We're off to the mountains now. Catch you in a few days - be good!
So, Thursday night I got back from what might be the best run I've ever had. I was having so much fun at the park that I went 3.5 miles farther than I had planned, which made it longer than my long run of the week. When I got home, I saw that not only was I red-faced and dripping with sweat, but I had little dead bugs clinging to my neck and face. So, of course I took a picture for you guys. Only, as I moved my head towards the camera I got sweat in my eye. OUCH! So, instead of dead bugs, you get my, "OMG! THERE'S SWEAT IN MY EYE!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" face.
We're off to the mountains now. Catch you in a few days - be good!
We're off to the mountains now. Catch you in a few days - be good!
Know one of the many things I love about Korea?
The fact that they've never given up on the hula hoop. The other night Ant and I were at our favorite watering hole downing a few cold ones, and he was like, "Hey, look! There's hula hooping going on over there!" And sure enough, right in the middle of the street at 9:30 at night some ajumma was just giving that hula hoop all she had! It was awesome. Even my gym has a bunch of hula hoops, and the ladies all just get in a circle and hula hoop forever while catching up on the latest gossip.
In other news, it's our last day of work! Tomorrow we head south to Songnisan National Park, and Tuesday we head to the islands!!!
Woo Muthafuckin' Hoo!!!!
The fact that they've never given up on the hula hoop. The other night Ant and I were at our favorite watering hole downing a few cold ones, and he was like, "Hey, look! There's hula hooping going on over there!" And sure enough, right in the middle of the street at 9:30 at night some ajumma was just giving that hula hoop all she had! It was awesome. Even my gym has a bunch of hula hoops, and the ladies all just get in a circle and hula hoop forever while catching up on the latest gossip.
In other news, it's our last day of work! Tomorrow we head south to Songnisan National Park, and Tuesday we head to the islands!!!
Woo Muthafuckin' Hoo!!!!
I know I promised you guys some pictures of monkeys and haven't delivered yet - I've been a bit busy. I'm very busy and important over here, you know.
Ran last night, and it really sucked. My body just wasn't in the groove it needed to be to complete the miles, and even with Rockzilla I was bored. Boredom is my kryptonite. It just kills me! But, I finished the planned run anyway and then headed to the gym to do a bit of weights. I was feeling a bit down by the small amount of weight I was lifting. I kept thinking, "I know I'm stronger than this!! Why am I so freaking weak today? I don't even feel tired! OMG, what if I'm sick again? I was soooo weak when I was diagnosed..." And then I remembered that the weights are in kgs instead of lbs. Haha. Makes a bit of a difference. Geez, I'm a moron. But, I'm a fairly strong moron, so at least I've got something going for me!!
So...here's what I'm thinking about my bike situation (I promise I'll shut up about it soon), and please feel free to weigh in. I was gonna just go and buy a bike similar to Tara - relatively cheap, cruiser style - because when we leave here in a few months I'll just have to basically find someone to give it to or ditch it somewhere. Which means I will have to get yet another bike when we move to wherever we move to next (What's that? There are apartments for rent in Manitou Springs, CO? Hmmm...did you hear that, Ant?!?). That will be the 5th bike I've paid for in 3 years (although one was a gift so that doesn't really count).
I was planning a surprise trip to Hong Kong for Ant and I for our upcoming anniversary, then he surprised me by saying he was going back home during that time (and didn't surprise me at all by saying that he didn't even know we had an anniversary - stupid boys), so I have some extra money that in my mind and budget was already spent. I was gonna use the cash to just take myself somewhere (why, hello, Saipan, you're looking lovely this time of year!) but now I'm thinking that maybe I should use that money plus a little extra and just buy a decent bike. I'll have the added expense of shipping it to wherever we go to next, but it might still work out better in the long run.
And if we end up going to a place where I can't use it right away (hello, beaches of Indonesia!) I can just ship it to PA, because what are parents for if not to store their adult children's stuff? Kidding, mom (sort of) (not really).
In other news - 2 more days of work and then a month of vaca! Off to the mountains for 3 days (Songnisan National Park), and then over to Surgao (I totally spelled that wrong - sorry, JoyRun!) for a few weeks of sun, sand, and surf! Man, I love my life!
Alright, enough of my incessant rambling. How are you guys?
Ran last night, and it really sucked. My body just wasn't in the groove it needed to be to complete the miles, and even with Rockzilla I was bored. Boredom is my kryptonite. It just kills me! But, I finished the planned run anyway and then headed to the gym to do a bit of weights. I was feeling a bit down by the small amount of weight I was lifting. I kept thinking, "I know I'm stronger than this!! Why am I so freaking weak today? I don't even feel tired! OMG, what if I'm sick again? I was soooo weak when I was diagnosed..." And then I remembered that the weights are in kgs instead of lbs. Haha. Makes a bit of a difference. Geez, I'm a moron. But, I'm a fairly strong moron, so at least I've got something going for me!!
So...here's what I'm thinking about my bike situation (I promise I'll shut up about it soon), and please feel free to weigh in. I was gonna just go and buy a bike similar to Tara - relatively cheap, cruiser style - because when we leave here in a few months I'll just have to basically find someone to give it to or ditch it somewhere. Which means I will have to get yet another bike when we move to wherever we move to next (What's that? There are apartments for rent in Manitou Springs, CO? Hmmm...did you hear that, Ant?!?). That will be the 5th bike I've paid for in 3 years (although one was a gift so that doesn't really count).
