im no kate winslet

there were many things i wanted to get done today: belated christmas cards, prep for the week, laundry, etc; there were also many things that i wanted to update you on, yesterday's snowfall or the brutal almost-stabbing that i witnessed on friday come to mind. alas, after a morning out i returned to my apartment and changed my post-christmas wish from snow boots to a rain poncho.

my apartment, it seems, is having an identity crisis. no longer is it a haven from the out of doors, a place to rest my weary head. today, it has decided to play a starring role in a new drama to be directed by steven spielberg. the climax goes a little something like this:

"Captain, we've sprung a leak"
"A leak?"
"Aye, its more like a gusher"
"All hands on deck"

and then a little bit later

"Bail, boys, bail! did your mother teach you to to work like that, man? put your back into it!"

and later still

"Its no use, sir, shes taking on too much water, we can't keep up"
"Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"

so, guess which part my apartment has decided to play. ill give you a hint, it isn't the well-meaning yet clumsy and ultimately doomed captain, nor the sneaky, conniving first mate.

yes, my apartment is taking on water, cold frigid water. fortunately, my newfound spring is concentrated in a little room that houses my hot-water heater and a convenient little drain (at least, its a drain now). so, while the water isnt escaping into the greater part of my space, it does sort of have the effect of a rain forest. it could be soothing if i didnt know how wrong and not good it really is. that, and the fact that i have a sinking suspicion that wildly spurting water and electrical outlets are not a match made in heaven.

unfortunately, as it is sunday, there is not a whole lot of assistance around these parts. i called my boss, who called my korean boss, who in turn called me. his solution? ignore it until tomorrow. im thinking this is a great idea, as by that time I'll be able to ice skate to work right from my bed, shaving 30 seconds off my daily commute of 2 minutes.

the maintenence guy came and tinkered around with it for about an hour, but he had little success beyond what i had already done, which was to stop all water in my apartment all together. somehow, though, he did have surprising helpfulness with the temperature of the place. yes, he managed to make the apartment about 12 degrees colder than when he started working. go team!

so, for the next few days (because of course its about to be a holiday) ill be without water, and as a direct result, heat. its pretty comical, actually. happy new year everyone.

do you have a fish wish?

here are selected pictures from my Japan trip last week. I was in both Fukuoka and Hiroshima over four days.

giesha at the train station for some reason. i think they were promoting or selling something, but i dont speak japanese, so i have no idea.

temple shrine in fukuoka.

temple gate in fukuoka

wishes of the new year hung at at temple in fukuoka

blessed water for drinking at a temple in fukuoka

inside of a restaurant in fukuoka. as i have no japanese skills and they had no pictures, it was quite difficult, but wound up being delicious.

remnants of a-bomb dome, one of the few structures that hiroshima has left standing as a reminder of the horrors of the nuclear attacks. today it is a symbol of peace. the city has returned surrounding this structure.


a-bomb dome from a bridge. they say that after the bombing this river was flooded with bodies of people trying to escape the intense heat and fires. i could get into the details of the horrors that i learned during my trip there, could get into the profound fog that i picked up while i wandered among monuments to the dead in their peace park, could elaborate on how dirty i felt to be an american in that city, but there is really no way to convey any of this.

victory?

despite the alleged moral shortcomings which have been all over the news in the past few weeks, korea has a new president.

game on sportsfans

speaking of rice, as in my post of 20 minutes ago and every other meal in my life, a particular mischievous intimate has recently turned me on to a website designed to deliver the good stuff to those who need it most. its called freerice.com and allows you to donate rice to the united nations world food program simply by playing a vocabulary game. wait, a game thats free, educational, and altruistic? im in. for every vocab word that you get right, the service will donate 20 grains of rice. it doesnt seem like much, but then you realize that the game is pretty addicting. also, the vocab words change to suit your own level, so after a few initial questions every one that you get wrong brings you down a number and it takes three correct ones in a row to move back up. its out of 50, although the FAQ say that it is rare for a person to get more than 48.

my score hovered around 36-38, although i did reach 39 at one point. in the epic battle to be my father's smartest daughter, which katy and kristen obviously are not, i say bring it. show me your smarts and donate some food at the same time. but beware....the site warns that it could actually make you smarter. i know you are all concerned about my brain expanding so much that it no longer fits within my skull, but have no fear. i know what i am doing.

but its supposed to snow on saturday...

far from spirited or jolly, the onset of this holiday season has been much more 'season' than 'holiday'. while im sure that one would agree that nothing quite says merry christmas like a bowl of rice and a cup of tea, ive been hard-pressed to find a carol-singing band-wagon to hop on. the stores have put up the requisite decorations but few others have. you dont walk down the street seeing trees twinkle through the windows of apartment buildings, nor is it really possible to catch snippets of song arriving from all corners of the city. while walking to the store yesterday i wondered, where is the salvation army with their incessant yet oh so christmas-y bell ringing? where was that quiver of tension in the air as people rushed to find the perfect gifts as time runs out?

i havent really noticed a whole lot of cheer here in korea, especially here in daejeon where most koreans i know are overzealous about shopping on an average day. however, i am getting a second free trip to japan on thursday and i will be there through the weekend. hopefully the trip, or perhaps the time off, will allow me to find the feeling.