Today is the first day of classes. I had introductions this morning to two classes, and have three more classes tonight, beginning at 6:00. Feels good to be in front of a class like this.

I often do not discuss dreams with anyone, and I mean specifically REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep.

Three times since I arrived, I've had dreams I had while living in Ashland, Kentucky, come true.

The first dream took place in a city with a public railway system that was incredibly huge, vast, somewhat unrealistic in scope and distance covered. It was more than a subway. It went underground as well as above ground. As I've ridden metro rail system here in Seoul, that dream was brought to mind, of walking through an underground station and riding a train that just went on and on... Last night I rode from Daebang Station to Yongsan, and saw how wide the Han River is. This link will take you to a map of the public rail system, on which Korea Rail also runs trains. This link will be much clearer, and the instructions remain the same.

Daebang Station is spelled with a "T" on this map. Trust me that this is a misprint, and I do plan on getting a picture of it after dark to show you I am right on this.

Directions to find Daebang are simple. Find Seoul Station, and a very dark blue line that runs up and down. Going down, you will find Yangson. Follow it down and to the left past Nonyangjin, and the next stop (137) is Daebang. (It is pronounded "Diebang.") I live within a quarter mile from this location.

The second dream involved a Korean palace built for the elder brother of one of the former kings, sometime in the 15th century. Deoksungung Palace is located downtown near city hall. Sometimes I dream in snapshots. Images come and go to rapidly to register, and one morning I woke up durijng a dream, forgetting the images, but knowing I was supposed to remember them for a reason. As we toured Deoksungung Palace, there were girls in their school uniforms touring the palace. The final snapshot image I had in my memory was of the uniform that served to trigger to remembering the dream.

One other dream I had involved a downtown district where I was a teacher or something. The dream was too dark, but it did involve a brick building. Among all of these modern buildings, constructed of glass and steel and concrete and other materials, I was led to the red brick building that serves as the Korean Seventh-day Adventist church, and where the SDA Language Institute is located.

Pictures to follow within a week or two.

Very brief update:

We completed orientation today. I'm assigned to Daebang, which is located in Seoul about 30 minutes from my location on the No. 1 subway line.

I am tired. I need to sleep, and I need to complete washing clothes tonight and be packed up in the morning.

And I need to contact the lady who gave me her e-mail address earlier today at Korean teacher's orientation. I've written her twice and the message bounced. Gonna be one of T*H*O*S*E nights.

Film at eleven...

 

SEOUL: I have arrived safely. More news later.

Jim

Thank you, eel. As promised...

 

By the Water - (c) 2005 eel

Springs of Time

© 2005 James Heald

 

My time begins with something small

only to flow into something bigger than me

I blinked and I missed it

watching myself grow into me

 

water under the bridge

isn’t that what the past is about

as the future is mine to build and control

the past is only a memory to laugh at

since it can’t be fixed

even the pain of yesterday can’t tear me down

the pain is mine to control

the mistake mine to avoid

as the lessons learned are applied

the future I see will not be denied

 

Let me flow with the river

before the springs of time run dry

 

my eyes are open

though the glass is dark

my destiny is bright

with time I will flow into the person

I am meant to become

 

---------------------------------------------------

"Time for some thrilling heroics." - Jayne Cobb

Firefly - opening theme lyrics

Take my love.
Take my land.
Take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care,
I'm still free.
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black.
Tell ‘em I ain't comin' back.
Burn the land
And boil the sea.
You can't take the sky from me.

Have no place I can be
Since I found Serenity.
But you can't take the sky from me.

For those who missed it, Firefly began reruns on the Sci Fi Channel a few months ago. It is perhaps the first time a very short lived television program took on life of its own, becoming one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. Star Trek was canceled after three seasons.

The action takes place 500 years in the future around a sun with dozens of planets and moons that were successfully terraformed. The inner core formed the Alliance, while the outer planets were colonized and resistant to Alliance rule. Clandestine science projects strive to make people better, and their failures, which are many, are hidden in a darkness as vast as space.

One science experiment turned River Tam into a leathal killing machine. Problem is, she's a psychic who has seen into the minds of key Parliamentary officials. Now they want to remove her before they are exposed. River is protected by her brother, Dr. Simon Tam, who gave up a promising medical career to protect her. Unfortunately, her instability is a source of tension between the good doctor and Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds.

The concept behind the televison progam and the movie successfully incorporates elements of science fiction and western genres. It feels like both.

The cast is enjoyable. Adam Baldwin has a twinkle in his eye playing "Jayne Cobb," a man who would kill a man in a fair fight, or if the man was planning to fight. He just can't understand why the Reavers behave the way they do. "Mal" Reynolds (Nick Fallion) is a decorated war hero burned out about the past and living in an uncertain present, looking for a reason to carry on. When he finds that reason, he aims "to misbehave," and it is good. Keep an eye on Summer Glau, who portrayed a ballerina on Joss Whedon's other program, Angel. As River Tam, she runs a gauntlet of emotion, and gives beauty and grace to her fight scenes.

