This page was last updated on
08/02/07.
Recent update listing at
bottom.
Nov. 5, 2006: Friday night's party
seemed to be a success. Thanks to all 65 or 70 of you that came out to
eat, drink, and be merry.
I put the few pictures I took on the
PHOTO BOARD. If you have
some good shots, email them to me or put them on the board too. I also
put on some pictures from Halloween and go-karting if you are
interested.
Hope everyone that came out had a good time.
Rus
October 26, 2006: PARTY TIME!!!
 November
3rd is the ELS End of session party hosted by yours truly. For those
looking for some more information or better directions you've come to
the right place.
If you can drive and are coming, PLEASE ask if anyone needs a ride.
Many students don't have a car and would like to come. Since this isn't
an ELS activity, the school can't provide rides. Of course, this also
means we can do things that you can't do on a school activity! So if you
want to do something like that, bring it yourself. I'll have some food
for you, but not much to drink.
Many people have asked what to wear. The
answer is whatever you like, but remember it is outside, there will be a
large fire, and it might get cold by late night. I'll be in jeans and a
sweatshirt unless it gets really cold, then I might add a jacket.
Other have asked: "how late will it last?"
It will last till you leave. If you want to camp out and sleep under the
stars, that is ok by me. I'll be there all night, so when you leave is
up to you.
Finally, please let me know if you are going to come. I don't want
people to be hungry nor do I want to eat hot dogs for the next month.
Also, to my local readers, if you want to come out, please do so, just
let me know.
Rus rusATtherus.net
Oc-freakin-tober 11, 2006:
Bi-monthly...is that the idea? This won't even be a real update, just a
quick bit to let everyone know that I'm alive and kickin. I've been
busier than I'd really like...Work, School (OCU Master of TESOL program,
trying to get a presentation for the OKTESOL conference ready,
continuing housework (my back patio and yard looks awesome now,) and
definitely not the least...trying to keep Julie and our future rugrat
happy. Ya, that's right,
TheRus will
someday much sooner than I really expect, become TheDad. Wild stuff.
I've missed or fell behind on months of email, piles of IM's and even
some phone calls...I'll admit it, I suck. I'll see what I can do about
the situation....really....I'm serious....maybe....
Rus
August 17, 2006: It seems someone forgot
July...and a hunk of August...oops. In my defense I have been a bit
busier than normal and the room where my main PC is located is bloody
hot when it is 100 plus outside. Sorry, but I'm just not into writing
and thinking and such when sweating.
The teaching job is working out ok. I like the students and the staff
and the schedule has bee decent so far. A big plus that I plan to take
advantage of is the wellness center. I got my OCU staff id today so I
can start getting some exercise in. I'm also (if all the paper work gets
in on time) starting grad school next week. About time I know! In hind
sight, not doing all the teacher certification stuff at the graduate
level was foolish, but not much I can do about that now.
Much has happened in the past month but I'll spare you the most of
it. We bought a new (to us) car, a Hyundai Elantra GT (aka an Avante to
those in Korea.) It's pretty nice and my first new ride since 1992!
My Jeep is still with us, but just barely. The end of the AC was the
final straw that made me bite the car bullet.
We also added 2 crazy kittens to our family. Tiger and Pung-gu.
Truly both could be named Pung-gu, but Tiger has tiger stripes, so there
ya go. They are really cute and incredibly playful...but I think one
must go soon. I'll let them get a bit older before deciding that for
sure, but I think 2 will be a bit much as they get bigger. (I write that
as they chase each other around my office destroying anything in their
path. My office is the ultimate kitty playland I must admit, so they are
only doing what is natural)
 Lastly...I
got older a few days back. I'm not overly pleased with this birthday
either as it officially puts me closer to an age than closer to
another...I can't even write the numbers they suck so bad. Luckily for
the time being I still get carded and I still feel younger than I am.
I'll close this long over due update with a picture I got in the mail
today from a student that returned to Korea.
