couchsurfer #2

a rare european (of a kind) who loves both korea and americans.

i had my second couchsurfer last week (remember marlene?). originally from belfast, kevin has been a vagabond of late, spending time in korea, mexico, and what sounded like an epic trip through the usa. he's got one of those wonderful "i don't understand why i love this ugly, maddening city" attitudes that's rare among white expats. he also, on many occasions, opens his mouth wide and holds it there a while before speaking. it doesn't sound charming, but it is. inexplicably, we were 36 hours into our 48-hour time together before he divulged that we play for the same team. i've found commonwealth-ers strange in this respect.

i know it's cliché, but it's nice how trying to be a good host can result in discovering new things in an old hood. case in point i finally checked out the tiny live music club just 2 blocks from my apartment. perhaps it was the midget little person bouncer who's typically guarding their door, but this was my first time to duck inside. we sat among just 4 tables, enjoyed a decent korean crooner, consumed two unsavory cafri beers, and called it a thursday night.