March 28 - April 3, 2011
After a long day at the rink on Sunday, I slept late on Monday in order to recharge for my long day at work. Though less achy than in past weeks, my body is still trying to realign itself with the athlete within. Some work at the gym in the past couple of weeks has shown to be helping as well. Work was long mentally, but quick time wise, because before I knew it, it was time to go home. Once I got home, I wasted no time getting into some comfy clothes and then laying around with Goah watching T.V. until bed time.
Tuesday morning I got up and made some food for work, while Goah wandered the halls of my building since I had my door open to create a cross breeze. She isn't the brightest cat, and got rather distraught when she couldn't find her way back from the first floor to the second, and I had to go get her before she annoyed the whole building with her crying. After that I kept my door closed while I finished getting ready for work, and then packed my bag and left. Work was just as busy as it had been on Monday, except where I had classes Monday I now had second draft essays to mark. Though not nearly as bad as doing the first drafts, the second drafts create an entirely different kind of anger. The anger of having wasted so much of your time making corrections and comments, only to have the kids either copy your corrections and disregard the comments or simply disregard both. Luckily it was still the start of the week and John and I were able to get those from the weekend finished before the flood of the end of the week. After work I hit the gym to work out some of the remaining stiffness from hockey, and continue my climb towards the body of an Adonis. After the gym I went home and ate while watching some T.V., then went to bed.
Keeping schedule with the past few weeks, on Wednesday I got up and went to see Wes in the hospital, where he had been recently been moved from the NCU to a private room. Unfortunately I missed his mom, dad Brent, and grandmother Carolyn by 10 minutes, as the nurse had come to clean Wes up. I waited for a few minutes until she was finished, then went in to see how he was doing and talk to him. I didn't stay too long, because I had to get back for work, but left a pair of portable speakers and wall charger for his iPod so his family could put some music on for him/themselves while they were in the private room. Once I got to work, I set right to marking more online essays, because I did not want them to pile up and create a havoc at the end of the week. Once again John and I were able to get through a good number of them by the end of the day, and were fairly sure that the rest of the week would be a breeze. After work I went to the gym again to get my pump on, and with some instructional help from the Hulk I had a great workout. After the gym it was home to eat and read, and then right to bed.
Thursday morning I got up and made some food for work right away so that I could get to the gym before work and really up the ante on my conditioning. I had a good run and weight session, before calling it quits and going to work. Work was the same as the two previous days, and I spent most of my time between classes marking the kids second draft essays, though with a lot less urgency since we had taken care of so many earlier. After work I went back to the gym to repeat, but found myself making more conversation with the trainers than in the past few days. Still, my workout was good, and afterwards some mandoo (fried dumplings) really hit the spot before bed.
Friday was a repeat of Thursday, with the exception of being able to say that all the essays were marked by the end of the day, and any that came over the weekend would be late, and therefore done at my leisure. Both before and after work, I worked out, meaning I stayed in and kept myself out of trouble for a third Friday in a row. After the gym I went home to have some food and watch a movie before going to bed.
Saturday morning I got up to make my, what has become regular, trip to the hospital to see Wes and his family. I was supposed to meet Frank, and Alex and Louise there at 1130, but Alex and Louise were running late so just Frank and I went to see him. He was in about the same condition as he had been in the middle of the week, except his temperature and pneumonia were pretty much gone to the point where they were talking about getting his missing piece of skull put back in. Something I thought they had already done before moving him out of the ICU. Frank and I spent some time talking with his grandmother, as his mom was taking advantage of having someone else around to watch over him as a mother would, and was getting some much needed rest. When we finished at the hospital we went over to the hockey rink for a fundraiser that the league was putting on for a player who tore up his knee pretty badly a couple weeks back. There was open rink time from 3 until 5, and kegs of beer and pizza for a really good price - 4 000W a slice, and 25 000W all you can drink. It was a good thing that Frank and I were there early, because the beer showed up and we had to carry it up a few flights of stairs to the rink from the parking lot before we could enjoy it. Alex and Louise showed up eventually, as did Rocchi to get in on the outdoor beer action. We had a good time and raised a good amount of money, ending the day with an auction of miscellaneous things people had brought to get rid of.
