Another rainy day

Last night before I went to bed, I boiled water and poured it over the dehydrated sweet potato sticks to clean them and then laid them out on a towel to dry.
I woke up at 8:30. It was raining again. I did not bother watering anything. I put the sweet potato sticks on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven on the lowest setting. I drank water and got on my laptop to read e-mail and listen to the next round of talks. At 9:45 I noticed a text from Denee who needed a seam ripper yesterday. So I threw one in my purse. I got dressed and met Myra near her place. We walked to the chapel where Denee was waiting. I gave her the seam ripper. Anna joined us and we chatted for a while until the speaker was ready. Mia came too, so there were five of us for NEO training. I was surprised how short it was: just a few slides. If we hadn’t asked questions, it might have only taken 5 minutes. There was no info on what should be in a NEO packet and what should be in a NEO bag. But we were told there would be lots of e-mails put out before the exercise in early November. After it was over, we stayed to chat about issues on base and the vote for a new FRG board next week. From there, Myra and I walked to the Nex. We each bought a pillow for the stuffing. Then we walked home. Myra had to get ready for the Ombudsman appreciation luncheon. I listened to more audios. If I took notes, I don’t know where they are. I put cocoa butter on the stove to melt while I made and ate breakfast. Chris came home for lunch sopping wet. I mixed in the coco powder and honey with the melted cacao butter. It was looking good. I put in the vanilla and stirred. Chris came over to look. The chocolate seized. Arrgh! It was not possible to dip the sweet potato sticks in the seized chocolate so I tried forming a ball of chocolate around one. I ate it but it wasn’t a particularly tasty combination. I don’t know why. I put the rest of the chocolate in molds and pressed cashews into them. The molds went into the fridge. I ate some of the potato sticks. I went back to my laptop. Amber contacted me to set up a meeting tomorrow to talk about ideas for a new FRG board. I wrote two checks and put them in envelops. I walked to the post office. I told them I wanted to buy a roll of stamps if their credit machine was working but only two if I had to pay cash. They sold me their last 17 stamps. I hated to take all they had, but he assured me they would get more next week. So I mailed the checks. I walked home in the rain, getting really tired of wet feet. My shoes shrink when they dry. As I played an audio, I lengthened the last two pattern pieces for the ball gown. I taped packing paper over the windows to audition the light-diffusing properties. It looked bad but it’s just temporary. I fell asleep after eating potato sticks and a persimmon. I woke up when Chris came home. He made and ate supper. He moved the coffee table so I could vacuum the rug. Then we rolled up the rug so I would have room to lay out my fabric to cut. I took notes for my blog until Chris was ready to watch TV. We watched three episodes of Bones. I checked out a website to see what wedding gifts a couple is registered for. But I just couldn’t decide what to order. One of the links did not go through and I wondered if that had something to do with my IP address being in Korea. I decided to write up my post and leave the choosing for tomorrow.
* This is damage from the feral pigs. We found it this morning. It is right outside our bedroom window but we never heard them. *

Can you erase stress with your elbow?

I got up at 8:30, got dressed, and watered the plants on the porch. It was still raining. I oiled my hair. I drank water and put on an audio: Reversing Alzheimer’s with the TEAM Protocol with Dr. Vincent Fortanasce. The speaker said Alzheimer’s begins in childhood with bad habits like overeating, not getting enough sleep and exercise. A baby is born with only 1/10th of its brain. The rest develops during childhood depending on the environment. The degeneration begins in the hippocampus, so you keep it stimulated by doing something novel and/or emotional. . Alzheimers patients have fewer social contacts than others. They must keep socialized. Isometric exercises are good for mild cognitive impairment. Give them something to smell, like coffee, and asked them what memory it brings back. Negative emotions are more powerful, more stimulating to the limbic system. Then use smells to bring back memories. Then use music, like finishing a song, and asking what that reminds them of. Use photographs to bring back memories. If the memory makes them cry, that is a bonus. We are looking for emotional memories, not intellectual ones. Spend more and more time each day on such activities. They rebuild the home of short-term memory. Patients sleep better. Cortisol reduces size of hippocampus. Human touch is very important, also soft textures. The protocol builds over 8 weeks. A healthy hippocampus produces 4000 new cells a day, but with Alzheimers, numbers begin to decrease. Thallium replaced lead in gasoline and is just as toxic. Suggested: Ocean’s Alive, Biosil, pectasol-C. I paused the audio to wash my hair and get dressed for yoga. I took yoga mat to the gym. Joelle was set up for class so I unrolled my mat and joined in. She concentrated on hip flexes and stretches. After class, her last one, I walked with Myra back to her quarters. She filled me in on the latest drama going around. Then I went home to take a shower and get dressed for my massage. I listened to the rest of the audio. I filled two small containers with Epsom salts. I took my umbrella and headed off base. I walked out in town to the massage place. The young counter clerk was not there. An older woman who did not speak English appeared. I pointed to my name on the desk calendar. She nodded and motioned to the changing room. I offered her one container of Epsom salt for the foot bath. Then I changed into a massage outfit and sat by the bath. I asked about the music, humming a tune and she gave me the ‘no’ sign. Usually they play classical piano pieces. She brought me a cup of tea and snacks. I drank the tea and relaxed. Then Miss Wongchin came out to dry my feet and escort me to a massage room. At first the massage was going well, or as well as one could expect with her using her elbow as an eraser between my ribs and on the back of my neck. But when she rubbed under my ear with her knuckle, it was painful. And she kept doing it until I protested and pushed her hand away. This happened several times. I protested in both English and Korean. She seemed to be frustrated with me, but I could not understand her sign language. Was she saying “Relax, I know what I’m doing” or “This is for your own good and you’ll thank me later.” It was not quite as painful on the other ear but again, I had to protest. Then she formed my hand into a fist with my first knuckle higher than the others and made me rub behind my ear. She also indicated points along my hairline in the back. I so wanted to be able to communicate with her! The rest of the massage was uneventful except for the right gluteus maximus. She massage a variety of points there with her elbow. One spot really hurt. So we went through this again. I tried to squirm away and she held my feet down. After doing my legs, she sat me up, massaged my neck and placed her feet on my back while pulling my arms back. Actually, that was the best part. It was over. I changed back into my regular clothes. She was waiting for the next customer to have her foot soak. I got out my phone and called up the Korean translation app but she did not type in. So I called Jane and asked her to speak to the lady. But Ms Wongchin handed the phone back and Jane explained to me that the lady was speaking Chinese, not Korean. I thanked Jane and hung up. From there, I went to the Chinese massage place. (Is there a difference?) I asked for a foot massage. I was shown a seat. I handed the clerk the second Epsom salt container. He brought me a foot bath and I sat back and closed my eyes, hoping for the large masseuse. The sumo-looking man arrived. He did not look particularly happy. But he did a good job. So I thanked him and asked for his name: Lee Pong. I made a mental image so I could remember it. I paid and headed to the market. It was cool and I realized it hadn’t been so since last spring. I went to the dollar store and looked through all the wares until I found some small containers. I only bought one package because they were cheaper online. I just did not want to wait for the order to come in. Then I walked quickly back to base to stay warm. When I got to the front gate, the guard said I was always smiling. I told her I had just had two massages. I should have told her massages were like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. I walked home and went inside our empty place. I made breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail and listening to another audio, not as good as this morning. I also did today’s puzzle. Someone had posted their pumpkin on Facebook and got lots of comments. I think sewing class will be bigger next week. Eventually Chris came home and ate supper. We watched one episode of Bones. I spent a lot of time typing up this post. Then I went to bed.
* These are the new blinds. The ones on the left are closed and the ones on the right are open. Some people are ok with them and some hate them. *

