dagLevity: "There's Beckenbauer"

Celtic won this weekend. Toffies lost. Thanks Zach Willis, for reminding me of this video via this one.

dagHoops: Robbie Keane (finally) joins Celtic

On loan from Spurs to Celtic for the remainder of the season.  I hope this lasts a little longer.

I'm waiting for my Ki jersey and now I might need a Keane shirt, too.  It's only money.

Contacts and Football

From newphotos

Picked up my contact lenses today. I have broken two pairs of glasses playing football on the weekends. Last week, I went to make a heading pass from a 50 yard, monster of a goal kick. The ball hit low on my forehead and my glasses shattered. If you look at my picture closely you'll see the tape holding my glasses together.

I haven't worn contacts since I was very young. Both Glasses and Contacts are cheap here. I bought Rayban glasses, paid for an eye exam, and two lenses with all the bells and whistles for 190,000won. This is about 150$, on a good day. My contacts cost about 120$. The contacts I bought are the most expensive kind available: I wanted contacts that would be easier on my eyes.

I am headed to northern Seoul tonight to watch a few movies with a friend on his giant screen. He has a cool HD projector set-up and actually lives in an apartment the size of an average studio in the US. My place, in comparison, is about 420 square feet.

From newphotos

Tomorrow I will play football on this field. It is typical of most fields around Seoul. Grass is a luxury nobody can afford. We play on sand. It tears nasty holes in your skin and is extremely hard on your ankles. But it makes for a very fast game. Koreans are fast and actually quite skilled compared to most Americans. My teammates are over 25 and most are under 50. They are all surprised that I am a skilled player. I think they are more impressed that I can run for 90 minutes. They all think Americans are unhealthy. So, my ability to run fast for the entire game and my strength has led them to assign me the striker position, which I would have never played when I was younger. I love being the one to coordinate plays at the top of the midfield or take many shots.

From newphotos

Here is a photo of my high school's gymnasium. It gives a good impression, I think, of how hard the football pitch is.

(t)here i go.

Just when I feel things settling down, everything seems out of control once again.

My first month in Seoul has been too fast and frustrating yet worth every moment. I am very busy with school work this week.

This weekend I am going to Grand Mint Festival. Friday-Sunday: 60+ bands. Yo la Tengo is the main event Saturday night. I am going with my new friend Jan. He's from Belgium. I met him last weekend. Great guy. We're also going to see Korea take on the UAE in a World Cup qualifier match at World Cup Stadium.

I will have photos and more by Monday evening. The next 5 days look pretty exciting; unfortunately, I won't be anywhere near a computer.

Getting it Together

Finally, after three weeks I am feeling settled down and a bit of peace has entered my daily life. I am enjoying my new home. I like my neighborhood. The local government has changed the name of my area to "Daehok". I may have it spelled incorrectly. I am still learning.

I used to live in Sillim-dong. Unfortunately, the word Sillim in Seoul conjures up thoughts about the working poor and reminds everybody here about an undefined, yet ever-present dread of poverty. In an effort to improve property values, apparently, (but really in an effort to make it easier to ignore the all-too visible poverty here) I now live in Daehok-dong, or something along the lines of "University Neighborhood" and "Scholar-Hood". I don't think I have to change my mailing address yet...I don't think. Better look into that.


I pulled a muscle, today, in my leg: somewhere high in my quadricep. It could be a bad strain. I will go to the hospital tomorrow and have a sports injury specialist look at it. Oh yeah, I have a health card and it gets me cheap health care at many places. For what amounts to $3.50, I get a 40 minute acupuncture session. I will go for two weeks, four days a week, while my muscle heals. Great stuff. I might not have to pay for anything at the hospital. It depends what the doctor suggests. I can barely walk. Sucks to be in Seoul with a muscle injury. Walking is a way-of-life here.


I am very happy about several things.

• I begin teaching night classes at my public school next week. My classes will consist of 20 hour courses over a five week period. I will begin teaching Idioms: Everyday Expressions I, II, and III. I get paid after I complete each 20 hour period. It's good, legal pay, and I can use the money to pay off the credit-card debt I created while I lived with my folks in Ohio and like a bum, refused to work. Of course, I was sulking about Andrea dumping me and having to possibly leave Denver for an extended period of time. But you softboys out there know how tough it is when another woman dumps us because of who we are. Whine, Whine, I know.
• I am writing again, and in a focused manner.
• I was invited to join a soccer club: Samsung High School Club. I get my uniform and equipment next Sunday. It's too bad I am injured and won't be playing again for two weeks, but I am happy becoming a more significant member of my community.
• I have made several friends already. Jang Jinho and Kim Sooyoung are great folks. I am learning Korean quicker than anybody expected. But I have good help. I hope with these two I can create lasting friendships.

Phone Home

I will have a phone by the end of this week.

If I was able to sign a multi-year contract, I could benefit from all sorts of great deals. Unfortunately, my Visa is year-to-year; I can only sign a one-year deal. Whereas my monthly bill is tiny in comparison to US telecoms, my initial start-up fee is kind of high as is the kind of cheap phone I can purchase.

At least I can call: for help, for directions, for conversation. And I can use a nifty software that will help me learn to translate all of the Hangul I see everywhere and am learning to read, but still cannot understand.

My feet are killing me from Sunday's football matches. I played too much on Sunday--3 games. Moreover, I am breaking in new shoes. Ouch.

New photos to come.