I was planning a surprise trip to Hong Kong for Ant and I for our upcoming anniversary, then he surprised me by saying he was going back home during that time (and didn't surprise me at all by saying that he didn't even know we had an anniversary - stupid boys), so I have some extra money that in my mind and budget was already spent. I was gonna use the cash to just take myself somewhere (why, hello, Saipan, you're looking lovely this time of year!) but now I'm thinking that maybe I should use that money plus a little extra and just buy a decent bike. I'll have the added expense of shipping it to wherever we go to next, but it might still work out better in the long run.
And if we end up going to a place where I can't use it right away (hello, beaches of Indonesia!) I can just ship it to PA, because what are parents for if not to store their adult children's stuff? Kidding, mom (sort of) (not really).
In other news - 2 more days of work and then a month of vaca! Off to the mountains for 3 days (Songnisan National Park), and then over to Surgao (I totally spelled that wrong - sorry, JoyRun!) for a few weeks of sun, sand, and surf! Man, I love my life!
Alright, enough of my incessant rambling. How are you guys?
I gave my scheduled run tonight the ol' one finger salute and instead headed to a section of the city I'd never seen before for some beer with a coworker. HEY! Don't freaking judge me! It may not have been the best decision for my plan to be the Universe's most awesomest jogger who occasionally picks up the pace enough to be considered a slow runner, but it was good for my mental health. A few beers, some greasy, fattening food, a shared crossword and much, much name calling and I no longer want to rip out all of my boss' hair strand by strand. That's gotta count for something.
Know what else counts for something? We had a field trip today, and except for the part where my 6th grade boys practiced their extortion skills on my 4th grade boys, it went as smooth as could be expected. I'd even go so far as to say that everyone involved had a good time - except maybe the polar bear, who ate the Capri Sun juice container a student "accidentally" dropped in its' cage. I was fairly angry about it, but my Korean teaching partner thought it was kind of cute, because it was an accident. An accident? He would have had to practically stand on another kid's shoulders to reach over the glass divider to "accidentally" drop it in the cage. Sigh. This was the same boy I had already had a discussion with about how zoo animals don't eat people food, because I busted him throwing potato chips and cookies to the elephant. "I know, Teacher. Accident, Teacher. I won't do again, Teacher. Sorry, Teacher." And 10 minutes later, he feeds a plastic container to an endangered animal and gets a big hug for it. But hey, far be it for me to bring a little social awareness to their young lives. I'm just here for the kimchi.
ANYWAYS - the rest of the field trip was great. Each kid had been assigned an animal they had to research for homework, and when we got to that animal they had to present their material to the rest of us. This was my favorite:
Student: My animal is the lion. They live in Havanna.
Me: They live in Cuba? There are lions in Cuba?
Student: Teacher? Lions don't live in box. Even I know.
Me: Not cube, CubA. It's a country.
Student: Oh. Yes, Teacher. They live in Havanna.
Me: Are you sure you don't mean the Savanna????
Student: Teacher, I don't know. My mom did homework. I just read to you.
I'll post pics later - I got some good ones of the monkeys doing dirty deeds to each other, so make sure you stop back cause you definitely won't want to miss out on them. Right now, my book (The Inheritance of Loss) is calling me, so I need to go get a few chapters in before the ol' ball and chain gets home from work. :-)
Know what else counts for something? We had a field trip today, and except for the part where my 6th grade boys practiced their extortion skills on my 4th grade boys, it went as smooth as could be expected. I'd even go so far as to say that everyone involved had a good time - except maybe the polar bear, who ate the Capri Sun juice container a student "accidentally" dropped in its' cage. I was fairly angry about it, but my Korean teaching partner thought it was kind of cute, because it was an accident. An accident? He would have had to practically stand on another kid's shoulders to reach over the glass divider to "accidentally" drop it in the cage. Sigh. This was the same boy I had already had a discussion with about how zoo animals don't eat people food, because I busted him throwing potato chips and cookies to the elephant. "I know, Teacher. Accident, Teacher. I won't do again, Teacher. Sorry, Teacher." And 10 minutes later, he feeds a plastic container to an endangered animal and gets a big hug for it. But hey, far be it for me to bring a little social awareness to their young lives. I'm just here for the kimchi.
ANYWAYS - the rest of the field trip was great. Each kid had been assigned an animal they had to research for homework, and when we got to that animal they had to present their material to the rest of us. This was my favorite:
Student: My animal is the lion. They live in Havanna.
Me: They live in Cuba? There are lions in Cuba?
Student: Teacher? Lions don't live in box. Even I know.
Me: Not cube, CubA. It's a country.
Student: Oh. Yes, Teacher. They live in Havanna.
Me: Are you sure you don't mean the Savanna????
Student: Teacher, I don't know. My mom did homework. I just read to you.
I'll post pics later - I got some good ones of the monkeys doing dirty deeds to each other, so make sure you stop back cause you definitely won't want to miss out on them. Right now, my book (The Inheritance of Loss) is calling me, so I need to go get a few chapters in before the ol' ball and chain gets home from work. :-)
Since some douchebag decided he could take anything he wanted even if it very clearly belonged to someone else I no longer have a bike. Poor Tara. She must be so scared. I hope they spray painted her a decent color, at least.
