Saturday, August 28, 2010

...Raining on my Seoul

So I've spent the better portion of this morning sitting in a coffee shop playing online when I would love nothing more than to be exploring this great city. Since my arrival, Seoul has alternated between oppressive heat and humidity and pissing down rain. I just looked at the 10-day forecast and they're predicting rain and humidity every day.

Yesterday, I went out with two fellow teachers at Korea Poly School, Sarah from Minnesota and Tobye from NYC (there was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland - he was from Detroit; and Tex... well, I don't remember where Tex come from).
We had lunch at a Dak Kalbi joint. After lunch, Sarah, Sydney and I headed over to Olympic Park. It was a nice walk, despite getting rained on toward the end. And I was able to play fetch with Syd for approximately 2 minutes before being told to stop by a cop. Speaking of the pup, I think I'm going to get back to the apartment, practice some Korean, and eat some lunch.

Friday, August 27, 2010

A New Dawn in the Far East

August 25, 2010

Somewhere over the Pacific

So now that I am officially on my way, I can start to reflect on what exactly brought me to this point, what I have learned, and where I am going. When people first asked me why I moved to Wisconsin, I would tell them, “For a job and grad school.” Eventually that response devolved to become, “Bad decisions.” I became so jaded by my situation in Milwaukee that I didn’t even want to talk about why I had moved up there in the first place because it would necessitate elaborating on a long and, quite frankly, depressing series of poor decisions and failures on my behalf. No one likes to relive their worst moments in life, and by simply living in Wisconsin I was reminded of those abject failures on a daily basis.


This is not to say that I was miserable in Milwaukee; I had a great group of friends and I am thankful for the ability to be there for my dad through a very difficult period in his life. But after two years of feeling like a hamster on a wheel, I had to get out.


I’m excited to be on this journey now, but at first I described it as an “Honorable retreat.” I felt like I was not going forward, but back. Back to where I was when I first graduated from the University of Tennessee, back to a land that I loved, back to a point when I wasn’t advancing my career or academic goals, but I would not be struggling. I was throwing in the towel, living to fight another day, and getting out while I still had a scrap of sanity.


This is not how I feel now, and I’m even slightly ashamed to admit ever feeling that way. While I have taught in Asia before, I will not be in the same situation. While I don’t plan on teaching abroad forever, that does not mean that I cannot improve myself and therefore improve my career prospects. I can and will learn the language. I can and will get into a grad program that suits me. Moreover, this is a second chance, and second chances in life are inherently rare. It can be like Japan, only better. I know I will create many of the same friendships and memories as I did during my one year in JET, but this time I can walk away feeling like I’ve accomplished something. I’m going to make this time count.


August 26, 2010


22:03-Seoul

Breathe Zach, breathe. You’ve made it Korea with your dog. You are both OK. Do not let this minor inconvenience of your apartment not being ready send you down the negative black hole spiral which you fell into when in Japan. New story, new ending.


Sydney seems to be understandably freaked out, but I took her for a brief walk and she already appears to be doing much better. When I brought her to the Animal Quarantine section of customs the woman looked at my certificate of rabies vaccination and immediately spotted a problem. The document was signed using a computerized signature as opposed to by hand. The woman had a rather annoyed look on her face and said, “It’s fine, just don’t do it next time.” Hey lady, there better not be a next time! I don’t know if I can handle this stress again! On the bright side, during our walk I think I turned the head of every attractive Korean girl I saw. I’m sure Syd deserves some (or all) of the credit. I’m not sure what the Korean version of “Kawaiiiiii!!!” is yet, but I’m sure I’ll learn it in short order.


OK, let’s get some sleep and start anew tomorrow. One day at a time, one day at a time…

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I'm so bored with the US...A

So this is it, y'all. Last day in America. I've been so stressed out with packing/moving/dog concerns that I've just now started to get excited. I think with the way life has worked out these last few years, my natural inclination is to not believe something is real until it actually happens. There has been almost a disconnect in my brain during this entire process, stemming from a deep-seeded fear that anything that can go wrong, will. This, if for no other reason, is enough of a reason to get the hell out of the states and hit the "reset" button on life.

Other than that, I woke up at 5 AM Seattle time for no particular reason. I should be tired, but the solid six hours of sleep are a godsend compared to the 2-3 hours a night I have been getting most of this week. So here in about an hour I'll take a shower, pack, have breakfast, go to training, and then at 11 we'll be off to the airport! Time to get started on the rest of my life.