Impromptu lunch

I got up a little after 8. I dressed and went outside to water the potted plants. I put up the red curtain in the bedroom. I played with the blinds in the living room to maximize light and privacy. I hung up the blue ball gown. I drank almost a quart of water while listening to the Alzheimers Summit: ageing brains decrease in their ability to burn glucose but increase in their ability to burn ketones for fuel. I contacted my tapping buddy at 9 and he needed a few more minutes. Anna called in the middle of the session. I said I would call her back when I was finished. The tapping session continued. Linda called before it was over and I said I wasn’t done yet. I called Anna back when the session ended. She said they were out in town already but would come back to pick me up. So I put on my shoes and searched for a machine-testing packet thinking we were going to So Young’s place after lunch. They picked me up and drove out into town to Home Plus. I ran across the street to the five day market. Anna volunteered to go with me. It started to rain, so we got soaked. I bought dehydrated sweet potato strips and aged kimchi. Anna got some rice cakes. We went back to Home Plus to meet the other ladies. After shopping around a little, we went to Linda’s van and she drove us to Chong’s house. Chong had a wonderful buffet prepared. We sat around her dining room table, eating and chatting. Suzanne was already there, but had to leave early. We stayed until 2 or so. Then we got in the van and came back to base. I finished an audio I had started earlier. I cleared e-mail. I scanned and printed a map for Denee, but it took several tries before I got it even close to readable. I made up 9 days worth of supplements. I looked for my pumpkin templates but could not find them. I looked on the computer but there was no file for them. I drafted a football shape on a piece of paper. Then I found the template in a bag with other templates, including the stem template. I got out some orange fabric and cut a strip. By gathering, I made it into a pumpkin shape. I dug around in my closet until I found a small bag of stuffing. I stuffed the pumpkin and made a stem. There was no good way to sew it on, so I just basted it with raw edges. Myra had said she would buy me a pillow at the Nex to use as stuffing for the class. I put all my materials together and packed them up for class. I had a bite to eat and changed my shorts for pants. Then I took my umbrella and walked to Housing. Myra was just getting there and turning on the lights. We went upstairs to set up the room. Myra did not have a pillow to use for stuffing. She got a call and had to go to the gate to pick up several ladies and sign them on post for the class. I set up the room as Akia came in with her amazingly cute little girl. I got her started on a pumpkin. I played with her little girl for a bit. Other ladies arrived. Myra came with two Korean women. Amber came with a uniform to change a rocker on. She asked me to consider being VP for the FRG. Denee came to make potholders so I showed her how to make one with no edges to bind. Chelsea worked on a pumpkin as did several others. Suzanne took something apart and Anna played with the kids and worked on QOV. We just barely had enough stuffing. My machine needed rethreading a lot. And the lower tension was way too tight. It was like someone had made adjustments. The lady using it seemed to know something about sewing. One of Denee’s potholders worked out but the other one needed unstitching. At 8:30 I took pics of people with their finished projects. Then we started cleaning up the room. Nela called on Facebook as we were packing up. Anna ‘showed’ her the people present. Nela ‘showed’ us her new place in Cuba. It was very nice. When the room was clean, we went out the front door and waited for Myra to shut off the last lights and re-program the sliding door. Then I walked home, leaving all the pumpkin stuff there because some people want to work on it some more. Chris was home so after a bit, we watched one episode of Bones. He went to bed. I stayed up to blog.
* Somehow I missed getting a shot of Akia's pumpkins *

Picking up the suits

I got up, got dressed, and watered the plants. I drank water while deleting e-mail and listening to the next interview from the Alzheimers summit. I took notes: GABA, NAC, gingko, Coemzyme Q10, vit E. Pre-alzheimers is when the memory is fine, focus is fine, but there is less blood flow to middle part of brain. Brain and memory power boost ingredients: n-acetyl cysteine, Acetyl l-carnitine, vinpocetine, huperzine A, gingko biloba, ALA, phosphytidyl serine. Then I started listening to an interview from the Detox summit. 5 steps to detox: detect, drain, eliminate, rebuild, detox. Cellulite is a sign of lymphatic backup. He recommended DMSA, ALA, glutathione, CytoDetox, and activated charcoal.
I clipped corners from the fabric I bought on Saturday. I threw half in the washer. I made a to-do list. , Myra called. I drank my chocolate shake with coconut water, oil and MCT. I took the fabric from the washer and put it in the dryer. I took my mat and went to yoga. Joelle was wearing the pants I had given her, the ones with the muscles on it. We stretched and practiced different types of handstand inversions. After class, I walked out with Myra. We agreed to go walking after lunch. I went home and made breakfast. I put the second load of fabric in. After I had eaten, there was a knock at the door. It was the team installing new blinds. I had forgotten that was today. I folded laundry while they took down the old blinds. I put the clothes in the bedroom and took down the curtain to make their job easier. When I went back out to the living room, I saw the new blinds and realized they were different from the old ones. I folded the fabric in dryer, and put more wet fabric in. Before the men left, one asked me if I liked the color of the new blinds. It was too dark to see the color. I turned the lights on. He said others liked the dark color. I said it would be good for keeping street lights from coming in the bedrooms. After he left, I ate two plums. I finished an audio on fat. Apparently, fat cells are so ravenous that they scavenge all the nutrition for themselves, leaving the rest of your body hungry so you overeat. At least, that is what happens when you eat processed foods.

I put bread mix in the machine for Chris. I called Myra at 2:30, then met her on the street. She came into my house to see the blinds. She did NOT like them, so she called Housing and canceled her installation. I wish I could have done that. We walked up to a house to deliver some papers. Their little dog kept jumping up on our legs. It would have been ok but he also kept peeing on the floor so his paws were covered in urine. Yuck. We got to see their new baby, and then we left. Jane called to say she would be at the post at 3:30. It wasn’t enough time to get to the Nex, buy a pillow, get back and walk to the gate. Plus I had to wash off all the dog pee. So she walked on alone and I went home to wash off and change my clothes. Chris called to ask if I had money to pay the tailor. I got what I could find and grabbed the third pot of lip balm. I walked down the hill to find him talking to Myra. He and I walked to the gate. We were slightly early but Jane and her taxi friend were already there. We all greeted one another and got in the van. We got to Busan in record time, but then drove at a crawl to the fabric market. It took as long to get to the tailor as it did to get to Busan. Taxi man parked in the parking deck. We all walked out together, first stopping at the restrooms, and then at the bank where Chris used the ATM. From there we went to the tailor behind the fabric market. The new suits were hanging up among the bolts of fabric. I took one picture and Jane proceeded to take many. Then while Chris handled the payment and he and Taxi man carried off the suits, Jane and I went into the fabric market building to find the dress stall. This was not my idea. We went back to the same place as before. I looked through the dresses and tried on one, in blue velvet. It was ok except for the bling on the shoulders. I showed the lady the pic of me from last time and she pulled a matching blue dress from a plastic bag. It was a size smaller but I tried it on. Jane was very happy with it. The price had not changed and the lady said alterations could be made for free and in 20 minutes. She pinned the loosed armsceye and the hem, estimating length based on my estimate of the shoes I bought weeks ago. I wasn’t so sure, but I paid anyway. The lady hurried off with the dress. Jane found a place selling underwear and found a belly-reducing foundation garment. She convinced the proprietor to let me try it on. Then Jane and I went back to the dress booth. She blocked the doorway while I tried on the garment. She thought it fit but I thought it was too long. Still, I had measured my stomach before and after and it was smaller in the garment. I told Jane I did not have the money to get it. It was a lie but I had honestly forgotten. Just as I changed out of the garment, the lady returned with the dress. I put the foundation garment on again and the dress over it. It looked ok. Jane paid the second lady while the first lady put the dress in a bag. Then Jane pulled me with her as she located a jewelry booth. We showed them a pic of me wearing the blue dress. The lady tried to find a necklace in silver and blue to go with it. There was only one and it was too chunky. I convinced Jane that we needed to get back to the van. As we left, the tailor called to tell Jane that he had some food for her. She must have told him she was hungry. We left the building and found the tailor. He gave her a bag with two apples and three eggs. Jane had me call Chris to say we would be there soon. But she pulled me along to the food vendors. She bought 4 big puffs of dough with red bean paste inside. She tried to find someone with a knife to cut the apples. After 4 tries, someone did. Then we walked to the parking deck. Chris came out to meet us. We went to the second floor and climbed in the van. Jane passed each of us half an apple and a bean puff. The taxi driver drove to the parking attendant and Chris paid. Chris also paid Jane for the foundation garment. Then the driver drove into town to head back to Chinhae. We each ate our apple half. I ate a little bit of dough and much of the bean paste, but there was a lot of dough in that thing. I gave the rest to Chris. Jane ate half of her puff and the apple. She fed the taxi driver at intervals. There was much traffic getting through Busan, but then it cleared out. When we got to Chinhae, the driver dropped Jane off at her apartment building. It was raining, so I called Myra who had offered to come get us. She met us at the gate. We transferred the 5 suits and 1 tux to her car. Chris paid the taxi driver. Myra drove us home where we thanked her and brought the suits inside. I ate a frozen persimmon. We watched one episode of Bones: Hodgins ended up paralyzed. I sat down to write up the day’s events for my blog.
* this is the velvet dress *

