Free Coffee!

Ok, this licensing situation is getting a little crazy. There have been SNAFUs at almost every turn but you’d think that after 3 months that everything would be straightened out by now. But nooooooooooooooo. Basically, I’m now of the opinion that you can’t count on anyone but yourself to badger people to get things done. You have to check and recheck things to ensure that all is well at every stage. I now understand what my junior in Korea was doing—although perhaps never to his extreme: he’d ask me to check things every 30 minutes, even when the people I was to check with were still asleep on account of the timezones involved.

Anyways, I have a deadline now to get all of this done and get on with things. I really hate deadlines when there are a few parts that I cannot control, but this is the only thing that seems to make sense now. At the end of the day, things have to come together and allow me to make a lot of money. I know I have the ability to do it but I can’t legally do anything concrete without this license.

On the more upbeat side, while waiting for the train this morning I saw four rather large coyotes scamper in the brush and trees under and near the platform. We’re a ways up on it, which was reassuring (well, I’m too tall for them to think of going after) and it was kinda neat to see them. I wonder if I’ll see some sort of critter every morning now.

It’s a lot better than the gangs that have been marauding around town. Groups of 5 to 20 kids are attacking people all over the city and car theft is getting a little nuts. Actually, I haven’t seen the stats on it; it’s mostly what I read in the news (which, as you know, is biased and sensationalized in many cases) but it sure seems like we need (i) more police, (ii) tougher laws and, most important, (iii) some sort of non-government system to pressure these youths to keep to the straight and narrow.

You know, that would never happen in Korea. Kids there are so piled high with school work, after-school classes and general family and other obligations that they don’t have any time to be a kid—nevermind be in a gang. One of the nice things about Korea—you know where your kids are: in class or in bed.

Time to work. Got to call the Insurance Council today to ask about my license.

Oh ya, this morning I got an apology letter from the guys who run the train (which didn't run so I had to take the bus) plus 2 free coffees (up to $3 value, not bad). Yahoo!