A Travelin' Champ!

You know that kid who screams through the duration of your 13-hour trans-Pacific flight?  Well, Finley wasn't that kid.  That kid was a few rows ahead of us, and boy did I feel sorry for his parents.

Finley, as usual, behaved himself well above and beyond expectation.  In the 13 hours we were on the plane, he fussed and cried for a total of maybe three minutes.  Yup, that's it.  And even that was not a full-on wail, just some fussing.  BEST. KID. EVER.

Although we booked our tickets through US Airways, the flight was operated by Asiana Airlines, and the services and amenities they provided for parents were fantastic.  It started with the "Happy Mom Service," which includes a dedicated check-in counter for less waiting.

However, the best part was the bulkhead seating for the parents (Yay --  Leg room!) and the bassinet for Finley.

 Finley's favorite part of the trip: being rocked in the bassinet by the turbulence!

All in all, it was one of the most pleasant trans-Pacific flights I've ever had because of the extra legroom. Now, not everything was perfectly hunky-dory, mind you.  Changing diapers in those tiny lavatories isn't exactly a piece of cake for a 6'3" dude, but we managed without a major fiasco.

From what I saw on the plane, I'd much rather travel with a 2-month old than a 2-year-old.  However, now that we're Stateside for the foreseeable future, who knows when we'll be traveling by plane again...

Finley will just have to wait a while to add another stamp to his passport.

Take me out to the ball game...

Between the international move, packing, cleaning, goodbyes, finalizing work stuff, looking at homes in Michigan, making summer plans, taking care of a new baby, and, oh, hiking the mountains of Korea one last time, we really haven't had time to so much as catch our breath.

Despite the busyness, I did something I've never done in Korea -- I went to a baseball game.

Now before I went, I was picturing the setting:  rows and rows of sparsely peopled stands of the stadium, some cheering during home runs, and maybe a wave if we were lucky.  This has been my experience with stadiums and ball games in the States. I assumed it would be the same here.  Ah, assumptions.  Haven't I learned my lesson about assumptions about Korea by now?

As I got into the cab to head to the stadium with Finley, upon hearing where we were headed, the taxi driver said, "Why do you want to go there?  The only thing there is the stadium."
"Well, yes," I replied. "We're going to the baseball game."
"Why are you taking a BABY to a baseball game?" he exclaimed.
"Um...because he likes baseball?"

Anyway, now I sort of see why the driver said that.  It was the most packed sporting event I have ever seen, and the decibel level of the cheering was like what I imagine would go on at an Olympic gold-medal event.

Get a load of these fans:


Crazy!

Korean parents usually don't take infants out until they are 100 days old, much less to a rip-roaring sporting event that was undoubtedly a little too loud for a 7-week-old.  Finley was great, though, as usual, with no crying and wide eyes.  And I think he was a good luck charm for the LG Twins, who scored 6 runs in one inning after we got there!

I'm laughing at the insanity of the fans.

Snoozing through the 6th inning.

Bidding Farewell to My SNU Co-Workers

The semester's still a week from being over, but apparently my colleagues are eager to be rid of me because they already had a going away party for me (and for Ian).  Actually, most of them are just jetting out for exotic vacation adventures as soon as they get their grades turned in next week.

Anyway, we all went out for big slabs of mok-sal, or grilled pork neck meat, down in Nakseongdae. 

Nancy, Shannon, Aaron, Kelly, Doug, & Ian

Who knew that Heather & I could pass
 for siblings?! Twins perhaps even.

Rob & Jo looking far more paternal and
maternal than I had ever before witnessed.

Aaron, Kelly, Doug, Ian, Boram, Given, Rob, Jo, & Finley

Looks like someone's been eating plenty of that moksal!

Cutest ever!

A Night of Luxury

We spent the weekend in Songdo for my "Last Waltz" with all my Incheon music buds.  However, now that we've added Finley into the mix, gigs and weekend trips have become a lot more complicated.  We can't just crash on a friend's couch after rockin' and partying till 3:00am anymore.

It started with a taxi ride to the bus stop and then the express bus to Songdo.  Finley slept like a champ.

Snoozin' on the M6405.

To make our first night away from home go as smoothly as possible, we decided to splurge and stay the night at the Songdo/Incheon Sheraton Hotel because it was only two blocks away from Cafe de Moim, where the farewell concert was held.

