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Twentyfive Years Ago Part XXIV

Sunday, April 30th, 2006

Damn I felt embarrassed and scared. I would have to go to sick call. Sick call meant I would need a sick call slip signed by Sergeant Hillbilly. He would want to know what ailed me and I could not lie to him if I wanted to. It meant he would inform the other sergeants and pretty soon everyone on the project would know. This information would make it back to Arizona as well.

Soldiers like nothing better than to harass their peers. You would walk by your fellow soldiers and they would give you applause, because you have “the clap.”

Someone would remark, “Did you turn off the faucet.”

And the response would be, “Oh no. That’s just Blakemore drippin’.”

This is the kind of stuff I would listen to for the next couple of weeks. But the first thing I had to get the “Silver Bullet.” That is the name GIs affectionately gave to the shot that cured the clap. Usually, this was penicillin, but I am allergic to that so I received another antibiotic.

Some might have suggested holding off. Wait until I returned to the states and see a private doc. But I had no idea how many months I would remain in Korea. I recalled someone actually pulled the pipes out of the urinal when I was Germany. They ignored the burning until the pain became so incredible that they yanked the metal water pipes out of their sockets. I had no desire to feel that kind of pain when I could just get shot and go on with my life. To some extent getting the clap was like a badge of the ville.

The other worry was that the clap might have brought along an acquainted ailment. GIs talked about a form of venereal disease (VD) that slowly ate your genitalia. Supposedly there was no cure. Whoever caught this was shipped off to an island to rot to death. I am betting now that the island was an urban myth. I don’t know about that type of VD though.

I talked to the com center people to get the skinny on how sick call worked at Camp Humphreys. What time? Where to go? I slept on it, staying inside the base rather than go to the ville, since sick call’s hours were early morning. Went to the mess hall and had breakfast with Jam. After breakfast I looked for Sergeant Hillbilly in the com center. He was easy to find as he was a loud fellow. He loved to hear his voice own voice. Hillbilly had a wife and a bunch of kids back in Huachuca. Sarge also had a yobo in the ville and he talked about marrying her. I don’t know if he did or did not.

He yakked about his lover to a group of guys as I approached, “Well I woke and she got up too. I’m still laying there and she got on her knees looking for something on the floor. So I got yobo’s ass all in my face. So I smelled her pussy. And it smelled good. Then I licked it. And her pussy tasted good. So I figured while I was there I better fuck it good too.”

They laughed at the result of the tale. Looking at all these guys listening to his story I wondered if any of them had gone to the ville yet. Why listen to his story? Go to the ville and make your own. But I had bigger things to take care of and I got Sergeant Hillbilly’s attention. I handed him a sick slip to sign.

“What’s this, Specialist Blakemore,” he asked?

“I need to go to sick call Sarge.”

“What’s wrong with you? Got the clap,” he spoke with such a tone I knew he did not question my ailment.

“Yep Sarge. I got a leaky faucet.”

“What in the hell you want to go and get the clap for?” Then he guffawed a barrage of laughter while signing my slip.

Well at least I did not have to wait for my ailment to hit the grapevine. He blabbed it out in front of anyone and everyone that was there. So I did not have to wait long to hear the jokes as I left to catch the bus for main post.

Sick call at most Army bases is a part of the hurry up and wait system. The whole Army is based on the idea of getting someplace early and then waiting. I arrived at sick call around 8:15, turned in my sick call slip and I was considered almost too late to be accepted. I sat in a chair and read my book. Every now and then a soldier might nod off where they sat and an orderly would order them to wake up.

Most of the people in the room looked at me with great suspicion. That’s the way GIs are. These guys could care less what ailment I carried. There problem involved their inability to recognize my unit patch. Everyone in the Army is assigned to a unit. As part of the CEI battalion I was in USACC (United States Army Communication Command) and we had a crest (Don’t remember what the crest looks like) for identifying the battalion. Since I came from Ft. Huachuca and I worked inside the remote part of the base none of these guys had seen my patch and crest before. GIs are very territorial and suspicious of strangers.

The first thought when meeting a stranger is trying to determine if he might be CID (Criminal Investigation Division, the CSI of the Army) or from the inspector general’s office. Strangers have only one purpose, to fuck with the status quo and make extra details (chores) for a unit. They could see from my rank that I was not likely to do these things. But they had to consider who I worked for and where they might be and what they might do based on what I saw and said.

I read my book while feeling all of that negative energy flow in the room. Really I do not blame them for feeling that way. I would have done the same in their shoes and not thought twice about it.

An hour went by and they called my name. I walked over to the orderly. I handed him my medical records which I had in my possession since I was TDY (temporary duty). He took my temperature without asking me anything. Time passed as the mercury settled on no fever. He jotted down the temperature on the medical notes.

“So what seems to be the problem,” he asked.

“I got VD.”

“Okay. What makes your think that?”

“My piss burns and my dick drips.”

“Sounds like gonerhea.”

“Feels like hell,” I remarked.

He kind of snickered at my comment and waved me back to the seats. I went back to my book.

Another hour passed and they called me again. They actually called several of us and we left the waiting area and went into a back room of the clinic. Once we entered the room, a medic lined us up, nice and neat. There was a long table and our line was on the one end and parallel to its longer side. On the opposite end of the table was a female captain. A young cute brunette. She arranged microscope slides and other implements on the table. A pile of medical records also lay in a neat heap.

Once she had everything set up she called us forward, one at a time. The captain or the medic would have their patient display their penis. Then they would take a cotton swab secured to a metal stick and insert it inside the penis for a sample. Then they would wipe the swab on the microscope slide, label it and set it in a rack where it awaited to be sent to a laboratory. With the slide secured then you would pull down your pants enough to get the “silver bullet” and then they would write your medical profile. The profile restricted you to Camp Humphreys and ordered you to drink no alcohol for two weeks. There may have been a few other restrictions but those were the ones that hurt me. Once they gave you the profile, the captain would sign off on your sick call slip and you could return. Quite an assembly line and it could go quite smoothly.

But it did not. I waited next in line, when the next GI went up to the Captain. She ordered him to take out his penis, as she stood there ready to swab.

“I’m not going to let a woman touch me,” he told the Captain.

“Soldier I am ordering you to take out your penis,” she demanded.

And me stuck having to listen to this prude. I’m thinking the whole time, who gave you the clap, man. If you had been so adamant about not having a woman grab your dick then you would not be here now. But I kept that thought in my head. If anything I would have a good tale for lunch and the fellas might forget my predicament. They kept going round and round. I’m waiting for the Captain to call in the MPs to hold him down. But the medic came over and swabbed him. I don’t know if the Captain reported him or not, but she certainly could have.

Then my turn arrived and I was more than happy to get this over and done with. For the record the swab hurts like hell, but it’s not the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I got my “silver bullet”, my profile, my signed sick call slip, and then I had to argue over taking my records back. Fortunately, when I produced my TDY orders they relented and allowed me leave with my records.

Once I was done at the clinic I did not head straight back to the com center. They failed to time stamp my sick call slip, so I do what soldiers do when they have some slack on the leash. I goofed off. Goofing off meant going to the PX and buying some essentials, cigarettes and junk food. Then I went to the book store and browsed a bit.

I returned to the base in the base as soon as it got to be lunchtime. I dropped off my purchases and went to the com center. Sergeant Hillbilly was not around, but Sergeant DH was there.

