Adventures with Jolly Roger...

I'm always interested in how random things can often be repeated within a 24 hour period. For example, this afternoon I spent WAY too much time perusing the FOUND website. (For those of you not familiar with FOUND, it's a website where people send in random notes, pictures, scraps of paper they find lying around.) In one found photo, there was a scull and crossbones visible in the background. Someone had made a comment about the photo, and mentioned Jolly Roger. I had no idea who Jolly Roger was, and continued reading the comments until I found that Jolly Roger is actually a name for the pirate flag. "Hmm, that's interesting." I thought to myself.

I tore myself away from reading on-line snippets of discarded trash, and went to watch Jeopardy. Lo and Behold, if "What is Jolly Roger" wasn't a correct response! Sadly, my excitement at the juxtaposition of these two separate pirate flag events chased away the answer. I was left muttering at the TV "What is .... uhhhh .... Happy Bob? ... Smiling Dan? ... " Luckily, the actual contestant did know the answer.

In addition, and because I'm a dork, I found some interesting sites dealing with the etymology of the term Jolly Roger, the history of pirate flags in general, and the men (and women) who sailed under them.

Ar-r-r-r and avast!

Adventures in A Night at the Movies...

I know I should be writing about what a lovely Galbi dinner I had this evening with my friends, and how my office is STILL clean after an entire 2 weeks of frequent usage, and how my bedbugs seem to have been contained in that one blanket - not the whole bed, thankfully!

However, I'm feeling the need to tell you all about the movie I watched last night. At the outset, Nicolas Cage was an advocate for the falsely imprisoned. Shortly after he managed to get justice for an innocent inmate, he himself was convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and was sentenced to 4 years in a very nasty prison. He was desperate to get his name cleared, and to get out of jail before his pregnant wife had their baby. After what seemed like spending ages in prison, he declared "I REALLY need a hamburger." A sympathetic companion helped engineer an escape - just long enough for Nicolas to get his hamburger and return to prison - before anyone knew he was gone. Unfortunately, just as he was returning to the prison after eating his hamburger, a riot broke out. The prison was locked down, and there was no way he could sneak back in. Now a fugitive, he pulled a blanket over his head, put an oxygen mask over his face, and blended in with the residents of a local senior's home.

The blockbuster hits projected on the back of my eyelids as I sleep some nights amaze me.

Adventures in Bed Bugs...

I was a little chilly last night, so I pulled my duvet up from the foot of the bed. I woke up this morning with 7 bites on my left hand, 2 bites on my right hand, 3 bites on my leg, a bite on my stomach, and a bite on my back. GROSS!!! At present, I'm covered with a bright yellow bug-bite concoction I picked up in Thailand. I smell terrible, but I'm not itching. Of course, I hauled the duvet off the bed and changed my sheets - but now what do I do? Does anyone know if you can dryclean a down comforter? Will that get rid of the bugs? Eeeewwww, it's now nearly bedtime, and I'm almost tempted to sleep on the sofa!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, but y'all can keep your "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" comments to yourselves. Eww. Eww. Eww.

Adventures in Concept Cars...

Perhaps this has been all over the news in North America, but I just saw it for the 1st time tonight. It's Nissan's concept car: Pivo. The cab swivels, and each tire has its own motor: no axles! The driver never has to back into a parking space. Just spin the cab and wheels around, and go in forwards, or sideways - whichever direction is preferred. I thought it looked pretty nifty. The fact that it looks like a cartoon bubble makes it a little difficult to take seriously. You could easily make the mistake of thinking it's made by Mattel, not Nissan. I don't know how it would handle on a highway, but as a city car, it would certainly have it's benefits. (I'm envisioning the parking garage at Costco on a Saturday afternoon.) Those of you at home with sprawling parking lots are probably thinking "What's the big deal?" Those of you here, picturing crowded, screechy parking garages are thinking "Oooh, I could swivel my way into that tiny spot in the corner!" Really, think of all the great things that swivel: office chairs, giant binoculars at scenic tourist spots, Elvis' hips. I've digressed. If you want to check out some Pivo videos, you can find them on both YouTube or Yahoo videos.

Adventures in Learning New Things...

Today, I learned a few new things. I learned that the by-line on my blog has been misspelled for years. Woolly does not have an 'e' in it. I also learned that I used their instead of they're in yesterday's post, even though I truly do know the difference. After ruminating on these two things, I subsequently learned that either my readers don't notice things like that, or that they're too polite to say anything. Am I really the only person I know who occasionally feels the need to fire off an e-mail gently saying "Ahem, I'm sorry to say you've misrepresented either the lexical or grammatical norms of the English language." ?

I also learned (thanks to Melanie's blogging savvy) how to add a "What I'm Reading" section on the sidebar. If you glance to your left, you'll see it. I called it "Next to my sofa", since that's where most of my reading material ends up. (Except the Reader's Digest, but I refuse to add a sidebar detailing what's in my bathroom.)

Oh, and while I'm thanking Melanie, I should also thank her for the Apple Crisp recipe she posted. Annelie and I made it tonight, and it was delicious.

Now, I'm off to watch the end of the Rugby match. (Maybe eventually I'll learn what the rules governing that sport are.)

Adventures in smells that made me happy today...

My morning coffee aroma wafting through the apartment.

The first few drops of a rain shower. (Mind you, I had to cycle home from the nether-regions of campus as the rain continued to fall.)

Freshly mowed grass in the early evening.

It's been a slow day, but it smelled nice.

Adventures in Sleeping in on a Lovely National Holiday and Enjoying an Aromatic Cup of Coffee in Peace on My Quiet Balcony...

At least that's what this post would have been titled if the constructions workers hadn't decided to test out their shiny new jackhammer 20 feet away from my window at 6:30 this morning. It's now 8:47 and their still at it. I'm reluctant to take my coffee out to the balcony for fear of being caught making snarly faces at their noisy machinery.

Adventures in Upgrades...

You'll all be pleased to know that after my camping dream, I didn't have any further dreams about hunting for a house or home. (I did have a dream about a delicious cheese sauce though.) Enough about dreams, I can now draw your attention back to Wednesday, June 6th. As you may recall, (yes, if your world doesn't revolve around my every post, you may take a moment to scroll down and refresh your memory. I'll wait. ... ... ...) I left you, my dear reader, in the dark as to Episode 2. I've taken the liberty of condensing it, otherwise I'd be here for ages typing, and you'd be all wrinkly and aged and your muscles would have atrophied by the time you finished reading it.

Episode 2:

My computer was coughing, grinding, choking and freezing. In attempting to fix it, I managed to have 3 Windows XP operating systems running - well, installed. None of them were actually running. I took the computer to the shop and asked them to wipe the sucker clean and re-install ONE operating system. The man in the shop said, "No problem, it'll be $20 and you can pick it up in an hour." An hour later, I went back and was told "You need a new blah-blah-blah technical thingy and it'll be $70 and ready tomorrow."