...and of course, all apologies to The Clash.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Blast from the Past: Packed day in Prague


Originally written March 17, 2008

06:53
I set out early today to catch the Charles Bridge before it got packed. It wasn’t raining before I left but it’s coming down fairly steady now. Without proper sunlight the photos at Charles were a bust. However, I should get some neat ones around the Jewish Quarter, particularly in the cemetery. Now its off to the US Embassy (AKA MacDonald’s).

09:13
“Abeles, Adolf-1942…”

10:16
“The end of the 18th Century saw a fundamental change in the social status of Jews in the Habsburg Empire. The reforms inaugurated during the enlightened absolutist reign of Joseph II were directed at the creation of a strong centralist state…”

11:11
I stopped in a touristy pizza joint for two reasons: 1) I’ve had a terrible stomach, and if I’m going to pay to shit, I might as well do it on a nice toilet and 2) pizza sounds real good at the moment.
The Jewish Quarter was quite extraordinary. The holocaust has never quite hit so close to home as when I saw my family’s name (Abeles) in red letters as victims of the Nazi regime. And yet, I don’t feel as if I feel enough. Not just in this case either; I go along with life in a highly scientific, almost disconnected, non-emotive state. Stephanie noted as much the other night.

19:05
The rest of the day was somewhat uneventful, apart for (FINALLY!) getting my rucksack (!!!) I immediately showered and shaved and changed my underwear. It was glorious. Of course, now I feel that I’ve overpacked.

Other than that (as the man at the desk put it) “surprise” I made one last venture into the city. Unfortunately the museum of the city of Prague was closed. It was bitingly cold, even while donning my much-missed double-layered hoodie, and I just did not have the energy or desire to fight the weather an longer. Prague was great to me and I hope to be back one day. Now it’s off for one last Czech meal and then on to Budapest!

Minutes later, At the Restaurant
I don’t know why, but I just feel comfortable in the Czech Republic, despite not speaking a word of Czech. It’s weird, some places just feel right. As a point of contrast, I never felt at this home in Japan.

Meanwhile, there is a music video playing with some crazy shit going on—some old dude just sprouted peacock feathers! The people aren’t overly kind or friendly, nor are they rude or grumpy, they are just unpretentious and living their lives. I like that. I can relate to that.

22:14-On the Train to Budapest
I have a cushy bottom bunk with two friendly Korean girls en tow. A huge improvement over the psycho, drunk, probably-descended-from-Nazis Austrian that I encountered last time. The train is nearly empty, a bit spooky actually. My companions are scared out of their wits. Traveling can be scary at times, certainly. I’ve found a lot of people don’t like traveling by train, especially at night. However, I’ve always quite enjoyed it.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Losing and the Cubs: A Lesson in Futility


Oh, you adorable Cubbies, dependably snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and today was no exception. For as far back as I can remember, I've wanted to go to a Cubs game. Wrigley Field. The Ivy. The Tradition. The Losing. I wanted it all and I finally had my chance today.

Like many great ideas, this day trip was concocted in an inebriated mind. However, unlike many of my "great" ideas, I actually thought this was a good one when I woke up in the morning. Why not? Oh, I can think of reasons: I'm preciously low on time in the States and my "To Do" List is growing out of control, packing, moving, freaking-out, packing some more. You get the idea. But alas, in my 27 years of life I had never been to Wrigley and I needed to make it happen. Especially with the knowledge that the world will end on my 30th Birthday.

It was a fantastic trip, and maybe I'll elaborate once I have the time. Long story short, it was an amazing experience and capped off by the Cubs blowing a 1-run lead in the top of the 9th by giving up a 3 RBI triple. Final score: 5-3, Braves.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Countdown Mode: One Week



In preparing to depart, there always comes a point when one wakes up and realizes, "GHAA!!! I'M LEAVING IN ONLY (insert time frame here)!!!" I had "that" moment today. Two things really kicked this off:

1) I received my itinerary (finally). Despite knowing for weeks that I was leaving Monday, August 23, it never felt real. That completely changed once I saw that date attached to flight information in my inbox.

2) I had been under the impression that I would have a full week in Seattle before departing. That was, in a word, wrong. Very wrong. Wronger than wrong. I'll in fact be spending TWO days in Seattle before flying out on a jet plane, meaning I'll be in Korea next Thursday. Whoa. And if my previous trip to Korea is any indication, I should be having violent traveler's diarrhea by next Friday. This would ordinarily be more of a concern were Korean food not so damned tasty going down. I'm sure I'll adjust to it in 6-8 months.

