Michele's 20th birthday

When I got up this morning I was in a 5 star hotel with Chris. We met his parents for breakfast in the hotel restaurant where we had eaten every night. The fruit flies were virtually gone. Our regular waiter greeted us, but we could not sit in his section because the dining room was so full - a big contrast from the almost non-existent 6 pm crowd. There was a buffet laid out and it was being attacked with gusto. The maitre d' assured us that our breakfast coupons were usable on the buffet. So we dug in. I had scrambled eggs, fruit, and salad. Just as we finished, the couple we met in the airport came in for their breakfast. We hadn't seen them since leaving the airport. We went back to our rooms to pack, and then check out. Chris brought the car around to the lobby and we loaded up the trunk. We drove to a beach that was recommended, but the wind was blowing cold, and the sky was overcast, so we moved on. Then we went to the Glass Castle. It was like an indoor and outdoor museum of glass art. Very beautiful. I took lots of pictures. Then we headed for the airport. We checked in the rental car, and went inside to check our luggage. Then we stopped at a Paris Baguette for a light lunch. Cecily and I had a salad. Then we went through security to Gate 1. The couple from breakfast was right behind us. And in fact, we all had the same seats as last time, so I sat with them on the plane. The flight was slightly less than an hour. We left the plane, picked up our luggage, and went out to find a taxi. For some reason, the person in charge of taxis put us in an extended taxi. But it did not cost more. Chris called one of his coworkers to explain to the driver where we lived. Chris jumped out when we passed Gate 10. He drove his car home while we went in the taxi. We got there first. I had called Michele to tell her we'd be home soon, and she arrived within an hour, even though she was out with a friend for her birthday. We had a present opening session for her. But there wasn't much opening because I hadn't wrapped the stuff. But she appreciated the red umbrella and FarSide book, as well at the bras Cecily got her. Then Chris cooked leftovers for supper. It was decided that we would go out for her birthday tomorrow night. She wasn't hungry, but she sat and talked with us as we ate. Then because her grandmother showed an interest in learning the Korean alphabet, she gave us all a lesson on the whiteboard. After that, we settled down to our respective computers. I had almost 200 unread e-mails, but quickly reduced it to 50 by deleting without reading. The electricity went out a few times, not sure what was overloading the circuits. Chris is going to call someone in the morning. And now it is time to make his sandwich, and go to bed. The bean sprouts are soaking now, but I expect they are unrevivable after being left alone since Sat. morning.

Chris' birthday

I awoke to the sensation of Chris unwrapping his birthday present - well one of them, anyway. He showered first, and then it was my turn. After breakfast, he and his dad went to run errands. Cecily did multiple loads of laundry and packed for our trip tomorrow. I walked to the commissary to buy veggies to juice. While there, I ran into someone from the thrift shop. We got to talking, and then I saw Chris walking in the last aisle. So instead of walking home, I rode with Chris and his father. I told Cecily later that I had picked up two guys at the commissary and they followed me home. Ha. When we got home, we chatted a bit, had lunch and Chris opened his presents. Mostly books and two sets of steak knives. And then I juiced the veggies to make veggie pops, and ran through some e-mail. Chris then did several loads of laundry. At six I changed clothes, and we went into Itaewon to eat at Zelen's. It was not as flavorful as I remember. But we had a good time. Cecily and I wore our matching purses. Afterwards we stopped at Paris Baguette for Cecily, but she didn't get anything. We walked back to post, and drove home. I took another swipe at e-mail, and posted stuff for the quilt group, and then turned my attention to packing. We are going to Jeju island for 3 days. I love getting out of Seoul, but packing is always hard for me. Decisions, decisions.

How many girls does it take...?