Later, I returned to the shop, paid my $70, picked up my computer and a box with a video card neatly wrapped up in it, and came home. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where/how to put the video card it. I couldn't believe they'd sold me a part that wouldn't fit. A few days later, when I had the chance, I took the whole mess back to the shop (wearing my angry face) and plopped the thing back on the counter. It turns out that the video card that was so neatly wrapped was my old one. He plugged the computer in, and showed me that the new one worked fine. Egads! Embarrassed, I returned home.

A few days later, when I was once again able to wrestle with the bucket of bolts, I plugged in all the wires, cables and other accoutrements and VOILA! There was nothing. Nothing at all. The computer was whirring and grinding, but my monitor couldn't detect a signal. I took the computer down to Annelie's house, thinking perhaps my monitor (my lovely, relatively new, flat monitor) was the culprit. Alas, it didn't work on Annelie's computer either. In a huff, I was about to go storming back to the computer shop. Luckily, I remembered my embarrassment from the last time I wore my angry face, and eventually (Not soon. Eventually.) came to discover that I had plugged the cable into the wrong spot. oops.

I was all ready to sit down and tell you that Episode 2 had been resolved satisfactorily. I turned my computer on. My monitor, now properly connected, displayed the lovely start-up screen..but that's all the computer would do! Every time I tried to open a program, it would freeze.

(Insert 3 more months of more futile efforts to fix computer here...)

Eventually, I gave up, went to the electronics market, and bought the sleek little CPU humming merrily beside me as I type.

There, now having made it to the end of the abridged version of Episode 2, you might still be well advised to go apply some Oil of Olay, and do a few deep-knee bends.

Adventures in Downgrades...

Just an addendum to last night's post. First, was a night of house-hunting in dreamland. Next, there was a search for an apartment in dreamland. Last night found me dreaming I was sleeping in a tent eating M&Ms. Will tonight be a cardboard box, or a tree limb?

Adventures in Absolutely Nothing...

After much anticipation, the 5-day Chuseok holiday is upon us. Instead of battling the teeming masses of humanity descending on every flight, train, bus and highway, I've chosen to stay home, relax and get caught up on my "I'll do that later" list. I have spent the last 2 days fluttering between the sofa (watching movies, Murder She Wrote, and an unending stream of CSI episodes on a 48+ hour CSI Marathon on one of the Korean channels), cleaning my balcony (Good heavens, how long has that plant been dead?, Eww, what kind of bug is that and how long has it been dead? What on earth is in that box, and why have I been keeping it?), reading and playing Scrabulous. As a result, there hasn't been much Bloogabler material. (Ha, I meant to write Bloggable, but Bloogabler is such a bubbly tasting word, I left it in for you to enjoy too.)

As is often the case when my days are routine, my nights are not. Two night ago I dreamed I was house-hunting. I found a delightful place with a pink kitchen, a rooftop garden with a view of the bay, and the option to either descend into the basement via the stairs, or the carpeted slide. Last night, I dreamed I was looking for an apartment. After finding a suitable place, I went to the grocery store. My purchases came to $19.06, so I paid $20 and waited for my $3.25 in change. The clerk refused to give me my change. It wasn't the $3.25 that she disputed (somehow, both of us and the cash register agreed that that was the correct amount). No, her rationale was "If I give everyone change, I won't have any money left in my till." I was furious. I was entitled to $3.25 change, and she couldn't just keep it! I wrestled her out of the way, grabbed a $3 bill and a quarter from the cash register, and was on my way.

I woke up with a strong determination to send my sub-conscious back to Math class.

Adventures in Rhythm ...

Some of you may be a bit bemused by the title of this post. Everyone know I have no rhythm. However, one of the things I really enjoy about the job I have is that every semester, the rhythm of my life changes. Every semester, I get a new schedule, and the first week or two are quite hectic: finding classrooms hidden in different buildings around campus, meeting new students, finding times to fit in things like lunch and the gym. In the midst of this semi-annual upheaval, patterns start to develop, and the rhythm of each week starts to take on a distinct beat. As I'm focusing on getting stuff done, and remembering where I'm supposed to be at what time, I start to notice certain things just seem to be happening at certain times. This autumn, I have discovered a new rhythm that I really enjoy. After I get home from my last class each day, I put the kettle on. While the water is boiling, I change into my comfy house-clothes and prepare my teapot. As the tea is steeping, I either water the plants or hang up a load of laundry. As I sip my cup of tea, I take out my school folder, and finish any residual bits of paperwork I've left floating about all day in "I'll Do It Later Land". Then I finish my tea as I shut down my work-brain and rev up my groovin' and chillin' brain. Last week, as I was discovering this new ritual which had found its way into my days, I thought to myself "What a lovely way to remember to water the plants!"

An aside: Yesterday was the first day in over a week that we saw the sun. It's been pouring rain everyday since the semester started at the end of August. That's quite something, considering July is the rainy season.

Things I Never Thought...

Yes, I know I've been quite un-post-ish for the past . I've been enjoying a fantastic trip home, but thought I'd better sit down and share with you some precious moments from my conversations with my niece and nephew. Over the past week, I've said some things I never thought I'd say. I'm particularly amazed that each utterance was actually context appropriate.

1. "Logan, watch where you're pointing that unicorn." This was spoken only seconds before the inflatable unicorn Logan won at the fair found its way into the unsuspecting crotch of a man walking by.

2. "Kaitlyn, I'm having trouble throwing a cotton-ball at the dolphin with a unicorn in my hand." What, you can't figure out the context of this one? We were playing cotton-ball baseball using the inflatable fair prizes as bats, of course.

3. (My personal favourite.) "Logan, please don't lick my cheese bag." That one's pretty straight forward, and means exactly what it says.

Adventures in Murphy and His Dumb Law...

Most of the time, my experiences with the service industry in Korea have been quite pleasant. These past couple of weeks though have sent my angry "Grrrrrr-o-Meter" soaring.

Episode 1:
I went downtown to Cell-Phone Alley with my friend HeeJin to get a new cell phone. It's a whole street lined with shops that sell cells. They all look pretty much the same, and sell exactly the same phones. The first shop we entered showed me a model with the features I wanted (English menu, Korean-English dictionary) and told me it would cost $192. The second shop we entered flatly said they wouldn't sell a phone to a foreigner. The third shop said they could terminate my contract with my current company (even though the phone was in a Korean friend's name), sign me up with a new company, and give me a new (very sweet) phone for free!

Competition between the 3 major cell phone companies is so stiff, that they're giving new phones away for free if people change carriers. Needless to say, I switched carriers, got a snazzy new phone...and discovered the next day that it didn't have a dictionary. Since that was the only feature I'd actually asked for, HeeJin called the shop to report the problem. We were told to bring it back sometime that week and exchange it, so we made the 1.5 hour trip (one-way) on Wednesday night, only to have the guy tell us the promotion was over for the month, and he couldn't do anything about it until June. Luckily, June started on Friday. We made the trip again on Saturday, only to discover that in order to get another phone, I'd have to switch carriers again...to a company that won't let a foreigner have a phone in their own name.

To make a loooooong, frustrating story short, I now have another new phone, with the company I started with, and still not in my name.

Whew, that story took longer than I thought. Episode 2 will have to wait. (Episode 2 is also not resolved yet, so I might wait until the story has an ending.)