June 26, 2006: I'm now gainfully
employed again. Sad but true. The kicker is where/what. I'll be
teaching ESL again! That's right, I leave Korea and my high school ESL
gig and I stumble into a university ESL gig. Pretty wacky stuff.
Other things of note: I changed my phone number. Cell is the same
but the home phone has moved on. I dumped Vonage after yet another fee
increase that made my $15 service almost $20...Piss off Vonage.
Sunrocket is now my provider. Quality is same or better than
Vonage, the only drawback was I couldn't move my number (Vonage's fault
as the had it listed in Enid and it screwed up the e911 nonsense). Cost
is much better too. I got 2 years for $199 for unlimited domestic calls
and $3 a month international. They have good rates to Asia as well, so
it works out nicely. Drop me a line if you want my new digits.
June 20, 2006: I almost let a month slip
by before writing something again! I really need to get the motivation
to work on these pages as I have so much stuff saved up now. Oh well.
I do have 2 quick pics of the house for all those that keep asking.
The painting in basically finished now (still have to do the cleanup
from where I sprayed the bricks and such and have to replace the door to
the workroom, but otherwise the front is finished for now.
May 23, 2006: Man time sure is flying
by. I still need to paint the new house but most everything else is
taken care of now. Hopefully we can have a party in June and invite
people I haven't seen in the years I was gone. Pretty weird being home
and not really knowing anyone. To help with that and cause I needed it,
I convinced Robert to join me for summer hockey at Arctic Edge. We got
beat pretty bad our first game, but our team is a hodgepodge of levels
and had never played together, so no big deal. If we continue to suck,
it'll bother me though...especially since there are too many on the team
(one of my biggest irritants).
May 01, 2006: Opps! Where'd May come
from? Needless to say, I've been busy since closing on the house 3
weeks ago. Julie and I are mostly settled in now. I still have tons to
do but nothing is of vital import now, and that's good. I see myself
still really active on the housework for a couple of more weeks then
I'll be in maintenance mode....I really don't believe that, but I'll
keep telling myself that so I can stay motivated.
I haven't taken pictures in a while, my camera after 3 years of hard
travel and abuse isn't in the best of repair. It still works, it just
doesn't make me happy like it did. I found tons of old pictures while
moving in and cleaning out the storage, if I ever get a scanner that
actually works (unlike the one I ordered last week) I'll do my best to
post a few of the gems (like Jayson's ever poofier hair all through the
80's or his oh so sexy front curl...ooh baby)
I have so much web related crap to catch up on, I really don't know
if I'll ever do it. I may just start over and write the past 4 years up
and be done with it and start moving
TheRus.net into
newer territory. Speaking of new territory...I still need a job if
anyone has an interesting lead that can make a little cash. I'm being
picky right now (can afford to for a short while...not a long while but
a short one). I really want something either really entertaining and
challenging or completely different and maybe even manual. I's gotz
skillz and b edumacated, so 'ook me's up.
That was the welcome to May quickie update-Later ya'll.
-Rus
---Oh ya, hell froze over last month when Sam started updating his
pages on a semi-regular basis....call us amazed. Jayson even starting
post a bit more...likely in an attempt to make me look bad, but still a
welcome change. Chuck is being quite diligent on his blog action as
well. Damn you all! (link so all those and more on my favorites page)
April 7, 2006: Closed on our house on
Thursday afternoon!! It is finally finished. Now I have a ton of stuff
to move and work to do to get it cleaned up and made into a home. It's
really amazing what you see and what you don't see at different times.
Before buying, you try to be critical, but you still see through rose
colored glasses. After you sign your life away on a 30 year mortgage,
you see every crack, every scratch, every dent...well everything that
you now own and have to mend or live with. So, all you former or future
former expats that still read my humble page, drop by and say hi. We'll
leave a light on for you.