To market, to market

I got up about 8:30. Chris was in the shower then got dressed and went to work. It was coffee morning. I made coffee and exercised and rebounded and drybrushed and listened to audios. One was an interview with Dr. Mary Newport. Her husband developed Alzheimer’s, so she went looking for a treatment and found coconut oil. His condition improved. She then proceeded to mix it with MCT oil and he sipped it throughout the day. She recommended all the other coconut products as well: coconut flakes, water, flour, sugar. She also talked about good coconut oil products from Japan who has been using it for weight loss for 20 years. It also helps with Parkinsons. As part of a ketogenic diet it may help with Autism and seizures. Some people can get a form called Axona by prescription. She also recommended massaging the oil into muscles for pain. Now you can buy peanut butter with coconut oil in it. I did some cleaning. Chris came home for lunch. Kelly called to borrow a seam ripper. I got one and walked out to the street. She drove up to get it and we commenced to chat in the middle of the street. Chris left for work. I went back to e-mail and audios. I drank a chocolate shake with coconut oil, coconut water and MCT oil. Jane called and asked me to sign her in at 3:45. Denee called to go to the corner market. I said yes, but forgot to get ready while listening to the audio. She showed up and I let her in while I went to the bathroom. She remarked on our wooden chest so I told her the story and opened the doors so she could see the quilts inside. Thus ensued a mini-quilt show. Then we left for the market. On the way down the hill, we ran into Paul. I talked to him about getting bumped. He assured me that in the future other groups would be encouraged to seek other facilities on our sewing day. Then we walked to the market. I got cucumbers and yellow peppers. I saw persimmons, but they were really expensive. Denee wanted to see the regular market, so we walked out into town. I stopped at GS25 to get lemons. We walked around the store, then back to the street. I pointed out the Foot Shop. Soon we arrived at the everyday market. We found a place to buy persimmons. I showed her Nature Republic and Daiso. I looked for little pots for lip balm and they had some but they were bigger and not as good a deal as at GS25 (although better than at Office Depot). Jane called to say she was at the base. We walked quickly back. Denee went on home and I signed Jane in. We walked to the ATM for her to get cash. I gave her a persimmon. They were getting crushed in the bag. She told me to meet her tomorrow at 3:45. I signed her out and walked up the hill. Akia and her husband stopped to give me a ride. I accepted because it was hot. They dropped me off and I walked to my front door. Denee had left the bag I lent her on the front handle. I put my groceries away. I ate the two persimmons that had squished. The rest went in the freezer. I checked Amazon for little pots and read tons of reviews. I finally chose a set, and added a few other things to up the total for free shipping. I read e-mail for a while. It was getting dark so I went outside to pick some dandelion and lettuce. I added chopped pepper and cucumber for a salad. I read comments on interviews from the Alzheimers summit. I called Chris to see why he wasn’t home yet. I did today’s puzzle. I called Myra to see what she had been up to. Chris came home. He decided not to eat supper because it was late. We watched two episodes of Bones and he went to bed. I stayed up to blog.
* this pic is from yesterday *

Beauty and swap party

We slept in late, but Chris got up in time to shower and go to church. I read e-mail until 9:30. Then I showered and got dressed. I quickly watered the plants. Chris came home. He offered the couple next door a ride to church. But they wanted to walk. Chris drove me to the chapel. When I sat down, I noticed the couple several rows ahead. The sermon was about friendship, starting with the one between Grant and Longstreet. I thought Chris would have enjoyed that. After the service, several of us chatted about playing music in church, and getting together on Wednesday. Then Chris and I walked to the commissary for groceries. There were ladies there in a chatty mood. Kelly told me how tired she was after visiting the fabric market yesterday and that she woke up with allergies. I told her I thought the whites of my eyes have been red lately and she confirmed it. So it was well past noon when we got home. I made and ate breakfast and read e-mail. I filled a small box with items for a face mask plus cotton balls and swabs. I walked to the Housing Center and took the elevator to the second floor. About 5 ladies were there, including the Admiral’s wife. The tables were set up with cute floral bouquets in cups and food brought in by the ladies. A few more came as we chatted. Suzanne herded us toward the food and I suspected she needed someone to go first so I did. I had some of the fruit platter and some of what Anna brought, plus the cheese dip that Suzanne brought. Then we all sat down in a square to eat. The conversation was pleasant. Then Suzanne talked about preparations for going to the Navy Ball and beauty tips. Other people shared what they used. Danielle brought rose water and she let me spray some on my face. It was lovely. I passed around the lip balm I made. Then we looked at the clothes that people brought to swap. By and large they were too small for me. There were gowns and tops and pants and shoes. I had forgotten to bring anything. Eventually most of the ladies left. I started helping to pack up. Bandy had texted me earlier to see if she could come over at 5. As I was heading out with a plate of fruit (which I gave Myra some money toward), Bandy called to say her replacement had not shown up. I went home and gave the fruit to Chris. I ate some chicken and kimchi while I read e-mail. I looked up rose water on Amazon. I listened to an audio from the Matrix summit. Bandy texted that she could come at 8:30. I posted to the community page that QOV was canceled for Wednesday because someone else took our room. The post included a pic of the stuffed pumpkins I want to demo. I told Chris how frustrated I was that our group got bumped from the room at Housing for this Wednesday. We discussed it. I called Myra, but there was no answer. I watched an episode of Bones, in the middle Myra called me back, finished episode, found a bmp of a chart for body measurements, Bandy came over before I could print it out, but she had her own. I took her back to the sewing room and measured her, writing each one down on her piece of paper. I cued up the next episode of Bones. I tweezed my eyebrows while waiting for Chris. We watched two episodes of Bones together. When I sat down to write my blog post, I noticed that all the notes I had taken were gone. The notes were from the Alzheimers summit. Arrgh! I recreated my day in print. I looked up one of the characters from the last episode we watched. Then I posted and went to bed.

70th anniversary celebration

I got up soon after 7. I washed up and got dressed. I took out the food waste and watered the plants. I drank my chocolate shake. I put some seed crackers in my bag. I put on my Xero shoes, picked up my rolling cart and headed out. It was 8am by the time I got to the bus by the gym. I climbed on and sat with Denee. Soon we were on our way to Daegu. I talked to Denee the whole way and we got to know each other. The bus dropped us off at the fabric market. Kelly told us we could split up, but to meet back at 1:30. Myra, Denee, myself and Bernie headed to the bathroom and then the third floor. Myra took us to the 2000 won man. We shopped for fabric there, both personally and for the sewing group. I looked around the general vicinity for fabric to match my stripes. Soon they were finished there and we walked around. We ran into Elizabeth and Jaydyn, who hung around with us after that. I shopped with Elizabeth while the others looked at thread and snaps, etc. Then we all went to the 4th floor to look around. Jaydyn pushed my cart after his mother put her bag in with my bags. It was easier for me and he enjoyed it. I don’t remember what we got on the 4th floor. Then we went to the basement to get something to eat. Bernie stopped at one place that specialized in kimbap. We each got a roll to go. Elizabeth had found a place that sold watermelon juice, so we all went over there and got one. Then we went outside to see some fabric I had spotted last time. I bought a piece. Then around the corner we found some benches and sat and ate. The ladies told me I had great legs. When it was time to meet the bus, we walked back to the bus stop. But the lane was full of cars waiting to turn, so I walked in the direction the bus was going to come to pick us up. Others were not sure it was a good idea, but when I found the bus, the driver was willing to pull over and pick us up. It saved us having to wait in line for the parking lot. Denee and I talked on the way back. It took longer to get back than to get there. And when we did, some of the roads on base were blocked due to the open base event. Myra’s cart wheel broke, so Bernie got her car and picked up her and Denee and me. She dropped off Myra first and then Denee and I got out at the same place. I rolled my bag of fabric into the house and let it sit. I had a bite of seed cracker and read e-mail. Chris was gaming and keeping tabs on the laundry. I started listening to an audio, and he paused his game. We walked down to the tennis court. It was full of bouncy houses and people. There was a bandstand full of music stands and rows of chairs facing it. We joined the throngs. Chris got something to eat from a vendor selling nacho salad. We talked to several people. Then I took pics of the band marching around until they reached the bandstand. We walked into the parking lot and spoke to the PTO people selling Thai salads. Then we looked at the pics set up by our history buff. Throngs of Koreans were flocking to see the fire engines and the MWR games. Danielle brought her big dog Thunder. I could see that the Koreans wanted to pet it but were intimidated by its size. Then we walked back into the tennis courts. I watched and listened to the band for a while but the music was very Asian and I got bored. So we walked home. I read e-mail for over an hour. Then Chris got folding chairs from the shed. We sat and watched the fireworks explode over our house. Best seats ever! I thought this would be a heck of a time for the next earthquake to hit. We went back inside as it was getting cool. Chris went back to his game. I completed my order from Swanson. I tried to order from Amazon but it would not give me free shipping. The problem was that one of the items had a free shipping offer on it from the company so it did not count toward the total for Amazon free shipping. Arrgh! So I added a bunch of stuff I can get locally just to up the total. I fired up my new laptop to watch Netflix. It did not want to connect but Chris bypassed the home page and went to the login page. I watched two episodes of Bones season 11 on my new laptop. At one point it just stopped running. Chris closed the window and restarted it, then it played fine. God only knows what happened. Then I deleted some e-mail with my new laptop and shut it down. I wrote my blog post on my old laptop and went to bed.