Adventures in two completely unrelated things...

The Daegu University Student Spring Festival just wrapped up last night. On the main stage during the evening was what Tracy assured me was a 'spinning' demonstration. Since the only spinning I know involves a wooden wheel and sheep shavings, what was happening on the stage looked more like synchronized stationary bike pedaling. I can't believe people do that for fun/exercise/entertainment. Since I'm not a big fan of stationary bikes to begin with, I can't imagine combining such an activity with my complete lack of rhythm and coordination. Dancing and cycling...the worst of both worlds!!

The other thought I had was while I watched (Yes, I'm sorry to say I did watch) the season finale of The Bachelor. I was thinking, "If the Bachelor was filmed in Utah, would he really have to choose between the final two contestants?" Couldn't he just marry 'em both? Something the network might want to think about. (Or something Fox could pick up. Or is it already on Fox? I have no idea.)

It's a lovely day today, and a holiday to boot, so I'm going to pull myself away from the computer and finish my coffee on the balcony.

Adventures in Odds'n'Ends...

I guess it's high time for an update. I have a few things to share today.

1. Happy 40th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad.

2. Remember that brave plant that had the fortitude to bloom in my house? I'm afraid I repaid its bravery today by sucking up one of its robust leaves in my vacuum. I think I scared it.

3. We went for lunch at the Mexican restaurant yesterday. The food was good, and it was really nice to have some good ol' Canadian poutine with it. The unfortunate part is that we all shared and tasted each others orders, and I don't think the combination of Mole Enchiladas, Burritos, Poutine and brownies sat well afterwards. Even so, it's worth a repeat.

4. We're planning a 1980s birthday bash for Saturday. Does anyone remember what we ate at 80s parties? I can just remember hot dogs and chips from our birthday parties. Are there any grown-ups out there who ate grown-up 80s food at grown-up 80s parties?

5. Eli's little kitty, who was on deaths door this time last week, has made an amazing recovery. Catticus was down the hall sniffing enthusiastically at Eli's door and can't wait for Clio to get her shots so she can come over and play.

6. I've decided that numbered or bulleted lists, while easy to write and read, are the stylistic equivalent to being served a Twinkie for dessert at a 5-star restaurant. It's just not classy, and more than a little disappointing. I apologize. However, on the bright side, numbered lists don't taste like socks, or make you fat. I suppose that's some consolation.

That's all. I'm off to finish cleaning, and see if I can't find some legwarmers or stirrup pants.

Adventures in yet more Texas-caused headshaking...

Whilst driving to the vet tonight, my friends and I were discussing carbon offsetting as a way to reduce our carbon footprints. (For more information on carbon offsetting, check out Carbon Footprint here. I was amazed that my flight home this summer was going to produce about 2,000 kg of CO2!) During the conversation, one of my friends mentioned that some seminaries in the US now have coined the phrase "Creation protection" instead of just "Environmental Protection" like everyone else is using. I wondered why they were distancing themselves like that. Is it because some Christian groups have got it into their heads that only hippies and granolies protect the environment? Perhaps not, perhaps I'm being overly sensitive.

When I got home, I decided to google "Creation Protection". The first thing I came across was a seminar being held at a church in Texas. I realize I know nothing about this church, it's mission or it's beliefs, so the following criticism may be made in haste. Even so, one of the seminar topics started that sad ol' resigned headshaking:

The Great Moral Issues of Our Times
Should global warming be a moral issue for Christians? This discussion takes up the debate as to whether or not the focus of Christians should be solely on a core set of predefined moral issues or whether Christians should look issues such as poverty, hunger and environmental protection as moral issues as well.

Ignoring the utterly ridiculous bit about focusing "solely on a core set of predefined moral issues", I wondered how far off base is a church that actually has to ask if issues such as poverty, hunger and environmental protection should be moral issues. I am just hoping and praying that the person leading the seminar either asked it as a rhetorical question, or else stated unequivocally in the seminar that yes, indeed, poverty and hunger should be priorities for the church.

This post sounds much more vitriolic than I'd intended. In some ways, I'm grateful that at least the issues are being discussed. In other ways, I'm sad that there's an underlying assumption that if poverty, hunger and environmental protection really aren't moral issues, then the church doesn't have a responsibility to act on them.

As you can tell, I'm getting disheartened. For all my church-going readers, can you help balance my perspective by telling me things that your congregations are doing to alleviate poverty and hunger in your area? For all my non-church going readers, are you involved in any projects to help do the same?

Thanks.

Adventures in bloomers...

For those of you familiar with my horribly un-green thumb, you'll be pleased to know that a green leafy plant I bought now has TWO pretty white flowers on it. It's the first time I've bought a plant without flowers that has actually grown some. Very good sign.

In other news, I just finished reading John Stackhouse's book Timbit Nation: A Hitchhikers view of Canada. (John Stackhouse from the Globe and Mail, not from Regent College). It provided an interesting appraisal of Canadians and their country. I've met many people who have much in common with the nice (and some not-so-nice) folks who gave him a lift. It also made me a little nostalgic for the Canada of my youth...and oddly enough, the Canada of my parents' and grandparents' youth. Is it possible to be nostalgic for something you haven't experienced? [ I suppose if Soul Asylum can be homesick for a home they've never had, I can be nostalgic for a past I've never had]. I've just put it down, and am sleepy, so I don't actually have much else to say about it. As with most books, it usually takes me a day or two to process, then I likely won't bother writing about it again. (Unless it's for a course, and I have a paper due.)

I've now plucked "The Queen of the South" off the communal shelf, but I know nothing about it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if it's worth going beyond the first chapter.

Adventures in Surprising Combinations...

Before I actually get to the purpose of this post, I thought it would be nice to tell you all how lovely it was to fall asleep last night. My bedroom window was open, so I could hear rain pounding against my balcony windows, in a soothing swoosh,swoosh, drip, splat sort of way. My room was full of the sweet aroma of my blooming Jasmine plant, and crisp fabric-softener softened pillow cases. It was just one of those super-pleasant, spring is coming kind of sleeps. Ahhhh.

This morning, when I woke up and checked my e-mail, I discovered an advertisement forwarded by one of the other teachers. To might delight, a Mexican restaurant has opened in Gyeongsan (very close to my home!) and as I perused the menu, I was astonished to find poutine on the menu of a Mexican restaurant. Apparently, one of the co-owners is Canadian, and couldn't resist adding it to the menu. I hope to go try it out sometime this week. I'll let you know how it is!

Adventures in Revolutions...

Back at the beginning of February, I mentioned I was reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. If you have ever been frustrated, put off, or disenchanted with the Christian Church in North America, it's well worth the read. I should have been finished it long ago, but I put it down for a while to stew. I picked it up again last weekend, and was struck by this quote from Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor killed by the Gestapo in 1944:

"... remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish ... but never the chameleon."

I fear that in an attempt to seem more appealing, the church in North America has become a chameleon. Some are changing to seem trendy and hip, others to become more like the glossy mega-churches who place a higher value on a new sound system than they do on feeding the poor, or fighting for justice in their own neighbourhoods. Just a thought.