“You back from sick call,” he asked? His voice grated at me. If anyone could find a way to make the clap a worse experience he could.

“I handed him my sick slip and profile.”

“Blakemore if I catch you in the ville I am going to make sure you get an Article 15.”

And with that he made the clap a worse experience. There was no way the Camp Humphreys MPs would know I should stay inside the base. I had TDY orders and they allowed me to leave as I pleased. Camp Humphrey personnel would require a signed pass to exit the base. But now I had this jerk looking for a chance to burn me. Some people get promoted to high rank and they are not happy unless they make their subordinates miserable.

This really looked bad. No beer hurt a lot cause I liked to drink. I did real good at drinking. No woman, well I would never infect a woman knowingly. No ville, really killed me. I loved walking the streets and seeing the people.

Though the one question that nagged in the back of my mind constantly was who gave me the clap. Did Suki get it from her air force boy. Or did the old yobo give it to Miss Lee. That’s a question that I have never answered to my satisfaction to this day.

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Anudda Meme

Saturday, April 29th, 2006
Cock-a-doodle tot I was cute so he tag me or something. I think he needs new glasses. Him been reading dose magazines and it hurts the vision ya know? But I do the meme anyway, cuz I am cute. Right ladies? Right?

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.
“attack bonuses for each class together to determine the”

This is from the d20 Modern Roleplaying Corebook.2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
When I reached over there I picked up several cards for the D&D Miniatures Game. If I did not convince you people I am a geek I am certainly doing it now.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

I watched Constantine on DVD. The first half. Got sleepy. Will finish it tonight.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
8:00 pm.5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
8:08 pm.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

My daughter yelling at her brother. Haiz…7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
When I took the kids out for lunch. Finally, went to eat dim sum. They treat me like I am some kind Ang Moh/Kwai Loh giving me a menu and a fork. I said dim sum thank you. Keep the fork too. Then we went to Borders cuz it is right there.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
I had just been to 12 to Midnight’s web site. I had to upload the project I had edited for a freelancer this afternoon.

9. What are you wearing?
Blue jean shorts and a red t-shirt that says I Camped in Space. Got the shirt for camping at NASA. Good memory that.

10. Did you dream last night?
I rarely dream.

11. When did you last laugh?
When my daughter criticized my Chinese accent when ordering dim sum off the tables. My wu kwok request sounded very bad.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Story boards. I need to update them because I finally had an idea for a series of children books that can take over when the Harry Potter books finish.

13. Seen anything weird lately?
Constantine had some weird shit in it.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
It is not one of my favorites.

15. What is the last film you saw?

Constantine on DVD. V For Vendetta at the theater.16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
A ticket to KL. I want to barge in on the blog gathering Tuesday.

17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
That’s what 25 Years Ago and its prequels and sequels is for. Patience please.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Enforce the US Constitution in America. Bye bye illegal invaders. Illegal immigrant is an oxymoron. Bye big federal government. Back to state’s rights like the founding fathers intended. Traitors and seditionists would be treated like the criminals they are.19. Do you like to dance?
No. But sometimes you got to make the missus happy.

20. George Bush.
I voted for him twice as governor and twice as President. But he has not done a damn thing to follow a Republican agenda or was it just a lie. Because of him I no longer consider myself a Republican. I am an independent for life. Quit asking for my money. You won’t get another penny. He and his ilk have sickened me so much I would rather go live elsewhere. He wants to make this New World Order and he can build that Tower of Babel without me. I don’t know why the liberals hate him. He’s not a conservative.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
I wanted to name a girl Mariko. Did not.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
I wanted to name him after me, but did not.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I want this more than anything. Even if it means that I lose everything I currently own. Things I can never replace. I want to find a place that does not give me expectations of the American dream and then disappoint me by becoming a socialist blasphemy.

24. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
God has more important things to do than talk to someone as unworthy as I. But I will be there. I hope to meet you bloggers that I cannot meet in this life.


25. Five (5) people who must also do this meme in their journal.

I’m not tagging anyone. So chill out if you were worried about that.

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25 Years Ago Part XXIII

Thursday, April 27th, 2006
In the morning I woke and ate breakfast alone in the restaurant. Then I went shopping. This was the first time I felt like going out to the shops and I wanted to buy tennis shoes. But a cap shop caught my attention first.

GIs wore custom caps they had made in the ville. I had been thinking of getting one made but could never think of what I wanted written upon it until that morning. I went in and requested white letters on a black cap. My cap read Miss Lee Inc. which seemed appropriate since every girl I had been with since returning to Korea had the name of Lee.

I went to another shop two doors down and purchased two pairs of tennis shoes for US$7.00. Walking back to the hotel I spotted a pair of honeys wearing blue jeans standing on the sidewalk. They both had pleasant Korean faces with prominent cheek bones. Their hair fell down there backs, black and glossy. One of them approached me. She had very straight hair and cute flirting eyes.

“Hey GI,” she addressed me. “I think you have my cap.”

I stopped and looked her in the eyes, “Excuse me?”

“I’m Miss Lee and that is my cap.”

I laughed and she chuckled too. Then she grabbed my cap and put it on her head.

“See. It fit me numbah hanna.”

A sheepish grin covered my face and I felt the blood rush across my cheeks.

“He blushing,” her friend spoke.

The cap snatcher smiled more, “You got pretty eyes. You cherry boy?”

I laughed at the remark and shook my head to indicate that I was not.

“I think you cherry boy,” her friend circled me placing me in a comfortable trap.

“No ladies. I assure you I am not a cherry boy.”

“You need a friend,’ asked cheeky Miss Lee?      

“I got a yobo. I don’t need a friend.”

“You got a yobo,” they both cried out aloud in an incredulous harmony.

As they pondered that fact, I snatched my cap and walked. Miss Lee gasped at the suddenness of my action. I wasted enough time on them already. If they had met me a day earlier I might have tried to barter for both of them. Now I just wanted to get back to the hotel.

“You fucking numbah ten GI,” Miss Lee yelled after me.

I could care less what she thought. They laughed and chattered loudly in Korean. Bored girls, looking for some fun and twenty bucks. I had no desire to give them either.

Upon entering the hotel I went downstairs to the hair salon. Little Miss Lee saw me when I entered and I knew the night before was a mistake. Once she spotted me she looked away and made a noticeable effort to ignore me. Taking her to my room must have been too much for her. Lee’s associate pointed me out to her, but she did not acknowledge me.

So I went upstairs and called JB on the house phone. No answer, so I left a message for him. Told him I would see him next week. I bid Mr. Lee farewell and went outside. I flagged a taxi and returned to Camp Humphreys.

Once there I returned to the barracks where I sat around and read. I walked to the ville as evening rolled around. I wore the Miss Lee Inc. hat and Little Bit greeted me outside the club. She stopped dancing and I could see her eyes stop on each syllable as she read my cap. Then her face beamed with the smile and she clapped her hands together twice. She stared right into my eyes for a few heart beats before laughing and skipping away through the club’s entrance.

I followed her inside and saw Miss Lee sitting with another girl. She had her back to me, so I strolled over to the table and stood besides her. Her eyes widened when she saw me. Lee rose to her feet and smiled when she read my cap. I put it on her head and ordered beers for the table. And being my totally inconsistent self I took Lee back. Course she has been paid for in advance and I had another week.