After the fundraiser Alex and Louise, Frank, John, and I all went over to Sincheon to get some lamb for dinner, before going to Gold Bar for some drinks. Unfortunately the night did not turn out as I had anticipated. From the time John and Frank met at the fundraiser, Frank rubbed John the wrong way, and it continued through dinner, and on into Gold Bar. It didn't seem serious, but when John gave me a sneak attack kidney shot and I spilled my drink on my camera and Franks shirt things went downhill. I got angry at John, who was being a bit of a dick himself, but I had good reason and he felt somewhat bad about it. Frank however was angry about being spilled on, and John, instead of saying sorry, slapped him and told him not to be a bitch. Immediately I told John it was not alright to be slapping my friends, and when he slapped my I punched him in the temple. Frank, knowing that John was super drunk stayed cool about it, and simply asked that we keep John away from him. When John went outside to make a phone call, Frank left to avoid the trouble, and I went outside to talk to John, who in his frame of mind felt he hadn't done anything wrong and decided to go home himself. After the two of them had left, we went back to having a good time, until around 4am when we left to get some McDonald's, and head home. I was out of the cab and home chugging war by 430, and in bed by 5, dreading what the morning would bring.
Sure enough, I woke up at 1030 feeling terrible, to a text from John who was feeling 10x worse than I was, not only from the excessive amount of alcohol he drank, but for being so confrontational with one of my friends. He barely remembered most of the night, so together we pieced it together, while I tried to tell him that things happen sometimes and to not worry too much about it. After talking to John, who could barely get out of bed to make his hockey game, I sat around drinking water and watching T.V. until 4 in the afternoon when I got up to get ready for my hockey game at 6pm. After a long and dizzying subway ride to the rink, I sat around feeling less than hot until we played at 6. Our games went well, and despite how I felt, I played rather well, and helped my team to win both our games, beating the Beer O'clock Red Army 5-1 and 4-2. After the games I stuck around to help clean up a bit before getting on the subway to head back to Bongcheon. Once back int the neighbourhood, I got my weekly sacks of groceries, before heading home to eat some pizza and make my weekly call home, then wait for bed time.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
They Melt Your Heart, and Split Your Sides
March 21-27, 2011
A chilly start to the week was a quick reminder that we are not yet out of the reach of old man winter, but the weather forecast promises to improve in the coming weeks.
Monday morning, after a set of hard games the day before, I slept in until just after 11. After I got up, I set about making some food to take to work, as well as doing some laundry before I completely ran out of clothes. Mondays being my long days, I started right away at 240 my class of first graders at the DSC-4 level. They are a smart bunch, who speak well for their age, and for homework they were supposed to write a story to share with the class about a trip they had taken to the beach. After the first couple of students shared their story, one of the girls named Ella crept up to my desk and asked me to lean over so she could tell me something. I did as she asked, and received the following non whisper in my ear, "I'm a wimp." I was a little confused at what she said and when i asked her to repeat herself, "I'm a wimp Teacher. I can't read my project.", is what she told me. My heart instantly melted, and as I reassured her that she was a great student, I couldn't help but give her a pass until the next week so she could practice it at home. After my long day to start the week, I went straight home to watch some T.V. and get some sleep.
Tuesday I got up at 10 feeling well rested, and set about making some food and folding the laundry I had washed the day before. I had planned on going to see Wes but my time management was not working in my favour and by the time I would have gotten there, I would have missed the visiting window. Instead I went to the gym to get in a jog to shake out the aches of hockey, and before long it was time to go to work, which was a cold and windy walk this week. Work went by quickly, but every free moment I had was filled by marking the kids' in the LSC/D program essays. It is frustrating to be responsible for marking essays that the children are given zero instruction on, outside of what little work I have began working into my days with them. When it was all over, I hit the gym to work out the left over stiffness of hockey, and do a bit of lifting. After the gym, I rekindled my association with the Spam and egg combo meal, then read a little before going to bed.
As I did on the Wednesday of last week, I got up and went to the hospital to see how Wes and his family were doing. His cousin Nicole had flown in for a couple weeks, and was outside the NCU when I arrived and filled me in on the latest news. Wes had been running a fever since Saturday due to a flare up in his pneumonia, and as a result, all of the progress in spontaneous movement had stopped. The doctors were optimistic that antibiotics would have him fixed up in a few days, and that within the next couple weeks they would be able to move him out of the NCU. I had a chance to get back and see him with Casey, and aside from the pneumonia, his swelling was almost entirely gone and his colour back to normal. After seeing him, then talking with his family, I headed to work so that I could send Casey some information on things they could do between visiting hours. Work was full of essay grading again, because my class load is quite light on Wednesdays, but even with all the time available, getting the essays done seemed like a never ending struggle through a sea of horrendous grammar and loosely put together ideas. After work I went to the gym and got my workout in, and then went home to read again before bed.
