Blue screen of death (and link to Season 5)

Well, I tried a few times to reinstall Windows on my computer. But, um, it’s not going so well. So, I’m just going to go ahead and close this season with this post.

As with the end of the first season, there is no feeling that anything is coming to a close, so I don’t have any final thoughts to wrap things up.

But some things are changing in my life, so I think it does feel like it’s time to start a new season. Not sure when I’ll start it but I do think I know what I’ll call it.

When it’s ready, I’ll post a link to between helping and hurting.

I’ll write something soon, I think

*This was supposed to be posted Sunday night. I’m back from the orientation now. And Season 4 should be over now. I’ll try to write a proper closing for the season. But for now, you can read the belated following.*

I’m going to GEPIK orientation tomorrow. I was told by my co-teacher that this orientation is optional. But I’m pretty sure my contract requires me to attend it. But either way, I’d like to break up the monotony of my daily routine. Things are still going fine here, but I’d just like to do something different.

I’m not expecting much from it. The orientations for the JET Program were pretty useless…actually, they weren’t. There were some good ideas given for classroom activities. I just never got to use them at my school. But I did get to meet people. So, I’ll at least be able to do that tomorrow.

Anyway, if it’s interesting, maybe I’ll write something about it.

My winter break is fast approaching. I’ll get, like, more than a month off between late December and February. It’ll be a bit broken up because of English Camp, but I’ll get about a week in December. Then English camp the first two weeks of January. Then the last two weeks of January I have off. Then school will be back in session for, like the first 8 days of February until graduation. Then I’ll get two weeks off again.

Not bad for a winter break. The trade-off is that there won’t be a spring break later (not that I’d expect more time off) so the next long break won’t be until July.

Anyway, thinking about making a trip to Japan this winter. Not the best time of year to go, but, hey, this is when I’ve got the time off and there are people there I haven’t seen in a while.

I’d like to maybe see more of Korea, too. And the nice thing I’ll mention again is, I only have to use my paid vacation days when I leave the country. If I stay in Korea, I can use my “research leave” if I don’t want to sit at school over the vacation. Didn’t have that option with the JET Program. I don’t know if I’ll need to use any leave for December or January, but I will in February. Most of the teachers will still come to school after the graduation.

(If I’m not accurate on any of this, I’ll correct this entry later. And speaking of making coprrections, my bank, Shinhan, does not give international debit cards to foreigners. They only give domestic debit cards. But it doesn’t look like it costs much to transfer money to my American bank, for which I do have an international debit card. I could open an account at KEB, but honestly, it’s not that big a deal. It’s still way nicer to have a debit card than to have to carry cash all the time, and I’m in Korea most of the time anyway.)

Hmm…looks like I did write something. I should change the title of this entry. *sigh*

Currently reading…

Same author of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. This book is a good follow-up but goes much more in depth into the problems of a corporate world. Mander’s points are incredibly articulate and well thought out. Some points in this book parallel Alcabe’s ideas in Dread.

You can look inside In the Absence of the Sacred on Amazon.com.

I’m not dead

He says’s he’s not dead.

I feel fine. I think I’ll go for a walk.

*Ahem* Um, yeah. I, uh, haven’t written in a while. But just thought I’d let know to whom it may concern, I’m still here and doing fine. Just been working a lot and haven’t had many interesting things to write about. That’s not as bad as it sounds. Things are going well, and I’m still liking it here. Just no profound thoughts of late and I haven’t done anything significant that’s worth blogging about. I’m just getting too used to living in Asia to write about cultural experiences.

Anyway, that’s my update. I still haven’t fixed my computer or gotten internet, but…whatever.

Hmm…just realized this will be the last month of Season 4. Hope I remember to close this season and open the new one. Gotta start thinking about what I’ll call Season 5.

Experiencing technical difficulties. Please standby…

Um, yeah. If you check this blog much then you’ve probably noticed I haven’t posted in a while. The main reason is because the main wireless signal I had been, uh, borrowing is no longer available to me.

I had been planning to get my own internet service anyway, like, before the school year started, but, well, things kept getting delayed. And now my computer is having difficulties (probably from using unsecure wi-fi signals), so I’ll need to reinstall Windows since my anti-virus isn’t doing crap.

To be honest, I haven’t missed being online much. But I know I won’t want things to stay this way. Anyway, I’m working on it.

Things are going well, though.

Oh, and I did get my ATM card when I went in…uh, whatever Monday it was that I mentioned in my last post. I don’t know if I misunderstood whether it would be mailed or not or if they just needed me to wait four days before I could get the card. But, whatever. I have it now. And it’s made life more convenient. (I still need to wait another few months to get a debit card with a VISA logo.)

I can read! …a little

I haven’t written in a little while. I got paid Monday so that’s let me get out a bit more. It was such a relief. I was getting down to the wire with the money I’d brought over. I’m not sure how they figured the amount I’d get paid. I think it was pro rata, but still was more than I thought it would be. I thought it included my airfare reimbursement, but I won’t get that til early next week (a little later than stated in the contract, but they’ve done everything else on time and by the contract, so I won’t worry). Anyway, no complaints here. Once I get the ticket money, I’ll be starting out pretty good here.

To celebrate, I went out for Korean barbecue and watched a movie. I wanted to watch Public Enemy, but I’d missed the 8 o’ clock and the next showing wasn’t til 11:30. So I went to this DVD lounge.

(About a week earlier, I’d mistaken this lounge for a DVD rental store. But when I noted the price and the guy asked “smoking or non-smoking” it occurred to me that I wouldn’t be taking the DVD home. That night I watched The Wrestler. But this time, since I’d missed Public Enemy, I went for another Michael Mann film that I hadn’t seen in a while, Miami Vice.)

Anyway, this lounge. You go in, pick out a DVD, then, instead of taking it home, you go to your own personal room to watch the film on a small home theater system. A cool idea. I was tickled by it when I first went to it. But, like, the speaker system isn’t that great, and it looks like it’s intended for couples. It’s still nicer (and more comfortable) than watching a movie on my computer, but since the price is about the same is a cinema, I think I’d rather do the rental or go to the theater.

Let’s see, also went out to Seoul to see Gyeongbok Palace. I’m sorry I don’t have pictures, it was a spontaneous trip. But I may go back again sometime with my camera.

Yesterday, I finally did see Public Enemy (didn’t like it) and last night, I bought a book on how to write Korean because...well, I gotta learn this language. They don’t use the Chinese characters here so I can’t get by the way I did in Japan or Taiwan. I’ve been using Google translator to write down words of things I was looking for at the stores. But I knew I was writing the characters wrong so I didn’t want to start bad habits.

It was frustrating not knowing the language in Taiwan and since I think I’ll be here a while, I want to get on this. Besides, Korean is an easier language than Chinese to study on your own.

I’ve been using an online site to study the sounds and reading the characters, but I want to know the stroke order for the characters. So I got a good beginners book at the Hyundai Mall and it’s been very helpful. Suddenly I can read some of the gibberish on subway station signs. So I’ll just keep at it.

I studied for a few hours last night, but I doubt I’ll be able to keep that pace once the semester begins. Typing it on my computer has been difficult to figure out. Once I get that figured out, maybe I’ll write more about the writing used here.

Anyway, so that was like my update and whatnot. I didn’t get my bank card in the 3-4 days like I’d been told. Bank is closed now, so I’ll be stopping in there Monday to see what the deal is with that.

A little visitor

I’d noticed a falcon occasionally flying around my building during the week. Today I heard it calling and thought it must be perched nearby. I just didn’t realize how nearby.