It sure looks that way. Here’s a batch of pics I took last night walking home in the snow. (May take a bit to load if any of you are on dialup.)
Yup, that’s right – SNOW!
The forecast for yesterday had called for “clouds.” Sure, they sometimes contain precipitation, but I expect at least a little bit of a warning if there’s the chance they’ll be dropping 1-3″ of snow. It started around 4 or 5 this afternoon and kept right on coming, sometimes heavy, sometimes not, but there was always something falling out of the sky. My boss wasn’t to thrilled with it. He kept looking out the window and saying “shit” to himself. I don’t think he likes driving in the snow. But he only lives about 2 miles from the school, so I don’t see what the big deal is. I walked my 3 miles in the snow and made it just fine.
Of course, I didn’t have to contend with red-light-running buses or deranged cabbies. They were at least still able to stay on the road. The sidewalks weren’t too bad. The snow had drifted a bit in some places and was little more than a dusting in others. Where ever it had some depth it was really cool. Nice, crunchy snow that sounds great when you walk on it.
I took a very indirect route home and started snapping photos along the way. This was one of those times I was glad I always keep my camera in my backpack. I’m also glad I haven’t bought a new one yet. The one I’ve got, I refer to as the “ghettocam.” I paid about $34 for it, so if it gets trashed, no big deal. It’s bulky, but sturdy, and actually takes low-light pics pretty well. Most of these were done without the flash. Not too shabby since they were done between 9:30 and 10:20PM. I didn’t do any tweaking, cropping or correcting on any of these photos. This is true Ghettocam Photography. I liked how some of the colors came out in these, so I’m sharing them that way. All I’ve done is resize them.
But enough blabbing from me – on to the pictures!
Festive!
These trees are out in front of HomePlus, one of the big “we carry everything” stores. They look more Christmas-y now than they did in December.
Giant Mushroom Phalluses!
Also in front of HomePlus. I have no idea what the deal with these things is. I’d been meaning to take a pic of them for a while, and catching them crested with snow is something that’s not likely to happen again. So here they are.
The roads weren’t so bad.
I’m sure all this gunk will freeze up nicely tonight, making for interesting driving for everybody going to work tomorrow. I’ll be walking.
The Underpass Nobody Can Use
This thing’s been finished for a month or so now, but they haven’t opened the road yet. It goes under the subway tracks and connects to the shopping/restaurant area close to my apartment. The road on the other side has been “under construction” (by which I mean “completely finished but still blocked off for some unknown reason”) for over a year. Sucks if you’re driving, but cool if you want a nice flat place to go Rollerblading.
The Above-mentioned Subway
But not really “sub.” Not in my neighborhood anyways. I’m far enough outside of Seoul that there’s no reason to bury the lines. Yet.
No Title Here!
The view towards my neighborhood from under the tracks.
Streetlights, sidewalks and traffic lights – but no cars allowed!
Well, not really. There’s one street that’ll get you on to this bit of road, but it’s also the only way out. People come here to practice driving too.
Handaeap!
This is the shopping/restaurant area I mentioned above. Tons of restaurants and bars, but most of the shops suck. There is a good coffee shop though, so with it and the restaurants, the area’s still pretty cool.
Random Trees and Streetlights
I thought these looked nice and funky, hence the pic.
The Galbi Joint
Galbi is Korean “cook it yourself” dining. Chicken, pork or whathaveyou. This place is right around the corner from my apartment, but I’ve never been there. It’s pretty cool looking. When it’s warmer they open up the sides and let the air flow through. Makes the neighborhood smell pretty good when they’re busy.
My Street
Yup, this is where I live. My building’s just a bit down on the left, right by that second streetlight. The big thing on the right side is an elementary school. They play wretched music during recess.
Snow and Fog
I’m not sure if that’s my breath in the air or if it’s on the lens. However it happened, I thought it was a pretty cool effect, so here it is for everybody to see. (I’m aiming the camera up at a tree, if you can’t make out what it is.)And that concludes my little photographic journey home from work. I hope you found it at least slightly interesting. I had fun taking all the photos, and I’m sure everybody who saw me thought I was crazy for doing so.
Meh. Their loss if they can’t find fun even when it falls from the sky and lands on their heads.
^.^