Sheraton Lobby

Our room was actually nicer than this one, but I forgot
to take pictures of anything but Finley. 

We were most excited about the beautiful, luxurious bathroom with a deep tub because we only have a stand-up shower in our apartment.

Finley got to take his first bath in a real bathtub.  He loved it!  

 After his bath, we bundled him all up tight and plopped him onto the king-sized bed for some pictures.

Then it was time to get him all dressed up in his rock-n-roll sleeper for dad's big gig! 

So cute I just want to eat him up!

It was a great night and Finley enjoyed most of the show, though he slept through most of it! 

Other than the drums, Finley seemed to like the music!

Although the night was great and Finley was a real trooper, I would be remiss, however, if I did not mention that he fussed from 5:00am to about 10:00am the next morning with gas and indigestion, putting a bit of a damper on the weekend.  Still, it could have been a whole lot worse!

The Last Waltz

This weekend we began the long process of saying goodbye with the first of what will no doubt be a procession of "lasts" and goodbye parties here in Korea:

Members of The Odds Against, The Mad Cannons, and the Songdo Social Club, along with special guests Masao Utsumi & Zee Kang came together for a farewell party at Cafe de Moim in Songdo for both me and Stanley Crocker, who's also leaving Korea this month.

The soft-spoken Masao Utsumi, a skilled bassist and guitarist, joined us for a set.  He said he hadn't played in a public gig in 30 years, but he certainly hadn't lost a beat.

The disappearing Austin and Utsumi on his 5-string

Finley enjoyed the acoustic set but didn't dig the drums.

Austin, Stanley, Zee, Robbie, Geordan

Many thanks to one of my former students, Hye-ji Shin, for shooting some video of the evening:

Couldn't resist hamming it up for this kid!

I need to put in a word of thanks to Robbie:

Love you like the older brother I never had, mate!

From the bottom of my heart, Robbie, thank you:  for organizing this whole event, for bringing more energy to every gig than I'll ever be able to muster, for both trusting and challenging me as a musician, for your unabashed emotion, and for our many talks about music, politics, and fatherhood.  And for as much as I loved our many fun shows, I think what I'll miss most is our rehearsals at your apartment with you and Rob. Good times.

And a word to Stan: 

Rocking out, Mad Cannons style

Stan, it was a jam session with you at the mountain biking campout last summer and your subsequent invitation to me to join the Songdo Social Club for a gig that transformed my musical life here in Korea.  In my first two years in Korea, I played at an open mic exactly once.  That's it.  Since meeting you, I've played on average three gigs a month.  Thank you for all the organizing you did, your work booking gigs, your willingness to run sound for TOA and to set up and tear down gear, gig after gig after gig.  The ex-pat scene in Songdo is losing a lot with you.  

And now a shout-out to the other musicians I've had the pleasure to get to know: 

• Zee: You're an extraordinary musician and a quirky-fun person.  So glad to have met you and played with you so often these past few months.  
• Moon: I'm sorry that the busy-ness of work prevented us from hanging out more often.  Best of luck to you in life and music.
• Geordan:  I don't even know enough about drumming to know how good you are at that kit.  Wish we could have had more gigs together.  I'm excited, however, that we'll be able to see each other from time to time when you head back home to Michigan!
• Jeff:  I had a great time Friday night sharing the mic with you and your trombone one last time.  It's been a pleasure.
• Simo:  Sorry you couldn't make it out so I could say adios in person.  Take care, bro.

And a shout-out to the fans!  Thank you!

Hanging out with co-workers

On Monday, I took Finley in to the office to say hello to my colleagues at ORDA.

with amazing artist, Mr. Yeo

with Anny and Mikki

with Prof. Hwang

Then, on Thursday, I got Finley dressed up in his monkey pants and hat for a hwoi-shik (dinner with colleagues) of shabu shabu:

Hey, hey, we're the monkeys!

Finley & the girls: Anny, Victoria, Grace, Kiok, & Garam

Making eyes with Anny

Finley was showing off his new trick: using his newfound neck muscles to stare straight up at the ceiling lights:

Don't look into the light!

Still looking at the lights.

Your Weekly Finley Fix

Ready to go out!

Sportin' new threads from Grandma Jan

Stargazing at Nana's quilt

Finley's first Korean BBQ!

Coaxing a smile...

Sleepy grin