Alex's Year End Retrospective

Another year has passed and I guess I should write something about what I supposedly have learned over the last two years. Again I think it might be short, but I have learned some things. And even as I look forward to about two months of wandering, and no longer having to be responsible for other people’s children, I will miss much of Korea. But the one thing that I have learned that has the most lasting impact, the one that will stay with me long after the memories have become hazy, probably as it will be the cause of that haziness, is that I am becoming an old man, and faster than I would like. I can sense that you might now go look at our profile or mine at my defunct (due to my laziness) blog, and say to me that I am not yet thirty. Very true that is so I guess I should elaborate. These are the ten ways in which I am becoming an old man before my time:

• Hair Lines – I am balding and quickly, and my body hair is increasing daily. I
  know that this is not something too special, which is why it is first.
• Graying – Not only am I losing it, but it is also going white, mostly in the beard which can be a sexy thing so I do not mind too much.
• Memory Loss – Now we are getting into weightier stuff. I even forget things mid-sentence. Very frustrating especially if you are trying to have a conversation with me.
• Bunions – It is not just a woman’s issue. I started getting one late last year because Korean feet are so much smaller than my clompers.
• Joint Pain – I have a bum knee that will need surgery, again, some time in the future and I cannot get out of bed in the morning for my back.
• Noises – I found this year that I have started making many extraneous noises, most obviously while bending over to pick up stuff, even pencils.
• Stiffness – You are only as old as your spine, and I really need to do more regular Yoga.
• Sense of Humor – Perhaps it is not a sign of aging, but more a sign of being stuck in an older time. My sense of humor is painfully corny, or should I say buniony. Best shown through examples.
• Hearing – I cannot hear anything in a crowded room, and sometimes I do not hear things people say when it is just Audrey and I. Couple this with the memory loss and conversations become nearly impossible.

And now for the kicker, perhaps the most bizarre, and at the same time the most telling of my destiny to become old quickly. . .

• Medicine – I am not taking any daily medications, not even aspirin, and I do not use ointment or creams, though they might help my achy joints. Yet still in the morning I smell like medicine. Audrey first noted it and now I have become obsessed, as is my habit. There is no objective proof I can give you, but just talk to Audrey.

There we have it. The biggest thing I have learned all year.

I could end it there, but I suppose there are a few more things that need a little attention. I have found that bosses are bosses, and it is not so important to have a job you love as a boss who treats you as a member of a team and respects your input and the value that you bring to the company. I am still looking. Also in that vein, hoping for better prospects can lead me to ignoring my better judgment, and things that look too good to be true probably are. I also found that I would love to be an uncle. I do not dislike kids, I have a lot of fun talking to them, but I do not want to have the responsibility of dealing with them all the time. When the kids in class get annoying I can take comfort in the fact that they will soon be out of my hair. The last job related learning I have come across is that teaching English is something I never want to do again.

As to the rest it is not very enlightening or of much interest to anyone but me so I will keep this blog short. I am excited about getting back to the states for a while and I know we are not done with living overseas. I have no convenient or cohesive way to wrap up this blog so I will just stop writing. I cannot remember the rest anyways.