaw wallah begs the question, 'are all those red lights just suggestions?' Oh, it's gonna be OK, they know dead men can't pay."
By the way, I'm still lice free since '83! The school nurse, who recommended me wearing a helmet to play football, gave my head a thorough look over the other day and gave me the clearance. I still have to wear the helmet though.
The calendar tells me it is time for another post for Valentine's Day, or Single Awareness Day as it is known in some parts. As February begins, I'm reminded of a few patterns in my routine regarding this holiday. The most recent one of those has been to link back to the classic lyrics I co-wrote back during my camp days. Which was far better than last year's attempt at creativity. But enough self linking, at least for now.
I told my students last night of another common pattern I once had around this Hallmark holiday. While I'm not proud of it, that pattern was to break up with a girl with in a couple days before or after Valentine's Day. I think this could be part of the reason I'm currently cursed to wander this earth alone. At least my solitary wandering isn't combined with being a zombie, as that would just stink. After much thought, I don't think I could gain an appreciation for the taste of brains. Plus I hear it is really tough to get a job as a zombie. But on the flip side, it would be cool to have Dolores O'Riordan sing about me. Wait a minute, that has been done. Now what was I talking about? Zombies, I mean Valentine's Day.
So here is my random thought for today. Why is it that Saint Valentine is the patron saint for lovers, bee keepers, and the plague?
I think it was the famous poet D.L. Roth who once said, "Give me a bottle of anything, and a glazed doughnut... to go." Following that line of thought, I woke up this morning, gathered a posse, and headed to the grand opening of the first Krispy Kreme in Taejon, South Korea.
We arrived shortly after eight, hoping to grab some of those sweet sugar rings and head back to campus. Unfortunately, we forgot to check opening time. The workers were busy wiping down seats, cleaning windows, and driving around their Segway. We thus assumed that around nine we would be released from our spot in the rain soaked line and allowed to enter into the promised land. Sometime around nine thirty we gave up hope on getting in during that hour.
Shortly around ten the activity picked up, as did the rain. All of a sudden the Star War's Main Theme began pouring out of the sound system. It was go time. The employees cut the donut decorated ribbon, confetti was shot out of cannons, the "Hot and Now" sign was illuminated, and the doors were finally opened. As we filed in, I was personally greeted by one of the employees with a hand shake and a, "Thanks for coming." But there was no time for chit-chat as we had a teacher that needed to be in class in a half hour. Not to mention donuts there were donuts to be consumed. So we grabbed over eleven dozen donuts and headed home.
And being the first Caucasian to consume a donut in the store wasn't enough for me. I had to go back to help with the closing of the store. Tonight we topped the evening off with a special birthday donut run. It was another chance to take some videos and photos, as well as to load up on more sugary goodness.
Well, it is now time to slip into a sugar induced coma. I think if I blew my nose hard enough Krispy Kreme glaze would come out right now.
Sometimes I am reminded how sweet a job I have. This weekend, I actually got paid to ski in the Korean Alps with some of the students. We spent the day at Oak Valley, the newest ski resort in South Korea. Being new, the slopes were fairly empty during most of our time on the hills. Although by the end of the day, it became a contest of trying to get down the hill without knocking down a national. But as the saying goes, a bad day on the slopes is better than a good day in the office.
Then this morning, as soon as I sent the kids off to school after breakfast, I sat down to watch the Superbowl live on the dorm's big screen television. To fully enjoy the game I had to turn the volume down on the television, and pick up the English play by play on the internet. Unfortunately, the only broadcast that I could get for the first half was from the England. Thus I got to hear commentators compare Devin Hester to Diego Maradona and refer to the pile of players trying to recover a fumble as a "scrum."
And for something completely different, I find this ironic.
Oh, and my friend has posted a sweet video of our time in Michigan.
Sometimes I get the feeling my life is more interesting than it really is. Sometimes that feeling is proven to be correct. In my defense I present to you the jury the following:
Traveling to a foreign country for a rock show is pretty sweet. Getting a mention on the band's website (and myspace blog too) is über amazing. At least in my book.
