Topic of the Day...

Okay, I had a thought about the blog. I know many friends and family are out there reading (but not making comments - shame on you) but honestly I am running out of things to talk about. I enjoy giving weekly status reports about what has been going on, but people want more...And I like to give the people what they want. So that is EXACTLY what I am going to do. Starting with this post, I want people to post comments (or send me emails) about topics they want me to talk about. Ask questions, learn about Korea, learn about me...anything you want. So after this entry, post a comment about what you want, and so on and so forth. To start things off I will answer a question that was asked not to long ago, to give you an idea of what I am looking for.

TOPIC OF THE DAY!

Question: "Louie, what is the food like in Korea?"

Well this is a hard question to answer on paper, so I am going to break it down into two Categories: Things I like but are hard to get! and Things I never ate, but now I do!. I am not going to get into things I don't eat anymore simply because you all know I am on a diet and I can't eat more than half the stuff I used to so I am leaving that out. So here is your answer (or at least the best way I can put it).

Things I like but are hard to get!

#5) Side Dishes - Seriously in Korea, they don't believe in Mashed Potatoes, Mac and Cheese, Corn, or French Fries. When you go to Korean restaurants all you get is meat, veggies, and this weird noodle stuff that tastes like death on a plate (no offense to those who enjoy eating poop).

#4) Chicken Strips - Everyone who knows me knows the HUGE love I had for the Chicken Strips at Jim and Nicks! I miss them so much, mmmmmmm...Oh yeah, but seriously every restaurant in the states, even Mexican places, have chicken strips for those that don't like cultural food. Here you either eat it or go hungry.

#3) A Knife - Yes I know this isn't food but it is pretty important when it comes to food. You go out and they give you this huge slab of meat that you cook yourself in front of you. But them how the heck do I cut it? Well this is when the "waitress" comes over, picks up the meat with tongues, pulls out a pair of scissors from her apron and CUTS IT!

#2) Condiments - You will not find salt, pepper, or ketchup in Korean, at least not a restaurant. Why I don't know. I think everything I have mentioned so far is why every Korean I have seen is skinny and the US has the largest over group of over weight people in the world. Huh...

#1) PIZZA - OMG I think I am dying without it. There is no pizza here. There is a Anthony's pizza in Seoul on base, but every time I have gone (probably 10-12 times in less than two months) they are either closed or out of pizza and not making more. First thing I do (food wise) when I get home is order Papa Johns!

Things I never ate, but now I do!

#5) Hot Wings - I love chicken wings, I always have. But never really been into anything hot. Well the DFAC (chow hall, dining facility) here on base makes the greatest chicken wings I have ever had, and guess what they are HOT AS HELL. It takes at LEAST 5 or six full glasses of water to get through 8 wings, but I love them!

#4) Fruit - No I don't mean apples and bananas, everyone eats those. I mean oranges, mangos, grapes, melons, pineapple, kiwi, and pears. I love them all. They are great for my diet and I can pretty much eat as much as I want.

#3) Lean Cuisine - Oh Swedish Meatballs, how I love thee, let me count the ways...I LOVE THEM! Very healthy, great for my diet, and cheap! What else can you ask for from a guy who has no way of cooking anything that doesn't fit in a microwave!

#2) Water - Okay its not a food, but lets face it...I never drank enough water. Diet Coke was my life. Oh Diet Coke...How I love thee...sorry. But seriously I have gone 27 days without a soda, and aside from the occasional cup of coffee/tea, and the milk from my slim-fast...I only drink water!

#1) Onions - Yes that's right, Mr. I hate Veggies is here to say, that onions are amazing! Well the way the Koreans prepare them anyway. I will have to see when I go home if I still feel the same way. But they just fill a saucer dish with Soy Sauce, chop up the raw onion and soak it in the dish and serve it to you that way! My life is complete again.

So there you have it! I hope you like the idea for the blog and begin to participate in it. I think it is a fun way to keep things moving and keep you guys interested. WE CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING!

Until Next Time...

Two in one day...too cute not to post!

Okay, back real quick just to say something I don't want to forget to write about later. I was just running on the treadmill down stairs in my office. Watching the news of course, a Navy article came on about the return of one of the ships that was out at sea. They showed a short clip of all the families waiting on the shore line for the sailors to get off the ship. They showed this little boy (about Gabriel's age) holding a sign that said "Move it, or Loose it! I am hugging my daddy first!". How awesome is that! It was so cute that I wanted to laugh real loud but wanted to cry at the same time. Anyway I thought it was worth sharing.

Check out my blog post from earlier below if you haven't already!

Until Next Time...

Long Time, No See...

