Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Happy New Year!

Are we back in the Roaring Twenties? With the US economy doing better than it has in decades, I should hope so, even if the other side of the aisle refuses to acknowledge reality. Whatever. Whether you're plugged into or utterly detached from reality, I wish you a happy, slappy, flappy New Year, and all the best for 2020 and beyond.

Some 1920s-era flapper girls to aid the mood:


And yours truly, in my yearly pose:


There will be a lot of pedantic dumbassery about whether 2020 should be considered the start of a new decade. Respond to that intellectual fluff by noting that every January First signals the start of a new decade—it just depends on when you start your numbering. What's clear and undeniable is that we're now in the Twenties. Surely that means something... unless you're one of those Eeyore-like pedants on the other end of the numerical-significance spectrum who grumble that "2020" is just an arbitrary designation, not worthy of celebration. Fine. You're right. Now go whack off in a corner.

BONNE NOUVELLE ANNÉE!
FROHES NEUES JAHR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
새해 福 많이 받으세요!




3 comments:

Daniel said...

Happy New Year! To many more long walks in the future! Have you been up the Joongrang-cheon (the Gangbuk version of the Tan-cheon)?

Kevin Kim said...

Daniel,

Thanks for the comment. No, I haven't done the Joongrang-cheon yet. Thanks for alerting me to it! And Happy New Year! May 2020 bring you (more?) peace and prosperity.

Hey—do you happen to know anything about the Han River bike path along the Han's north bank as it runs through Seoul? I think the path curves northward once you reach the west end of Seoul; I'm curious as to where that bike trail ends up. Come to think of it, I'm curious as to what happens when you follow the south-bank path westward past the turnoff to the Ara Canal.

So much to explore.

Daniel said...

Great questions. And apologize for the late reply. I know the Joongrang veers north to my neck of the woods and narrows to a trickle after 양주. Guessing the path along 강변북로 follows 자유로 North towards 파주 and the 임진강. Given all the barbed wire and security posts, not even sure there's a path, TBH. Definitely worth looking into and walking!