in this installment, james eats a buttermilkboy

Hiya, back in South Korea now and absolutely loving the fact I can see my breath in the morning!

My last three days in Cambodia were spent in bed, not because I was horribly sick, but because I had a sore throat and could feel myself on the brink of something big. After two days in colder weather, though, I seem to be feeling MUCH better, so I think it was accumulated dehydration. I really have no idea how people survive in that climate.

Anyway, now that I'm back at my laptop there will be more videos coming, but at a slower rate than last month. I have a fairly heavy writing schedule now, and thus far it's working out well. The great thing about Gimpo is that everything is within a stone's throw away. So, within three city blocks (ok, I can't really throw that far) I have a jogging trail, movie theater, bowling alley, two coffee shops, and a mob of incredible restaurants, pharmacies, and convenience stores. So I plan on being on a strict schedule of exercise, eating, and writing ... which, thus far I've managed to keep for one day, then drank coffee too late and had insomnia and couldn't drag myself out of bed to go jogging.

Tomorrow, though, TOMORROW will be the real start date, right?

Good news is I am writing a TON ... one third of a short story and five pages of a screenplay in one day ... I'm really hoping I can keep up the flow. 2009 is too much of a watershed year career-wise not to have at least one finished screenplay to lead the assault.

In other news, I've decided that it's possible to fall in love with any country you visit, given the right amount of time and circumstance. For me, I fell in love with Cambodia on the taxi ride from the airport, which consisted of me juggling my large backpack and American fat on the back of a tiny motorbike as the driver wove through rush hour traffic while talking on his cell phone. Thailand took a bit longer, since my first impression was Bangkok. But a week on a secluded paradise beach tends to win you over. As for South Korea, on my first pass through I wasn't really won over. Kind of like a first date that doesn't really go horrible, but you didn't feel any sparks and are debating whether a second date it worth the time and money. For me, the lightning struck in the coffee shop yesterday, when I sat in a warm patch of sunlight next to the window and watched the afternoon rush push down the sidewalks with scarves across their faces.

Of course, it could just be it reminds me of Seattle ...

*Author's Note*
A Buttermilkboy is a brown sugar bun filled with butter sauce. Yeah, you heard me right.