Getting ready for tomorrow

I got up a little before 8, hearing weed eaters outside. Chris was gone. I got dressed and went out to water the plants. Korean yard men were cutting the grass on the hillside. It did not need cutting so I was confused. I watered my potted plants and the ones in the flowerbeds. I got out the clippers and trimmed the lawn so that I would be out in the sun for at least half an hour. Then I came in and picked up around the house but especially in the master bedroom in preparation for the Housing people to come at 9 to fix the toilet. I sat in front of my laptop with a quart of lemon water to read e-mail. 9 am came and went but the men did not come. I listened to an interview from the matrix reimprinting summit. She talked about meeting dead relatives in a place between heaven and earth to resolve issues. So I tried it. The Housing people called to make another appointment at 1:30. I made a new batch of hummus. Chris came home early for lunch. The post office wasn’t open yet, so he did not have any mail. Myra called to say her class had just let out for lunch. I left to meet her. We went walking out in town to the Office Depot. We looked at cutting mats and stuff. I bought some tiny pots for lip balm and a bowl to soak my feet. Sadly, every time I buy such a bowl it ends up full of dirt and plants. We walked quickly back to the base. She had to be back at 1:30 for her class. When I got home, the workman was waiting. I showed him the toilet and did my best to explain that the tank was leaking into the bowl and would refill in the middle of the night. He seemed to get the idea. I read e-mail until he finished replacing stuff in the tank. Then I made and ate breakfast. Chris came home just after 2 with a large box. He pulled out two aluminum water bottles and two laptops. He was like a kid with new toys. He hooked them up and went back to work. After breakfast, I put on shoes and mowed the rest of my lawn and the lawn next door, not to mention the part of the communal lawn that needed mowing. The sky was getting dark so I put the mower away and plugged in the battery to recharge. I went back to e-mail and audios from the Alzheimers summit. I went searching for recommended supplements on Swansons and Amazon. One e-mail led to a site called Rent-a-friend. There was actually someone on there from Chinhae. I wondered if it was someone on this post. Chris came home and put chicken in the oven for supper, then played with his laptop. I checked my rolling cart and its bag to make sure it was ready for tomorrow. Chris suggested a binder clip to hold the bottom in place. I read e-mail while Chris played a game on his new laptop. I got frustrated because I wanted to watch Bones (after getting an e-mail from Netflix that the next season is available.) I folded up the bag on the cart, and tied the binder clip to the frame just in case it came loose. I emptied my market bag and found Nela’s gift to me: a tea towel dress and a spoon. I messaged her on Facebook to thank her. I told Chris it was getting late, soon too late to watch Bones. So he stopped his game and connected his new laptop to the TV. For some reason, when the show started playing, the video portion of the computer screen would not show. The sound was fine. He was very frustrated. He asked for my laptop, but when he signed into Netflix with it, Netflix refused the connection. ??? More frustration. I watched him fiddle with it for some time, and then said that just for tonight, we should just watch it on the new laptop screen. And so we did. BUT, it was a TO BE CONTINUED episode. So we HAD to watch the second one as well. So much for going to bed early. I threw some fabric into my cart bag to take along to the market, and a bottle of coconut water. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Colorful language to go with a colorful keyboard *

No Netflix

I woke up about 8 but was in the twilight state between sleep and consciousness. I stayed there to do some mental programming but my mind kept wandering. At 9, I got out of bed. I watered the plants and realized it was sprinkling ever so slightly. I read e-mail for a while. I did some yoga moves while listening to audios from the summit. I swept the wood floors. Then I made and ate breakfast. Chris called to say he was on his way home. I hopped in the shower. Chris came home and offered to get in the shower with me. I filled the water pitchers and got dressed. I read e-mail until it was time to go. I headed to town. On the way down the hill, I met Denee. We chatted for a bit. Then I walked to Foot Shop. My masseuse was a new lady named Mrs. Yo. She gave me a pretty good massage but not quite like Mr. Kim. I got dressed and made an appt for next week. I asked the clerk why he was not here two weeks ago – he said baby so I congratulated him. Then I went to the Chinese massage place. I asked for a leg massage because Mrs. Yo took it easy on my IT bands. I was given a pair of black disposable panties to wear. Then the usual man came in. He did a good job. On the way out, I asked his name and the owner told me. I practiced the new names on the way out. But when crossing the street, a black van beeped at me. It was Kelly and her husband, waving. Then I forgot his name. I walked back to base, stopping at Housing to ask where the lower light switch was and to apologize for leaving the light on last night. I went home and drank water. Myra called and wanted to go for a walk, so I put on my shoes and replanted some seedlings until she came by. We walked the trail and all around the post. We got back to her place and did one more loop then she had to go make supper. But first we walked to the new couple’s place next door to tell them about the even on Sunday. I walked Myra home and came back to my place. I read e-mail until Chris came home from the chapel. He made himself supper and cooked some chickpeas that had soaked all night. I ate some seed crackers and butter. I read e-mail and started watching life hack videos on Youtube. Chris plugged my laptop up to the TV to watch House but could not connect to Netflix. So we watched a DVD called Tomb Raider. I looked up Angelina Jolie and was shocked to see she is divorcing Brad. I wrote up my blog post and went to bed.
* Here is a pic Jane sent me from her camera on CacaoTalk. *

Hassles with Housing

Chris left early because he did not go to PT. He had a different kind of exercise in mind. I got dressed and messaged my tapping buddy that we could start early if he wanted. I went outside to water the plants. I talked to our new neighbor coming back from PT. I wrote a tapping script for sadness. At 9 my tapping buddy came online. He changed his issue and we worked on that for half an hour. Then the call ended. I thought his phone died. I called back but he did not answer. Around 10 I messaged him asking if everything was ok. He wrote back that he called me twice. I wrote that I called him once and thought his phone died. It was the oddest thing. We agreed to meet at the same time next week. Myra called and asked me to call her when I left for Housing. I made breakfast and ate it quickly. I looked for my mats but could not find them, so I grabbed an old one. I drove there because the machine and two baskets were in the trunk. I arrived a few minutes early as they asked, but when I got there, they had a ‘can we help you?’ attitude? Mr. Ha gave me a satisfaction survey to fill out for residential housing. Another man came with a form on a clipboard. We went upstairs to the room and discussed finding it neat and clean and leaving it neat and clean. He marked the pre-inspection as good. We also discussed storage. He gave me a temporary code to get in the door afterhours. I had forgotten to call Myra but she came and soon other people came. She brought in her stuff and I went to get mine. Her cutting board was damaged from being left in her car. Nothing she had tried helped. I brought the only small one I could find. The regular ones got lost when I threw things to both sides to catch the centipede. Suzanne worked on her pillow cover. Anna worked on her potholder. Linda worked on a circle skirt. I brought a quilt to work on, but the conversation was more interesting. I was assured if I became president of the FRG they would support me. They said I could be the face of the FRG. (Maybe for Halloween or April Fool’s). Anna, Myra and I signed the fish quilt label. It was almost 2 by the time we cleaned up and put the chairs and tables away. Suzanne followed me home. We looked at pics of gowns on my secret Pinterest page. Then she had to leave. I picked lettuce and added yesterday’s tomato to make a salad. I put 3 hairbows in a Priority mail box and slapped the label I had filled out last month on the front. I walked it to the post office to mail it. But I hadn’t filled out the whole customs form so I had to do it there. I came home to read e-mail, have a bite to eat and listen to audios from the Matrix Reimprinting Summit. I made pattern pieces for my next version of the dress. At 6:15 I left my computer in order to get ready for the evening sewing class. I found the cutting mats. I decided to take the quilt to work on binding. I walked down to Housing, arriving right on time. No one was waiting. I punched in the code but nothing happened. I started it with an asterisk and a place for the digits popped up on the screen. But typing in the code still did not open the door. I called Myra, and then Kelly for suggestions. Kelly called Elizabeth, but still the problem remained. I called Mr. Ha in charge of Housing. He said the code did not get changed. So he had to give me the real code. That worked. I promptly forgot it because I wasn’t supposed to know it. There was no light switch to light up the foyer. So I found the elevator in the dark and went to the second floor. Again, I had trouble with the lights. But finally they were on. I sat down to work on the binding. Then there was a knock at the fire door. I opened it to find Evelyn. She wanted to make another apron. So I got her started. Myra called from the front door for me to let her in. I did and she said there was a thing on the door to make it motion sensitive. Why had Housing not mentioned any of this to me? She had to find it in the dark. Then we went upstairs to help Evelyn. Anna came later, and then Suzanne with her kids. It was a good female bonding session, with sewing. It was after 8:30 when we packed up and cleaned up. We left the tables and chairs just as we had found them. Myra, Anna and I hung back to figure out how to stop the door from opening. Myra said we needed to know the code, but I had forgotten it. She and Anna figured out how to change the ‘thing’ beside the door. Myra and I talked on the sidewalk until Anna left. Then we split up and went home. I found Chris on his laptop. I emoted about the trouble with getting into Housing. Chris emoted about how our new laptops got send to Daegu by mistake. Then we sat together and watched an episode of House. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to finish my blog post.
* Jane and I at the restaurant last night. *