Trying to think back to my previous Japan experience, I feel like that "This is real" moment didn't really hit me until I was on the way to the Atlanta Airport, at which point my brain kicked off a series of "What the FUCK are you doing Zach?!" minor freak-out moments. Thankfully, this time I know exactly what I'm doing and I've seen more than enough to know this is the right decision. Having very little to hold me back in the States certainly doesn't hurt in this regard.

I'll keep you posted on any and all future freak-outs.

Blast from the Past: Beware of the Kancho

Originally written October 22, 2006

Dear everyone,

First, I feel I must clear something up-I am not, contrary to my grandparents' belief, partying non-stop in Japan. I felt I made that perfectly clear last time with my disgust at the way the weekend turned out. I am here to learn and live, not to bring shame on my country or myself.

So, moving on, you may have wondered how classes are going. Well, I'll tell you there is never a ho-hum day. My week begins by visiting one of my two elementary schools, either Nanyo or Koyagi. Elementary schools are extraordinarily fun and it mostly just involves screaming various vocabulary at the munchkins and having them scream back at you:


ex: Me: "RED!"
Them: "RED!"
Me: "BLUE!"
Them: "BRUE!"
Me: "Uh...Bu-LLLUE!"
Them: "Bu-RRUE!"
Me: (I look at the next word and mutter a quick prayer) "YELLOW!"

However, elementary school is about more than just trying in vain to teach kids the importance of the letter "L," it is also about trying in vain to protect your nether region from unwarranted attacks. The kids can act very sweet at times, holding on to my arms, my legs, wanting to play, etc. But it's all a guise, what they really want is to lull you into a false state of security before punching/kicking/grabbing your genitals and/or successfully completing the sacred Japanese rite of passage called Kancho. What is Kancho? I will leave it up to Nagasaki-ken's own Wisconsin Thomas to explain (from his very own, brand spankin' new website: kancho.org):

Kancho is the ancient Japanese art of playfully poking your friend or enemy,...in the rear.

Kancho is REAL, and it is growing in popularity every day. It's probably happening at a school or playground near you right now. Kancho.org is dedicated to spreading the truth about Kancho.


Perhaps wikipedia is better:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kancho
-Kancho (カンチョー , kanchō ?) is a prank often played in Japan by young school-aged children; it is performed by clasping the hands together so the index fingers are pointing out and attempting to insert them into someone's anal region when the victim is not looking. It is similar in spirit to the wedgie or a goosing.

If you are in need of a good laugh, I suggest going to the FAQ page of kancho.org-http://www.kancho.org/id7.html . A) Leave it up to a Cheesehead to create a website based on kids sticking fingers up other people's rectums and B) I'm a better person for having met the man who created this masterpiece of a website.

You may be wondering, "Has this cruel fate befallen our wonderful Zachary?" Sadly, yes, several times. It was one of those things that you hear about and think, "That can't really happen? And certainly it won't happen to me!" Well it does and it did. In fact, I do not know any male ALTs who teach elementary that have not been a kancho victim. I was amazed after surviving three consecutive renditions of "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" without a single Koncho-ing. However, I will take a good kancho-ing any day of the week over the punch in the groin I received upon my first visit to Koyagi Elementary school. And the teachers wonder why I don't play with the kids during recess anymore...

So elementary schools are an adventure; in most classes I must be extremely cautious to avoid turning my back to the students at any point and I usually have to flee the class by literally running back to the staff room to avoid being swamped by 3 dozen Japanese children.

