The weather report: Hmm... Typhoons really are serious.

For several days, the weather people on TV have been beating me over the head with their talk of Typhoon Hinnamnor. I thought it was mostly hype, something to increase their ratings. I went for a walk yesterday (Sunday). No big waves. Only a light rain, and not too much of that.

But the truth is pretty much as they predicted. It has rained steadily all day today (Monday), and it doesn't look like it's going to stop before mid-day tomorrow (Tuesday). And I'm up north. Down south, there is serious risk of people getting hurt and major property damage. I hope people heed all the warnings the authorities have been issuing. And I feel bad for the farmers. This is probably a lot more rain than they need at this time of year.

For me, it means a forced day of rest in the box, which is a very good thing for my foot issue. (I hope...)

The view from my room.

Others might not like it, but it has some very good points.

I can see the main street, but it's fairly quiet in here.

Typhoon. Typhoon. Typhoon.

It seemed to me that they were beating it to death.

But no. They were just giving fair warning.

P.S. I keep saying I'm going to straighten up the mess, but nothing yet...

20220905

Korea Post: Still excellent. Still taking care of all your needs.

I can report that Korean post offices remain excellent. The one thing that has changed since back in the day is that glue is no longer provided at the accessories table. It appears to be no longer needed. I went up to the counter thinking that I would be buying two stamps, and then taking them over to the accessories table to glue them on myself. (No licking of stamps in this civilized country. Not now, and not decades ago either.)

But that's not the way it went down. Instead, I paid the very reasonable postage for two postcards, and the post office employee printed and then attached the postage stickers herself. No glue required. 

Let's take a look at the accessories table to demonstrate how Korea Post employees are smart enough to provide what they know customers will need.

• forms - every kind of form you might need
  
  
• pens  - because they know you need them
  
  
• red ink - for personal seals ( 도장 )
  
  
• tissue - to wipe any red ink off your hands
  
  
• calculator - because you might need it
  
  
• reading glasses - of three different strengths
  

Note that the post office customers can be trusted to use these accessories without damaging or stealing them. It's always been this way. 

20220905

The kids are alright: Korea 2022

I had this theory, another in a long line of dumbass theories, that the old folks here in Korea would be fine, but the young people would be a mess, spoiled, only children lost inside their smartphones. I am happy to report that, as usual, I was completely and utterly wrong. The young people are great, at least so far in Pyeongtaek and Gangneung.

Imagine yourself working at a coffee shop or convenience store, and you're suddenly facing a large, ancient-looking alien being, speaking something that resembles the language your grandparents spoke--but badly. What would you think? What would you do? I'll tell you what the young people here do. They handle it with style and grace. Count me as impressed. I knew about a lot of the good qualities: smart, well-educated, well-behaved, kind to old people, and all of that. But the ability to handle freaky situations smoothly and effortlessly? Well-done, young Korean people. The world is your oyster.

With my initial theory disproved, I fell back to a theory that it's just the young people outside of Seoul that are alright, with all the young people in Seoul being those who sold their souls to the devil for "success." I was thinking especially about the members of boy bands and girl bands. Then I made the mistake of reading up on ลลิษา มโนบาล / Lalisa Manobal (Lisa) of the girl band Blackpink. While she may be Thai by birth, she's lived here for 11 years, deeply immersed, and I reckon she has earned the right to represent both Thailand and Korea.

What an impressive young lady! I don't know anything about her rapping or dancing or singing. But she is certainly my language learning hero. Here's the relevant passage from her Wikipedia page: Lisa is multilingual; she speaks fluent Thai, English, and Korean, along with basic Japanese and Chinese. Respect!!! 

It's not just Lisa of the girl bands. I come across impressive young Korean people all day, every day, in my wanderings around town. If there's a global competition amongst countries, which I believe there is, then you had better step up your game, America--and I mean step it up a lot. Otherwise, you are going to get your clock cleaned. Step one might be getting old judgmental bastards like myself to stop expounding our dumbass theories, and shut the hell up. Let the young people have their shot at fixing all the things that are broken. Spoken just like Old Grizzled speaks, I guess.

Photo of Lalisa Manobal deliberately not provided.

