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I said that I would blog as often as I washed my dishes, but I have to make an exception this week because I really don't feel like washing them.

The first thing on my mind is "this" (pulls out a cigarette pack called "this"). Joel bought a pack of smokes called THIS about three weeks ago and a new running joke is using the word "this" as often as possible and then pausing and pulling out an invisible (or visible) pack of cigarettes. This brings me to my next point. This. In an attempt to stop smoking half a pack a day (only on weekends) I have decided to no longer buy packs of cigs. Joel is supporting me by betting me that I can't do it. What a guy.

My second thought has to do with something much more serious. My plans for February 7th have been shattered. The weekend was going to be legendary, but now, who knows. We were going to go to Seoul for the weekend, use the bars as hostels and see what has been called by many to be one of the best live shows. But, due to "unforeseen circumstances," whatever that means, the Killers have canceled their Asian tour. I'm not a huge Killers fan but the live music here sucks and I was really looking forward to seeing a killer show and spending the weekend in Seoul. Oh well. The new game plan will involve a four day weekend, the weekend after the canceled concert. It's the Lunar New Year and with four days off, I can only imagine what will ensue.

Quick update of things I might have forgot to mention earlier: I'm trying to learn how to play the guitar. I don't have a teacher, but it's fun to just play some chords. I'm glad I brought my soccer cleats, it makes playing so much more fun. I joined a gym last week but still haven't gone yet. After soccer today I am going to start conditioning. I have been nurturing a bit of a beer belly, so my new plan is to drink less beer and more mixed drinks on top of the conditioning and sit ups in preparation for the summer. There is only one week of intensives left, so only one more week of waking up early to an alarm; I'm excited. I'm also excited to have a beard. I went one week without shaving, and so I decided to continue that laziness and grow a beard. It's actually not bad. Final thought: I love playing with my Wii.


One Auspicious Thing: I'm going to keep this one a bit more more personal than something that a lot of people can experience, like a beach. This week, the showcase is my showerroom. Normally they are called bathrooms, or washrooms, or restrooms. Washroom is the most appropriate of those. My bathroom is one giant shower. Imagine your normal bathroom, now adjust the walls and door, turn it into a square. Put the toilet in one corner, the shower in the opposite, and the door and sink in the remaining two corners, the door being across from the toilet. Once you have that imagined, shrink the room so that it is 6 feet long (the direction of the shower) by 3.5 feet wide with a seven foot ceiling and that is my showerroom. It is the easiest thing to clean because it has an extendable shower head, so i can pull it off the wall and spray water everywhere. I've always wanted a whole room devoted to the shower, and now i have one; cross that off my list.

One Inauspicious Thing: I already talked about beer, so I'll try to pick something that doesn't relate to drinking or eating; although the lack of good Mexican food and hamburgers is on my list. Instead, I'll pick something that is related to an earlier topic: Live Music. It sucks in Busan, some of the foreign (not foreign to you) musicians can play good music, but as soon as they open their mouth it's game over. Out of at least 5-10 live bands I've seen all but one sucked; there is a bit of an assumption there, but based on the accounts of the people who were with me I have drawn my conclusion. I've only seen one good live band, and they were awesome, great music, good voice, excellent stage presence. We were walking along Gwangali beach, which is awesome, and we heard some loud music. This Korean rock band was playing some killer tunes, we stayed until the end of the set, but never found out the name of the band. Whoever they are they are the best band I've heard live in Korea, which isn't really saying much.

Random Note: The best way to cure athlete's foot is to simply not wear shoes and socks when you don't have to. Athlete's foot is a fungus that grows when your feet are both warm and moist. Alone, shoes and socks are not warm or moist, but when you add a foot of a living person you are adding heat to an enclosed area. As soon as it is warm, your foot will start to sweat thus making it moist and the ideal environment to breed athlete's foot. However, if you just take off your shoes and socks when you are at home and have no need to wear either your feet will not be bathing in heat and moisture. This will lead to a decrease and ultimately the end of your athlete's foot. I am currently employing this tactic and it is only winter here; my feet will each be one giant fungus ridden piece of meat once summer rolls around. Enjoy your food.

Till next week, hopefully my dishes will be clean by then.

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I finally cleaned my dishes for the first time in about a week and I was thinking, "What else haven't I done for a while?"

My goal is to blog as often as I wash my dishes, once a week. So I'm going to set up a formatted structure to make it easier for myself: Weekly Update; One Good Thing About Korea; and One Bad Thing About Korea.

I can't remember the last time I blogged or what it was even about so here is a quick update to catch you up to the present time. I am currently in what is called the, "Intensive" period. Our hours have flipped so instead of starting at 1500 the day starts at 900. At first it was terrible. Then I started getting used to the new sleeping habits and now it's not so bad. I do enjoy getting off of work at 1900 or 1700 instead of 2200. Plus, the hour and a half lunch break is a nice way to relax and break up the day. I've made it 3 weeks, and now there are only 2 weeks left; I'm excited for when I can sleep in again.

There are pickup soccer games every Sunday just a few minutes from my apartment. I don't try very hard to make it each week. I've been twice, maybe three times out of 5-6 possible weeks. But I am planning on joining a gym that is right across the street to try to get into better shape. I also significantly decreased my cigarette consumption by no longer buying packs, instead I just mooch cigs off of people.

Teaching is going well. I'm becoming more and more comfortable being in front of the class, even when I am the only one talking--those classes are tough. Thankfully I don't have the BYG (Bo Yoon Gang) this semester, but Joel does. There are only four of the gang in his class but there is nothing you can do to control them, they just do what they want and they don't respond to punishment. I had the full gang, all six, last quarter and that was miserable. I don't have any classes this term that I hate, or constantly have to drag myself into. There are even a few that I am really excited to teach.

So far I've watched the entire series of Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Castle, and Blue Planet while staying up to date on Dexter, Californication, Community, The Office, and probably others. Currently I am watching Planet Earth--Amazing Show! Reading: I have read Mastery, and am currently working on Stranger in A Strange Land (the unabridged version), Veronika Decides to Die, and The Tipping Point. Not sure when I'll finish those.

I saw Sherlock Holmes, it was okay, not as good as Guy Ritchie's other movies, but based on the amount of money it made there will be a sequel which I hope is a lot better. I want Ritchie to write it, his movies are amazing (Snatch, Lock Stock, Revolver, RocknRolla) and everything he does so well was missing from Holmes. It's a rental, not a theatre movie.

I think that's a pretty good update, I'm sure I left out a lot, but I'll just have to add it to another blog later on.

One Good Thing About Korea: I love Haeundae Beach. It is probably the greatest beach I've ever been too. The only way it could be better is if there weren't skyscrapers behind it. It is a gorgeous sandy beach with tranquil waves. I'm excited for the summer and typhoons.

Bad Thing About Korea: Every alcohol but Soju. Soju is as cheap as water, and depending on the brand of water and the brand of soju it can be cheaper. However, their idea of good imported beer (into Korea) is Budweiser, Miller, and the other shitty American beers. Of course there is Heineken; it's everywhere. I really miss quality micro-brews and dark beers. Korean beers are all light beers similar to Bud and Miller and Coors. The darkest beer I've found, aside from the $8 bottles of Guinness is a Black Beer Stout. It's a Korean beer that is as close to a black stout as a beer can get while still not being black or stout, but it's something. However, after a few drinks it really doesn't matter.

Til next week

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