Just as a warning this blog post will probably be relatively long, since I have not written in several days and I actually have a lot to talk about. I apologize to my "fans" that is has been this long but I have been fairly busy while at work and not really thought much about it while I wasn't. So here is a weeks worth of blogs crammed into one :)

Chop Sticks! Thats right, I am going to start by talking about chop sticks. Now most people know what they are and see them all the time at Chinese and Japanese restaurants but not very many people use them; except maybe for parents who are trying to entertain their kids. Well in Korea, and I imagine every Asian country, it is all they use. When you go to a restaurant off post you will find a spoon for your soup, and a set of stainless steel chop sticks. They are much thinner than wooden chop sticks, and much harder to use (most chop sticks are for Americans). Well I love them! So much in fact I use them with all my meals, even frozen dinners. I took a set from my kitchen in my office and I am just obsessed. I plan on buying a few sets before I leave so I can continue the fun even after I leave.

Squirrel and Ants! The United States insect and animal is Ants and Squirrel! Not really, but they should be. They are every where you go, no matter which state (at least the ones I have been to). Growing up and seeing these creatures makes you not appreciate them at all. In fact I think most people hate Squirrel and ants, for that very reason. But as soon as someone sees a Chipmunk or a Butterfly its like, "huh look hunny, its a pretty butterfly". Well in Korea, its the COMPLETE opposite. There are chipmunks everywhere, and butterflies in more shapes, sizes, and colors than I have seen since the last time I went to the zoo or museum. Not really much else to say about that, just thought it was a funny twist on normal life for us Americans.

Podcasts! Holy Crow are these cool or what? I have heard of them before, and Amanda has mentioned them a few times, but I always dismissed it because honestly why would I want to listen to someone talk about random things, when I could be listening to music? Well I sure as hell do now. For me it was 4 hours worth of Warhammer Online news and comedy and a little 45 minute series of podcasts called The Guild (if you haven't seen it, you NEED to...its free). What better way to blow free time at the cost of nothing to hear people talk about your favorite topics?

Okay so I guess it was not as long as I thought it was going to be. I tried to sum up a lot of that and I had plans to make a Warhammer vs. Warcraft blog post, but I am going to save that for another day. I need to go work out here in about 15 minutes and I still have a few peices of work to wrap up. So,

Until next time...

Another 3 down...

I finally get off of work in a couple of hours. This rotation wasn't as bad as previous ones. I managed to stay very busy with all the tours that came through and some busy work I decided to do just so no one else would have to. I slept fairly well every night, taking my mother-in-laws advice by praying everynight...which seemed to help a lot. I didn't get to talk to my family as much. My phone card didn't have a lot of minutes on it and I was just to busy. So I am looking forward to the break so I can get caught up with my talk time.

I didn't get to read much of my book this time though, which I am bummed out about. For those of you who don't know I am currently reading Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series. I was not looking forward to reading it, in fact I didn't plan on reading it at all. But my wife loves the series so much I decided to read to, if nothing else, add another conversation point to the dinner table. To my surprise the story is amazing. It's a lot like Romeo and Juliet, but instead of being from rival families, the female is a human girl and the boy is a vampire. I know it sounds crazy but it is really good.

What can I say, I am a hopeless romantic I guess. I love stories like this one...but don't confuse that with loving chick flicks! I can't stand those. Most of them have the same stories...boy meets girl, girl falls in love, boy screws up, girls heart is broken, boy does something cheesy to make up for his screw up, girl loves boy again. I just descirbed more than half of the romantic comedies out there today. Romeo and Juliet, The Notebook, For love of the game, The Story of Us...these movies had an amazing romance story that just melts my heart. Like I said, hopeless romantic.

I am going down to Seoul today finally, I haven't been able to go in over two weeks. I am hopefully going to pass my driving test today so I can finally get my license and not be held back by depending on rides everywhere. I am also going to try and take my math placement exam for college so I can start school in a couple of weeks. I hate math so I figure I might as well knock that out first. Then I can hit up the PX and the Commisary and be good to go for at least a couple of weeks.

My relief should be here soon so I am going to log out of here. Until next time...

Is the end coming...

...of the blog I mean. My first few posts seem to get a lot of responses. I know I don't write in it but a few times a week but is anyone still reading? I know my mom and my mother-in-law read it often but is anyone else out there?

Speaking of my mom, I want to let everyone know how awesome she has been. If it wasn't for her I definitly could not be on a diet and stick to it the way that I have. She has helped my plan my menu, my workout schedule and find the motivation to get where I need to be. I miss her a lot, it seems like I haven't seen her in so long.