Adventures in Wishing I was Surprised...

I read the following headline this morning, and while I shook my head, I must confess that considering the state the article hails from, I wasn't surprised.

"Texas bill makes it easier for the blind to hunt with guns"

Adventures in a Blooming Campus...

Last year at this time (well, technically this time last year was two weeks later than it is this year), there was only one nice day to get some shots of cherry blossoms on campus, and my camera battery let me down. This time, I'm happy to say, I spent yesterday walking around campus snapping away. Well, I guess that really, a digital camera doesn't snap; but to say that I spent yesterday wzzhring away just doesn't have the same appeal.

I thought y'all might like to take a peek at what I see on my way to work every day. Loverly, ain't it?

Adventures in Misadventure...

Last weekend was indeed a comedy of errors.

The Expectation:
A few friends and I would take a mini-road trip to Andong (about an hour and a half away). There, we would have dinner at a delicious galbi restaurant. We would stay at the Windmill hotel, take long relaxing baths in the whirlpool tubs, and go hiking around the adjacent lake. The next day, we would find a museum or folk village to explore for an hour or so before heading home.

Rise and Shine:
On the day of departure, I got up around 7 o'clock. It was still as dark as night outside. By 9 o'clock, the rain, thunder and lightening had begun. Eventually, the storm abated, and 3 of us loaded ourselves into the car. As soon as we got off campus, it started to hail. Undaunted, we began our trip as all good road trips should begin: with breakfast at McDonald's. I have never in my life had such slow service. We were the only 3 customers in the joint, yet I'm convinced a carton of expired yogurt could have moved faster than the waif behind the counter.

Andong! :
After a rocky start, but a good Egg McMuffin, and a little more hail, we made it to Andong. We drove straight to the hotel to unpack and settle in, only to discover that the hotel has gone out of business. Gone. Kaput. Abandoned. Stalwart travelers that we were, we made our way to the galbi restaurant to recoup and refuel. When we got there, we were the only customers around. The woman who owns the place remembered us from last time, and invited us to stay at her place next time we're in town. She was so happy to see us, she actually sat down next to me and not only cooked our food for us, but FED IT TO US too! It was more than a little odd.

The Mountain Cabin:
Will full bellies, we set out to remedy our accommodation difficulties. We found an ad for a mountain cabin that looked nice. (Hiking was still on our agenda, now that the rain had cleared.) We called, asked for rates, asked if they had a bathtub, and asked if they had room for the night. Receiving an acceptable answer to all of the above, we set of down the highway. Then up a hill...around a bend...through a village...up, up, up into the mountain and deep deep deep into the woods. We found the cabin, grabbed our bags and headed for the front desk; the empty front desk. We called the number again, and were informed that there was a special event on at the cabin this weekend, and they were all booked up. Right. Thanks. So we drove back out of the woods, back down the mountain, back through the village, back around the bend, back down the hill and onto the highway.

The Seaside Hotel:
Eventually, after driving back to Andong, through Andong and out of Andong again, we wound up in YoungDuk. We found a seaside hotel that looked promising. We went to the front desk and asked our standard round of questions: rates, bathtub, room for the night. We were good to go. We hauled our stuff up into the room, flopped on the beds, looked gloomily at the tubless shower, and had a cup of tea. By this point, the day was nearly spent, and we were looking forward to a nice walk on the beach, in lieu of a hike through the woods, the next morning.

The Next Morning:
Rising early-ish, we threw open the curtains to enjoy our ocean view. All we could see was noxious yellow sand. (For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know all about this seasonal phenomenon. If you're not familiar with it, check out my post from April 18th of last year.) The sand levels were rated 'hazardous', and residents were warned to stay indoors with all doors and windows closed. We closed the window, watched a movie on TV in our hotel room, checked out and drove straight home.

The Icing on the Cake:
I sat down on Monday to chronicle this fun, entertaining, but disaster of a trip in my blog. Three sentences from the end, my computer froze and I lost the whole thing.

Adventures in Modern Dentistry...

It was time. I hadn't been to the dentist in a while (since I lived in Daejeon, and had a wisdom tooth removed), and figured it was time for a check-up. One of my co-workers recommended a place downtown. So, on a lovely Thursday afternoon, I headed off to see the dentist. I had memories of my dentist in Canada, with Escher's* prints on the ceiling for a little visual stimulation during your visit. The one at the top of this post is the one I remember most. My dentist today was a little more hi-tech. Mounted on the front of each chair assembly, there was a flatscreen TV with satellite. I was even given control of the remote! However, I only caught about 3 minutes of TV before a green cloth with a hole cut out for my mouth was placed over my face. Another nice thing about this particular dentist was the anaesthetic rinse I got to swoosh and gargle with first, so the cleaning wouldn't be so uncomfortable. It was awesome. My tongue was all numb.

After all was said and done, the dentist said I had nice, strong, healthy teeth. Hooray!! I don't have to go back for another 6 months! However, he has a fascinating book called, if I remember correctly, The Illustrated History of Dentistry. I only got to the 1st page (the downside of extreeeeeeeemly minimal wait times in Korean medical clinics), so I actually wouldn't mind popping in again just to sit in the waiting area and thumb through the book. There was a full-color photo of ancient Incan teeth with turquoise inlays - way cooler than body piercing. Speaking of which, I got a new belly-ring today. I'm off to boil it and try it on.

(ooooh, just noticed my paragraph structure above. I'd flunk any student in my writing class that started a paragraph talking about teeth, spent most of the paragraph discussing a book, and then closing the whole thing off with a belly button. Terrible form.)

* I couldn't remember Escher's name, so I just googled "famous drawings", and found the right site on my 2nd try. Amazing thing, this internet.

Adventures in Stellar Test Questions...

I came across this article on Yahoo! News. I laughed all the way through. I never had to take a driving test in China, but I remember what the traffic was like there. After reading this question from the traffic theory test, I think I know why:

"If a motor vehicle is passing through an intersection without a traffic light or traffic sign, should it give right of way to vehicles that have a green light?"

There are some other fascinating questions on the test. It's worth a peek at if you get a chance.

Adventures in Irony...

Tonight, we're going to watch a 2-hour episode of The Biggest Loser; we're going to order-in some fried chicken and a pizza to tide us over.

I just don't understand how my brain works. I can play with the cat during Survivor, I can paint my nails during CSI, I can knit during Law & Order...but I can't watch The Biggest Loser without snacks. I just. don't. get it.

Adventures in a Tad Too Much Twang...

I had oringinally planned to title the post "Adventures in Mean God...", however, being a huge fan of alliteration, and not such a big fan of promoting dubious theology, I opted for the twang thang.

