It's March. March 1st. Next month marks my third full year of blogging. I give, (I'm not sure "credit" or "blame" would be the right word), to Heather for showing me how to blog. Thanks, Duderino. Over these three years it's been a useful way to vent for me. But I was just searching for an entry I alluded to in my most recent post about being walked in on while in the shower, (May '96), and started to realize that this is just as good as a journal. For as long as Blogger.com remains, and remains free, I have access to a history of my tales, and sometimes pics, of the past. I wish I'd started doing this long ago. I'd absolutely LOVE to read some blog entries about my years in university! And I'm sure I'd enjoy reading about how foolish, and how bad a writer I was when I was young.

I HAVE kept journals at times during the past. In my university days I used to get the Sports Illustrated day planner every year for about 6 years. Still have those and MAN are they fun to read! I even recorded dreams off and on during university. I have very weird dreams! So those too are fun to read about.

Probably the most complete history of my life in one spot would be all the letters I've written to my dear old Gramma Vickers. And I don't flatter myself to think that she's kept them all over the years, but if she had they'd be a great read!

I have Mormon friends who keep journals. I think it's one of the things the church tries to encourage. I think it's a great thing to encourage. If I could get all my students to blog just think how much their English would improve! And I could just read their blogs and make grammar corrections in the comment box. But that's never gonna happen. Besides it's a lot of work for me. We don't want that. But if I had smaller classes filled with students who really wanted to learn English...

So I thought I'd try to put an entry here that gives a feel for my life at this time. It will be this sort of entry I really like to read in the future. Like when I watch movies I sometimes get into moods where I don't care about the quality of the movie or the acting or whatever, it's the scenery that holds my attention. I watched Home Alone recently because it has some really nice cinematography of things I miss about home. Houses. Sidewalks being shovelled in winter. Christmas lights. American cars. Mailboxes. Who knows what I'll be reading in my blog in the future that will conjure up old memories of Korea? I think it'll be details. So I'm gonna try to make this a detailed entry.

As I sit at my computer drinking Ahmad black currant tea, which I bought on one of my infrequent journeys to Hannam Supermarket near I Tae Won in Seoul I'm glad it's in a blue mug. I like blue mugs. They make things taste better. It's a blue Starbucks mug that I think I might have purchased during one of my infrequent journeys to Starbucks. I only go if someone else wants to go. I think I got this mug when I was hanging out with Mike and Heather in one of about 50 Starbucks in downtown Seoul. I think this was purchased at the one across from the Kyobo Building with the view of the Lee Sun Shin statue. Mike loves Starbucks. More than anyone should really. I think it might have been in October cuz Heather and Mike got pumpkin flavoured coffee.

The tea is steaming quite copiously as it sits on my "I love to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food." potholder, which was a gift from Jocelyn who I worked with at Mokpo U. last year. Thanks Jocelyn. And also thanks for telling me the word, "potholder". It was a struggle for me at the time to come up with the right word for this object. It had been buried in my brain for years so that retrieval was impossible. Ever forget a simple word like that? I had to send Jocelyn a message on facebook asking what the word for that large, material, coaster thingy we use for pots was. That's embarrassing.

The tea is steaming a lot because it's a bit chilly in my dorm room at Seogang today. I turned my heater off a few days ago when it was warm outside. The heater takes over a day to turn off. So I was sweating like a banshee for two days. Then the third day was fine but wouldn't you know it, today it's colder. I could turn on the heater but it won't heat up till sometime next week when it will most likely be warm again. So I'll just wear extra clothes until spring.

I can't see them because my purple horizontal blinds are closed, but I can hear students talking, and probably flirting, very audibly while sitting on the picnic tables in the courtyard outside my window. They might even be drinking soju. It's only 3 PM but it's the Sunday before the first Monday of class here. Might as well drink in that last blast of freedom.

Luckily for me I don't work tomorrow. I teach Physical Therapy from 9-11 and Hotel/Food from 2-4 on Tuesday. Wednesday I have Physical Therapy again from 2-3, and first year stewardess from 3-4. Then Thursday I have first year stewardess from 9-11, (when most will be catching beauty z's), and from 2-4 I have second year stewardess, who I taught last semester. I'll be doing a special class from 4-5 every day but that doesn't start for a couple weeks. It's a really sweet schedule! No Fridays! But it can and most likely WILL change dramatically before we fully get going here.