Soon I returned to the same old routine. Work all day, party at the club, and play house at Lee’s hooch. I wondered if anything of interest might occur each day, but nothing interesting happened until Thursday. I went to the latrine after lunch and when I pissed it burned.

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25 Years Ago Part XXII

Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
The cab dropped me off in front of the hotel and I ran up the steps. Mr. Lee greeted me and I got a room for the night. He also told me that JB had a checked into the hotel. Great. I hoped he might be in country, though I did not know when he would return. Unfortunately, no one answered the phone when I called him. I scratched my head and wondered what to do.

Then I had a capital idea. I ran downstairs to the hair salon. And there she stood working away on a customer, little Miss Lee. As soon as I walked in the ladies chattered and stole glances my way. Little Lee walked over smiling.

“You need anudda hair cut?”

“Oh no Miss Lee. I just wanted to say hello.” Plus I thought it might be time to ditch the bar girls and date a nice girl. I did not even have sex on my mind. Too many girls with excess baggage were just crushing me. Time to find an uncomplicated girl.

Her eyes kind of widened and she smiled. She smiled a lot and the girl had the cutest dimples in her chipmunk cheeks. Then this customer cried out to Lee from her seat. She was a chubby woman with her hair covered in rollers. The elder woman looked jolly and she eyed me. She had a tiny dog, it reminded me of a Chihuahua, in her lap

“This is my mother.”

I looked at the woman and greeted her formally. Then I went to scratch the dog’s ears and he must have thought I would attack his master or something. He barked and yapped at my hand. Lee’s mom looked like she would go into shock. Her eyes got big and mouth formed a big O as I scratched Fido behind the ears.

“Hey Jerry!”

I turned to see who called my name and there stood JB and Choon.

“Quit scaring folks and say hello.”

I walked over and shook JB’s hand and smiled at Choon. She absolutely radiated love and contentment. I felt glad for them. Though I wondered if Choon was the last decent bar girl in all of Korea.

Little Lee came over and I invited her to dinner. She smiled at the invitation and everything was soon set. I waved farewell to her Mom, who had recovered, as had Fido. We went upstairs and chatted over drinks.

“So what happened to Suki, dude,” JB probed.

“She don’t want to make love,” I replied.

“Really?” He talked to Choon in Korea. Her eyes grew wide.

“Well. You probably did the right thing.”

I raised my eyebrow and asked, “Why is that?”

“Choon told me she was seeing some Air Force guy.”

“She fucked around on me?”

Choon nodded her head and spoke, “Suki is numbah ten. Sorry.”

I waved off her apology. Maybe Choon felt responsible for me wasting my time with Suki. But thems the breaks too. Though I got to admit that it hurt more that she screwed around with some wimpy Air Force puke. Turns out while I was being a good boy back in Fort Huachuca she had been keeping busy.

After a while we went back to the salon. Little Miss Lee had no customers and she grabbed her purse. We walked out of the hotel and rain pelted us as we ran down the hill. We ducked into a little Korean noodle shop and sat at a table. I think the rain made things more homey. We had the special of the day. They called it “Base Meat” stew and it tasted great. This dish got its name as all of the meat came from Osan Air Base. The ingredients included hamburger, chopped hotdogs and spam cooked in a ground Korean chili peppers, garlic (would not be Korean without that), and noodles. They served kimchi on the side and I drank an OB beer. Next to the meal where I learned how to use chop sticks, this was the most memorable meal I ate in my time in Korea. Just the name of the dish and company made it very special.

Then I convinced Miss Lee to go dancing later. The Songtan Hotel had a night club and it would be open all the way through curfew. JB invited me upstairs and we sat around and yakked until Lee got off work. She came upstairs. Lee had changed her outfit and she looked pretty cute. She wore black satin pants with a satin top that was also black with a bright red floral pattern. Her hair looked immaculate, but what would you expect from a hairdresser. I wore the same clothes I had on outside the other Miss Lee’s hooch. Jeans, t-shirt and a plaid flannel shirt. My usual sloppy self.

We took the elevator up to the night club on the top floor. Place looked packed and more people streamed in as it got closer to curfew. Our quartet scored a table and ordered drinks. Little Lee ordered a coke which I took as a good sign. Would not have to carry her home in the morning. And dancing with her was fun. She danced as poorly as I did, but we were having fun.

Eventually, all of the beer caught up with me and I had to play the banjo. I went to the restroom and it freaked me out as it was unisex. Girls hogged the mirrors, while guys did their business standing up. A cue formed for the toilets. It seemed just as loud and crowded in the banjo as it was on the dance floor. I wondered if couples were too poor to get a room if they would just grab a stall and go at it. With all the noise I doubt anyone would notice. I did my business and got out of there.

All of that work caught up with me and I felt sleep tugging on me. Little Miss Lee looked tired too. We bid JB and Choon good night and hit the elevators. Now I had good intentions for Lee. For her, I wanted to use employ the southern honor I was taught as a boy. The same integrity that had been ignored everyday so far on Korean soil. I had no intention of doing anything more than sleeping. She appeared pretty nervous too. After all Lee was not a bar girl, she was a hairdresser, and the average single Korean women was a virgin.

We arrived at the room and she looked to be a nervous little mouse. Eyes wide open, hands clasped, knees pressed together.

“Just sleep,” I spoke hoping to console her.

I kicked off my shoes and took off my flannel shirt and laid it across a chair. She looked tense to the point of being terrified. Her fear filled the mattress despite me trying to sleep away from her on my side. No way could I sleep with that anxiety. I grabbed a pillow and lay on the floor. But I still could not sleep. Lee laid on the bed wide-eyed staring at me. After being an infantryman I could sleep in about any condition you could think of. I knew how to sleep while walking on guard duty. Despite this I could not sleep under that stare. Poor girl must have thought I would jump her bones the minute she nodded off. Though in retrospect her reputation had been placed in a poor position.

It must have been an hour after leaving the dance floor, when I just got rose from the floor and sat besides her. Her body quivered and perhaps she thought I might pluck her then.

“Go,” I told her. “You cannot sleep here, so go somewhere you can relax.”

She sat up and looked at me with those mousey eyes. Lee bowed and grabbed her shoes and left. I lay back on the bed and lit up a cigarette. I hoped I had not ruined my chances with her. The beer affected me again so I went to the toilet. I washed my hands when someone knocked on the door. Had Lee returned?

I went and opened the door. Much to my surprise Suki stood outside my door. She looked good. Her hair coiffed nicely and she had on a sleeveless black dress that just covered her knees. The girl wore fishnet stockings, which added to the sexiness she exuded. A sweet smile set on her face and her eyes met mine.

“Go fuck the air force,” was all I could muster.

I shut the door. Crawled into bed and slept deeply.

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25 Years Ago Part XXI

Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
Work kept me the next evening. But Jam and I were determined to go to the ville. I think it worked out real good for me that he tagged along.

We entered the club and I walked across the dance floor looking left and right for Miss Lee. She did not sit at a table or the bar. Little Bit gyrated across the dance floor, alone as always. Just a smile and the joy she exuded.

“Yo,” I cried out to her. “Where is Miss Lee.”

“She’s playing pool.”

“Thanks agashi.”

