Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Creed Reunion


Living overseas some news goes unnoticed. I don't mind missing the occasional spike in gas prices or the latest White House squabble. I did not much being outside the loop a bit on the bought and paid for World Series of the New York Yankees., mostly because of the way the Pirates folded once again.

Once thing I was sorry to miss was the long
awaited reunion of Creed. Now, from all I heard about the feud among band members, I think they were all on a five-year whining session.

I don't know what finally got them back together. I would like to think that is the maturing of the members, particularly of Scott Srapp. At least some of the lyrics to their new music would
have us believe that. I guess that the prospect of once again raking in the dollars did not hurt matters. I hoper for their sake that, having already been established, that they actually make most of the money, and not so much that record labels.

The new offering by Creed is a welcome album for me. I have always liked Creed. I like their generally positive, searching nature of their lyrics, their hard guitar sound, Stapps vocals. I do think the Full Circle is missing some of the soulful sound such as with My Own Prison.

The guitars are played a little harder on this album, than on albums past, maybe a concession to Mark Tremonti and his Alter Bridge project.

On the album I particularly like the track "Rain."
There are no real weak tracks on the album, and most of them have solid identities.
Overcome, Bread of Shame, A Thousand Faces, Suddenly, Away in Silence, Full Circle and Time are all tracks that could chart high. Rain and Time should do well in the mainstream as well. Another possibility of a song peaking up the Top 40 Charts is Overcome, despite its much edgier tone than Rain.

I'm thrilled to have Creed back on the scene. I don't care what has been writer of Rolling Stone does not like them. I don't care of some wounded fan of Pearl Jam is envious of better written lyrics. Creed is back. It means that people won't find themselves shelling out $20 for a Pearl Jam or Nickeback CD only to listen to one or two songs.

Creed is back.

The past is the past. Creed is Back.


Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving


Having family around a table, with a feast before you, is a very special. I always looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner with the families and to Christmas with the tree and decorations, and the presents.

We are going to try to recreate a taste of the holidays this year in our tiny little apartment. We will see how well that all goes. The Army base in Yongsan provides a service. They will prepare a Turkey or Ham dinner for 10 people for a reasonable price. It is a pretty good deal.

We are going to decorate the apartment as best we can with our Christmas decorations and make things as nice as possible for everyone.

We are also hoping to see the new film, A Christmas Carrol sometime in the evening (hope the English is not dubbed over!).

What ever you are doing, I hope you have a nice thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Made in China

Made In China

We are really starting to get cold here. We've bought a portable space heater. It works pretty well, but it is not fun dragging it from room to room.

It cost about half the price of the comparable coil-air blown counterpart, and is rated as using about half the electricity. It is good for a single room of decent size, and is more than enough on half power for a smaller room.

I want to say that this is an original product of China-not a clone, a copy or manufacturing ripoff, but honestly I don't know. It runs about $50US (330 RMB, 56KWon).

This week temps have risen back into the 40s. Hopefully we will have another month of mildly cold temperatures before is drops below freezing for the duration.

Winter is a dreary time, it seems. It is much nicer in pictures and movies than in reality.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Asan No More?

I've made the jump from Danjin and headed over to Asan.  It is hard to move once you get settled in a certain place.  I still make it back to Dangjin and I will for the forseeable future, but I'm now in Asan for as long as that lasts. 

The powers that be are rumbling about merging Cheonan and Asan into on metropolis...will it be Chasan or Aseonan?

Asan/Cheonan is a better place to live than Dangjin in some ways. We are 10 minutes from the KTX, and from there 20 minutes from Seoul or Daejeon.  That is pretty nice.  That said, the traffic in Cheonan is rediculous-a constant reminder of why I don't like cities.

There are some nice advantages.  The new job is great. I haven't had a bad day yet, and I remember it was sometimes hard to find a good day at my last job. I guess where you work really does matter.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Pirates Searching for .500


If you were to survey Pittsburgh fans on the likelihood of the current Pirates team bettering the .500 mark for the first time in 16 years, many today would probably tell you that they have a decent chance.

If you said at the end of last season that the same group would finish above .500 this year most would say no way. Sadly though, as much as fans would like to think, their favorite teams cannot be willed to win—encouraged, but not willed.

Synergy

I think baseball is a game driven somewhat by attitude, preparation and confidence, and less by raw talent as some would suggest. Over a full season you can probably chalk up 20+ games, that are ultimately won or lost due to the overall approach the team takes on the field.

What is this mumbo-jumbo spewing from your keyboard?