It totally pisses me off that there were, no kidding, 8 (!!!!) UNLOCKED bikes lying next to Tara, who WAS locked, and they didn't touch even one of those. It's not that I wish someone else's bike had been stolen, it's just that I really, really wish mine hadn't been. Ant (who can remain upbeat about it because he still has a bike) says it's because my bike was the best one there, and he's right - IT WAS THE BEST BIKE EVER!!!! It had fenders, and a huge basket, and it looked skinny and light but actually weighed a freakin' ton - just like me!!! It's because I'm made of Quantonium, like the ultra strong chick in that movie, Monsters vs. Aliens. Seriously.
I had sort of decided without really thinking about it that I wouldn't be able to get another bike while here in Korea. I really can't afford it, and since we're transients here I'd only be able to ride it for a few more months before it would be too cold and icy, and we'll be gone before it warms up again. But just one day of hoofing it and having to take taxis to places that Tara usually took me has me thinking differently. It still seems like a waste of money, but I don't care. I'll probably make it back in saved subway, bus, and taxi fare anyway.
GRRR!!!!
In other news, long run Sunday (long for me, anyway) and it sucked but I powered through. Last night I did 34 minutes (the plan I'm following called for a 30 minute run) while Ant skateboarded along. Well, actually, he skateboarded ahead, then waited for me to catch up, then skateboarded ahead...you get the idea. I'm still enjoying it, but man oh man am I slow. How do you speedy speedsters do it?!?
It totally pisses me off that there were, no kidding, 8 (!!!!) UNLOCKED bikes lying next to Tara, who WAS locked, and they didn't touch even one of those. It's not that I wish someone else's bike had been stolen, it's just that I really, really wish mine hadn't been. Ant (who can remain upbeat about it because he still has a bike) says it's because my bike was the best one there, and he's right - IT WAS THE BEST BIKE EVER!!!! It had fenders, and a huge basket, and it looked skinny and light but actually weighed a freakin' ton - just like me!!! It's because I'm made of Quantonium, like the ultra strong chick in that movie, Monsters vs. Aliens. Seriously.
I had sort of decided without really thinking about it that I wouldn't be able to get another bike while here in Korea. I really can't afford it, and since we're transients here I'd only be able to ride it for a few more months before it would be too cold and icy, and we'll be gone before it warms up again. But just one day of hoofing it and having to take taxis to places that Tara usually took me has me thinking differently. It still seems like a waste of money, but I don't care. I'll probably make it back in saved subway, bus, and taxi fare anyway.
GRRR!!!!
In other news, long run Sunday (long for me, anyway) and it sucked but I powered through. Last night I did 34 minutes (the plan I'm following called for a 30 minute run) while Ant skateboarded along. Well, actually, he skateboarded ahead, then waited for me to catch up, then skateboarded ahead...you get the idea. I'm still enjoying it, but man oh man am I slow. How do you speedy speedsters do it?!?
Our coffee maker makes this strange sighing sound every ten minutes or so - the type of sound you make when you exhale all your troubles away.
I find it super comforting.
I'm turning into quite the morning person in my old age. That's something I never would have thought I'd become!!! But, here I am, waking up before the sun every morning even though I don't have to, and I'm really enjoying it. I meditate, I put on some music and dance, I read or sometimes get my run on. Sometimes I don't do anything but watch our nosy neighbor watching me.
I find it super comforting.
I'm turning into quite the morning person in my old age. That's something I never would have thought I'd become!!! But, here I am, waking up before the sun every morning even though I don't have to, and I'm really enjoying it. I meditate, I put on some music and dance, I read or sometimes get my run on. Sometimes I don't do anything but watch our nosy neighbor watching me.
I spent most of my morning meditation trying to keep pesky, invasive thoughts about how annoyed I am with some of my coworkers and bosses from creeping into my head and wrecking my peaceful morning vibe. Without going into too much detail, work has not been a positive atmosphere for me lately. In fact, it's totally sucked and the energy has been absolute shite. For my part, I've been avoiding said coworkers when I can and have been a little short with them when I've had to deal with them, so I'm sure I'm not really helping the atmosphere much. I honestly feel like if today wasn't Friday, I'd just quit and drag Ant on the first plane to this place:
Because I know some of my coworkers read this (though probably not the ones who need the message the most) I'd like to point out that the fact that someone doesn't speak a language as well as you does not mean that you are automatically smarter than they are. Using language that you know the other person doesn't understand to make yourself look smarter doesn't actually make you look at all intelligent. If everything in our school were conducted in Korean, which is the language that all but a handful of employees speak, we would all (with the exception of Patrick) end up looking so retarded that in comparison the Special Olympics would look like a Mensa convention.
Because I know some of my coworkers read this (though probably not the ones who need the message the most) I'd like to point out that the fact that someone doesn't speak a language as well as you does not mean that you are automatically smarter than they are. Using language that you know the other person doesn't understand to make yourself look smarter doesn't actually make you look at all intelligent. If everything in our school were conducted in Korean, which is the language that all but a handful of employees speak, we would all (with the exception of Patrick) end up looking so retarded that in comparison the Special Olympics would look like a Mensa convention. We are compensated fairly well for doing what amounts to very little work. Why is it so hard to show up on time, sober, and do what little is expected of you? Yes, the administration at our school are racist pricks, but them getting mad because you're an hour late and drunk and falling asleep in class doesn't mean Korea sucks. There's nowhere in the world where that behavior would be tolerated.