Now I have a girl, (what she's doing in the boys side of the dorm I don't know), talking, nay yelling into her phone directly outside my door. I wonder why anyone would stop there for a phone call. Yesterday the "Woo" guy returned. There's some kid here who is constantly running around yelling that. He's woken me up on many occasions. I think he might be like Timmy from Southpark. All Timmy can say is "Timmy." I think maybe all the Woo guy can say is Woo. But with different intonation depending upon the circumstances. But I'm sure even HE can pass here at Seokang.

I haven't been sleeping right for over a month. Sinuses. I'm pretty sure I'm not allergic to Korea but it's a theory I've mulled over. It could be the Chinese sand but upon checking my past blog entries I find that May is when that is worst. I've found only one thing that helps: Otravin. But as is my way, I choose not to medicate unless it's absolutely necessary, so I have a wastebasket full of dirty snotrags beside me and a roll of TP beside my blue tea mug. I slept from about 7 AM to noon today. I was up watching live streams of the Accenture Matchplay Championships. I think Ogilvie will win. I also watched hockey and a little bit of Sopranos. I had trouble with my video. Both streaming vid and the Sopranos cd were coming up on the screen as just green and red stripes. Sound was okay though. I went into control panel, display, settings and mokeyed around. That worked so I was able to watch. I am pretty sure that playing Guild of Heroes on facebook is what messed up my video settings. It has happened before. How is still a mystery.

See? This'll all be good stuff to look back on if I have these problems again.

We had hot water all through the day yesterday so I did my dishes and made some Chilli. I have two pickle jars of it left. I bought some sour cream and marble cheese from the underground market a couple days ago. I grated some of the cheese yesterday into the chilli. Mmmmmm. I think today I'll have some sour cream in my chilli. I wanted to go grocery shopping this afternoon for eggs, bread etc. but that was dependant upon hot water. As I walked into the bathroom to check I said out loud to myself, "I'll bet next month's salary we don't have hot water all day today." And sure enough I won the bet. So now I have to wait until 7 PM to shower up and go shopping. Hence, this entry. Usually we have hot water in the dorm from 7ish to 9ish AM and PM. That's all. I think that's starting today.

I think at 6 I'll play some Wii and work up a sweat then shower at 7. Till then I guess I'll just putter around at my computer.

Well this has been a good entry. Not especially interesting but time well wasted. See you soon.

How To Be a Good I-Don't-Caretaker

Five days ago I went to the immigration office with my boss, Professor Jung. We just call him "The Jung" around here. He doesn't know anybody's first names either. It was the second immigration visit this time around. Fourth in total for this year of work. I went there the previous week and after the requisite hour and a half wait was told that I needed to come back with papers from the school. But it was okay because I had expected that. And I got to watch Robocop on the big Samsung LCD screen TV in the waiting room. Along with 5 or 6 kids that really shouldn't have been watching Robocop on the big Samsung LCD screen. The Jung had been told that I would be in and out in one shot and for some reason he had believed whoever it was at the immigration office that had told him. Silly man.

While we drove to the office with the extra papers he asked how things were at the dorm. I didn't want to bring that up because I thought I'd freak out but I surprised myself by telling Jung in a calm manner, (for the fifth time), about the problems I'd been having with the I-Don't-Caretakers and the door. I elabourated and told him the latest story about coming back from a vacation with lots of luggage including my computer and having to struggle half an hour with the door then another half an hour looking for an I-don't-caretaker, then HE struggled with the door for half an hour finally using the knob key which I don't have a copy of and refusing again to give me one when I asked. I also told Jung that the taller I-don't-caretaker was in the dorm the whole time listening to us both struggle with the door and when we finally got it open he said to the small I-don't-caretaker, "Oh. I didn't know it was you."

Immediately Jung called somebody and told them to give me a key to the knob lock on the door. Which I should have had 6 months ago. Which I had asked for many times and was refused and assured that nobody ever locks the knob lock. Hell, I wouldn't have got the key to the deadbolt if I hadn't gone to the I-don't-caretaker's office and asked them specifically for it. They weren't about to bust their asses and walk the 15 steps from their office to my door to give it to me. Because they don't care. It's their job not to care. It's what they do. Although there have been many times when they decided for no aparent reason to walk straight into my room when I was foolish enough to leave my door open. Never do they have anything useful to tell me or give me, like a key, they just want to see me in my gotch. And a few times they HAVE. One time one of them brought some ladies in while I was in the shower. To dust off the fans I think was the reason. And more than once they actually opened the LOCKED door to get in despite my yelling "NO, DON'T COME IN!" But all that's part of the I-don't-caretaker's job too. And after yelling at them frequently, getting Jung to yell at them, putting a sign on my door that says in Korean "DO NOT ENTER", ALWAYS keeping my door locked, and vainly trying to deprogram the Korean knock-and-walk mentality out of all of them, it's now to a point where they only SOMETIMES do that. The other night I was cooking cheeseburgers and one of them came to my door and knocked. He tried the knob but it was locked. I yelled, IN KOREAN "I'm busy." He knocked again. I yelled again. He knocked one more time and I opened the door and pointed at my cheeseburgers. He just looked past me at my apartment a bit then walked away without telling or giving me anything.

