More adventures

Thursday was another pricing and sorting day at the thrift shop. Somebody brought in cake and popcorn, which we enjoyed. Then, it was off to the Dragon Hill to meet Chris for lunch. But he was standing in line at the bank to get won. The exchange rate had just dropped and people were scrambling to get as much as they could before it could drop further. Seems like it always goes back up, so what's the big deal? Anyway, we went down to the deli and shared a styrofoam container of chicken in sauce with vegetables. He went back to work and I left for the commissary.
On the way, about 2/3rds, Andrea was driving by and offered me a ride. Since I'd had a good walk, I accepted. I filled my bag at the commissary and trudged home.
The won we got was for shopping at Dongdaemun on Friday, but it was raining that morning and both Michele and Nancy, my intended companions, decided against going. So I stayed home to work on my materpiece for the Christmas Stocking exchange and my secret sister gift. The first gift is due Monday and has a price limit of $5. I ran through many ideas and decided to give her a teacup block each month in shades of red. It involves applique, so I wanted to digitize the outline in my embroudery software. That meant hooking up the old computer. I called Chris at work, and he said "Go ahead, you can't get it wrong". Ha. But, amazingly, I did hook it all up and got it right on the first try. Ha, ha. But after getting the design just so, and being ready to try it out, I discovered that I didn't have the right backgroud fabric, although I remembered seeing the perfect thing at the market on Wednesday. So, on Saturday I convinced Chris to go to the market with me. He agreed on the condition that when he'd had enough, we'd come home.
So, off we went. First, we found a subway station much closer that the one I knew. But it wasn't underground, so we were a little uncertain. But, after buying Chris a subway card and reading the map, we got on the right train, transferred lines at the next station and arrived at the right exit in Dongdaemun. Being a saturday it was very crowded. I was able to find the fabric I wanted within a few minutes, making Chris very happy. But then I wanted to buy PVC connectors. I had heard a rumor that there were hardware stores near the fabric market, across the stream. Well, we walked and walked but didn't find any hardware stores. We did find lots of books, mostly in Korean. We also found some interesting foods, which we tried, and an umbrella for Michele. Then it was back to the subway, sorting out signs and trying to find our way home.
As we walked near our apartment, we passed a bicycle store. I stopped to buy a bell for my bike. We continued home to share our goodies (mostly sweet bean paste) with Michele. The rest of the day was spent preparing the fabric for my secret sister gift.
I would like to mention that I was able to call my parents this morning, which was Halloween night for them. We had a lovely chat before the calling card ran out. They have been following the election. I must say even though we haven't watched anything but DVD's for two months, and I miss certain shows, I DO NOT miss the glut of political ads that precedes an election. Maybe after voting day we will hook up the TV.