We got up around 7 I think. We showered, ate and cleared e-mail. I also deleted the same old spam that I get multiples of everyday. Is there nothing new in spamworld? I carried my bags of fabric for class to my car in the parking lot and returned to the apartment. Michele went to college and the rest of us piled into Chris's car and attempted to leave the city with the help of the GPS. Ha! Eventually we did make it out, and we headed roughly north. Al wanted to see the place where he was stationed for a month back in 1962. However the terrain had changed too much, and we were unable to locate anything familiar to him. So we headed back to Seoul. We were in time to have a late lunch. That's when I realized that the playground in the courtyard was empty. So I went down there with a book, sat on the low bench and buried my feet in the sand while I read. I read for over an hour undisturbed. Then a boy on a bike showed up and stared at me. It took me a moment to realize that I had seen him before - while doing math rotations on Wednesday. When he realized who I was, he told me all about where he lived, and his bike and helmet, and how fast he could ride, etc. It took a while to dawn on me that he wasn't in school during school hours. But he said he wasn't allowed on the class field trip so he stayed home today. Then I went inside to eat lunch. I cleared a bunch of e-mail, mostly by deleting it without reading it. I was toying with a headache, so I laid down for awhile, until 5:30. I had a bite to eat and went to the SPC for class. I was early so I set up all the 'stuff' and put out the fabric. Shannon came with two other girls to finish her pillowcase. And the three of them worked on it together. I had to redo some of it, but it worked out fine. Other people completed pillowcases too, so now I have to count them and see if there are enough to ship. Probably not. I got home a little after 9 to see the family watching "Stripes". So I sat and watched too. It contained some scenes Chris swears he does not remember from watching it years ago. When it was over, I decided to post to my blog and go to bed. What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, gotta soak the bean sprouts.

Fractions with Fern

I woke up a little before 7. I quickly showered, dressed and ate breakfast. I reached the parking lot of the theater a little after 8, and signed in at the school at 8:15. I was asked to play a fractions game with the kids. Other volunteers were asked to do time and money games. I thought she'd given me fractions because of my background as a teacher, but no, she just liked writing "Fractions with Fern" on the whiteboard for the kids. Ha, ha. Rotations were over by 9:30, so I went to the thrift shop to tell Ella that I had other plans for Thursday. Then I went to GNC to buy flax seed. I called Chris to tell him that I was ready to pick up his mother at the walk-in gate. I drove directly there and he and she were waiting for me. He walked to his office from there even though I offered to drive him. I took Cecily to gate 17, from which we caught the subway to Dongdaemun. She bought purse fabric, velcro in several colors, and zippers. The zippers were too long, so the lady stripped off the extra teeth and put new stops on. Custom made zippers! I bought a zipper foot and a piping foot for my sewing machine. It took a long time to find any purse fabric, and even then, it was a roll here, or two rolls there. No one vendor had a good selection. We ran into Cathy who was shopping for zippers too. At 1 we took the subway home. We stopped by the YRC building for Cecily to get her new ration card (now she can buy alcohol on post). She turned down my offer to take her to the shoppette that sells wine. So we went home. I had lunch, and used the new zipper and velcro to finish my purse, and Cecily's purse. I also replaced the velcro in her old white purse. Then I turned my attention to e-mail. She and Chris made supper. Just after we sat down to eat, Michele came home. Guess we should have waited. I cleaned up after supper, and Chris ran the dishwasher. Cecily gave me a Sudoku puzzle labeled "Deadly", and it was. I worked on that and a 12x12 for the rest of the evening.

Patience is a virtue

The electricity was turned off yesterday for 15 minutes. I wasn't home so I didn't care. Except that it changed the alarm setting from 7am to midnight. So I got woken up in the middle of the night to turn it off.
I don't remember when I got up in the morning. But I followed a pretty typical routine. Chris, Alfred and Cecily went to the museum nearby. After they left, I did some mopping, and then took the recyclables out and went to the thrift shop. There were plenty of books in the bin, and more. But someone had thrown puzzles on top. So I had to count my way to the books on the bottom. Luckily most were 100 pieces. The three museum goers showed up around 1:30, bought some books and left. I had finally finished the books and was starting the DVD's when management came by with scholarship applications to be scored. Well, I had had my fill of that on the day we did them in April. But I did both of them anyway. So I did not get the videos etc. done. I drove to the little park to read my book and meditate. That lasted almost half an hour before little kids arrived and I left. I went home to have some lunch and work on my purse. I have now completed all the steps that can be done without the zipper. It has piping, too, which Cecily's doesn't have. Here is her purse, which is finished except for the velcro. I was reading e-mail when Chris and Cecily finished making supper. Just as we were sitting down, Michele arrived. So we all ate together. The evening was spent chatting, mostly about all the same stories told before. Now it is time to get some sleep for tomorrow starts early.

