Halloween 2009--(from right to left) Kat as a cat, Lynn as the girl from lost in translation, me as a corrupt businessman, the creepy bartender as a creepy transvestite, and Jeff as the senior mop-bog-ee (an obscure Korean character).
I know what you're thinking--corrupt business man? Well Samsung had some major indictments against their CEO this year. Greasing the wheels of business with the lubricant that is cash is fairly standard practice here. Still--corrupt business man is a little lame; however, costume pickings are rather slim here. As the night wore on the costume disintegrated into used car salesman. A good Halloween was had by all.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Halloween Peppers
The Halloween peppers have become tradition now. We carve peppers for Halloween, eat chicken for Thanksgiving. You have to make do with what you have.
It's a Big World Out There
Fall has fallen and winter will soon be on. The one thing I hate about winter is no more bug pics, unless there is a Korean snow beetle that I'm unaware of. It's getting close to hibernation time.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Neighborhood and the Neighbors
The Neighborhood and the Neighbors
Originally uploaded by karmking1111
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Kick Up Some Dust and Watch It Settle
It's taken me awhile to find time to sit down and write this post. Now that the dust has settled from the wedding, the honeymoon, the move, and the transition to the new job; now that I have a bit more perspective and distance I can look back and say that Kat I had a freaking awesome wedding. I know, that's the adjective that everyone wants to describe their wedding: "freaking", but the whole thing was great. We rode up to the altar in a fancy car. We said our own vows. We put on the rings, said "I do," and that was it. Cut the cake, dance a little bit. The whole thing worked out great. And the best thing is that it's over. The wedding was fun, but it's a hassle to get everything together, to get everyone together, and get everything right. Once it's done you can finally take that deep breath and relax.
One thing I found interesting is that the reception is more for the guests than anything. The bride and groom are always getting shuttled everywhere to get pictures taken, to cut the cake, to do special dances, to throw things. Maybe the groom just wants to sit down for a second and drink a beer with friends and family. Did anyone ever think about that? Next time I have a wedding I'm going to schedule that in. Oh wait...
And that last part was a joke. Kat knows that (you know that don't you sweety?). It's been a month and a week of pure marriage bliss and we're still married.
Right after the wedding Kat and I went to Santa Barbara for some surfing. We decided to sign up for group lessons as neither of us is too skilled on a board. While I was in the water, waiting for a wave, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to where I spied the motion, and about 100 yards from me, a shark jumped completely out of the water. I saw the silhouette perfectly and I've watched enough shark week to recognize the big scary fish when I see it. It was medium sized (about five feet from head to tail) and far enough out that I didn't think much of it. I did tell the instructor who then told me to keep my big yap shut. He said it in a more polite fashion than that. He just didn't want the other surfers to get spooked. Fine by me.
I attempted to do some more surfing, was paddling back out, when three dorsal fins surfaced about ten feet in front of me. Since I saw a shark before, I thought I was done. I had two thoughts 1) Well, Kat had a short marriage, and 2) I didn't know sharks traveled in schools. Luckily, it was a school of dolphins, sent by Neptune to bless and protect me, at least that's what I chose to believe. A few minutes later, a seal popped up to check out all the funny looking people trying to surf. It was a sea safari out there. That night Kat and I ate sushi
After SB, we drove up to Salvang to ride bikes and drink wine, a fine combination. The combination of those two event is actually exhausting. It's not like we did any extreme biking. Rather, we just rode from one winery to the next but the combination of pedaling, drinking, and baking in the mid-day sun completely exhausted me. When we got back to the hotel I slept the sleep of a baby, a drunken, sunburnt baby.
I like wine tasting, but I always feel slightly out of my element when doing it. When I drink alcohol, I like to do it in a place that has at least one pool table, a sporting event on TV, and buffalo wings. Wineries are different sort of places. I know, these are not the local watering holes that I'm used to and the idea is to taste, not drink. Still, I'm often confused by the lingo and customs of the semi-professional wine tasters. The guy next to me usually says something like, "Its got an oaky finish with a hint of rosemary," and I'll say something like, "Ooo, it's sparkly." I love the mystique of wine and the romance of its production, but I have a palate more suited for hops rather than grapes. Still, that does mean that don't enjoy the learning process.
After all that, Kat and I went to L.A., back to Korea, moved our apartment and started our new jobs. There's some omitted details in that last sentence but that will have to wait for another post. I've had a glass or two of wine and I'm quite sleepy. Maybe Solvang did rub off on me.
I said in my wedding toast, the best gift that we received was to see all our friends and family together. The money and the presents were great (very great, give more if you feel like it), but Kat and I are in Korea for such long stretches that we rarely get to see small groups of friends and family together, let alone everyone in one spot. I want to thank everyone for making our wedding and the days leading up to it truly wonderful. I especially want to thank Kat, after all, she's the one with the courage and wrecklessness to marry a guy like me.
It's taken me awhile to find time to sit down and write this post. Now that the dust has settled from the wedding, the honeymoon, the move, and the transition to the new job; now that I have a bit more perspective and distance I can look back and say that Kat I had a freaking awesome wedding. I know, that's the adjective that everyone wants to describe their wedding: "freaking", but the whole thing was great. We rode up to the altar in a fancy car. We said our own vows. We put on the rings, said "I do," and that was it. Cut the cake, dance a little bit. The whole thing worked out great. And the best thing is that it's over. The wedding was fun, but it's a hassle to get everything together, to get everyone together, and get everything right. Once it's done you can finally take that deep breath and relax.