She just strutted away following the beat of the tunes. Jam and I grabbed a beer at the bar before going to the poolroom. It was located adjacent to the bar and dance floor. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as soon as I entered. There was Lee and the old yobo playing pool. He had a few guys from his unit with him as well. I immediately went on alert. Thoughts of him bushwhacking me came to mind.

First I laid my money on the table laying my claim on the next game. Then I took Jam aside and assessed him of what might be going down. Fortunately, Jam was a good friend. He had balls of steel and was a scary mofo through and through. When he cranked on the Jamaican accent I think he could pretty much intimidate anyone that thought they might mess with him. Couple of the old yobo’s buddies disappeared after they heard him speak.

My game came up. The cheating father beat Lee. So I claimed my girl with a kiss and sent her to get some more beer. Then we played team pool. Me and Jam against him and his buddy. The game was full of electricity. Pool cues whipped cue balls which flew off the table with abnormal irregularity. Shots were called with vehemence and compliments remained between team members. No one moved aside for anyone. As the game went we conversed in monosyllables and grunts. And then we played the final card. We told them we worked inside the fence. And they let up. Me and Jam won the game. I kept the girl and took her home.

But why did I have to go through all of that? And would I have been mugged if I had gone alone? Was Miss Lee worth all this trouble? I never really had feelings for her like Jin and Suki. Miss Lee had been a great Korean girl until her old flame showed up. Why could she be so sweet on a cheater? Couldn’t Lee see that if he proved unfaithful to his wife, he would in turn be unfaithful to her? In retrospect I saw this with a lot of Korean bargirls. They gave their hearts to married men, who just wanted to keep the plumbing in operation until they could go back home to momma.

The work day ended early and the bonus was it was Friday. Sergeant Hillbilly let us free for the afternoon and I looked forward to spending it with Miss Lee. Explore some Korean food and do something more than get drunk and bump uglies. Too bad we had to work on Saturday again. I took a shower and walked to the club by myself. When I arrived Little Bit danced outside, full of joy and her joy was infectious. So I tried to dance with her. Dancing with Little Bit is difficult at best. Juggling water would be easier. Finally, I realized the impossibility of it and asked if Lee was inside. Little Bit said she had not arrived yet. It did not surprise me at this early hour. She would expect me to arrive later.

I figured I would go to the hooch and surprise her. Maybe we could go eat somewhere before we hit the club. The maze seemed quiet this time in the afternoon. All of the adashis and agimas must have been hard at work. Eventually I came to her courtyard. The door to her hooch was unlocked. I opened it and knocked on the shoji. Lee opened the door and much to my surprise a woman squatted on the floor. I looked into her eyes and they were pools of sadness.

“Anya hasamika,” I greeted formally. “Nanun Jerry imnida.”

The woman stared back without responding. Lee grasped my arm and walked me into the courtyard.

“That is my mother. She come by to visit. Wait for me at the club and I come.”

And I returned to the club. I had not planned on meeting her mom. Ironic that I meet the parent of the girl I had not given my heart. Lee did come by later and the Friday passed without complication and the usual results.

Saturday was another hump day at work. Just a lot of grunt work, but it made the hours pass quickly. Sergeant Hillbilly let us go early again. I cleaned up and hit the ville. Once again Lee was not in the club. So I headed to the maze. In a short time I found myself standing outside her shoji again. Lee opened the door, stepped out and closed the door.

“Howdy yobo.”

She looked back at me with eyes. Eyes sad like her mother’s. A mother who visits a daughter and must realize that she makes her money by lying on her back, when her John comes to visit.

“My mother is sleeping. I cannot come to the club tonight. She does not feel good.”

“Canchanah.” And just as I prepare to be noble and step away I see the tennis shoes. Tennis shoes that could almost fit my feet.

I glare at Lee and she shudders. “You and your mother have a pleasant evening.”

I walked back through the maze. The anger welled. People jumped out of my way. No one wanted to get close to the man with the crazy face. I hit the main street and I knew what I wanted to do. I hopped into a cab.

“Adashi,” I addressed the driver. “Songtan Hotel.”

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25 Years Ago Part XX

Monday, April 24th, 2006
I exited the iron gate of Miss Lee’s courtyard and walked through the maze of alleys. Morning activity filled the alleyways. Agashis and adashis carried bundles here and there. Babies squatting on the sidewalk for their morning toilet, while mom waited to clean their bum and pick up the mess. School kids in uniform swept sidewalks as oma (grandmother) supervised. It made me reflect on the Land of the Morning Calm. The old guy back in Huachuca was right; this place was anything but calm in the morning.

And my days flowed into a pleasant routine. Wake up early and tickle Miss Lee’s butt. Get dressed and walk through the alleys. Go to Camp Humphreys and don my uniform. Breakfast in the mess hall. Work in the com center. Lunch in the mess hall. More work. Dinner. Shower and change. Club, drink, dance, maze, love, sleep. The days were wonderful, like opium. And like with opium things are euphoric in the beginning, but the same old same old needs a new trick or becomes dry. I guess I became too dry for Miss Lee.

Now she and I had some good times. Somehow soju came up one evening. Soju is a Korean liqueur that GIs talked about all the time. Rumors had it that it was made from phermaldahyde, but that is not true. Considering the time I was stationed in Korea it was more than likely made from ethanol and flavor additives. When Miss Lee heard I would drink soju she ran out of the club. Lee came back a few minutes later and beckoned me to follow her. I obeyed and I noticed that Little Bit took interest in what we were doing and she followed us across the street. We walked upstairs and entered what I assume was a home. There was an agima who spoke good English, she may have been Lee’s mamasan. I’m not sure who she was. There were a couple of kids and some other women. Everyone sat on their knees with their legs folded underneath them. Agima’s home was a typical Korean household possessing no furniture. I sat akimbo, though my posture would change a lot. I had a tough time getting comfortable on the floor.

“You want soju,” Agima got to the point?

“Sure,” I replied, “Why not?”

The women all laughed. They looked cute with there hands covering their mouths, subduing giggles.

“Need money prease.”

So I broke out some cash and gave it to agima. Then she yelled at a boy, maybe he was 10 years old. He came over and got the money and dashed out. The woman talked and the scene reminded me of playing spin the bottle or truth or dare. The bonus was I was the only man with all these pretty women. The boy ran back into the room with a green tinted bottle. He handed it to agima and returned to his playing. Agima stood and went to a chest and pulled out five shot glasses. The glasses were lined up nice and neat and then she unscrewed the top off the soju bottle. The liquid looked clear as she poured a good measure for all of us.

I lifted my glass and we toasted, “Kempai”. Soju had a nasty taste, but it had a nice kick that made you forego taste concerns. This stuff has the potential to get you drunk quick and I liked getting hammered. We sat there drinking, and joking. The kids played behind us, except for Little Bit. She just sat and watched us. The girl rocked back and forth as she sat smiling there. Her smile grew a bit when our eyes met. In a short time the bottle sat empty and I felt warm. And I learned that an empty bottle meant time to leave. Lee took my hand and we vamoosed with Little Bit leading the way back to the club.

We must have drunk soju three times and each time we followed that some protocol at agima’s room. In retrospect those times were enjoyable. I don’t know if it was the affects of the alcohol, or just being the lone bull sitting among all the cows. Basking in their attention, having them listen to my jokes or stories and in turn listening to what they had to say.

