(I think I might be going to Hell for this title which I totally stole from an old issue of Playboy.)
Apparently yesterday was the first birthday of Abram’s Casual Soapbox which is my favorite political blog out there. Abram is an enjoyable and insightful read who, despite a self-described bad call on Syria being next in line for a G-drubbing, generally gets things right. Here’s hoping he blogs for many more years to come. Happy first blogthday Abram!
Oh yeah, and on the whole Syria thing, it was the right call at the time. The call was made when Rumsfeld (which, incidentally, is German for rum field) was engaging in what Jon Stewart called the “Get off my lawn” school of foreign relations with Syria and Iran serving as the main lawn encroachers. All the smart money was on Syria at the time.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
When Engrish Attacks
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
So Little Time
Wow! There is so much going on in the world in general and my life in particular that I do not even know where to start. Rather than play my usual game of have four partially written posts that never get done I am going to go ahead and embrace Tami’s method of doing one ginormous post about a bunch of things.
Bumper Sticker Truism
On the drive home from work on Monday I say a bumperstick that said:
A Day Without Immigrants
While I was in Korea I was discussing the current immigration debate with a couple of my brother’s friends. They were very interested in what I had to say since being from Houston puts me, in their words, on the front line of this particular issue. My feelings are first that any attempt to deport or criminalize the 11+ million “illegal” immigrants that are currently here is just plain dumb. The mere logistics of doing this are mind-boggling. Where are we going to put these 11 million people? This is a population roughly equivalent to that of Cuba. To put it another way, there are 229 countries listed on Wikipedia’s List of Countries by Population. The countries with populations of 11+ million are Zambia, 71st on the list, Senegal, 72nd on the list, Cuba, 73rd on the list, and Greece, 74th on the list. This means our population of 11 million is larger than 155, or 67.68%, of the countries on the list.
Then there are the economic ramifications of attempting to do this and these happen in two ways. The first would be how much money the government has to spend to process and move these 11 million people. I do not even want to get into that. The second economic impact would be in the market place. How many jobs would be left unfilled? How much spending would be removed from the economy if these 11 million people were to disappear?
The Day Without Immigrants boycott was intended to illustrate this second point. The problem with this boycott is that I live in Houston, a city where 37.41 percent of the population was Hispanic/Latino of any race according to the 2000 census, and I did not notice anything different. You would think that in a city where over a third of the population is Hispanic there would have been a noticeable effect. I saw about the same number of guys waiting for work by the hiring hall I pass on the way to the office. As far as I know all our Hispanic staffers were in the office. The guy who refills the paper products in the bathrooms was here as was the lady who empties our trash and all of the girls in the deli where I buy lunch far too often were working. When I went to get dinner at Whataburger (mmmm) the gentleman who took my order was Hispanic and while I was in the comic shop I noticed a couple of Hispanics engaging in commerce. From my limited experience it appears that the Day Without Immigrants boycott was a failure here in Houston.
To my mind this is not necessarily a bad thing. The people that the immigrant cause has to win over are middle Americans. You know, the people without boats who keep electing the G-Dub All-Stars. Taking a day off work and refusing to spend money seems to be a better way to alienate this crowd, particularly if you are allowing and even encouraging your kids to skip school. I am not sure how you can win over these people, as logic no longer seems to do the job.
All I really know is that we need to find some way to bring these 11 million into the process. We need an abbreviated path to citizenship for people that have been here and contributing for those that want it and for those that do not we need a guest worker program that is easy for the applicant/worker to navigate and the government to administrate.
English as a National Language
This debate has been reignited, or rather brought back to the fore, by the current immigration imbroglio. My feelings on this are pretty straight forward. We should have English as the official language of the United States. I appreciate the desire to maintain an ethnic identity by continuing to use your mother-tongue and I am not suggesting that we should outlaw languages or anything along those lines, however I do believe that all official business should be conducted in one language and that language should be English. More than any other reason, I believe this is important to begin the process of acculturation and build a new sense of community as Americans, which we are all first and foremost regardless of whether we were born here or came here seeking something more. I also believe that requiring government and other services to provide service in every imaginable language constitutes an undue and unnecessary strain on these entities. I am not saying we legally require people to speak English, however if you do not speak English then you should be ready to make the accommodation to have a translator available to you rather than the other way around.