Help! We are quilting and we can't stop!

I got up early because I heard Chris shower, dress and leave. I thought he had taken the week off. I did my chi gung exercises, had breakfast, skimmed e-mail, and sliced up a brick of cheese for lunch. I gathered up everything in my Monday box and added a wet microfiber cloth. I left a little early so I would have time to wash my windshield. When I got to the SPC, I pulled out the cloth from it's zip lock bag, folded it into 16ths, and started wiping. I did the inside and the outside, the side windows, rear window and the side view mirrors. It made the windows shine! And I could see through them, which is good, too. I went into the chapel to start the setting up process. Another lady came to help, and then a few more. We did not have the number we usually have, but still we finished 7 quilts today, and several more are on the way. We ate lunch late because we were working so hard. Helle brought in a quilt that she has made completely by hand. See pic. I brought in my rug made of crocheted selvege edges. Kate wants to make one, too, now. We rushed to pack up by three. I scooted out a few minutes early to make it to the post office before it closed at 3. I mailed off two envelops of HST's. It made me feel pretty popular 'cause they all want HST's from South Korea.
Then I found a rock to sit on while reading. But it was hot in the afternoon, and I only stayed for half an hour. I went home to find my husband sitting with his parents and reading something on his computer. Apparently he got home at 10am. I ate two veggie pops, and did some Sudoku puzzles until Michele got home. Then we drove to gate 12, and walked into Itaewon to Cecily's favorite Thai restaurant. She ordered something that had a flame beside it on the menu. It was hot but she enjoyed it. Mine had a smiley face beside it on the menu. It was super hot and the staff probably enjoyed watching me try to eat it. Cecily's meal came with cucumbers to cool it down, so I ordered some for mine. In fact, I got two orders. I made the mistake of licking my lips. Then they began to burn too. I like spicy food but I am not gonna order that ever again.
We walked back to post, and took the car home. Cecily had been drinking, so I stayed in my sewing room for the rest of the evening. I am working on another purse, this time for me. But I can't finish it until I get a 15 inch zipper.

Constructing the purse

We got up before 9, after Chris got a phone call from someone who could have called at any other time. I had breakfast, and a glimpse of e-mail. We all got dressed and went to church, except for Michele. My in-laws were warmly greeted. After the service, we ate the usual fruit and kimbap. When Shinja cleaned up the fruit platter, she gave the leftover fruit to me. We stopped by the Px to get fiber from the GNC. Someone was selling Korean furniture out front, and my in-laws stopped to look. See pic. Then we went home. Kurt Skyped me and by 'sharing' his screen, allowed me to watch a video clip that Hulu will not let me watch because I am out of the country. Cecily and Chris made eggs and bacon for lunch. After lunch, I worked on Cecily's purse. I got it all finished except for the velcro, which it turns out I don't have. She likes it so much that she wants me to make more. Then she and Chris made supper: cauliflower and pork. I added some kimchi and bean salad to mine. After supper, I worked on my own version of the purse, but couldn't decide on a lining. Cecily said we should go to the fabric market and get three colors of velcro, and a bunch of zippers, etc. so she can have purses made for any season. Ha.
Michele dressed up in her kimono and obi to show her grandparents. Obi's are very difficult to wrap and it took her 5 tries to get it right. But the effect was worth it.

