Month: January 2018

Caveat: Call in the submarine

Background Noise / Banalities & Journaling / Not My Poetry

Last week's bitter cold and Saturday's snow are transformed, by a hazy weekend, into one-degree rain. Typical Korean weather, I suppose: precipitation from the south, and so it's generally a warming trend.

I got not much. Feeling exhausted from last week, but this week has stumbled up upon my doorstep, demanding attention. So …

What I'm listening to right now.

Gorillaz, "On Melancholy Hill." Like so many great songs, I suspect this one was written on heroin. Such is life.

Lyrics

Up on melancholy hill
There's a plastic tree
Are you here with me?
Just looking out on the day
Of another dream

Well you can't get what you want
But you can get me
So let's stand and see, love
Cause you are my medicine
When you're close to me
When you're close to me

So call in the submarine
Round the world we'll go
Does anybody know, love
If we're looking out on the day
Of another dream

If you can't get what you want
Then come with me

Up on melancholy hill
Sits a manatee, love
Just looking out for the day
When you're close to me
When you're close to me

When you're close to me

[daily log: walking, 7km]

 

Caveat: The sad degradation of presidential rhetoric

Philosophy & Cultural Criticism / Politics, Economics & Current Affairs

Our current president: "Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They're shithole countries …"

Ronald Reagan (or his speechwriter, I suppose): "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still."

Say what you wish about Ronald Reagan. In terms of actual policy, Reagan was not that far removed from the current administration, to the extent either has any coherent policy besides a kind of reactionary anti-liberalism. But at least his rhetorical instincts were good – even in his twilight years (the above is from his Farewell Address).

[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 시어미에게 역정나서 개 옆구리 찬다

한국말을 배움 (Failing to Learn Korean) / 한국어 속담 (Aphorisms & Proverbs)

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

시어미에게 역정나서 개 옆구리 찬다
si.eo.mi.e.ge yeok.jeong.na.seo gae yeop.gu.ri chan.da
mother-in-law-DATIVE anger-happen-SO dog flank kick-PRES
[She’s] mad at the mother-in-law, so [she] kicks the dog.

This means the same as “shit rolls downhill,” I reckon. It’s the idea of the pecking order, or the food chain, or whatever you want to call it. The traditional Korean household is hierarchical, and the mother-in-law outranks her daughter-in-law. So the daugher-in-law has to maintain the utmost respect and deference toward the former, and when she’s mad, she has to vent her anger elsewhere. Poor dog.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: Baste ya de rigores

Español Aleatorio (Random Spanish) / Not My Poetry

Esta tarde, mi bien, cuando te hablaba,
como en tu rostro y en tus acciones vía
que con palabras no te persuadía,
que el corazón me vieses deseaba.

Y Amor, que mis intentos ayudaba,
venció lo que imposible parecía,
pues entre el llanto que el dolor vertía,
el corazón deshecho destilaba.

Baste ya de rigores, mi bien, baste,
no te atormenten más celos tiranos,
ni el vil recelo tu quietud contraste

con sombras necias, con indicios vanos,
pues ya en líquido humor viste y tocaste
mi corazón deshecho entre tus manos.

– Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Spanish-Mexican poet, 1651-1695)

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: Poem #527

A Daily Poem / Book 1 / My Poetry & Fiction

Just
Tuesday.
The long week
stretches ahead.
Though I like my work,
Sometimes I start feeling
stuck, frustrated, and doubtful,
about my actual teaching.
Wanting to be good isn't enough.

Caveat: Eiffelgators

Kids / Media (Texts/Music/Movies etc) / Teaching & Methodology / The Wonders of Work

Another picture in what seems to be turning into a series of student artwork inspired by my whiteboard cartoon alligators. There seems to be a sort of competition emerging among the youngest cohort of students, as to who can present me with the most elaborate drawing of alligators. These alligators are a "couple" (커플 [keopeul] a "konglish" borrowing into Korean) on some kind of romantic getaway to Paris, evidently.

picture

I like Yejun's work because it's actually rather sophisticated, in a technical way – note how she's drawn the screen of the "phone" (the 2010's version of what was once called a "camera") being used to take the picture of the alligator couple. She's got a reduced-size version of the scene being photographed, represented in a rather realistic way. This shows quite a bit of understanding of things like points-of-view and even perspective, for a 2nd grader, and exploits a conceit common to much great art: that of the "picture within a picture."

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: Blog Under Construction

Banalities & Journaling

Well, that weekend went by way too fast. I woke up, and it's Monday. A long week, ahead. The new schedule is … intense. I'll get used to it.

Meanwhile… a stupid joke. 

Hypothetical Teacher: Would you like to hear a construction joke?

Hypothetical Student: Yes

Hypothetical Teacher: Well I'm still working on it.

[daily log: walking, 7km]

 

Caveat: Poem #525

A Daily Poem / Book 1 / My Poetry & Fiction

The snow doesn't come when it's forecast,
instead it waits and just sneaks in
at those unexpected times
between the days and hours,
at the welds of time.
No one sees it:
the sky fills…
motes of
white.