So anyway, now I have both keys to the back entrance which puts a damper on all the fun the I-don't-caretakers have when they see me going out on a Friday night and decide to lock the lock I previously didn't have a key to. So what could they come up with at their daily meeting to replace that part of their job? They have daily meetings. They sit at a round table and I suppose these are the points of business they discuss. Aparently my footwear was on the agenda at a recent meeting. I am about 6 steps from a hot and cold water machine, which I often use, and about 10 steps from a washing machine. I don't wear shoes or socks in my apartment unless I'm exercising. (Playing with my Wii). So I usually walk in my bare feet to get water or do laundry. This week alone 4 of the I-don't-caretakers have ordered me to put shoes on. What they want me to do is another part of Korean culture that is programmed into them at an early age and that I'll never EVER do. They want me to crush the heels of a pair of shoes making it an expensive pair of slippers then noisily, (need I say annoyingly noisily?), shuffle the 6-10 steps outside my apartment.

Now you might think I'm being lazy or stubborn. Yes I am. But the real reason I will not do this is because if I asked why this national obsession with shoes, slippers, footwear, and they thought about it for a month the best reason any of them could give me is "just because." Many Koreans have told me that they have several ways to say this in Korean. I even know one of them. And it is mind-boggling how well accepted this is as an answer to meaningful questions. It's a sad part of this culture that I will not adopt. I have been moving into an apartment carrying a fucking giant couch and when the Korean on the other end comes to the entrance he kicks off his shoes for the love of GOD! And then while carrying a refrigerator out he struggles at the doorway to slip his shoes back on. You might THINK I'm only kidding.

So this morning I'm filling my Brita at the water machine in my bare feet and the small I-don't-caretaker says to me, "Mister David." Then turns his head to the side, sucks in some air and says something in Korean about "shin pal", shoes. After being ignored for the appropriate lenth of time he shows me the key he was told to give me 5 days ago. But he doesn't give it to me. Oh no. He goads me into following him in my bare feet, with my now full Brita, like a jackass might follow a carrot to the back door. There's another I-don't-caretaker there in a supply room who orders me to put some shoes on. While ignoring him the small I-don't-caretaker launches into this elabourate display of how to open door locks. Does he demonstrate once? No. Twice? No. I think the guy would have continued all day if had let him. This is the guy who with both keys STILL took half an hour to open the door when I had returned from my vacation and had my luggage outside. And said to me upon entry, "See? No problem!"

I calmly told him I understood the complicated concept of doorlocks in English. Then I told him I understood in Korean. Then I said it a little louder. Finally I say to him "WHY? WHY 6 months? WHY, WHY, WHY?" Then to the other I-don't-caretaker who is still sternly glaring at my bare feet I knock on my head a few times and say, "Crazy!" All in a loud voice but while smiling. Finally he parts with the key and I barefootedly, and noiselessly, convey my key and filtered water back to my room. How much do you want to bet they'll start locking both locks now?

There is a bright side to the story. And if it's for sure, it's bright like hangover sunlight. I haven't seen the tall I-don't-caretaker for quite some time. These I-don't-caretakers don't make the college any money. They are a lot more dispensible than I am. I have had nothing but trouble with the tall guy and before me Kasia had had her share of troubles and possibly even before Kasia the bastard was causing trouble for the foreign teachers. If he has quit or been fired things will be greatly improved around here. If the little key demonstration and possibly the shoe thing was in any way punishment for whatever degree of responsibility I might have had in his removal it was well worth it. I'm hoping and praying.

Don't worry about the tall I-don't-caretaker. With the skills he's acquired during his tenure here he will be a valuable addition to any number of establishments throughout Korea that need employees to do nothing and piss people off. He'll land on his feet I'm sure.

Playing with my Wii

The long winter vacation is almost over and I have an unusually small supply of stories, photos and adventures to talk about. For a few reasons I didn't really go ON holidays this winter. I visited friends in Osan for an extended period of time but that's only 3 hours away from home. I didn't go to another country or see anything I haven't seen before. I think when I'm old and waxing reminiscent, the thing that I just might remember most from the winter of '09 will be entering into the Wii era of my life.

