Posted in Life, My Life That Was Korea, tagged Jeremy Aaron, KTX, On, Seoul, Uijongbu, USO on December 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s a snowy morning in Daejeon and I am on the 8:29 KTX (Korea’s high-speed express train) to Seoul for a couple of hours.
Actually, I am on “official business” – I am going to the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul to pick up my new passport. I guess it’s okay to call it “official business” [...]
Posted in Americana, Family, Holidays, Illinois Valley, Life, Waxing Nostalgic, tagged 1968, Alden's, Apollo 8, Christmas, LaSalle, Santa Claus on December 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
1968.
It was a historic year on all fronts—starting with the seizure of the USS Pueblo off North Korean coastal waters in January and culminating with the fly by of the moon by Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve.
In between there was Tet, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, riots in Chicago, and the [...]
Posted in Family, Jeremy Aaron, Laos, Life, tagged Bia, Jeremy Aaron, Laos, On on November 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
That’s what Little Bia wanted to know when he asked On today if Jeremy Aaron could go to school with him tomorrow.
“Mom, is it one year already?” Bia asked On.
“No Bia, not yet,” On answered.
“When can young brother go to school with me?” Bia asked.
For Bia a day must seem like a year when he [...]
Posted in Family, Jeremy Aaron, Laos, Life, tagged Baby Sounds, Jeremy Aaron on November 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s 7:35am and the phone rings three times.
That’s the signal for me to call On back.
I’ve already been up for thirty minutes, had my coffee and was just about to jump in the shower when the On, Jeremy Aaron and Bia hotline rings. I usually call On after I have had my shower and gotten [...]
Posted in Americana, Illinois Valley, Life, Music, tagged Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire on November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Some of the earliest memories that I have of music as far as listening to music goes were the records that I remember my mother playing on her Zenith hi-fi set—one where the turntable folded down from two attached speakers.
My mother’s record collection was a meager one at best but it did encompass a wide [...]
Posted in Americana, Family, Life, Waxing Nostalgic on November 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
For the past two weeks, ever since my mother passed away, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and remembering her and her life.
It’s funny what you remember and what you don’t remember when someone you love passes away. There are a lot of things that I don’t want to remember that for [...]
Posted in Americana, Illinois Valley, Life, Waxing Nostalgic, tagged Balconie's Tavern, Ben Franklin Dime Store, Oglesby, shoplifting on November 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My short-lived life of crime can be traced back to Ben Franklin. No, I am not referring to that Ben Franklin, inventor, statesman, printer, and author of Poor Richard’s Almanac witticisms or aphorisms like—“A stitch in time or crime saves nine or doing time or something like that.”
What I am referring to though is [...]
Posted in Americana, Illinois Valley, Life, Waxing Nostalgic on November 7, 2008 | 1 Comment »
My short-lived life of crime can be traced back to Ben Franklin. No, I am not referring to that Ben Franklin, inventor, statesman, printer, and author of Poor Richard’s Almanac witticisms or aphorisms like—“A stitch in time or crime saves nine or doing time or something like that.”
What I am referring to though is the [...]
Posted in Family, Life on October 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
On the desk in front of me is the last birthday card my mom sent to me. When she sent it back to me in May she was still undergoing chemotherapy once a week and radiation every day and when I read the scribbled message inside I know how difficult it must have been for [...]
Posted in Family, Jeremy Aaron, Life, tagged Jeremy Aaron on October 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
“Neh.”
“Owh.”
“Heh.”
“Ooh.”
“Aah.”
These sweetly pitched coos, assorted gurgles and cries are music to my ears every time I call On and hear Jeremy Aaron.
When I hear these baby sounds—in the background or when On places the phone near Jeremy Aaron—they are both heartwarming and a little bittersweet because for now I am only able to hear these [...]
Originally from LaSalle, Illinois I have been living and working in Asia since 1989.
My wife Aon and I are blessed with two adorable and precious sons, Bia aged 5 and Jeremy Aaron aged 1.
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