OK. I'm letting it go now. I promise.
I'm not psychic, but I definitely see some beer in my future.
Last night Ant took me to see the Harry Potter flick, which was pretty cool of him considering he's the world's biggest muggle. In fact, he probably doesn't even know what a muggle is. But, he went anyway because he's awesome.
And then he slept through much of it. :-)
I must say that I was quite disappointed in the movie. It was such a fantastic book and they could have done such amazing things with he script, but they skipped so much of the good stuff and downplayed lots of other stuff. I also thought Daniel Radcliffe's performance was pretty bad. Just a general lack of emotion and believability. I can understand that as an actor he might be "over" being Harry Potter, but shouldn't he be able to act like he still wants the role?
After the movie we headed over to a chicken hof for some beer and fried chicken (YUM!) and then headed home.
And then he slept through much of it. :-)
I must say that I was quite disappointed in the movie. It was such a fantastic book and they could have done such amazing things with he script, but they skipped so much of the good stuff and downplayed lots of other stuff. I also thought Daniel Radcliffe's performance was pretty bad. Just a general lack of emotion and believability. I can understand that as an actor he might be "over" being Harry Potter, but shouldn't he be able to act like he still wants the role?
After the movie we headed over to a chicken hof for some beer and fried chicken (YUM!) and then headed home.
I got to practice my crazy, maniacal laugh today when I took all my kids outside and let them check out the beginning of the eclipse, then told them all kinds of stories about what would happen when the total eclipse occured.
I also tried to get them to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart, but they weren't having it.
I also tried to get them to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart, but they weren't having it.
Saturday was the hike, and that plus a tiny bit of stretching was enough exercise for me that day.
Sunday I headed out early for a run, and did just over 4 miles (4.38 according to mapmyrun) on the bike path by the river. It had flooded in several spots, and there were crews everywhere working their butts off to clear the water and mud off the path. I love that park so much that I made sure to thank each and every crew member I ran past!
Yesterday I did an easy 3 miler and also threw in a shoulder and back workout at the gym, as well as a butt load of sit ups. Then, I rode my bike to work.
I'm contemplating trying to run from Wolgye to Hwarangdae this evening. Hmmm...I'm more worried about getting lost than I am about finishing it, because I can always just walk if I need to...as long as I can find my way to Seokgye I can cut down to the bike path, and from there I can make it home with my eyes shut.
Sunday I headed out early for a run, and did just over 4 miles (4.38 according to mapmyrun) on the bike path by the river. It had flooded in several spots, and there were crews everywhere working their butts off to clear the water and mud off the path. I love that park so much that I made sure to thank each and every crew member I ran past!
Yesterday I did an easy 3 miler and also threw in a shoulder and back workout at the gym, as well as a butt load of sit ups. Then, I rode my bike to work.
I'm contemplating trying to run from Wolgye to Hwarangdae this evening. Hmmm...I'm more worried about getting lost than I am about finishing it, because I can always just walk if I need to...as long as I can find my way to Seokgye I can cut down to the bike path, and from there I can make it home with my eyes shut.
Just a few more pics from our little jaunt to Dobongsan. Dobongsan is said to be the most popular mountain in the Seoul area for hiking (although I've heard that said about Bukhansan as well), and the first time we went was waaaay back when we first got here, when Ant was still a little unsure about this whole life in the ROK thing, and we were both so overwhelmed by the crowds and having to stand in line to even get to the trailhead (not to mention that I was already crampy and grumpy) that we just checked out one of the many temples in that area and came back home without hiking. Not sure if it was the 60 - 70 mph gusts on the summit or the serious downpour that kept everyone away, but once we got out of the food stall area we barely passed another person the whole time. It was awesome!! The type of person who will hike in that kind of weather is the type of hiker who just wants to get out on the trails, so their trail etiquette is usually better than the typical groups of drunken ajummas and ajushis you have to deal with on a lot of hikes in nicer weather. Almost everyone we passed summoned up every English word they knew to ask us what we thought of the mountain, or to suggest a trail to take, or to tell us we definitely needed to turn around and get ourselves on a real trail. Ant, who has since morphed into a true Korean, carried an umbrella the whole way and dutifully finished his makkolli and shin ramyeon after the hike!! I was so proud!! :)
I forget the names, but first we hiked to some lookout rock, then to one of the summits (Obong peak, maybe?), and then down a path that followed a bunch of waterfalls, and thanks to the monsoons they were awesome!!! Mapmyhike listed it from subway to the point where we stopped as 8.63 miles, but that seems a bit - though not too much - longer than we both thought it had been.
You guys simply MUST check out Ant's awesome write-up of our hike up, down, and all around Dobongsan! It's sooo cool! And make sure you take a moment to really appreciate my snazzy new pink raincoat!
I've been feeling unusually motivated when it comes to exercise lately - especially running. It's a nice feeling to actually look forward to doing a run, instead of trying everything I can think of to trick my feet into getting out the door. For the longest time I'd get to Brown Hill and nearly cry at the sight of those steps just going up, up, up - but now I get there and I'm like, "That's all you got?!? Bring it on!" And then I bounce up them, singing proudly along with Rockzilla, while the Koreans look at me in amazement yet STILL REFUSE TO GET OUT OF MY DAMN WAY!!!!