Colbert vs. the Bush White House
I missed the White House Correspondents Dinner last weekend, or more importantly I missed Stephen Colbert’s keynote speech. This is sad because Saturday night I was passing in and out of consciousness in my hotel room as I battled whatever strain of the Asian Bird Flu I managed to bring back into the country and I even flipped passed CSPAN a couple of times in my quest for Saturday Night Spank-o-rama fodder (there was none to be had.) If only I had known I was missing perhaps the defining moment of faux-punditry.
In a word his performance was, as Jon Stewart said, ballsalicious. I could not believe that he got up there in front of the White House staff, including the President, and the White House Press Corps and called them out. I am also saddened that it is the guys from Comedy Central that are speaking these truths and not the hallowed fourth estate. In fact the press’ general reaction to Colbert’s speech speaks volumes about the current state of journalism in this country.
For those of you that missed the speech should be able to be viewed below, however if they do not it can be found in parts here, here, and here and there is a transcript on Daily Kos, here.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
And here is bonus Colbert from 60 Minutes. This could serve as a FAQ for his show.
Other Updates
I almost have all of my pictures from Korea and the air show uploaded to Webshots and sorted. As soon as I finish I will get posts about them knocked out. I also have a couple more posts in me about my experiences in Korea, however they may be some time in coming as I want them to be mostly serious and thoughtful, which means I have to work on them rather than shoot from the hip. I also have a post about my weekend in Wimberley on the way and judging by how long it is taking me to write it should probably be printed and required reading of all the children in the land. Also there is at least one more Engrish post in the works as well as my meditations on why Japanese candy is so much better than ours. Of course this is on top of getting back in the saddle with my comics reading (I have a stack of fifty books to hammer through before the end of the week), three trade paperback reviews I have to write, and the book No god but God to finish and review. Oh yeah, there is also porn out there, or as the cool kids say, pr0n. Every time I see it written like that I can’t help but think of prawns and those are the two great tastes that do not go great together, if you catch my meaning.
Finally, Corey, if you’re reading this email me. I sent Charlie an email asking for your address and the little crap weasel has yet to reply.
Bumper Sticker Truism
On the drive home from work on Monday I say a bumperstick that said:
Religious freedom is measured by the distance between Church and State.Amen. You can view the sticker here and purchase it here.
A Day Without Immigrants
While I was in Korea I was discussing the current immigration debate with a couple of my brother’s friends. They were very interested in what I had to say since being from Houston puts me, in their words, on the front line of this particular issue. My feelings are first that any attempt to deport or criminalize the 11+ million “illegal” immigrants that are currently here is just plain dumb. The mere logistics of doing this are mind-boggling. Where are we going to put these 11 million people? This is a population roughly equivalent to that of Cuba. To put it another way, there are 229 countries listed on Wikipedia’s List of Countries by Population. The countries with populations of 11+ million are Zambia, 71st on the list, Senegal, 72nd on the list, Cuba, 73rd on the list, and Greece, 74th on the list. This means our population of 11 million is larger than 155, or 67.68%, of the countries on the list.
Then there are the economic ramifications of attempting to do this and these happen in two ways. The first would be how much money the government has to spend to process and move these 11 million people. I do not even want to get into that. The second economic impact would be in the market place. How many jobs would be left unfilled? How much spending would be removed from the economy if these 11 million people were to disappear?
The Day Without Immigrants boycott was intended to illustrate this second point. The problem with this boycott is that I live in Houston, a city where 37.41 percent of the population was Hispanic/Latino of any race according to the 2000 census, and I did not notice anything different. You would think that in a city where over a third of the population is Hispanic there would have been a noticeable effect. I saw about the same number of guys waiting for work by the hiring hall I pass on the way to the office. As far as I know all our Hispanic staffers were in the office. The guy who refills the paper products in the bathrooms was here as was the lady who empties our trash and all of the girls in the deli where I buy lunch far too often were working. When I went to get dinner at Whataburger (mmmm) the gentleman who took my order was Hispanic and while I was in the comic shop I noticed a couple of Hispanics engaging in commerce. From my limited experience it appears that the Day Without Immigrants boycott was a failure here in Houston.