Thursday morning I got up and made my food for the day before going to the gym. The gym was good, and I had a chance to get a good run in, before talking with one of the trainers for a while about what I had been up to as of late. After the gym I went straight to work and started editing my way through the pile of online essays that kept coming in. John and I put a healthy dent in them over the course of the day, but there were still about a dozen left at the end of the day. While teaching one of the few classes I have on Thursdays, I had another student come up with some great lines while doing his project. We were talking about a favourite meal we have had, and he described his trip to a hamburger place called Smokey Saloon. I know of of and recognized the burger he was talking about immediately. He described his experience with the Ambulance Burger, to which he attested that "They call it that because after you eat one, you have o go to the hospital." You can't make this stuff up. Background on the burger is that it is topped with lots of bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. After work went back to the gym for a ride and some light lifting, then it was off to my apartment for some T.V.and sleep.
Friday morning I made sure to get up when my alarm went off, because I wanted to call home and talk to my father, which I hadn't done since coming back from Shanghai. My first tempt was a fail, but after a bowl of cereal, I tried again and he answered. We chatted and caught up on news from both sides for just over 2 hours before it was his bedtime, and my time to go to work. In the first 4 hours of work, I was able to get the last of the essays edited, thus being through with the horrible first draft blues for another 3 weeks. After work I went to the gym again so that I could keep myself out of trouble, and be home a decent time to call Ash on her birthday. The gym was relatively empty, which made working out much nicer, and I was able to get in and out by 1130. Once I got home, I jumped on Skype and called Ash. I was lucky to catch her before she went out for lunch with one of her friends, and we talked for a solid hour about work and some parties they had been to recently. After talking with her I watched some T.V., then dozed off for the night.
Saturday morning came earlier than I had wanted, but I got up and got ready to meet Frank, Alex, and Louise so we could go and visit Wes. We met at the subway station just a few minutes before 11 and then walked over together to the hospital. Since Wednesday Wes had been moved out of his private room in the NCU, to the open floor, all of which was located behind the doors of the intensive care section of the NCU. When we got there Nicole and Monita were back with him, so we gave them a few minutes to be with him before we started taking turns going back to see him. His fever had lifted, and the pneumonia medication seemed to be doing its job, and there was even talk of reinserting the piece of skull they had removed to decrease the cranial pressure of his swollen brain. After our visit, and a talk with his family, we went down the street to Dos Tacos again for lunch. After lunch we all headed in our separate direction, which for me was home to get my grocery shopping and house cleaning done, because I had to play the early game Sunday and knew I wouldn't have the time then. Once that was all taken care of, I watched some T.V. for a couple of hours before getting ready to meet up with Angelica in Itaewon for some dinner and drinks. We met at the subway station at 8, and from there went for some pizza at Crow's Nest, where I had been the previous weekend for beers only. The pizza there was great, and really fairly priced. After dinner we went over to Sam Ryan's Pub, where we bumped into John and a few other friends, and had a couple of drinks. Eventually some of here friends called her and wanted us to stop by RMT, so we did, but it was dying out so we went over to Wolfhound to see what was going on. It was equally as dead there, but I had to use the washroom so I excused myself from the group and went upstairs. When I came out, I ran into a few hockey guys and started talking to them for a few minutes. Before I knew it, ten minutes had gone by, and when I went downstairs, the group had left. I finished my beer while I waited to hear from them, but after 10 minutes, I gave up and went to get some food. Even while I ate I thought I might hear from them, and when I didn't, I jumped in a cab for home. I got home just after 3am and got ready for bed, and it was just as I was crawling into bed that I got a text saying they had gone to some club. I was already in bed, so I said good night, and passed out.
The dreaded early game of the ball hockey league I play in belonged to us this week, so I had to be up and out of the house by 11. Luckily I had gotten my stuff ready the day before, so all I had to do was have some cereal and I was set. I got to the rink 20 minutes before we had to play, and warmed up with my team while getting pointers from the veteran defensive hockey players on my team. We ( the X-Men) played Shanks team (The Dublin Dynamo), who have a lot of talent up front, but lack in the defensive zone, resulting in a two game victory for us. After losing as bad as we did the week before, we came out playing hard and determined, and were really fast on the ball, so our victories were not just by a margin of single goals, but by handfuls of them. It felt good to be back on the winning side of the game. After my game, I stuck around to have a few beers and talk with a bunch of the guys until John played at 4. John's team splits their games, both of which could have gone either way in the final minutes. After John's game, we stuck around to do stats, and keep time for the 6pm game, and of course have a few more beers. When the games were all finished, we helped clean up and then jumped on the subway back to Bongcheon. Once home, I showered, then called home before putting on a movie and going to bed.
