Parties and sitters

Today my wife and I went to the going-away party for a good friend and colleague who will be leaving soon.  We left our son with a babysitter.  It’s our first big step toward partial independence.  My son does not do very well with babysitters, but he’s old enough now that he needs to acclimate himself to occasional separation from mom and dad.  My wife and I agreed to spend a little more time than we have in the past doing things together as a couple.  It’s impossible to go anywhere alone without leaving our son with a friend, relative, or babysitter.  We decided that from time to time we need to go on a date or join friends for dinner or drinks.  Many parents conquer that milestone early in their children’s lives.  However, our son is a bit spoiled because he’s received almost constant attention from family since he was born.  Thankfully, our son behaved well for today’s babysitter.  He cried a bit after we left, but he recovered and spent much of his time taking his mid-day nap.  This was a first big step for us.  We’re hoping that in the next few months we can leave him with a babysitter later in the day and for longer periods of time.

My colleague’s going away party was a lot of fun.  We feasted on some down-home, pippin’ hot chili brewed up by my colleague.  He’s a gracious host and a good guy.  He’s gregarious and a lot of fun.  Outspoken and charismatic, he’s larger than life in a place where it’s hard to be a stand out.  He’s done very well for himself.  He’s heading to Europe for his next assignment, so he’s definitely not doing too shabby.  My wife and I arrived late to his party because we purchased a large outdoor play set for our son on a whim.  I assumed that his party would slowly wind up and wind down and that we could sneak in and out unnoticed.  No, not so with my colleague’s party.  He is a master of punctuality, and I should have known that the party would start and end on time.  I sometimes operate on “Chinese” time; that is, it is often fashionable to be late to a get together.  I realize I am generalizing, but in my many years of exposure to Chinese culture I have noticed that Chinese tend to arrive “late” to parties; that is, they don’t arrive at the time Westerners expect them to show up.  This of course is not true with all Chinese.  However, if you ever spend time in China, you will know what I mean.  I don’t mind at all.  People tend to give me a hard time for being late.  I’ve done much better at being on time in my current job, but I do have a historical penchant for tardiness.

One of the crazier incidents that happened to me in Seoul was when my colleague misunderstood some American slang I used on him.  He’s an American, but he had no idea what I was talking about.  We talk in slang and innuendo all the time, so I was surprised when he did not catch my euphemism.  We were driving home in his car, and he asked me whether he should take a chance and drive straight or whether he should play it safe and take another route.  If he went straight and the traffic volume was light, we would be home in minutes.  If traffic was horrendous, it would take us a long time to get home.  If he took an alternative route, he would avoid traffic, but it could take us longer to get home.  I responded, exclaiming, “Eat the worm!” and pumped my fist like a frat boy chanting at a college party.  He asked, surprised, “What do you mean?” and had no clue what I had just said.  Do you know what “Eat the worm!” means?  Can you guess what I was trying to tell him?  My colleague spent the entire week asking various people if they knew what “Eat the worm!” meant.  He now knows what I meant, but I’m not sure he believes it’s really slang.

Happy Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious?  Even if you’re not, you probably think about the mystical ramifications of Friday the 13th whenever that nefarious date rolls around.  It doesn’t come along too often, thankfully.  Most of us don’t believe we’re superstitious, but we still have habits or beliefs that we think will contribute to our success or help us avoid failure.  How about throwing a bouquet at a wedding to a potential bride?  When was the last time you took an elevator to the 13th floor?  Have you ever told a friend "break a leg" before a performance or presentation?  Superstition is a part of our everyday lives, and most of the time we aren’t even aware of it.  In Korea, some women believe that men with type B blood make poor mates.  As a result, some type B men have trouble finding dates.  Is it true?  It may sound like a strange concept to foreigners, but some Koreans believe blood type or Zodiac signs are good indicators of compatibility.  Americans also hold beliefs that border on the unusual.  When we have trouble with items such as cars or computers, we tend to personify the object and yell at it as if our discourse will fix the problem.  I’m guilty of this.  "You !#$% computer!" can sometimes be heard when the computer I’m using misbehaves.  Of course, the computer doesn’t respond to my admonishment, but it feels good to yell at it anyway.

This morning a Korean film star stopped by the office.  Han Ka-in is apparently the hottest actress in Korea right now, although I don’t know her and haven’t seen any of her films.  She recently married actor Yeon Jung-hoon, and they are now a Korean power couple akin to Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (before their split).  I was clueless about her, but I watched with amusement as a dozen or so of my coworkers crowded around and sought autographs from her.  I’m sure I would also be very giddy if Jennifer Aniston showed up at my workplace.  I might just have to check out some of Han Ka-in’s films to see if she is as brilliant an actress as my coworkers say she is.

The Seattle SuperSonics pulled out a 92-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA semi-finals.  The Spurs now lead the Sonics 2-1 in their best of seven series.  The Sonics have been so hot and cold this season that I’m not optimistic they can get past the dominant Spurs.  The Spurs are a class act.  Of course, I am a pessimistic Seattle sports fan who understands all too well about getting my hopes up too high during championship runs.  I’m glad to see that the Sonics made it to the playoffs and beat the Sacramento Kings, but I don’t know if they have what it takes to win an NBA championship.  Maybe I’ll jump on the bandwagon if they can get past the Spurs, Suns, and Pistons.

An old chore and an old friend

So you’re tired of mowing your lawn?  Live in suburbia and wish sometimes you could hire someone to mow your lawn for you or that you could cover the whole yard with decorative rock?  Maybe you live in an apartment or condo, don’t have a yard at all, and are thankful for you don’t have one.  Chances are, if you do have a lawn to mow, you probably don’t enjoy mowing it.  Well, I do.  I mowed tonight for the first time since Fall 2003, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I really missed mowing.  It’s like an old friend who visits you for a few months during the spring, summer, and fall.  Yes, that’s right, I mowed my lawn in Seoul.  I’m probably one of a few dozen people living in Seoul proper with a yard that I mow.  Most residents live in high-rise apartments.  Most of my neighbors hire people to mow their lawns.  Although mowing is a time-consuming and tedious job, I actually enjoy it.  I love the smell of fresh cut grass and the feeling that in a small way I’m getting some exercise.  Never mind I could be spending my time in a gym sweating away on a treadmill or stationary bicycle.  Nah, mowing will do just fine.  I like the mindless nature of mowing because I can let my mind wander and ponder the meaning of the universe.  And I get to wrestle with with a greasy machine, albeit a small gas-powered mower.  Changing the oil and filling the mower with gas makes me feel, well, handy.  Some guys really dig mowing.  Tim Allen from the old television sitcom "Home Improvement" epitomized the handy husband who loves improving the house with power tools.  Mowing fits the bill for me.  I don’t have to do much around our house other than daily maintenance, and I won’t have much opportunity to do landscaping, one of my favorite hobbies. Oddly, mowing fills that strange need I have to get out in the yard and do something.  My neighbors will give me strange looks and ask me why I haven’t hired someone to do the lawn work.  I’ll tell them it’s because I enjoy spending time with an old friend.