Detroit Pop City

All my dtw people have probably seen this already but the only thing we're allowed to watch Koko side these days is Gangnam Style, so pardon my late arrival to das par-tay.



Came across that video in a quick little writeup of the Detroit pop scene. Always nice to read un-negative stuffs about your own tiny corner of my rundown, post-industrial town is better than yours.

What’s more brilliant is that the city’s pop landscape makes sense of a culture of versatility that has given the world such acts as Madonna, Eminem, The White Stripes, Aretha Franklin, ADULT., Motown, and all of DEMF culture. Unlike the music scenes in bigger markets like New York, L.A., and Austin, Detroit hasn’t lost its specificity to the homogeneity of major label appropriation. Whether it’s decrepit buildings, bustling all-American roads like Woodward Avenue, or the general sense of the region’s ability to synthesize everything from hip-hop to bubblegum pop to EDM, pop stars from Detroit tend to have a special ownership of their hometown that Lady Gaga, for example, can’t seem to match for New York.

A nicer way of saying Detroit musicians are feral, basically.

Jeonsa's Second Typhoon

My second ever typhoon. Was supposed to have been the most brutal to hit the peninsula in the past 10 years but was only half the man as my first. To wit:



Looks serious, but then again don't you think homegirl should have waited until after the typhoon passed to walk outside and have herself a lookie? Or a more succinct way to put it:



Was reading about the hurricane about to dump all over New Orleans the same time I was waiting around for my new typhoon friend so decided to look up the difference between the two. Turns out there's zero save hurricanes occur in the Atlantic while typhoons only jam the Pacific. WTF is a tornado then? I need to repeat the 5th grade.

Seokchon, Done

Three years of Seokchon Middle School, come and gone. Buh bye schedule was a bit awkward since the end of my contract didn't correspond to the school calendar, which meant I couldn't pretend the day before holiday started was my actual last day, like a normal person. Instead had to go into work for seven whole days and teach because it made sense to draw up a class schedule for the new term then make a new one a week later after I'd gone. Whatevs, though, because my office mates got me a peace out cake:




My favorite too, because who doesn't love sweet potato cake?



Only ketchup would have made it better.

As for students: ja, will miss them. Apparently they'll miss me too.



I decided to forgo the standard week-long farewell pageant most native English teachers arrange for themselves by standing in the hallways and passing out flyers announcing their last day. Settled instead for telling them all to have nice lives at the end of our last class together then letting their homeroom teachers explain afterward. What my approach to goodbye lacked in awkward letters and re-gifted iPhone cases was more than made up by genuine, spontaneous goodbyes from my students as they left for the day and I left forever. Touching, to say the least. There are limits in ESL teaching to just how deeply you can connect with students, but after three years I felt like I knew many of them on a personal level, and goodbyes are never easy when you know someone's favorite RPG. But then I went home and drank a beer, so nevermind. 

Relive your 10s

File this under "Oh ja, I did that."

ESL Red Carpet

Spent my do-nothing week at work actually working on our English camp movie. Was nearly finished but then went on holiday down south so let it sit, whoops. Selah, am done now. You can either watch it today or after it wins five ESL Oscars at the Academy (학원) Awards.



Would win a sixth for editing if I knew my way around Not Windows Movie Maker, but I don't, sigh.

Ryan Palin

Word from your momz is that Paul Ryan is going to be The Mitt's selection as Vice Presidential running mate. I think we went through this charade four years ago, non?



Like, totes eerie and shiz. Obama should invade another country just to count whatever parliamentary votes they use as even more margin of victory in the Electoral College. Otherwise, I put that gif together in the hopes you'd stare at it for at least 20 minutes before your next discussion with someone from the other end of the political spectrum as you, whichever side that may be.

Official Work Log

School ended two weeks ago and camp ended a week later. Have to work this week because I have a job but don't really have any work to do since it's the summer holiday. An odd contract I signed, non? Here is a typical not-work week this poor blog occasionally has to suffer through: 

Monday - Arrived to work at 12.11 pm. Turned on the office AC but it didn't work. Left work at 12.16 pm. Pondered the mops on my way out because I'd hitherto been certain they were never actually cleaned.



Tuesday - Arrived to work at 11.03 am. Talked to the PE teacher for six minutes. In the office by 11.11. AC was working so turned on my computer to check the Tigers' score. They were losing 5-3 when I left my apartment. Game had gone final during my commute, 7-3. At least the White Sox also lost. Spent the next hour reading numerous news blogs to reaffirm my belief Mitt Romney is a plastic douchebag. Left work at 12.15 pm under the guise of "going for lunch." Didn't return from lunch.

Wednesday - Didn't even bother pretending I needed to go into work. Just laid in bed until 11.30 am. Took a nap at 11.55 am. 

Thursday - Was spotted by two co-workers at 12.17 pm having bibimbrunch so went into work to make it look like I was returning from my lunch break. Took a photo of my empty office then turned around to leave.



Special bonus: was spotted by the vice-principal on my way out. Made a joke about the humidity and he laughed. If central office ever calls he will confirm to them that I worked today.

Friday- Woke up at 9.03 am. Was far too early to go into work for a shift that began at 8.30 so made a Vietnamese iced coffee and caught up on The Daily Show. Finally made it into the office just before 11. Planned to stay awhile since I had to print out tutoring materials for some illegal work I do on the side but stayed even longer because I got sidetracked reading a baseball blog. (Feel irrationally optimistic about the Tigers' divisional chances even though I've given up on them this season seven times already.) Was at a music festival by 4 even though my shift ended at 4.30.



Can't explain why but it feels like the week passed entirely too quickly. Next week will pass so much more slowly since I'll be on holiday in Wando eating food and stuff.