The Casey Lartigue Show!

I'm going on what Koreans call MT (short for "Membership Training"). I suppose Americans would call it a retreat. I was invited by the swing dance group I've been taking lessons with for the last month. It has been described to me as a weekend of drinking, dancing, drinking games, then I, suppose, drunken dancing... The following weekend I'll be celebrating my birthday. The weekend after that I'll be going on a retreat. Then right after that I may be going to China for a week or so. CJL

According to the Korea Times : "South Korea postponed its rocket launch Wednesday as an order was issued to stop the rocket's liftoff 7 minutes and 56 seconds before the firing.It was not immediately known why the launch was halted. The South Korean government said that it will announce the reason of the launch delay." My question: Will anyone get arrested? It seems that every failure in South Korea results in someone getting arrested, executed or being forced to resign. * * * Ordering at McDonald's I'm what is known as an aggressive shopper. I always want a discount. Yes, everyone wants a discount, but I mean that once I see an item on sale, I will never buy it again until it is on sale again. Anything another customer is offered, I want it too. In America I could always understand and find deals. But in Korea? I'm not always aware of what's going on or what's available. Some friends took me to McDonalds the other day. If you buy a set meal then you ...

Chris in South Korea has some great photos of T-shirts spotted around Seoul with creative English written on them. I am on the hunt for something different: I want to buy some T-shirts and caps written in Korean. * It would make perfect sense. The Koreans around me have on T-shirts and caps written in English, I'd have the same in Korean. I wish I could write the Korean myself to make sure the grammar would confuse Koreans, like the T-shirts below. * I have seen a couple of Koreans wearing caps written in Korean. The best I could decipher is that the caps were related to organizations they were probably members of. And, in the small sample, they have all been older Korean men. * The Wondergirls have really taken off in America. Are there any Wondergirl T-shirts available in Seoul? I've seen T-shirts with Madonna or Marilyn Monroe on them, but not the Wondergirls or other Korean stars. * I'm limited in my Korean language ability but it seems that Koreans don't name th...

A few days ago a Korean colleague mentioned that she was trying to learn about American culture. I had caught her printing out a long bilingual text explaining American history and culture, sent to her by a Korean professor. She mentioned, that after hearing Americans complain, she had gotten uncomfortable asking people their ages. She said she had stopped asking other Koreans she met. I tried to explain that Americans will discuss each other about their ages, but in context. Just my presence isn't enough context. I guess some may consider that Koreans altering their behavior to be a good thing. It is a big world, we have a lot to learn from each other. Societies evolve, outsiders sometimes have great ideas and inventions. But...I'm still in the learning stage about Korea. So at this point I'm hesitant to draw conclusions about the things I see, hear and do or to welcome the role of the lecturing visitor. I've noticed that Koreans who speak English well seem to be on gu...

I often say that I would give up my right to vote in a libertarian society. After all, if the leadership was true to its beliefs then I wouldn't have to monitor what the damn government does. But because we have geniuses in office who believe they know what is best for people--and have the power to enforce it--I keep track so at least I can see the punch coming. I have also said that Kim Dae - jung is one of the few politicians that I actually trust. I don't say this just because he may be dying. In addition to the many other wonderful things he has done over the decades, that he spared the lives of a politician who had once sentenced him to death on trumped-up charges was an example of a politician not abusing his power once in office. I truly expected to wake up this morning to read that Kim Dae - jung had expired. 1) He has been very sick for about a month now. 2) He's 85 years old. That's not a good combo. 3) Today is Liberation Day in South Korea. More than 1 mil...

I'm a sports fan who doesn't care which team wins or loses. When a game is over my regret is not that a particular team didn't win. Rather, I'm sorry that the game is over. After a team wins the Super Bowl or championship I regret that the season is over. Some people don't believe me when I say this but I mean it. I have been watching football and basketball for so long that I now just enjoy the sport for what they are. I don't remember who won last year's Super Bowl, or any of them since about 1989. That has now changed! My favorite team? The Philadelphia Eagles! I've always been a Donavan McNabb fan. And now, they have signed Michael Vick off the Ex-Convict list. Vick is one of the few players I enjoy watching play. I have followed his career since he was in high school. I had just arrived in Virginia when there were news reports about him and a high school superstud , Ronald Curry. Vick is the only player I would go out of my way to watch whenever h...

Some former NBA stars are coming to South Korea . In another decade or two their skills should have deteriorated to the point that I could actually compete with them. They'll be playing on my birthday, Sept 5, so that will give me an excuse not to get out and play with them. I don't care how good Kareem Abdul- Jabbar was back in the day, he is now 62 years old. I think I'm ready to take him on now. There is one way I could get on the court against any NBA player, whether current or retired. I would just need to be able to change one or two rules. Rule number 1: I could never be called for a foul. Rule number 2: The opposing players all must wear high heels. If the game is still competitive then I would require the opposing players to wear boxing gloves. In other words, this shit ain't perfect The Korea Times has a hit piece on TBS eFM , the all-English radio station based in Seoul. To prove their case they talk with two people--a native Korean and a Canadian. Based on ...