Insubong enjoys its status as Korea's most classic peak to scale. A great view of western Seoul was expected from the top, but a shock and awe blitzkrieg of low heavy clouds had gathered from nowhere and consumed the peak by the 5th pitch.

Our route followed fractures along the sparse tree line on the right, tucked under the over-hanging 'nose' and emerged on top in a soup of fog and cool autumn rain.

"Beauty is not less for falling in the breeze"

Does grace colour us all the same? ... Copper and bronze coins high up in the trees fall to pay our weight, our way, through winter.

-From Paulette Dube's 'First Mountain'

Gyeonghuigung

The west Palace

Quite empty on a Wednesday evening

5 blocks away

all along.

I mean to wander more often.

After the better part of an hour, mid-evening hunger and a flashing low battery light had me heading towards the front exit where I'd come in, and where I caught the night-duty putting the last crossbar across the heavy wooden doors. 5 minutes later and I'd have been spending the whole night where the kings had slept.

In wild anticipation of finishing the last two episodes of the third and tragically final season of Arrested Development, I tore open the pack of popcorn seeds that'd been sitting in my cupboard for the past 3 months, and went to town on the gas stove. I really hadn't planned on putting back enough popcorn to overfill a stove pot and require the additional space of a medium mixing bowl as well as a bonus-size cereal dish, but I was inspired. Arrested Development has been the best use of roughly 20 hours at home after work that would normally have been used for something even less productive.

One of the greatest scenes out of the whole series. Astroman takes on the Mole, destroying a desert subdivision mock-up, and wildly insulting a score of Japanese would-be investors.

The popcorn, was brilliant. Perfect. All 2 gallons of it. When does LOST start up again?

For the past 8 months I have been unable to access this blog at work, blocked by some malicious code intentionally designed to keep me on track with the business of teaching English. And now, the wall has fallen. Could this hearld a flurry of insightful postings pertaining to my life, work, and observations in South Korea? It could. Or not.

There's the bell.