Caveat: Inventing Secret Conspiracies

Banalities & Journaling / My Photos / Politics, Economics & Current Affairs

My friend Peter, who once lived here in Korea but is now a graduate student of Korean Studies in the US, dropped by on Friday morning. He travels back to Korea fairly regularly – which is a natural consequence of his major, I suppose. It's nice that he takes the time to visit.

We seem to always find a lot to talk about. He's one of the few people who can talk intelligently about Korean politics and religion, two topics that interest me but for which it's nearly impossible for me to find others who care – there's a certain need for caution when expressing opinions or ideas on these topics with my Korean colleagues, and most "foreigners" (people like me) seem genuinely uninterested in such things.

We spent some time concocting "just so" conspiracy theories (which I think neither of us would actually believe) about the "Korean deep state" vis-a-vis the weird preponderance of bizarre cults in South Korea and the North Korean situation. Or perhaps more accurately, I concocted and he encouraged me? Anyway, it's entertaining.

Here's Peter and I standing in front of the Karma sign in the little lobby, when he dropped by with me there.

picture

Here he is looking meditative over our lunch at the 본죽 [bonjuk = a chain of "juk" (congee Korean savory porridge) joints].

picture

[daily log: walking, 1km]

Caveat: Poem #524

A Daily Poem / Book 1 / My Poetry & Fiction

Certain flaws of character
tattooed on the skin of the soul
and borne agonistically
through the beautiful world
without compromise or clarity.

This poem, unlike most of my daily efforts so far, has no meter. It's free verse.

[daily log: walking, 7.5km]

Caveat: America Jumps the Shark

Found Online / Media (Texts/Music/Movies etc) / Philosophy & Cultural Criticism / Politics, Economics & Current Affairs / Quotable

The phrase “jump the shark” is a contemporary idiom that means that moment when something that was for a long time a serious artistic undertaking is transformed into a kind of parody of itself, as the work’s creators pursue novelty. Originally it was applied to TV shows and other works of a serial or episodic nature – e.g. book series, etc. Nowadays, the idiom seems applicable to anything where an initially earnest project becomes self-parody. I believe the expression arose in a critical discussion of a certain episode of the TV series “Happy Days.”

So this happened to that project called “United States of America.” The USA has jumped the shark. I have evidence.

Exhibit A:

It doesn’t even matter if this is intentional satire or if it “real.” It is out there. 

Some points to consider:

  • History repeats itself, “the first as tragedy, then as farce.” – Karl Marx.
  • At what point does satire, parody, or fiction also become reality (e.g. we have a president who emerged from the realm of “reality TV” – which has always been a type of fiction)?
  • Finally – we must never, ever misinterpret stupidity or ignorance as evil.

Slightly related:

Perhaps Obama’s biggest mistake: the blogger “Atrios” at Eschaton blog speculates that Obama should bear some of the blame for the current mess in the White House: “Do not sanction powers you do not want your successor to have.”

[daily log: walking, 8km]

Caveat: Poem #522

A Daily Poem / Book 1 / My Poetry & Fiction

The conversation takes a wrong turn.
The mood slips down into a mode
of a defensive anger.
Words then transform themselves
into parries, thrusts.
Whence this attack?
Disturbing.
Seething.
Dark.

Caveat: Go. Don’t Go. Miracles.

Banalities & Journaling / Cancer

I was at the cancer center this morning again. This was for follow-up on the radiation necrosis in my jaw and gums – a separate issue from the cancer survey and check-up.  The news here is about what I expected. I have dental problems – I know this. I don't necessarily need to follow up on them. They are annoying but not life-threatening, whereas a standard-style dental intervention (root canals, extractions) are likely to be unnecessarily deleterious and even dangerous, because of the necrosis, which inhibits natural healing in my gums and jaw bone. 

So the advice is: you should see a dentist; but don't see a dentist. 

I'm not even joking.

Anyway, life goes on. Which is pretty damn miraculous.

More later.

[daily log: walking, 11km]

Caveat: The Long Sleep

Background Noise / Banalities & Journaling

I was so tired yesterday.

I slept longer than I usually do, by several hours. That's probably good. I had been sleeping badly, probably feeling nervous and stressed about the upcoming cancer screening. I spend too much time ideating the "bad news" scenario. Way too much time.

What I'm listening to right now.

Easily Embarrassed, "Little Match Sister."

No lyrics.

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: Poem #520

A Daily Poem / Book 1 / Cancer / My Poetry & Fiction 
ㅁ
The doctor's office was still the same.
"I don't see anything," he said,
looking at the CT scan,
and pushing on the mouse.
I felt the tension
rush out of me.
I could breathe.
He smiled.
Good.

– a nonnet.
picture

Caveat: Catscan

Banalities & Journaling / Cancer

Time for the semiannual you-know-what.

picture

Update to follow…

… [UPDATE 12:30 pm, KST] 

All clear – no cancer to be found. That's a good thing, right?

That contrast medium gave me a god-awful headache, this time, though. Burns all through body, and the world smells like lava.

Now… just have to deal with work.

[daily log: walking, 11km]

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