Jeez. You guys. You'd think someone whose already spotty update record takes a six-week hit might actually lose readership. You'd think a blogger who spends most of what he does write whining about how tired he is might, I dunno, alienate a few folks. You'd think that y'all had better things to do, what with the collapse of Western Civilization and all. But no.
Which goes to prove what I've said all along: all of you sweet and loving people are plainly out of your tiny minds.
Seriously, though, I'm touched. It's not difficult to lose contact, to wait for the next go-round and pick up where things leave off; god knows I've done it plenty of times. And I'm still convinced that these posts are a bit like some vacation slideshow, where you sit and watch and go "Yeah, I get it, you really were in Korea" (only less interesting, because it's not like I actually talk about Korea all that much). So it's a thrill (a kind of weird thrill) to know that you guys really do read this stuff and really do wait for more stuff to read.
Particular shout-outs to Dad, Jesse, Lauren, Rob (thanks for that; I hate Internet people just a little bit more now), and Ronnie who posted comments
the day I posted. Extra-special super hugs to Claire, who somehow actually tracked me down on my work email that like, no one has to make sure I was still alive. Excellent job, kiddo. Best. Guilt trip. Ever.
And so, just so you know all that fresh, hot guilt isn't going to waste, I'm making a promise here and now to update every week. I'm not promising it'll be
good, or even long, but I do promise to get
something up here once every seven days, give or take, at least to prove I'm still breathing.
So, that. I guess now I should get on with the updatin'. There definitely has been news.
Things started mostly in September with Haseyo getting sacked. Now, I can't say I didn't see it coming, but it did go down in a fairly squirrelly fashion I'm not particularly comfortable with. Here's the deal: Haseyo is -- how do I put this politely -- a shameless letch. Seriously. Love the man, and he was a stout fella to me those first couple of months, but he's a bit, uh, single-minded, and -- more to the point -- not shy about it. This is not exactly an asset in a country so socially conservative that holding hands on a first date is considered trampy. Not surprisingly, he had a bit of a reputation, and of course,
that's no good. I think, considering, that Andy was building a case against him since July or before. He actually pigeonholed me about it about three weeks in, asking me about his "one-night stands;" and later, when he was driving me to the hospital after my accident, he wanted to know if the student who had helped translate for me earlier was one of Haseyo's girlfriends. And, of course, not a word to Haseyo. The whole thing was, frankly, kinda creepy. Finally in September, the day before Chuseok, Director Kim got him in his office and fired him, ostensibly for falling class attendance.
I should say here, unequivocally, that Haseyo never schtupped a student. Of this I am sure. If he had, he'd have told me. Really, he'd have told me
all about it.
I guess he's landed on his feet though. He got to stay out the month and look for new work. Andy (in one of his more "what the fuck?" moments) even wrote him a recommendation letter. And so now Haseyo's in Seoul teaching kindergarten, making more than the rest of us, with his own cubicle and computer.
And Hooker Hill in walking distance.