The extra activity has been a welcome addition to my physical and mental health - I'm feeling better all around. I'm noticing tons of changes in my body - new muscles appearing, old muscles waking up. I haven't been on a scale in ages, but I can tell from looking at me that some of the chubbiness Ant had to pretend not to notice is totally gone. I'm still definitely not at that healthy point where my body actually craves vegetables, but I'm trying to cram more of them down my cramhole anyway. When there's actually room in my cramhole left from all the ice cream and M&M's, I mean.
So yesterday I couldn't run, and I was bummed. I actually missed it. I still got in some exercise - biked to and from work, 45 minutes of Bikram (I skip those stupid breathing poses at the beginning), and a Crossfit workout I've modified to suit my measly arm muscles. Crossfit calls it the "21." I've renamed my version the "11." But, I had a great run planned for after work and I was really excited about it.
And then, I started projectile vomiting with little warning. How fucking sexy is that?!? I was fine all day, and then halfway through my meeting I was like, "Something ain't right here." Out of nowhere! I made it to the Gireum station, but had to rest for quite awhile there. Made it to Nowon, where I have to transfer trains, and it took about as much energy as climbing Everest. Made it to Taerung, which I normally just walk home from to avoid another transfer, but instead I took a nap like a bum on one of the benches while waiting for the brown train. It took me 2 hours to puke my way through what should have been about 30 minutes of travel time. By the time Ant got home from the climbing gym, I was tossing and turning on the bathroom floor, sitting up only to puke my guts out every few minutes. And Ant, who can sometimes be a bit stingy with the compliments, held my hair and rubbed my back while I barfed some more, and said, "I like your outfit. I bet you looked really pretty today - before you started puking, I mean." What is it with men and timing?!?
Today finds me back at work, still feeling yucky but not even close to how yucky I felt last night. Hopefully, I can get some food in me and get a run in tonight - I had planned for some speedwork, but I may end up just doing a few miles around town at an easy pace.
The extra activity has been a welcome addition to my physical and mental health - I'm feeling better all around. I'm noticing tons of changes in my body - new muscles appearing, old muscles waking up. I haven't been on a scale in ages, but I can tell from looking at me that some of the chubbiness Ant had to pretend not to notice is totally gone. I'm still definitely not at that healthy point where my body actually craves vegetables, but I'm trying to cram more of them down my cramhole anyway. When there's actually room in my cramhole left from all the ice cream and M&M's, I mean.
So yesterday I couldn't run, and I was bummed. I actually missed it. I still got in some exercise - biked to and from work, 45 minutes of Bikram (I skip those stupid breathing poses at the beginning), and a Crossfit workout I've modified to suit my measly arm muscles. Crossfit calls it the "21." I've renamed my version the "11." But, I had a great run planned for after work and I was really excited about it.
And then, I started projectile vomiting with little warning. How fucking sexy is that?!? I was fine all day, and then halfway through my meeting I was like, "Something ain't right here." Out of nowhere! I made it to the Gireum station, but had to rest for quite awhile there. Made it to Nowon, where I have to transfer trains, and it took about as much energy as climbing Everest. Made it to Taerung, which I normally just walk home from to avoid another transfer, but instead I took a nap like a bum on one of the benches while waiting for the brown train. It took me 2 hours to puke my way through what should have been about 30 minutes of travel time. By the time Ant got home from the climbing gym, I was tossing and turning on the bathroom floor, sitting up only to puke my guts out every few minutes. And Ant, who can sometimes be a bit stingy with the compliments, held my hair and rubbed my back while I barfed some more, and said, "I like your outfit. I bet you looked really pretty today - before you started puking, I mean." What is it with men and timing?!?
Today finds me back at work, still feeling yucky but not even close to how yucky I felt last night. Hopefully, I can get some food in me and get a run in tonight - I had planned for some speedwork, but I may end up just doing a few miles around town at an easy pace.
Had a great run last night - even if it was on the dreaded dreadmill. Seriously, if this crazy monsoon doesn't let up soon I'm gonna KILL someone!
So, the run was a bit longer than I had expected. I get bored running indoors quick, so I never expect much more than a warm-up from treadmill running. I put Rockzilla in charge, because you all know how important it is to occasionally let the men in your lives feel like they're in charge. I told him we would run together for about 20 songs, and as long as he stayed away from Christmas music, he could pick the songs we ran to. Everything was going along fine, until he and the treadmill got into some kind of argument. I was ready to stop - I was BORED, and the only available treadmill at the gym was DIRECTLY in front of a full length mirror. Blech. Running towards yourself for 40 minutes is not pleasurable, and I'm such a klutz that if I don't look straight ahead, I veer off towards wherever I'm looking and end up falling off the treadmill. So, after staring at myself bouncing up and down, getting redder and redder in the face, not going anywhere, I was so bored I wanted to cry, and ready to go.
And Rockzilla was all like, "Oh yeah?!? Well, here's a Chris Cornell song! You won't stop running while Chris Cornell is playing!"
Damn him, he knows me so well!