Since I have yet to remember to take my own tunes down to the car, I find myself listening to AFN (American Forces Network) Radio when I'm on the road. Most of the time, they play a reasonably good mix of tunes. Sunday afternoons however, are devoted to the Country Music Countdown. This afternoon, my ear being unaccustomed to the twangs, warbles and contractions present in country songs, I misheard the lyrics of a certain ditty. I heard "There's nothin' in this world that can't be done by a Mean God... / He rules the world with His staff and rod. Mean God." I was not impressed. By mid-song though, I had discovered that Mean God, was actually Me'n'God. So the lyrics should read "There's nothin' in this world that can't be done by me and God." Even though my brain finally figured out the Me'n'God bit, my ear still refused to hear the difference. I continued to hear Mean God. I was happier when the song ended and moved on to something like: "That was Mama, in Ti-a-juaaaaaaana. She won't admit she smoked mar-i-juaaaaaaaana. That was Maaaaama, 'fore she was a MaMaaaaaaa." I'm pretty sure I didn't mis-hear those lyrics.

Mind you, for all that, I was actually happiest when I pulled into my parking spot and turned the radio off! Now though, the joy at shutting the radio off has turned into a bit of concern that I can't turn my brain off. Both song are still synapsing in my brain, and I find myself oscilating between "Meeeeeeeeen God" and "Marijuaaaaaaaana in Tiajuaaaaaaaaana." I'm going to see if I can find some Simon and Garfunkle to put an end to all this twangy mayhem.

Adventures in Turned Tables...

When I was growing up in Ontario, every year around this time, I would hear a conversation between my Dad and his mom. The conversation would always go something like this:

Dad (in Ontario): We got another (1/6/8) feet of snow last night.
Grandma (in Victoria): Three new (tulips/daffodils/crocuses) are up in the garden this morning.

And so, with my Grandma and her garden in mind, I have the following to say to all of you digging out from last week's storm: The cherry blossoms on campus are starting to bloom.

Adventures in a Fine Looking Family...





As requested, I've uploaded the pictures I took of the picture frames I made a while back. The top one is from the January picture in the calendar my local bank gave me for Christmas. The cut-out piece was big enough to use as a frame for a smaller picture, and I wound up with three pictures framed in the same, as you can see in the 2nd picture. The third one(s) are all cut from Our Canada magazine. I was lucky to find 2 identical pictures that were the right size to use for Kaitlyn and Logan's photos. I've started clipping and saving any interesting pictures from newspapers or magazines to use in future frames. Super cheap, and not-so-bad-lookin'!

Adventures in Swoosh, Swoosh, Swooshing...
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! The Year of the Pig got off to a great start at YeongPyong Ski Resort. Infact, we've decided that a Lunar New Year ski trip has now become an annual tradition. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were spent merrily on the slopes. Saturday began bright an early, leaving home at 4:10 a.m. in order to catch the 5:00 a.m. bus to the resort. 4 1/2 hours later, we arrived and got settled into our accomodation, got our equipment rented, our passes attached to our jackets, and our instructor secured.

The past two times I've gone skiing in Korea, I haven't bothered with an instructor, but the two people I was with wanted one, and I figured it had been so long since I'd had a lesson, I might learn something. (The fact that the instructor, John, was super-cute might have had a little something to do with that!) The lesson was 2 1/2 hours long, and by the end of it, we were all pretty confident of our skills on the beginner slopes. We continued skiing until the last possible moment our afternoon passes would allow, then trekked back to our room. After hot cups of tea or cocoa were consumed, and hot showers had by all, we slept soundly. The fantastic thing about Korean style rooms after a long day of skiing, is that you sleep on a thick pad right on the heated floor. It's like having a nice warm heating-pad directly applied to all your aching muscles.

I won't go into great detail about the rest of the trip (up the lift, down the hill, up the lift, down the hill, etc.) I'll just summarize like this: My favourite hill was 1400 meters high, with a run of 5.8km. It took me about 25 mintues to get to the bottom (I took my time), and the view was incredible. During the entire weekend, I only fell once, and that was just a little topple-over during my lesson. John was trying to teach me to swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, with my skis parallel, instead of the basic A-shaped snowplow. My swoosh, swoosh is going to take a little more practice! By the end of the weekend, my cheeks were (and still are) wind-burnt into a stunning shade of pink, my muscles feel a bit sore, but good, and my lungs are so full of mountain-fresh air, they think they've been in Canada.

If the rest of the Year of the Pig continues as well as it began, it's going to be a very good year!

Adventures in Cultural Differences...

I'm getting ready to go skiing for 3 days. Three of us will be leaving here at 4:10 tomorrow morning. ugh.

I was making sure I had everything prepared for the trip, and was going over some of the safety rules for the resort. I smiled when I came across the following notice:

Please use formal speak to other skiers. Often, it is hard to know the age and gender of fellow skiers due to shades, masks, and hats. Please use formal speak when addressing other skiers, just to be safe.

In Korea, 'formal speak' is used to talk to people higher than you on Confucious' Hierarchy of social importance. It requires different endings on the verbs to convey respect. While this is just an everyday thing I've gotten used to, it still came as a surprise to see it on the rules and regulations for a ski resort. Since I've picked up most of my Korean bit-by-bit, some of it I've learned with the respectful verb endings and some of it I've learned with just the regular, run-of-the-mill polite endings. I tend to bounce back and forth between them during any given exchange. That seems to be okay, because I'm a foreigner, and don't really fit anywhere on the hierarchy. Now, having read that notice, I'll be listening tomorrow to hear just how many folks on the slopes actaully heed the advice.

Adventures in Heartbreaking Economic Chasms...

Two tidbits of information I picked up recently.

1) From the Entertainment section of the news:

" Some of the world's wealthiest food lovers have flown in[to Thailand] for ... dinner, which carries a price tag of US$25,000 a head." (Read the article here.)

2) From some other reading I've been doing:

"Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds." (Read more here.)

I'm not going to rant about how the money from that single meal could have taken all 16,000 children for a meal at the Outback Steakhouse. ( I realize this is not a rational solution, I'm just making a point.) While the injustice of it all really angered me, it also made me think "Hold on, Janice. You can't just blast the uberwealthy, and let yourself off the hook." And so, the quest continues: to find a way to live life, concious of the needs of others.

I think Gandhi put it succinctly when he said, "There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed." The task at hand then, is to distinguish between the two. It's easy to say "I don't need $200,000 worth of wine at a single meal." It's not so easy to say "I don't need more than one coat. I don't need quite so many pairs of shoes." See, right there, I can't even bring myself to say I only need one pair of shoes. And so, the quest continues...

Adventures in Being Crafty...

My sister recently sent me some family photos, and ever since, I've been looking for frames. The problem I've been facing is choosing between expensive frames, ugly frames, or expensive AND ugly frames. Today, in an act of desperation, I grabbed some pictures from old calendars and magazines, chopped holes in 'em, and used them to frame the photos. Amazingly, they actually turned out nicely! I even branched out from the pictures Jen sent. For example, I found a picture of Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Since my Grandma really enjoyed that garden, I cut out the "This is Butchart Gardens" caption, and replaced it with a photo I had of Grandma. I'm really quite pleased with the result. Tomorrow I'll go to the campus stationary store and pick up some heavier poster-board for backing, and maybe some clear plastic sheeting to protect the surfaces.

I also cleared out both of my sock drawers this afternoon and spent an hour on-line trying to figure out other uses for the holey, pilly, or ill-fitting rejects. I think I might try weaving them into potholders and/or baskets. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Adventures in The Secret...

