Some Time Off...Now What?

As you know, yesterday I had a little surgery. Well, ladies call it no big deal, but I know you men out there see it as a bigger event in one's life. It ain't birthing no baby, but it's pretty damn big.

Anyways, I've been lounging...I mean recuperating from the harrowing ordeal and ended up with Winston (my 1.25-year-old) for the afternoon. He was sleeping when everyone left but woke up after a while. There's really nothing a guy can do for a baby that just woke up except put in a video--but that didn't work. So, I tried my wife's trick of taking him to the window and pointing at everything and making it seem as if it were the most exciting thing in the world. "Look at that biiiig treee!" "Wow, there's a building!" "Ooooh, a red car" "Big truck! Big truck!" For some reason it worked. I'll have to remember that when I get back into the workforce and have to distract my boss or co-workers from something (although not sure what) or if they wake up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. "Wow, look! A printer/copier!" "Mmmmm coffee!"

They managed to sneak in a visit with Santa without me (waaaaa!) and got me some 만두국/mandu-gook (soup of beef and/or pork dumplings and rice cakes with seaweed and green onions). It was good, but not like in Seoul. I really can't believe I miss the place after 2 weeks. Something must have hit me on the head last time I went back there.


Picture of the picture of Spencer and Santa. What did he ask for? Presents! Ok, not a problem.

Oh Yeah! They brought me home Mandu-gook!

I can get around a lot better but I'm supposed to take it easy and ice 'the area' for another day or so and then take some anti-inflammatories (I guess so I don't burst into flames) so things will be a little sedate for a while. As if it could get more tranquil around here...the only sounds I hear (except kids, of course) is the cars going down the street in the rain. Oh ya, the rain. I've been here 14 days and it's rained on about 12 of them. I remember in Seoul I went out drinking 12 out of 14 days, what a trade-off!

Oh well, at least I'm with my family and not too much to remind me of Seoul (what am I saying, everything seems to!). Some of my buds are a little bummed about my leaving: Jo and Dong-Joon are two. Jo just emailed me that he went to The Outsider (many past posts on it) with a bud and the owner and staff were asking when I was coming back. I said I was gone for good, but he didn't have the heart to say it to them...Oh, James will be back in a bit. Maybe I'll be back in Seoul at least by next Fall...actually I'd like to be there no matter what. The weather is awesome and I can get a lot of shopping in. (You know how I love Namdaemoon and Dongdaemoon.) I'd also like the kids to see more of their Mom's homeland; Spencer was there for 6 months with us but he was under 2 years old so I wonder how much he could possibly remember. It'd give me a chance to know more Korean, too. I never use it here with all that we have going on--however I can make out a fair bit of what my wife and Jess are saying...hehe.

Maybe that's enough for now. More later.