After the third occasion of drinking soju Miss Lee and I returned to the club. She lost her smile shortly after we entered. We found a table and I could not figure out what changed her mood. Then this GI came over and asked her to dance. And she did. My blood boiled as they danced across the floor, but when the song finished she came back to my table. She hit off her beer as soon as she sat down. Gulping down the OB in a way she did not normally do.

“You know that guy you danced with?” I had to ask.

She looked back at me. Her eyes had found a new quality. That of a mouse, frightened and uncertain of what to do.

“He was my old yobo.”

I turned around and looked him over again. He was watching our table and when our eyes met it was laser beams striking. I turned back to Lee.

“But he has a wife and baby.”

She looked back sad, defeated, and lost. And the night slowly turned into crap. The old yobo and I took turns dancing with Miss Lee. She slowly but surely got drunk. I danced with her and Lee swayed like the liquid that filled her belly. I had to catch her before she fell across a table. It was passed time to head for the hooch. To help things the new daddy walked over.

“She needs to go home,” He said.

“Aneyo,” Lee’s words slurred. “I gonna dance.”

“We got to go yobo.”

I spoke yobo like a fighter wields a knife at the other man. He returned to his beer. Meanwhile, I led Miss Lee to the door. She protested, but it was as effective as a gnat opening a door. The air outside felt good and as soon as Lee felt the warm air she ceased struggling. I tried to walk her down the street with my arm wrapped around her for support but her legs failed to cooperate. Tired of the slow progress. I picked her up and carried her back to the hooch. Memories of Jin and the streets of Seoul came back. Here I was again carrying a girl drunk over another guy. At least I had not been smitten with Lee like Jin and Suki. And this evening had ensured that I would not go off the deep end for this girl. But my arrogance would not let her go.

People in the maze stared at me as I strode through on the path to the hooch. Lee weighed more than Jin and I worried I might drop her. But I slowed for nothing except to adjust my hold. I worried that I might bang her head on the walls or another pedestrian. Finally we made it to her hooch. The girl was sober enough to enter the combination. Once again I stripped a drunken Korean girl down to her underwear and tucked her into bed. Then I started going through her pots and grabbed one just in case she grew ill and set it by the bed. I went outside and played the banjo and grabbed a smoke.

What had I got myself into? Did Lee prefer to waste her life with a jerk that fucked around on the wife who just gave birth to his child? Did I need to be a warrior and fight for my yobo? I flicked the butt and ground it to death with none of my questions answered. I chose to sleep on it. Come morning I tickled Lee’s butt to see what she thought. I found her response agreeable.

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Couple of Meme’s

Saturday, April 22nd, 2006
I picked up this meme from Etchen and thought it might be nice to do


1. Were you named after anyone? I have so many names and it is all so confusing. My name on my birth certificate that was never supposed to be found by me is Jerry Glen Maclanahan. Then the court sealed that one (ha ha) when my stepfather adopted me and my name became Gerald Alan Blakemore. I like Jerry the best. It beats bastard.2. Do you wish on stars? Nope

3. Do you like your handwriting? My handwriting is horrid. I write everything on computers. I cannot read my own handwriting.

4. What is your favorite meat? Roast duck has to be my fave. And I never tasted duck until I got married. So many years I lived in deprivation and never knew it.

5. What is the most embarrassing CD on your shelf? Grumpy Old Men 2 soundtrack. I don’t think I ever listened to it.

6. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? No. I’m too moody. All I want to do is play games. I never stay focused. I’m rude. I interrupt people when they are talking. I always have to throw in what I know. I wish I would shut up.

7. Are you a daredevil? Not anymore. That’s for younger folks.

8. When did you cry last? I seem to tear up easy in my old age. Lisa in KL has made me cry quite a bit. Hope she comes out of her coma soon. She helped me out and did not even know me. I can never forget that.


9. Did you ever tell a secret you weren’t supposed to? Unfortunately yes. Once was enough. I keep my big mouth shut now.10. How do you release anger? I lash out in barrages of expletives. At least I stopped throwing furniture across the room. I hate patching walls and painting.


11. Where is your second home? My office. If I had a bed here I might never leave and then I would never sleep. Because I would always be waiting for someone to IM.


12. Do you trust others easily? Yes. Way too easily. 13. What class in college do you think is totally useless? None of my classes fit this category. Guess I am lucky in this regard. I probably missed some stupid classes by taking on a minor study of Asian History.

14. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? Nope.

15. What do you look for in a girl? Giggling toes, dancing eyes, and a honest smile. Not that I’m looking, but if I was…

16. Would you do a bungee jump? Fuck no. I hate heights.


17. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Blue Bell Butter Pecan.18. What is your least favorite thing? Working 9 to 5 for the gahmen.

19. How many people do you have a crush on right now? One.

20. What do you miss most right now? My mother. We never said goodbye. She just went so quick. No one would have thought…

21. What are you listening to right now? Queensryche The Needle Lies.

22. What is the weather like right now? Lovely day though a bit humid. But I will beg for a day like this in two months.

23. Last person you talked to on the phone? My daughter. She wanted to know when I would pick her up from school.

24. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? If she faces me I look at her eyes. If her back is to me I scope her bum.


25. Favorite drink non-alcoholic? Starbucks breakfast blend coffee.26. Favorite alcoholic drink? Long Island Tea.

27. Hair color? Brown.

28. Eye color? Blue.

29. Wear contacts? Yes.

30. Last movie you watched? V is For Vendetta.

31. Favorite day of the year? Christmas.

32. How many people have a crush on you right now? Why would anyone have a crush on an old fat man? Especially a married one.

33. Scary movies or happy endings? Scarier the better. Slasher does not make something scary.

34. Summer or winter? Winter.

35. What book/magazine are you reading at the moment? Dragon Magazine.

36. What’s on your mouse pad? Beep Beep the roadrunner.

37. What did you watch on TV last night? I did not watch TV last night. The night before I watched Survivor and Supernatural.

37. Favorite Smell? Clean woman stepping out of the shower.

38. Do you regret ever breaking up with someone? No.

39. Favorite actor/actress? Gong Li.

40. Do you use sarcasm a lot? All of the time. I love good sarcasm. My favorite source of sarcasm is the Apostle Paul. No one does it better.

41. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I try to avoid shoes that have strings. I wear loafers or sandals when I can.

42. What do you miss the most right now? My wife’s cooking. She’s in the Philippines tonight. L

43. What color underwear are you wearing? White. Old and boring.

44. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I would be blue. Its my best color and it fits my mood most days lately.

45. How are you today? I’m tired. I got my edits back for Fire in the Hole and I spent the entire day rewriting. I want to get this out for summer. 12 to Midnight needs to keep its name in front of the customer.

46. Siblings? I share an elder brother and younger sister with my mom. I also have three elder step sisters. I see my brother on holidays. I’m estranged from my half sister. If you hurt a dog I’m not going to let you around my kids. Lost contact with the steps.

47. Favorite Month? March. Biased because of my birthday and the weather is usually nice.

48. Have you ever been shy to ask someone out? Just during all of High School. And then all the time preceding 25 Years Ago. I’m not scared of Asian girls. Probably too friendly.

49. Hugs or kisses? Hugs. If someone loves you their hug will show it. And I’m a dog so I like brushing up and feeling the warmth of someone next to me.

50. Do your friends to write back? What’s the point of writing without response.

51. Who is least likely to respond? The lurkers that come and see what kind of dumb shit I did 25 Years Ago.

52. Do you like the person who tagged you with this? Etchen is a great blogger. She has been with me since the beginning almost. I look forward to meeting her face to face someday.

