myCryption

Ajax

2009-06-02T13:14:00.002-05:00

Currently in my "career", I could be best labeled as a "software developer"; though some people have other ideas. Like most other things in my life, I try not to let my occupation define me. I don't really consider myself a "techie" or a "computer geek" or any of the other terms that society assign (or people assume) for people who work with computers. (For that matter, I don't really like being labeled "cyclist", "homebrewer", or "jerk". "dad" is ok. as is "friend".) I am not the type of person who is constantly messing with linux or servers or "open source" stuff. Actually, the stuff I prefer to mess with is the graphical side of things and the usability and "ahh" factors of the web. I am almost constantly messing with different sites that offer new or different ways for people (or me) to express themselves online. (My newest is tumblr.) I am also on facebook, goodReads, ... (the list goes on). I don't really frequently use any of them, but I find most of them interesting for their approach to people, information, and expression.

In spite of my professed non-geekiness and lack of "hacking" interest, I still often have small projects that I am messing with on the side of work. Some are work related and some not-so-much. Usually I only get as far as seeing how things should or would work, and then I often will walk away without even fully implementing the project. It is the understanding the logic or the algorithm behind it that interests me. I also tend to redesign my website at www.mycryption.com almost monthly (right now I am simply redirecting to my custom tumblr site).

When Sudoku was growing in popularity a few years ago, I got into the puzzles because the logic and numbers tend to soothe my mind. Then I ruined it for myself by writing an algorithm that would solve about any sudoku puzzle I came across. By defining how to do it, I lost interest in the puzzles completely. Now I only solve them if I am really bored on a long flight. It is understanding the logic and finding a clever solution that do it for me.

But anyway... one project I have recently been messing with is working with Ajax. Ajax is essentially a "design pattern" or mechanism for web development that enables specific elements on a web page to refresh without refreshing the whole page. Gmail is one of the most obvious web sites that use ajax. It isn't a language, but more of a way of moving data. It also isn't new at all. I have used/implemented in past (and present) professional situations, but I have never really messed with it much on a personal level because I never wanted to mess with the grunt work involved in moving the data. I tend to wait a while to mess with new stuff because eventually someone will release some slick, easy-to-use libraries that handle all the grunt work. That is where jQuery has come in. JQuery is a javascript library that makes many things easier on the client (browser) side of web development, including ajax.

Now that the grunt work associated with passing data back and forth with the server is handled, I can concentrate purely on the web-site-specific side of things. But this isn't enough. There is still grunt-work in handling the data on both sides of the fence (client and server sides), and I don't like grunt work. So my latest push is to essentially write a simple framework (library) that will utilize the jquery tools to make ajax transactions dead simple to the web developer (me). Once I figure it out sufficiently, I may actually complete its implementation... or I may try to convince my employers to grant me the time to complete it at the workplace. (They read this blog - so you could call this entry a passive form of intra-office communication.) So my goal here is more than personal logic interest, but potentially having a slicker, easier way of creating useable web pages.

So you could question my earlier claims to a geek-free existence, but I do need something to keep my mind engaged. And I never did figure out how to work those logic puzzles in the newspaper.. and who gets a newspaper these days anyway.

testing

2009-05-16T09:03:00.001-05:00

This is a test. I am messing with a new service.. Cheers.

Intentional Living

2009-04-30T18:14:00.002-05:00

Ever since I developed a self-consciousness and started thinking for myself, I always valued the idea of intentional living. At least it always sounded good. To me, intentional living was always choosing my own path through life, not leaving things up to chance, having a reason for making the choices I make. My resolve hasn't always been the best, but it hasn't been bad, either. My choices have certainly been questionable, but I have tried to learn and apply the lessons to my life.

Sometime a few years ago, around the time I turned 30, I was struck by a realization that, to me, is closely related to this concept of intentional living. My realization was that life is no longer in the future, but is in the present. This may seem trivial, obvious, or even unimportant, but to me, it was a watershed moment. We spend so much of our lives preparing for the future that it is difficult to change gears or even know when to make that change. We go to school in order to prepare for a career; we spend a career preparing for retirement. We buy a starter home so that we can eventually buy a larger home that will serve the needs of the family in our future. We spend our late twenties and thirties acquiring things to add to that home and life that will one day meet our goals of what home and life are supposed to be. Now don't get me wrong, I am a proponent of being smart and being prepared and working for goals, but at some point one has to decide that the now is just as important as the future. This was huge for me because it freed me from worrying about all of these goals and expectations that had for so long been before me (most of which were not even my own but were, instead, inherited from my family, peers, media, etc.). This also freed me to define, more specifically and more relevantly, the intentions for which I should live.

This intentional living stuff is still a process, though. And lately it has been confusing and jumbled. Part of this was because I have still held onto many ideals that do not really jive with my intentions. Many of these ideals, much like the goals and expectations mentioned above, have been inherited, but many have also defaulted due to lack of consideration on my part. I would try to make decisions, but then other arguments would come to mind and the correct answer would not always be apparent. In case this is confusing, I am talking about anything from how to budget a paycheck to what books or movies I consume. Very practical life actions. With fighting ideals and philosophies, coming to a conclusion can be quite a difficult task.

(An aside.. most people consider me a pretty laid back person and may be confused about me stressing about this stuff.. truth be told, I don't stress about these things, I merely try to consider actions and alternatives instead of just going with the flow... if it gets stressful, I typically default to the flow, but I am trying to intentionally modify my defaults.)