Re-inventing the wheel

Today was another chilly, rainy day. I got a request for HST's on e-mail, and I didn't have enough left of the last batch, so I made another sheet (makes 18).
My mother-in-law brought me an old purse that someone had made, and she wanted me to deconstruct it and make her a new one. I had done it before, but the pattern and instructions that I came up with are in storage. So I had to start from scratch, taking the purse apart. I showed her my selection of heavier fabrics and she didn't like any of them, wanted something plain. So I decided to make a test model so I would be ready when we went to the fabric market to pick out something she'd like. But when I got out the black with multi-colored peppers fabric, she loved it and asked her husband if it was ok. Well of course he said 'yes'. He's a smart man. So I took measurements, made patterns, and cut out all the pieces for the purse and the lining. Then I took a break. Soon it was time for supper. We talked through supper and into the evening. I will have to work on the purse tomorrow.
During this purse-making process, we all went to the PX so Michele could pick out an Ipod for her birthday. I have my fingers crossed that I get her old one.
* Quilt from Tokyo show *

May showers bring....?

It had been a dark and stormy night. The entire outdoors was soaked. It was good for the trees (see pic).
Chris was off again today, so I stayed in bed until about 8 or 9, talked to Cecily for awhile, had breakfast, deleted all the e-mail that I didn't want to read, etc. Cecily did several loads of laundry. After lunch they all went to post, to the PX, commissary, etc. I stayed home to work on some paper-pieced blocks, and to separate the fabrics from Thursday night by size. Some of them I cut in anticipation of what I think they will be. I packaged some blocks and HST's in an envelope to be mailed on Monday. I also did some work on my bike. When they returned, Chris had a new CDRW drive which he installed in my computer. We sat around chatting for awhile, and then Chris prepared supper. After supper Romaric arrived. Usually he games with Chris and Michele, but tonight he chatted with Alfred and Cecily. They went to bed, and I left to post to my blog, leaving him to talk to Chris and Michele.

A thrifty lunch

I got to sleep in a little 'cause Chris took the rest of the week off. My alarm clock was not set. However, I did hear voices. Michele had to get up early for school. I fixed breakfast, ran through some e-mail, but spent most of my time talking with my in-laws. Then Chris took them on post to get ration cards and base passes. I filled a plastic container with bean salad, and grabbed a few bags of fabric, and headed to the thrift shop, leaving the bags in the car. The luncheon was at noon, but I went at 11 to get some books shelved. Silly me, the book room was blocked by racks of clothes, shoved out of the way to make room for the tables. So I processed DVD's and stacked them to be shelved later. Around noon we all sat for lunch. Mrs. Sharpe joined us. After we ate, Ella handed out gifts to those that were leaving. Then we cleaned it all up, put the tables away, and put the store back in its proper order. Maryann and I worked on books, and puzzles, etc. At 3, we signed out. She took her son home, and I went home as well. I had a little to eat, and pulled out several more bags of fabric for class, as well as some other materials. Chris made me another CD since the one from yesterday was in .wav format which my player doesn't recognize. He also took my RW drive out and determined that it was dead and needs replacing. Isn't he handy? When 5:45 rolled around, I headed out. As I was setting up for class, the leader of the bible study next door struck up a conversation which lasted until class was due to begin. The pizza she ordered for her group had arrived. So I went back to setting up. Ladies had arrived by then, and I was immersed in questions and demonstrations. Two ladies and one young girl worked on the pillowcases for charity. Another worked on a snap-close bag, and a fourth cut kits for baby quilts. Around 8 Chris called to say he was on post and could leave or wait for me. So I invited him over to help clean up. When he arrived, I asked him to cut the metal strips for me. Even with the tin snips it was not as easy as I had hoped. But he got the job done. No one finished their project so we will do it again next week. Everyone helped to clean up and we went home. I cut up the rest of the tape measure and rounded the ends with a pair of special scissors. Then I read my e-mail, and posted to my blog so I can get out of here before Michele needs to go to sleep.

They're here!

