Got'a Raise Em' Right

As a middle child,

I've seen the world from both sides now.

So when I was given temporary custody

of AL's little brother I took the job seriously.

Twenty four hours to influence the mind

of a jovial midwestern boy.

I made my list, I checked to make sure

we would be a little naught and a little nice.

Lance show Alyssa's kid bro and I the couchsurfing way.

After it was all said and done 

I think we did alright.

List of Top Accomplishments:

• Rode on a train for the first time.
• Toured a city his sister hadn't been to.
• Saw four cities in one day.
• Toured an art park.
• Experienced Korean foot massage paths.
• Kicked around in a river fountain.
• Tried one new Korean dish a day.
• Took a nap in the middle of a river at night.
• Ate silk worms from a can.
• Washed it down with soju & hot six.
• Couchsurfed on a fellow travelers floor.

One might say, 

this is my own version

of no child left behind.

Riding the Waves

It's a no brainer.

Relocating obviously means new adventures.

With all the major players in my drama 

launching new spin-off-adventures of their own

it's time to meet some new 외국인.

This time I'm going about it

with more focus and intent.

Searching for people who make me laugh,

create their own adventures,

and don't mind me tagging along.

Where to start?

Well, that's easy enough

www.Couchsurfing.org 

 Where adventurers go to meet.

And of course, it worked like a charm.

We laughed, 

we joked, 

we rescued orcas 

and smoked tobacco from long pipes under a crescent moon.

It looks the summer of 2012 

might be one more epic adventure.

Bring on the couches.

Bring on the surfing.

Bring on the adventures. 

Gotta Go to 강고도

The islands sing their sirens call

and we chase the sunbeams across the sea.

Woot! Alyssa and Landino are out of the house.

Maybe it's not the most exciting place on earth,

but it's full of pocket sized adventures

that fit perfectly into a Sunday.

For a few blissful hours we are lost in island time.

Chasing Frisbees and hermit crabs through the shallow tides.

Sorting treasures and thoughts to the rhythm of tiny waves.

PS  This island (강고도)  is too small to be noted anywhere.

However, it's just lovely.  You catch the ferry from 대찬 Port.

Internal Medicine

Dear Me, Myself & I,

Please take a moment to remember that you have never, in fact, learned anything faster because your teacher sounded annoyed with you.  More pointedly, the more annoyed your teacher sounded the less likely you are to pay any attention in class or make any effort.

Since this is a fact that has proven itself true for 36 years, what makes you think your students are any different?

Loves, Yourself.



_________________________

Dear Yourself,

So what I hear you saying is that I should stop being a lazy teacher and blaming my students for my own failures.  Gosh, that seems like a lot of work.

Hearts,
Me, Myself & I

_________________________

Dear Me, Myself & I,

That's why they call it a job and that's why they pay you money.  If children could learn by osmosis we would just stick English books under their pillows and stop wasting our hard earned money on you.  Now quit being a lazy educator and listen to your students needs instead of getting annoyed just because they didn't catch it the first time you raced through the lesson.   That's why you have 40 minutes to teach and not 15.  This is about ALL the students learning, not just the smart ones.

Best of luck,
Yourself

_________________________

Dear Yourself,

Hum, you sound a bit annoyed with me that I didn't listen to you the first time around.  Does it bother you that you've had to explain this too me twice?  Hum, it seems you aren't all that different from myself.

Hugs,
Me, Myself & I
 

Finder's Keepers

This weekend I lost my wallet.

It was one of those silly mistakes.

Here is how it played out:

After a long walk, I had the groups personal items in my bag.

In order to return their things, 

I pulled many other things out of my bag.

One of which was my wallet,

which I promptly left behind.

After that we did three time consuming things:

 Chatted with locals.

Went for a walk.

Took at taxi to the next town.

Upon arriving in the new town:

I rummaged through my things
and discovered there was no wallet.
 

No reason for major alarm.

It was lost in Korea.

It would find it's way back.

Then my phone rang.