From hockey to the gym, it feels nice to be getting back in touch with my athletic side that I had let die for a while. Here's to the coming spring, and outdoor activities.
A chilly start to the week was a quick reminder that we are not yet out of the reach of old man winter, but the weather forecast promises to improve in the coming weeks.
Monday morning, after a set of hard games the day before, I slept in until just after 11. After I got up, I set about making some food to take to work, as well as doing some laundry before I completely ran out of clothes. Mondays being my long days, I started right away at 240 my class of first graders at the DSC-4 level. They are a smart bunch, who speak well for their age, and for homework they were supposed to write a story to share with the class about a trip they had taken to the beach. After the first couple of students shared their story, one of the girls named Ella crept up to my desk and asked me to lean over so she could tell me something. I did as she asked, and received the following non whisper in my ear, "I'm a wimp." I was a little confused at what she said and when i asked her to repeat herself, "I'm a wimp Teacher. I can't read my project.", is what she told me. My heart instantly melted, and as I reassured her that she was a great student, I couldn't help but give her a pass until the next week so she could practice it at home. After my long day to start the week, I went straight home to watch some T.V. and get some sleep.
Tuesday I got up at 10 feeling well rested, and set about making some food and folding the laundry I had washed the day before. I had planned on going to see Wes but my time management was not working in my favour and by the time I would have gotten there, I would have missed the visiting window. Instead I went to the gym to get in a jog to shake out the aches of hockey, and before long it was time to go to work, which was a cold and windy walk this week. Work went by quickly, but every free moment I had was filled by marking the kids' in the LSC/D program essays. It is frustrating to be responsible for marking essays that the children are given zero instruction on, outside of what little work I have began working into my days with them. When it was all over, I hit the gym to work out the left over stiffness of hockey, and do a bit of lifting. After the gym, I rekindled my association with the Spam and egg combo meal, then read a little before going to bed.
As I did on the Wednesday of last week, I got up and went to the hospital to see how Wes and his family were doing. His cousin Nicole had flown in for a couple weeks, and was outside the NCU when I arrived and filled me in on the latest news. Wes had been running a fever since Saturday due to a flare up in his pneumonia, and as a result, all of the progress in spontaneous movement had stopped. The doctors were optimistic that antibiotics would have him fixed up in a few days, and that within the next couple weeks they would be able to move him out of the NCU. I had a chance to get back and see him with Casey, and aside from the pneumonia, his swelling was almost entirely gone and his colour back to normal. After seeing him, then talking with his family, I headed to work so that I could send Casey some information on things they could do between visiting hours. Work was full of essay grading again, because my class load is quite light on Wednesdays, but even with all the time available, getting the essays done seemed like a never ending struggle through a sea of horrendous grammar and loosely put together ideas. After work I went to the gym and got my workout in, and then went home to read again before bed.
Thursday morning I got up and made my food for the day before going to the gym. The gym was good, and I had a chance to get a good run in, before talking with one of the trainers for a while about what I had been up to as of late. After the gym I went straight to work and started editing my way through the pile of online essays that kept coming in. John and I put a healthy dent in them over the course of the day, but there were still about a dozen left at the end of the day. While teaching one of the few classes I have on Thursdays, I had another student come up with some great lines while doing his project. We were talking about a favourite meal we have had, and he described his trip to a hamburger place called Smokey Saloon. I know of of and recognized the burger he was talking about immediately. He described his experience with the Ambulance Burger, to which he attested that "They call it that because after you eat one, you have o go to the hospital." You can't make this stuff up. Background on the burger is that it is topped with lots of bacon, cheese, and a fried egg. After work went back to the gym for a ride and some light lifting, then it was off to my apartment for some T.V.and sleep.
Friday morning I made sure to get up when my alarm went off, because I wanted to call home and talk to my father, which I hadn't done since coming back from Shanghai. My first tempt was a fail, but after a bowl of cereal, I tried again and he answered. We chatted and caught up on news from both sides for just over 2 hours before it was his bedtime, and my time to go to work. In the first 4 hours of work, I was able to get the last of the essays edited, thus being through with the horrible first draft blues for another 3 weeks. After work I went to the gym again so that I could keep myself out of trouble, and be home a decent time to call Ash on her birthday. The gym was relatively empty, which made working out much nicer, and I was able to get in and out by 1130. Once I got home, I jumped on Skype and called Ash. I was lucky to catch her before she went out for lunch with one of her friends, and we talked for a solid hour about work and some parties they had been to recently. After talking with her I watched some T.V., then dozed off for the night.
Saturday morning came earlier than I had wanted, but I got up and got ready to meet Frank, Alex, and Louise so we could go and visit Wes. We met at the subway station just a few minutes before 11 and then walked over together to the hospital. Since Wednesday Wes had been moved out of his private room in the NCU, to the open floor, all of which was located behind the doors of the intensive care section of the NCU. When we got there Nicole and Monita were back with him, so we gave them a few minutes to be with him before we started taking turns going back to see him. His fever had lifted, and the pneumonia medication seemed to be doing its job, and there was even talk of reinserting the piece of skull they had removed to decrease the cranial pressure of his swollen brain. After our visit, and a talk with his family, we went down the street to Dos Tacos again for lunch. After lunch we all headed in our separate direction, which for me was home to get my grocery shopping and house cleaning done, because I had to play the early game Sunday and knew I wouldn't have the time then. Once that was all taken care of, I watched some T.V. for a couple of hours before getting ready to meet up with Angelica in Itaewon for some dinner and drinks. We met at the subway station at 8, and from there went for some pizza at Crow's Nest, where I had been the previous weekend for beers only. The pizza there was great, and really fairly priced. After dinner we went over to Sam Ryan's Pub, where we bumped into John and a few other friends, and had a couple of drinks. Eventually some of here friends called her and wanted us to stop by RMT, so we did, but it was dying out so we went over to Wolfhound to see what was going on. It was equally as dead there, but I had to use the washroom so I excused myself from the group and went upstairs. When I came out, I ran into a few hockey guys and started talking to them for a few minutes. Before I knew it, ten minutes had gone by, and when I went downstairs, the group had left. I finished my beer while I waited to hear from them, but after 10 minutes, I gave up and went to get some food. Even while I ate I thought I might hear from them, and when I didn't, I jumped in a cab for home. I got home just after 3am and got ready for bed, and it was just as I was crawling into bed that I got a text saying they had gone to some club. I was already in bed, so I said good night, and passed out.
The dreaded early game of the ball hockey league I play in belonged to us this week, so I had to be up and out of the house by 11. Luckily I had gotten my stuff ready the day before, so all I had to do was have some cereal and I was set. I got to the rink 20 minutes before we had to play, and warmed up with my team while getting pointers from the veteran defensive hockey players on my team. We ( the X-Men) played Shanks team (The Dublin Dynamo), who have a lot of talent up front, but lack in the defensive zone, resulting in a two game victory for us. After losing as bad as we did the week before, we came out playing hard and determined, and were really fast on the ball, so our victories were not just by a margin of single goals, but by handfuls of them. It felt good to be back on the winning side of the game. After my game, I stuck around to have a few beers and talk with a bunch of the guys until John played at 4. John's team splits their games, both of which could have gone either way in the final minutes. After John's game, we stuck around to do stats, and keep time for the 6pm game, and of course have a few more beers. When the games were all finished, we helped clean up and then jumped on the subway back to Bongcheon. Once home, I showered, then called home before putting on a movie and going to bed.
From hockey to the gym, it feels nice to be getting back in touch with my athletic side that I had let die for a while. Here's to the coming spring, and outdoor activities.
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Terrible Accident For A Great Man
March 14-20, 2011
This week started out with a gloomy shadow right from the get go. When I woke up Monday, I checked Facebook to find a message from Blake about our friend, and his former coworker Wes having had an accident over the weekend, and subsequently being in a coma at the hospital near his house. The story was that he had gotten out of a cab, but a second cab didn't see him, and came around to let another person out, bumping Wes enough to make him fall and hit his head. Since he was so close to the hospital, he was rushed in for surgery right away, to get the pressure off his brain. Then he was placed in the NCU, while they contacted his family, and until he recovers. Hearing news of this nature about anyone is never good, but knowing that it could have been any of us really made our group of friends stop and think.
After contacting a friend of his who knew more about it on Facebook so that I could find out how and when to come and see him, I got ready for work. Since the night before at hockey, the big toe on my left foot had swollen to nearly twice its regular size, and under the nail had turned a dark purple. In fact, it was so swollen that once I got to work, after a long limpy walk there, I had to work the entire day in my socks because wearing shoes hurt too much. While at work, I was showing the toe to my classes, who all thought it was the craziest thing; as well as the teachers, who were concerned I might die. After work, John and I tried to locate a pin that would be strong enough to heat up and push through my nail in order to release the pressure. The pins we found were not up to the task, and I settled for puncturing the back of my nail to let out what fluid I could. The walk home was equally as painful as the walk to school, and once in my apartment, I pt my feet up to try and get the blood away from my toe.