To my mind this is not necessarily a bad thing. The people that the immigrant cause has to win over are middle Americans. You know, the people without boats who keep electing the G-Dub All-Stars. Taking a day off work and refusing to spend money seems to be a better way to alienate this crowd, particularly if you are allowing and even encouraging your kids to skip school. I am not sure how you can win over these people, as logic no longer seems to do the job.
All I really know is that we need to find some way to bring these 11 million into the process. We need an abbreviated path to citizenship for people that have been here and contributing for those that want it and for those that do not we need a guest worker program that is easy for the applicant/worker to navigate and the government to administrate.
English as a National Language
This debate has been reignited, or rather brought back to the fore, by the current immigration imbroglio. My feelings on this are pretty straight forward. We should have English as the official language of the United States. I appreciate the desire to maintain an ethnic identity by continuing to use your mother-tongue and I am not suggesting that we should outlaw languages or anything along those lines, however I do believe that all official business should be conducted in one language and that language should be English. More than any other reason, I believe this is important to begin the process of acculturation and build a new sense of community as Americans, which we are all first and foremost regardless of whether we were born here or came here seeking something more. I also believe that requiring government and other services to provide service in every imaginable language constitutes an undue and unnecessary strain on these entities. I am not saying we legally require people to speak English, however if you do not speak English then you should be ready to make the accommodation to have a translator available to you rather than the other way around.
Colbert vs. the Bush White House
I missed the White House Correspondents Dinner last weekend, or more importantly I missed Stephen Colbert’s keynote speech. This is sad because Saturday night I was passing in and out of consciousness in my hotel room as I battled whatever strain of the Asian Bird Flu I managed to bring back into the country and I even flipped passed CSPAN a couple of times in my quest for Saturday Night Spank-o-rama fodder (there was none to be had.) If only I had known I was missing perhaps the defining moment of faux-punditry.
In a word his performance was, as Jon Stewart said, ballsalicious. I could not believe that he got up there in front of the White House staff, including the President, and the White House Press Corps and called them out. I am also saddened that it is the guys from Comedy Central that are speaking these truths and not the hallowed fourth estate. In fact the press’ general reaction to Colbert’s speech speaks volumes about the current state of journalism in this country.
For those of you that missed the speech should be able to be viewed below, however if they do not it can be found in parts here, here, and here and there is a transcript on Daily Kos, here.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
And here is bonus Colbert from 60 Minutes. This could serve as a FAQ for his show.
Other Updates
I almost have all of my pictures from Korea and the air show uploaded to Webshots and sorted. As soon as I finish I will get posts about them knocked out. I also have a couple more posts in me about my experiences in Korea, however they may be some time in coming as I want them to be mostly serious and thoughtful, which means I have to work on them rather than shoot from the hip. I also have a post about my weekend in Wimberley on the way and judging by how long it is taking me to write it should probably be printed and required reading of all the children in the land. Also there is at least one more Engrish post in the works as well as my meditations on why Japanese candy is so much better than ours. Of course this is on top of getting back in the saddle with my comics reading (I have a stack of fifty books to hammer through before the end of the week), three trade paperback reviews I have to write, and the book No god but God to finish and review. Oh yeah, there is also porn out there, or as the cool kids say, pr0n. Every time I see it written like that I can’t help but think of prawns and those are the two great tastes that do not go great together, if you catch my meaning.
Finally, Corey, if you’re reading this email me. I sent Charlie an email asking for your address and the little crap weasel has yet to reply.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Fun with Engrish
For those of you who don’t know, Engrish is the poor-quality English often encountered in Asia. Having recently traveled to Asia I now have some personal experience with Engrish that I would like to share with you.
In today’s episode we are going to take a look at the Crunky chocolate bar, whose wrapped I have thoughtfully scanned for you here:
Manufactured by Lotte (whose US site can be found here and Korean site (in English) can be found here) the Crunky bar is roughly equivalent to our Nestle Crunch bar here in the States. It is a thin chocolate bar with a layer of crunchy puffed rice on the bottom. All in all not too bad of a little candy bar, though a bit small for the going price of 50 cents.
Now some of you might be wondering why I find the Crunky bar a bit of Engrish worth sharing. For the answer to this I will have to point you to this definition from UrbanDictionary.com:
Those of you needing more Engrish fun can check out Engrish.com.