So that leads me to where I am now. I am on a personal "mission" to define, for myself, the philosophies by which I want to live my life and make practical decisions. Then, once I have figured where I stand about a particular area of my life, I can intentionally change my life (if necessary) to be better aligned with my own personal philosophy. I will probably also record these actions in similar fashion. The "mission" aspect of this is simply the record-keeping. By writing down my thoughts, I am better able to understand how to move forward and stick to my decisions.

By "define", I will be writing (typing) down the conclusions I come to. This document, in its raw form, will not be available for public consumption, but I do plan to publish some of my thoughts and actions on this here forum. For those of you who fine this all boring and nonsense, I will still post with my normal drivel, but by recording philosophies and decisions here I serve a couple of purposes. One, I can be challenged by others with concepts or angles I hadn't considered on my own. Two, by recording thoughts and resolutions on such a public forum, I will guarantee myself a higher level of accountability to myself; for me, writing such things is not taken lightly. Note that I neither expect anyone else to hold me accountable (and pray grace if I do not follow through) nor am I in any way evangelizing any of my philosophies or actions.

Don't be surprised if you don't see anything related to this for quite a while, but putting this post out there is, for me, the first step in raising my life to a higher level of intention.

Please bear with me..... I'm figuring it out...

A Hole in the HSR Plan

2009-04-16T12:46:00.003-05:00

This morning, President Obama gave a press conference about his plan for a national high-speed rail system, and his plan has a big glaring hole in the middle of it. That hole is Tennessee and Kentucky. My fellow Nashvillians (not pronounced nash-villins) and I are smack-dab in the middle of that hole. If that hole were a Donut, Nashville wouldn't even get any of the icing drippings.

This makes me wonder who is to blame for being overlooked, and the blame seems to fall most appropriately on our local representatives for not pushing for more rail attention here in middle Tennessee. Or is the fault ours, the constituents? Most people in this area seem to regard rail travel as a nice idea, but not worth giving priority when it comes to time in legislature or other infrastructure needs.

So what does this mean for Nashville? Well, if Obama is successful in assigning a national HSR system to his presidential legacy, then rail travel will once again become a major form of transportation in this country. US residents will consider train travel as a legitimate option when it comes to travel (especially as people are moving back into cities) and foreign visitors will increasingly use rail transportation when visiting the US, choosing to exclusively visit cities accessible by train (much like we do in other countries). So I ask again, what does this mean for Nashville? It means being left behind. It means Nashville loses stature in the realm of world-class cities. It means that maybe Nashville isn't as important as we think it is.

Anyone need to go to Lebanon (TN)? We can take a train there....

Portland is sounding better and better all the time... (Portland Oregon, not Portland TN)

Another Election

2009-03-30T15:32:00.002-05:00

Last week there was a special election for my metro district here in Nashville (or I guess it would be better identified as the district that I live in). Evidently, there are about 12000 registered voters in this district. Considering the demographic, I would guess that is a high percentage of the eligible voters. For this election, however, only about 10% of the voters actually voiced their opinion. (A little annoying, really, but so it goes...)

With such small elections, there is more opportunity for candidates to focus on campaigning for each available vote. I received no fewer than 8 calls in the week leading up to the election, the bulk of which were received in the 24 hours before the voting location closed. I had voted early, so it was little more than an annoyance to me, but again, so it goes. The little bit that wasn't annoyed was glad to have a voice that mattered.

So the total number of voters for that district election was 1229. Here is where this process really turns into an exercise of futility: no single voter received enough votes to actually win. Somewhere on the rule books, it states that the winner has to have received at least 50% of the votes. So now, a runoff special election has been scheduled for the end of April. I will be curious to see how many people turn out for that one. Since the person I voted for is now out of the running, I can't say I have much of an opinion about either of the remaining two candidates. I do, however, plan to vote anyway. I guess I will just have to dig deeper to find redeeming values in one or other of the candidates.

It's mainly just another month without council representation.

The Non-Partisan Choice

2009-03-08T11:40:00.002-05:00

So we seem to be in a pickle. The pickle isn't so much that we have a ton of bad debts out there. The pickle isn't so much that banks aren't lending nor that people/businesses aren't spending enough money. The pickle isn't so much the skyrocketing unemployment. The pickle is, in my estimation, the future.

The democrats/liberals/whatever want to pour money into the ailing economy, buy bad debts, save the economy via the government. The republicans/conservatives (though they have been mostly silent about solutions - because they don't have one and don't have to have one.... others get to clean up the mess they made) want to save our economy by pouring money into and saving our corporations, which saves jobs, keeps businesses and people buying things... essentially keeps the status quo.

Both want to do this by borrowing money from our future in the hopes/expectation that things will improve and we will be able to catch up. That is called speculation and that's probably the biggest reason we are currently in this mess. If we can just weather this storm, then we can get back to living that American dream.

The American dream, however, that we have been enjoying/chasing is flawed and not what it originally was. The American dream is not that everyone can be a millionaire and live the life of luxury. The American dream is not that we can all be kings. The American dream is the pursuit of happiness; but somewhere along the way happiness became synonymous with wealth and all of a sudden everyone decided he could get rich and everyone decided he was the chosen one.

