not dead...

Mired in work. Kids had their finals last week, and now I'm writing comments for their report cards. These comments bring out the 'failed writer' in me, that toxic combination of perfectionism and procrastination that kills most would-be novels within three chapters. What's ironic is that the comments, for the most part, are probably complete gibberish to the Korean parents that read it. Especially after I put my heart into explaining why their rat-bastard kid could achieve their full potential, if only they would stop trying to shiv me. Ha ha, okay that's not true at all. I may have inadvertently exagerrated the depth and scope of shivvings in my classroom.

I had a nasty day when my gas seemed to stop working, but that seems to have cleared up now. The stoves are working (hot coffee tomorrow!) Also: the water heater has just coughed and turned over (hot shower!). What else? After two weeks of searching, I have found a hoodie. I'm not much for the charcoal-grey sweater conservatism of male Korean attire. Already the kids are in love with my wallet-chain and the fact that sometimes I wear glasses, and sometimes I don't. Also, I wear a button-down shirt, untucked, unbuttoned, over a simple t-shirt! This could be another episode of "You're doing it wrong", but honestly I could give two shits, as long as the bosses are happy. I don't wear my Fucked Up band pins, and I keep the hoodie with the 'Fuck white supremacy' patch at home. (Not that I'm embarassed by the principle at play, but the explanation and translation might be somewhat awkward for grade school.)

After two weeks, I have fallen out of love with Korean television. Too many cosmetic commercials! Too many doe-eyed pouty waifs! I've gotten sick of that shit, and I can see why Misun has been denouncing that aspect of Korean culture since I've been here. Also: there's only so many games of Starcraft that you can watch on television before it gets dull-ass boring. Heh, kind of like football. You either have to delve into the minutae of tactics and personalities, or watch it casually a few times a year. Oh, did I mention that the kids who compete in Starcraft tournaments wear racing jackets? Funny shit. No, the only thing I can bear to watch is this: ding. Thanks, discovery channel. You still suck though. At some point I also will force myself to watch an hour of the American Forces Channel, if only so I can review and disseminate it for my other long-suffering weblog. I miss you, pleasure-spot! I just have to finish writing fucking comments for these kids...