In other news I am working on getting all 1000+ pictures I took in Korea uploaded to my Webshots account. As soon as I get that done, which should be in the next day or so, I will post a brief overview here and hopefully, by the end of the month, have a Best of album put together on Webshots to save you the agony of culling through all the pictures. Then I have to deal with the 900+ pictures I shot at the airshow on Sunday. Saturday was a debacle that I don’t want to talk about.
Oh yeah, and Charlie uploaded a bunch of pictures someone took while he an May were getting their professional wedding portaits done to his Webshots album (you can view the specific album here.) Aren't they such a cute couple? Gag.
In today’s episode we are going to take a look at the Crunky chocolate bar, whose wrapped I have thoughtfully scanned for you here:
Manufactured by Lotte (whose US site can be found here and Korean site (in English) can be found here) the Crunky bar is roughly equivalent to our Nestle Crunch bar here in the States. It is a thin chocolate bar with a layer of crunchy puffed rice on the bottom. All in all not too bad of a little candy bar, though a bit small for the going price of 50 cents.Now some of you might be wondering why I find the Crunky bar a bit of Engrish worth sharing. For the answer to this I will have to point you to this definition from UrbanDictionary.com:
its a mixture of the word crazy and drunkThey have other definitions there on the site that go a bit more into detail about the origins of the word crunk, however this definition will suffice. Until I was researching this ‘article’ I was not clear on what the word crunk meant. I was passingly familiar with it from the title of a couple of rap albums from Lil’ Jon (YEEEAAAAHHH!) and the East Side Boyz and from one or two other songs, however its use was always a little ambiguous. When I did a search for the lyric on the Sing365.com I found over 450 hits for the word Crunk. I was going to post a few examples of usage and make a joke about a Crunky bar and Pimp Juice being the ideal way to start a night before heading out to the clubs, however I just stumbled across this song and, well, now I am just angry:
Rollin’ (The Ballad of Big & Rich)Yes, that’s right, Big & Rich of “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” fame. You know, because the one-two combo of Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker (spelled with two K's because three would be too obvious) wasn’t bad enough. Damn them.
Brothers and sisters
We are here for one reason
And one reason alone
To share our love of music
I present to you
Country music without prejudice, hey
Country boys don't rock and roll
Yeah the record man told me so
You'll never get it on the radio
Why they trying to complicate
The simple music that we make
Oh cause if it moves my soul
I'm gonna keep on rollin, rollin
Hey, just wanna hear everybody sing (rollin', rollin')
At the top of your lungs till the windows break (rollin', rollin')
Say hey, hey, hey
I ain't gonna shut my mouth
Don't mind if I stand out in a crowd
Just wanna live out loud
Well I know there's got to be
A few hundred million more like me
Just trying to keep it free
Hey, just wanna hear everybody sing (rollin', rollin')
At the top of your lungs till the windows break (rollin', rollin')
Say hey, hey, hey
Charlie Pride was the man in black
Rock and roll use to be about Johnny Cash
Hey, whatcha think about that?
Well I'm a crazy son-of -a-(bad word)
But I know I'm gonna make it big and rich
Yeah im gonna let it rip
Hey, just wanna hear everybody sing (rollin', rollin')
At the top of your lungs till the windows break (rollin', rollin')
Say hey, Cowboy Troy
[Cowboy Troy]
Dum-diggity-dum, diggity-diggity-dum dig this
Slicker than the grease from a BBQ Briskit
Got more chunk than a fresh potato salad
You thought you had your answer
But your answer was invalid
You're looking at me crazy cause you think I'm loco
The big black cowboy, with the crazy vocal
Todas las personas gritando arriva
Now you heard it, now I know you a believer
Esta cancion es para toda la gente
Es muy importante a usar su mente
So let go of all your preconcieved notions
Get up on your feet and put your body in motion
'Cause back home we love to dance
We could be two-steppin, or ravin' to trance
And when the party is CRUNK, the girls back it up
We got the systems in the cars and the 20's on the trucks
6-foot-four with a cowboy hat
I don't mess around, yo, what's up with that?
I'm Cowboy Troy, a Texas hick
And I'm rollin with the brothers
Big and Rich
Go cowboy, go, cowboy, go
(Go cowboy, go, cowboy, go)
Go cowboy, go, cowboy, go
(Go cowboy, go, cowboy, go)
Hey, just wanna hear everybody sing (rollin', rollin')
At the top of your lungs till the windows break (rollin', rollin')
Say hey, hey, hey
Hey, just wanna hear everybody sing (rollin', rollin')
At the top of your lungs till the windows break (rollin', rollin')
Say hey, hey, hey
Those of you needing more Engrish fun can check out Engrish.com.