Good bye and hello

I had a hard time sleeping last night due to fears about the earthquake and not knowing where that centipede went. I got up about 7:15. Chris left early for work. I got dressed and watered the potted plants. I drank water and checked e-mail. I sent a message to my tapping buddy, but he thought we were meeting tomorrow. So I listened to audios while reading e-mail. I talked to Nela and then Myra. She said she saw a truck loaded with boxes going up the hill. I opened my windows and looked out. The truck was in front of the duplex next door. I made seed crackers. I collected the quilt label and a pigma pen. I also grabbed Joelle’s gift. I headed to the gym. I saw Nela coming from Myra’s house. I got her to sign the quilt label. Then we hugged and said our goodbyes. She leaves early tomorrow morning. I continued on to the gym. I handed the gift to Joelle. Then she led us in an hour of yoga. Afterward, she opened the gift and promised to wear it next week. I walked back with Myra. When I got home, I made and ate breakfast. I was about to put on an audio when Chris came home for lunch. He brought boxes, both mailed and unmailed. He opened the large box and it contained headphones and t-shirts from the laptop company.
I read e-mail while listening to audios from the Medicinal Supplement summit. At 3 I went outside to mow. I had to water plants in the back first because they were wilted. Then I mowed the front yard. I realized how late it was, so I put mower away and went inside to check phone for a call from Chris but there was not one. He came in the door as I was putting my shoes on. I went outside while he was putting on his gym shorts under his suit. I ran into our new neighbor who introduced herself and we had a nice if hurried chat until Chris showed up. He and I hoofed it down the hill. I ran into Myra coming back from her massage. I told her I had finally met our new neighbor. We hurried off post and down the street into town. We ran part of the way. But when we got to the bus stop, Jane said we had just missed it because it came early. So we waited for the next one. In the end it did not matter. We did not have correct change. I handed the bus driver $20 and a .50 cent piece to pay for the three of us. Chris waited until the change came back. Jane and I took our seats. Then the bus took off. It stopped plenty of times before it got to Busan. We got off at the first stop, Hadan, and took the subway to Bumil. From there we walked to the fabric market and the tailor shop behind it. We paid more of the bill. Chris tried on the tux jacket, one suit jacket, one pair of suit pants and the tux shirt. Chris looked so good in his new well-tailored pants that both Jane and the tailor patted him on the butt. She said she didn’t, but I was watching. We discussed how to get the suits home next Tuesday. Carrying them on the subway and then the bus seemed like a bad idea as they would get wrinkled at the least. Then we thanked the man and went to the bank. Chris got more cash. Jane led us to a restaurant. She ordered two meals that fed two people each. But we ate it all. In addition to the usual assortment of side dishes, there was fish, and some kind of meat and root and an eel soup. There was a plate of leaves to wrap the meat in to eat it. I liked the lettuce ones, but not the sesame ones. There was one that looked like a maple leaf, but tasted like celery. And some mustard green leaves. We ate it all except some of the fish. It had a lot of little bones in it. As we headed toward the subway, we passed a stand selling steamed corn on the cob. Jane showed an interest, so I bought her a package of three. Then we entered the subway and rode to Hadan. We went out exit one and the bus stop was right there. Chris bought tickets while Jane and I sat. We had a bit of a wait but the bus was empty and we easily found seats. It was a quiet trip back. Jane got off at an early stop. We got off where we got on. As we walked toward the base, we passed a grocery store, so we stopped in for lemons. When we got home, I put them in the fridge, along with the two cobs of corn that Jane gave back to me. Chris went to bed after reading a little e-mail. I stayed up to clear mail and download today’s pics and to write to my blog.
* Doesn't Chris look good in his new pants? *

A centipede AND an earthquake

I got up late after being up so late last night. I heard Chris come back from PT, shower and leave for work. I checked e-mail and exercised. I listened to audios. I boiled water for coffee. I cleaned the stove. Chris came home for lunch. He ate the last of his bread so I put ingredients in the bread machine to make more. After he left, I got dressed and walked out in town to a bank. I did not have to wait long. But when I handed over the American money to exchange for Korean money, she asked for my passport. I did not have it and she would not accept my ID. So I thanked her and went to the bank I had used before. Last time there was a long wait, but today it was short. This clerk also asked for a passport. I told her I did not need it last time. She said there was a limit to how much cash I could exchange without a passport. So I used the word for ‘half’, indicating that she should exchange half of it and give me the other half back. But she cut the transaction in half and did it in parts. Then she told me that I would have gotten a better exchange rate if I had my passport. I thanked her profusely and made a mental note to bring it next time. I called Chris to tell him because it would help me remember. When I got back to base, I headed home, passing Housing. I called Myra to see if she had already spoken to them and when she hadn’t, I stopped in to ask about using their meeting room Wednesday morning for QOV. I thought it was already reserved for Wednesday night, but the man said the form never came from MWR. So I filled out a private request for the room for both QOV and sewing class. I also got light bulbs for the bedrooms. Then I called Myra to ask about the forms. She promised to e-mail Paul (head of MWR). I went home to have a bite to eat but there wasn’t much time. I then headed for the chapel for the FRG meeting. I met Myra on the way. So we were both a little late. But the only people there were the board and one new member. The president went through her agenda. It all seemed reasonable. She and the vice-president are leaving, at separate times for different reasons. And since the secretary already resigned, the only position not open was treasurer. If no one steps forward, the FRG will be disbanded. After the meeting, Myra and I went to MWR to see Paul. He said Anthony had the form and promised to get it to Housing before next Wednesday. He also invited us to send him a list of things we needed for sewing class so he could allocate some money before the end of the fiscal year. Then Myra came to my house to look at the four dresses I made. She said the version 4 dress hung strangely because of the fabric and not anything I had done incorrectly. She recommended hemming it and wearing it as is. After she left, I wrote a quilt label for the fish quilt. I embroidered it on a piece of the blue backing fabric. Then I found and tested pens for ladies to sign it with. As I was headed into the laundry room, I thought I stepped on a rubber band because something about the size and length of my finger popped up and fell again. I searched and searched for this mysterious rubber band. And then I screamed, because it was a large centipede. I hit it with the nearest object, which was a USB cable. It was ineffective. I grabbed a flyswatter and chased it under the desk. It went under the leg and disappeared. Unless the leg was hollow, it must have vanished into thin air. I did not turn over the desk to look. At that moment Chris showed up. He did not see the centipede and went in the back to change clothes. I put on slippers in case I found it the hard way. I wondered how it was that I did not get bitten. I was hungry so I made and ate breakfast. I watched Youtube videos of things to make with plastic bottles and plastic bottle caps. I thought my sister would enjoy them. Then we felt the tremors of another earthquake. But not so bad that I discontinued reading e-mail. Then we watched 2 episodes of House. Chris went to bed and I blogged and hoped for a quiet, centipede-free night.
* This pic is from the chicken restaurant. *

Another goodbye party - or two

We got up a little after 8. I took a shower and put on my green dress. Chris showered and went to church. I skyped with my tapping buddy until 10:20. Chris was back by then. I put on my shoes and earrings. We got in the car and Chris dropped me off at the chapel. The unusually small congregation was at prayer so I waited a minute and then came in for the singing. Jane came in soon after I did. After the service, which was unusually short, we waited for Chris. I did not have my ID so we went back to our quarters to get it. Then Chris drove us to the Korean church for lunch. I always like the vegetables, even though they are not something I recognize. I saw bowls of rice and kimchi on the tables. In the food line was soup. But it turned out to be ramen. So lunch was ramen soup and rice. I was not amused. I consumed the broth and slipped my noodles to Chris. I ate kimchi, too. Jane must have thought Chris was wasting away in short order because even after he declined several offers of more soup, she hopped up and got another bowl for him. She also came back with another kind of kimchi so I ate some of that. Chris was really full then. Jane walked to the bus stop and we went back to base to the commissary for groceries. We ran into a new couple. She told me about how the earthquake affected her cats and how scary it was on the 40th floor of their building. Yikes! On the way out, we spoke at length to Kim. She invited us to meet them at 5 to take Nela out to eat. We took our groceries home and put them away. I was going to make seed crackers but got hooked on Pinterest. At one point, I went to the bathroom and asked Chris to shut down the Pinterest window on my browser. Then I went to change clothes. Chris came back and… Nela called but I did not answer. I checked my phone later and she had left a message about meeting at the commissary at 5 to go to the chicken place. It was almost 5, so I put on my shoes and Chris took an umbrella. We walked to the commissary. He went inside while I went to the ATM for Korean cash. Then we all (11) walked off base to the chicken place nearby. We were seated in a corner. As a group we ordered plates of chicken pieces and some salads. We shared the food when it came. Scott got a chicken pizza, which he shared. I tried a small piece and did not care for it. Not worth the calories. Since Nela is leaving, the remaining 10 of us split the bill. We sat and talked for what seemed like a long time. Chris regaled the group with stories I have heard many times before. Then again, I prompted him several times. Mari and her son went to the bakery and the rest of us walked back to base. There was a random bag check so security looked through my fanny pack. Then we walked on through. Nela peeled off to go to her place. We stopped at Myra’s place to say ‘see you later’ to her (because Kathy’s party started in an hour). Chris and I came home to read e-mail. I placed a Swanson’s order. Nela called to see when we were going to the party. I cleared a few more e-mail, then put my shoes on and called Myra. I met her at her parking lot and we walked to Nela’s house. She was waiting for us in the street. We walked across the street to Kathy’s house. Kathy was still putting her kids to bed. But soon she came out. A little while later, Bernie came over. No one else came, and we just sat around sharing birthing stories because a couple on base just had a baby and Bernie has one on the way. The party broke up about 11:30. Myra and I walked back to her parking lot. We stood there for about an hour talking about all the things wrong with politics, here and back home. Finally, we parted and went home. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* My camera is taking very dark pics. Even with photo software, I cannot get the shadows out. *

Version 4: almost finished but it doesn't hang right.