Ours has become a society of almost-elites and our laws/policies/social conventions have reflected as much. Everything is driven by its profit-making potential. This was especially true during the Bush administration. Many formerly public institutions were sold to private industry to be managed by people whose goal is to make a profit. But what do most astute business-people do when faced with a losing proposition? They cut their losses and find another venture that promises more hope. This is the story of our failing infrastructure, lackluster to non-existent "public" transportation systems throughout most of the country, and struggling school systems. I have heard it said that public transportation, for instance, is a money-losing system and is begrudged because of this. My question is why money is the only judge of success of a program. Is not just getting citizens from one place to another the point of public transportation? The same question can be asked about a multitude of other public service projects and programs.

Fundamentally, I believe we are approaching our problems in the wrong way and I don't think we will ultimately solve anything. Maybe we will pull out of this recession for a while. Maybe we will go back to all feeling like kings that are almost to that billionaire status. But then we will just cycle back to here again. What we need is a fundamental change in the way we think about our economy and our society.

Obama's goal of sending money to fix our infrastructure is good, but this should be normal practice... not a stimulus package. We should let these companies fail and then we can pick up the pieces. I am not convinced we need more regulation, but when the unregulated efforts of risk-takers fail, we shouldn't be bailing them out so they can just do it again. If GM goes under because they made lackluster cars that were not in demand, then maybe the next American car company will learn to be more agile and produce a better product.

We need to recognize that our daily lives and society are what will, in the end, persist, and we need to maintain and enrich these things. We need to preserve and build up a better infrastructure for our kids, not pass on to them an ailing one that needs fixing. We need to pursue joy in our lives, not just that next buck. We need to believe in our own humanity and in our own real desire to progress and not base it all on a stock ticker. We need to stop living for a "someday" and start living for this day. We need to remember, daily, what our true innate priorities are.

Let us put our humanity back where it should be. This is a choice.

Stimulation

2009-02-17T20:54:00.003-06:00

So apparently we have a stimulus law now. Nothing overly exciting and no immediate changes, but if you care to see how it is that we Americans spend $787 billion we didn't have yesterday, check this out.. I found it mildly interesting and convenient.

One interesting part of the law is the more than $9 billion for rail travel infrastructure, with the bulk of that going to high-speed rail projects. With further exploration, I found this interesting site about transportation.

Now before you get your hopes up, this is merely one person's (or group's?) point of view of a viable rail network. The thing that got me is the inclusion of Nashville as a stop on one of the high-speed lines. Not really confident this would happen in the timeframe that I am likely to be in the Nashville area, but pretty cool nonetheless. I explored that site more and found some interesting statistics and ideas.

Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright's given name was Frank Lincoln Wright? Also, he never finished high school nor college. Seems like a lot of people that would become geniuses in their fields have this similar story (about school, not changing names). Makes me wonder if I screwed myself by finishing both... (in a non-sensical sort of logic).

Cheers.

Emma rides a bike

2009-02-11T08:01:00.003-06:00

This weekend we had beautiful weather in Nashville, so Emma and I spent the majority of our daylight hours outside. We played soccer, passed a frisbee, flew a kite, and rode our bikes.

Emma decided that she was ready to try riding without training wheels. We have tried this in the past but with no success. I am now convinced it was my teaching method that was to blame. When trying it before, I would just remove her training wheels and hold her bike up and push her along, waiting for her to gain her balance. This didn't work at all. So this time I tried a different technique.

From the beginning of Emma jumping on her bike without the 3rd and 4th wheels, I realized that if she was going to learn to ride her bike, she would have to mostly do it by herself; with only some gentle instruction and suggestions from me. So we went to a slightly inclined paved section of a Greenway here in Nashville and used the downhill. By doing this, Emma would have to worry less about gaining momentum and more about finding her balance. I also told her to not worry about the pedals at first. The first priority was learning to keep her balance, so she just rolled down the hill countless times, bobbing back and forth on her feet until she could roll a long distance without needing to touch the ground. When she was getting good at this, I told her to put her feet on the pedals and start pedaling when she was comfortable doing so. Before long, Emma was able to ride about 10-20 feet at a time. So it became more a thing of practicing than learning.

That first day (Saturday), she never rode more than about 20-30 feet at a time. So on Sunday, when she wanted to go back to practice again (over going to the zoo), I assumed she would be in the same place, so I didn't bring my own bike this time. Big mistake. As soon as we got there, she jumped on her bike and just started to ride off. Before long, she was zipping along with no worries.. and I was running along behind her just trying to keep up. I think I ran more than 5 miles that day, just trying to stay with her.

I made a video to commemorate this momentous occasion. Enjoy...

Emma Learns to Ride a Bike from Troy on Vimeo.

South Korea, A Recap

2009-02-05T00:06:00.003-06:00

So, here is it.

The itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Inchon (the international airport). Shuttle into Seoul. Taxi to Hostel. Ambien to sleep.
Day 2: Seoul. Palace. Markets. Soju.
Day 3: Bullet-type train (KTX) to Busan. Checked into a "Love Motel" (complete with a hairbrush (that already contained hair) and bugspray). Went to the fish market. Elevator up a tower to get a high view of the city. Soju. Krispy Kreme.
Day 4: Bus to cliffs. "Hike" with trailside vendors. Exposed cliffs and lighthouse. Express Bus to Gyeonju. Korean-style guestroom. Soju. Rice Paddies. Anapji gardens and pond. Observatory. Very cold. Warm floor.
Day 5: Gyeonju. Jimjibang (sauna). Buddhist temple. Maekju. Sweet Rolls. Soju. Tomb mounds.
Day 6: Train to Andong. Hotel California. Kimbap. Bus to Hahoe. Thatched rooves with cable tv. Korean Beef. Soju.
Day 7: Dunkin Donuts. Soju Museum. Andong Soju (at 10am?). Toast sandwiches. 3hr train through mountains to Donghae. Waltz through Russian district. Bus to Samcheok. Korean Beer and greasy Hof food.
Day 8: Bus to Hwanseon cave. Climb mountain. Walk through cave. Meet swiss couple. Bus to Chuncheon. Meet University students for Soju, cricket (darts), and french fries/tots.
Day 9: Emart. Bus to Wancheon. Meet Tori's host family. To Hwacheon to apartment. Tennis. Bipimbap for dinner. Korean coffee.
Day 10: Snowing. Ice Festival. ATV on ice. Ice Fishing. Dinner at host home. Sushimi trout. Soju. Yute (a Korean game with 4 sticks).
Day 11: Day of rest. Reading. Made spaghetti for host family. Soju. They drink my beer.
Day 12: Sled competition. Video interview by Korean Tourism board. Stationary store. Bought Soju for trip home. Read. Pork for dinner at host home. Korean beer Hite. Chocolate Cake.
Day 13: Beef lunch at tv celebrity's restaurant, courtesy of tennis coach (who's sled I helped "pilot" in sled competition. Explored Sports arena. Golf aquatic center. Korean Chinese food for dinner. Ice sculpture exhibits.
Day 14: Tennis. Fried kimchi rice. Pack. Sushimi dinner. Yute. Inauguration on TV.
Day 15: Up early. Ride with host family to Chuncheon. Bus to Inchon airport. Duty-free. Flights home.

So that was my trip. Check out pictures (with descriptions) here. (Make sure descriptions show up, because each shot has one.)

And now. The long awaited ice fishing video. Enjoy.

back in the uSA

2009-02-02T21:31:00.002-06:00

So I got back last week from Korea, about a day and a half (or so) after my last post was posted. Adjusting back to Nashville time was not easy for me. When my sis and I got to Korea, we each popped an Ambien that first couple of nights and quickly and rather easily adjusted to Korean time. Before long even my bowels were moving in some predictable manner (sorry... TMI?). Coming back home was altogether different. No Ambien; no freewheeling days of doing what I pleased. It was about a week before I could sleep through the night without waking up for 3-4 hours of tossing and turning while wide awake and just waiting to get back to sleep. But... now I am sleeping... just waiting for other functions to return to normal... almost there.... anyway....

There will be a more thorough examination of my trip coming (hopefully), but for now, I would prefer to discuss something else.

Beer.

Two things. There is another New Belgium beer that hit the stores today. Mighty Arrow Pale Ale is New Belgium's interpretation of a pale ale. It doesn't really come across as an American pale ale, but seemed more like an English pale ale.. or shall we say "(new) belgian pale ale"? Anyway, it was decent. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was enjoyable and easy drinking in a quality session beer sort of way. Note that today also marks the delivery of Fat Tire cans to middle Tennessee. (Though I only saw 12-packs (I was tempted to buy a sixer if I saw it) and if I was buying cans for the purpose of backpacking or other non-glass application, I would probably step it up and get some dale's, but always nice to have the option).

The other beer message of interest, to Nashville folks anyway, is the proposition of losing the ability to buy singles. Linus up at yazoo explains it better.

I sent my letter to my council-person, but then found out that I don't currently have a council-person (the seat is currently vacant). So I sent my plea to an at-large council person. I also looked into the possibility of filling that council position myself, but it appears that there are quite a few more eligible potential candidates (who seem to already know what a council person does). I also wonder if not actually owning property in my district would hurt my chances.

So, while I have your ear with all of this interesting stuff, I will go a new direction with this here public forum. I will delve into the topic of music. Now, I have enjoyed music for a long time. It played a huge part of my days of discovery in high school and into college. These days, living in "music city", it is not an infrequent occasion that I am asked question "so... what do you play?" My typical answer is "the radio". A more accurate response would be that I play my ipod, but I typically say the radio to not sound pretentious. (I do believe, however, that the ipod is pretty ubiquitous, at least among the people who would ask me such a question.) So anyway, all that is to lead into a band recommendation. I listen to a lot of music, but the band that I have listened to more than any other for the past couple of years is "the national". I recommend you get out and get some of their music. ( I get no royalties. I don't know them and have never even seen them play. But I am trying to increase the pleasure in your own life.) I have other recommendations, as well, but will save those for another day.

Cheers.

Yee Haw

2009-01-20T12:09:00.003-06:00

I start my journey home in just a few short hours. And I am returning to a better America than the one I left.

(And as annoying as CNN can be to watch, I am thankful for their global broadcast presence. Sitting in a living room in Korea never felt so much like home.)

Downtime in Hwacheon

2009-01-19T08:03:00.002-06:00

Staying put this week in Hwacheon has given me a little more of a vacation. I really like to finish a holiday tired from a lot of activity and experiences, and I'm sure I will be pretty warn out by the time I get home, especially with jet lag from the long trip home and time re-adjustment, but it has been nice to lay around some and read and not do much for hours at a time. I was able to finish the book I brought with me, Ed Abbey's The Fool's Progress, I have also had some time to write about my experience some (in a traditional and personal handwritten format).

Another diversion has been the coming changing of the US presidency that will take place in just over 24 hours. There has been a lot said about it and about the potential changes we may see in even the first 24-36 hours that Obama is in office and about his "solemn" approach to the position and the first black president thing and the (sort of) rags to riches thing and all of that. And it is all interesting, but what I find even more fascinating is the logistics of it all. Stuff like what is revealed in this article. It is that behind the scenes stuff of life that I find very interesting. It is the stuff that is assumed and taken for granted.