I answer it:

Them: "Are you missing a wallet? blah blah blah This is the police. blah blah blah"

Me: "YES!!!"

Them: "Where are you?  blah blah blah Where can we bring the wallet.
blah blah blah.  blah blah blah. blah blah blah"

Me: "I'm in 대천 beach."

Them: "blah blah blah. Where in 대천 beach?blah blah blah"

Me: "At the Manhattan Motel."

Them: "Ok. blah blah blah We will bring it to you wait there. blah blah blah.
Don't leave. blah blah blah"

Me:"Yes. Ok."

Only when I hung up the phone did I realize 

the conversation had been in Korean.

At the end of the day,

not only did I get my wallet back,

but I also my confidence and determination 

to learn this new language.

Necessity might be the mother of invention,

but it's the guardian angel of language adaptation.

Finishing Touches

The bedroom was depressing.

After two weeks of sleeping on the sofa 

something had to give.

Before

After

Of course, now I never want to leave the bedroom.

It's just delightful.

The poor sofa 

is all alone now.

Come On Baby Light Your Fire

My candle in the wind 

has lit up Bali like a wildfire.

"Talk to you" Bali Jolie

She's become the lead in her own drama. 

It's a musical actually.

It's about a girl who:

ran way to the islands 

rented a scooter

formed a band

and

recorded an EP.

The rough cuts are magic, 

the EP is going to be electric.

My beautiful lost thing

is finding her own way.

Bali Jolie on Facebook

UPDATE:
Check out me, Norma Jean, on facebook for all
performance updates, new songs, and other musical shenanigans! 

Say Uncle

I've waited most of my life for this album.

The new album by Al Koenig

Growing up my Uncle Al didn't always have a lot to say,

but he always had his guitar

and when he played his music said 

all you needed to know.

As an adult,

my Uncle Al has been the father I never quite had.

Supportive, encouraging, grounded.

I'm not saying that we talk a lot about things,

because neither of us are really that type.

Luckily, we don't really need too.

He plays and I listen.

He has a lot of great advice,

and now I can carry it with me

everywhere I go.

Get it for yourself!

Dig'n The New Digs

Waiting to learn what my apartment would be

was like waiting to find out if Santa

thought I had been naughty or nice.

Would I get coal or candy?

It seems I was a good girl this year.

Digital flat screen TV and digital cable.

New furniture to mix with my lost and found pieces.

A well planned and useful kitchen.

Another beautiful bed which I don't really use yet, my sofa is so nice.

Spacious area for doing things. 

Dirty Girl

It was a holiday and

Yertle's birthday.

 No better time for adventure.

So off we went to magical Daejon.

Our jump off point was the Eco Forest

where we took the path less traveled

and wondered off into the mountains of Korea.

Yertle, reviewing all she can see.

Yertle (Alyssa) and Landino celebrate her birthday.

Happiness is the path less traveled.

We left the world behind.

Landino took it like a man.

 At the end of the hike 

we found our ourselves.

dirty

sweaty

hungry

thirsty

sore

beat up

and

far from the maddening crowd.

But we were there,

unabashedly ourselves.

 Which is why it's so much easier

to find yourself

when on an adventure.

A Terrible Fright

My baby got sick.

She had a bad cough and kind of fell apart.

I took her to the emergency room.

It was touch and go for a while.

I thought I might have to put her under.

However, exploratory surgery proved successful.

She was rebuilt and doing just fine now.

 

I am very thankful.

She's my light on dark days.

My freedom when the walls get too tight.

You Can't Run Away

When my Drama was surprisingly sold to a new channel,

it was a difficult and painful turnover.

I'd become quite attached to my caste-mates.

However, this time I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye.

So I decided to simply leave as quietly as I had arrived.

However, my wonderful ladies had other plans for me,

and instead sent me away with a heart more full

then I ever dreamed it could be.

Letter's I'll love forever. I heart you all, too.

 I miss them all deeply.

Thankfully I'm not very far away.