For the past few weeks I've been playing with my Wii, almost every day. That doesn't sound like anything new right? Har har har. Playing with my Wii. It sounds modest. I mean the inescapable inference is of diminutive size. How big could a "Wii" be, right? They should have called it a "Wang" or a "Woah" so I could proudly tell people what I've been up to.

And believe it or not, there are similarities. There was a recent SNL sketch where Alec Baldwin sees his son and friends playing with their Wii. He asked if he could give it a try. The Wii actually has sensors that make SHAKING the controller necessary. In the game Alec Baldwin played in the sketch he founds some bags and had to shake money out of them and the harder he shook the more money came out. I guess in the heat of the game people might naturally tend towards familiar muscle memory and Alec was shaking his Wii like a teenage boy. And getting massive amounts of money. The other guys, who didn't have the, how shall I say it, self-pleasuring tenure of the old man were in awe. They carried the innuendo on for a while too changing hands, making sounds you might hear at a coin operated porn booth and saying that Mom will be a natural at it. It was a pretty clever sketch.

I remember playing video games with Kasia in my dorm room and thinking that students who passed by might have overheard us and jumped to some conclusions. Now with the Wii it would probably sound even worse. I play golf all the time and you can put spin on the ball by pressing the direction arrow the way you want it to spin and shaking as hard as you can. If the ball is heading toward the water I put back spin on it and shake like a mad man grunting things like, "Suck back, ball! Don't get wet! Come on, baby screw back! Almost there, almost there, OH OH God yeah!" And I'm in here all by myself playing with my Wii. I hope nobody listens at my door.

And it's only going to get about a thousand times better when I have friends over playing with my Wii. Or if they don't want to play they can just watch me play with my Wii and see how an experienced veteran does it. Then they can join in when they think they've got the hang of it.

I've put my X-Box away. She's in storage with all her games. Now I'm a Wii man and I want the whole world to know! This is my electronic coming out announcement. Wow, that felt good! If you enjoy playing with your Wii, don't be afraid to tell people. It's okay. You're perfectly normal. And if you have friends who disapprove of it, well they just weren't any real kind of friend in the first place now were they?

I think for myself it's gonna be hardest to tell my Mom I've given up on the X-Box and now only play with my Wii. You know how old-fashioned some people can be. But I think she'll come around when she sees how happy it makes me.

I thought about being bi-consolar but there are just too many problems. For me it's easier to do one or the other and I'm committed to this relationship now.

Ha ha ha. I could go on and on with that. Anyway, I think I'm gonna go get the Wii Fitness board soon and with that I'll likely exercise more often. I already play golf and sort of exercise between shots to try to simulate walking the course. It's actually MORE exercise than golfing. And I've heard they already have a Simpsons game for it. I REALLY want that! I can see so many really cool games in the future. With a larger sensor they could have full body simulation so that you'd HAVE to do the exercising. A video game that is GOOD for you! Who could have predicted that?

And I think maybe the best thing about my Wii is that if I find I'm spending too much money socializing it's something interesting to do for free. Tomorrow I'm going to an Indian restaurant with Dave, Ang, Rebecca and Kasia, then to a sort of pre-wedding party for a couple other friends afterwards. I won't feel bad about spending too much money cuz I've been saving money playing Wii for a while now.

If you've never tried the Wii you should. I've seen so many people who hate video games say they really enjoy the Wii. The only downside for me is the fact that I have a Korean Wii. It's really hard to figure out all the instructions. And for some reason, like the Ipod, the Wii hasn't caught on in Korea so there aren't many games available. But with any luck I'll be able to get English games and maybe get a mod chip so I can play them on my Korean Wii. I'm going back to Canada in the summer and you can bet I'll be figuring all that stuff out while I'm there. If not before.

Anywii, I think I'll go golfing. Keep yer stick on the ice.

Survivor Brazil Predictions, (first episode spoiler alert)

Already! That means I'm gonna be back at work before too long. Boy time flies when you're getting old!

