Transformers!

Although it IS a Michael Bay movie (Stealth was a total bust), it is AWESOME!!! None-stop action, almost from the word "GO!" Shia La Beouf was ingenious in his role as Sam Witwiki. The only things that put some stops to my utter stupification was the usual Bay-isms that popped up throughout the movie. Such as stationing a fleet of ships in the Yellow Sea to keep an eye on Qatar, or the fact that people did flee when the final fight started... They were still flitting around OUTSIDE, riding bikes, pushing baby carriages, etc. So, I suggest seeing this movie. You won't be disappointed.

Stupidity

OK, yes, my usually anal tendencies failed me for once. And in the most inopportune of situations. After traveling an hour to the Seoul/Incheon International Airport from the base, finding our ticket counter, standing in line and finally having our turn to check in, I realize ... my orders aren't in my bag with my travel itinerary! OH SHIT! They won't check me in without my orders due to the fact that, even though I asked for a stamp in my passport, I didn't receive one. So, it was either leave the Korean Peninsula with my orders or with having a stamp in my passport. And as I had neither, I was in a sticky situation. Luckily I had my receipt with the Lodge's phone number on it. And after two attempts at sending a bellboy up to the room I had occupied, my orders were finally located right where I remember putting them after I checked into the hotel (on the bureau next to the TV which was then covered with the unread newspapers) and faxed to the airport. We made it to our gate as the final call for boarding was being called.

Now usually I double and triple check to ensure that I have my orders, passport, itinerary... Not this time... but let me tell you, I will now make multiple copies and a softcopy at home.

Some Seoul Searching...

I've been in Seoul, South Korea for a few days now. I did some eating and shopping last night. Myself and two fellow travelers took a taxi to the Itaewon shopping district of Seoul. We spent the first hour or so looking through the shops. Two of us were looking for blankets; nice, heavy blankets you can only find in Korea or Japan.



Nice, eh? Quite warm, too.

Curiosity led us down some back alleys, which led us to some nice surprises. We found a couple of streets with more upscale shops. Shops not containing the usual crap that you found in the more touristy areas, but shops with some really nice antiques. I mean, let me tell you, Seoul could be the antique capital of the world. All those "Antiquers" should grab their passports and book a trip to Seoul!

We also went to a tiny Korean restaurant in the heart of "Little Albania."

We had Kimchee...



Bulgogi, which we cooked ourself at the table...



and some other pickled-fish dish that was also pretty good...



I also took in some sights...

a nice little view from in between two buildings...


The "Welcome to Korea" archway.


Korean McDonald's


Now, I was watching the news, and Fox was reporting on the South Korean hostage situation in Afghanistan, and how it was the ONLY thing on all the stations here. However, walking around town, even though everyone had a TV set up on the street, everyone was glued to the set, it wasn't the news they were watching. It was the Asian Games Soccer Match between Iraq and the South Korean teams. That was the real thing people couldn't stop talking about.

Ooops! She did it again...

DAMN! Not even a week out of rehab, and Lindsay Lohan is once again arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Driving While Intoxicated. Heeped onto this, one FELONY charge of Cocaine Possession, and one FELONY charge of Trafficking of an Illegal Substance. And again, she seeks the refuge of rehab. This time, she also sought medical help...

"LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan was busted for drunk driving and drug possession on Tuesday, just days after completing an alcohol treatment programme following her arrest in May for similar charges, police said. "

You know, I was watching the news as I typed up my report, and I first thought it was discussion on Ms Lohan because she was now out of rehab, had turned herself in for her last offense, etc., etc. Then I realize, HOLY SH!T, AGAIN!!!

Book SEVEN is finally here!

So, Ant got a bug up his ass to go to the BX at 0700 for book seven of Harry Potter. The line was already around the corner...



... and extended back around this corner...



Ant not looking so happy... Wait, wasn't this his idea???



camping out with the others...



And the final product. Book 7 in our hot little hands....



Damn PX advertised for over a week about the 0800 presale... then on the day of, nope, sorry, we can't pre-sell.. have to wait until 0901 as that is 1201 GMT! WHAT, you can't pre-sell? Amazon has been doing that for almost a year! You can't do it an hour early? Whatever! Anywho, half the base was there. AFN included. Ant may have made it onto Around the Services for today or sometime this weekend.!

Let there be STEAK!!!

So, being stuck in the States, I decided to make the most of it. I decided to see a movie. I picked a chick-flick, "Knocked Up." I chose this movie because The others I would have seen, (Die Hard, Harry Potter, Transformers) I would have liked to have seen with my Hubby, who is 6,000 miles away, at the moment.
And, as I had 90 minutes before the movie started, I decided to go to Applebee's. Party of one, I sat at the bar. I looked at the menu and decided, LET THERE BE STEAK! I hadn't had one in a while, and they are super expensive to have one at a restaurant in Japan, so there! It was so delish!
Movie was cute. Had its funny moments and its IsodidnotneedtoseeTHAT moments. But all in all I enjoyed it.