Apparently, there's been a buzz lately about the DVD/book "The Secret". I hadn't heard anything about it until it was on Oprah yesterday. From what I gathered, it's all about this NEWLY DISCOVERED, amazing secret to living a satisfying life. As I watched though, all I could think was "Hey - that's not newly discovered! It's plagiarism!" Some examples:

1) You should forgive people that have hurt you. Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, the Bible. (Luke 11:4)

2) You should be grateful for all the circumstances in your life. Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, the Bible. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

3) You should project 'good energy' (ie be cheerful). Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, the Bible. (Proverbs 17:22)

Now, I certainly agree with all the things above. I have no objections to encouraging people to be thankful, forgiving and cheerful. I do object to the makers of 'The Secret' stealing the bullet points from the plan God created for us; instead of giving credit where credit is due, casting God aside in favour or "the Universe", "a higher power" and "a [random, unnamed]spiritual force".

It's like having a conversation like this:

Joe: "Hey, a strong wind in a funnel shape destroyed my house."
Sam: "Really? A tornado destroyed your house?"
Joe: "No, no, not a tornado. It was a big funnel cloud and a strong strong wind."
Sam: "Joe, that's a tornado."
Joe: "It couldn't have been. I KNOW it wasn't a tornado, but it was just like in the Wizard of Oz."
Sam: "Joe, you're a moron."

Adventures in the Best Salad Ever...

Yes, it's true - not only are you getting 2 posts in one day, you're also getting a delicious and nutritious recipe. It's been on page 112 of my favourite cookbook for years, but I've always passed it by because it looked 'boring' and 'dull'. However, I had some cabbage to use up, and had most of these ingredients on hand. My mouth was so pleasantly surprised. Without further ado, here it is........

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (from Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook)

Cook and debone:
1 lb. chicken pieces (extra nice if cooked with some Anise seeds)
Place in a serving bowl:
3-4 cups cabbage, chopped in thin slices
Add:
1 tsp salt
Rub salt in cabbage and let stand a few minutes.
Add:
1 1/2 T. vinegar
1 T. sugar
3 green onions, chopped
3 sprigs of cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
chicken meat, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
black and red ground pepper to taste.
Mix and serve

I've also made it with some sauteed shitake mushrooms or diced red peppers.

Adventures in the Up-Side of Global Warming...

While I fully understand that climate change is a serious challenge, I still find it difficult to complain about such wonderful weather. As I check the weather reports from home (Moncton -17, Ottawa -17, Regina -27) I'm glad I chose to stay in Korea this winter (Daegu +17). These pictures were taken this afternoon during an impromptu BBQ down at the duck pond. The weather has been glorious for the past week, and even though we've all been having a good time and spending as much time outdoors as possible, there's still a lingering uneasiness about such warmth in February. It's similar to the feeling you get when you're staring at that huge slice of French Chocolate Silk Pie on your plate: you're going to enjoy it 100%, even though you know it can't be good for you and you're surely going to pay for it later.

Adventures in Time to Read...

I had thought that 4 1/2 weeks of vacation with no plans to go anywhere might get a little dull. Not at all! I've had some time to get some "Gee, I should do that sometime" things done, and I've had lots of time to read - with no pressure to put the book down and turn out the light at an appropriate bedtime. I polished off a paperback novel at 1:40 Monday morning - forgetting of course that I had committed to a Superbowl Breakfast at 7:30. Not to worry, I'm on vacation, and went back to bed after breakfast was over.

Having been immersed in entertaining rubbish for a couple of days, I switched to non-fiction. I now have 3 books on the go, and can't decide which to focus on. I'm 1/2 way through Out of Poverty and Into Something More Comfortable by John Stackhouse. It's an interesting read, looking at the remarkable difference in results between multi-million dollar aid schemes and grass-roots micro credit. It's also nice to get a Canadian perspective on what some of CIDA's money has funded. Hmm, describing it that way makes it seem a little heavy, but it's not. It's full of very human examples at each end of the spectrum; however, I've read it before, so I might put it aside until I'm done the others.

The others: The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, looks at a radical alternative for Christians seeking to live like Christ commanded; not like wealthy suburban churches suggest. I'm impressed by his compassion and fairness. It's not a tirade against the rich for not sharing with the poor, it's a compelling reminder that Christians were never expected to settle in and get comfortable with the status quo. The second book I'm working on is The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. I just got it in the mail yesterday, so I've only read the forward (by Bono!), the introduction and a little bit of the first chapter. As a bigwig in the world of Economists (I can't believe I bought a book about global economics) he says that it is possible to eliminate extreme poverty (ie put an end to 20,000 people dying EVERY DAY from extreme poverty) by the year 2025. I got the book because I agree with him that ending the war on terror would be a bi-product of ending extreme poverty. Since I have absolutely no evidence to back that up, I thought I'd read something credible that might provide some.

Well, I've rambled long enough, and it's time to go to the gym. Enjoy your day, and if you happen to see any of those titles in your friendly neighbourhood library, bookstore or friend's bookshelf, please look through them.

Adventures in....Adventures in...Adventures in...

For once, my lack of posts isn't the result of plain laziness. This time, my lack of posts is the direct result of postus interruptus. I've sat down at least once a day to whip up something witty and amusing to write (that would be a change, wouldn't it!?) and have been interrupted each time. Between people on the phone and at the door, I've gotten about 3 words written each time, and been called away from my computer. Now then, here is the post you've all been waiting for.

Thanks to everyone who suggested names for the car. After driving her around for awhile, and testing all the names as we went, she responded favourably to "Bridget". Like Bridget Jones, she's not-so-young, she's not-so-tiny, and she has a few 'wobbly bits' and some rather interesting quirks. Even so, she's solid and reliable - and if she can attract Mark Darcy, all the better. So, my dear, curious, readers (Ahem, Melanie), her name is Bridget. Also, to satisfy my dear, curious, parents, I took her to the mechanic yesterday for a "Please-don't-tell-me-I-bought-a-lemon-waiting- to-happen" check-up. The good news is he said I didn't get snowed. I paid a decent price for a decent car with a good engine. The not-so-good news is that the full 2-hour tune-up, complete fluid changes and a few replacement parts cost about $200. The nice thing is that the mechanic took a look at Bridget, made a list of what needed to be done, told me how much each thing would cost, and showed me where/why/how each thing was in need of fixin'. After the work was done, he showed me again where a shiny new part replaced the old one. He was very nice, and I'm hoping I won't have to see him for another 10,000 km - when it'll be time for an oil change.

Okay, enough about the car. She's now purchased, insured, registered and tuned-up. Now all I have to do is take her to Costco on Friday, and her Jedi training will be complete.

One quick word about the weather and I'm off to give my house a good holiday scrub-down. When I went to register Bridget on Monday, I drove home with my jacket on the passenger seat and my window rolled down and the radio on. It was like spring!! It's below freezing today (I think), but still not so bad.

Adventures in Automobile Ownership...

