THE JACKPACK

Just runnin' through the checklist for my train.  Mom lets me stand next to it by myself.  I've been impressing Mom and Dad with my ability to stand.  They think I should crawl first.  Sure.  Again, someone underestimates me.  What do you think about this train?  Yep, it's pretty sweet.

What an exciting day! In fact, I’m still on the adrenaline high. Mom thinks one of the kiddos who joined us on our adventure snuck me a Twizzler. No, it’s not sugar. This morning at nine o’clock, Mom and three wives set out for downtown Seoul to pick up some furniture from the army base. Dad had arranged for Mom to borrow a Ford F150 from a friend. Finally, I got to ride a real vehicle. I even had to ride in my car seat. Normally, around here, Mom just gets in the back seat and holds onto me. That’s only if we’re driving on base. If we drive outside the wire, I have to be American legal, not Korean. This was Mom’s first time to drive outside the wire, and while she was rather confident, I had my doubts. She kept reassuring me that we would probably be the largest vehicle on the road, “Jack, you know those little Kia cars we see driving around? Well, Ford trucks eat them for lunch.” I felt better about venturing into the chaos. Plus, our truck had a nice Texas A&M Former Studen...

I've given up trying to learn Korean and have decided to learn a more useful language:  Latin.  Actually, I jest.  I'm still trying to master the occasional "nonsense" that Mom and Dad utter in response to my squeals of pure glee.  Tooth number two is on the move, and I'm assuming that once it breaks gum, I might be able to speak more intelligibily (try spelling that without spell check).  In fact, Mom looked today and said that it might very well be poking into daylight.  Either that or she was trying to make sense of my horrible, disgusting, rotten, putrescent, foul mood this morning.  Geez, can't a guy get a break?!  How about, "I just woke up on the wrong side of the blanket with a stinky diaper, nearly rolled off the changing table, and wasn't in the mood to eat mashed bananas with rice cereal?!"  Nope, Mom insists that it must be my teeth.  Whatev..  Luckily, the roadkill stench that permeated my mood has dissipated.  I...

Happy Lunar New Year!  This past weekend was the Korean New Year, and guess what?  It's the Year of the Tiger.  My Uncle T filled me in on that bit of trivia.  Well, it's trivia for a normal person but not for a person who happens to own a tiger.  That would be me.  I told Locke about this coincidence, and I shouldn't have.  His ego is now ten times as large as the largest prey he eats.  And, naturally, this tends to annoy me, especially when I'm not quick-witted enough to bring down his arrogant remarks.  Lately, tearing apart his ego has become a bit more challenging, as I'm currently cutting some teeth.  "Cutting" describes this process perfectly.  Just imagine two razor-sharp, porcelain-like pieces ever so slowly cutting their way through the gums.  Well, maybe they're not razor-sharp, but they're pretty darn sharp.  Now, imagine a tiger spouting off egotistical remarks every nanosecond that I'm dealing ...

Well, well, I think my lifestyle can finally be upgraded from nomadic to semi-nomadic.  (once an Apache, now a Navajo)    My suitcase is now unpacked, and I actually feel like I can stretch my legs a little.  Maybe, now, I can get some mobility.  Right now, it's a little tough getting my legs and arms to coordinate their movements.  I suspect we have an immature circuit somewhere.  The neurons can't seem to fire in the right order, and this makes for some frustrating and embarrassing moments.   Alright, alright, it's more like face-plant after face-plant after...you get the idea.  Then, you add some sneezing which sets off a digestive charge....  The only folks who empathize with my situation are the folks on the opposite end of life's spectrum who shop in the "other" diaper aisle.  Luckily, people still think I'm cute after one of these episodes.  And, ladies aren't yet ...

Today, after reflecting on how accurate the film "The Great Escape" portrays the events described in the book, I was inspired to "escape."  If Steve McQueen could do it, so could I.  It was the perfect time.  Mom was busy packing up our luggage.  We're finally moving out of the hotel.  I was pretending to play quietly in my "Jack Kennel."  (That's what Uncle C calls my pack n play.)  Opportunity knocked.  Mom turned around, and I quickly pulled myself up on the side of my kennel. Ha ha...I was kneeling and looking over the side.  When I saw how far it was to the floor, I had to quickly recalculate my plan.  I tried to get my other leg up, so that I could stand.  Standing looks simple.  Boy, I was in for a surprise.  Adults make standing look like a "walk in the park."  I must need to do a few more leg-presses.  That's when Mom turned around and saw me kneeling...