April 2, 2006: All things remaining
equal, I should be finish the closing on the new house tomorrow
afternoon. So a few more days and we'll be moved in and maybe I'll have
some real 'net. Until then, wish me luck that all goes according to
schedule (3rd time is a charm I hope)
Mar. 22, 2006: For those of you too lazy
to check the message board (Jayson)...I'll get some stuff done on this
page someday, but for the moment life is wrapped up in the final throes
of buying a house an all the extra bits that go into such an endeavor.
I'll get some pictures up this weekend if all goes well.
-Rus (leaching some wireless via the CompUSA parking lot)
Mar. 11, 2006: Hey guys, just a quick
update to let everyone know what is up. We've been back in Oklahoma
since last Sunday. Life here is so much different than Korea. Many of
the concerns I wrote about earlier are in full effect. One of the worst
things about the return is the lack of good internet. I'm writing this
quickie from Robert's since just loading my pages at home takes too damn
long. I'll get a picture update prep'd and upload it the next time I
come over here.
As for what we are doing day to day: we are on the house hunt, this
is going to be a bear and financing should prove interesting. I'm also
looking for a cheap ride but luckily am driving one of the parent's
vehicles for a while. Julie's got a job already thanks to some family
connections, so that'll be helpful. I'm slowly looking for a job, but
it's low on the list at the moment as I'm going to spend lots of time
with the grandparents.
So, until I get my laptop setup (fresh from it's return from Sony
service) and some real internet my updates will be even more sporadic
than normal. Check the message board for quick updates or to leave me
some feedback (especially if you have a great job lined up for me ;p )
-Rus
Mar. 03, 2006: It was, of course,
foolish to think I would get anything done on the site in the week or so
I had here in Korea, so, I of course got nothing done. Maybe in
Oklahoma next week...ya right. We are 2 days away from the big move
and I truly wish I had another week here in the RoK as there are a few
more things I could get accomplished that would increase my bank and
hurt Daewon where they would actually feel it (the bank as well). But
alas, it shall not be for now. I am uploading some pictures to the
photo board
(DIRECT LINK HERE!!)
now, so peek in and maybe there will be something new for you. I have
over 2 gigs of pics to shrink, sort and upload from the trip, so it'll
be a long process.
Later - for maybe the last time from Korea...
Feb. 20, 2006: On may way back through
Manila and popped into a PC room that has FrontPage, so I'll rattle off
another quickie for those of you too lazy to check the message board.
Our trip is on its final hours. We (Julie, Tommy and me) left
Boracay this morning and are killing the day here in Manila before
heading out in the early morning tomorrow. It'll be a long day tomorrow
after the trip to and layover in Japan...cross your fingers that we get
bumped and get to stay a night!
For the 2 of you that asked: the mudslides were several islands away
and the bombing was even further away, so no big deal as far as we were
concerned.
No pictures this time because I left the camera in the room but I'll
do a ton when I get back to Korea if I can find a PC and some 'net.
13 days left in Asia.....
TheRus
Feb. 03, 2006: What's up people! I
found a PC room that had front page so here's a quick update for the
Message Board
impaired.
We are headed down to Boracay in a couple of hours (5 PM) to meet up
with Daven and his girl. We've already been to Phuket and Bangok in
Thailand and Siem Reap (Ankor Wat) and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. We spent
2 nights here in Manila. So there's your quickie. Here's a few pictures
until I can shrink a lot of them and post 'em on the photo board.
Jan. 15, 2006: Tomorrow we are off to
Daejon to see the family and drop off a lot of stuff they can use and I
can't afford to ship. It'll be a speedy trip. Have to come back on
Tuesday to exchange the next to last paycheck to fund the foray to
Thailand and the Philippines. We head out Wednesday in the morning so
it'll be a busy couple of days. Thankfully Julie is OCD and has made me
finish packing the house for our move so there isn't much left to do.
Pretty wild knowing that this vacation is actually just a precursor to
the actual move. Precursor or not, we're finished here.
Here's a picture that I took last week, it was just the saddest thing
at the time, but it kinda fits too.