I woke up before 7. I tried to get in a quick meditation, but the alarm went off before I finished. The math rotations were starting early, so I had to rush a little. I had breakfast with a glimpse of e-mail. Then I gathered a bag of recyclables, and the stuff I needed to send my sister's present. I stopped by the recycling center on my way to post. I was on time for the math rotations. This time I was manning the smart board where students threw a stuffed chipmunk at circles which then turned into math problems. That was fun. They ended by 9:30 so the kids could make Korean pottery. So I walked back to my car. I addressed the mailer, and wrote in her birthday card, and then realized that I had forgotten to wrap the present. I filled out the customs form, too. Even after all that, the post office was not yet open. So I drove to The Four Seasons to look at tape measures. Not expensive at all! So I bought one. Then, as I was walking past the hair salon, I stopped to get my hair cut. My usual lady was not there, but they talked me into seeing someone else. Her English was minimal. It was not the same haircut and next time I will come when my regular lady is there. Then I drove to the South Post Post Office. There was no parking at the Main Post Post Office. I mailed my sister's gift, and then headed home. Michele had left for school. I spent the rest of the day alternating between cleaning and reading e-mail. I washed Michele's sheets, put pork in the oven to roast, cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed and mopped most of the floors, cleared off the kitchen table, etc. Around 7, when I had finished sucking up the dust bunnies under Michele's bed and was mopping her floor, Chris arrived with his parents. I had expected them earlier, but they stopped by the shoppette for wine. Chris made some broccoli and stuffing to go with the pork. When Michele arrived, we all sat down to eat. We had a great evening chatting. Then they turned in for the night, in Michele's room. I asked Chris to write a CD for me since my CDR drive won't open. And he did. Now Michele is taking a shower and will be sleeping here in the computer room, so I had better go.
* Tokyo Quilt *

She made me do it

The alarm went off at 7, but I stayed in bed to meditate. Then I had breakfast, e-mail, a shower, etc. I dropped off glass for recycling before going to the thrift shop. There was a mountain of books waiting for me. I got them on the shelves, but did not have time to arrange them because Mrs. Chung wanted to leave at 3. Also, the bookroom was full of bicycles which did not help. MaryAnn came in near the end of my shift. So we sat out at the picnic table near the thrift shop and chatted. I sat barefoot to exchange electrons with the earth. Knowing as she does, that I have been frustrated with the student that comes on Thursdays, she offered to call the father and tell him I quit. I think she was totally serious. It seemed like such a cop-out to have a friend do it, that I called him myself and ended that situation. I feel that I did not handle it as well as I should have, but it is a relief to know it is over. No more waiting for the child when she is not coming, or having her refuse to do the lesson I planned for her.
At 5 we parted, so she could pick up her husband, and so I could go home to wait for mine. I snacked on tomatoes, and fermented coconut milk. It is really good with strawberries. Michele and I weren't hungry when Chris got home so he ate leftovers. An old friend from high school found me on Facebook and we 'chatted' for a bit until she had to go to work. Then I put on an unlabeled DVD. I kinda like having no idea what movie I am going to see. If I don't like it, I can turn it off, but everything is a surprise because there is no 'back of the box' to read. Tonight's movie was "The Last Song". If you watch it, bring tissues.
* The next quilt from Tokyo *

Monday is for quilting

I followed my usual morning routine. I packed some cheese for lunch, grabbed the stuff in the Monday box, and headed out the door. I dropped off recyclables on the way to post. I arrived almost on time at the SPC, but it didn't matter because no one was there. I set up what I needed to cut more baby quilts, and then Mary came. She helped me set up some more until others came. Kate brought a stack of old quilting magazines from someone who is PCSing. We looked through them. Cathy brought a stack of greens and pinks and we decided on a paper-pieced pattern. She also had a stack of magazines for us to look through. I found one I liked with watches on it. Never saw that on a quilt before. We ran late, only finished two baby quilts. But then, attendance was down for the day. It was after 3 when I left. I drove to gate 17 the long way 'cause Collier Field was roped off for something. I walked to the organic market. I bought the farm fresh eggs, and organic kimchi. On the way back, I passed a stand selling strawberries. They looked really good so I bought them. Then I went home. I hard-boiled the eggs and washed my popsicle molds after eating the last two popsicles. I spent some time on e-mail. Chris came home with a box of supplements. Some of them were for Julia, so I called her after supper but she didn't answer. She called me back later and wanted to meet at Seobinggo stn to get her stuff. It was 9 when she called from the stn. I met her there and she was tired, but we chatted for a bit about possible job opportunities she might have. Then she went home and so did I. I washed my veggies, and juiced them, this time adding some of the strawberries. I put the molds in the freezer. The strawberries were really ripe, so I froze the rest of them. Then I washed up the juicer and general area. I made his sandwich, and now I am ready for bed.
* I think this is the next pic from the Tokyo show *