When the song finished, I was really done, but the treadmill was like, "48:37!! Why would you stop now? A measly 83 seconds and you can say you ran 50 minutes! That's way better than saying you ran 40-some minutes!"
Stupid treadmill. It had a point.
So everytime Rockzilla would agree to let me stop, the stupid treadmill said no, and vice versa, until finally my legs told them both where to go, and I hopped off. Ended up running over an hour, which for me is pretty freaking awesome!
Finished with a pretty hard-core shoulder and back workout (need to be able to hold my own when paddling through those waves in the Philippines), then went home and had a lovely dinner of ice cream and peanut butter and jelly sammiches while chatting with my dad.
So far the rain has held off today (I even rode my bike to school!) so maybe I can run outside tonight!
So, the run was a bit longer than I had expected. I get bored running indoors quick, so I never expect much more than a warm-up from treadmill running. I put Rockzilla in charge, because you all know how important it is to occasionally let the men in your lives feel like they're in charge. I told him we would run together for about 20 songs, and as long as he stayed away from Christmas music, he could pick the songs we ran to. Everything was going along fine, until he and the treadmill got into some kind of argument. I was ready to stop - I was BORED, and the only available treadmill at the gym was DIRECTLY in front of a full length mirror. Blech. Running towards yourself for 40 minutes is not pleasurable, and I'm such a klutz that if I don't look straight ahead, I veer off towards wherever I'm looking and end up falling off the treadmill. So, after staring at myself bouncing up and down, getting redder and redder in the face, not going anywhere, I was so bored I wanted to cry, and ready to go.
And Rockzilla was all like, "Oh yeah?!? Well, here's a Chris Cornell song! You won't stop running while Chris Cornell is playing!"
Damn him, he knows me so well!
When the song finished, I was really done, but the treadmill was like, "48:37!! Why would you stop now? A measly 83 seconds and you can say you ran 50 minutes! That's way better than saying you ran 40-some minutes!"
Stupid treadmill. It had a point.
So everytime Rockzilla would agree to let me stop, the stupid treadmill said no, and vice versa, until finally my legs told them both where to go, and I hopped off. Ended up running over an hour, which for me is pretty freaking awesome!
Finished with a pretty hard-core shoulder and back workout (need to be able to hold my own when paddling through those waves in the Philippines), then went home and had a lovely dinner of ice cream and peanut butter and jelly sammiches while chatting with my dad.
So far the rain has held off today (I even rode my bike to school!) so maybe I can run outside tonight!
With my birthday and Christmas right around the corner, you guys are probably wondering what to get me. I want a dome house. This dome house, to be more specific. It's super close to Yosemite, which is where I dream about living when I actually dream about settling down, and it's listed pretty cheap - cheap enough that I'm assuming something is probably wrong with it, although it is tiny so maybe that's why it's got a low price tag. Once I got rid of the T.V. and painted over that nasty pink color around the fire place, and somehow figured out how to relocate the Pacific Ocean to the backyard for Ant, it would be perfect!Also, why the heck wouldn't they move the grill and fire extinguisher when they took these pictures?!? Don't they watch HGTV? Who is their agent?!?
So, now you know what to get me. A dome house. And a Garmin Forerunner. I really want a fancy schmancy Garmin, too.
This was a picture of my coach, who made me take down the half-nekkid pic of him drinking beer on the corner while timing my speed workout for me. Sorry ladies, and boys at Bliss - you'll have to use your imaginations. I ran a few miles around Hwarangdae first, including a jaunt up Brown Hill, then did a bunch of sprints. Yay me.
As for this week, it's been pretty good. Sunday it poured rain all day. Ant had things to do, but I was bored out of my mind, which means I pretty much drove him crazy all day.
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE?!?"
"Can't. I have to finish this."
5 minutes later....
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE NOW?!?"
"Can't. I have to finish this."
5 minutes later...
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE WHEN THE BIG HAND IS ON THE 12 AND THE LITTLE HAND IS ON THE 1?"
"That's in 3 minutes."
"SO?"
Finally, around 6 or so the rain let up a bit and I threw on my snazzy purple running shoes and got outside. I figured I'd run towards Taerung, then cut down to the bike path for a bit, but it was all locked up since the path is flooded. Oh well. Stayed on the roads, stomped in some puddles, and worked out some of my cabin fever.
By the time I got back home, Ant was finished with whatever it was that was sooooo important, so I convinced him to play Scrabble with me. Usually I kick his butt, but I'm incredibly sad to say that this time I lost by a mere 3 points. It was a crushing defeat. I'm still not over it. When I realized it might take more than the 7 tiles I had (all vowels, btw - ugh) to beat him, I tried my best to cheat but he wasn't having it.
"You can't use U.S. It's an abbreviation."
"It's not U.S. It's 'us.' "
"Us? Never heard of it. Sure it's a word?"
3 stinking points. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
Anyway, how have yunz guys been?
As for this week, it's been pretty good. Sunday it poured rain all day. Ant had things to do, but I was bored out of my mind, which means I pretty much drove him crazy all day.
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE?!?"
"Can't. I have to finish this."
5 minutes later....
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE NOW?!?"
"Can't. I have to finish this."
5 minutes later...
"WANNA WATCH A MOVIE WHEN THE BIG HAND IS ON THE 12 AND THE LITTLE HAND IS ON THE 1?"