We got up after 9. The curtain rod fell again, letting light into the room, but it was a dim light because of the rain. Chris decided not to go running. I decided not to water the plants. We got on our laptops. I read e-mail. I did the weekend puzzle. I was listening to an audio from the Tooth Summit when Kurt skyped me. I got to talk to him, my dad and Patrick. They are all going out to eat tomorrow for his birthday but I told him not to skype me then because it would be Sunday morning for me. After the call, Myra called me. Kim at the commissary was having lunch sent to the commissary in honor of Nela leaving. It was just too ‘last minute’ for me, plus there were and will be other goodbye parties for her. I made up supplements for the next 10 days. I made and ate breakfast. I also made more spice mix for breakfasts. I was going to make seed crackers, but we only had one raw egg. I read e-mail and listened to audios, trying to relax as much as possible to promote digestion. I opened the bag and took out my new corsalette, which I bought to wear with my ball dress. It had red stains like someone had worn it with a red dress. I tried it on anyway to see if the fit was right. It was really tight, like it should have been. But I had Chris take my measurements with it on and after I took it off. The changes were negligible and mostly smaller without it. I resigned myself to sending it back. Then I worked on my version 4 dress, pressing seams, and finishing the neckline. I had Chris take my picture. Then I cut out the sleeves and sewed them in. Trying on the dress, I thought it did not hang right. The downside of bias seams finally caught up with me? Chris thought it was so slight that it was not worth correcting. I re-hemmed the dress from last week so I could hang today’s dress on that hanger to stretch overnight so I can hem it tomorrow. I pressed the hem and then we watched three episodes of House. I thought we were going to bed, but Chris got on his laptop to game with the voices. I wondered how I was going to get proper sleep tonight. I wrote up my blog post and checked the photos. They were really dark and made the dress look far worse than it did in the mirror. I posted one anyway and got ready for bed.
* No one registered an opinion on the green vs blue issue, so I picked green. *

Brewing party

I got up after 8 to find that Chris was already up and at his laptop. I got dressed and went outside to water the potted plants. The grass was wet like it had rained overnight. I drank a quart of water and read e-mail. Chris mixed up a pan of brownies. He changed the recipe, as usual. He did not tap out the air bubbles before he put the pan in the oven. When it baked, two big air pockets developed in the middle, like two small mountains. He cut up the brownies and put them on a plate. Eventually I pushed myself away from the computer and stayed in my cutting room until I came up with a plan to cut the pattern pieces on the bias. I cut out five pieces. It was after noon when Chris went to work. Today is a bit of a holiday since Chusok was yesterday. I continued to work on the dress by sewing sections together. I took a break to call Myra and Nela. I made and ate breakfast. I cut out a front from a different fabric – the green one. But somehow it was too short. Chris came home while I was sewing. He got chorizo out of the fridge and picked up the plate of brownies. I put on my shoes and we walked to the chaplain’s house where he was having an outdoor brewing party. I went inside where his wife and Danielle were, to hang with them. Chris stayed outside to regal the men with his stories and drink homebrew. Kathy made some kind of gluten-free cheese biscuits. She made some of the dough into patties to be used as buns. She and I ate burgers that way. I sat outside beside Mandy. Bernie came with her little girl. Kids ran around. Eventually someone built a fire and, like a moth, I had to go over there and hang around. I talked to a man who wanted to live off the grid someday, but with Youtube for info on how to fix things. That went on until after dark. The kids roasted marshmallows. I wanted to roast one myself, but I wasn’t going to eat it anyway. Chris was still having beers with the guys. It started raining very lightly. I approached Chris about leaving before any deluge and he was amenable. He kissed me with his beer breath and it nearly made me tipsy. We walked home and on the way he declared his undying love. I said he should have brought another beer for the road. When we got back, it was early enough that we watched two or three episodes of House. Then he went to bed while I stayed up to blog.

Happy Chusok

I got up about 8:30 and washed my hair. I watered the plants, read e-mail and drank water. I listened to an audio until 9:25. I called Nela to see if she was ready to go to the bank. I walked to her house and then we walked to the bank. She turned in rolls of change for cash. I don’t know why she needed me but she said the bank would not have done it if I were not there. We dropped by the post office to see the hours, then went back to her place. I picked some dandelion in her back yard, and then went home. I resumed listening to the audio. It played fine but I could not get to my e-mail, either in Yahoo or Gmail. I kept getting a message saying I wasn’t connected to the internet, but the connection looked strong. I ate seed crackers and kept trying. Then I quit and made breakfast. I refilled the cocoa nibs. I put my empty supplement capsules in water to dissolve. I was planning on going to yoga but it got canceled at the last minute. I did today’s puzzle and somehow messed it up royally. So I put it down until I could draw another grid and start over. Chris came home for lunch with a large pile of boxes. It was like Christmas. But the reason there were so many boxes was that Swansons packed my order in small portions. There still were no Priority Mail boxes for me to send items to the states. I called Myra to see if she were on her way to the community roundup. But she was with a pregnant woman at the hospital in Daegu. Her rendition of the conditions was shocking. I proceeded to the roundup. I sat with Dr. Chu. The ops officer went through the 8-week schedule. I picked up a paper copy for Chris. Afterward, I talked to Tara about my background check (which I submitted in March and hasn’t been sent off yet because background checks for employees take priority over checks for volunteers). I joked with Scott by the elevator and walked home from the FFTC. I laid down, thinking it wasn’t worth a 20 minute walk each way just to get a half hour foot massage. (The regular place was closed and the other place does half hour massages.) But then I decided that I wanted to see Chinhae during Chusok. I heard that although the traffic was bad the day before and the day after, it might be deserted on the day of Chusok. On my way down the hill, I called Chris to tell him where I was going just in case something happened as I walked through the deserted town. But it turned out not to be so deserted. The buses were running, mostly empty. The convenience stores were open. Traffic was visible but light. I walked to the Chinese massage place. I was seated near the back. She brought me a small tray with a glass of hot tea and a treat. She typed something into the translation app on her phone and showed it to me: fall festival for eating treats. I figured it had sugar, so when she wasn’t looking, I put it in my bag for Chris. I drank the tea and relaxed while my feet soaked in Epsom salts. Then she dried my feet and began the massage. There was some kids reality show on the TV and she watched it as she worked. I think because she wasn’t watching the clock, she gave me a longer massage. It was the best one so far. There was no point in going to the market afterward. I walked home. Nela called and asked for Suzanne’s number. I promised to text it to her when I got back, but I forgot. I called Chris on the way up the hill to tell him I was back on post. I read e-mail. I put on an audio and cleaned the kitchen counter. I spread out fabric. I tried to place pattern pieces on the bias. Then I drew and cut a full back piece. I tried a new placement, measured the fabric and realized it was square. So I folded it on the bias. It was hard to get the fold line flat. I arranged the pieces but one always hung over the edge. I folded a square of paper and cut it diagonally and taped it back together to see what the implications were for sewing the selvages together. I googled tips for cutting on the bias. Chris came home, late, and made himself supper. I emoted about all the things that are not being done properly. I cleared a few more e-mails before Chris was ready to watch TV. We watched two episodes of House. He went to bed. I stayed up just long enough to blog.
* holiday snack cake from the massage place *