I believe that a combination of preparation, attitude, and confidence synergize to give individual players and whole teams an edge to win (or lose) that cannot be measured as raw talent. Equally, sometimes teams lose a game, when on paper they should have won.

Beyond these 20 or so games, the rest are determined by raw talent. For all the large market teams out there who buy your teams year-in and year-out, don’t worry.

Talent still rules the day in the end, or does it?

  • Why does a good Red Sox team come back against a better Yankees team in the ALCS (2004)?
  • Why do the Detroit Pistons sweep the Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers (1990)?
  • How does the U.S. Olympic Hockey team defeat the Soviet Union (1980)?
  • How do the upstart New York Jets defeat the powerhouse Baltimore Colts (1969)?

They give themselves a chance to win by finding something extra, that wasn’t there before.

Yes we can!

On any given day, any given team can beat any other given team.

Sports have more than a few of these little clichés that talk about an extra something, and that lend encouragement to the underdog.

He is in the zone

This one always has me conjuring in my mind an alter dimension that the player has somehow jumped to, making him impervious or even invisible to the opponents defense.

He is seeing the ball well

Does this mean he is not drunk or experiencing blurred vision?

He’s a contact hitter

Isn’t everyone a contact hitter? Otherwise they would not really be hitters at all? This one is a bit of a stretch, but a batter after first getting his bat on the ball gets a boost of adrenaline or confidence that helps carry him to a hit.

Tony Gwynn was a self-described contact hitter. It stands to reason that if you always are getting your bat on the ball, you are going to get more hits than if you are always waiting for the perfect pitch.

People use these clichés because they are true.

Baseball players are superstitious because they know that no matter how talented they might be, sometimes they can get into a funk that they just can’t shake. There are good days and bad days, all affected by the environment around them.

So what does this mean for the '09 Bucs?

For years the Pirates have been the unfortunate recipient of more than their fair share of bad ju-ju.

This year, in the case of the Pirates starting rotation, Joe Kerrigan has pitchers forgetting about the previous year, developing a plan, getting their mind and their mechanics right, and believing they can get the job done with the tools they have; finding in themselves that extra something.

This will not just increase the number of good days, but it is also going to greatly diminish the effect of the bad days which will still come.

The difference is that pitchers will be better able to keep a cool head and get the job done. Good sports is more than the sum total of each individual players abilities.

The really quality teams are that way because they believe. They literally will themselves to do what needs to be done, whether it is a subconscious act or not.

When a relief pitcher does well, then everyone else feeds-off on that. If enough of them can raise their performance it becomes contagious for all of them.

When the other guys on the team are hitting, everyone in the dugout begins to feel they can hit, and sometimes just believing that winning is possible is what you need to get started...

Getting to .500

Over the past 5 season the Pittsburgh Pirates have averaged 68 wins a season, a full 13 games below just breaking even.

Should this be the goal? Getting to .500 will most likely get them a third place finish at best. This is not much of a goal.

You’ve heard batters say that the pitchers are "giving them a chance to win." SS Jack Wilson said it the other day after the second win over the Marlins.

In his ninth year, Wilson knows what it feels like when the pitchers don't give you a chance to win, and he knows this year is different.

Batters know that they cannot put up five-plus runs every game on average on a team where the pitchers are not pitching well.

Besides being mathematically faulted, the negative performance is responded to by lackluster effort from the team on offense and on defense, and unreasonable amount of pressure on batters to feel they must produce a run with every at bat.

It has been said that good baseball starts with pitching.

Everyone has seen games where a pitcher served up a very respectable two run game, only to get the loss, but it is usually the other way around.

The typical scenario in a lost is the Pitcher gives up four or so runs too early and it is left to the long relievers to try to put the breaks on, and the offense that might have four or five runs just can’t keep up.

For now at least the Pirates have their starting rotation doing a very respectable job and their bullpen reliable if used right, in short appearances tailored to their individual abilities.

There are some starting pitchers on the staff who have been a little hot and cold since the beginning and the result is that in many games for the Bucs it has been feast or famine.

Either the Bucs score a lot and hold their opponent to a very low score, or they lose big. But this is all obvious.

What is going on that is different?

The Pirates starting rotation is going into games thinking they are prepared, thinking they have the tools, having a plan in place.

Does it mean they are all going to be 15-game winners?

Of course not, but it does mean that they can go into a game with that extra something that makes the difference.

At this time last year they were 9-13 and had given up 42 more runs than they had scored.

In '07 they were 8-10 with a 15-run deficit.

In '06 they were 5-16 with a 32-run deficit.

Today they are 9-6 with a 20-run advantage over their opponents, according to ESPN.

The Pirates are playing .600 ball right now; played out over the season this is 97 wins.