Although I must give some props to "Ashley from Alabama". Let's be honest, if it were just me talking to the band after the show, it would have said something about "some loner that was hanging around after the show like he had no where to go." Plus she is the one who discovered the concert's existence in the first place. If she didn't put the idea of rocking in Japan, I would have spent my time off probably cleaning my bathtub (which I'm doing after I post this) and going to see Eragon.
Now the question is what do I do next to up the interesting factor? Any suggestions?
This weekend I had the opportunity to travel with four ladies to a rock show in Japan. Take a second to soak that all in, and then I'll break it down for you all.
It was a weekend of travel. It started with a two hour train ride to the southern shores of Korea. There we boarded a hydrofoil ferry for what would be a three hour tour. Upon disembarking in Japan, I had to try to explain to the customs agents why I was only spending twenty hours in his country (interestingly enough not the first time I've had this experience). Upon making it through the customs it was off to the bus to take us to downtown Fukuoka to begin the Japanese experience.
Yep, four females actually agreed to spend a portion of their weekend hanging with the one they call Cordell. Sure, this goes against a promise I made with myself eight years ago about traveling to a foreign country with that many women. I made that after an awkward trip to Paris and EuroDisney, and but felt it might be time to rethink that promise. And sure, it probably wasn't the opportunity to spend time with me, as it was going to a concert in a foreign country that was the hook, but this is my blog and I'll spin it however I want. Either way, it was me, four ladies, and a evening of music ahead.
Just like the old saying, "if the concert will not come to Ryan, Ryan must come to the concert." Since the concert offerings are a little limited in Korea, I chose to try another country to fulfill the need to rock and/or roll. I could have gone a day later and caught Boys II Men, but I felt the option of Calexico and Iron & Wine would be a far better choice. I was right. Unfortunately due to weather conditions, Iron & Wine didn't show up until the load out began. But that did allow Calexico to have the full stage for the whole night. They did not disappoint. For almost three hours they played a variety of songs from their collection. Those among us who had not known their material were immediately hooked. Personally, I was even more sold on their talents. I highly recommend anyone with at least one ear to see them in concert.
And to finish up the explanation of that first sentence, I repeat again, we went to Japan. This was my first real trip there, as the airport just doesn't count. I went with few expectations, including hoping to have a few "Lost In Translation" moments as I wandered the streets of Fukuoka. Outside of the concert time, I had a great time. From enjoying a great curry in a Shi Lankan restaurant to wandering the streets late at night or just all the people watching, the city provided a great experience and left me with a desire to return again. Hey look, Yo La Tengo there in February, and Muse is there in March. Hmmmm.
Plus, no one really avoided me like a psyched lone ranger, so I got that going for me.
It might be too soon to find any information online, but I think we just had a small earthquake here in the Korean peninsula. Shortly before 9 pm, the room started shaking, and I know for a fact I was not drinking. I was sitting in the office playing some cards online, and thought my chair was acting in a way an office chair usually does not act. Confused why it would start wobbling, I began to look around and noticed the door also swaying a little. Some students also confirmed that they noticed the movements, otherwise I would think I was crazy.
OK, a quick update - there is still nothing on the USGS site of recent earthquakes, but I received a text message on my cell phone telling me there was a 4.8 quake 105 miles northeast of where I live. The odd thing is that I'm the only one in the dorm who got a text message (or bothered to read it, as I've found out.) from the "tragedy alarm center," as one student called it.
Indoor urination is overrated. Yes my friends, I not only typed that, but I also believe it. I recently spent six days in the woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where the closest thing to running water was me scooping water out of the frozen lake and carrying it into the cabin in containers as quickly as I could. Thus we tried to conserve on the water used to flush the toilet. And while trying to write your name or a short doctoral thesis depending on how much you've had to drink can be fun, I will tell you that ten degree Fahrenheit outhouse seats are not fun.