I saw this tag over at Lynne’s blog and I figured I would do this. Though I may have done it sometime last year. Perhaps I have changed in the interim.Seven dreams before death
1. Go to Southeast Asia.
2. Visit Hong Kong.
3. Become a published novelist.
4. Watch my screenplay on the silver screen.
5. See toes giggle.
6. Tour Japan.
7. Be debt free.

Seven things I can’t do in this lifetime
1. Be thin.
2. Enjoy heights.
3. Be a politician.
4. Cheat on the woman that puts up with all my bad habits.
5. Speak perfect Chinese.
6. Trust myself to fly an airplane.
7. Trust the face in the mirror to behave.

Seven things that attract me
1. Asian eyes.
2. Wit, especially if it prods me.
3. Intelligence, but not more than I possess.
4. Hands and feet.
5. Games
6. Ruby red lips. I like the thick lower lip so many Chinese women have. So biteable.
7. Full moons. I love to howl

Seven things I say
1. And what part of (fill in the blank) do you not understand?
2. You can see my picture under (fill in the blank) in the dictionary. Usually it is idiot or moron.
3. What the fuck?
4. Fucking sonufabitch.
5. Fucking asshole.
6. Get out of my god damn lane.
7. Haiz…

Seven books that I love
1. My George R R Martin books.
2. My Wheel of Time books. Written by Robert Jordan.
3. Michael Moorcock’s series of the Eternal Champion.
4. The John Carter of Mars series. Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
5. The Ninja series by Eric Van Lustbader.
6. Shogun by James Clavel.
7. Any Stephen King. Sometime you need a get spook.

Seven movies that I’ve loved
1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
2. Star Wars Episodes 1-6

3. Serenity

4. Underworld

5. Braveheart
6. Gladiator
7. Highlander

No ones tagged your all safe. Though some of you still owe me a tag. You know who you are.

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25 Years Ago Part XIX

Wednesday, April 19th, 2006
I rode bank to Camp Humphries not uttering a word the entire trip. My realization of how stupid I was just buffeted my feeble brain. Every bit of GI data I had collected said Korean girls did whatever you wanted and whenever you wanted. Anything as long as sex was in the missionary position. My misfortune led me to two defective girls. There’s no luck, like no luck at all.

Once I arrived at the gate I went to the barracks. There I took a shower before changing and going to the mess hall. Once I made the queue in the mess hall I spotted Jam and sat near him.

“I did not see you in the ville last night man,” Jam spoke.

“I went to Songtan.”

“Ah. I see. Your lady friend?”

“Not any damn more.”

“You have a fight man.”

“She don’t wanna put out. I don’t have time for that shit.”

Jam just nodded his head and we moved on to baseball. More important things. I noticed an interesting thing that morning too. Red was on our job. She had been my sponsor when I arrived at Fort Huachuca, A sponsor had the responsibility of taking you around the fort so you get processed. I liked her a lot because of the help she gave me when I arrived. I noticed she ate breakfast with Sergeant DH. Since I had my hair cut I made a point to walk by and say hello to the both of them. Sergeant DH looked me over, hoping to find something else out of sorts but not today. I could show the sonuvabitch how to Army if he wanted to play that game. I spent three years in the infantry and he had spent his entire career in some chicken shit signal unit here and there. Course I only had to screw up once for him to get me. That was the Army way.

Work was the same old shit. We were in the early days of the job so we were moving things around, Setting up racks. Getting ready to run cable. A bunch of a dirty work. But I enjoyed it because it made the day pass quickly. I just wanted to go to the ville and have a beer and see if I could find a real Korean girl.

Evening came and I walked to the barracks. I paused to watch several men learning Tae Kwon Do. They towered over this little Korean man that moved quickly and with great power. He looked incredible and there was no doubt in my mind that he could easily kick all their butts if he wanted. The ville beckoned so I moved on to the barracks. Another shower and change of clothes had me ready to go. I hooked up with Jam and we left for downtown.

We did not waste any time but went to the same club we had two nights ago. As soon as we hit the alley we saw Little Bit. She skipped over to us with her effervescent smile.

“Anyahasayo GI,” she greeted us.

“Howdy little missy. Your friend here?”

She looked at me still smiling, swaying to the sound of the music coming from inside the club. “Miss Lee say you gotu yobo.”

“Not anymore. I’m looking for a new yobo.”

Little Bit stopped moving. The first and last time I ever saw her stand still. Her eyes widened for a second and then she grinned. “I come back with Miss Lee, canchanayo?”

“OK. I’ll be here.”

With that the girl turned around and ran off. I looked at Jam and we smiled, watching as she turned the corner. We stepped inside, found a table, and ordered a pair of cold ones. We looked over the girls and listened to the music.

Time passed and then Little Bit’s smile brightened the doorway. She danced over to us and rested her hands on the back of a chair. She leaned across the table and spoke, “Miss Lee is coming.”

And then she pranced away full of youth, happiness, and energy. I wondered where her folks were and then I thought of Jin and wondered if this girl might be an orphan too.

That’s when Miss Lee arrived. She saw me and smiled. I waved my beer and pointed at it. She nodded and went to the bar. The bartender came over and the two women chatted a bit. Then Lee came and sat with us. She smiled and I liked her eyes. They were friendly. Those eyes defeated a rather wide plain face. She wore blue jeans and a blue plaid shirt on that night. She smiled as we chatted.

“You don’t have yobo,” Miss Lee.

“No,” I answered firmly. “The other girl is numbah ten.”

Lee’s hand covered her face. Laughing, cringing, groaning, I’m not sure what she was doing behind those fingers. She quickly regained her composure.

“You want a new yobo?” She looked at me, the smile had fled and gone flat. Bright eyes staring into mine trying to gauge my honesty.

“I need a new yobo.” I took a quick swallow of my beer. “I need a good yobo. Are you a good yobo.”

“Me, I’m numbah hanah yobo. I makah you very happy.”

“How come you not somebody’s yobo already?”

“My old yobo. Hmmm… His wife have a baby, he need the money to go US.”

I thought what an asshole. Screwing around on his pregnant wife. “So you are finished with him?”

“I am, I want a new yobo.” She stared into my eyes. Serious and sincere. This was a real Korean girl. I prepared for everything, except to learn that she was human too. That would come later.

“Lets do it. You wanna dance?”

And she did. We spent most of the night dancing and drinking. Jam disappeared. Wanted to get a good nights sleep.

Eleven thirty came and the curfew hustle started. We left the bar holding hands walking back the alley the same way I entered. Then we turned left away from Camp Humphreys. Miss Lee walked me into an entirely different world. Cramped alleys flanked by iron gates that opened onto residential courtyards. We turned this way and that way and I wondered if we would ever make it to her hooch before curfew began. Then we were there. Her iron gate and her courtyard. The courtyard was all concrete with a drain and faucet on the far end. To the left there was a small structure that housed the banjo and some storage space. On our right there was the house. There were two entrances as this home was set up in two compartments. Her door set farthest from the gate.

She turned the combination on the lock and the door opened into an outer room where she had a few storage containers laying about. We left our shoes there and she opened the sliding door and I saw her room. It was nice and cozy. Lee had a stereo and a chest of drawers. Best of all she had a bed. We would not sleep upon the floor.