"That's in 3 minutes."
"SO?"
Finally, around 6 or so the rain let up a bit and I threw on my snazzy purple running shoes and got outside. I figured I'd run towards Taerung, then cut down to the bike path for a bit, but it was all locked up since the path is flooded. Oh well. Stayed on the roads, stomped in some puddles, and worked out some of my cabin fever.
By the time I got back home, Ant was finished with whatever it was that was sooooo important, so I convinced him to play Scrabble with me. Usually I kick his butt, but I'm incredibly sad to say that this time I lost by a mere 3 points. It was a crushing defeat. I'm still not over it. When I realized it might take more than the 7 tiles I had (all vowels, btw - ugh) to beat him, I tried my best to cheat but he wasn't having it.
"You can't use U.S. It's an abbreviation."
"It's not U.S. It's 'us.' "
"Us? Never heard of it. Sure it's a word?"
3 stinking points. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
Anyway, how have yunz guys been?
This morning, about halfway through my second cup of coffee, I finished "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running," by Haruki Murakami. It's been out for awhile, so many of you have probably read it, but if you haven't you should think about picking it up. It's a quick, enjoyable read with lots of profound statements to get you really thinking.
Kind of like this blog. HA!
Kind of like this blog. HA!
First, the dull stuff:
1. Ran (yesterday) for 3 miles on the dreadmill at the gym, average pace being 8.6 km/hr. Yeah, it's slow and short, but shut up. Had an AWESOME leg workout using all their shiny new equipment, then went back to the dreadmill and did another 2.5 miles, this time averaging 9 km/hr. Yeah, still pretty slow and short, but shut up.
2. I'm seriously ready for the Monsoon to make it's way outta Seoul. Our beloved bike path is under water, my shoes are always wet, and this constant grayness is pissing me off. As long as it doesn't leave here and head to the section of the Philippines we're going to. Maybe it could go bother someone else for awhile?
3. Got my bathing suits, and I love them - all of them! That's quite an unusual feeling, as usually when I combine my body and tiny little pieces of fabric the first word that comes to mind is certainly not 'love.' I think I'm much more forgiving of my body now that I can shrug and say, "Whatev. I'm in my 30's."
4. Since trying said bathing suits on, I have eaten a dinner consisting entirely of fritos and beer, scarfed down ice cream right before bed on numerous occasions, and had a ridiculous amount of fried chicken. I may not love those bathing suits so much the next time I put them on. Whatev. I'm in my 30's.
1. Ran (yesterday) for 3 miles on the dreadmill at the gym, average pace being 8.6 km/hr. Yeah, it's slow and short, but shut up. Had an AWESOME leg workout using all their shiny new equipment, then went back to the dreadmill and did another 2.5 miles, this time averaging 9 km/hr. Yeah, still pretty slow and short, but shut up.
2. I'm seriously ready for the Monsoon to make it's way outta Seoul. Our beloved bike path is under water, my shoes are always wet, and this constant grayness is pissing me off. As long as it doesn't leave here and head to the section of the Philippines we're going to. Maybe it could go bother someone else for awhile?
3. Got my bathing suits, and I love them - all of them! That's quite an unusual feeling, as usually when I combine my body and tiny little pieces of fabric the first word that comes to mind is certainly not 'love.' I think I'm much more forgiving of my body now that I can shrug and say, "Whatev. I'm in my 30's."
4. Since trying said bathing suits on, I have eaten a dinner consisting entirely of fritos and beer, scarfed down ice cream right before bed on numerous occasions, and had a ridiculous amount of fried chicken. I may not love those bathing suits so much the next time I put them on. Whatev. I'm in my 30's.
And now, some fun stuff:
Friday night Ant and I headed to Seokgye for dinner (dak galbi - yumyumyumyumyum!) and then we walked around for a bit before deciding to stop into some random bar for a beer or two. Maybe 45 minutes or so after we got there, my coworkers showed up. Pretty strange coincidence, indeed, but made for a really fun night.
Friday night Ant and I headed to Seokgye for dinner (dak galbi - yumyumyumyumyum!) and then we walked around for a bit before deciding to stop into some random bar for a beer or two. Maybe 45 minutes or so after we got there, my coworkers showed up. Pretty strange coincidence, indeed, but made for a really fun night.
Wanna take a moment to wish my wanker big brother Brownie good luck this weekend. He's running some race that's supposed to be pretty hard or something. Whatever. Who can't run 100 miles at altitude these days???
If I don't get the 2009 ESL Teacher of the Year Award, there's been a huge mistake. Seriously, I should get a raise. A big one.When it comes to English, there are certain things my 4th graders just refuse to grasp. Indenting is one of those things, and it drives me crazy because they indent in Korean grammar, too. It should be easy, but getting them to do it is like pulling teeth. I say, "Hey, Class!! What do we do to the first line of a paragraph???" And they all yell, "INDENT!!!" but when they write, not one of them does it. MAKES.ME.INSANE!
Africa is another big issue with my 4th graders. They have no trouble believing the ridiculous shit that comes out of my mouth, but try telling them that Africa isn't a country, it's a continent? Forget about it. Check out this little gem of a conversation:
Boy: Teacher! Africa is country with many Obamas!
Me: Many Obamas???
