Snow, Shoes, Showers... and snowshowers. But not snowshoes.

But really, I don't have much to say today, so this'll be quick. I'm just trying to start that all-important regular posting thing, so that you'll get in the habit of coming here on a daily basis and bolster my self esteem.

First, it freaking snowed here today. I realize it's still technically winter, and I live in a climate that is roughly equal to Marion, Illinois, but for some reason I didn't expect that. I think the weekend of 50 degree sunny spring-like days threw me off. Of course, it's pretty common for Americans who move to another country to abandon common sense while at the same time taking on a set of wholly unrealistic and romantic expectations, but goddamn did that suck when I walked outside. I feel like a girl saying this, but I even had the wrong shoes on. What's up with that?

Second, and yes, I did just think of this, but apparently my feet are on the very upper end of the normal (read: commercially available) range here. Yup, I wear a 280. 280 what? I have no idea... millimeters? Hertz? Joules? I mean, come on... I'm no expert, but my feet don't look like two hundred and eighty anythings to me. But Korean shoes don't come any bigger than that. I mean, I'm sure you can find bigger shoes, you just have to do some searching, and probably find a western shop near an army base or something. For a reference point, all Koreans' feet are <= an American 10.5. Just thought you'd like to know. I haven't tried to buy any Korean pants yet, but I'm guessing based on my completely non-scientific research that it would be a stretch. Ha, get it? Stretch.

Third, the gym. It's a nice gym, it's got all the machines and free weights and cardio thingamajigs you could want. The treadmills even have TV's on them. Not the bikes or ellipticals or stair machines, but the treadmills do. They've got several squash courts, even. I've never played squash, but it looks awfully similar to racquetball, except it's played by Korean people and not pretentious white guys in headbands. Anyway, the one thing this gym is sorely lacking is a non-creepy shower situation. I'm not a big fan of being naked in front of people... well, scratch that. I'm not a big fan of being naked in front of random dudes. The locker room is just a small room with a door to the outside on one end and a door to the showers on the other. With naked guys walking around. This, how do I put this, is the highlight of the experience. The shower room looks just like prison. And I'm talking Shawshank-style, Andy-Dufresne-goin-nuts-with-a-rake, spend-a-month-in-the-hole prison. No walls, no screens, no curtains, no partitions of any kind. Just a narrow room with shower heads along each wall. Maybe I'm a prude, but that shower isn't nearly urgent enough, no matter how badly I might reek, that it can't wait for 20 minutes and the privacy of my own bathroom. I'm just sayin.