We undressed quickly. She was a little heavier, but she still looked nice and smooth. Lee was Korean and she tasted of garlic but I was becoming a fan. She was good at the missionary position. And we slept like cats. And prayed again in the morning. Yep Lee was a real Korean girl

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25 Years Ago Part XVIII

Monday, April 17th, 2006
I left Suki with a passionate kiss in the morning. The cab ride went by quickly as my head swam with thoughts of Suki and the memory of her taste and sweet perfume. The walk to the barracks invigorated me even more. Jet lag never caught me the whole day, because my heart was filled with Korea.

Breakfast was a different experience. I never entered a Mess Hall in Korea before. It seemed strange to listen to a baseball game during breakfast. It was really starting off as an interesting season too as the Oakland A’s were just unstoppable. Everyday they seemed to be on the front page of the Stars and Stripes with another win. I finally got to meet the Sergeant in charge. Lets call him Hillbilly, because that is what he seemed to be. Now just because I refer to him as Hillbilly do not misunderstand me. This guy knew his job and he was a performer which is why he was here in charge of us. And we had a bunch of folks working on this part of the project. I worked in the com center doing a variety of chores. Spent most of the day outside untangling a series of cables. It was dull work but I liked being out in the sun rather than the windowless com center. I took a break for lunch. At this time I met the Chogi boy. He would clean all of my clothes and gear each day. I paid him $30 for the month. After lunch I spent more time stretching cables and finding reasons to take smoke breaks.

Finally, the evening came. I took a shower and went for chow with Jam. I remember it was a Thursday night. Jet lag did not seem to be affecting him either. We both headed into the ville. Window shopping with no intention to buy. We came to a club and went in for a beer. It was early so not a lot of guys were there, though they all tended to be black and the music in this bar was all soul. The girls hit on Jam, who was black too, and it felt strange being ignored by girls in Korea. I remember the bar as being predominantly blue and my ego quickly turned the same shade. We finished the beer and headed on down the street. We found another bar and this played more popular music. I preferred heavy metal back in those days, but this beat soul music which really wore on me.

We sat at the bar and ordered a beer. There were lots of girls in this bar. Even the bartenders were women. But I had Suki so I was determined to only look and not touch. The place was painted a faded yellow, rancid and dour. But the energy the girls had dancing made a man ignore a little thing like paint on the walls. Somewhere I could hear pool balls collide in a game of eight ball. But Jam and I watched the dancers and sipped our beers. Then this little girl came up to us. When I say little I mean YOUNG. She was obviously a teenager with long ebon hair and she was cute despite her pizza face. I’ll refer to her as Little Bit.

“My friends think you are cute,” she said. Little Bit had pretty eyes and they were staring into mine. Her voice conveyed confidence backed up with 15 years of cockiness. The girl swayed from left to right following the beat of some forgotten 70s tune.

“Whose your friend,” I asked?

Little Bit pointed across the room. Her finger targeted a table where two Korean girls sat. They smiled at Jam and I. Both waved. I looked at Jam and he looked at me.

“It won’t hurt to chat Jerry” Jam looked at me. He scratched his beard in contemplation. (Note Jam had a shaving profile which allowed him to grow a beard. Most soldiers like me had to shave everything off except moustaches.)

So we hopped off the stools and passed through the dancers as we followed Little Bit. She walked up to the women, smiled, and kept on stepping away to the other side of the bar. We sat down. Both girls were cute. I sat next to Miss Lee. She looked sweet, wearing a bright yellow button down short sleeve blouse, blue jeans. and a pair of tennis shoes. She had her bangs evenly cut just brushing the top of her eyebrows. The rest of her hair fell down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

I looked her in big eyes and said, “I got a Yobo.”

“You do?” Her eyes grew larger. “Where is she?”

“She works in Songtan”, I replied. “She has to work tonight.”

“So you don’t need a girl?”

“No. But my friend does.”

Jam looked at me and kind of smiled at the thought.

“You want to dance, GI?” She looked at me with those pleasant eyes.

“Sure why not.”

And that was how the evening went. We danced and drank our beers. We even bought the girls a round, Business was slow on Thursday. Most GIs could not get off base without a pass and I guess most passes were issued on the weekend. Another advantage of my job. I did not need a pass as long as I had my orders. So the girls were not so prone to hustle on this evening. We gave em a good time. Gave us the chance to dance, drink some beer, and go home and to catch 40 winks for the four of us.

Friday started off with bad news. Hillbilly said we would work through the weekend. That killed me. How was I going to see Suki if I worked every damn day? And we worked late that Friday. I think the jet lag must have hit as I just went to bed without a second thought. Saturday we worked but we finished a little earlier. Hillbilly wanted us to work Sunday, but I did not care. I wanted to be with Suki.

A cab took me to the Songtan Hotel. I bumped into Choon right away. She told me Suki worked in another place tonight, but she would come to Songtan before curfew.

Now back in Camp Humphries we had another Sergeant that was an equivalent rank as Hillbilly. Fortunately, Hillbilly had time in his rank so he was over this other Sergeant who I will call Dickhead or just DH. DH had been on my ass from the moment I arrived. This guy was a fucking Martinet and I never got along with those kind pricks. Thank God I had the Chogi boy or I really would have had some hard times. But as usual, my hair was too long and he was threatening me with punishment if I did not get my hair cut.

I told Choon I needed a little trim. She took me down into the basement of the Songtan Hotel. There was a hair salon with several stylist. There I met this itty bitty lady named Miss Lee. She was just cute as a button and I doubt she reached a complete 5 feet in height. She had a cute little figure and she always seemed to wear black pants and velvety blouse. Her hair was cut short in layers and feathered. Did I mention she was cute as a button? Most important though she cut my hair, I had so much fun with the hair stylists and Choon that I stayed in the salon after my haircut. I tried to chat with the ladies and they were just as eager to engage me in conversation. And reflecting back on this couple of hours, it was my longest time I had spent with Korean women that were not bar girls.

Choon and I went up for a bite in the hotel restaurant. We sat around, me drinking a beer waiting for Suki to arrive. She showed up around 11:30. I hugged her and took her costume box and shoes. I walked toward the front desk to get a room.

“No Yobo,” Suki spoke. “We got to savu money.”

This kind of made me smile at that moment. One of the reasons GIs bragged about Korean girls was their ability to save money. Here she was already looking out for my coin. So I did not argue. We walked out of the Songtan Hotel and into the night. People on the street walked in rushed determination. Curfew would begin soon and no one wanted to be caught out on the streets.

Then we got to a strange building. It was open yet closed. It reminded me more of a barn, but this was where Suki’s hooch was located. It was even sparser than the place JB and I had left Choon. The roof was a curvy corrugated sheet supported by wooden pillars. We walked through the common area. Here there was a water spigot and drain. There were lots of containers stacked about. They were probably kimchi containers, but I would not understand this until a few more weeks passed by. Suki entered the combination to the padlock. She opened the door which was a wooden frame covered by particle board. Her room was tiny. The walls were chicken wire and particle board.  She had a wardrobe secured with another pad lock. Inside were all of Suki’s worldly belongings. This included the sleeping pads and blankets we would use. Chicken wire also formed a roof above us. From this Suki hung stocking and other clothing she must have hung out to dry. I was getting ready to ask Suki where the banjo was, when she pulled out a pot and squatted right in front of me. I followed suit and I guess for the first time in my life I had a pot to piss in.