I've seen Serenity three times. This is my third favorite movie of 2005, behind Elizabethtown and Kingdom of Heaven. I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

-----

I'll write you again after I arrive in Seoul. Takeoff time is less than 48 hours away.

Thank you all for your support of this site. I love you all. {{{{HUGS}}}} all around!

Jim

This is the first time I've posted very large images here, so I apologize for any lagtime you may experience while they load. However, I didn't think it would be fair to allow you to miss any of the beauty that is about to be shared. Enjoy!

Cave Branch Creek at Laurel Cave, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, Kentucky

Reflection under Natural Bridge, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, Kentucky

John and 'Becca (LittleEgypt) at Natural Bridge, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, Kentucky

There is more to this story, and I'll be sharing it soon.

Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, Kentucky. In the early days of the motion picture industry, Hollywood studios were allowed to own their theater chain. When this opened, it was one of the original Paramount theaters. The movie Gone with the Wind opened here. Today the stage is set for music concerts and other live performances.

All images taken with Canon PowerShot A85 digital camera.

 

See this movie.

It has drama. It has laughs. It has tears.

It has life.

And it features Tom Petty, including "Learning to Fly", of my personal favorites. It's in the movie, but not on the soundtrack. However, "Square One" and "It'll All Work Out" are.

Well i started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as i crossed the hill
The town lit up the world got still

I'm learning to fly but i ain't got wings
Comin' down is the hardest thing

Well the good old days may not return
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn

I'm learning to fly but i ain't got wings
Comin' down is the hardest thing

Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So i started out for god kno ws where
But i guess i'll know when i get there

I'm learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly but i ain't got wings
Comin' down is the hardest thing
I'm learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly
I'm learning to fly

I am looking forward to seeing it again this week. And yeah, I'll probably sit in the same seat I was in the last time.

-----

In other news, one week from today I will be travelling overseas. On October 23 I leave Huntington for Cincinnati, then to Atlanta, then to Seoul, South Korea. I'll arrive sometime on Monday, October 24. I'll be back around here before I leave.

 

Sparks Homestead, Lawrence County, Kentucky - Labor Day, 2005

There are some occasions when a setting dictates what the result will be. This is one of them.

My grandmother was born in a coal mining town in West Virginia. Sometime during her life, the family moved to this house where she and her brothers and sisters grew up. It's one of those places where you find a family cemetary on the side of a hill, and a garden and tobacco barn are found in back. Next to the smoke house you drink iron water drawn from the well.

And when the family grows up and wants to stay in touch, all the family comes back together once a year to celebrate. The Sparks side of the family, my grandmother's family on my mom's side, congregated here on Father's Day. We feasted on mashed potatoes, green beans, fried chicken, and drank soda or tea. The children chased crawdads in the creek, and eventually we would hike down to a rockhouse, which we often called a cave.

The last reunion was in the late 1980s. My great uncle died a few years later, as did his wife. There is no one left of my grandmother's generation alive. Her sister died earlier this year.

My sister took my nephew, a cousin and myself up to the old homestead, where we briefly visited my second cousin, then wandered around the site. This is the best of the pictures taken that day. The original is in color, but it demands to be black and white.

 

I've been experimenting with my camera settings. It's been a blast. Here are some results I've had recently.

Greenup Ave. 5:45 a.m. Time laspe exposure of about two to three seconds. I leaned the camera against a light post to help keep camera shake to a minimum. The golden light streaks were caused by a passing truck.

Ohiomist - Very early morning in September, with the sun deep behind the horizon. It was slightly misty this day, but you can see the first blush of the day behind the Ohio hills.

Carter Ave Westbound - Taken while I was crossing the street.

Dark Alley - See you there. hehehehe... Yes, it will look better in a dark room. Turn your lights out and you will see it better.

Self-portrait, September, 2005

The Delta Queen...

Making her first appearance in Ashland, Kentucky, on Sept. 25, 2005. I don't know how many times she's traveled this way, but I've been told this was the first time she docked in this town.

She's a rare breed. Not many sternwheelers are on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. There are the Delta Queen, the America Queen, and the Mississippi Queen, operated by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company.

That's how she gets around.

Most boats have screw propellers. This one has a paddlewheel on her stern. Hence the term, sternwheeler.

When the Queen comes to port, the steam-powered calliope sings her song, and it is heard for a long way off. People would know a ship was coming in, so they would run and greet her. She carriend not only passengers, but mail and other cargo.

Can you imagine what it was like cruising the rivers on these magnificent ships? Makes you long for a simpler time, doesn't it?

Here's information on planning your next vacation.

 

I'll be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, check out my Yahoo! Groups site. I think you will enjoy the photographs as well.