706 steps and Ben Venuto

After a shameful two-month hiatus, I went up Namsan this evening, from about 10:15 to 11:45PM with a 5-minute break on the mountaintop. Not much seems to have changed up top; renovations continue, but the tower's still not open. The huge divider screening the tower off from tourists still reads "COMING SOON," as if the tower were a long-awaited feature film or a half-hearted promise of orgasm.

On my way down the mountain, I made an effort to count the number of steps. Unless I'm mistaken, it's 630 steps from my traditional "summit" line to the arboretum level, then another 76 steps down to street level. A total of 706 steps. I feel like I should be singing statistics in an AIDS-related musical. Or starring in a horror movie.

I bent down to measure the height of one step with my hand. If I'm not too far off, it was about 6.25 inches high. Some steps are taller; some shorter. Assuming the average is about 6.25 inches, then 6.25 x 706 = 4412.5 inches, or 367.7 feet, or 122.57 yards. Not much of a climb, when you break it down that way.

After passing the Namsan and Yongsan public libraries, I did a double take as I approached that Italian restaurant I blogged about so long ago. It used to be closed for renovation and had been named Sole; now it's open for business and has been rechristened Ben Venuto ("welcome!"). I'll definitely have to try them out one of these days. Perhaps a trip with the parents & brother...?

In other news-- despite the shitty treatment by the main office of my department at Smoo, the highlight of my day was finding out that the incoming freshman girls told my female colleague they think I'm "hot." I had a good laugh at that: I'm definitely hot, in terms of how much I sweat. But hey, if you're into double chins, fat asses, bulging waistlines, and hairy mantits, then I fucking smoke.

And now... it's off to bed. An amazing 400-some hits today, thanks to the fortuitous About.com linkage. Once again, all praise to Mike and to Reuters for the article. All I did was quote.


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