My father and my sister have been awesome too. My sister calls me all the time, asking how I am doing and keeping me up to date on the latest news from back home. I definitly have seen them in a long time. In fact I can't even remember the last time I saw them. I guess it was a year ago, around Thanksgiving last year when my family came to visit. My mother came to visit in May, right after Lily was born but my dad had to work and my sister had school.

Hopefully I will get to see them when I come home in May. It is too expensive for all of us to go to New York in addition to the expensive plane tickets I have to buy just to come home in the first place. So we are thinking of meeting somewhere in the middle. We did this before, a few years ago when Amanda was pregnant with Gabriel. We had a lot of fun and I imagine this will be the same.

The time I do get to come home is going to go by so fast. With a weekend trip planned and probably a party or two for us and our friends, as well as doing things with the kids and going a few dates with Amanda. Its going to be so crazy busy that the month will come and go so fast that I won't even know what hit me. And leaving to come back here will be harder the second time than it was the first. But I will have less than 5 months left once I get back and then it is on to Germany for three years.

I think when we get back from Germany, on our ten year wedding anniversary, Amanda and I are going to renew our wedding vows. We didn't really have a wedding in the first place because we didn't have the money and plus we got married on a weeks notice. So this would be much more special for us, we can have my family there which would mean a lot to me, and our children can be with us too. Who knows maybe we can have a little second honey moon too. That would be nice.

Well, Until Next Time...

I've been tagged...

"I'll be back so soon you won't have time to miss me.
Look after my heart ------------- I've left it with you"
~ Edward Cullen (Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer)

Today marks exactly one month since I left my family at the airport and headed for Korea. It seems like it was just yesterday, doesn't it? I guess that means that time is moving a lot faster than I gave it credit for. Anyway I was tagged by our friend Dianna over @ http://possumgrape.typepad.com/my_weblog/ to write in todays blog:

Six things about me that you may or may not know ~

1. I sleep with a stuffed animal everynight. That's right people, and I am not afraid to say it. It is something I have been doing my whole life and I can't seem to break the habit. I actually forgot it when I came to work on my first rotation and the nights were hell those three days. I thought when Amanda and I got married I would be able to break the habit but Amanda can't sleep if I am suggled up with her so I still have my stuffed animal. (BTW the stuffed animal is Mickey Mouse)

2. Back in high school my best friend Tony and I had made plans that after college/air force we would hook back up and open our own hotel/restaurant. Tony was going to run the hotel and I was going to run the restaurant. We both had jobs at the time, he was working the front desk at a Best Western and I was a waiter/chef/host at a family restaurant down the street. I never had any intentions on staying in the military longer than 4 years.

3. For 12 years of school, I never missed a single day. I had PERFECT attendance every year and I was given certifactes of attendance for every semester which I still have. I never skipped school, I was never out sick, and the only days I did miss were two days back in pre-school when I had the chicken poxs and that doesn't count. I did skip lunch period once and went to burger king but I was pretty stupid to return with a burger king crown on my head and was given a day of in school suspension.

4. I got picked on a lot in school. Mostly about my height. It wasn't really until I joined the wrestling team my freshman year that I started getting respected. My wrestling career however was cut short when I popped my knee during the Lockport High School Annual Wrestling tournament. Back then I was 4 foot 10 inches and weighed 88 pounds. I had to eat ALOT the night before a match to meet the 90 pound weight limit for my division. Once I got hurt I stopped wrestling, but I kept eating, hence the reason for the diet.

5. The single greatest day of my life was the day my son Gabriel was born. Not that Lily's birth wasn't wonderful or the day that I got married, they were both very special to me as well. But the day Gabriel was born was the day that I knew that nothing else in my life matter anymore except for my family. I was with Amanda from start to finish, all 24+ hours of it, and when he finally decided to come, I cried...for a long time.

6. Amanda, Gabriel, and Lily are my best friends. Most people say that about their spouses and kids but actually have other people their best friends. I have a few guys I consider to be the best guy friends that I have, Tony, Ryan, and Josh...I don't tell them everything. I don't talk to them about the meaning of life, fears, or love. I don't cry in front of them, or have long deep meaningful conversations with them. They are the guys (although I used to do that with Tony before I met Amanda). But my wife and my kids are a different story. I share everything with them and every secret. I love them all with all my heart and I am counting the days until I can be with them again.

Until next time...

And Now...On with the Show!

Well here I am back on my third work rotation. I would have posted yesterday but I was actually pretty busy for the most part. A Two-Star Air Force General came thru for a tour and since I am the only Air Force person here, my boss wanted me to be the one who took pictures. I basically went on a mini version of the tour I went on Friday, only this time I had a camera. So that means you are in luck, cause I have some pictures to go with my explanation. And now...On with the Show!