Admittedly, the pitching staff is clicking on all cylinders right now, but it would appear as if they are well on their way to .500 and could possibly win 85-90 games this year.

Winning 90 games gives them a great likelihood of making the post-season.

The season is only a tenth of the way through but I feel comfortable in suggesting that the Bucs will easily surpass the .500 mark, assuming they can stay healthy and can mold Jason Jaramillo into an able replacement for Doumit while he heals.

The Psychology of It All

Fill a team with a bunch of second tier talents and who are always behind and it is a recipe for regular and profound failure; the Pirates over the last 16 years. Even the very best players would have problems performing in this environment.

Now take those same hitters and give them a reason to feel they are in the game after the third or fourth or even the seventh inning on a regular basis and you get performance like that of Adam LaRoche whose numbers have really picked up this April.

Doumit et al

It remains to be seen how this will impact the team. Doumit’s injuries have been problematic in the past, and the rest of the team can’t feel encouraged by this, however MLB.com is reporting the Doumit and asked to remain with the team during his time on the DL.

This will positively benefit the morale of the team and provide the kind of encouragement the other players need to be able to step up on a regular basis as they did against the Marlins. Doumit will also be around to help Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz develop.

LaRoches

Adam has his average up above .300 and has been clutch hitting lately. It also can not hurt having his little brother around every day. Andy LaRoche likely would not be starting in the majors if he were not on the same team as his brother.

However, perhaps the best "farm" team for him to develop on is the big one, where he and his brother can feed off of one another. It remains to be seen if there isn’t a better option for the Pirates at third in the future, but for now it is working.

Freddy Sanchez is a solid regular hitter. He does not have slugging power but a consistent .300 plus hitter is always welcome in the lineup.

If Nyjer Morgan continues to produce and, Brandon Moss and Nate McLouth produce some respectable hitting with some home runs from McLouth, the Pirates offense can prove to be very threatening this year, backed up by a solid starting rotation.

In the End

I am tired of the Pirates being a farm club for so many other teams.

When the trade deadline comes the Pirates trade away their best players for a couple prospects that will be ready two or three years down the line.

Then they develop these prospects and trade them away too.

How stupid is it to make a prediction before the first month is even concluded?

I predict the Pirates could win 85 plus games but for this to happen they have a certain magic number to reach…50. That is the number of wins they are going to need by the All-Star Break. Another magic number is 37. That is the number of wins they need from their starting pitchers by the Break.

Anything less than this and there is the risk that the Pirates will feel pressure to auction off high priced talent.

However, regardless of whether this plays out, I hope that no young talent is traded hurting the team’s chance to start the next decade with a winner.

Team Wins: Right now they are at nine wins. 42 more to go.

SP Wins: Right now their starting pitchers have seven wins. That’s 30 more to go. That’s six wins a piece, which does not sound like that many when you consider that is 14 appearances each. But that is a lot when you consider the starters combined for 30 wins during all of 2008.

Right now they believe and are doing the things right that they need to do. Whether they continue doing them, only time will tell.

Monday, April 13, 2009


Weekend Flower Festivals

Tina and I spent the weekend going around to enjoy various flower festivals.  On Saturday we went to Myeoncheon for the Azalia festival.  
We sampled Azalia Pancakes made from pounded rice stuff similar to what you find in those Korean holiday rice cakes.

We met up with Aaron and April and their two daughters and took in two small town festivals.  The photos here were all taken at Myeoncheon.

We left one of the festivals and located a little temple that was part of the way up a hill.  

You could not go in but you could take photographs and look around the outside a bit.  It was very much smaller than what you would find in China.

This flower is at least like one that first blooms in what is actually late winter, around January.


There were a number of flowers in bloom with names that I do not know.  Any flower experts out there are welcome to identify them and I will update this and give you credit.

I was surprised by this flower.  I thought that the blooms were perfect, in fact too perfect.  The bushes were probably a meter tall.

This old guy was making a 'totum' by the use of a chainsaw.  
Some Korean villages create totum like statures that are placed at the edge of a village to ward off evil spirits.

The dafodils were beautiful. 
 There were not that many but the one's I saw were well cared for.
  The yellow was sooooo yellow.


Thursday, April 2, 2009

Spring Beach Trip

Spring is here and that means there are many more choices for things to do. Thang God!

First on the list for this Florida boy was a trip to the nearest beach I could find (Waemok). Tina and I took BT to the beach for just the second time and let him run around a bit. It was still to cold to call it an official beach day. We probably need another month for that.

BT really liked it but sadly he is afraid of the water. This seems strange for a golden retriever, though he does not mind the shower at all.

