I guess it's about time I update again.  It's nice that things are finally getting back to normal.  My cold is gone, as is the jet lag and i'm back to working my normal 8-6 (give or take).  It's weird.....since returning, the last couple weeks have been a blur.  At work I didn't get much done the week after returning.  It seems like we all just kinda mingled about the office, telling stories and catching up.  But this week it's starting to get busy as we plan for the next audit. 

Enough about work....salmon season is finally here!  Opening day is this Saturday.  The first weekend is always crazy (parking, launching, boat traffic), so we decided not to take our boat out.  Luckily our friend Howard called to see if we wanted to go.  His boat is already docked in the upper harbor at Santa Cruz, so all we have to do is drive down, hop on and take off.  Hell yeah!  Let's hope this season is better than last!

It's so nice to be back at home.  Until you leave the country, you don't realize how good we have it.  Even though we pay up the a$$ in taxes, I would much rather pay and be fortunate enough to live here.  The living conditions are so much nicer here...everything from the weather and food to the cleanliness.  Believe it or not, we are pretty sanitary.

My body hasn't gotten used to the time difference yet and I can still feel the jet lag.  At least my cold is finally starting to go away.  The last few nights I had mom's come cookin'......corned beef and cabbage (to post-celebrate St. Patty's Day) and chicken katsu last night.  Boy did I miss REAL food!  When we had the katsu, there was some cabbage tsukemono on the table (which is normal for my family).  It almost made me sick.....reminded me too much of kimchi!!!

Well, I have about 6 weeks to enjoy home.  In May I'll be traveling to Austin, Texas and Japan is also on the calendar.  I know I'll enjoy that one!

Let the countdown begin....3 more nights in the Not So Grand then I can come home to my nice soft bed.  And we get back at 11...in time to catch a few of the bball games.

Work is starting to get hectic.  Before, 9-10 hour days were the norm, but with only a few more days, we might break the 12 hour barrier.  Although tonight, Korea mgmt is taking us out for Korean BBQ...and soju, lots of soju.  Last time we went out I had a couple beers and 5 shots of soju....but they drank a LOT more.  I know at least a couple of them hit double digits.  Talk about a bunch of red faces!!!  But I've been training.  Every night we've been here, I've had beer with my meal.  The beer is pretty crappy....similar to a Coors Light.  We've found a few that are ok, Hite and OB, but stay away from the Cass! 

I really don't have time to be writing this, so back to work......

Korean food sucks!!!

Every day at the office, we eat at the cafeteria (there's no where else to go). And everyday, we have the same thing.....rice, 3 varieties of kim chi, a little bit of meat or fish, and a bowl of fish based soup.  Everything is super spicy!!  Nevertheless, the whole group is dieting....half the group has been skipping lunch.  But dinner isn't much better, so I try to get at least something in my system during lunch.  The food in Seoul is much better.  The restaurants are pretty expensive and communication is tough, but at least the food is edible.  Also, in the basement of the mall that's attached to the Marriott is a world food court.  It has everything from tempura, steamed buns, and kabobs to pastries and ice cream.  Basically it's like street food, but much cleaner.  Good stuff!!