Our first stop on the tour after a 3 hour bus ride and two very boring hour long briefings was lunch at the NNSC. The NNSC is a camp just off of the JSA and home of the Neutral Nations which are the Swiss and the Swedish military. The lunch was very good, and very fancy. We were SERVED shrimp cocktail over salad, grilled dear meat in a creamy butter sauce, and a fruit salad for dessert. It was the best meal I have had here, and probably the best meal I am going to have until I go home. After lunch it was back on the bus and onto Conference Row. Conference Row is the road we call that runs next to the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), and this is where the real tour started. The guide explained the purpose for the guards, and the usage of the three blue building in the middle of the JSA.

All ROK Soldiers stand at a ready stance of Tae Kwon Do, or what we call ROK Ready. The stance as well as the sunglasses are meant to intimidate the North Korean Soldiers.

After leaving conference row we move on to Check Point 3, which is an outlook onto the bridge of no return as well as into North Korea. Here are a few pictures I took from the outlook.

A North Korean Guard standing on a Watch Tower out in the distance.

The mountains in Korea are beautiful. It makes me sad to know that something as beautiful as this place is also considered the most dangerous place in the world.

After leaving the check point we continued on to the location of the 1970's Axe Murders and the Bridge of No Return. If you do not know the story behind the Axe Murders I suggest you read up on it. You can find more information on it here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_Murder_Incident.

This statue now stands where the tree once stood that was the cause of the Axe Murders. The circle base represents the size of the tree trunk, to give us an idea of exactly how large the tree was. For more information please see link above.

The round grassy area shown here in front of the bridge of no return is where the actually fight broke out and ultimately where the Axe Murders took place.

The next two photos really don't require captioning. The first is a picture of a sign marking the MDL, and is meant to give you a good idea of exactly how close I was able to get to it. The second is a look down onto the Bridge of No Return which I was actually able to go onto yesterday. If you do not know the history of the Bridge of No Return here is some information...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_No_Return.

For the rest of the tour we were not allowed to take pictures. We visited Freedom Village, The Third Tunnel, Observation Post: Dora (OP Dora), and the Western Transportation Corridor (TC West).

After TC West, that concluded our Tour of the DMZ. There are A LOT of other little facts and tidbits that I know and didn't mention but if I covered the WHOLE history of just this little area it would take forever. Somethings will have to be left for stories when I get back. After all if I tell you everything n0w I won't have any stories when I get back.

Until next time...

Tour of the DMZ

I know that I haven't written in a few days and honestly it is because not much has been going on. It is pretty boring here on my days off with not much to report. I spend most of my mornings and early afternoon talking to Amanda and the kids and the rest of the day I either watch movies or play video games until it is time to work out.

My diet is going well. I have lost 6 pounds this week and I am beginning to adjust to the eating habits and workout routine pretty nicely. I have a long way to go still, but with the continued support from my friends and family I think I will have no problems at all reaching my goal.

In other news, today was the single greatest day in my military career, and also one of the most depressing days I have had in Korea. I know that seems odd but it's true. Today I took a full guided tour of the North/South Korean DMZ. From 0600-1700 I was on the go visiting everything there was to see, and learning about the US' true reason for being here.

Why was it sad? Cause all I thought about all day long was Amanda, and how much she would have LOVED to be on that tour. Amanda has always talked about how she wants to travel and see the world, and boy I'll tell you what I saw today was probably the coolest, most interesting "sight seeing" spot in world (IMO). I know I talk about her a lot but I don't think anyone, not even her, can understand how much she means to me. All you girls out there should envy that woman because I don't think anyone in this life could love anyone as much as I love her.

Unfortunately I did not have a camera so I could not take ANY pictures at all. However tomorrow when I go up to work, I will make a blog entry and tell you about the tour in detail and give you web-links to sites that have pictures and information about each spot (for those who are interested in what I do, why I do it, or just want to know the history.

Until next time...

Officially...

Today there are a lot of things that are official for me. First and foremost, I am officially a SSgt in the United States Air Force today. I won't be wearing the uniform until Saturday (cause I am off till then) but I have everything all ready to go.

Second I am officially moved into my permanent room, my phone and internet is hooked up, and I should be receiving my household goods in a couple of hours. That means that you can call, write, and email me whenever you want. For those of you that do not have my number, just call Amanda and she can give it to you.

Last but not least today is the first day of my year long diet to loose about 50 pounds. Yes I know that seems like a lot but I need this so much. Not just for my job but for my wife and kids. My weight has started to (in my eyes) effect my marriage, my activity with my children, and my health. So wish me luck and I will do my best to keep everyone in the loop about how it is going.

That is all for today. Until next time...