Stuff I Know

Just stuff by me about me and my life, such as it is.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Scenery.

I grew up in the desert. Which, I guess, explains why I love desert scenery so much. There is something very special about the vast open spaces, the big skies, and the stark emptiness that really isn't empty.

I love the colors of the desert and the naked, rugged mountains that are often seen on its edges. And sometimes the desert can really surprise you. As evidenced by some recent photos my father took in Death Valley. The rain can perform miracles.

Death Valley in Bloom. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
Click the picture to see more of the desert in bloom. Be sure to click the "View Photos Larger" link. (Ignore the first two photos.)

I think anyone who spends a significant amount of time in the desert will grow to love it. Now that I am in Korea, I occasionally miss the scenery from back home.

All that being said ... There is certainly something else to be said for the green of the hills. When spring finally comes in Korea, the amount and variety of green can be amazing. These pictures don't do it justice.








And these pictures were taken late in the greening season. You should have seen the variety earlier!

"The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience."
~ Henryk Skolimowski

"Our task must be to free ourselves...by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty."
~ Albert Einstein

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

More photos.

I have posted some more photos on my other blog. This time it is some more sites around and outside the city. Plus, I have included a few flower and animal pictures. If you want to see, click the image or the link below.




More Andong photos.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Accidents Do Happen.

I've still been riding my bike. The weather is sometimes nicer now, so I go out and get some exercise when I can. The odometer on my bike broke 1000 km a couple of weeks ago. Now it stands at 1069.2 km. For you metrically challenged folks that is about 663.9 miles.

My bike. An old GT Rebound

That is not really that much when you consider the fact that I have had my bike here in Andong for about seven months. Figure four weekends a month, average about one of the weekend days I go riding, that works out to about 38 km (23 miles) a ride. I know that is not quite correct, though, because sometimes I forgot to start the odometer, some weekends I couldn't ride due to rain, wind or cold, and the fact that I know several of my rides have been over 50 km. In fact, I try to shoot for about 50 km each time I go out.

I couldn't have broken 1000 km, though, if I hadn't finally broken down and bought a new rear tire. When it comes to buying things I am notoriously cheap. I don't mind, so much, buying stuff for others, but for myself, I usually wait until I absolutely, positively need something. It was the same for the tire. Until about a month ago I have had the same tire on the bike as when I bought it. And I have had the bike since at least 1998. And in that time that tire has gone well over many thousands of kilometers. There was absolutely no tread left on the back tire. In fact, some of the threads had started to show through from the base material. I figured I had better get a new tire or I was going to have a blowout next time I ran over a pebble. Now that I have a new tire, I can go another 7 - 8 years with out worrying about anything. Except for the front tire, that is. Maybe there are a couple more years left on that one still.

And speaking of biking ... I had my first accident here in Andong. Luckily it was not too bad. I was going around a curve a little too fast and the bike started to approach the edge of the road. This was an outside curve, and on the out-side was a steep drop of about 3 -4 meters into a muddy, slimy rice field. The mud and slime didn't really bother me so much. It was the drop I was worried about. So I had a choice, ride the bike off the drop and down into the paddy, or jump off the bike and take my chances with the road. I was going too fast for the curve, but it really wasn't all that fast. As the bike started to leave the road and move onto the small bit of shoulder that was there, I decided to bail. I jumped of the bike, and hoped I would survive the road.

This is the result ...
It looks fine now, but this photo is after I got home and cleaned it pretty thoroughly.
I got off pretty lucky. No it doesn't look too bad in this picture, but you should have seen it when it was bleeding. Unfortunately I had the presence of mind to try and wash the blood off and wash the dirt out of the cut instead of taking a picture right then. Next time I will try and remember to get the bloody picture for you.

Like I said the bike wasn't going all that fast, just too fast to round the curve. And no, with all the sand on the road, squeezing the brakes harder would have put the tires into a skid, and then I would have had no choice. Luckily, when I jumped off the bike, I pulled it over, and I didn't have to go down into the rice field to go get it. Unluckily, even though the bleeding stopped relatively soon, the cut hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, and I still had to finish my ride and make it back home. It hurt to hold on to the handlebars, so I had to kind of grasp the bar with my fingers only. That meant no brakes from the left hand. I did make it home, and all-in-all it was actually a pretty nice ride despite the pain.

That middle part is fairly deep.
Here is a close up for you. It has been a week now and it still has a bit left to heal. It is fine and will cause no lasting problems, other than the fact that palm readers will have a difficult time trying to figure out what that extra line means. Let's hope I have learned from the experience, though I rarely do.

"Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable."
~ John Patrick

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Congratulations!

The love of my life got married the other day. Unfortunately she didn't get married to me.
Cho Wonsook
Wonsook gave me the best 4 years of my life before she decided she didn't think she could deal with the possible difficulties that might arise if our mixed culture relationship were to continue to the next stage. I believe we could have made it, but I think maybe she just didn't have enough courage in herself.

I wish it hadn't ended, but it did. The end was very sad, yes, but I am not bitter. How can you be bitter toward someone who was the center of your life, toward someone who left you because she wanted your life to be better.

I truly hope she will be happy with the person she has found. In fact, sometimes I worry about her happiness. But if she believes she has found the right person, I am happy for her.

I am not hanging on to lost loves; I just believe that the heart is big enough to hold more than one person at a time. I care for her and love her. I always will.


"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
~ Alfred Tennyson: 'In Memoriam:21'


There was another marriage recently, too. My friend Ethan who lives back in Las Vegas got married a couple of weeks ago.
Ethan Grimes
He is an old friend but a good one. I couldn't be at the wedding in person, but I was there in spirit. I wish him and his new wife the best that the future has to offer. Good luck guys.


"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person"
~ Mignon McLaughlin quotes

"'Marriage': this I call the will that moves two to create the one which is more than those who created it."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche