A Roll of the Dice?

Well, I suppose I should post something new. After all, it has been about half a month since our last update. The problem is that we settled into normalcy and complacency. Usually we do travel about some on the weekend. However, a lot of places we go look generally the same. Unless we find a really clever sign, there's little to report. One significant other problem is that our camera has went kaput. Hopefully we'll do a little research and get a new one soon.

So, let's see what kind of recent developments have there been? Well a couple of weeks ago I went out to dinner with the teachers. We went to a place specializing in mushrooms. I don't care how many varieties you throw in front of me, I still don't like mushrooms. So, that was not the best of dinners for me.

Afterward we went to a bar in Osan. While we were there a couple of my fellow foreign teachers happened in. It was then that I noticed a glorious thing. This bar has a patio. Outside there a ton of tables and chairs. All the details on the rest of the night? No matter. The important point is the discovery of the patio bar. Now, provided there's not rain, the patio bar is foreign teacher central on Friday nights.

So that's pretty nice and all. New bars are always great. They have really huge amounts of beer. You can order the standard 2000ml or 3000ml varieties, or you can be awesome and get the 5000ml oaken barrel looking super pitcher with a spout on the side! 5 liters of beer! They also have soju cocktails that are pretty amazing. Like they take a few fresh kiwis, a bottle of soju, and throw that shit in the blender. Instant yummy. Well, not instant. It takes them forever to make the damn things. The wait is worth it though.

Mel is now happily addicted to World of Warcraft. She's a busy little Shaman. The biggest problem there is when our net drops. Then we have a really angry shaman :D

Last weekend we had a bit of travel. We recently decided to start playing some Dungeons and Dragons with some other teachers. Melissa and I have dice that we brought from home. The other gents do not. We looked around a bit online and found a store we could check out. So, we went there on Saturday. It was a bit over an hour by train. Maybe 1.5? We found the place without much problem. The walls are lined with games and there's a few people sitting around a table playing a board game. There is a display of various tarot cards. There is a shelf with what appears to be collectible card games behind the counter. Yet, there are no dice. Not anywhere. We motion to the clerk to suggest what we're looking for. After a minute she understand and heads off to the back room. She rummaged about for a bit and came back with a three 30-sided dice and a handful of 6-sided dice.

I know of no game that uses 30-sided dice. We were looking for standard D&D sets (a 4, 6, 8, 12, 20, and two 10s). We were a bit disappointed. I did buy one of the 30's however because I thought it was a curious novelty. She charged me 6000w for it. I found out later that they're commonly available on the net for like $3. Still don't know what it's used for. I'll probably add it into some kind of drinking game.

Following that we went to Yongsan. Our friend Len was accompanying us. He was after dice as well and also some camera gear. Having been here for several months longer than us, he knows his way around a bit better. That was nice.

Anyways, Yongsan is geeky nerd paradise. This is an entire city devoted to electronics, tech, and gadgets! If you dream of fields of motherboards and cpus, this is the place for you. If you are in the market for a new mp3 player, but want to be able to chose from a field of thousands, this is the place. Love video games? Want to pick up a new 360 game and buy a Super Famicom at the same time? Well then, come on over.

Yongsan was pretty damned cool. Gadgets galore! I had some video game needs which were easily fulfilled. Now I'll be able to keep busy during Mel's Warcraft raiding sessions. :) Len was easily able to find the new bits he wanted for his camera. It was a fun trip. There was a downside however...

Mel and I are now considering getting a second computer. It would be nice for me to have the ability to use the computer at times when Mel is way too busy with it. I think she might also enjoy having a more easily portable laptop that she could take to school. Also, I figure that it is only a matter of time until Mel convinces me that I need join her in scouring world of Azeroth. So, there's that.

Saturday evening we joined some friends in Songtan. We had some sushi (which wasn't bad despite my previous aversion) and then hung out in a random bar. We learned a new drinking game from a nice military guy. The bar owner and wait staff even played along.

The game is Titanic for those who are interested. You float a shot glass in a cup of beer. Then everyone takes turn dribbling a small (or large if you wish) amount of alcohol (beer or liquor, pick before play) directly into the shot glass. You sink it, you drink it. Easy enough! It appears to be okay to take down half a glass or even a whole glass in someones sted if they are having particually bad luck. Play proceeds by having the sinker do the first pour. It was a blast!

So, I guess that's pretty much what's been going on. This afternoon it looks like I'll be joining the other teacher in some volleyball. We have a game coming up versus another school, so today is practice. I'm sure I'll have some more words to add on that sometime in the near(ish) future.

Bye!

Aaron