That is also one of my approaches when traveling, whether here to South Korea, or to a small town in Kansas to attend a friend's wedding. Even across town or across the street. Anywhere and any life that is different to my existence is fascinating to me. Sometimes only for maybe 30 seconds until I (in a stereotyping manner) decide I have seen that life pattern before or maybe for 2 straight weeks in which almost everything I do or everywhere I go presents new challenges, ideas, and adventures.

Here in Korea, I find it interesting that tennis balls come in packs of two instead of three. Leopards raise their tails when they are full and not needing to find food and lower it when they are on the prowl (and deer and other wildlife know this and are not threatened when the tail is raised). Homes in Korea are heated in the floors, hence the tradition of short tables and sitting and sleeping on the floor. In Korea, soup is apparently served more often at the end of a meal than in the beginning. The standard loaf of bread in Korea is many times better than the standard loaf of store bought bread in the states. Likewise with meats. Bread is still sold from bakeries in Korea and meat from butchers. (When I bought ground beef to make a spaghetti meat sauce for my sister's host family, the butcher sliced off the amount of meat I required and then took it back to grind it for me... and it really did taste better.) In Korea, the roads are marked with stripes and signs like in the US, but no one really follows the rules. It is mostly a free for all. And the local police do not really enforce any rules. But it all seems to work.

The Koreans have a pretty well-defined and traditional system of respect and hierarchy among all people, and that respect is reflected into all aspects of their lives. It would be easy to say that the USA needs to have something like that because people are just so damn inconsiderate and disrespectful of one another (which I agree with), but just saying that wouldn't solve anything and there really isn't an easy solution. The Korean race is one that has really stood the test of time and has persevered. Their traditions and culture is millennia old. I do not believe the US will ever get there, and many speculate that Korea is losing some of it, but I still see an exceptionally high level of respect by children to their parents, by younger adults to older adults, and even by peers to peers. If there is one thing that the rest of the world should learn from Korea, it is how one person should treat another person.

It is the little things about life that make it rich and worth pursuing. Different peoples in different cultures have figured out, each in their own ways, how to make their lives rich. By exploring the little things of different peoples lives, maybe I can add that little bit more of richness to my own. By learning how one president moves out and a new one moves into the White House, maybe I can get idea for making my next move smoother (or maybe it just satisfies that part of my mind that likes to find order and method in every little (or big) thing). In Korea, I learn a little bit about accupunture, I learn how to combine foods to make a more satisfying snack for a bus ride, I am introduced to soju, and cold noodles, and instant coffee with the sugar already added, I learn what happens when my feet really do lose feeling from cold numbness, I eat meals with people I can't communicate with by talking, I see huge 2-3 story high ice sculptures, I eat sushimi within hours of the fish being caught, I play tennis on a dirt tennis court, bowing to my opponents before each of my serves, I help a new friend with his English while he explains the virtues of "Globish" (and how everyone worldwide who has any English can understand it... except for native English speakers), I spend a train ride speaking to a Korean Philles fan (who can't speak English) with the help of a Buddhist Monk (who can), I drink "flower essence" that has been fermented for over two years, I ride on a decorative sled through a decorative sled contest (which ended up being somewhat of a disaster - but was fun nonetheless) and am interviewed by the official Korean Tourism department (the interview will no doubt appear online... I may supply a link if I can find it) as if I created the sled myself, and I experience a true winter... even if only for a week or so.

And I still have a full day left before I get up early for my extra-long day of traveling home....

It's the little things.

Ice Fishing

2009-01-17T18:25:00.004-06:00

So on that snowy morning, Tori and I were picked up by her host family from the apartment and we drove the approximately 1km to the Hwacheon ice festival. There was much to do, including ice slides, an ice cave, driving ATV's on an ice track (which we did - we are, afterall, Americans, and can't bear to miss an opportunity to play with an internal-combustion-engine-powered machine in less than favorable conditions), sledding across the ice, tall "bobsledding" from a tower off the side of the river, and ice soccer in small rinks on the ice with hockey puck-like objects. There was food to eat, military formations to watch, hot chocolate and coffee and soju to drink, huge ice sculpture installations to ponder.

There was also ice fishing, and among the things I did, that was the most memorable. They would cut small holes in the ice and drop a line to wait for the Sancheno (trout - big, healthy trout) to bite then pull it out and take it home for dinner; but that wasn't the kind of ice fishing I did. They also had a large fishing pool. They tried to talk me out of it, but I decided to sign up... and then was followed by Tori's host dad, and then her host sisters (ages 10 and 12), and then Tori herself. At the appointed time, we returned to the temporary building erected by the fishing pool where they provided each person a t-shirt and pair of shorts to put on. So into the locker room where we strip down and don our fishing outfits. Upon exiting the locker rooms, we find some available sandals, but these would only be for temporary use; upon taking to the ice around the pool, we had to be barefoot. So after standing around outside in the cold for a few minutes on the wooden deck while the MC played to the crowd, we circled around the outside of the pool, barefoot on ice and ice-cold rocks, until everyone was around the edge... Then after a bit more teasing, they instructed everyone into the pool to start catching fish. The idea is to catch fish with our bare hands and drop them into our tucked-in shirts. The limit was 2 per person, but a third could be had by holding it in one's mouth.