Hiking up the mountain

We went to church this morning. The crowd was very small. The sermon was about grazing sheep, the valley of the shadow of death, depression etc. Afterwards we enjoyed the usual fruit, kimbap, and cake. Then we drove to Chris's office where I sat out back with my bare feet on the grass while he did whatever. Then we went to the commissary. I think it was our longest commissary trip ever. We kept running into people we knew. When we got home, Michele helped put away the groceries, and left. Some meeting for one of her college classes. I cleared a little e-mail until I called Julia to find out that she was on her way. So I walked to the station to meet her. We caught bus 405 to the Nambu bus terminal stop. From there we walked up the mountain. It was so nice to be in the presence of nature. I even walked barefoot for a while. In some places there were benches, and we sat and talked. We passed a small temple decorated with lanterns for Buddha's birthday. Then we walked down the hill. We stopped to look out over Seoul Art Center. I am not sure which building we were on top of, but the view was great! Then we proceeded down to street level. We used the pedestrian bridge to cross the street. She wanted to check out the bus terminal 'cause she'd be using it soon. I had never been there, so it was interesting. Then we went into the subway to buy her a T-Money card. We then walked to the main street ending in front of Seoul Art Center. We turned right and looked for the nearest bus 405 stop. We rode the bus to the stop in front of our apartment. Chris had cooked vegetarian curry for supper and we were both hungry. Michele was home by then, so the four of us chatted while Julia and I ate. She needed some boxes, so I found her some, and walked her to the subway station. After she left, I returned home, and we watched another unlabeled DVD. This one turned out to be Repo Men. It is pretty dark and I won't watch it again. Now my day is over and I am going to bed, after taking care of a few details (make the sandwich, refill the water carafe, soak the sprouts, etc).

Riding and skating

I stayed in bed after Chris got up to play with the voices. I took a few minutes to do a new kind of meditation. This is one where you lay quietly and concentrate on one body part at a time until you can feel your pulse in it. Hands and feet are the easiest. I can also feel it in my face and arms. I am still working on the forehead and legs. After meditating, I fixed breakfast and read my e-mail. Because my hari was dry and unmanageable, I put some coconut oil on my hair while I did a Sudoku puzzle. Then I took a shower. I got dressed and took my bike to a different bike shop. I thought they would put a new rim on it, but the guy just tweaked the spokes with the neatest little tool, and wouldn't charge me. As I rode away, I noticed that the wheel was rubbing the frame. So I took it back, he fixed it, and I insisted on paying. Then I took the bike home. I called Julia, but she was not up to hiking as we had planned, so I read some more e-mail and had lunch. I was supposed to meet Helen at Oksu between 2 and 3, so I left about 1:30. I got to the river at 1:40 and it only took me 15 minutes to ride to Oksu. So I was there early, and with the inline skates that she had lent me. When she came, we did some skating and some sweeping of the oval where we were skating. It did not take long for my ankles to tire of it. Then we walked up a steep ramp and found a bike rental place up there. We walked around the area looking for a place to eat. A young woman named Dylan (not her Korean name) helped us out. We sat to chat and eat at a leisurely pace. Then we parted ways. Helen went on the train, and I went back to the riverwalk to ride home. I was tired and the skates (in a backpack) on my back didn't help. So I stopped twice along the way. But eventually I made it home. Helen and I had had a discussion about seats with springs being so much more comfortable. So I took the seat from the other bike and exchanged it for the one I had been riding one (which has no springs and becomes quite uncomfortable after a few minutes of riding). Michele, her friend, and Chris had just gotten back from seeing a movie. Chris cooked supper while we talked, and put on a movie. When that movie was over, we put on another. Turned out to be "Push". And then it was time for bed.
* Part of the river walk *

Finally fixed that flat tire, but...