Last class at the chapel

When I woke up this morning, Chris was gone. He had an early VTC. I slept in late having gone to bed late. The morning light was coming through the window because the earthquake had dislodged the weak tension rod. Finally I got up to quickly get dressed and water the plants. Then I sat down to skype with Tina. She was taking certification classes in EFT and needed do to case reports. She helped me work on surrogate tapping issues. After we finished, she sent me tapping articles, which I did not have time to read because I had to get ready for class. I cut fabrics for iron caddy kits. Then I bundled it up, grabbed the second quilt of valor and hurried out. On the way to the chapel, I ran into the kindergarten class. Mari and Elizabeth were taking them to the gym. The kids seemed so well behaved. I had to wait for them to clear the steps. So I was late to sewing class, but there was no one there. I worked on binding until Linda came. Anna and Terry came with their lunch – a hotdog meal from a fundraiser. Suzanne came and Myra, then later Liann came with her lunch. And Nela. It became a true stitch-n-bitch. But we all had a good time, I think. Myra and I stayed late to help Linda finish her project, but I left around 2. I stopped at the chapel office to make sure they knew to leave the door open tonight and that we would take all our stuff with us since it was our last class. I went home to make breakfast and to read e-mail. I got a Facebook message asking about a tool for adhering plastic snaps. So I called Myra to see if she had one. She did not, but she agreed to go walking with me later. I wrote back an answer to the Facebook question. I read e-mail and ate part of my breakfast. Myra called to say she was ready so I put on my shoes and headed out. She met me at her parking lot. Then we walked out into town to the massage place. We made appointments for next week. The clerk seemed to be saying that Mr. Kim might not be coming back. Very sad. Then we walked into the market to look at plants. She got some succulents. They are not my favorite but so interesting – like from another planet. We visited other plant places too. I found a papaya plant – the leaves are strong medicine. We carried our plants home. I followed her home. She showed me her new dress for the Navy Ball. It was nice and I could see how it was similar to last year’s dress. Her husband came home while she was on the phone. When she was done, we walked out together. She went to the commissary and I walked home. I read e-mail and rested. I opened my amazon boxes: there was a yoga mat and four bags of cacao nibs. I picked some lettuce leaves and sweet potato leaves for a salad. Chris came home about 6:15. We talked a bit and we worked on covering the window again. Then I drove to the chapel. It was our last time to meet there. Princess was already there, and Mari. Myra came, as well as Suzanne and Nela. Anna came and passed out large apples. Myra helped Mari, I helped Nela, and Nela helped a Philippine lady to knit. We stayed late so Nela could finish her iron caddy. We packed up everything and split it between our cars. Anna gave me raw cashews from her trip to the states. Then we drove home separately. Chris was already home from his movie, Suicide Squad. He said it was ok but he was glad he hadn’t paid state-side prices for it. I read e-mail and listened to an audio from the Tooth Summit. I looked at links that Tina sent me. Then it was time to blog and go to bed. As I wrote, I thought about all the little things that made yesterday and today just a little unusual.

An amazing day (and night)

I got up early, when Chris came back from running. I got dressed, drank my quart of water and did some exercises. I was on Skype by 8 to meet my tapping buddy. We did not finish the hour because his phone died. So then I put the chocolates into a bag for Nela. I checked e-mail and listened to audios until Myra called. I met her at her parking lot and we walked to the bank. I deposited two checks (which coincidentally had the same numerals, but the decimal point was in a different place), and got some cash to exchange out in town. Nela was there with her son, with bags of coins that he got for bagging in the commissary. When I had the cash, I walked outside. Myra had walked away, but when she came back, we headed for the front gate to walk to the park. Half way between the gate house and the front gate, Nela called. Of course I answered, but Myra reminded me that no one is allowed to use their phone in that area. Nela said she needed me at the bank, so we turned around and walked back there. She said there was a problem because she did not have an account with the bank and could she use ours? I said sure, but secretly I did not understand why an account was needed when she was exchanging cash for cash. Then Myra and I walked to the park. We circled the lake and enjoyed looking at the fish. We took pictures. Then we walked down by the canal. We found a plant store that Myra wanted to see, but by then we had to get back because Housing was visiting her at 1. I came home, running into Chris on his way back to work. He said a box had come for me. It sounded like the yoga mat I ordered. I went home and made and ate breakfast. I took the bag of chocolates to Nela. She and I walked to the commissary for her to sign some papers. Then we went to Myra’s place. She knocked on Danielle’s door and I rang the bell at Myra’s door. The four of us went to Security to get the car. Scott was just coming out so it was like a show down in the old west: the four of us in the street facing the one of him in the middle of the street. But he let us have the car. Myra drove us to Home Plus and we walked across the street to the five day market. We wandered up and down the main street and the associated side streets. I bought dehydrated sweet potatoes and figs. Myra and Danielle bought a large box of peaches. We carried our purchases to Home Plus and up to the parking deck to the car. Myra drove us back to base. She dropped me off first. They all got out with me and I showed them my garden. I gave them zinnias, and sweet potato plants and a pea plant and a something else that rooted. I gave Nela the hot peppers. Then they left. I was so tired that I laid on the couch. After while, Chris called.

I forgot why, but he mentioned that there was a going away party for Nela posted on Facebook. Then he came home and offered to drive me to the meeting point. I checked e-mail, then put my shoes back on. We walked out to the car. I stopped to add some beer to the slug plate. But before I could get to the car, Anna drove by and offered me a ride. So I got in. On the way, we saw Myra and picked up her, too. Then we went to the commissary. Others were already waiting in their cars. When the last few people showed up, we left. Elizabeth rode with us. We followed Suzanne to City 7 and parked in the deck. Then we went as one group to the second floor and through a courtyard to a place called Shabu-Shabu. I hadn’t been there at all before. So each table had a hot plate built into it. The staff brought bowls of broth to put on the burners and raw meat strips. We went to the buffet to get plates of salad and such to eat, and plates of soup veggies. While the soup veggies cooked in the broth with the meat, we ate our salads. Then we had soup. At times, we added more meat or more veggies or even noodles. We sat and talked. I mostly listened, or tried to. It was hard in such a noisy room and we covered three tables. Two more ladies from the base walked in later. When we were notified that the restaurant was closing, we split the check and paid for Nela’s meal. Then we went past the courtyard to find a restroom. Suzanne suggested going into the mall to a clothing store. It was the only store still open. We looked around. They were having a sale and I saw some nice stuff, but was too tired to try anything on. Eventually they closed too, so we proceeded back to our cars and caravanned back to the base. We took Elizabeth home. Then we parked in Myra’s spot. We ended up talking about problems on the base and how there was no way to help certain people. Long about midnight, I got up the courage to talk about tapping for other people. Surprisingly, they were interested and did not think I was crazy. We talked about it for another half hour and then decided we needed to head home and regroup another time. Myra got out and Anna dropped me off at home. Chris had left the light on and gone to bed. I was so excited. I stayed up to delete e-mail and type up the day’s events as best I could remember them. Then I posted and went to bed.
* For Sept 11th, the PT group ran up the mountain to the water towers and raised a flag. *

Chocolate Quakes

I heard Chris leave early this morning for PT. I stayed in bed for what seemed like a long time, and then my alarm rang. I got up soon after to start the day. It was Monday so I made it a coffee morning, but early so I could help Nela with her pack out. I was going to water the plants, but I discovered that it had rained. About 11, I called Myra who was at Nela’s house. She said Nela did not need help, and that she would call me after she ran some errands. She did call later to say the errands were taking longer than she expected. I listened to audios from the supplement summit and from the Tooth Summit. Orthotropic solutions are better than orthodontic ones. I worked the puzzle for today. I played Free Cell so long that my hand hurt. I looked up that puzzle to find out of it were unsolvable. But there was a solution. However there are several puzzles that cannot be solved, including #’s -1 and -2. Of course, to see what they were, I had to take a loss each time. I could not find a way to select a specific game without Free Cell counting the random one it gave me as a failure. I put on an audio and melted coco butter in a dish on a pan on the stove while I listened. I mixed in some cacao powder. Chris came home from work. I added sugar and vanilla. It was for Nela, but Chris did not know that and he stuck his finger in the chocolate to taste it. I took it off the stove to cool down but it wasn’t getting thick. Then I put it back on the stove to heat up a little – tempering. Finally I poured it into molds, some with almonds, some without. The smaller molds went into the fridge and the larger one I put in my cutting room. I re-drew some of the pattern pieces to reflect changes I wanted to make for version 4. While working in my sewing room, everything started to shake. Was I having a stroke, or was it an earthquake? Yes, in Daegu as it turns out, a 4.9. Myra called to tell me. We both hoped the fabric market was ok. The shaking was scary, but Chris said it was cool – his first earthquake. I guess he missed all the admittedly minor ones in Augusta. I got out a print fabric for version 4. I pulled out two solids that might go with the print. I took a pic. Then Chris hooked my laptop to the TV and we watched two episodes of House while I took out part of the hem of version 3. The house shook again, harder than before and for longer. But nothing fell or broke. Still, it was disquieting. After House, Chris went to bed. I stayed up to delete some new e-mails and post to my blog.
* Which goes better, the green or the blue? *