I was already having trouble with the cold before jumping in. Not the coldness in the air, but the coldness on the bottom of my feet from walking on ice. I have very sensitive feet. So when we jumped into the water, the first couple minutes were just trying to deal with the intense pain of being in extremely cold water. Let's just say that it was cold enough that they had to keep water pumping into the pool to keep it moving to prevent freezing. So after a couple of minutes, my legs, from just above my knees down, were numb and I could finally get to work. I couldn't feel anything around or under my feet, but no matter, I needed to catch some fish. By this time, however, half the people had left the pool. Some had left as soon as entering the water, others had caught their quota already, and others had been overcome by the cold after a minute or two. This may seem ideal since there would less demand for the remaining fish, but the problem was that with all the extra room in the pool, there was room for the fish to gather in the areas where there were no people instead of just swimming around frantically among everyone. So essentially, I was not able to catch a fish. I had neither the resistance to the cold nor the correct technique for catching live trout, in a pool, in freezing weather. Next time I will know better how to approach the challenge. My only claim to fame was that I as the last person out of the pool that day and therefore endured the cold water the longest.

Upon exiting the pool, I still couldn't feel anything at all on or around my feet. I had to be very careful to watch what i stepped on and to make sure no one in the crowd stepped on my feet, because I could have cut my foot on something sharp or otherwise hurt my feet and not even known it. I hurried inside when called out of the water and had to wait to change because of a packed locker room. I eventually changed, but it took about 45 minutes to regain all feeling in my feet. I still sometimes feel something weird in some of the nerves on the bottom of my toes.

So among our group (of 5) who fished for Sancheno, Tori's host dad was the only one who caught fish. He caught three, so carried one of them out of the pool in his mouth. That night, we ate fresh Sancheno sushimi as well as baked trout prepared by Tori's host mom. It was pretty incredibly good tasting sushimi, and the freshest I have ever eaten. With some soju, some rice, some Kimchi, and some other good tasting foods I had never eaten before, I was definitely recovered and satisfied after dinner.

Today, we head back to the festival, where I have been asked to ride on a sled for a sled parade. Essentially, they are making a spectacle out of the bearded American in this small town of Hwacheon, but I am certainly willing to play along. It is the least I can do after the grace and generosity I have been shown the last few days. The sled I will be riding on belongs to the local Tennis coach, so I think he is also buttering me up for a match so he can stake his dominance over American tennis players. Hopefully at least this time I can stay up on my feet.

Cheers...

Snowing in Hwacheon

2009-01-15T18:06:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning to a snowy landscape and more snow falling. I am in Hwacheon, South Korea, the small town near where my sister lives/works. We are staying in a nice apartment here in town and will be here for the duration of my trip.

Yesterday, we got to Tori's village and to her homestay home to meet her family. After some tea (made with some homegrown herbs and some "medicinal" mushrooms from the mountain) we headed into Hwacheon for some tennis with some other guys, including the principal of the local elementary school and a Pastor. I played two sets, each with Tori's host dad and each against a different opposing team. Glad to say I represented the USA well because we won both sets. I have now been called out for some table tennis on Sunday. We will see how that works out.

Today we visit the ice festival here in Hwacheon. We will be doing some ice fishing, some ice soccer, and generally playing in the winter outdoors. I hurt my wrist when I tripped during tennis yesterday, but hopefully that won't bother me in my outdoor pursuits today.

Right now, the challenge I am having is finding cash. Establishments take plastic here, but I prefer to use cash when in foreign countries like this. I found an ATM in Seoul early on that worked for me, but no luck since and my cash supply is dwindling... I will need to figure that one out....

Andong

2009-01-12T17:36:00.002-06:00

We are in Andong this morning; last night we stayed in the "Hotel California". It is the most western of the places we have stayed so far. I like that most places have wood floors; but all rooms also have an entry way and removing shoes is required. The floors are heated, though. Quite nice. This room includes a computer, which I am currently using.

Yesterday we took a bus out to a rustic folk village where they still have thatched roofs but now also have paved cement streets. One of the cleanest places we have been. We walked around the market area last night some and got a couple little things, including a fancy package of tissues. Today, the plan is to head out to the Soju museum (the closest we have found to a brewery tour so far) to check out the Soju production process and probably buy some high octane Soju. Then it's a train and bus to Samcheok as we keep moving. The next two places are on the east coast, but I don't see myself doing any swimming... It is getting colder, the more we head north.

Cheers.

2009-01-11T17:31:00.003-06:00

So now... a few days in...

Korea is a cool place to visit. This morning, I am in a town called Gyeongju. This is the third city we have visited. This morning, I woke up early, after falling asleep early, and went down the road to a public bath house. (Well, I had to pay to get in, but it is still public). We have a shower room at this guesthouse, but it is cold, and we don't have towels, so the place down the street seemed a reasonable alternative. Today we travel to Andong, a town that makes its own Soju and is known for some good beef, too. I imagine we will eat and drink well tonight.

Seoul was a huge city, but a very nice city and easy to get around. We visited an old palace there and walked around exploring most of the day. We stayed at a guesthouse there that was reasonably comfortable.

Next we visited Busan, which is a coastal city and the main Port of S. Korea. We visited the fish market, went to some cliffs, and went up a tower.

Here in Gyeongju, we went to a jimjibang where I baked in a sauna, we visited tombs, an active temple, a lake/gardens area, some rice paddies, and walked around the markets. This is one of the world's 10 most important historical towns, according to some group that ranks important historic towns. It was cool to see a lot of it.

