Monday, January 28, 2008

I ate a dog.

Yes. It happened. I told y'all it would and when better when my old friend Chris Amico was in town to go and chow down on man's best friend.

The most popular dog dish in Korea is called boshintang and it's served as a soup.

Koreans typically eat it in the Summer as a method of cooling down. (I don't get it either, but they eat soup and sweat to cool down.)

It was great seeing Chris again and even better catching up over a bowl of Fido.

For the record, dog tastes pretty good. It's chewy and stringy, but has a nice flavor to it. I'd like to get some of the meat itself and try putting some nice dry rubs on it, or maybe a few different marinades, but I doubt Marissa would let me.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Ah shit ...

So I got my ballot.

I have enough time to send it and have it arrive in America, but why bother.

Here's what happened ...

I am registered decline to state. I registered as such when I went into journalism, as I don't think it's appropriate for journalists to belong to political parties. You may disagree, but it was something I felt strongly about.

Well I left America but am still registered decline to state. In past primary elections, I would just walk into the precinct, ask for any party ballot and vote in that primary. Since 2003, I've voted as both a Republican and Democrat in the primaries. I usually pick the ballot of the party with the most contested elections.

Anyway, the California Republican Party, which I used to work for, decided they don't want decline to state fence sitters to play with them Feb. 5, also known in political circles as "Insane craziness super duper extreme to the max Tuesday."

I didn't know this when I requested my ballot. I requested a GOP ballot, which I cannot have because I am not a registered Republican.

So they sent me a ballot to vote for either the Peace and Freedom, Green, Libertarian or American Independent parties.

So I'm not going to bother wasting my vote on one of these jackass clowns.

Anyway, that's today, tomorrow we learn how I would have voted if I received the ballot of my choice.

I will probably also endorse a Democrat for the first time ever. You people are about to witness history.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Where is my absentee ballot?

Ok, Now I'm getting worried. I requested the damn thing from the Los Angeles County election's office a month ago, and while I understand the absentee applications didn't begin processing until January 7, I still worry.

I need to get the damn thing in my hands.

Why is it that the elections office only gives us a month to apply for and receive an absentee ballot? Why can't I get it sooner? The election is Feb. 5, I want it now.

And this isn't just impatience, I need to make sure it arrives by mail in enough time to send it back.

In addition to the time factor, I go back and forth each day on who gets my vote. I know I'm going to vote Republican, and I'm constantly back and forth between Guilliani, Huckabee or Ron Paul (I'll explain these in my "who I'm voting for" blog.)

Should I get my ballot, I will blog and share with you, the dear reader, who I am voting for.

Until then here is the first in an occasional series titled, "An open letter to ...." Today's open letter is to Hillary Clinton.

Dear Hillary

You might have fooled the people of New Hampshire, but they're idiots. You won't fool me however.

That crying stunt was just that. A cheap attempt to manipulate votes.

You are a robot and robots don't cry unless they have been programmed to do so. And even so, why would someone program a robot to cry when it could do something useful.

How come Edmund Muskie becomes a joke and you get a pass? He was crying real tears and you weren't.

Anyway, I was never going to vote for you, but now will campaign against you and persuade Seoul expats to deny you their vote.


Sincerely

James C. Loughrie
English Teacher and political activist against people who fake crying to get votes

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Just got in ...

and boy, it's nice to be among the Koreans again, speaking a language I somewhat understand.

Anyway, I'll have pictures and stories up later.


For now, here's a video of a baby panda from the Beijing Zoo.