I left my apartment at exactly 7:15. Rain again! I walked down the gray wet street trying not to step in the huge mud puddles. The sound of HOT BLOODED by FOREIGNER filled the street. I always leave my stereo on, I figure why not, after all the street is usually filled with static echoes of farmers selling every kind of fruit under the sun, why not HOT BLOODED?

Besides, today I was feeling blue. As I passed the cars it seemed like all of them wanted to kill me. I am serious! And the blue trucks tried to hit every mud puddle possible trying to soak me.....but I was wearing me black magic pants! Ha ha ha, try and get them dirty you loser blue truck drivers!!!! I moved on. Soon I was at the bus stop. I stood next to a group of high school boys. 'HELLO' they said. 'I NO ENGLISH' I grabbed one of them and put his head in one of the mud puddles....well, not really, but I really really wanted to!

Next to the bus stop is a family store, it is called FAMILY MART. Now I have been in Pusan a while, and I have yet to see a family inside! I have seen drunk grandfathers buying soju.....I have seen rich young men in tight black shirts with sleazy looking women , I guess that could be the start of a family.......but I have never seen a family! Oh well, I walked in and headed to the back, My mistake! Now in the back there are about five different kinds of beer. There is also orange juice. And coffee. My hand started to reach for the orange juice, like a good teacher, a good citizen, a good man.

But suddenly the music in my head came on! I started singing HOT BLOODED!!! I got a fever of a hundred and three.............I grabbed the biggest beer possible! I paid for it and guzzled it down in three seconds. I looked outside. Those high school boys were still there......I went to the back again. I bought another one. And I guzzled it. Soon everything was starting to change! My mind started singing different songs! All from 1977! "One way...or another....I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha........" Soon I was not blue anymore! I looked outside and everything was GOLD!

Now I teach little kids in the morning, I decided to BRING MY GUITAR! I ran back to my apartment, I grabbed it, and I took a taxi to work! Now the taxi driver was this old man. He looked kind of like he had just eaten some bad kimchi........I got in. I gave him the little map the director gave me and he took off. Now I am not Eric Clapton......not even George Harrison....but I don't care! I pulled out my guitar and started to jam, and sing, and I was AWESOME! By this time the taxi driver was getting into my music! I am not kidding. He said " My way" "Wow" I thought! He wanted me to sing MY WAY...... I tried a C, nope, then an E, nope, oh well, I started to play LIGHT MY FIRE and he liked it! By this time I was really HOT BLOODED! I arrived at school. Now when I stepped out of the taxi holding that guitar I felt like Jimmy Hendrix! The van that brought the kids pulled up just as I was getting out! They all ran straight for me.....I was a superstar! I used my guitar as an umbrella and ran inside.

Now Mrs. Kim usually does not like me......in fact she hates me. She is not a bad director but she really knows how to ruin my day. But today was MY DAY! I Smiled at her. 'OH.....YOU BROUGHT GEETARRRRRRRR?' She said with her condescending tone. "Yes I did" I said with a big smile. Today we are going to ROCK! The bell sounded. ONE MINUTED UNTIL SHOWTIME. I walked into my dressing room just to make sure I looked cool, I totally did! I heard a knock on the door. It was dragon, my number one fan. He was only six but he is cool, sometimes he and I play checkers. 'OKAY' I said and I followed him to the class. I walked inside. All eyes were on me. I now could begin to feel how THE WHO felt at WOODSTOCK.

It was pouring outside. The audience was all wet and half asleep. I was high and had my guitar....this was my WOODSTOCK....BABY WOODSTOCK! I began by greeting the audience.....I played the star spangled banner on my guitar......it sounded horrible.......dang, if only I had an AMP! Oh well, I still had 58 minutes to go. I started clugging, the guitar echoed in the hall, VELVET UNDERGROUND.....WAITING FOR THE MAN....TWENTY-SIX DOLLARS....IN MY HAND...HE'S NEVER EARLY, HES ALWAYS LATE.......The kids were LOVING IT!

Soon a fight broke out in section two.... Bear just kicked Lion in the head.....I had to stop....'CAN WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?" I asked........The kids continued to Rock! I continued to PLAY! Wild thing! The End! Love me two times! Magic bus! I went on and on and on! The bell rang. The kids did not move! They wanted more. Mrs. Kim wanted more!!!! By the time it was over I was pretty worn out. Sure there were fights, sure we were soaked, sure some of us were high, sure, some little kid got sick and threw up on me.....(but I was wearing my magic black pants!) It was a day those kids and me will remember forever. That rainy day in Haeundae, I will try it again next year!

coloradogrizzlybear@hotmail.com