I've failed again--I should have updated this thing a few times since the last post, but time constraints wouldn't let it be so. Here's me making it up to you:

I read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff today, in its entirety. Though it's only about 160 pages long, with much of that space being set aside for illustrations, this says something--because I normally fall asleep after reading 30 or so pages, despite how much I claim to love reading. Anyway, I'll indulge you in the details of the book, which seeks to reconcile A.A. Milne's beloved character with the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism. Hoff holds up Pooh as the embodiment of Taoism through the virtues of being simple-minded, taking pleasure in small things, being more or less worry-free and so on--in other words, the book (and Taoism in general, I guess) is a philosophy for life that isn't obscure and convoluted to the point of being understood by only a small coterie of scholars and academics. It's also another installment in this series of "self-help/meaning-seeking" books that I've found myself reading lately (and I will discuss this, occasionally, on my other blog).

As it's been nearly a year since I posted to this blog I figured it's due for an update. I have made a few other blogs in the past year, none of which were created with the purpose of being a journal or diary; instead these were supposed to be little sanctuaries for creativity, in an effort to stimulate myself into writing, well, creatively. So far the project has failed. Anyway, the point here is that I'm going to try to update this page a couple times a week and just talk about what's going on in my life.

Right now: I am trying to get to South Korea sometime in the spring so I can teach conversational English. This looks promising, but I'm still waiting on some paperwork to be finalized. It seems as though most of the people I know who have participated in similar work programs in Korea did so before the country came up with all this mandatory paperwork, therefore I have no help in getting these things together.

While in Korea (bear in mind that I am optimistic about this prospect): Other than teaching, I'm going to try to involve myself in traveling, taking a million pictures, reading and writing consistently and possibly learning to speak some Korean. In other words, exactly what every other language teacher probably does. I read that Korea isn't the ideal country in which to "find yourself," but I don't think that's what I need. I just want some solitude and a little financial security, even if it is brief.

Beyond Korea: As it stands, I'll probably be in Korea for a year, arriving back in the United States sometime in the summer of 2010. I've been putting off a master's degree for nearly three years now, so if things turn out well I'll have decided where to go by the time I return. I've been reconsidering my options for graduate school, and while I'll most likely end up getting an M.A. in literature there's a chance I'll change my mind.

Blacksburg: This town weighs more heavily on me each day I spend here. There is nothing noble about Barnes & Noble; while that's not necessarily funny it is true. I will soon make a post about the contradicting nature of working in a chain bookstore--the product versus the clientele versus the employees...it will make more sense when the topic is fully realized. I'll have to think about it a little more in depth before I attempt some kind of analysis and opinion.