I'm gonna do things a bit different this time. I waited till after the first episode this time to make my predictions. Every other bit of info I have is from the Survivor website. I didn't do so well last time but I think getting to know the survivors for one episode's gonna make a huge difference! Here goes:

Tyson- THIS guy is a Mormon?!? I think he might just be the most interesting survivor this time around. Probst seems to think so too saying he looks like trouble. His first impression of Erinn was that she might be a bitch and unlike the Mormons I know who wear very specific undergarments at all times, he was the first to get nekkid on the show. Immediately colourful. He did his mission, (and wore those specific undergarments the whole time), in the Philippines so the heat won't be a prob. He's a swimmer and a cycler but doesn't look threateningly athletic. His favourite movie is "The Jerk". Good. His favourite survivor is Johnny Fairplay. Bad. He figures arrogance might be his downfall and he obviously has no shortage of that! I was noticing that there was no token homosexual on the show this time when suddenly Tyson started talking about what he'd spend the winnings on. Furs for his shoulders, jewels for his pretty fingers and a tiara? Could be why he dropped outta BYU. Gay or not he's gonna be flamboyant. I can't see him exiting early. I could see him winning. Not sure if I want him to or not yet.

Sydney- I don't see much to her but the fact that she's gorgeous. Says that people will get on her nerves and when Carolina was talking about getting the shelter done Sydney was the most vocal in disagreeing because it was too much work. I think the tribe will live to regret that since it gets VERY rainy where they're at and they're sleeping on the ground. Says she will lie, cheat and steal. She voted for Stephen in the first impression vote probably more because he looked geeky than for his corporate soullessness. I think it was probobly her more than Spencer that killed their team on the maze and lost the challenge. Don't like her and don't think her looks will keep her around long.

Sierra- Sore throat or not she looked pretty weak. But won the whole crew over by using her craftiness, (as in arts and crafts), to make a shelter. Everyone forgave her. Everyone, that is, but Coach. However, if it's a good shelter and it rains soon, which it's gonna, maybe coach will forgive her too. She put on a show, (not just because she didn't wear her panties), in the first challenge. Probst really likes her. I think I'll agree that she is gonna be surprisingly strong and she'll last for a while. Don't forget she DID make the obvious decision about the immunity idol but for the social, not the strategic reason. Nonetheless she has the first clue to the whereabouts of the immunity idol and lots of time to find it.

Coach- If anyone will rival Tyson for the title of most interesting survivor this time I think it'll be this guy. But I think I'm gonna like Tyson a lot better than Coach. Probst said he could listen to his adventure stories all day long but wouldn't let him date his daughter. I think that says it all. He kayaked 6000 miles alone for crying out loud! But he's in love with himself and his downfall is GONNA be his strategy to lead the group. He was coaching his tribe in orientation during the hike to camp. And although this guy navigated all over the world he didn't get his team to camp before nightfall. So maybe he was in reality lost at sea on that famous 6-month journey. Actually called himself a genius and many times a "Renaissance man". Well the literal translation of that is "rebirth" and you gotta die before you're reborn. I don't think his alliance with Brendan will get him anything but stabbed in the back. And probably deservadly so. Says he's gonna leave bodies in his wake as he gets from A to B. Wrong strategy.

Candace- One of the few things I hate about Survivor is that they ALWAYS have lawyers on the show. For ONCE I won't be voting for the lawyer to get snuffed out early. I am totally in lust with this gal. If I were in her tribe, I would write someone else's name down just to keep her hot bod around. And hey, she's not a PRACTICING lawyer any more. However, I, like Probst, find it hard, uh difficult, to believe her when she says things haven't come easy, uh been easy for her. I wonder if she got all those scholarships and passed the bar on her first try purely through hard work. Was it real hard work or was it like when her, Sierra, Deb and Tyson went to get water and she was up on the hill watching the other three and DRINKING water while they did all the work? Says she hasn't had a challenge lately. Well she hasn't dazzled me yet by stepping up to this one. But she HAS dazzled me in other ways. Unfortunately the nice boobs are usually voted off fairly early. I think it's cuz they're hard not to notice. She might be a princess and if anyone actually can't handle the elements I'd put my money on Candace or Erinn.

Stephen- Thinks he might get eaten. I think that would be GREAT television. Has worked in corporate America for the last 7 years. He calls it "soul-sucking" work so he's probably lost most or all of his soul. His plan is to look innocent and get other people to suggest dirty moves for him. Thinks the good old boys will hate him. I agree. I think I will hate him too. Hope he gets voted off fast but if he shows ANY athleticism he will probly have a good chance to make it to the end. But I doubt it will be without making enemies along the way.

Jerry- Looks a lot younger than he is! I think he's smart to keep his military training on the down-low. Probst and I agree that he has an instantly likeable personality. He CAN lead but ain't gonna. I think that's smart too. I want him to get the money more than anyone and he'll be one of my favourites. He's got all the tools. I think for once a guy I'm voting for COULD win!