One thing I found interesting is that the reception is more for the guests than anything. The bride and groom are always getting shuttled everywhere to get pictures taken, to cut the cake, to do special dances, to throw things. Maybe the groom just wants to sit down for a second and drink a beer with friends and family. Did anyone ever think about that? Next time I have a wedding I'm going to schedule that in. Oh wait...
And that last part was a joke. Kat knows that (you know that don't you sweety?). It's been a month and a week of pure marriage bliss and we're still married.
Right after the wedding Kat and I went to Santa Barbara for some surfing. We decided to sign up for group lessons as neither of us is too skilled on a board. While I was in the water, waiting for a wave, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to where I spied the motion, and about 100 yards from me, a shark jumped completely out of the water. I saw the silhouette perfectly and I've watched enough shark week to recognize the big scary fish when I see it. It was medium sized (about five feet from head to tail) and far enough out that I didn't think much of it. I did tell the instructor who then told me to keep my big yap shut. He said it in a more polite fashion than that. He just didn't want the other surfers to get spooked. Fine by me.
I attempted to do some more surfing, was paddling back out, when three dorsal fins surfaced about ten feet in front of me. Since I saw a shark before, I thought I was done. I had two thoughts 1) Well, Kat had a short marriage, and 2) I didn't know sharks traveled in schools. Luckily, it was a school of dolphins, sent by Neptune to bless and protect me, at least that's what I chose to believe. A few minutes later, a seal popped up to check out all the funny looking people trying to surf. It was a sea safari out there. That night Kat and I ate sushi
After SB, we drove up to Salvang to ride bikes and drink wine, a fine combination. The combination of those two event is actually exhausting. It's not like we did any extreme biking. Rather, we just rode from one winery to the next but the combination of pedaling, drinking, and baking in the mid-day sun completely exhausted me. When we got back to the hotel I slept the sleep of a baby, a drunken, sunburnt baby.
I like wine tasting, but I always feel slightly out of my element when doing it. When I drink alcohol, I like to do it in a place that has at least one pool table, a sporting event on TV, and buffalo wings. Wineries are different sort of places. I know, these are not the local watering holes that I'm used to and the idea is to taste, not drink. Still, I'm often confused by the lingo and customs of the semi-professional wine tasters. The guy next to me usually says something like, "Its got an oaky finish with a hint of rosemary," and I'll say something like, "Ooo, it's sparkly." I love the mystique of wine and the romance of its production, but I have a palate more suited for hops rather than grapes. Still, that does mean that don't enjoy the learning process.
After all that, Kat and I went to L.A., back to Korea, moved our apartment and started our new jobs. There's some omitted details in that last sentence but that will have to wait for another post. I've had a glass or two of wine and I'm quite sleepy. Maybe Solvang did rub off on me.
I said in my wedding toast, the best gift that we received was to see all our friends and family together. The money and the presents were great (very great, give more if you feel like it), but Kat and I are in Korea for such long stretches that we rarely get to see small groups of friends and family together, let alone everyone in one spot. I want to thank everyone for making our wedding and the days leading up to it truly wonderful. I especially want to thank Kat, after all, she's the one with the courage and wrecklessness to marry a guy like me.
Cake Toppers
We've been in Korea long enough, we figured we could incorporate these into cake toppers.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Bouquet of Power
Kat happily brandishes her bouquet at the mischievous spirits that threaten the wedding. Good job Kat--mischievous spirits dispersed.
Getting Ready
Here's Kat getting caught in my under-cover hypnotist's gaze:
"You will marry Nathan."
"I will marry Nathan."
"You will love him for the rest of his life."
"I will love him for the rest of my life."
"You will cook him breakfast for the rest of his life."
"I will cook him...what? Wait."
Excellent make-up was done by Amanda McCartney.
"You will marry Nathan."
"I will marry Nathan."
"You will love him for the rest of his life."
"I will love him for the rest of my life."
"You will cook him breakfast for the rest of his life."
"I will cook him...what? Wait."
Excellent make-up was done by Amanda McCartney.
SLC Bee
Another bee. They are one of the easiest insects to photograph with the macro as they really don't care how close you get (To them, not the hive. The hive is a different story.).
Suspense
The Croin demonstrating his vertical jump ability. In the game of disc golf, frisbees usually aren't so easy to get that a white man can just jump and get them. This activity, retrieving discs from trees, can take up an unusually large portion of game time--as well as looking for disc in shrubs, looking for disc in ravines, pretty much looking everywhere but the one place the disc is supposed to be in: the basket.
Zip-Liner
Zip-Liner
Originally uploaded by karmking1111
Go Time
Go Time
Originally uploaded by karmking1111
Friday, September 18, 2009
Human LCD : Close Up Video
Pretty crazy stuff. Funny thing, I worked in a Korean public school for two years and I can testify that I never saw anything close to being as organized as this. They definitely have enthusiasm and a hive like mentality.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Seoul Sun
The Han River in foreground with Namsan Tower in the back. Lighting provided by the almighty.
"Is She Okay"
It's okay, that's just how white people swim.
(Kat can't take the kids any more and so decided to drown herself.)
(Kat can't take the kids any more and so decided to drown herself.)
Failure
They are not the brightest nor the most coordinated students as the orange reflective vests attest to.
Kat Has Found Her Calling
Here's Kat screaming at children with a megaphone; nothing more need be said.
All Hail Kat
Kat trying to get the troops in order. For some reason they have difficulty mastering her official greeting.
Ride 'em Wyoming
This is one of my absolute fav pictures of all time. I like this pic for three reasons. One, it's of me. Two, I'm riding a bull. Three, I'm kicking ass. Look at the form, the poise, the cocky expression on my face. I make this look good. This is right before I got bucked off and landed on my head.
Photo credits: the Orris
Photo credits: the Orris
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