no animals were hurt during the writing of this post

Bear (!!) with me for a minute.

I know a lot of really good people. My co-workers and foreign friends here in Masan, just for example. They tend to shine in all the right circumstances. You know - the kind of men and women who attend fundraisers for orphans, secretly donate clothing to North Korean families and [gruffly] bring home stray kittens and female babies from dumpsters. Diamonds in the rough, kind-hearted toughies and salt of the earth - that sort of thing. I grumble about being the only youngish

Canadian mother in the WHOLE DAMN CITY but the truth is there are much worse places, with worse people.

I also know a lot of really good people through blogging. If you click on almost any of those links over there, you're bound to run into some genuinely nice people. Hard-workers and heart-warmers. And bright and brilliant! I can honestly say that everytime I login and start clicking my way down the list of links over there I end up shaking my head/rubbing my eyes over some of the things I read. The wit! The insight! The soul-baring honesty, oh my! I live vicariously through you, and my life is better for it. Really. There's no punch line coming. I mean it.

And my family. I have 4 or 5* sisters and they are all fantastic, stunning, talented women. Those of you who have met them know that I'm not just tossing around feathery platitudes here. They ARE frighteningly perfect. My older sister, for example. She just sent us a "small little package" with "a few things" she "threw together in a hurry". Right. Some people with three children and no time and a mansion ** would just buy a few hats and mittens and toss them into the post. Or, perhaps, some particularly industrious women could even knit those items themselves. But not my sister, oh no. She somehow managed to shear the sheep, weave and dye and the wool and then knit/crochet perfect little matching alpaca hats and mittens. For the whole family.

And apparently she's done all this as a way of teaching her children that "it's better to give than to receive". And better to make than to buy. And I applaud her efforts with every fiber of my tree-hugging, previously combat-booted, earthy being. Again, there is no punch line. I mean it. She's amazing.

And this trend of non-monetary love-giving is spreading across the globe. My workmates are limiting this year's Secret Santa draw to 10.000 won. And I've heard a lot of people complaining about the tinsel and the jingle bells, about the pomp and posturing and money spending. Some beautiful souls are not exchanging gifts but are giving cards and donating money to charities. Some of my friends are just drawing pictures and writing poems for each other. Giving coupons and adopting whales and saving dying stars in far off galaxies. Giving Love. Tenderness. Cookies.

But here's my dilemma: what do you do if you are not a Practising Christian, your husband is Buddhist, your baby is only 6 months old and you have no artistic talents? If you live too far South for snow and you have to start work on the 26th?? If every International Save the ***** campaign only takes credit cards and you never use the horrid Plastic Demons? What if you're lonely and heart-rendingly nostalgic for your mom's homemade wine and vegetarian gravy? And if you live in Korea? And if you desperately miss your sisters?

I'll tell you what you do. Buy a big plastic tree, decorate it with a hundred tiny lights and one big star. Actually plug it in. Next, spend a small fortune on Ipods, PMPs, PSPs, MP3s and DVDs. Converse shoes. Stuffed toys. Buy a Johnny Jolly Jumper for your kid and then hit the internet Fisher Price shop to look for toys and plastic booster seats and teething rings. Furry dog suits and some organic veggie snack crackers. A bear rug. Gift wrap it all in shiny paper and add a few bows for good measure.

Then pour yourself and your husband a good stiff drink - with ice from sad, dying icebergs - and sit back to enjoy it all. And wish you could be with your family.

Here are 2 sad/odd little songs to muse to/miss to. Happy Holidays, happy holidays - and we promise that next year we'll ty to make it home.

Sunset Rubdown - us ones.
Rah Rah - winter sun.

*4. Or 5. Or 4 sisters and one step-sister.
** Not 15 pyung.

daejeon days ...

I'm sarry. The last time I let this much time lapse was when I gave birth to Hayden but I have no such excuse now. I've just been a little lazy and very, very busy. Like a lot of English teachers out (t)here, I've been doing final exams and wrestling with grading curves and truculent students - but I've also been trying to wrap up a few other side projects* and pack up our apartment** and get stuff organized for my new job in a brand new city. Yes, faithful reader. That's right! I said "new city"

After 3 years in Masan and 5 years in 경상남도 (I'm not even going to attempt to spell that in English Revised Romanization) I've finally taken the proverbial plunge and am moving to a bigger town. Daejeon, according to Wikipedia, has about 1.4 million people and large subway cars with lots of space under the seats. That's just great. A big city with more space for me to lose things in.

BUT. It's ok. My new job is at a gracious institution called Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - more commonly known as KAIST - and I'm very happy they accepted me since I desperately wanted to work there. And that's all I'm going to say about that. Except this:

WE'RE MOVING TO DAEJEON! COME VISIT US!!

I'm not really articulate today but I can compensate for that by directing you to this wee playlist. I call this one: SONGS I COULD NEVER WRITE BUT WISH I HAD! Have a great week, and we'll be back soon with more pics and more news from Middle Earth. Or at least Middle Korea. Be safe & be good. But not too good, please. ~

The Fabulettes - try the worryin way.
Jill Sobule - karen by night.
Mountain Goats - going to georgia.
Monster Movie - driving through the red lights.
Grandaddy - nature anthem.

* christmas gifts. And then gift hiding spots.
** room, I mean