I've just purchased my very first very own car! I'm pretty excited about it. It's a 1995 Hyundai Euro-Accent with standard transmission. I bought it yesterday, and took it around campus today to get used to how it handles while parking, reversing, etc. As you can see from the pictures, it came with some rather unfortunate band-aid decals, which, like real-life band-aids, don't seem particularly anxious to be removed. I don't mind them though. At least I won't forget which car is mine! I haven't decided on a name for it yet. Perhaps if you have any ideas, you could leave a comment and make a suggestion! I've been toying with "Vera", "Daisy" (as in Oopsy-daisy!), and "Margarita"...however, upon reflection, naming a car after a cocktail probably isn't wise. Unless any of you have a better suggestion, I think she might be a Daisy. Let me know before Wednesday. I figure she should have her name before she's registered. (Not like they'll actually ask, it just seems appropriate.)

Adventures in ...um... not much of anything...

I realize I've become a little lax in my postings. I figured I should put something up today, just so you don't give up on reading this blog entirely. I've also included a recent photo, so you know I'm still here. I actually took this picture since I got a haircut today - and this is what it looks like. I'm not sure if it's the cut or the camera that makes my nose look so big. There are 2 current bang trends here in Korea. Since most stylists find it inconceivable to buck current trends, I had a choice of: (a) the full-length curtain, which can also double as sunglasses, a veil or a hiding place for unruly eyebrows, or (b) short-short bangs, similar to the ones preschoolers are prone to give themselves when left alone with a pair of scissors. Since I had no desire to walk around with my eyebrows raised in a perpetual expression of surprise, hoping to shorten the distance across the vast expanse of forehead, I went with the full-curtain option.

In other news, I'm enjoying my holiday teaching schedule (2 hours of TOEIC and 2 hours of Writing Composition per day). My students are great, and the time goes by really quickly. I'll be teaching them for another 2 weeks, and then I have February off. I'll fill you in on my vacation plans as I make them. Right now, I'm planning a 3-day ski trip, a 3-day trip to Seoul, and a 1-day trip to the dentist.

Adventures in a Korean DMV...

Yes indeed, this afternoon was completely eaten up on a trip to the DLA (Driver's License Agency). Unlike trips to such places in Canada, the afternoon was not eaten up standing in line. It was eaten up on the 1.5 hour bus ride to get there. Once I got there, I quickly made my way to the "Foreigners and Army only" line. As the only person in the building that qualified for that line, my wait was quite short. It took about 5 minutes to get my photos, current license and passport all sorted out and fill in the forms, then another 5 minutes for a physical exam (an eye test and some deep knee bends), then another 5 minutes to unite the results of the physical with the rest of my paperwork. After that, I bought a can of iced tea at the little snack bar (yes, a snack bar INSIDE the building...take note Canada - it's a great idea!) and sat, read my book and waited for 30 minutes for my license to be made. I signed for it, put it in my wallet, and hopped back on the bus for the long ride home.

The license is valid until 2016. I'm hoping I'll be home and have a Canadian license again before this one needs to be renewed.

Oh, and Happy New Year, everybody.

Merry Christmas to all...

As odd as it was to wake up on Christmas morning to the sound of construction workers hard at work, and warm breezes wafting through an open window, the day itself turned out to be a festive, joyful time. I hope you'll all enjoy a very Merry Christmas.

Adventures in Janice's "Vanishing Veggie" Chicken Stew...

I made this sort of by accident a few weeks ago, when I needed to get some more veggies into me, but didn't want to know I was eating 'em. I managed to trick myself, and have made this recipe twice since then.

1. Forget to take any meat out of the freezer.
2. Come home hungry.
3. In a large pot, sautee some crushed garlic (about a tablespoon full) and a chopped onion (or wilting onion remnant, as the case may be) in as little oil as possible.
4. Once the onions and garlic are fragrant, and not burnt, pour 2-4 cups of water into the big pot, chuck in some chicken or mushroom buillion. (I can't get chicken buillion here, so I use one precious OXO packet from home, and one mushroom packet from here.)
5. Take 1-2 ziploc baggies of frozen chicken out of the freezer. Pry the baggie off and dump the chicken into the pot.
6. As the chicken is thawing/boiling, wash yesterday's dishes.
7. Grab 2-3 ziploc baggies of frozen veggies out of the freezer. (I use the mix from Costco, with the huge pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, and some orange things that aren't carrots.) At this point, your options are plentiful. (a) You can toss the veggies in with the chicken, but you have to fish them out with a seive later. (b) You can put the veggies in a colander, and set it over the boiling chicken, to steam 'em. (c) You can boil them in a separate pot, and dump the veggie water into the chicken pot later. However you choose to do it, you need to cook the veggies.
8. Toss some potato chunks into the chicken pot.
9. When the chicken is 1/2 cooked, grab your tongs and kitchen scissors, and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
10. Put the cooked veggies in the blender, and whizzzz 'em up. Pour the pureed veggies into the chicken stew.
11. Add copious amounts of red and/or black pepper, along with some salt. LOTS of pepper.
12. Make some dumplings (some flour, some baking powder, some salt, some butter and some water or milk).
13. Drop the dumplings into the stew. Put the lid on.
14. Wash the dumpling dishes.
15. Voila. The stew should be ready to eat. It's even nice with a little bit of sour cream on it.

It makes a nice chicken stew, with a thick broth, and you can't even see the broccoli. You can make it without the dumplings, but why would you want to?

Adventures in owning an idiotic, highstrung pet...

Today was hectic. I'm sure all of you up to your eyeballs in Christmas preparations can understand. After working from 10-5, I came home, took some more cold medication, sneezed, coughed, coughed some more, and blew my nose. After that routine was over, I washed my hands carefully, and proceeded to whip up a batch of shortbread cookies. As usual, about 1/3 of the batch ended up in my stomach, (and yes, I got a stomachache) and 2/3 of the batch were carefully shaped, baked and decorated. 1/2 of the cookies were for tonight's Christmas Angel party, and the other 1/2 were going to be taken to other gatherings later in the week. Everything went smoothy until after the party was over. My idiotic cat freaked out when I was bringing my Christmas tree back into the house (it had been used to decorate the party room). Just because she doesn't see shiny, glimmering, decorated trees prancing through the livingroom on a regular basis was no reason for her to hurl herself, in a panic, onto the kitchen table, right smack onto the 2nd plate of cookies. Next thing I know, I've got a kitchen floor full of broken, cat-hairy cookies, christmas tree ornaments, and a now-calm purring kitty. Stupid cat.

Adventures in 1sts and 2nds...

This past weekend had some memorable firsts (and seconds).

1. Saturday afternoon. I caught my 2nd cold of the season.

2. Saturday evening. I ate cow brains for the 1st time.
We were at a nice restaurant, and one of the side dishes consisted of some kim (dried, salted seaweed), some crushed garlic, some sesame oil, and a mild, pinkish, squishy substance. After taking several bites, I said "This is good - Mike, try some!". Mike, being more cautious that I am, actually asked our friends what it was.

