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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Recovering from the Visit

Holy cow, almost two weeks since I posted.

I gotta tell you, I loved having Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa Sack) here. Not only for the free child care, and Dad's willingness to do the dishes, but for their company. Hard to say goodbye.

Really hard. We picked them up at their hotel at about 5:50 a.m. on the day they left. Miserable early. I find it's getting harder for me to say goodbye each time I do it. I'm tired of goodbyes.

I consoled myself by getting a few donuts at the airport Dunkin' Donuts. We came home all together, then Horyon's parents took Horyon to school and Maxine to their home, leaving me alone for the first time in too long. I ate the donuts, then crashed for the next four hours.

That afternoon I went into my office and started packing. The next day I finished. All of my books, all the stuff on my desk, all the stuff on my table went into boxes. And the next time I go up to my office, it will be in a different building. I suspect I will have trouble finding it.

Of course, Horyon's been back at work since before Mom and Dad left, so I've been watching Maxine lots. I've enjoyed it, but it doesn't lend itself easily to blogging. My first reaction to spare computer time is email. I probably should rearrange my priorities.

I have time now because we took Maxine to the hospital for an immunization shot after Horyon finished at work. She fussed around a bit, then went to sleep. Sorry, I meant to say they fussed around a bit then went to sleep. Immunizations do that to Maxine. Horyon is fighting off a cold and her dentist, so she needs the rest too. I'm tired myself, but someone has to stay awake to make sure that the blogging gets done.

I had some time yesterday. Around 12:00 p.m., Horyon's father picked up Maxine. I ate some lunch, then went for a bike ride. It was my first since December, maybe November. My usual warm-up hill, Dalmaji, kicked my ass. I couldn't make the full course, and as I limp/rolled down loser street, it mocked me: "Next time bring an iron lung, and perhaps a spare heart, you cardio-vascular non-entity!" Hills can be so cruel.

Next time I ride, I'll take my camera. That way, when I stop every five minutes to pant, I can comfort myself by taking pictures to post here, on Roblog. And if I remember to take my tripod, you will get to see me in those wicked-sexy bicycle pants. Oh yeah, you all are in for a treat.

Peace,

Rob

Friday, February 10, 2006

So quickly...

It's kind of astonishing how quickly Maxine is growing. Not that she looks that much bigger to me, but people who see her every week, like our church friends, notice. What I notice is how her skill set is growing.

She has always had the instinct to grab anything put in her hand, but during the first week that my Mom and Dad were here, she advanced to actually reaching for things to grab a hold of.

In this picture, she and I are having a laugh conversation. I laugh, she laughs. It sounds like talking, except the words are all "Ha ha." Perhaps I am biased, but Maxine is just completely adorable. I hope it's this easy to talk to her when she hits 13.



Mom and Dad are having a good time. Earlier this week Horyon's parents took them out sight-seeing and shopping, with Youngwhan as the official photographer. Here they are at the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Building. They are bundled up because it's right on the sea, and it was a pretty cold day. Still, they had a good time.






They even drove up into the mountains high enough to enjoy (?) the snow. Dad was wearing TEVA sandals, so I think he enjoyed the snow more than anyone else. (Chaeryon asked for this picture. Hi Chaeryon!)

Their last stop was a large farmers' market. When they came back to our apartment, all five of them were carrying bags of food. Five kinds of mushrooms, a huge box of apples (if any of you need apples, I'm willing to try emailing them), some oranges, even a few mangos. (You cannot hold the wind, but you can hold a mango.) We've been eating well, though we are fortunate that it is cold enough to store fruits in our kitchen verandah, because both of our refrigerators are pretty much full.

Do you remember Sookmo? Her family took us out to a duck restaurant.

They cook the duck by, I believe, smoking it first, then slicing it, piling it in pumpkins, then cooking it more. Looked a bit nasty at first, but tasted wonderful. As you can see, Horyon sat in the corner feeding Maxine for part of the time. One more example of how being a Mommy sets you apart.

Of course, you will notice that I am sitting front and center, diligently feeding myself. Being a father means that if I'm with Horyon my eating time is decreased, but when with family she gets passed around. Score!

And now, everyone else is in the living room trying to distract Maxine from being fussy. Sounds like they're doing a good job. Sometimes I just need to be off by myself, writing for my adoring fans.

All three of them.

Peace,

Rob

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Winter Wonderland

A few weeks ago I posted a few pictures of the view out of our apartment. They might be good for comparison to what we woke up to today:

Quite beautiful. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be sticking to the streets. However, Horyon is dead set against taking Maxine out, and we had planned to go shopping with Mom and Dad. Instead, I think that Horyon will go with them, and I'll stay home and keep Maxine company.

I'll probably carry her around in the carrier Mom and Dad brought here for us. When I first loaded her up, Maxine wasn't too thrilled with it.

But when I put my coat on, and stood in front of the mirror, she went nuts. She loves it now.

For any of you who are interested, it's a BabyBjorn Baby Carrier. I bought it for about $80 on Amazon.com. I would put a link here, but I'm carrying Maxine now, and want to finish this so I can walk around with her a bit.

Horyon has gone shopping with Mom and Dad, so it's just the two of us. We're watching UHF.

Big Fun!

Peace,

Rob

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Arrival

Mom and Dad got here safely, about 2 hours ago.

They were tired, and happy to get to their hotel room. By now I hope that they are sleeping soundly.

I drove to the airport with Horyon and Maxine in the car, following Horyon's father driving with her mother and brother. It was a nice little mini-adventure.

Their hotel room is small, but servicable. And the bathroom doesn't smell moldy, a sign of excellence in a $35 per night hotel, don't you think?

It's now after 11 p.m., and Horyon is trying to calm Maxine by carrying her around the house in her traditional baby back carrying cloth thingy, which I'm sure they have a word for in Korean.

They have a different word for everything.

Anyway, just letting you know.

Peace,

Rob

A Brief Introduction

Roblog is my writing lab. It is my goal to not let seven days pass without a new post. I welcome your criticism, as I cannot improve on my own.

Here is a link to my cung post, which remains the only word which I have ever invented, and which has not, as far as I know, caught on. Yet.