Best Western Gumi Hotel Seoul

... I felt like putting on my headphones and cruising for a nice, long run. So, that's what I did. And I enjoyed every minute of it. I am grateful that my body allows me to pick up and run a marathon at a whim, and that I find pleasure in it.

Christmas is around the corner and I can't believe another year is coming to an end. The holidays are always a bit lonely and difficult when you are far from home. I have 10 days off work (yippee!) and am trying ...

... my warm body against her, not her governments policies.

Scene one:

What do you call a double take?

It's not when you're walking down the street and see a smoking hot blond in a tight red mini skirt and you look away from her at your watch to see if you're late for that appointment only to quickly look back at the goddess that just crossed your path. It's when Goldman Sachs first takes your savings and retirement plan and then takes your tax money.

Uijeongbu, Korea Rep. morpheous

... We like it, it is clean, no cars, there are lots of food vendors, so we try lots of weird stuff, and the souvenirs are nice. Check your mailboxes in two or three weeks you may be getting samples.

Lexy did not believe the hugs were free, I tried to tell her it was not a scam, and they were not trying to convert her to Hare Krishna. I had seen it before in New York. It ...

... was very sad to see an event like this and only have appx 1500 spectators.

After the game the three of us walked around the arena and checked out all the other buildings. The game took place at the Seoul Sports Complex which is located inside the Olympic Stadium Park. This was the host of the 1988 Olympics. If you take a look at the pictures you can see some of the Park. It was an awesome experience!

Following that we went to Itaweon which is ...

... were the drumming interludes, particularly the 10 or so women in a line all surrounded on three sided by 4 sets of drums and playing them on all sides- they were amazing -all very 'house of flying daggers.' After the show I rushed across town again to meet Tara & Bri after they finished work at about 10 and we went for foood at a local place where, for some reason which we never quite figured out, the waiters all had their faces painted to ...

... topic of speaking Korean; I can't. It is sad that three months has brought me a handful of phrases and no directional or wayfinding abilities. We are having a great time. Calling home is no problem because an 8 USD calling card gets you about 300min. talk time. Take great care you all! I would like to think that Grad. school is on the horizon, but a nice visit home I pray rewards this year, and travels to other places I hope. God bless ya'll.

... I couldn't get a hold of anyone! Would I be staying somewhere else that night? I tried looking into motels close by, but they were a bit seedy, to be honest, so I really didn't want to go that route.

For the next 15 hours, I kept myself busy around Seoul. Jet-lagging. Carrying my laptop, camera and backpack around with me. I was SO ready for a nap...and yet I couldn't.

Where was my luggage? Well ...

This past week, as I was riding the emotional rollercoaster of daily existence, I was touched by several random acts of kindness by strangers and reminded of the beauty and goodness of life. It all began one day when I was feeling a bit down, a bit lonely, a bit disconnected. It's so easy to get caught up in daily routines and to neglect nurturing your spirit. I was really feeling this on an evening run in the rain one day after work. It was dark. It was raining. I was ...

... plus home delivery. And it's always packed! I managed a milkshake and enjoyed the opportunity to observe Korean pop-culture. The young Korean hipsters are quite trendy and fashionable. There are neon, flashing lights everywhere and a definite buzz to the city. I almost feel like I'm in a video game. But, somehow it doesn't feel all that different- a city is a city is a city. I just can't read ...

... other things that are less expensive than at the regular market. We are also going to go shopping up in the fancy neighborhoods and out to a hof. A hof is like a pub in the states. At a pub you hang out with your friends and drink and play pool. At a hof, you hang out with your friends and drink and eat finger foods. Then we are meeting up with that girl I met in AZ right before I left. She is taking us to a Korean museum. Time for my next class!