Carolina- Kinda glad she's gone because every time her name was pronounced that way it made me cringe. However, it's another woeful case of the breasts getting voted off early. This is one where Probst was wrong. He figured she'd be around a while for her cuteness. She said that in the beginning she was going to try to work on unity in the tribe. Yet she was perceived as being whiney and complaining the most. And then at tribal council she announced to the whole world that she IS whiney and DOES complain the most! Dizbrain!

Debra- I have a feeling I'm gonna like this chick a lot! Just like Bob from last season, (who shoulda won dammit!), I have an instant affinity for her because of her occupation. But she looks to have a really cool personality too. Says she'll be the life of the party and the clown. I think everybody is gonna like her. And with all the working out she does they'll forget all about her age. I also like her cuz she's smokin' HOT! If I were a student at her school I'd LOVE to be sent to the principal's office! She's probably one who I'll be voting for to win it all. But it's early. I could change. She does have some glaring weaknesses. Says she's way too trusting, wears her heart on her sleeve and tends to want to lead. Could be tragic.

Sandy- Two things she said that stick out to me: 1. I have to try to figure out what a "pace" is. And 2. "Why the hell do I even wanna waste my energy on tryin to get in your good graces when I ain't eith- why- neitha- never- there- wudn't an option?" Like Probst I think she'll be lucky to last another vote. If Carolina hadn't commited suicide Sandy'd probably be driving bus now. I don't think she'll have much time to mother her tribe or "caress them in (her) breast." However, when she was voted for in the first impressions vote she DID say that a young one will get voted off first. And she was right! God help me I like this old gal! She spices up the tribe! Even though she probably didn't know what "curry favour with the tribe" meant in the immunity idol clue, she DID rename her tribe Jalapeno! Unfortunately she'll have to do more than believe to achieve. Her strategy is to not get voted for because her tribe wins immunity challenges. I think that's her only chance and she did a great job in the first challenge. Also she may be able to weather the first vote against her. All she has to do is ask somebody what the hell a pace is.

Taj- I'm gonna lu dis girl! And why not? She's a singer and out of the gozillions of girls that throw themselves at successful NFL stars like Eddie George, he picked her. There MUST be something to her! I love two other things about her: 1. Her strategy of "nurturing you right out the door." and 2. giving the winnings to kids from abusive households. Cuz we KNOW she doesn't need the money! She's doing it for the fun and to lose weight. And good for her! She says she's snappy. But let's face it, a big old black lady is gonna get away with that. She sure snapped Carolina's ass straight out the door didn't she? And Carolina was thanking her for it! My early female fave.

Brendan- I think this is the smartest guy in the game and I think he's going to win. I don't vote for him because he's rich, but I think he'll probably deserve to win. He voted for Erinn in the first impressions vote and I think that was the smart vote. He has already been approached for an alliance and I don't think this'll be the last or the best offer he receives. He might play dirty but I think he'll outwit more than anyone. He has already said that nobody wants a Coach during the Survivor experience so we'll see how that plays out. I think Coach is toast soon. He showed strength, but not too much of it, during the challenge. I don't think I'll be too upset if he wins. And that'll be nice since the last few shows HAVE been won by people who I didn't want to win.

Erinn- Salon worker. Says only 15% of her job is doing hair, the rest is people skills. She'll need them because she hasn't made a great first impression. She likes the looks of Tyson but he thinks she looks like a bitch. Says she tends to blurt things out. Like already, "What the hell am I doing here?" Her last camping trip was in 7th grade. Says she's tough but I'm not buying it. Although she kicked ass on the maze in the immunity challenge. If she survives it'll be because she completely disappears.

J.T.- I just know I'm gonna like this guy. He's a country boy with a brain. Kinda like my own self, hyuck! He's got a lot going for him at a young age so he's got some savvy. Absolutely kicked ASS on the first challenge! Left everybody so far behind on the running part I think he slowed down so as to not stand out so much. He has a good strategy, to ally until they're down to 6 or 7 then throw the alliances out the window. He's a good fisherman. He's the guy who did the map and compass work that got his tribe to camp early enough to make up for time Sandy wasted looking for the idol. He says the heat and mosquitoes won't be a problem. But Alabama is hot and DRY I think. The rain might be problematic. But I can't see him giving up because of it. If a man wins I hope it's J.T.

Spencer- Youngest ever on Survivor. Probst says he's got a good head on his shoulders but could get played. I agree. Says he's used to teamwork from playing sports but I doubt his teams ever tried to backstab him. He'll have to be on the lookout for that. He is smart and well spoken. In the beginning he was thinking. Told his team to get lots of rope from the truck. Has seen all the Survivors so that should help him. If he doesn't get too hungry I think he'll do okay. He looks to be the kind of player I vote for. Could win but I think he'll play too honestly so it's a long shot.