On Tuesdays I go to Kogakura Junior High School, which is a very nice school in a very posh neighborhood but it is easily my least favorite school to visit. My day begins when I have to catch a bus at 6:50, I ride for about 15 minutes and get off to catch another bus. The second bus is usually full so I have to stand in the aisle, packed in like a sardine for the next 45 minutes. When I get to the second and final bus stop I still have a 20 minute up-mountain walk ahead of me, so I usually arrive drenched in sweat around 8:20 in the morning...or 5 minutes late. As a result, every other week I have my psychotic JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) freak out at me because she only has 20 minutes to go over the lesson plan-as if the previous 2 weeks were not sufficient. I have two JTEs at Kogakura, one is very cool the other might get tossed out of the 4th floor classroom window by the end of the year. In Japan, you always begin class with a greeting to the students in which they will reply in unison, "GOOD MORNING MR. MARK-US!" Then I will say, "How are you?" And they will say, "I'M FINE THANK YOU AND YOU?" I know this because Tyler Durden knows this. Actually, I know this because I've been doing it 3-5 times a day, 5 times a week for the past two months. However, my psychotic JTE (PJTE, henceforth) feels that it is still necessary to remind me, under-her-breath, in front of the class, EVERY class that we have together. I will be opening my mouth and just as the "G" in "Good morning!" is coming across my lips my PJTE mutters, "Say, 'Good morning.'" I say, "Good morning," and just as I begin to say, "How..." she cuts me off again to remind me of what I was about to say. This happens repeatedly throughout the day and several times during each class. She must think that I have brain damage or something. My other Kogakura JTE is really cool and usually begins each class with an English song and although her tastes leave a little something to be desired (last week it was the Monkee's "Daydream Believer") it is a much more relaxed environment and I never have any urges to shove a blackboard eraser into her mouth. Not only that, with a more relaxed teacher you have more relaxed students, and they actually seem to enjoy the lessons.

If nothing else can get me through the day with the PJTE, I always can look forward to my day at Koyagi Junior High School. It is easily my favorite school and my favorite JTE. It was the base school of one of my two predecessors and I definitely wish I had ended up with it as my base school as opposed to Sanwa JHS, where I ended up. Unlike my other JTEs, this one will actually give me advice on how to improve my lessons. It can be a tad frustrating at times because she ALWAYS has advice or criticisms but I would much rather have criticisms than be told it was a good lesson after an obvious bomb. It is also the only school where the kids actually pronounce my name correctly. Every time I hear "MARX" at the beginning of each class it is like music to the ears. I also got students from this school to help me sing "Rocky Top" after UT beat UGA (yes Dad, I included the "whoo!")

Also on Wednesdays, I have an "under-the-table" class where I teach middle-aged housewives English for a good chunk of pocket change each week. It is easily my favorite class because my students actually want to be there.

On Thursdays and Fridays I have my base school. I rather like my base school and my teachers I'm just not sure if the feeling is mutual. I know the students adore me and love it when I play sports with them. I love playing sports with them too-I have never been able to step on a basketball court and be the biggest person around, but I can with my kids! I work with the first year students (seventh grade) on Thursdays and alternate second and third year students on Fridays. The first year JTE, Mrs. Yamada is fantastic and has been very helpful in coming up with great ideas for my lessons. I have become much better at adjusting my lesson plans to fit the students' knowledge and ability. This was not easy at first, especially since the teachers were unwilling to tell me what they did and did not know. I've begun bringing my own music in for the students, along with the lyrics and the students have really taken to it. Last week I played "Santa Monica" by Everclear and it was a nice change of pace, both for them and me. I'll keep it clean, despite the overwhelming desire to bring in something like NWA's "Straight Outta Compton."

Next week I will be giving several lessons on Halloween-here are somethings that maybe you didn't know:

-The Irish are pretty much solely responsible for every major aspect of the holiday. 1)The holiday originated from the druids as a way of honoring the dead. 2)The jack-o-lantern originated in Ireland-they originally used turnips and potatoes before the American immigrants switched over to pumpkins. 3) The tradition of Trick-or-Treat also came from the Irish, it was a tradition to go around the neighborhood and collect for for the festival.

-Amazingly, it is the second most commercial holiday in the US behind Christmas, accounting for $2.5 billion annually. That's a lot of miniature Reese's cups.

I have one more class to survive and I will be Kancho-free for another week! Take care, and FIGHT!

Best,
-Zach

Friday, August 13, 2010

Riding the Rails

Somewhere between Milwaukee and Chicago

7:32 AM I’m on my way to Chicago for my Korean Visa Interview. I’m wearing the same suit and tie as I wore for my JET Interview at the Atlanta Japanese Consulate over 4 years ago. Thankfully I can still fit in my clothes from 4 years back, I know I can’t say the same for many of my friends.

An interesting phenomenon occurs when I don a suit. I just feel better. More confident, more mature, and ready to get down to business. However, I still feel like a bit of a poseur in a suit. To quote from High Fidelity, “I felt like one of those guys who shaved their heads and then claimed to always be punks.” I guess I’m just not used to the idea of being a grown-up in the business world. None of my friends have to wear suits to work, and I never have had to on any consistent basis.