Now, I know this is a very sparse account, but the really cool parts of the trip have been the everyday life stuff that makes Korea and Korean life different from my life. Like sleeping on heated floors, and concession stands on "nature" hikes, and horrible smelling larva that people love to eat, and cell phone charms, and .......

Anyway... more another time. Cheers.

2009-01-07T07:44:00.002-06:00

I'm in Korea. It was a really long trip, and now I hope to sleep a really long time. I am going on about 26 hours. Tomorrow should be a good time exploring Seoul.

More later. Cheers.

2009-01-05T16:32:00.002-06:00

Wow! It's been over a month!

Ok, ok. I know that neither I nor either of you are surprised by this. But it's a new year. Time to turn a new leaf... or just update again. So a quick rundown...

On the political front, Nashville is currently in early voting for a special referendum vote... or something like that. I am about to go to Korea and get back the day before the "special" election, so I went ahead and voted On Friday, the first day of early voting, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. In a nutshell, I knew how I felt about the first issue, of making all metro business English only (which I voted against). I prefer accessibility for people and a more global world view over tumbling back into the Southern way of trying to maintain dominance over people that do not look or talk like I do. It is pretty amazing to me that this law is even up for a vote. It seems like such a step backwards.

The other item to vote for was some garbage about easing the requirements for putting special votes like this before people and some other stuff. Now, as I mentioned before, I am all about making stuff more accessible to people, so there are aspects of this proposal I am in favor of, but there was more that I wasn't in total agreement with. In the end I voted for this amendment, but after further thought, I decided that I had voted the wrong way. I guess voting requires a learning curve. Essentially, I am thinking that I shouldn't have voted for that amendment because of the things I didn't like. And I disliked the bad things more than I liked the ok things. So, in a nutshell, I learned to not vote "for" something unless I am "for" all of it. One crappy thing is that I looked all over, and I couldn't find anything saying that was being voted for along with the "english-only" amendment. So I had to make a decision while at the vote location. I tend to like to ponder things more and felt a bit rushed. Hopefully other voters will spend more time than me contemplating that issue and vote in a way that saves my butt (so I can feel ok about my mistake).

I guess the other relevant bit of info is that tomorrow I leave with my sister to go to Korea for a couple of weeks. If I am able to post updates from my trip it will be here. I know you will be on the edge of your seat clicking refresh every few minutes waiting for some interesting bits, but please, try to breathe. It may not happen.. but I will try.

According to reports...

2008-12-02T20:15:00.003-06:00

parking in bike lanes is now illegal in Nashville. So it stands to reason that Biking in the Car Lane will also soon be illegal. This is a legal and perception war that I am confident the biking population will not win until automobiles are extinct, prohibitively overpriced to operate, or hell freezes over. We(?) may have won this battle, but.... actually, I am not sure I won this battle. I do like to ride my bike in bike lanes, but I have no issue with going around a parked car nor detouring onto a less traveled road.... And I do tend to drive my car at times (often) and find myself needing park at times (often).

One thing I do see happening with this new law is more consideration given to whether parking should be now eliminated in favor of striping a new bike lane. Bike lanes may not be so liberally appropriated. Additionally, it is at the whim of police officers (and concerned citizens indirectly) to write tickets and enforce this new law. If they choose to not enforce consistently, then I dare say we(?) are in worse shape than before.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand the motivation and the spirit of this effort, but I also believe that the last thing we need is another law to govern how we get around and exist in this town. This all started because of a small stretch of bike lane along Eastland Avenue in East Nashville that was often blocked by parked cars due to inadequate parking for the local eating establishments. Personally, I think a better solution would have been to widen that road enough to provide space for both parking and bike lanes (such as on music row). Whether that was possible, I don't know; but get the establishments who stand to benefit from the additional parking to pitch in or find other parking options for their patrons.

I like bike lanes. I have used them a lot for transportation myself. I prefer roads with bike lanes to roads without for riding my bike, but I think there is a bigger need in Nashville than for more and clearer bike lanes. I believe there are too many roads with no sidewalks whatsoever in Nashville. Bikes are viable modes of transportation on the roads, but walking on roads is just hazardous. I think that sidewalks should be a higher priority than striping roads. It may be a bigger expense, but I think it does more to make Nashville a more livable city.

That's my soapbox. If you care to comment back in opposition, have yourself a beer first. You can bet I had one before writing this spiel.

Cheers.

An Aside

2008-11-25T11:37:00.002-06:00

I would also like to briefly point out, in an attempt to not appear completely partisan, that I am not happy, either, with the continued bailouts going to the financial industry. The way I see it (with my uneducated eye) we either hurt a little bit now when big corps fail or we weaken our economy for the long-term. Our current lawmakers are choosing to hurt for the long haul. Obama will continue that trend when he gets in office... so that is just a part of current government policy (it seems) that we will not be getting away from.

One kind of cool thing to consider, though, is that if we will be spending the money anyway, I think there could be some cool things happening in the future, based on Obama's plans. I would much rather see all of these trillions of dollars spent to provide jobs and improve the infrastructure of the US than to try to make up for trillions of dollars that just evaporated due to bad loans, speculation, etc. The infrastructure projects aren't exciting but they are necessary. It is like spending a tax return to get new tires on a car or something similar. A new tv would be cool, but the tires are the more prudent use of the money. Paying off a gambling debt with the money just sucks, though.