Chris says it's too long

I got up soon after Chris did. While he read e-mail, I took a shower and put on a long top. I read e-mail until Chris went to church. Then I contacted my new tapping buddy. We were going to chat on Facebook, but we could not get two-way video on Facebook so we did Skype. At 10:15 I hurriedly thanked her and hung up to get dressed up for church. The first slip I tried was too long for my new dress, so I put on my shortest one. I finally got good fit around the chest but the skirt part did not hang right when I leaned forward. Chris came home long enough for me to put on my shoes. We ran out the door to the car and Chris drove us to the chapel. Anna was there and noticed my new dress. I sat in my usual spot. My dress rode up a lot. Jane joined me just as the service was starting. When it came time for the sermon, we had a guest speaker. He was so passionate that he sounded like a used car salesman. Afterward, I talked to Suzanne. She wants to come over some time to look through the dress ideas that I gleaned from Pinterest. Chris showed up then, so Jane and I went with him to the Korean church. Jane had us take pics by the canal nearby. We were early, so we sat and waited until the lunch started. I put my purse in my lap when I sat because the dress was too short. Might it have something to do with being cut on the bias? After lunch, we went back to our quarters to change while Jane ran to catch her bus. Then we walked to the commissary for groceries. As we carried the food home, I noticed a rip in Chris’ jeans. It that why women are supposed to walk behind their husbands? I noticed the pool and wondered if it was open. On our way inside, I picked the squash because the vine was dead. But it was wormy. I guess we should have picked it earlier. I called Myra. She said the dogs had already swum in the pool but it was still open until 4. I decided that I did not want to swim that badly. We watched part of a pirate movie, then I fell asleep. When I woke up, Chris was at his laptop. I made and ate breakfast. I read e-mail and listened to audios from the Medicinal Supplement Summit as I played Free Cell. I noticed a numb spot on my left heel. Curious. I watered the plants and picked leaves of dandelion, sweet potato, pepper and lettuce. I washed them and added tomatoes and carrot, topped with olive oil, vinegar and spices. My gut felt a little rumbly afterward. I mixed the magnesium glycinate with hummus and ghee. As I consumed it slowly, we streamed a movie called “The Finest Hours” from Netflix. It was a Coast Guard movie. Chris looked up some of the actors online. Chris Pine was in it. Then he went to bed. I stayed up to clear a few e-mails, blog, and go to bed.
* Kurt, see the butterfly bush? *

Version 3 complete

I got up around 8, hearing Chris online with the voices. I went outside to water the potted plants and new plantings. I read e-mail and drank a quart of water. I made and ate breakfast. I finished yesterday’s puzzle, which I thought I had finished yesterday. Then I did today’s puzzle. I enjoyed listening to Michele’s voice during the game. But it was over before 10. I hoped Chris would go to work then, but he stayed home to do laundry. I worked on my dress, sewing and tweaking and re-sewing and changing the pattern. I auditioned choices for the sleeves, then cut them out and basted them in by hand, then sewed them in by machine. I hemmed it hanging on a hanger, hoping to get it right. I read e-mail, then had some pork and kimchi for supper. I caught up on e-mail, sort of, listening to some of the shorter audios. Then we folded the laundry and put it away. I mixed magnesium citrate with vinegar, and drank that with water. Chris hooked my laptop to the TV and we watched Anna Karenina starring Keira Knightley. It was cinematographically interesting, which made it confusing to me. Anyway, after it was over, I had to look it up on the internet to find out what happened. I realized that the vinegar and magnesium were not digesting well and wondered if I would get any sleep tonight. Chris made up the bed with the laundered sheets. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Here is another pic from the beach in Busan. *

Watch out for the CDC

It was after 9 when I got up. I heard the alarm go off, but since I was not wearing my watch, I could not track the time after that. I got dressed and went outside to water the potted plants and seedlings. I swished while I was out there. When I came in, I spit out the coconut oil, and rinsed my mouth. I drank a quart of water. Then I savored three packets of vitamin C. I did a meditation guided by Dawson Church. Then I listened to a video while emptying the dishwasher and making breakfast. It included a meditation which I sat down for a part of. While I ate, I read an article about how the CDC published an NPRM – a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – with the title “Rules for the Control of Communicable Diseases.” The article talked about the worst points of it and asked people to go comment on the website set aside for such things. So I went there and read some of the comments. Then I read the notice itself and was alarmed at how general the wording was, leaving it open to all kinds of abuse. I told Chris about it while he was home for lunch. It said people could be detained in a pre-communicable stage. Airline crew may determine possible contagion by symptoms such a headache with stiff neck, or persistent coughing (defined in part by complaints by other passengers). Someone could be ‘detained’ for up to 72 hours. I left a comment implying I was not in favor of it. I wrote a check and put it in an envelope for Chris to mail (he has the stamps). I measured parts of Mandy’s dress and took pics so I could return it to her. I watched a video on how you should not sign an opt-out agreement (there are no benefits to you, only them) and if asked to sign an agreement for something that may contain risk (smart meters, vaccinations, etc), ask them to sign a conditional acceptance agreement (template is provided on Freedomtaker website) which states that they are fully and personally liable for all consequences. Apparently this is guaranteed under “Right of Contract”. You have the right to refuse a dangerous proposal unless the company agrees to insure you against the risk. I came across the word ‘auscultation’ and had to look it up.
I put the food waste through the blender and poured it on the garden. The eggshells met a similar fate. I listened to more audios while I sewed the last two seams of the version 3 dress. I tried it on and made notes on the pattern for suggested tweaks. Chris came home and made supper while I worked on the neck facing. He brought mail which included a card from MaryAnn and a note from Dad. I decided the dress neckline needed a bit of piping which I worked on until it was time to leave for the movie. We walked to the theatre. I went to the bathroom while Chris paid for admission. Then we went in and sat in the dark. The movie was “Jason Bourne”. I closed my eyes during fight scenes and the last car chase. When we got home, we looked up some of the female actresses to see if we had seen them in other things. Then somehow I got started looking at dresses worn by Keira Knightley. Some of them do not do her justice. That was followed by a bevy of dresses from Pride and Prejudice. I made myself stop so I could blog and go to bed.

Massagus Interruptus

For some reason I slept late. I got up at almost 9. I planted some of the peas and zinnas. I watered them and some other stuff. Then I ate some seed crackers. I got dressed and went to yoga. I walked in with Anna. Joelle led us through an hour of yoga. The class stood around talking afterward. Then Myra and I left. I walked her home and then I went home. I ate a little something, then took a shower and got dressed. I filled my water pitchers from the shower filter. I watered some seedlings again and the butterfly bush. On my way off post, I stopped at the ATM to get cash. Then I walked out in town to the Foot Shop. The usual male clerk who speaks some English was not there. But my substitute masseuse was. She tried to talk to me but I could not understand. I told her I was American and she said “China”. She made a phone call, but I don’t know what for. I indicated that I had signed up for massage #1, which is a foot massage. I gave her the Epsom salts that I always bring. She wanted the money up front so I gave her 4 tens and she gave me 7 1’s back. I went to change and she kept saying the word for ‘no problem’, meaning I did not need to change into massage clothes for the foot massage. She ran a foot bath and I put the salts in. As I relaxed in it, she watched a Korean daytime drama. It had been playing since before I arrived. There was no tea. At some point, she brought a towel to dry off my feet and brought me to the massage room with chairs. I love their chairs. So comfortable. She pointed to the TV and I shook my head. Then she talked to me, though I did not understand. I guess she was lonely because no one else was there. She massaged my calves and started on my feet when her phone rang. Again, I have no idea what was said. But, the massage was over. She pulled out her wallet and handed my money back. I sat up to get up and she ran to get a towel to wipe the massage cream from my feet. Then she went into the back. I got my purse and fanny pack from the locker room. I wanted to call a Korean friend to translate, but the lady never came back out. So finally I left. I walked around the corner to the Chinese massage place, wondering if all the massage people in Chinhae were Chinese. I indicated a shoulder massage. I was ushered to a small back room with a loose top on the bed. I changed into it and then the big burly man came in. I think they woke him up from a back room. He gave me a back and shoulder massage. After I paid, I walked into the market talking to Myra in case she wanted to join me, but she wanted to stay home and clean. Looking for the watch shop I made it all the way to the kimbap place so I got a roll. It tasted ok but would be better with kimchi so I decided to wait until I got home. I went to Daiso for a watch battery but could not tell which one I needed. Then I found the jewelry store where the man has fixed my watch in the past. He put in a new battery for me. Walking back into the market, I saw some nectarines so I bought them. I walked by the fabric place but he did not have anything I needed. I walked by the used clothing store. Nothing caught my eye. I walked back to post, lugging all those nectarines. Walking up the hill, I saw Myra come out. I asked if she wanted to go to the pool, she said yes after she finished cleaning her fridge. I went home to eat kimbap and check e-mail, then changed into my bathing suit. I walked down to the gym and found no one at the desk so I grabbed a gym towel and headed to the pool. The clerk showed up and said the pool was closed because there was no lifeguard. And it will be closed tomorrow too, but open Saturday. And on Sunday for dogs then closed for the season. As I was walking away from the gym, I ran into Myra. I told her the pool was closed. She suggested the sauna instead because her back was hurting. We went in there but the controller would not light up. We went to the desk to ask about it. Joelle was there, and tried to get us into the pool area. But the clerk had rather us go to the sauna. Myra got her wish. We sat in the sauna, talking and reading. Another lady came in for 15 minutes. The temp got up to 186. We turned it off and got out, sat for a bit then went home. Linda was just leaving and offered me a ride. Once home, I ate two nectarines, and checked e-mail. Chris came home and made himself supper. I did today’s puzzle, which wasn’t as hard as it was rated. I ate nuts and blueberries, too. I jotted notes for my blog. Then Chris hooked my laptop to the TV and we streamed three episodes of House from Netflix. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to write about it.
* Here is a pic of me wearing the blue pants I bought in Busan with Jane and Chris. With it is a blue sequin top from the consignment shop in Masan. *