Well, it's been another good while, but guess who's back again? I can't stay mad at you forever, Blogger, and even though last time I tried to use your photo feature you basically crashed my computer, I'm willing to give it another shot. I guess I can't blame you. The pictures my new camera takes are so powerfully awesome that you couldn't handle it. It's ok. I'll give you another chance.


Ahh, there we go! Much better. This is my feeble attempt at an "art shot" based on our near-weekly poker game at Music Cafe. I'd call it "friendly," but the competition gets pretty fierce, especially considering the buy-in is 5,000 won. That's only five bucks, folks. But it's always a good time. Matt, Yakubu and I are the regulars, with occasional participation from Ryan, Alex and Ashleigh (which would then comprise the entire foreign teacher population of Seoul Language Institute - Suji). Also in this wonderful picture you might notice a rather fantastic-looking potation. That's a bottle of Grape Soju cocktail, a delicious confection that has more sugar in it than alcohol - actually, that's true of most drinks in Korea. But this is a particularly enjoyable drink to share among friends, and the bottle looks like something straight out of a comic-store magazine cover.
Here's what may be my most prized purchase so far here in Korea. When I first rummaged through my cabinets upon arrival in my apartment, I noticed straightaway that I didn't have any glasses. Oh, sure, I had cups, but I lacked a true and proper glass. You know, a glass made of... well, glass. The kind of glass milk was made for. This was a situation that demanded rectification.

Then, one lonely evening on a grocery trip to Lotte Mart, when I was browsing through the dregs (read: the bargain corner) I found this precious glass, among mugs that said "We Are Wildmen" and discolored ceramic figures of Yorkshire Terriers. "Vitamin Your Life!" it commanded me. The giddily bouncing carrot promised me the ecstatic existence available to me if I took heed of the glass' sage advice. So I bought this glass. And, while I'm currently sick and not quite in a giddily-bouncing mood, I must admit that that cute lil' carrot does make me feel like I am vitamining my life, no matter what nutritionally-challenged drink I might happen to place in it.

Lately I have found many occasions to travel into Seoul, be they accompanying Matt while he gets his suit tailored, picked up the aforementioned digital camera, or even just going into Hongdae to hang out. The most memorable recent trip was a Sunday excursion to meet up with Dylan, a friend of mine from college, and his girlfriend Naomi in Seoul for some good old-fashioned wanderin'. We met up in Hongdae and had a delicious lunch at a real taco joint (a rarity here!) that they new about. We cruised the neighborhood for a while, then headed over to Namdaemun Market where the real shopping was. Namdaemun Market is a crowded jumble of already narrow alleys split in twain by food stalls, clothing stands and hundreds and hundreds of people who are apparently quite happy to plow through you if you're standing in front of them, even if it's not that crowded. I managed to take a few pictures above the heads of the passerby:

Ginseng!

Whoa, a picture with people! Dylan took this one of Naomi and I showing off our polearm purchases. I plan to use my giant foam pointing hand to call on students in class, but I haven't mustered the mustard to bring it in to school yet. Finally, here's an interesting juxtaposition I saw by the ancient city gate (in the middle of downtown):
Good stuff! A night trip into Seoul this past weekend yielded somewhat different picture opportunities...
These "ghostmen" rolled through the crowded neighborhood of Hongdae in their tricked-out Mini-Coopers dropping some serious bass and handing out flyers for an upcoming dance party at one of the local clubs. I have decided I have a new future profession. Forget teachin'. I want to ride around in a little convertible dressed like a mistranslation of the Blue Man Group.

Finally, one last picture to share tonight, as it is getting a bit late and my sickness demands that I get some sleep for once.
This is the fine fare available at my favorite place to eat in Itaewon: Smokey's Saloon. Maybe it's just the fact that these are the only real burgers I've had since I left America, but man, this was a tasty burger. Yes, it is as big as it looks. Those are onion rings on top. It's called Kiss Me Later, and it was filled with tobascoey garlicy goodness. Accompanied by seasoned potato wedges and washed down by a tall bottle of Cider, it was truly a meal for kings.

Well, in non photo-supported news, my spoken Korean is still nonexistent, but I can almost read the language fluently. Granted, I have no idea what most of what I can read means, but I can finally order from a menu without just pointing at it! I'm still a little shaky on some of the compound vowels, but my goal is to have a fully-functional understanding of Korean by the time my folks get here so I can impress them. That goes double for if/when Elise comes to visit.

Upcoming things I'll probably write about: tomorrow I'm going mountain climbing with Matt and my new weekend employer, one Mrs. Bo Daniels, and in a week and a half I will be going to North Korea. That's right. North. Korea. The final frontier of the Cold War! One third of the "axis of evil!" Needless to say my first opportunity to set foot in a Communist country excites me greatly. I'll be sure to write as soon as I get home so you know I didn't get detained for being a capitalist pigdog.