For only the second time in my life, I’m taking a train in the U.S. The $44 round-trip fare seemed reasonable compared to the 3+ hours I would have spent in traffic, finding a parking space, etc.—particularly when I would have had to spend around $40+ on gas/parking/tolls. I generally like riding trains, and if it were a more affordable option, I would love it. I might be in the minority as far as public transportation goes, but I think this country needs a massive overhaul. How nice would it be to be able to have high-speed, inexpensive, reliable trains in this great country? Well, at least I’m going to a land that sees the value in public transit. Maybe America will catch up someday.

1:41 PM Back on the train to Milwaukee. That was a nearly pointless visit to the Korean Consulate. I was in and out in under 15 minutes, the interview couldn’t have lasted longer than 10. I interviewed with one other guy, Walker, and he asked us three questions: our name, our quest, and our favorite color. Kidding. He asked us: what is bringing us to Korea, what are our career plans after Korea, and what is our motto? I liked the last question, if only for originality. I’m sure he gets enough of the same answers for the first two questions (i.e. “Uh, I’m going there to teach and then I want to go back to school for my masters or PhD.”), so he probably just did it for variety’s sake.

My answer to the motto question was the family favorite, “It will come.” I don’t know if this is actually my motto because I seem to be fairly impatient and spontaneous with life, but it sounded good and it was the best I could do when put on the spot.

Other than that, Chicago was absolutely sweltering, especially whilst wearing a suit. Walker wore an old polo and some jeans, I both respected and hated him for it. Even the man doing the interview had gone sans suit jacket, but I guess it’s better to overdress than the alternative. OK, it's nap time, been a long day...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Little League World Series

In a given year, I might watch 15-20 complete baseball games. About 75% of these games have to be in the Little League World Series. The US Regional Semifinals are on ESPN today, and I have to say, I'm psyched.

To properly explain why I love the LLWS, let's review everything that is wrong with Major League Baseball:

1) The Games are Slow: I did a quick Google search to try and determine the average time between plays, couldn't find anything concrete on the first page. However, between the batter stepping out of the box multiple times, pitchers constantly trying to pick off players at first, and generally just standing around doing nothing, I'm willing to bet that time could be greatly reduced. In the LLWS, the pitchers pitch and the batters bat and the games move along at a quick pace.


2) The Games are Long:
This complaint goes hand-in-hand with point #1; 9 innings might be the perfect amount were the players actually forced to speed up the whole process. Instead 9 innings seems to drag on into eternity, and God forbid the game goes extra innings. Have you ever seen fans at the stadium after 12 innings of baseball? They look torn between leaving the park and killing themselves. Little League Baseball is a mercifully short 6 innings. And they have a mercy rule.


3) The Season is too Long:
The MLB regular season is 162 games, followed by a 5 game LDS, a 7 game LCS, and the 7 game World Series. Some have argued that the post season in the MLB is far too short, and I'm somewhat inclined to agree. That said, baseball from April to August is by in large extremely boring. The song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" says it the best, "If we don't win it's a shame." In my sport of choice, I don't want to watch my team lose and think, "Oh well, what a shame." I want to be completely devastated after a loss and swearing revenge on the team, their city and state of origin, and all of their fans for years and decades to come. The LLWS is short and sweet, with nearly every game counting for something.

Some may argue that I just like the LLWS because I like watching 12-year-old boys cry. Well, that might be partially true, but mostly I just enjoy a good baseball game and Major League Baseball really drops the ball on that one.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Blast from the Past: Nagasaki

Originally written August 10, 2006

Everyone,

I am going to do now what I was warned at orientation NOT to do. Write an e-mail in a grumpy mood. That being said, I have had a very good first couple of weeks in Japan so don't read too much into this.

****Warning, Rant Ahead****

After having bugged my supervisor since my arrival that, yes, I would very much like to have internet in my apartment, I finally managed to have her take me to a store to get it hooked up! Before going I was instructed by a second-year JET, Hayden*, "Don't take any of their shit, there's no reason to wait two weeks for TV and internet, just insist that it gets done." So, long story short-it will be another two weeks of maddening silence, cut off from the world, in the ol' apartment. I keep telling myself, "at least you're not in Mongolia" (no offense, Danny) but it still took every ounce of strength to not jump up and start strangling the salesman whilst screaming, "YOU TWIT! GIVE ME MY DAMNED INTERNET BEFORE I LOSE IT!"