Tuesday morning came, and my toe was in much less pain than the day before, as well as only half as swollen. I was able to walk without too much discomfort, but only if I took it slow. I made some food for the day, and then made my way to work. Work went by without incident, and after work I went home to get my feet up again while I typed up some of my back logged blogs.
Wednesday morning I got up early and so that I could get to the hospital in time to see Wes and his family. Since he is in the NCU, the visiting hours are very restricted. Visitors are only allowed to see him twice a day. Once from 11-1120am, and again from 7-720pm. It made me feel bad to some extent that I would be using up what time there was to see him, but in situations like this it is important to be there to support those in need and offering my help to his family was well received. Wes' mother Monita, brother Casey, and step-father Jim were there, and filled me in on the details of the accident, as well as what the doctors had said so far about his condition. It turns out that Wes was getting out of a taxi near his house when another taxi tried to pull around to let off their fare. The taxi driver didn't see Wes, and vice verse, which resulted in Wes being hit and knocked forward onto his right temple. They performed emergency surgery to remove a large piece of his skull to relieve the pressure, while the taxi driver and some friends waited. There was an official police report, but it seems as though both sides were partially i the wrong, and Wes' family is holding no hard feelings. Especially since the taxi driver comes to see Wes every day, while he is taking a break from praying at church. After the hospital, I caught the subway home to get my lunch, and then went to work where I spent some time sending out some messages to let our friends know of Wes' condition. After work I decided to go to the gym and ride the bike since I couldn't run. It was the first time I had been there at night and there seemed to be a new trainer/user at the facility, who somewhat resembled The Hulk. At first it was a little motivating to see such a huge guy working so hard, but then he thought it would be a good idea to workout with his shirt off, which, don't get me wrong I love "shirts off", is a little inappropriate while there are females using the facility. I ignored it since it was only for a short time, and finished my workout, then went home and ate some food and read before calling it a night.
Thursday morning I woke up feeling well worked over from the gym, so I put off going and made some food to take with me to work. Work went by painlessly since I only teach three classes on Thursdays this semester. After work, I hit the gym again, trying to keep up with my resolution to get in shape before I leave Korea. Again, I rode the bike to warm up, and the went to get my pump on with the weights. The Hulk was there again along with a few cronies, and not surprisingly was shirtless. Being the kind of guy that I am, when they saw me I asked if it was a shirts off party, then motioned as if I was going to take my shirt off as well. They all got the idea, and the Hulk put his shirt back on, looking a little embarrassed. Since I had now broken the ice, we got to talking and it turns out that he is not only a new trainer at the gym, but also a bodybuilder training for a contest in May. His English is slightly better than my nothingness of Korean, but we agreed that he was huge, and that I am going to use him as motivation and for exercise tips. After a brief chat, I got to my workout, and then went home to read and fuel up before bed.
Friday morning I got up and made myself go to the gym so that I wouldn't keep finding excuses to not go. It felt good to get in and work out the stiffness from the night before, and the longer I can keep it up, the easier it should be. After the gym I went to work to get the last day of the week over with. After work, I didn't want to go out since I had made plans to go for the morning visitation to see Wes with Alex and Louise, and instead went back to the gym to get some cardio and a light workout in before the weekend.
Saturday morning I got up just before 10am and got ready to meet Alex and Louise at the Express Bus Terminal for 1050 so we could walk over to the hospital. Once we met, we walked over and went up to see Wes and his family. Casey and Monita were back with him, but the three of us started rotating in to see him and talk with his family. He was looking much better, and they had given him a tracheotomy in order to get the moisture out of his lungs, because he was struggling with pneumonia. After our visit, we all all went down the street for some Dos Tacos, and then on the walk back to Wes' apartment I showed them where the airport bus stop was, and where a gym was in case they wanted to get some energy out. After seeing Wes and having lunch I went home, and had a little nap.
