Job titles, birthday party

My colleagues are debating what title to give me. I've been wearing out the Korean-Language dictionary on my cell to find all kinds of wonderful, lofty titles.

One suggestion from someone with the power to make it happen: 연구소 소장. That is probably pronounced youn gu so so jang (meaning: Head of the Research Institute).

My pay won't change as a result of the title so I won't worry about it.

Also, I'm sure by the time everyone has given an opinion that I'll be downgraded to a lower position anyway once it is time to make the business cards...

* * *

The assistant director's birthday is today. We'll probably all go out to eat, drink, and then sing.

I was starting to get disappointed in Korea. I've been here for more than a week now and I've only gone out to sing once. That's even though I've already met with several groups of people.

I had assumed that I would spend so much in the karaoke places that I should buy karaoke stocks.

I won't be posting any video of myself singing, by the way, thanks for asking in advance, and will delete any such links that are posted here...

The Korean (and Japanese) style of Karaoke is a little different from America. Instead of singing on stage or in a bar surrounded by a bunch of drunken strangers, you sing in a small room with your drunken friends. The Korean word is 노래방 (noraebang).

* * *

By the way, I learned a long time ago not to take out Korean friends on my birthday. I fell for the trick years ago. In Korea, it is customary for the person who is celebrating a birthday to treat friends. That's right...your birthday, you pay. I learned the fact when I was out with friends many moons ago...

I wasn't particularly happy about it at the time when the bill came and they tried to convince me that I really had to pay it. I could understand their glee during the night as they ordered drinks, knowing they wouldn't have to pay. Some of them were trusted friends so I believed them...

Some later tried to slip me some cash but I refused, keeping my pride and not having any other money to spend for a few weeks...

CJL

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

Back in America, 4 days and counting

I got back a few days ago, I'm still unpacking... Some of the highlights so far: * Friday morning I was in the audience for a CNN/The Root discussion about being Young and Black in America . As a veteran of so many of these Washington talking events I am less than enthusiastic about them these days. Still, I bumped into a few friends, some of whom are neither young nor black. The discussion seemed so 1980s, with the panelists trying to figure out how to politically empower young black people. I guess it was appropriate then that the head of the NAACP was there. His most irrelevant concern was about hate talk radio...or I guess Rush Limbaugh being on the air all these years explains the high level of black-on-black crime. 20 years later, how is the Stop the Violence movement working out? The highlight of this particular panel was running into old friend David Plotz, who is now editor of Salon Magazine. I don't think I've seen him since college but he recognized me. I forgot...

Still writing (Korea Times, 2023-12-19)

Still writing by Casey Lartigue Jr. The Korea Times December 19, 2023 https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/12/626_365284.html

Michael Vick ain't got nuthin on me!!!

After football player Michael Vick admitted that he had been running a dog-fighting business I wrote that he was an idiot. If he was going to engage in such activity he should have gone to Indonesia or somewhere else. He certainly had the money to do so at that time. If he knew then what he knows now then he would have spent $10 million to run his dogfighting ring in Manila. Today I did something that probably not even Michael Vick ever did: I ate dog meat. I never expected that I would do so. It is a bit scandalous because Koreans don't just kill the dogs and eat them. Rather, they will beat them to death while they are still alive. That allegedly is to get the adrenaline flowing which allegedly makes the meat more tender which allegedly improves a man's stamina. I had told a friend that I wanted to give it a try. But as we sat down to eat I said: "I want to try this but don't give me any details until after we are finished eating." It just looked like regular me...

2020-09-24 Still a Little Big Hero?

A former cable TV staff member dropped by TNKR's office today. This is TNKR's second office. When we first moved into our first office in 2016, he donated some items, mainly a microwave office that we still have. His gift today: A testimonial about how difficult I was for the TvN staff to deal with. Apparently everyone (other than Casey Lartigue) featured by TvN has opened up their lives and homes for the cameras. I said "no thank you." Not only that, but I didn't want them to feature me. As I said: "It would be better to highlight the organization instead of me." That was in 2016, when TNKR's future was uncertain, and needed a boost more than my ego does. They tried to convince me, but I said no. I would prefer to stick my head in a lion's mouth. I mention this because I have heard grumbling in recent years about how much I get featured in media, with some people complaining that I don't give Eunkoo or others a "chance." People w...

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