Joe- Is in real estate. He's probably not hard up for money. A proud Texan. He carried a lot on the trek to camp so he's strong. I think he coined the name "Psycho Sandy" so he has a sense of humour. I don't know if that'll stick though it is appropriate. Him and Spencer saved Sandy. However, Spencer was smart in that he was saying positive things about Sandy whereas Joe was dissing Carolina. This might be a negative for him. Especially if it keeps up.

So to recap, MEN: I think either Tyson or Brendan will win. I vote for Jerry and J.T. WOMEN: I think either Debra or Taj are gonna win. I vote for Taj and Debra.

Can't wait for next show.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm in hibernation mode again. Not completely, I mean I cleaned up the house, exercised, did some laundry, and went shopping for groceries today. Bears don't do those things in winter. I don't think. But for most of the day, as with the other days of my holidays, I was pretty immobile. Watched 3 movies, updated my facebook page countless times. I'm having a pretty good war with three other players of Gangster Battle. One guy named "SBD The Gasser" and two, (I'm assuming), gals named "Princess Di Connell" and "OT Settle the Score Woman". I hope these people don't take it personally when I attack them. I just do it cuz I know I can beat them and it's easier than searching for folks who I think I might be able to beat. Besides, they started it! They don't attack me, they ambush me. Cuz if they attack they lose. And OT Settle the Score Woman sometimes shanks me in the back multiple times. I think once she shanked me 10 times in a row. This is what you do when someone is in the hospital. You can't attack someone who's on the mend but you can shank them in the back. Nice eh? They've killed me more times than I've killed them. But I just attack them for money usually. Although I admit if I have nobody left to attack I'll shank OT Woman. I did that today while singing, "Shank shank shank, shank shank shank, shank your booty." But she had it coming to her. heh heh.

The movies I watched were "The Wrestler", "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Benjamin Button". Lemme tell you these were three good movies! In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they all won an Oscar. It's funny how things work. One day I watch nothing but duds and then some days everything I watch is great. I think it might have something to do with me. My mood when I watch. I saw the Dark Knight recently too but I don't think I was in a good movie watching mood. I still liked it though. Another Oscar hopeful for Heath Ledger. But before I start making Oscar predictions I'll have to watch films like Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Visitor, Doubt etc. This is a fun time of year for me. And I gotta say it's very nice to have the time to be able to see all these movies. So I'm counting my blessings. Not often I get to do that. But during hibernation I have plenty of reflection time.

Anyway, as it stands right now I'd have to say my early favourite is The Wrestler. Even though Mickey Rourke was the lead actor in my all time LEAST favourite movie, 9 1/2 Weeks, and I still hold a long-standing grudge against him for that, this was a great movie! And not just because of Marissa Tomei's super hot bod. I'm not saying he deserves an Oscar. I think he was good but from what I see in his interviews he's much the same as the character he played and he's played it before. But I loved this movie. Thumbs way up.

Slumdog was a pretty interesting look into the street life in India, but maybe it's just me, (having seen the same stuff in other Asian countries), it wasn't really new. Take a game show that is a HUGE hit because of the suspense it creates for viewers and put it in a movie. Not really a risky premise. If you add brilliant character development like Quiz Show then you'd have something. But the characters were a bit too melodramatic and superheroic. Like, (I understand), much of Bollywood fare. I was impressed how all the actors refrained from busting out into song or dance. Until the end of the movie. lol I liked it quite a bit but don't think it's good enough for Oscar. I don't want to spoil anything but the autograph scene was awesome!

Benjamin Button was such an obvious rip-off of Forrest Gump that I wonder if its whole purpose was to give the academy what they are looking for. And if you get a table full of Comic Book Guys to make a list of flaws that come up when a guy is aging backwards it would never end. Things like teeth. Were they rotten when he was born old or did they decay and fall out as he got to his teens? Why he changes so much in the 15 years that he grows up with the girl. If he went from a 90-year-old to a 75-year-old, how much change would there have been? Really. He went from a blind, deaf cripple to a fully haired, dude who could RUN. Ever see a 75-year-old run? And his girlfriend never looks like she ages more than 20 years while he goes right down to pubescence and infancy. But somehow looks like she's 200 a few years later on her death bed. And of course the sex drive. Did he need Viagra when he was a young guy who looked like an old dude or an old guy who looked like a young dude? He got his share of nookie during BOTH periods. No THIS is one book that shouldn't have been made into a movie. It requires too much imagination. Having said all that, I liked it. I loved Forrest Gump and this was very much the same movie. And Brad Pitt is money. He's never made even a mediocre movie. All his movies are great. So yes I'd recommend it but not for best picture or actor. However, Ben's Mom was even better than Sally Field, (Forrest's Mom), so she might deserve an Oscar.