When I woke up I had a shower and got ready to head to Itaewon for dinner with Alex and Louise, Brett and MiSeon, Melanie and WonJong at an Indian place. I got there a bit early so I could meet Frank ad Brady, who had run into Jen and Cherie, for a beer at Crow's Nest Pizzeria. However, as I was coming out of the station I saw a couple trying to carry a rather large package down to the subway, and decided to be a good citizen and help out. After carrying it down three flights of stairs with the husband, I felt i eared my beer, and went to meet everyone. Before long it was time to get to the dinner party I had gone to Itaewon for in the first place, so I left and went to meet with the other group. The dinner was great, but ever since working out the night before, my stomach had been bothering me, so the food didn't sit very well with me. After dinner we went over to Dillingers for some St. Patty's Day to meet Frank, Brady, Jen, and Cherie, but it was real busy so I was the only one who stayed. My stay didn't last very long as my stomach grew increasingly angry at me. I stayed just long enough to have a drink and talk with them, and Angelica before getting on the 1130 subway to go home before I got sick. I made it home fine, and drank some water and Pepto before putting on a movie and getting some sleep.
After having such an early night, I got up Sunday feeling good and ready to play some hockey. I got up at 11 and got ready to meet SeJin for lunch in Kondae. It had been a while since we had hung out, and we were going to get some lunch, so I took some medication to make sure my stomach stayed in line. We met at 2pm and went for some galbi, but couldn't hang out for too long after we ate because I had to get to my 4pm hockey game. It had been raining most of the night and I wasn't even sure if we would be able to play, and when I got to the rink there were lots of guys disputing whether or not we should play for safety reasons. My captain and some other senior executive members were leading the con party, while Leahey was leading the pro argument. In the end we decided to play, and it was as dangerous as we had all predicted. There were lots of spills due to the slippery surface, and in the end we played terrible enough to lose both games rather handedly. After the I stayed to watch John's team play, and lose both games as well. After the games we rode the subway home together, then I got groceries before going home to shower and make my weekly call home.
This week started out with a gloomy shadow right from the get go. When I woke up Monday, I checked Facebook to find a message from Blake about our friend, and his former coworker Wes having had an accident over the weekend, and subsequently being in a coma at the hospital near his house. The story was that he had gotten out of a cab, but a second cab didn't see him, and came around to let another person out, bumping Wes enough to make him fall and hit his head. Since he was so close to the hospital, he was rushed in for surgery right away, to get the pressure off his brain. Then he was placed in the NCU, while they contacted his family, and until he recovers. Hearing news of this nature about anyone is never good, but knowing that it could have been any of us really made our group of friends stop and think.
After contacting a friend of his who knew more about it on Facebook so that I could find out how and when to come and see him, I got ready for work. Since the night before at hockey, the big toe on my left foot had swollen to nearly twice its regular size, and under the nail had turned a dark purple. In fact, it was so swollen that once I got to work, after a long limpy walk there, I had to work the entire day in my socks because wearing shoes hurt too much. While at work, I was showing the toe to my classes, who all thought it was the craziest thing; as well as the teachers, who were concerned I might die. After work, John and I tried to locate a pin that would be strong enough to heat up and push through my nail in order to release the pressure. The pins we found were not up to the task, and I settled for puncturing the back of my nail to let out what fluid I could. The walk home was equally as painful as the walk to school, and once in my apartment, I pt my feet up to try and get the blood away from my toe.
Tuesday morning came, and my toe was in much less pain than the day before, as well as only half as swollen. I was able to walk without too much discomfort, but only if I took it slow. I made some food for the day, and then made my way to work. Work went by without incident, and after work I went home to get my feet up again while I typed up some of my back logged blogs.
Wednesday morning I got up early and so that I could get to the hospital in time to see Wes and his family. Since he is in the NCU, the visiting hours are very restricted. Visitors are only allowed to see him twice a day. Once from 11-1120am, and again from 7-720pm. It made me feel bad to some extent that I would be using up what time there was to see him, but in situations like this it is important to be there to support those in need and offering my help to his family was well received. Wes' mother Monita, brother Casey, and step-father Jim were there, and filled me in on the details of the accident, as well as what the doctors had said so far about his condition. It turns out that Wes was getting out of a taxi near his house when another taxi tried to pull around to let off their fare. The taxi driver didn't see Wes, and vice verse, which resulted in Wes being hit and knocked forward onto his right temple. They performed emergency surgery to remove a large piece of his skull to relieve the pressure, while the taxi driver and some friends waited. There was an official police report, but it seems as though both sides were partially i the wrong, and Wes' family is holding no hard feelings. Especially since the taxi driver comes to see Wes every day, while he is taking a break from praying at church. After the hospital, I caught the subway home to get my lunch, and then went to work where I spent some time sending out some messages to let our friends know of Wes' condition. After work I decided to go to the gym and ride the bike since I couldn't run. It was the first time I had been there at night and there seemed to be a new trainer/user at the facility, who somewhat resembled The Hulk. At first it was a little motivating to see such a huge guy working so hard, but then he thought it would be a good idea to workout with his shirt off, which, don't get me wrong I love "shirts off", is a little inappropriate while there are females using the facility. I ignored it since it was only for a short time, and finished my workout, then went home and ate some food and read before calling it a night.