Finally, it was time to get under the covers. I was all ready to go too. All that time waiting for Suki and being a good boy and now I just wanted to play. I made my move and she pushed me back. I looked back at her shocked, confused, and still ready to go.

“Oh Yobo. We don’t makey love every night.”

The gears in my mind spun and zoomed quickly with more than a couple of gears grinding. Another reason GIs bragged about Korean girls is that when you wanted whoopie, you got whoopie. And I wanted it!

I looked at her with blue puppy dog eyes and said, “But I wanna make love. I’m ready. We can take it easy next time honey.”

She hissed at me. “Egi ya! You just a baby.”

And that tone and comment just skewered me. I’m thinking, why don’t you just cut my nuts off and throw ‘em out in the street. I wanted her bad, so bad that now those balls were physically aching in anticipation. But she did not budge. And I just laid on my back and stared at the corrugated roof through the chicken wire. Now I was glad I had to work in the morning. I don’t know what I would do if I had to stay with her all day. I was not going to allow this to become Miss Jin II. No way in hell.

The night dragged on. Cool breezes blew through the hooch and I listened to Suki breathe. Damn. I cursed my luck. Why could I never catch the Korean girls all the other guys caught?

Finally, the sun broke the horizon so I knew curfew was over. I got dressed and Suki looked at me with questioning eyes.

“Where you go Yobo?”

“I have to work.”

And that’s all I said to her. I did not explain anything to her. And in retrospect I did not ask her feelings. Was she tired from dancing all evening? Did she have an upset stomach? Did she just want to sleep and make love in the morning? I asked nothing. I just left.

And I still missed the warning label. Though I have to admit, it was too late to read it now anyway.

CHANGE OF SUBJECT.  The Organic Whole Grain noodles were great. My kids did not even notice the difference. Yay.

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Easter

Sunday, April 16th, 2006

The kids and I have been just rocking along since I returned from San Antonio. My son’s school let out early Thursday with no extended day program which I depend on. Being out of town I could not make any suitable arrangements, so I took a vacation day. Actually it was a half day too as the College closed at one, so I did not lose too many hours.

Wednesday I had a crushing bit of news so I stayed up until two in the morning to do something I had wanted to do for this friend. Then I slept for four hours and woke up to take the kids to school. Went back home and slept until it was time to pick up the boy.

I decided we would have a boy’s day out. We went home so he could change out of his uniform and then we went to Chili’s for lunch. It was a surprise treat for him. His school work has been sub par lately and it seems like I all I do is punish him. So I wanted to show him he was still my son and loved. I had two free tickets for Ice Age 2 and we took advantage of that. Very cute movie. Though I find kid movies make more sexual references and curse or push the border of cursing more in recent films. Can we allow our children to be innocent a bit longer and just entertain them with good language?

We picked up his sister who had called during the movie. Whoops! Good thing there was only two other people in the theater. We went home and chilled.

Friday I took the kids to see a movie called The Benchwarmers. This is packaged as a kids baseball movie, though I found it to be a vulgar comedy at best. Since when does farting and projectile vomiting become so humorous. This is what I would call locker room humor. There was a decent story here and there. But some of it is just gross and other bits was just vulgar. Again there were a lot of topics I would not young kids to encounter. Again a cry out for innocence.

Went home and the money to pay the taxes arrived. Yay. First I needed to get some more work done on Fire in the Hole. I used the wrong stat block formatting, and I needed to fix it so editing could proceed. I worked on this til the wee hours.

Saturday I woke up and declared it final tax day for me. I needed to get my deposit ready. Then I had to cut the checks for the US Treasury, state of Michigan, and city of Detroit. Yeah I live in Texas, but my missus travels to Detroit often enough that we pay them taxes. What a fucking racket? The mob could not do it better. Checks written I stuffed the envelopes with all the required documentation.

Once I had that done I drove out and deposited the check. I was concerned about the check, since my wife was not there to endorse it. They let me do instead. Phew!!! Don’t know what I would do if they had blocked my deposit. Would have been on a street corner with a cardboard sign with the words written, “need to pay taxes.” The post office was not too bad of a line either. Monday is the deadline for most folks and I expect there to be quite a line then.

Then I went to the Chinese grocery. In Sugar Land there is a road called Highway 6 and it has a dedicated middle lane for cars that turn left. I had my left turn signal blinking and was sitting in wait for the traffic to pass by and allow me to turn. This guy pulls in front of me to turn left. The first thing that comes to mind is kiasu. He pissed me off and he has his family in the car doing this dumb shit. The traffic lets up and he goes. I honked at his dumb ass and was tempted to follow him and tell him what I though of his driving ability. I did not though. He turned left in the parking lot and for the sake of his kids I turned right.

I kind of enjoy going to the Chinese grocery store by myself. Obviously, I stick out like a sore thumb. Inside the store I am the minority. Then I freak people out by buying the Chinese stuff and asking for it in Cantonese. Always get a kick out of watching their facial expressions. I bought some dim sum for lunch and half a roast duck for dinner. Spent 17 bucks on that. Next I went to the Chinese baker and got some of those toasted char siew bao and egg tarts for 6 dollars. So that took care of lunch, dinner and Sunday’s lunch as well.

I have a few pics of the dim sum here:

After lunch I went back to Fire in the Hole. Then I fixed the final creature stats and uploaded the file. After that I tried to catch up my blogging. Really been an off week for me. Supper time came and we watched Narnia while eating roast duck and yams. You can see our dinner here:

My daughter baked some cookies. You can see them. A demonstration on the proper way to eat ice cream is also proviced:

After dinner I finished the second episode of a Liter of Tears. This is a Japanese story and it is very sad. If you go to J’s blog you can watch for yourself. I will not spoil it. Bring lots of tissue and someone you can hug. At least a stuffed animal.

Woke up early this morning. Why? Because I have a free movie ticket and it is the last day before it expires. I used it to see V is for Vendetta. Great flick. I am going to buy the DVD. Though I think Natalie Portman’s attempt to mimic an English accent is horrid at best. Puh-leez. It is a very stirring flick. I walked out wanting to start the revolution. And I recalled someone else saying the same thing to me in a chat. Really that is a dangerous thought in the wrong mind.

As I drove away from the theater and through the mall I was surprised to see the parking lot empty. People actually closed their shops for Easter. That cheered me up. I felt a natural high the entire drive to a hardware store. I noticed Target and Best Buy were closed. I walked into the mall and it seemed like half the people I saw were Chinese or Viet Namese. I kind of drew some comfort from that, though it made me feel lonely as well. I bought my light bulbs and toilet repair kit and went to pay. I almost wiped out this poor woman while I was at the register. She was walking around me and I moved suddenly, totally unaware of her. She was itty bitty and if she had not caught a hold of me she would have been knocked done. She worked for the store and she was apologizing though I was more concerned about her.

Then I got home where I proceeded to kick myself in the butt. I left my phone at home the entire time I was gone. What if the kids had needed me. Jeez. So much for being considered a great Dad. They have been having Easter egg hunts all day and eating some candy. I warmed up our bao and did a few home repairs before writing this.

Tonight I am going to cook some organic whole grain noodles. There will be meatballs and spagetti sauce too. Nuthin much. But the kids will like. Just hope those noodles work out.

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