Bleh, such is life in a bureaucracy-driven society.

****End of Rant****

ANYWAY, I have a lot to be thankful for: Nagasaki is a really cool city, everyone at my base school is very nice, all of the other JETs in the city are very cool, and my apartment building has a crab infestation**. I had my big introduction to the student body yesterday, on Peace Day, during an assembly to commemorate the bombing of Nagasaki. We watched a two hour long movie (shot from the point of view of a Japanese girl from Hiroshima) on WWII, after which it was quite awkward to be the only American around for miles. Then, last night a bunch of JETs got together at the Peace Park and saw all the sites.

Today, we received the second group of JETs to our beloved city and I saw the same bewilderment that I must have had only a week ago yesterday. It gives me a lot of hope when I see how comfortable I have become after only a week. Well, I don't want to seem like a complete slacker at work-so I'm going to go pretend to be busy offline. With any luck I'll be able to send a much more detailed log here in a couple of weeks. Take care, and enjoy the American service industry!

Best,
-Zach

*More on Hayden in our next installment.
**Yes, I have crabs, literally hundreds of them around my apartment.

Countdown Mode: 12 days-ish


Well, last week I cleared a major hurdle in my preparation for Korea: I sold my car. It was a harrowing and frustrating experience and I'm extremely glad it's O-V-E-R.

As is almost predictable, my car decided to start "acting up" the moment I had any serious buyers over. It started making this strange whirring noise just after start up for about .5 seconds. Naturally, this made any potential car buyers weary. So, I took the hit, sold it to Carmax and washed my hands of the entire experience.

It was an odd feeling saying goodbye to my Jetta. I've had some of the best experiences of my life in that car. She's been a good friend, but it was time to part ways.

As is the case in life, it's time to move on down the road...

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dissecting Terminator Salvation


For those of you who know me best, you know I'm completely obsessed with the Terminator series. To briefly summarize my thoughts on the series:

-T1: Brilliant, despite not having aged very well. Had this movie been made in 1990 (and with a larger budget) as opposed to 1984, it very well could have been the best in the series.

-T2: Best in series by a fairly wide margin. It utilized new CGI technology without going overboard. The T-1000 remains the best villain of them all, and turning the T-800 (Arnold) into the hero of the second film was a stroke of genius.

-T3: Pretty much a worthless movie. It negated the theme of T2 (the future could be changed) and it really only added about 5 minutes of plot.

And that brings us to Terminator Salvation...

First of all, let me state that I really enjoyed this sequel/prequel. There were pure strokes of genius throughout such as the utilization of older war machines by the resistance (soviet subs and A-10s). I loved how the movie took place right at the ascendancy of John Connor as the leader of the resistance and how the film reminds us very early on how the fates have chosen him (after the first battle scene Connor requests a pick-up for himself after he is the sole survivor). And Christian Bale was an excellent casting choice.

And now the negatives:

1) Skynet wants to kill Kyle Reese and John Connor. This simply does not jive with the narrative of the story thus far. In T1, when Reese is specifically asked why Skynet didn't kill Connor in the future, he responded that it would have been too late, thus implying that Skynet didn't know who John Connor was until too late. He also said that "not much is known about Connor's father." It made for compelling cinema, but there's no way that Skynet would have known that Connor would lead to its demise OR who Connor's father was. This also brings up questions within the film such as "Why didn't Skynet kill Kyle Reese when it had the chance?"

2) Why was the T-800 more sophisticated in this timeline than in others? In T-1, T-2, and T-3 the T-800 will at least get knocked back by gunfire (be it from a shotgun, pistol, or assault riffle). In T-4 the Terminator had to be roasted with a grenade launcher, and even 3 grenade rounds and molten steel didn't do the trick.

3) Eventually, it would be nice to see the hero of the series (i.e. John Connor), you know, actually be the central hero in the plot. In T-1 it was Kyle Reese, T-2 it was Sarah Connor, T-3 the hero was...um...no one. You would figure by the 4th installment we would actually get to see John Connor grow a pair and step up to the plate. Sure, he was "heroic" but even he had to be saved by the newcomer to the series, half-machine Marcus Wright. And, it must be noted, the plot mostly revolved around Mr. Wright.

That said, I hope they still plan on finishing this series because I'm dying to see the way the end of this war will play out on screen.