Sound. Think about it for a minute. Sound. Then...No sound.
Computers are fabulous things. You can do so many things with them, from sending emails to looking for work to doing research. However, computers lose a great deal of their intrinsic entertainment value when the sound quits. Think about how absolutely you take for granted the sound that emanates from your computer every time you use it. Be it a squork or a bleep or the ever-so-comforting-until-it's-gone Windows start-up sound. When it's gone, desolation follows.
If you are like me, you have whittled your entire entertainment world into a storage space the size of a paperback book because it's easier and much cheaper than hauling 50 boxes of books, cds, DVDs, and lps around the world. Your family may be willing to store them in an attic or garage, but may start to look askance when you come to visit every couple of years but never seem to leave with any of the boxes. Then, of course, you start to pray that your chosen sibling or parent has become so entrenched in your storage space that they will never have to actually move your crap for you. Maybe they'll forget about it altogether. Ultimately, you simply have to downsize.
The problem with having all of your entertainment packed into hard drives is that you need a computer to access it. That computer also needs to have sound. Playing a music or movie file on a computer with a malfunctioning sound card is an effort in futility only akin trying to eating a bag of Cheetos without turning yourself and your immediate surroundings day-glo orange.
Needless to say, my inability to fix this problem is working my already frayed nerves. Fortunately, I have my iPod, which is stuffed with enough musical goodness to get me through this oh-so-trying time.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Captain's Log: Star Date 2014/03/07 - The Island of Formosa
Here I sit, in a strange new land, in a strange new life, on what may become a typical Friday night: the wife and her sisters playing mahjong in the living room, and me sipping on a beer, listening to music and banging away on the keyboard. This blog has been neglected far too long. - Ooops! Forgot the beer! Yikes!
It's an odd thing, starting a new life. Moving away from the familiar into uncharted waters. Why did I stay in Korea so long? The answer is pretty simple. Staying was easier than going. Despite all the crap that I complained about, for most of the time I was there, the options - or lack of options - elsewhere, made Korea the best choice. To a certain extent, it was the only choice. While I'm not uncomfortable with change, I am a man that likes a certain amount of routine. Sometimes my routine led to stagnation. The last four years in Korea are proof of that. Yet when you hit that comfort zone, it can be a hard thing to break out of, and I accept that I'm the only one who can break that cycle. The cycle has been broken, and it is good.
There are things I will miss about Korea. I made some really great friends in the years I was there (you know who you are). There's part of me that will always be waiting for Ian's call on a Saturday afternoon to decide which animal was going to be killed, grilled, and eaten and whether we were going to take the bus or cab it to Gung-dong. I'll miss Mr. Ho saying, " I LOVE / HATE Jaegermeister!" depending on whether he beat me at pool or not. Hell, there's even a part of me that will miss arguing with the KAIST students over their horrid music tastes. Over all, the fourteen years I spent in Korea was a great experience. Sometimes when you're stuck in the middle of it, it doesn't feel that way, but hindsight is always 20/20, and I'll remember my time in Korea fondly.
There will be routine here in Taiwan as well, and I'm liking the way this routine is starting. Waking up in the arms of someone you love deeply is a wonderful thing. It's almost as if Rebecca and I are starting a new relationship in spite of the fact that we've actually known each other for almost ten years and have been married for a year and a half. It makes me realize that I've been alone for a long time. I'm happy.
It's an odd thing, starting a new life. Moving away from the familiar into uncharted waters. Why did I stay in Korea so long? The answer is pretty simple. Staying was easier than going. Despite all the crap that I complained about, for most of the time I was there, the options - or lack of options - elsewhere, made Korea the best choice. To a certain extent, it was the only choice. While I'm not uncomfortable with change, I am a man that likes a certain amount of routine. Sometimes my routine led to stagnation. The last four years in Korea are proof of that. Yet when you hit that comfort zone, it can be a hard thing to break out of, and I accept that I'm the only one who can break that cycle. The cycle has been broken, and it is good.
There are things I will miss about Korea. I made some really great friends in the years I was there (you know who you are). There's part of me that will always be waiting for Ian's call on a Saturday afternoon to decide which animal was going to be killed, grilled, and eaten and whether we were going to take the bus or cab it to Gung-dong. I'll miss Mr. Ho saying, " I LOVE / HATE Jaegermeister!" depending on whether he beat me at pool or not. Hell, there's even a part of me that will miss arguing with the KAIST students over their horrid music tastes. Over all, the fourteen years I spent in Korea was a great experience. Sometimes when you're stuck in the middle of it, it doesn't feel that way, but hindsight is always 20/20, and I'll remember my time in Korea fondly.
There will be routine here in Taiwan as well, and I'm liking the way this routine is starting. Waking up in the arms of someone you love deeply is a wonderful thing. It's almost as if Rebecca and I are starting a new relationship in spite of the fact that we've actually known each other for almost ten years and have been married for a year and a half. It makes me realize that I've been alone for a long time. I'm happy.
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