Christmas in Korea

Well, I woke up on Christmas Eve and realized (actually thanks to FB) that it had snowed during the night.  And when I say snowed, I mean snowed!  Must have been between 4-6 inches (sts) been going to sleep and waking up.  The snow here is amazingly light and fluffy.  What I've learned from waiting a day is that when it only gets to 20 degrees, the snow just doesn't melt.  There is still snow everywhere, even a full two days later.  The main streets are clear enough to drive, but the walkways are slick and still covered with what is now hard packed snow and ice.  The scary thing is that people tell me that it doesn't really get cold until February.  If you're coming here, make sure you bring snow boots, gloves, a toboggan, and something to cover your nose and mouth.  It really gets cold here!

Here are some pictures of the snow...

Home for the Holidays

Ok, so I haven't posted in a while.  But, in my defense, I don't get paid to do this.  I got to travel home for a few weeks just before Christmas thanks to a TDY to the States.  Here's a tip for anyone in Korea looking to save money on a trip home.  Find a legitimate reason for a TDY to the States, and then take leave on either end of the TDY.  It saved me a little over $3k.

Anyways, after the TDY I spent a week at home before flying back.  It was great.  I got to see Gracie perform in the Show Choir and win two out of two tennis matches.  She's really a good tennis player and she's already in the High School team's top 6 as a Middle Schooler.  Perhaps it had something to do with her dad playing tennis and Ping Pong with her all the time.  Here's a picture of me and Gracie at home.

Of course, I also got to see Chrysta.  Seriously, I have no idea how she survives without me.  Just kidding, honey (not).  The Christmas Tree was at a 30 degree angle, the lights were hanging off the roof, and the back door's screen was hanging on by a thread.  Ok, well, she did great just to survive having to put up with the two girls in the house, and it was good to help out for a change.  Here's a picture of me a Chrysta.

Unfortunately, I have to go back before Christmas, but only a few weeks left until our vacation in Hawaii!

Cheers,

Richard

Make That Four

Four range keys down.  Shhh...don't tell my wife.

Cheers,

Richard

Day 83 (25 Sep) - Three Keys Down

Three range keys down.  Ok...I just realized that it only took me 10 days to hit 50 more buckets of balls.  I knew I was well ahead of pace, but I had no idea how far ahead.  Looks like I'll be spending some time on the putting green and practice bunker for the next week or so.  What else am I going to do?

Anyways, there's not much new here.  Cheers...Richard.

Day 73 (15 Sep) - Two Keys Down and Other Updates

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted.  I haven't felt like there was much to say.

First, my second key is empty.  Two keys down and a small dent is already in the third one.  That's 106 buckets and counting.

Second, after 14 years in the AF, I've finally discovered the benefits of being a Club member.  Free dinner in the bar for members at 1730.  Tuesday...pizza.  Wednesday...pulled pork sandwiches.  Thursday...Tacos.  Friday...finger foods.  Did I mention that it's free?  Wednesday is my favorite, but most of the others prefer Taco night.  A lot of us rally at the Club for dinner, which makes it worth it.  Last Friday was Member's Night, which means free buffet dinner including steak (not bad...O'Club steak as you know it), and every kind of pie you can imagine.

Third, my new schedule is starting to fell like Groundhog Day.  Wake up, shower, eat, go to work, come back for lunch, go back to work, and then hit the O'Club for dinner.  After dinner, off to the driving range, back to the room for various stuff, and then skype with the frau.  Sleep, rinse, and repeat.  The weekend is almost the same, but without work.

Fourth, I tried barefoot running today.  I said that I wasn't going to run until New Years but it was a bad day and I just couldn't take it any longer.  A friend was talking about barefoot running the other day and I figured I'd give it a try for a few laps and then see.  I think this is the thing for me.  Well, not actually barefoot (though I did run about .75 miles without socks or shoes on the indoor track) but using the same form.  What I realized is that I run completely different with shoes on unless I run barefoot first and then try to mimic that feel with shoes on (which takes effort).  The better news is that my left achilles did NOT hurt, so I'm going to try running again next weekend and then see if I can build up my distance.

Well, that's about it.

Cheers,

Richard

Day 48 (21 Aug ) - Week One of Exercise Done

I started my first class in Air War College.  After two years of school and three Master's Degrees in two years, I can't believe I have to do this again.  The elective is titled "Coercive Airpower."  This should be fairly easy since I spent the entire last year studying the same subject.

This exercise is painful.  It's not that anything we're doing is that difficult.  It's just difficult to coordinate with HHQ and the Koreans and attend all the meetings at the same time.  I'll be really happy about this time next week when this thing is over.  I'm going up to Yongsan next week to coordinate between the KAOC and Combined Forces Command.  I'm being sent to help fix broken processes, but that's like asking a deckhand to go and push the Titanic out of the way of an iceberg.  Wish me luck...I'll need it.

Cheers,

Richard

Day 41 (14 Aug) - 1 Key Down, ??? To Go

Burnt the last of my first range key today, which makes it officially 56 buckets at this point.  Let's see...56 buckets in 41 days.  I'll let you do the math.

Went out on the town last night.  We hit three different bars.  First, the VFW.  Second, The Playroom.  Third, JJ's.  My observations...

1.  Lots of American men and Korean women.
2.  There's something about being in a foreign country that makes people want to drink Miller Lite.
3.  Korean women are no strangers to high heels.

Cheers,

Richard