Don’t have much to say but wanted to write anyway because it’s June 1st and I just love June. My birthday is in this month and unlike a lot of other folks, I love my birthday: I revel in the anticipation, I always want to celebrate, and I love the gifts. I’m just happy to be alive and live another year. The 25th it is. That’s exactly halfway to Christmas and ever since I was old enough to calculate it I’ve enjoyed that happy coincidence. Of course, the 25th is also the anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, which doesn’t exactly get me smiles in these parts. Usually people are like, "Oh, that’s nice" and then they realize the date. Their head turns and they peer at me from the left corners of their eyes. From the smirk on their mouth they say, "That’s not a good day in Korean history" - or something like that - like I am the incarnation of bad luck.

Other things in June are that it’s traditionally the end of a tiresome school year and it marks the beginning of summer. Two very important passings, they are.

This year June also means a trip home. So cool. June is just a great time of the year.

I’ve been dying to put up this photo because of all the trips I’ve taken to Panmunjom, this is the only photo I have of me on the premises. But I promised no more .gifs in May so I had to wait. My uncle Bob took it and my cousin Bob scanned and sent it to me. I manipulated it, fixing and trimming, then added the words. I sent it to some people via email and thought I’d put it here too. (Check out that nice big fat typo that I didn't notice until just now.)

Ok, now I got something to say:

Bugs. Lately on the trail there’s been these swarms of bugs. Already this year I got one in my eye and spent several minutes back home trying to dig it out. Dave got one in his eye too a couple of weeks ago and he had to do the whole eye wash thing to reach the little black carcass lodged behind his eyeball. Today was the worst so far. Bugs everywhere. Right away I sucked one up into my right nostril. Then, just as I had turned back toward home one flew right into my eye and stuck there in that narrow channel between my lower lid and my contact lens. My eye wanted to close because of the discomfort, but that only squeezed the critter and made my eye feel worse. I tried to get it out with my finger but it was no use. I walked that way for several hundred yards, not blinking and feeling my eye drying out. I imagined the bug fighting against its captor, gnawing at my sclera. From the top of my eyes, I saw other people on the trail looking at the odd expression on my face. It totally ruined my walking experience tonight. After awhile, the bug made its way to the corner and settled into a nice wad of goober waiting to be fished out. Later, on the last section of trail, a bug flew straight into my left nostril. Oh geez. I saw it coming, but it was over too fast for me to initiate evasive maneuvers. That made one bug for each nostril tonight. I was so pissed.