In other news I am working on getting all 1000+ pictures I took in Korea uploaded to my Webshots account. As soon as I get that done, which should be in the next day or so, I will post a brief overview here and hopefully, by the end of the month, have a Best of album put together on Webshots to save you the agony of culling through all the pictures. Then I have to deal with the 900+ pictures I shot at the airshow on Sunday. Saturday was a debacle that I don’t want to talk about.
Oh yeah, and Charlie uploaded a bunch of pictures someone took while he an May were getting their professional wedding portaits done to his Webshots album (you can view the specific album here.) Aren't they such a cute couple? Gag.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Four Color Commentary - Books Shipped 4-26-06
Once again this is going to be a commentary-free edition of the Four Color Commentary. I am recovering from my trip to Korea by spending the weekend playing photographer at the Lone Star Flight Museum’s annual air show on Galveston. This combined with the fact that I did not read one single comic while I was in Korea has combined to put me so far behind on my comic reading that I am going to need an entire weekend to get caught up. Right now I am planning on that being next weekend, but we shall see. Here is what I bought this week:
- Annihilation: Ronan #1 (of 4)
- Simon Furman, Writer
- Jorge Lucas, Artist
- Astonishing X-Men #14
- Joss Whedon, Writer
- John Cassaday, Artist
- Batman #652
- James Robinson, Writer
- Don Kramer, Penciller
- Michael Bair & Wayne Faucher, Inkers
- Blue Beetle #2
- Keith Giffen & John Rogers, Writers
- Cully Hamner, Artist
- Hawkgirl #51
- Walter Simonson, Writer
- Howard Chaykin, Artist
- Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven #2 (of 6)
- Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, Writers
- Dan Jurgens & Jimmy Palmiotti, Artists
- Ion #1
- Ron Marz, Writer
- Greg Tocchini, Artist
- Jay Leisten, Inker, pages 14-15
- Legends of the Dark Knight #204
- Justin Gray, Writer
- Steven Cummings, Artist
- Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom #3
- Peter David with Luke Lieberman, Writers
- Will Conrad, Artist
- Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #4 (of 4)
- Grant Morrison, Writer
- Doug Mahnke, Artist
- Solo #10
- Damion Scott, Artist
- Various Writers
- Star Wars: Tag & Bink Episode I Revenge of the Clone Menace
- Kevin Rubio, Writer
- Lucas Marangon, Artist
- Ultimate Fantastic Four #29
- Mark Millar, Writer
- Greg Land, Artst
- Usagi Yojimbo #93
- Stan Sakai, Writer & Artist
- Wolverine #41
- Stuart Moore, Writer
- C.P. Smith, Artist
Thursday, April 27, 2006
KPB Entry 7
4-27-06. 11:55pm local time.
This will be the final KPB entry from the road as I am in the process of packing up the camera and all my other junk in preparations to depart tomorrow for home but before I get all maudlin about having to leave without spending quality time with May's sister Kim, lets get to the good stuff.
Today was another whirlwind day of getting to know Korea. The morning started with a visit to Geongbokgung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) in Seoul. Here I learned an important lesson. Kids love me, or rather in Korea school kids are VERY eager to try out their english on whitey. Included in this desire to practice english is a desire to shake your hand, hear you slaughter their name, and, if they are girls, have your picture taken with you. I might have been asked to pose once or twice, but my brother was a freakin' rock star, particularly when he would whip out his Korean-fu on the kids. After the Palace we went to one of the markets in Seoul so my mother could engage in more commerce then it was a quick jaunt over to the Korean War Memorial Museum for a high-speed pass, after which we had dinner, then wandered around Seoul, and then headed home for the night. Here are pictures:
This will be the final KPB entry from the road as I am in the process of packing up the camera and all my other junk in preparations to depart tomorrow for home but before I get all maudlin about having to leave without spending quality time with May's sister Kim, lets get to the good stuff.