I don't give a shit what she looks like on the outside.

There's a great human being in there.
(Says the judgmental old bastard...)

Two coffees, too. Four if you count accurately.

Remember how I ate two apples in one day for the first time in history? Well, this is not a historic first because I have at various times in my life consumed massive amounts of coffee. Some of you remember the Gatorade bottles of ice coffee at the SureWest hangar at the end of Palm Street on the old McClellan base. And I guess also at the Industrial Avenue building, where there was that very unfortunate accident when my bursting through those heavy doors like a caffeine-crazed madman caused that nice young lady's hand to be injured. I freely admit it!!! By me!!! Because I was a coffee junkie!!!

Even now, I remain truly sorry to that young lady, an innocent victim of my dumbassery. I wish you and yours were here with me in Gangneung, and I could have the chance to make it up to you. It might not feel so bad to this day if you weren't such a nice person, but you were and you are, and here I am, sitting in my box in the typhoon-related rain, still a dumbass, strung out on coffee once again. Some things will never change.

Three of these: Maxim's "The Black"

My stomach doesn't feel so good.
I can't imagine why.

A large Americano at the Ediya Coffee Shop by the train station.

They don't know what to make of me there, but that's okay.
We are working things out.

Anmok Coffee Street OR Gyeongpo Beach? I couldn't decide, so I did both. And I found my retirement job.

안목 커피 거리 혹은 경포해변? 결정하지못했읍니다. I just couldn't decide. They're both good. I could have jumped on the 223-1 to Anmok Coffee Street without any wait, but no. I am much too special for that kind of coherence. I watched it drive away because of my indecision.

I went across the street and checked the schedule for the 202-series buses to Gyeongpo. Long waits. So I went back across the street and waited for the 314-1 to Anmok. I only had to wait about 20 minutes, and we were off. 

With Typhoon Hinnamnor approaching, this was the calm before the storm. In fact, that's what pushed me towards the ocean. I thought there might be some big waves. There weren't huge, typhoon-related waves, but they were still quite a bit bigger than when I was there before.

I started walking north. You can walk through the pine forest on sand and pine needles, while still being very close to the sea. I mean within 20 or 30 meters or so. The Gangneung folks protect a nice strip of coastal forest for a long ways up the coast.

I could see the Skybay Hotel, one of my best landmarks, in the distance and headed for it. It was pretty far, as usual, but I didn't mind. There were very few people about and a good sea breeze. It was threatening rain, but not raining yet as I hobbled along. A very good day for a seaside hike.

It was a bit disappointing when I realized that the Skybay Hotel building I was using as my landmark was not, in fact, the Skybay Hotel, but I have considerable experience with this type of minor navigational setback. From my position, I was able to see the Gangmun Bridge, which probably has some other name. What I knew for sure, having walked it previously, is that it wasn't too far from Gangmun Beach to the Skybay Hotel.

Gangmun Beach is where it started raining, but it wasn't a hard rain, just enough to make you use an umbrella instead of a hat. Okay, it was a bit harder than that, enough to make my backpack wet as it protruded out from my little travel umbrella's circle of protection, but the point is that it was a nice, welcome rain by the beach, and it added to the atmosphere.

It was getting towards sunset as I approached Gyeongpo Beach, and I was rewarded with a bit of a sunset. That is, the sun slipped under the clouds and showed itself enough that I could manage a few sunset photos, even on this rainy, pre-typhoon day.

Oh, but then... I wish you could have been there with me. Some other people were, including two young ladies whose wonder and joy was infectious. 쌍무지개!!!  Double F'ing Rainbow!!! Not just one, but two. Not much of a sunset to the west, but what a wonderful performance nature was putting on to the east over the water.

Finally, I understood everything as I stood there in the rain taking photos of the rainbow from under my umbrella. I am retired. My retirement job has found me: A chronicler of sunsets and rainbows I shall be. And I am free to choose the time and place. Goodbye, cruel cubicle farm. You were a means to an end. Now I am free. Finally free.

The usual route: Hwabusan to Wolhwaro Walking Street Bridge.

Just another day in The Healing City. I started a bit late due to spending the morning at the hospital (right foot issues), but I still managed to make my rounds.

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