No Pics This Time, Kids

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Sorry About That

I'm lazy and it's late, but I wanted to get back on the blog to let everyone know I'm not dead. I'll edit this later, so that there will be pictures. But for now.

Dancing Santa
Today I met with one of my conversation partners. On the way to the coffee shop, we passed a store with dancing Santa Claus robot in the window. It did sort of a hip shimmy, and it was dressed in a black sweatsuit, instead of the traditional Xmas red and white. It was like Santa Claus doing Jolly Training for the winter. I imagine a table laden with thousands of cookies, and Santa with a scared rabbit look in his eyes, as part of the training, as well as some sort of obstacle course made of shingles. Apparently they dress the Santa Claus up in his standard kit for Christmas, and they switch the songs to carols, instead of what was playing today...that's right, Santa was dancing to "Ooh-ee, Ooh-ah-ah, Ting-tang, Walla-walla-bing-bang." If Santa were actually a religious symbol, I would cry blasphemy; it's like using a crucifixion icon as a roadsign at a Y-intersection, which would be equally worthy of a picture, and which I'm sure has been done somewhere.

18 in Korean is a very dirty phrase
Also today I came upon what shall henceforth be known as the Greatest Korean to English Conversation Manual Ever. I opened the book, curious as to what the cover said: something like "Basic English Conversation Dictionary." It turned out to be a phrasebook. The first page I opened to was a listing of fightin' words and vulgarities. I have pictures, which will, again, be posted later. Some of the choice phrases are: "You have a death wish." "What a (butt) fucker!" "I'll show you my long finger." And the best was a dialogue between a madman brandishing a gun and a man who is his accomplice in crime. I giggled like a five-year-old who has just heard the word "duty." They say you are mature when you stop laughing at things like this, so I've still got a ways to go, I suppose.

I'm Going to Send Money to New Orleans Here In a Minute
Right now I'm listening to John in the Morning on KEXP, thanks to the magic of the internet and live streaming music. Technology can be a pain in the ass, but there are benefits. I get to hear the Pixies and Jane's Addiction while I type at you. Which reminds me. I just bought a ton of peripherals for my computer. (Hooray for Interpol. Oops, I mean the Lights.) I have a laptop, so the speakers, touch pad, and keyboard were severely lacking. It's not too bad for a couple of hours on a plane, but I don't really take my laptop anywhere, so I coughed up for some decent gear. The best thing is that electronics cost next to nothing here, so all told (including a USB splitter that I found out I don't need) it cost about 90 dollars. The speakers were next to the most expensive computer speakers the store had - a good subwoofer and a couple of mid-size stereo speakers. ("Hi, I'm Johnny Cash." "Folsom Prison Blues." Sweet.) In the U.S. I'd be paying ridiculous cash...unfortunately it's all on Korean electrical outlets, so the speakers (and the amplifier I bought for my guitar - I went a little nuts on spending, with a decent case of buyer's remorse the next day) will stay in Korea when I return to the States. But for now I've got a ton of shit. Hooray for the free market and capitalism! It will all burn up like Rome some day, but whatever.

The Tortured Soul of the Artist...Right
Things have been a little rough for me - some alienation and depression...which sounds weird, maybe, at the end of all of this manic writing, but today has been the first day in a while that I've felt alright. Go figure, I emailed a friend yesterday and electronically vomited my feelings, and now I feel better. Yup, too much bad feelings are poison and email and the blog are my ipecac. I hope I didn't get any on you.

I promise to put pictures on this blog and to have something more interesting to write about next time I post.

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Photos

Mechanical Santa
Santa wears a velour tracksuit on his days off, like every other old person.

Imaginary Anger
It's kind of stupid to have a picture of a book on the blog. So be it.

The Artist In A Lucid Moment
Is it arrogant to refer to oneself as "the artist?"

Comments

[CAE]

Bluuahhh!!
Blog bulimia is lovely therapy for hypergraphic folks like myself. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds a little blog vomit relaxing. Thanks for sharing, dude! Cait