the last working day of 2005

this is an ode to 2005, another year on the notch of the belt holding up our lives. it was a year of subtraction and addition, attrition and reaction, attraction and reflection, high fives and layered lows, ice in the glass and bottle chilling in the freezer.

the following is a small photo collage because i have nothing even remotely witty to add now:

the last working days of 2005

in the run-up to the final day of teaching for the year, the stress of sprinting toward the finish line with a clean slate for '06, the havoc of having to spend the next few weeks trying not to forget to remember not to forget to write 2006 instead of 2005 whenever dating something (or someone, as the case may also be), the giddiness at having the futbol (soccer) world cup just around the corner (first match: friday, 9 june, 2006), and the anticipation of which new hairstyles will actually make fashionable impressions upon the lifeless masses who actually give a shit about such things all conspired ryan, ben, and i to pose for this photo of our own, slightly-less-than-intoxicated volition.

the last working days of 2005

let's play a guessing game--this photo gets me in trouble with which of the following:
1) my wife
2) kyoung-sup's current squeeze
3) phillip, because he's being cheated on, literally, behind his back
4) american fundamentalist, right-wing, neo-nefarious, jackass conservatives
5) american driven, spirited, left-wing, neo-neurotic, jackass liberals
6) godhatesfags.com
7) south korean immigration
8) north korean asylum seekers
9) roman catholics, jews, southern baptists, islamist fundamentalists
10) the american CIA, FBI, armed military forces, and the present administration
11) witches
12) kim jung-il
13) xenophobes
14) gene simmons
15) homophobes
16) GLAAD
17) sober people
18) my family
19) animals for the preservation of humans
20) people with no sense of humour

though all on the list will be offended, i'd vote for #20, for it is most likely that all of the first nineteen, if offended, do not possess one...

the last working days of 2005

proud mums


the thief stole all our shirts NOT coloured

as the photos above can genuinely attest to, a lot of hijinks, booze, and smokes was had by all in the last working week of the year.

the last working days of 2005

just what is it does she see in this guy?!?!
--
a lot of time lately here and in other areas of life has been spent on the more serious duties of sending and sending warm clothes to pakistan and keeping updated by my friend, habib, there. the reports have not been all happy news from that part of the world, as so much more is needed and is going to be needed in coming months.

however, this site needs to move on in the last few days of what remains of 2005 and so it shall be...

keep it up; don't forget about pakistan now...

looking nastier than it was, but not as nasty as it will be in the himalayan highlands of pakistan.

just an update for anyone interested. we have sent to pakistan from here in gangneung about 50 kg (over 100 lbs) of shirts, jackets, hats, scarves, pants, blankets, and such with at least that same amount waiting to be shipped.

since i've not heard from very many of you since the second email plea, please don't forget to send whatever extras you have to habib's address below. i worry that my not hearing from you means that you've lost yourselves in other things, which i understand, but please remember just how cold it is there--and this is just the first week of december...

the photo above of snow falling was taken in seoul by my wife this past weekend during temps of about -2* Celsius (28* F), warm by the standards of the temps in the earthquake zone:

daytime temps of -5*C (22*F)
nighttime temps of -14.5*C (6*F).

fortunately, there's not been too much snow in the past week, but that will come, believe me.

so, please think about how warm you are and how warm those people in their destroyed villages and temporary tents are not and send out a box of something warm to them, or at least send it to me or drop it off in bumpin' here in gangneung.

let's continue doing some things to help some of these people survive what will be an unpleasant winter.