Thursday morning I woke up feeling well worked over from the gym, so I put off going and made some food to take with me to work. Work went by painlessly since I only teach three classes on Thursdays this semester. After work, I hit the gym again, trying to keep up with my resolution to get in shape before I leave Korea. Again, I rode the bike to warm up, and the went to get my pump on with the weights. The Hulk was there again along with a few cronies, and not surprisingly was shirtless. Being the kind of guy that I am, when they saw me I asked if it was a shirts off party, then motioned as if I was going to take my shirt off as well. They all got the idea, and the Hulk put his shirt back on, looking a little embarrassed. Since I had now broken the ice, we got to talking and it turns out that he is not only a new trainer at the gym, but also a bodybuilder training for a contest in May. His English is slightly better than my nothingness of Korean, but we agreed that he was huge, and that I am going to use him as motivation and for exercise tips. After a brief chat, I got to my workout, and then went home to read and fuel up before bed.
Friday morning I got up and made myself go to the gym so that I wouldn't keep finding excuses to not go. It felt good to get in and work out the stiffness from the night before, and the longer I can keep it up, the easier it should be. After the gym I went to work to get the last day of the week over with. After work, I didn't want to go out since I had made plans to go for the morning visitation to see Wes with Alex and Louise, and instead went back to the gym to get some cardio and a light workout in before the weekend.
Saturday morning I got up just before 10am and got ready to meet Alex and Louise at the Express Bus Terminal for 1050 so we could walk over to the hospital. Once we met, we walked over and went up to see Wes and his family. Casey and Monita were back with him, but the three of us started rotating in to see him and talk with his family. He was looking much better, and they had given him a tracheotomy in order to get the moisture out of his lungs, because he was struggling with pneumonia. After our visit, we all all went down the street for some Dos Tacos, and then on the walk back to Wes' apartment I showed them where the airport bus stop was, and where a gym was in case they wanted to get some energy out. After seeing Wes and having lunch I went home, and had a little nap.
When I woke up I had a shower and got ready to head to Itaewon for dinner with Alex and Louise, Brett and MiSeon, Melanie and WonJong at an Indian place. I got there a bit early so I could meet Frank ad Brady, who had run into Jen and Cherie, for a beer at Crow's Nest Pizzeria. However, as I was coming out of the station I saw a couple trying to carry a rather large package down to the subway, and decided to be a good citizen and help out. After carrying it down three flights of stairs with the husband, I felt i eared my beer, and went to meet everyone. Before long it was time to get to the dinner party I had gone to Itaewon for in the first place, so I left and went to meet with the other group. The dinner was great, but ever since working out the night before, my stomach had been bothering me, so the food didn't sit very well with me. After dinner we went over to Dillingers for some St. Patty's Day to meet Frank, Brady, Jen, and Cherie, but it was real busy so I was the only one who stayed. My stay didn't last very long as my stomach grew increasingly angry at me. I stayed just long enough to have a drink and talk with them, and Angelica before getting on the 1130 subway to go home before I got sick. I made it home fine, and drank some water and Pepto before putting on a movie and getting some sleep.
After having such an early night, I got up Sunday feeling good and ready to play some hockey. I got up at 11 and got ready to meet SeJin for lunch in Kondae. It had been a while since we had hung out, and we were going to get some lunch, so I took some medication to make sure my stomach stayed in line. We met at 2pm and went for some galbi, but couldn't hang out for too long after we ate because I had to get to my 4pm hockey game. It had been raining most of the night and I wasn't even sure if we would be able to play, and when I got to the rink there were lots of guys disputing whether or not we should play for safety reasons. My captain and some other senior executive members were leading the con party, while Leahey was leading the pro argument. In the end we decided to play, and it was as dangerous as we had all predicted. There were lots of spills due to the slippery surface, and in the end we played terrible enough to lose both games rather handedly. After the I stayed to watch John's team play, and lose both games as well. After the games we rode the subway home together, then I got groceries before going home to shower and make my weekly call home.
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