Boy: Yes, Teacher! Obamas! (Points to skin)
Me: Uh...we don't actually refer to Black people as 'Obamas.'
Other student: Teacher! Africa and many, many hungry Obamas!
Me: Hungry Obamas??? Do you mean starving Africans?
Students: YES TEACHER!! Hungry Obamas!!
Me: Guys, not everyone in Africa is starving.
Students: Teacher! Why lie?!?
Other student: Teacher! You know many Obamas?
Me: Seriously, guys, you can't walk around and call all Black people 'Obamas.' It's like calling every Korean person 'Kim' no matter what they're family name is, or saying all Asians are Japanese. You can say, "Black people." It's OK.
But they won't.
Alright, so the term 'hungry Obamas' totally cracked me up and will now be used in my personal repertoire as often as possible, but seriously, why are my students so afraid to use the word Black? I shudder to think of what they used before they learned about Obama.
Yesterday, while I went to the gym for some running on the dreadmill and a bit of weight lifting, Ant put on his little apron (you should really pause right now and picture him in an apron...) and made a huge dish of pasta salad for us to take to a potluck at our friend Teddy's house. We decided it would be cool to ride our bikes there, and it really was a cool ride. Of course, 8 hours of tequila, vodka, and beer later the realization that we also had to ride them home hit us like a ton of bricks - much to Joel and Cam's amusement. We went back and forth between just sucking it up and riding home (his argument) and continuing to drink (my clearly logical side of the argument), until we struck a compromise - we'd ride home, and stop at all the makkolli huts we passed on the way.
In case you're ever in that position where you've had a few drinks, but you can't tell exactly how drunk you are, let me tell you that the second you sit your ass on a bike you'll know. As long as I could go in a (relatively) straight line I was OK, but trying to manuever around any object, no matter how large or small? Forget about it.
Anyway, for some reason I didn't take pictures yesterday at Teddy's, but here's a bunch I never posted from the other week when we all got together to celebrate Teddy's birthday.
I only had to sit my ass on the bed and yell, "I LIKE BEER!!!" 9 times at the top of my lungs before Ant magically appeared at the door with a ''What the fuck is wrong with you?!?" look on his face (if only I had a dollar for every time he gave me that look) and a nice, cold glass full of cheap, yellow beer in his hand for yours truly.
Total score!!!!
Next time I'll try yelling, "I LIKE BEER AND A SMILE!!!" because seriously, I could do without the attitude.
:-)
Total score!!!!
Next time I'll try yelling, "I LIKE BEER AND A SMILE!!!" because seriously, I could do without the attitude.
:-)
So, the date last night went OK. I think I'll see him again, probably sometime soon. :-) We saw Transformers 2, and I know everybody has been bitching about the writing, but come on, people!! BIG.ROBOTS.FIGHTING!!! Plus, lots of shout-outs to Pennsylvania (those are my peeps, yo), Shia LaBouef or however you spell his weird last name (I think he's totally yummy), and, for the guys, Megan Fox's boobs bouncing across the screen for approximately 73% of the movie. I don't know what you all were expecting, but for a summer action flick it suited me just fine. I just wish I had made it over to see Petra and the Pyramids before those evil Decepticons ruined them.
I spent most of the day reliving the movie with my 4th graders. Most of them have seen it, so when I told them yesterday I was FINALLY going to see it they were super excited for me, and they were all confused about how I would understand it since it was subtitled. I was like, "Well, my dear, sweet little morons, it's subtitled IN KOREAN! The movie is in ENGLISH, so I think I'll be able to follow along OK," but apparently they had been talking about some of the crazy robot language the Decepticons use - the subtitles for those would be in Korean, too, so I wouldn't know what messages they were sending to Megatron.
Which was the perfect opening to convince them that I am fluent in Robot. "Seriously, guys, just like you can speak Korean and English? I can speak English and Robot. Really." And then I told them this great story about how Rockzilla (obviously an Autobot) beat the crap out of my microwave (evil Decepticon) last night.
And then I spent all of this morning teaching them in my best Optimus Prime voice, like this, "Children of this planet called Earth, I have seen what you are capable of, and so I must remind you - put the adjective BEFORE the noun when you write a sentence! Only with this important knowledge can your world survive!"
And that was my day. How 'bout you guys?
I spent most of the day reliving the movie with my 4th graders. Most of them have seen it, so when I told them yesterday I was FINALLY going to see it they were super excited for me, and they were all confused about how I would understand it since it was subtitled. I was like, "Well, my dear, sweet little morons, it's subtitled IN KOREAN! The movie is in ENGLISH, so I think I'll be able to follow along OK," but apparently they had been talking about some of the crazy robot language the Decepticons use - the subtitles for those would be in Korean, too, so I wouldn't know what messages they were sending to Megatron.
Which was the perfect opening to convince them that I am fluent in Robot. "Seriously, guys, just like you can speak Korean and English? I can speak English and Robot. Really." And then I told them this great story about how Rockzilla (obviously an Autobot) beat the crap out of my microwave (evil Decepticon) last night.
And then I spent all of this morning teaching them in my best Optimus Prime voice, like this, "Children of this planet called Earth, I have seen what you are capable of, and so I must remind you - put the adjective BEFORE the noun when you write a sentence! Only with this important knowledge can your world survive!"
And that was my day. How 'bout you guys?
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