But I'm not just posting an update on my preferences in bladder depletion. Just thought I would get your attention first. See it was a grand time in the north woods. A couple goodfriends and I enjoyed a few quality days of rest, cards, pyromania, storytelling, and attempts at global domination on the Risk board. It was so relaxing that we used one of these to measure the time spent. In fact I think a couple days began for us when the clock said half past whatever day it was.
Speaking of pyromania, yet again I came very close to a major injury due to a firework. But that is another story for another time. Even the eight hour drive there and back was highly enjoyable, although it was a sad drive out of the woods knowing it meant heading back to the responsibilities of life again. Oh, the responsibilities of life...
Figured it was time for an update. While many of my coworkers took off to beaches in warm climates, I decided to surpise my parents by returning home for Christmas. I was able to shock not only the parental units, but also all of my siblings and spouses. It was a Christmas miracle.
Since then I've basically been hanging around the house, catching up on family time, watching CSI and Law & Order marathons, and wondering where the snow is. In a couple days I take off for an island adventure with some friends. Last year two of spent time on an island off the coast of Phuket, this year the island is on a frozen lake in Michigan.
Finally, I can report that tonight I joined the "Wall of Flame" at a local bar and grill. All it took was consuming a plate of what they claim are their hottest buffalo wings. I won't say it was easy, but it wasn't hard either.
I am so childish sometimes. Today at church I thought one of the fun things about Christmas is being able to use the word "ass" in church. The best part is that it was used in not just one, but two songs this morning. Like I said, sometimes I can be childish.
Speaking of being childish, I had a good laugh on the plane the other day. The flight from Norita to Chicago was having some difficulties with their entertainment system. At first it was just audio. While they were trying to fix it, they began flipping the video channels between the various movies. Unfortunately, they stopped on a shower scene from some movie. Total nakedness for all the passengers to see. (Well, not everyone, as the little kid two seats over was still crying because he couldn't see over the seat in front of him.) But for a minute or so everyone got an anatomy lesson. Very soon after that Christmas music began pouring out of the overhead speaker system. It was followed by an announcement that the system was now fixed. My friend sitting next to me said something about "Christmas music and porn," and the laughter began. Interestingly enough, this makes the second year in a row where adult oriented material has been on open display on my flights at Christmas.
The philosopher Kravitz once said, "I want to get away, I want to fly away." I know how he felt. Vacation came about twenty five minutes too late, but it is here. I've got my bags packed, the iPod charged, and the tickets and passport on the desk. In less than seven hours I will be on a bus heading to the airport. Barring any technicalities, soon I'll be walking along a remote beach with some good friends.
If I don't get a chance to find an internet connection between now and then, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Well, I posted recently about my mild concussion. After visiting with the nurse the next day she suggested I might want to see a doctor. As she didn't drive me there immediately, I decided I was good enough. The next day she saw me again, and told me that if I played the following week I had to wear a helmet. Fair enough I thought. When I told my friends that I would be showing up with protection, they just laughed. But the joke was on them. I've got my own card now!
On the back of this football card are the simple statistics: Playing without dorky helmet - 0 first downs, 0 touchdowns Playing with dorky helmet - 1 first down, 2 touchdowns plus the trivial fact, "In the off-season he likes to travel by train to remote and unique destinations."
Now all I need is a helmet company that is in need of a spokesperson. I'd be willing to decorate the helmet with stickers and logos of any interested parties.
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.jpg "Barrel - Part 1")
and Cabin Boy
. I have also loaded Come Sail Away and Every Ship Must Sail Away on the iPod. 
, National Lampoon's Vacation
, Pee-wee's Big Adventure
, and Long Way Round
, I am hoping for some crazy adventures while seeing the country. The journey will be from Los Angeles, California to Marquette, Michigan, only stopping to visit friends and random road side attractions. Thanks to a good friend, I will be adding about four thousand miles to the odometer of a 1989 Toyota Camry wagon. There are no guarantees that the car will even make it, but my return flight to Korea departs from Marquette. That alone adds to the adventure that is ahead. 
