This is a blog entry I’ve wanted to write for awhile–revisiting some of the old blog themes I’ve discussed in previous posts.  Sometimes I blog about something and leave it open-ended.  If you read those entries, you might wonder, "…I wonder whatever happened with that…"  Let me surf some of my own entries and give you some updates.

 

On July 26, I wrote about cicadas.  I still have not seen a single living cicada, but they’re still annoyingly loud, and they appear to have rabid appetites.  Some of the trees in our yard have lost a lot of leaves, and the leaves are turning prematurely yellow.  Our poor trees.  They’re infest with cicadas and have leftover shells dotting their bark like boils.  They’re not exactly pleasant little critters.

 

On July 25, I wrote that I finally secured a vendor for our cafeteria at work.  As of today, there’s not much new to report.  It may still take us awhile to actually open the cafeteria.  It seems that the deadline will be closer to September 1.  My investment plan for our community association will probably not be completed until September.

 

On July 11, I wrote about the "Monsoon Swoon" here in Korea.  Well, the monsoon season continues.  It really isn’t as bad as it seems.  It can be hot, humid, torrential, and just plain icky at times, but I think it is milder in Seoul than in other parts of Asia.  Let’s face it–Asian weather just can’t beat the weather on the West Coast of the United States.  Whether it be Mediterranean-style weather in California or the cool and wet temperate Pacific Northwest climate, you just can’t beat the West Coast.  I do miss the weather in Seattle.  I will take 100+ days of misty rain over a summer of hot and humid weather with frequent rain storms any day.  My son is still learning to swim.  We went to the pool again on Sunday.  He now kicks his feet and is starting to use his hands.  He is fairly fearless in the water.  I even get a chance to catch a few laps at the pool too.

 

On July 10, I whined about the fact that no one seemed to call us from the United States.  Since then, they have been very good about calling, and we’ve been delinquent.  No one mentioned that blog entry when they called, but maybe they got the hint.  Now I have to do a better job of calling home.

 

On June 23 and June 30, I mentioned the possibility of going to Papua New Guinea on assignment for a few months.  Since hearing the announcement, nary a word has been said about PNG.  The thought of going still haunts, but it seems less likely by the day.

 

On June 26, I wrote about the importance of good data entry.  Happily, the story had a happy ending.  The data did not help them, but the person was able to solve their problem.  Case closed.

 

On June 23, I talked about career possibilities and bidding on my next assignment.  The list of assignments has now been published, and I’m happy to report that there are quite a few good jobs in China I can bid for early.  I am supposed to bid early next year, but I can bid on assignments early because of my Chinese language ability.  I will bid on assignments in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, and Hong Kong and hope one of them is accepted.  Fortunately, because I am bidding early, I also have the option of turning down the job if I don’t want to take it.  I will bid in a couple of weeks.

 

On June 19, I wrote about spirituality and affluence.  Here’s one more thought to add on the subject.  You can’t take it with you, but you can give it to your children.  The cycle of wealth and poverty can be passed on from generation to generation because of the belief that affluence is a noble or ignoble pursuit.

 

On May 28, I published a list of top ten things to do while in Korea.  My list still has not changed, although I would have to say that visiting the Korean Folk Village in Giheung (July 16 and July 18) is also a must-see.  If my top ten list had an eleventh entry, the Korean Folk Village would be it.

 

On May 27, I wrote about the English class I started at work.  Well, it’s still happening, and three other people are teaching it, but attendance has dwindled.  We are all just too busy at work nowadays.  I am supposed to attend Korean class in the morning three days a week, but I just can’t seem to get myself in to work early enough to do it.

 

On May 12, I gushed about how much I missed mowing the lawn.  Well, that honeymoon was short-lived.  I enjoyed doing it in Seattle; Seoul is a different story.  It’s become a chore again.  But I just can’t bring myself to hire someone to mow for us.

 

On May 11, I talked about our future travel plans.  We tentatively decided tonight to go to Korea’s Jeju Island during Labor Day weekend.  I don’t think I’ll go to Jeju Island on business, and we only plan to take a four-day weekend trip.  We thought about going to Thailand, but we decided to make the most of our trip to Korea first.  It is a bit disheartening when all my coworkers go on long vacations during the summer, while I have to stay and work because there aren’t enough people at the office to cover all the work.  Lately I’ve joked to coworkers, "Vacation?  What is this thing called ‘vacation’?"

 

On April 27, I ranted against the corporate ladder.  While I still do not like dog-eat-dog hypercompetitivity in the workplace, and I’m not a big fan of "sucking up," things turned out just fine for me.  The lucky break I got moving into my current job has been a career boon for me.  It really is true that in this line of work sometimes the ball bounces your way; sometimes it bounces away from you. 

 

On April 26, I talked about wearing my "Mickey Mouse" tie, and no one noticed.  I never wore it again.  Lately I’ve been away from the office doing external work, so it probably is not a good idea to wear a comical tie.

 

On March 31, I reported that I was planning to learn German.  I’m sad to report that I have made very little progress on my German, and my Korean fades further by the day.  It is just really hard to study languages when you have very little time.  Language learning takes time, something it seems I have very little of these days.

 

On March 24, I wrote about my son’s love of the "Thomas the Tank Engine" series.  Over four months later, that love has not abated.  He is now more interested in other toddler series such as "Veggie Tales" and "Bob the Builder," but his love of trains is still going strong.  The only thing that changes is which character is his favorite.  In just a few days, more "Thomas" toys will arrive for him.  His mom keeps him well stocked.

 

It was fun for me to read over some old blog entries.  I hope it was enjoyable for you too.