So, until I'm back with a PC and a net connection and a little time
alone...Peace. Watch the
photo board for some
random shots of our trip (if I find good net) and the
message board for quick
updates on how things are going.
-Rus
Jan. 8, 2006: Still haven't finished up
some of the stories below, but no surprise there! Just booked the last
hurrah trip before heading back to the Great Plains. Julie and I will be
heading out to Thailand on the 18th then hitting Cambodia for a week or
so before toolin' over to the Philippines. We head back to the RoK on
Feb 21, just in time to settle up all my accounts and go home on March
5th. Thanks to NWA's World Perks program for a $26 round trip!
Jan. 4, 2006: 2006, seems weird still.
Ok, for those playing along at home, the visa stuff is now 95% done.
Just waiting on a passport/visa delivery next week and we're golden. So
barring some really wild unforeseen circumstance (improbable but oh so
possible) we'll be travel enabled next week.
School ends on the 11th and I'm ready for vacation. Of course this
ending is a little more final than usual. I will really miss the
majority of my 2nd year students and will be sad to miss their final
year here at IFLHS. There are some really great kids and I think they
will do well wherever they end up...I do hope a few breakout and go to
university in a foreign land. I'll even miss a handful of my 1st year
students, especially those that really tried and acted like they cared
once or twice.
I am starting to get a bit more excited about the move home. I still
want to stay here, but I might as well roll with it and enjoy the new
challenges. It'll all be good and things will fall into place. The
hardest part will be the lifestyle change. Driving everywhere, less
cash, family, different entertainment fewer people, and one you may not
think about...more "noise." When I say nose I'm not talking about the
20 dB drone of city life, I'm talking about actually hearing and
understanding everything around me again. It will be a bitch to get
used to again. There may be constant talking, TV, radio and whatnot
here, but when you can't understand it, it is so easy to tune out.
That's actually quite nice sometimes.
Jan 1, 2006: part 2 I said I'd add more
later and this is later. New Year's eve was an ok evening spent with
friends and a couple hundred thousand Koreans. All but about 5 of the
Koreans were happy, kind, and decent people.
We started the evening with the usual wait for the late people at
Bupyeong Station. Our group of about 15 got moving 30 minutes late,
which isn't too bad for 15 people really. Heather and Julie were
designated plan makers so were "in charge" (something I bet they never
do again) We headed out to Jongno/Jonggak to partake of some grub and
beverage before the big bell ringing and fireworks at midnight.
Durning the subway ride, we had a precursor of things to come in the
form of a drunken ajoshi screaming at us to be quiet. I was a rude
foreigner and told him to can it as we really weren't that loud. He just
didn't know how to turn off that which he didn't understand.
We settled on Bennigan's as Julie's call ahead said there was no wait
if we'd get a move on. Of course getting 15 people to do anything fast
isn't gonna work. I know know why tour groups have the leader with a
flag and a strict schedule. It took us probably 20 minutes to get out
of the subway station. Needless to say, there was an 1.5-2 hour wait by
the time we got to Bennigan's.
The group split a bit as some went off to find food elsewhere and the
rest of us found a hof to kill an hour. This is the first place we
should have just camped at and stayed all night. A bit pricey like
everything in Jonggak, but the owner treated us well and the beverages
were tasty but alas Bennigan's called and said our tables were ready so
off went.
Bennigan's was the second place we should have never left. The food
was good, the service was good and they had two-fers. Our group formed
back up while were were eating and a
damn hippie even appeared
at the end of our meal. It was good. 300,000 won later (even after
getting items for free and maxing out my TTL discount card, we decided
to move on and get closer to the bell. This was the first big mistake
of the evening.
Finding another place for 20 plus people to kill a few hours wasn't
easy. <grr, still can't get this finished up and likely never will!>
Jan. 1, 2006: Happy New Year. I'll add
more later, but for now, check this
12 MB video I did in Jongno in Seoul. It was pretty amazing. |