3. Sunday Morning. The 1st snowfall of the year! Hooray! It had all melted by noon, but it was nice to wake up to.

4. Sunday afternoon. I attended my 2nd traditional Korean wedding. John and HeeJin got married in the beautiful (but cold!) traditional village in ...um...I forget the name of the place. GimHei? I don't remember, but it was lovely.

Adventures in Bucolic Children...

In response the the exam question "It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay.", one of my students repeatedly used the term 'bucolic children'. "Bucolic?", I thought, a puzzled look furrowing my rather unruly brow. Judging by the context, he didn't mean 'Beubonic', nor 'colic', nor 'broccoli'. I made a mental note to look it up, and promptly filed the mental note between "Pecans, while tasty and festive, do not a proper dinner make." and "Do something with my unruly eyebrows."

Later that evening, I tucked myself into bed with my daily crossword puzzle and a handful of pecans. As I worked on the crossword puzzle, I was stopped mid-pencil stroke by number 12 down. Bucolic. 5 letters long, and starting with an "R". Normally, it's strictly against policy to look up crossword clues in my dictionary. However, I retreived the mental note, and decided to look up the word not for the sake of my crossword, but for the sake of my student. Very noble. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my dictionary, and looked up 'bucolic'. I then jumped back into bed, grabbed my pencil and filled in #12 Down: R-U-R-A-L.


Just out of curiosity, how many of you, my dear readers, knew what 'bucolic' meant before you got to the last line of my story?

Adventures in Everything Else But...

I realize I've been post-less for a while. I could blame it on being busy, which would be partly true, since the semester is wrapping up and many things need to be done in the next 2 weeks. However, that excuse wouldn't be entirely true. A sad, sad, sad amount of my on-line time this week has been spent in (a) making on-line snowflakes, thanks to a link on the Mealey's blog, and (b) following the on-line drama of Noah's hair. Friends from Moncton (who now live in the US) are debating whether or not to cut their youngest son's hair. Mom says 'yay', Dad says 'nay', and their blog readers have been weighing in to cast the final vote. It's like the American Idol of hair. Riveting. Both activities have been keeping me amused (and preoccupied) for days.

Today though, I'm back into the real world. My goal for the day is to mark 2 classes worth of exams, decorate for a friend's bridal shower, enjoy said bridal shower, and plan a 3 hour lesson for a highschool class tomorrow. Oh, and also print up a small map of Asia. During speaking exams, when the questions "Which is bigger, Korea or Singapore?" Half my students know the grammar to answer the sentence, but don't know the right answer. Also, on the exams I've marked, the question "What is the longest river in the world?" has elicited the responses: "Canada is the longest river in the world.", "The Han River is the longest river in the world.", and "I'm the longest river in the world." This semester I've also learned that "England is bigger than Canada.", "Mexico is hotter than Canada.", "Korea is the smallest country in the world." and "Tokyo is bigger than Korea." Sadly, these haven't been the result of confusing the two items being compared, they've been the result of a general lack of geography. Shocking.

Adventures in Blogiversaries...

I just realized I've been Blogging now for 3 years (and 2 days). I was just browsing through some of my first posts and realized I'd forgotten how cute the kindergarden kids could be. I don't miss teaching at that school at all, but I do wonder how some of the little kids are doing.

It's amazing how interesting (or procrastinative) it can be reading through dull little day-to-day blips from years ago. So many things that would normally be forgotten have now been recorded for posterity, so I can re-read them, then forget about them again and again and again.

I hope you've enjoyed reading 'em over the years. It's certainly a mish-mash of "random randomness at random times" to quote the byline of Ben's blog. Thanks for your readership!

Adventures in Bathroom Accessories...

1. My toilet paper roll holder was made by a Korean company: Bum Han.
2. During a nights sleep, my sense of humour seems to reset itself to somewhere around its kindergarden level. After my cup of coffee, my sense of humour tries to catch up with my real age, but it doesn't always succeed.
3. Sometimes, it makes me laugh a little that the word "Bum" is permanently etched above my -ahem- hygenic tissue roll.
4. Sorry you had to read this.

Adventures in Books...

For my birthday, I was given some gift certificates for an English book bookstore here. This past weekend, I used them to pick up a couple of titles that looked interesting. I've just finished reading the first little one, and it was fantastic. It was short, and simple, but it was written from such a unique perspective that it kept me interested. Even though I finished it yesterday, I've picked it up a few times today and read a page here and a page there - mostly because I don't want the story to be over. I keep hoping I might have accidentally missed a few pages the first time through, and might discover them if I pounce on the book (catching it off-guard, of course) and spring it open to a random page. So far, no luck.

I'd like to be able to tell you what book it is, but since I just got a copy of it for my sister for Christmas, I can't. Even so, I hope you're all enjoying a good book today.

Every November, Canadian schoolchildren are encouraged, persuaded, inticed and/or forced to memorize Lt.Col. John McCrae's poem "In Flanders' Fields". (Parents of schoolage kids - is this still a requirement?) Every November, Canadian war vetrans march through the streets to the local cenotaph and lay wreaths in memory of their fallen friends. Every November, regardless of our personal opinions, convictions or reservations about war itself, we are encouraged to show honour, respect and gratitude to those individuals who have fought, suffered and died for our safety and freedom. This November, I hope you'll sign a petition calling on the Prime Minister to offer a State Funeral to the family of the last veteran of the First World War resident in Canada. Only three Canadian veterans of the First World War remain. They are 106 and 105 years of age. You can find the petition here: www.dominion.ca/statefuneral .

After years of learning it, we should all remember the end of McCrae's poem... "If ye break faith with us who die/We shall not sleep though poppies grow/in Flanders' Fields". Neither should we break faith with those who survived fighting in Flanders' Fields. It's the least we can do.

Adventures in Quality Quality Control ...

The university is conducting an internal audit/quality control exercise this month. We were told to expect a staff member to show up to each of our classes with a checklist. We're supposed to sign the list to verify that we are actually teaching each class on time, and for the required 50 minutes.

How this has actually played out across campus is rather interesting. Some teachers have had the auditors arrive to each and every class, and stand outside the classroom until it's finished. Other teachers have had auditors come to ONE class, and had the teacher sign for all 7-9 classes that they teach. For those of us in the Engineering Department (where 6 of my 7 freshman classes are), the lists are on a table in the teacher's lounge for us to sign at our convenience. Now that's top-notch quality control.

Adventures in Gunpowder Plots...

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

On November 5th, 1605, the plans of Guye Fawkes and his fellow conspirators to blow up the British parliament were thwarted. (Although the gunpowder was stored in barrels under parliament, by the looks of the gigantic pylon on his head, a great deal of gunpowder could have been stashed away beneath Fawkes' hat.) To this day, November 5th is marked by bonfires, fireworks and burning effigies of Guye "Guido" Fawkes. What an odd holiday. I'm not sure what perplexes me more: the holiday itself, or where on earth I learned that poem, and why do I still remember it!?

The day did improve (after the cat licked my 'do smooth.)

Adventures in being 30-something...

If the state of one's hair on the morn of one's birthday is any indication of the year to come, I'm in trouble.

Sorry for the scare folks. I'm off to brew a barrel of coffee; as you can see, I need it.