Stuck in Florida, Courtesy of Man-Yi

Well, I made it to the airport with 45 minutes to make it through security and all that... plenty of time. Unfortunately, Typhoon Man-Yi made it to Tokyo with plenty of time to cancel my flights. So, I am stuck in Florida for another two days. Had to rent another car, move back into billeting. SUCKS! But it IS Florida!

Eat your heart out Olive Garden!

Macarni Grill is SO much better! Sorry Amanda, but it is true. I ate at Macaroni Grill today. Oh My God! utterly delish! I had a chicken and mozerella sandwich.

I found a new wonder drug!

Orange juice. That is right, Orange juice. My throat was killing me because of the long flight. I mean, for 3 days the darn thing was just damn painful. I couldn't swallow. Then I had a tall glass of orange juice and it immediately felt better. Then I took a 4 hour nap, and the pain was gone. As it started to come back, I drank more orange juice, and the pain goes drastically away.

My new camera and the Wii hunt

I went and found a new digital camera. It is a Nikon Coolpix. It has an in-camera red-eye reducer, a 3 inch LCD screen, and an optical stabilizer. I bought a 2-Gig memory card, which happened to be on sale at the price of a 1-Gig card. It also came with a rechargeable battery, which can be recharged via the USB port in my computer. This thing is bad-ass!
I've also been on the hunt for a Nintendo Wii. I've been all over Pensacola, Florida. No luck. In one way it is funny, cause there are tons of PS3s and Xboxes around. Considering how much I hate Microsoft, the "Zune" is just ridiculous, and how much Sony is messing up, with trying to outdo microsoft... It is funny. But still. It is also annoying. We'll probably have to order one, have it sent to Ant's parent's house, cause no one wants to send things to APOs, way to support the troops, and have Ant's Parents send it us.

Fly Delta

OK, I just have to rave about my international flight on Delta Airlines! For one thing, they had these in-seat tv screens that let you watch movies, and it wasn't some crappy in-flight movie they picked for you, either. You had your choice from about 30-odd movies. I watched two, "Hog Wild" and "In the Land of Women." I would have watched a third or fourth, but I had vainly tried to get some sleep. So I settled on reading and listening to my iPod. I also had tons of leg room, and a seat in between myself and the other gentlemen in the row. Food was decent, I had about 3 meals and a snack on board. Hey, it was a 13-hour flight!

Sleep, Glorious, Delicious SLEEP!

Well, I made it safely to Pensacola, Florida! Man, was that a trek. 26 hours, 3 planes, 2 checked bags, and 1 carry-on, and I am here. I have amassed a 32 hour sleep deficit. You'd think I'd have been able to sleep on the 13 hour plane ride to Atlanta from Tokyo! Nope, I had an annoying Brazilian teenager pounding on the back of my seat. And, not wanting to start an international incident, I just went with it.
SO, I get to P-cola, get my rental car, get to base (without getting lost, pretty great for me!), get to billeting, get my room (actually it is a suit, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a sitting area) and it is now midnight. I crawl into bed and blissfully fall asleep. Next thing I know, my wrist watch alarm is going off. Now that thing is set for 0400 Japan time. I'm like, there is no fricken way it is 2pm! I finally take my eye mask off, yep, 2 pm! WTF! I've gotta get up, in a minute. Next thing I know it is 330 pm. I'd fallen asleep again! 15.5 hours of sleep and at 8pm on Friday, a mere 4.5 hours after I'd gotten out of bed, I am ready for bed again.

SON OF A B!

OK, so, I am finally going to get to take a few days leave. After putting in leave and having to cancel it, putting in leave and having to cancel it, each time because another business trip came up, I am finally going to get to take three days of leave.... or so I thought! Turns out, they can't get me out on Sunday, so now I have to leave Thursday. This means that, once again, I have to cancel my leave! To top it all off, some idiots decide to try and blow themselves up in Scotland. Then the TSA decides it has to up its security measures... all not 3 days before I leave on a jet plane bound for the good ol' U.S. of A! Just like when I graduated from grad school, and Ant flew out to MD to see my ceremony, and that idiotic threat about liquid explosives forever kept Janice Dickinson from having her make-up onboard the plane, and our children from being able to have their formula.... just days before we flew back to Hawaii!!
So now, I am flying to Florida, 4 days before the conference, stuck on base, without a rental car.... SON OF A B!