Spiders, Sweat and Elbows

My sisters, Anna and Candace, and my friend Tim (not shown --- the photographer) came to see me in Korea! Oh we had a fabulous time.. Thank- you for coming guys! More on that later but now for the...... --->

Random thought of the day.. Doesn't it feel good to sweat again? I mean really sweat??! The drip, drip with no dry kind of sweat? In honor of delicious, hardcore, nasty, sticky sweat I have compiled a list of some of the reasons I love Summer.. So far 20...AND more to come  >.<1) Sweat2) Watermelon even if it is $8.00 and Strawberries3) Fresh squeezed sour/sweet Limeade from Mexico... My Mexican mom, Zoila, you have made me a spoiled Mexican food brat... I thank thee :)4) 5:30 sunrises and 9pm sunsets5) Outdoor theaters. great time to nap outdoors because who are we kidding? You can't actually hear the movie anyway :)6) Summer dresses and flip-flopsOh, Oh... making Koreans uncomfortable by showing a little elbow (yes, yes... I know, I'm lewd.. I really should put away my suggestive elbows, but I just can't help myself...)7) Korean Visors (take our visors times their size by 4 or 5 and then you have a Korean Visor...Yes, yes it's like a visor on steroid. Exactly! Yet not only do they wear the visors outdoors, these beauties can also be seen sported indoors or at night. It makes wearing sunglasses indoors seem quite practical actually.)8) Peach picking while sweating...9) Deodorant so I can continue to appreciate #1 and #8 without too many ill affects10) Salads and Korean Melons. :)11) Trying to grow lettuces and tomatoes on the rooftop of a 20-story Korean apartment building.. notice the key word "trying" :)12) Saying good-bye to winter forever (Ok, I lie, but I'm a happy disillusionist, don't burst the bubble. It's a pretty blue bubble and I like it this way.)13) Having bonfires fueled by sweaters and scarves and socks and tights..14) Picnics and No Socks15) Cat Naps in hot, heavy humid air.16) Watching Koreans stare at me in the subway.. *but who am I kidding? I rudely stare every season of the year, sorry Mom.17) Lady bugs, fireflies, birds18) Barefootedness --- except the dirty feet part that comes with it because then Koreans stare at me even more because I'm just a dirty-footed, elbow showing, no-visor wearing, sweaty foreigner..19) Spiders, Ants and Snakes20) Coming to the realization that I was severely and totally mentally damaged by Korea's winter... Because suddenly, for the first time in my life, I am thankful for spiders, snakes, and ants and humidity.. What's wrong with me? ::fyi y'all, that's a rhetorically question. No feedback is needed::Well that the start of my summer-loving list...My goal is to make the list go at least until 100..or maybe 120... gasp!!! Yes I'm a hardcore heat lover.. with pit-marks to prove it... yes, yes too much information, I know.. Next time I will be less descriptive. I apologize.

Mr. Webster, Spring and Amnesia

Korea welcomed spring with a four letter word..Snow.. Oh Wow, joy! Yippie Aye Yay! Here in Korea, I'm tingling with excitement. Why I'm just as excited as a kid taking a pop quiz while eating brussels sprouts and doing the dishes.. Snow! On March 22, 2010, The day after the first day of S-P-R-I-N-G?? Spring! Do you hear me, Mr. Korean Weather?!?! Spring! That word is supposed to invoke you to grow flowers, to produce too many rabbits, to soak poor children with rain, and welcome back stinging bees to the earth, but SNOW?? Really? Are we serious?Are you amnesic and have you forgot the definition of spring?... Well let me help you. According to Mr. Webster, Spring is "a time or season of growth or development in which one first builds a bonfire, burn all of their socks, boots and turtleneck sweaters; trades them in for flip-flops and pretty dresses and then eats 2 pounds of strawberries a day while jumping in rain puddles." This is Spring. Mr. Webster said so and he is always right, and he said no such thing about snow in spring.So get with the program!! but until you do shape up, I guess I'll just keep taking pictures of your favorite four letter word. sigh... ::Inge crawls into her snuggie and turns off the light:: zzzzzzzzzzzzz........

So long Sir Frozen Toes, Farewell Mr. Long Johns!

Today I heard something that I thought I would never hear again.. Birds! Oh the beautiful birds.. The ones that poop on your windshield and your head! The sweet birds, They are alive! They were not killed by the treacheries and debaucheries of winter! Can you believe it? They are alive!  I've heard the birds! It's true I tell you.... I don't lie, I am honest. So honest, Like Abe Lincoln Honest... look at my face. I have an honest face. Just look, See!?! ::inge sucks in her cheeks to thin out her face, grabs a black top hat , and gives her best Abe eyes::  Don't you see? I'm practically Honest Abe himself... ok, ok, Honest Abe herself.. but gender is just a piddly detail....:)The Birds, they have told me Spring is here and Winter will be no more... Why today the temperature was a blazing 40 degrees (that's 4.444444444444445 C for all my Fahrenheit challenged friends [tsk..tsk. those poor dears])  and tomorrow my Asian weather man promises 42 and sun! Do you know what that means? Well..... It means I am breaking out lawn chair, my blow-up kiddie pool, and dragging them up to my 20-story apartment rooftop for a little R&R in the blazing sun. But I thought since my dear nemesis winter was with me for ever so long, I would give him at least one last tribute before I shed myself of him completely. I'm done with him, and I mean done. Party Notice: There will be a "Death to Winter" bonfire at my house tonight: please bring any or all of the following for the blaze: turtlenecks, scarves, gloves, long johns, sappy winter novels, bad movies and the Snuggie blanket you are hiding in your closet (you know who you are!).. p.s. you will be denied entrance without these items. But until tonight, here are some photographs taken a few weeks ago when Winter was still tormenting Korea.. For all those still being heckled by Mr. Frosty remember to drink loads of tea and make use of your backwards house robe know as a Snuggie.

 

A Wintery Wonderland

This past weekend, I had a long weekend and I had the itch to explore the outer realms of Korea, take a dive into the abyss you might say, but where to? Well I of course am super intelligent, a genius really. So where does my genius self go? I went to the only sane place to go to during a blizzard weekend, to a Korean beach of course.. So I put on my swimsuit and then proceeded to stick 10 shirts on, 5 pairs of pants on and 7 1/2 pairs of socks (couldn't find the 8th lefty sock..I swear it ran away. It was the rebellious type). So I layered up, stuck some chap stick and some super glue in my pocket (you know, just in case) and I prepared for an adventure on Mui Island and I found one..

There I outran polar bears, climbed Mount Everest, fought off snow monkeys with icicles, roasted 5 pound clams over the open flame in subzero temperatures, met the Swiss Family Robinson (they are so cool), and I still came back with all 8 1/2 fingers! (forgive my typos, please) ... Some how this trip gave me a new appreciations for winter. Maybe the cold caused brain freeze?