-
Gift Horses and All That
A few weeks ago, in a random move that happens on occasion, our wise and beneficent TV cable provider decided to change the channels around. Normally this is not a big deal and only requires a slight reprogramming of the channels the remote skips and relearning the numbers of your favorite channels. This happens about twice a year, but this last ( Read more... ) -
아픈 목 이다
So, I'm on a self-imposed liquid diet. For two days now I have had a sore throat. Actually, sore throat is not quite correct, uncomfortable throat is more accurate. It feels constricted, like a ball is plugging it . Since it only hurts when I swallow, and swallowing in a minor part of my life, it has not been a problem. I went to the health ( Read more... ) -
언니 Worries (part 1?)
So this weekend, for Children's Day, I am meeting ㅈ's two nieces (Korean ages 5 and 7) and her 언니. Because 언니 is the matriarch of the family, if she disapproves of me a future with ㅈ is unlikely and and the present might be doomed also. (Those of you reading this who are not in Korea might not believe that someone could be that influential and ( Read more... ) -
자전거
I rode a bike today for the first time in a long while. It was great to get back in the saddle and instantly connect with the 20 year-old racer I used to be. The young me who rode 400km a week and raced every weekend from March to the middle of June before spending the summer weekends racing mountain bikes and cool Autumn days terrorizing the ( Read more... ) -
공지영
요즘 한국어 공부하는 기회가 많다. 결국 큰 서류의 교정을 마쳤다. 교정일 있었으면서 한가한 시간 없었다. 하지만 감자기 마치고 할 건 없는 것같아서 마음이 이상하게 느끼다. 드디어 즐거운 나의 집 라는 소설을 계속 읽을 수가 있는데 오랫 동안 읽지 못 해서 이야기를 잊어버리는 걸 걱정하다. 한국어 된 소설을 안 읽는데 한글로 이혼에 대한 소설은 적은 것같은데 즐거운 나의 집 라는 소설의 제목이 이혼은 이다. 한국에서 이혼한 부부는 보통 되고 있는데 아무도 이것에 대해 말 안 하다. 그러니까 이혼에 대한 소설은 아주 흥미 있죠. 그리고 가끔 읽으면서 몇 문장을 읽고 처음에 이해 못 하는데 다시 읽을때 그 ( Read more... ) -
Confession
Does anybody else have the secret thought that maybe your music might just be the coolest in the world? Because I have been thinking that a lot lately. I realize the arrogance and "wrongness" of it, but there are some songs that are just too awesome for words. My tendency towards obsessiveness means that I think it is normal to listen to the same ( Read more... ) -
not dead yet
I'm still alive here but without any real stories to post. Mostly, I have been editing. The linguistic dissertation I have been editing (don't get excited, it is not mine) is more or less done. I am currently doing a "style edit" to prepare it for final submission. For those of you interested in this sort of thing, it is a study ( Read more... ) -
Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3.
On Friday, I took the final test for my Korean class. It was difficult. There really were not very many easy questions and very few questions that I am sure I got correct. I need a 70% to pass. I could have gotten an 85% (probably not) and I could have gotten a 30%. I just have no idea. I had to write two essays one was on American food (여러분 ( Read more... ) -
Freaks & Geeks
Today was strange. Last night ㅈ and I had a great time at 홍대 and then this morning I was going to join four of my Japanese classmates for a mini-tour around Seoul (tomorrow is the last day of class and then some of them are returning to Japan the very next day.) Originally, ㅈ was going to go home a study but she ended up joining us. We met in ( Read more... ) -
The Teacher Becomes the Student
Currently, I am living in Seoul, having moved here for my five-week vacation to take an intensive Korean class at 이화 여자 대학교. I originally hoped to read and write and speak entirely in Korean for the whole month, including this journal. It started out that way, (as the Korean entries below will attest,) but, at least in regards to this journal, ( Read more... )