Today was another whirlwind day of getting to know Korea. The morning started with a visit to Geongbokgung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) in Seoul. Here I learned an important lesson. Kids love me, or rather in Korea school kids are VERY eager to try out their english on whitey. Included in this desire to practice english is a desire to shake your hand, hear you slaughter their name, and, if they are girls, have your picture taken with you. I might have been asked to pose once or twice, but my brother was a freakin' rock star, particularly when he would whip out his Korean-fu on the kids. After the Palace we went to one of the markets in Seoul so my mother could engage in more commerce then it was a quick jaunt over to the Korean War Memorial Museum for a high-speed pass, after which we had dinner, then wandered around Seoul, and then headed home for the night. Here are pictures:
The main courtyard at Gyeonbokgung Palace.
We arrive just in time for the changing of the guards ceremony and the opening of the gate. It was pretty cool.
Gyeonghoeru is the place in the palace where important feasts would be held and foreign envoys were entertained.
After the Palace and a bit of shopping we went to the Korean War Memorial Museum. I was very impressed by this museum however I did not feel right taking many pictures inside so I shot a ton in the outdoor displays.
The Statue of the Brothers.
One of the gates at night. I will have to make a note which one later as I have already packed my books and the like.
Oh well, this is it for now. I will update later as I get images moved to my Webshots albums.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
KPB Entry 6
4-26-06. 10:04pm local time.
Whew! The last two days have been a bit full of activity. After a slow start on Tuesday and a bit of miscommunication over the directions, we met up with May's parents and then went to the east coast of Korea. Our ultimate destination was Seoraksan National Park however along the way we stopped in Sokcho for some modeumhoe, the Korean equivalent of sushi, spent the night at Hwajinpo Condos, peered across the DMZ into the face of the enemy, ate more Korean food than I can shake a stick at, and was handed some Man Doo by a guy at a gas station (all of which are full-service). Here are a few of the holy crap I took a ton of pictures.
Whew! The last two days have been a bit full of activity. After a slow start on Tuesday and a bit of miscommunication over the directions, we met up with May's parents and then went to the east coast of Korea. Our ultimate destination was Seoraksan National Park however along the way we stopped in Sokcho for some modeumhoe, the Korean equivalent of sushi, spent the night at Hwajinpo Condos, peered across the DMZ into the face of the enemy, ate more Korean food than I can shake a stick at, and was handed some Man Doo by a guy at a gas station (all of which are full-service). Here are a few of the holy crap I took a ton of pictures.
My new favorite sign. Don't drive off into the water. This would not be as chuckle-worthy if it was located somewhere where it might be conceivable one could drive into the water, however every place I saw these signs you had to get through/over at least one railing, usually involving cement blocks, before you could get to the water.
Some of the roadside scenery actually shot from the car as we drove through the mountains.
More scenery. This time shot from a rest stop and scenic overlook.
May and her step-mom select our dinner and negotiate a price.
And we eat.....and eat.....and eat. The mostly empty platters were covered in raw fish. After the crab we had spicy fish soup.
My sleeping arrangements in Hwajinpo. The floor was heated and the night was cold so I slept with the door to the blacony open and listened to the waves crashing maybe 100 yards away.
Part of the beach and headland at Hwajinpo. It was incredibly beautiful and just to the right of the picture is a restoration of Kim Il-sung's vacation home.
The guard tower in the center of this picture is on the North Korean side of the DMZ.
Beondegi or boiled silk worm larvae are a popular snack here in Korea. They're not as nasty as they look, although the taste sticks with you for a while after you eat one.
Cherry blossoms in Seoraksan National Park.
A view from near the summit of Seoraksan (Snowy Crags Mountain.) Not too far below the summit is a small Buddhist temple and the whole time we were descending you could here the chants.
Monday, April 24, 2006
KPB Entry 5
4-25-06. 9:00am local time.
After the Korea House we went back to my brother's apartment. Here are a few views of the Seoul Tower from the street by his apartment.
For some reason this makes me think of the ships from The Black Hole.
After the Korea House we went back to my brother's apartment. Here are a few views of the Seoul Tower from the street by his apartment.
For some reason this makes me think of the ships from The Black Hole.
KPB Entry 4
4-25-06. 7:36AM local time.
After the wedding I conitnued drinking at Freinds, the bar where May is a manager. I did not take my camera so there are no pictures however from my vague memories the night looked something like this:
After the wedding I conitnued drinking at Freinds, the bar where May is a manager. I did not take my camera so there are no pictures however from my vague memories the night looked something like this:
It is just me or is the whole Impressionist school of art just a bunch of artists who either could not draw or needed glasses?
