Out from the Sinews

In a book I read long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Christopher Dewdney wrote in his book of poetry The Radiant Inventory about neurology, using the most brilliantly poetical and beautiful language. He wrote about all kinds of things, of course: books of poetry are like that. But among the things he discussed in the book was the neurobiology of break-ups, and why they are so difficult. I can’t quote the book, or even paraphrase it in any way I’d regard as trustworthy–my copy is somewhere in that other galaxy where I read it, in a box, floating …

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The Suwon Revelation

After spending seven of the past eleven years in the Yeokgok district of Bucheon City, not living there has been full of surprises. Even though I tried to resist it, I developed a habit of mind wherein I conflated Yeokgok with Korea generally, just as I conflate Seoul Subway Line 1 with the whole system. Well, like riding Line 6 for a while, staying in Suwon for a week has been a revelation. For one thing, people don’t look us up and down, or scowl nastily at us the way the used to in Yeokgok, or on Line 1. They …

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Trashy

Mrs. Jiwaku and I have had a crazily busy week. I’ve spent the last few weeks sorting through my books, because of all my worldly posessions, my books are the most numerous.  However, clothing and papers that haven’t been sorted through in ages come a close second! Came, actually. I’m terrible at getting rid of things. Just let me paint a picture like this: among the boxes I left in the attic, I found letters to George W. Bush–regarding the invasion of Iraq–that were written back when I was still in Iksan, that is, in 2003. I found the flight …

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Smooth? Are You Kidding?

Okay, okay, I’m foolish. Fine. I was hoping out last couple of weeks on campus would be smooth sailing. Today, while in Seoul sorting out some paperwork, I encountered a really nice guy–a cabbie who was in his seventies, who was a real character. He was a cabbie who seemed to also fancy himself a comedian, with photos of all kinds in his cab. Some he used to communicate, some for comedic effect. I swear, he put on glasses with a fake nose just to make me laugh. He wasn’t that funny but his effort and friendliness were endearing. His last …

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On The Way Out…

So, we’re now at two weeks until the day we’re supposed to leave our apartment. There’s an unspecified number of days after that, during which we’ll still be in Korea, but not in our apartment. I’m not sure where we’ll be, but it won’t be on campus. This means we’re in the thick of packing, sorting, discarding stuff, but also trying to deal with paperwork, legal stuff, and a bunch of other things. I’m frankly a little worried about whether we’re going to manage to get it all done–from selling off our remaining furniture, to clearing out the books that …

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