The frustrating thing for use right now, though, is that it's not one way or the other... we are sending money in both directions... money we don't have to begin with.

Republican Confusion

2008-11-25T11:18:00.003-06:00

The confusion is mine; though I imagine some of the Republicans are confused, too.

Just read this about Sarah Palin traveling to Georgia to campaign for a Senate Race. What is it about her? From my perspective, the only thing even slightly appealing (if you can call it that) is that Palin is one of the few women in the Republican party with any national recognition; a voice of change? The voice may be higher, but it isn't saying anything different. It's a gender thing. What else does she offer? Do people like the fact that she has supported (and even committed) corruption in Alaska? Do people like the fact that she seems to have no ideas of her own but tends to descend into into negativity and latch onto what other people are saying? Do people like that she is probably the least well-spoken candidate to have been on a major ticket (somehow even W. comes across with more intellect than Ms. Palin)?

It scares me a little bit that she is remaining in the spotlight... or trying to stay there. It worries me that I have been brought to the point of mentioning her name on this here web blog again. I was really hoping she would just go away and stop wasting people's time. The opportunity to campaign has put delusions of grandeur into her head, and so it appears she will do what it takes to stay in the public conscience enough to make another go at a National Office in another 4 or 8 years. While I wouldn't mind more Tina Fey appearances, the potential of Sarah Palin heading up this nation is a freaky thought. (I purposefully didn't say "leading this nation" because she doesn't come across as a "leader", but more of a space filler.)

I guess it could be worse. There could be an old school conservative Republican out there that does have some credibility eyeing that oval office in the future.

Maybe I should quit reading the news.

A response to Hodge

2008-11-19T19:05:00.003-06:00

(I originally was writing a comment on the blog of a friend down in GA, but decided to make a post out of it for posterity (if it lasts that long) and to get my opinion out there a little more....)

I am right there with you on the whole screwed up situation with these bailouts and how the money (that probably shouldn't have been paid) is being used by the pimps receiving it.

(I am referring to reports of bonuses, dividends, and acquisitions being made with bailout money instead of loans (to consumers, etc.)

Everyone talks about how letting all these companies fail will kill the economy and put us into recession.. (the autos, of course, being the big ones in question right now)... while I know it isn't this simple, I have several opinions on it...

1. Things were over-inflated.. we need recession (or call it correction) to some degree...
2. We are already in recession... (the doom is no longer impending)

and most importantly (in my opinion)

3. We, the people, are not going to let the economy totally go to shit. We need to eat. We need to ride bikes, drive cars, use the internet to get information, etc... When it comes down to it, we still have to live; so even if the economy is not so huge and not to ruled by corporations and such, we as a race will do what we have to do to survive and build an economy that serves our needs. People who are willing and able to work and be responsible for themselves and their lives will do what it takes to make sure that life goes on....

Recession may be scary for people with more at stake financially than me, and I never lived through the Great Depression, but I think most can agree that a lot of people need waking up, and that does include the people who happen to be in control of this sinking ship..... And keep in mind that many of the smaller pieces of that sinking ship can and will float on their own... but the ship needs to fall apart for that to happen.

Election

2008-11-05T10:40:00.002-06:00

It will come as no surprise to either of my readers that I am pleased with the results of yesterday's election. I am a little disappointed with the results posted by this state I live in (Tennessee), but that was not unexpected... and at least Nashville represented.

I am a person who tends to like change because it opens up my life to new things and new experiences. That is one reason I voted for Obama. Another reason is that I was never convinced that 4 years of McCain would be much different than the last 4 years. And Palin.... that's a whole other bag of worms....

President Obama will certainly have a mess on his hands when he steps up, and I am not expecting any quick or miraculous changes, but I do feel some hope for some positive changes and stability in the future. The biggest hope that this gives me, though, is for an improved quality of leader in the future. Hopefully this is a sign that the old guard... a good-ol-boy Washington insider dominated political system... is at least weakening. I am not naive enough to think this is revolution or a complete change of direction for America, but I believe it is a great start.

It is nice to, for the first time in a while, be proud to be a US citizen. Kudos to all the others responsible for this great occasion.

Bailout

2008-11-03T16:47:00.002-06:00

So the (attempted) financial bailout is old news by now... but now some of the add-ons are finally being revealed... one of those is a new tax credit/subsidy for riding a bike to work... this article summarizes it. I am still looking for more details.... but found it interesting. I am not a fan of the bailout. And I am definitely not a fan of all the add-ons that bog down the lawmaking system, but at least there was a good guy taking advantage of the system this time instead of someone like Palin securing money for a bridge.. that goes no where... that never gets built... thus dispersing the money to her friends...

Underwater

2008-10-31T15:22:00.002-05:00

Having read this article about "homeowners" whose houses are worth less than they owe on them, I wonder if they can really call them homeowners... since they technically only own the rights to live in and continue paying for "their" homes. They, in fact, only own what is inside, and not the home itself... at all...

Not to be morbid or anything... I think I am making out pretty well. I rent, so I know that I don't own the structure I live in, and I am not paying a premium to be there. That may all change soon, though. I need a larger place, and with all of these "homeowners" losing or walking away from their "underwater" houses, there is no abundance of affordable rentals out there.... in fact, finding a desirable place to live for an affordable price is quite difficult these days...

Happy Halloween!!!

On that note, I wonder if Sarah Palin will be dressing up as Tina Fey tonight? She could pull it off and Tina Fey seems pretty smart... and people like her.