The first time we went with him to the beach I threw a string of clam
shells lost by a fisherman into the surf and he dove right in after it but quickly changed his mind and turned for dry land.

I suppose eventually I will not be able to get him out of the water, so I should be greatful for now.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

24 Portrays Women as Dumb Decision Makers


This weekend I wathced a bit of a minimarathon of 24. We had around 6 episodes that we had not watched, so we sat and watched them all back to back. Watchng them all, back-to-back I noticed that the writers of the show seem to hate women.

Consider the female character's on show and their not very wise decisions. There is the girl, Marika that was dating the evil Dubaku. After being completely duped about who he was, she is finally let in on the secret that he is a murderous warlord type. Still she agrees to go meet him. Not sure why, but not that smart. Then after he gives the baby
baby you know the real me speech, she says she'll go with him. Now maybe she was being brave or acting out self preservation, but poor decisions on her part got ther to that point.

The second character who is not that bright is the FBI agent and computer lady, played by Ever Carradine, who is duped by shifty eyed co-FBI guy to plot against the government. 'Baby baby, trust me, you're the one. Now just do this for me. I'm gonna leave my wife for you, I swear. Please continue committing treason. Oops, sorry gotta murder you.'

Next up is one of the stars fo the show, played by Annie Wersching, agent Renee Walker is a tough girl. So, she smartly figures out that an hospital orderly is not who he says he is. Then she smartly tracks him 
back to a wearhouse, the staging area of a massive terrorist attack. She calls in to say, hey, the bad guys are here. This is where the smart stops for Agent Walker. Bad guys are getting ready to go, and they hop on a boat. Instead of hitting redial, she seizes the moment and jumps on the tale of the boat, landing poorly. Her phone gets all wet and she drops her gun in the water. Now she and the terrorists are on the way to do the job and she has no way to stop them or to call for help.


Not a big player in the whole thing thus far, but the president's daughter, Olivia Taylor, played by Sprague Grayden. She enters as this self-serving, whiny little daughter. She has a little temper tantrum before agreeing to go see her father, who has been shot, at a sceret service agent's behest. This is on the same day that two planes crash. The president sends the secret service for you, don't you check the attitude and go? Then she is being walked around the West Wing of the White House, protected by Aaron the long-time secret service agent, who must protect her with his one gun.

Ms. Taylor, I need you to hide where you will be safe while I go signal for help. 'No, I'm going with you.' Making his job that much harder Aaron the SSA is shot. He tells her to go into a room and get a flashlight and signal out the window to come and save them all. So she goes into the room, gets the flashlight. She doesn't lock the door. Bad guys come in and grap her before she can signal. Now she is captured and bate for the president to come out of hiding.

You would think Janeane Garofalo (FBI Agent Janis Gold), being the independant minded lady she is, would not appreciate having the writers give her ditzy moves. So on the day of a big terrorist attacks, FBI moles, and at- large terrorists, she decides to get proprietary about her job. When Chloe O'Brien is brought in to run operations, Garafalo suspects that she has been brought in to replace her in her job. This is after she has done nothing wrong. So she borrows the network key (highly sensitve equipment)
and uses it to hack the main frame. She taps into a phone call, with Bower saying, we are tracking Dubaku, he is trying to leave the country. Losing sight of the ball, she is more concerned about Chloe, who her boss brought in, and in Jack than she is in Dubaku who is already responbile for hundreds of deaths of American citizens.

Next on the list is Cherry Jones, who plays President Allison Taylor. She hims and hawes so much it's a wonder she is able to make a decision at all. But let's focus on just one decision the write rs made for her. Terrorists have captured the White House and the president's daughter
among others. Madam President come out or I will kill your daughter. Now of course daughter's are important, but once your the president don't you start making decisions for the entire country. Ok, so she comes out and the terrorists capture her. Bad guys say your're going to make a video, the last thing you will ever do. President
Taylor says, OK, I will make this colossally embarassing and stupid video which would embarass the United States for decades and decades, but you have to let the terrorists go first. Has anyone ever heard of being dragged kicking and screaming?

Finally let's look at the normally sure-whitted Chloe who somehow forgot she was running a backup system and thought she'd lost the entire list corrupted by two FBI moles. What computer person forgets they have a backup system?

This is just a small list, but I'd be willing to bet it goes back all the way to the beginning of the season. I guess I'm only noticing this because the plot this time around seems so rediculous. What African warlord could get such a foothold of power within the United States, such that he could launch a stuningly successful attack on the White House and taking the President Captive?

Is there a new writing team working over at 24?

Korean Flash Cards