Neat, huh. Monday I spent the day hung-over. In the afternoon May and my mom went to pick out some of the wedding pictures and Charlie and I hung out. Everyone over here refers to him as Woody. Once May and mom were done we went to Insadong to do some shopping, eat, and just hang out. Here are a couple of pictures of Insadong:
It kind of looks like the movies over here.
I liked the train sign.
It's a street.
Even though this is not painted black, I suspect it is art. Only one or two of you will get that.
After that we went to the Korea House, which is an old mansion that has been turned into a restaraunt where you can eat a traditional Korean meal and then see a show of traditional dances and music and the like. My favorite dance was the one at the end where there were four guys, each one with a different instrument. On the top of their hats they had streamers that they would flick around in time to the music. It was very frentic and looked like a lot of fun. Here are some pictures I took of the grounds. Sadly we were not allowed to photograph the performance.
These are Jangseung, or wooden devil images. They are posted by the entrance to a village or used to mark other boundries or as mile markers. In this case they are praying for the happiness of familes among heaven, earth and human.
This is one of the dining rooms at the Korea House.
Looking up the hill at the Korea House.
My mom, myself, Charlie, and May with part of the dance troupe. I think I need one of those red hats. Oh yeah, and there is nothing like being a tourist in Asia to point out how large you really are. Their dancing satisfied me and so their village lives another day (the girls in the funky red hats performed a dnaced based in the shamanistic tradition of Korea.)
The front gate of the Korea House at night.
KPB Entry 3
4-24-06. 10pm local time.
My brother is a married man. Here are some pictures.
My brother is a married man. Here are some pictures.
Here is the family shot. I had to stand in for my dad since he wasn't here. I found out about this approximately five minutes before the wedding started. Fortunately for me all that meant was that I had to wear white gloves (which were freakishly small and cut off the circulation in my hands) and sit up at the front. All in all not too bad. My mom really loved wearing her hanbok.
The first kiss. I think there might have been tongue at this point.
May throws the bouquet. Sadly there was no fighting over it, however the girl that caught it did spike it and then do the funky chicken. I love traditional weddings!
Mr. and Mrs. May Kim....I mean Charles Wood.
The first dance...to Savage Garden. Aren't they such a cute couple? Like gaggy cute.
The dip and kiss. All about class, that Charlie, all about class.
The girlies cannot resist the power of the funkywoodjam and quite frankly, I have to say that I am indeed pretty fry for a white guy.
"I said WHAT?"
May's mother brought her dog to the festivities. At first I thought this was Korean sushi.
And because we are all about equal time here at the Opiate, I present a picture of my brother's cat, Eddie, who was unable to join us at the wedding due to prior commitment to sleeping.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Dragon Hill Lodge
So far today has been grey and cold so I have not taken any pictures, however I thought I would post the website for the Dragon Hill Lodge, which is the hotel my mom and I are staying in. It is http://www.dragonhilllodge.com/main.html
Here's hoping it clears up in the next four hours for my brother's wedding.
Here's hoping it clears up in the next four hours for my brother's wedding.
KPB Entry 2.5
4-23-06. 6:34 AM, local time.
Nikki requested more pictures of my brother, so here are most of the ones I have taken so far.
Nikki requested more pictures of my brother, so here are most of the ones I have taken so far.
Cory about to put a cap in Charlie's @$$.
Charlie and our mom.
May playing with some kids.
May vamping it up in Sue's bug-eye sunglasses.
KPB Entry 2
4-22-06. 6:16 local time.
About an hour ago we wrapped up lunch with May and most of her immediate family (her dad skipped out since my dad was not going to be here).
About an hour ago we wrapped up lunch with May and most of her immediate family (her dad skipped out since my dad was not going to be here).
The families.
The matriarchs.
Cory, one of my brother's freinds from high school who is now teaching English in Japan, is a P-I-M-P!
May and my mom.
May and I. She is one foot five inches shorter than I am and for some reason my brother gets a kick out of that. All I have to say about it is she is lucky I am a freindly god and the little villagers need not fear me. ;)
Sue, Kim, and May. Somehow I think it is appropriate that my brother's fiancee is the one with her tongue sticking out.
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