So that's what I've been doing on Valentine's Day this year. Not bad. And cheap! But I'd like to wish everyone out there, (and their sweetheart), a happy Valentine's Day. In Korea, I hope you had a great one. I'm sure sooner or later this day will mean something to me again. I don't miss it much though. In fact if I had a significant other I might just suggest the very same day only together. What do you think, is this one reason why I DON'T have one?

Bail Me Out Scotty!

I was hoping I wouldn't have to open up this can of worms again because even though I knock my American friends from time to time, I love them and hope they can recover from the economic CATASTROPHUCK they are in. I don't understand the amounts of money being talked about when the subject of bail-outs comes up, (and I don't know you but), neither do you. We hear words like "trillion" and most of us don't really know what that means. I heard a really good illustration on the only TV news I watch, The Daily Show with John Stewart. A guy said that if you started spending a million bucks a day when Jesus was born you still wouldn't have spent a trillion bucks. And I'm assuming he's not accounting for interest accrued over the 2009 years you've been spending. Anybody remember the movie with Richard Prior called "Brewster's Millions"? What did he have a week or a month? I forget but he had a helluva time spending just one million bucks and having nothing to show for it. So I guess it shoulda been called "Brewster's Million." But he started with one and I think he ended up earning more millions didn't he? Whatever. Spending a trillion and having nothing to show for it would be impossible... for anyone but a government official. This is their specialty folks. It's what they do.

So how do they do it? Bail-outs is the plan of choice these days. This idea has been bothering me since I first heard about it because for the most part, people have been labelling these bail-out loans as "socialism". I wrote an entry back in November about the way people use words that are completely the opposite of the truth. This was the example that inspired the entry. Essentially, (and I'm no economist), all these bail-out loans are doing is intensifying the capitalism by enriching the, (miniscule number of), beneficiaries of capitalist society without ANY benefits to the people who are the source of the capital and, thereby, its benefactors, Joe Average, Joe Blow, Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber. Almost all Americans fall into one of these four categories. I think I'd be a Joe Sixpack if I were American.

The plan is pretty simple but as any good villain would say, "It's ingenious in its simplicity!" Bolster the benefactors' desire to work their asses off for the beneficiaries of capitalism by intensifying the unfair system and labelling it socialism. Communism is no longer a threat. It was chased away by McCarthy. But at this time in America the people NEED socialism so it is necessary to demonize it right away. So amp up the capitalism to a point where it's obvious to the most ardent zealot that it's a shitty idea and then make sure you call it socialism enough times to keep them zealous. And lo, and behold, it's working!

But, not with the aforementioned host of the Daily Show. He's started saying what I've been saying to anyone who will listen to me for the last few months: give the people the money! Hey what a concept! But that would be enriching SOCIETY. Socialism is all about society. You can tell because they are almost the same word. It's not about giving all the good shit to the top 00.001% like capitalism is. Capitalism, as I said in my November entry, is all about capital. Money. Like most "isms" those who are true "ists" are nefarious and extreme in their goals. They invite as many junior "ists" as they can to further their cause but not really benefit from it.

On a couple recent Daily Shows, John Stewart threw out the idea of giving money to the American people instead of giving it to the banks. All that would happen is the people would use it to pay down mortgages or loans or put it in their savings or buy bonds or stocks or whatever and the banks would eventually end up with it anyway but with great improvement of the average American's fianancial situation. Not to mention consumer confidence, economic stability, job creation, social program relief, healthier stock market, all sorts of signs of prosperity it would create. It seems logical right? Almost too logical. It's so logical it must be illogical. That's what capitalists hope you believe. Because even though the true capitalists of America would still get all that money, the goal of a true capitalist is not to be rich, it's to be richer than YOU! With the John Stewart plan, they are not as much richer than you so it's not as satisfying.

Here's the rub: This is what the American economy needs, (and has needed for like ever), but this really IS socialism. And Americans are supposed to hate that. Or at least fear it. Not supposed to want it anyway. So I think the wave of anti-socialism has just begun in America. You must not abandon capitalism. Socialism is bad. We don't want socialism. These are not the droids you are looking for. You'll be hearing more messages like this very soon. And to quote the great bard again, mark my words.