Let’s all go to A&W

Before the McDonaldization of America, when Ray Kroc revolutionized how Americans and later the world would have their burgers and eat them too, when it came to eating out at a drive-in restaurant there was one undisputable cultural icon: A&W Root Beer Stands.
In the Illinois Valley alone, there were four: one in LaSalle, Peru, Oglesby [...]

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Getting “high” in Busan

When it comes to enjoying some of Korea’s natural beauty, there’s perhaps no better way than getting out and exploring many of its majestic, rugged peaks up and down the peninsula which offer some of the more breathtaking and exhilarating outings for serious mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
To be sure, no matter where one travels [...]

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Body Count

I don’t remember exactly when I heard about some far off Southeast Asian country and the war that would consume the 60s and part of the 70s for the first time. However, when I did, it was when I heard the week’s body count reported on the radio.
It was on the hourly news on WLS [...]

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The man with the golden belly button

“Okay Julie, push once more,” coached the doctor.
“Aargggghh,” screamed Julie.
“I see his head Julie,” said Julie’s husband Mark. “You’re doing fine Julie. You’re doing fine.”
“Julie’s breathing increased as did the pain. She felt her abdominal muscles contract one more time and then, everything seemed to go quiet and hazy and then…
“Waa. Waa. Waa.”
Their son’s first [...]

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Jeremy Aaron at Five Months: Rockin’ & Rollin’

Today little Jeremy Aaron is five months old and the description of what a five-month old does at Your Baby Today accurately describes what the little guy has been doing at this milestone:
This month, your baby will be much more active as he begins to push-up and rock-and-roll around on his own. All that wiggling [...]

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North Korea Sabre Rattling…Again

Looks like North Korea is up to their sabre rattling selves again threatening to reduce South Korea to ashes (a North Korean official said the same thing back in 1994 with the now infamous rhetoric of “Seoul will be awash in a sea of flames”) on the eve of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit [...]

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Good to Go

Today I went to the Daejeon Immigration office, dropped off some paperwork-including the paperwork for a criminal background check and health check-paid my 60,000 Won and ten minutes later, I was good to go for another year in Korea.
It was down to the wire, too. My visa expired last Saturday and I still hadn’t gotten [...]

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Living next door to Alice

In the summer of 1971, before I went corn detasseling and before I had a run in with the law, two single women moved in next door.
Alice was from Georgia, a real Georgia peach with fiery red hair and freckles; her roommate Betty was a platinum blonde and had kept the spirit of ‘67 that [...]

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I’m going to see a man about a horse

Have you ever stopped to think about some of the English colloquialisms we use and their origin, not to mention why we even use them in the first place?
We use these colorful colloquialisms all the time and they are a rich part of our language and for someone who has made a living out of [...]

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We’re leaving on a….

No, not on a jet plane but on a Lao Airlines’ turbo prop and for Jeremy Aaron, his first flight into the sky.
After Jeremy Aaron was not feeling too well the day after he had gotten some vaccinations, both On and I agreed that the 10-hour bus journey back to Paksong might be too rough [...]

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