If you have not seen my latest posts, it is because Blogger has taken them down while they do something to their system. It isn't that I didn't post.
I spent my morning on the computer, answering personal e-mail and deleting the ones that want to sell me something. I did some vacuuming and mopping 'cause my in-laws are coming next week. In the afternoon, I washed most of the fabric I bought last week, and ironed it, except for the king-size quilt backing. I washed it, but not sure how to iron something so big. When Michele came home, I asked her to help me take my bike to the shop. The tire was flat and I didn't want to roll it anymore than I had to. So we went the back way, up the steps. We had to wait in line, but not long. The man took the tire off, and pulled out the innertube. It was split wide open. Unusual for a bike that has only been ridden once. Maybe it was in storage too long? Then when he put the wheel back on, he noticed that the rim was bent/warped. That made it graze the brake when it wasn't supposed to. How in the heck did that happen? Well, when we got it home, I checked to see if I still had the receipt, and I don't. So tomorrow I will check another bike shop to see if they carry that rim. Chris came home a little later, as I was cooking bison for supper. He made a pot of tortellini for himself, Michele and Romaric, who arrived soon after. Then the three of them proceeded to play their fantasy game. I spent the evening clearing out the e-mails with video links. I am down to 20 unread messages, and 3700 in the inbox. Now I want to post to my blog, but Blogger isn't accepting any new postings.

Long Day

I woke up this morning to the sound of Chris taking a shower. Since the bread wasn't ready last night, I got up to make him a sandwich, and then went back to bed. I was in a bad mood 'cause my day was full of commitments to other people/groups and there was no time for myself. I did some tapping on it. But I had to get up a short time later to get ready for second grade. Usually I do that on Wednesday, but it got changed to Thursday because of a field trip. My job this morning was to explain and have them practice division using frogs and logs. Plastic ones, of course. Each log can hold 10 frogs. They seemed to enjoy it.
Then I drove to the little park to sit and read for an hour 'till it was time to go to the thrift shop. At the thrift shop there was a mountain of clothing to be priced. Thankfully that is NOT my job. There were plenty of books, DVD's, videos, etc and I was happy to work just on that. MaryAnn came in for a little while and we chatted in the bookroom while I shelved and she pulled old books to be discarded. Somebody dropped off boxloads of Danielle Steele books, in hardback. MaryAnn had to discard a lot to make room for them. She left the old books in a box on the floor. I took the military ones and put them in the dumpster instead of charity. But later when the charity guy came, I think he checked the dumpster for stuff he could use at the men's home that he collects for. Probably took the books. Oh well.
I was expecting my student for a lesson, so I signed out at 2:30 and waited outside for her to get out of school. 15 minutes later I was getting worried. Then Mrs. Chung came out to tell me a man had called the thrift shop looking for me. She thought it was my husband. But it was the father. He said she was sick and wouldn't be coming today. So I went home, not at all disappointed. I worked on making one of the casserole covers that I intended for class tonight. I also had lunch which stretched into supper when I boiled a pot of leeks and ate them. Pretty good actually. But what do I do with the green parts?
Chris came home and we all chatted for awhile, then I went to post for class. Shannon (10 yrs old?) saw me in the parking lot and offered to help me set up. I was glad for the help. Ruth Ann was there too, and she helped. More people came than I expected and they were unprepared for class. The project uses two quilted placemats, but guess what? The Px doesn't sell them. So the fabric I bought was all they had to use. Not that I cared, but there wasn't enough pre-quilted fabric for everyone. Shannon brought a friend, maybe a little younger. I convinced them to both work on the same project. Her friend turned out to be good at sewing when shown how. Much more careful and serious than Shannon. When class was over, I went home in Chris' car. There was a box of beer in the front seat. So I called him to come get it. Then I noticed a text from Julia. Her job is being terminated early for downsizing. So I called her to commiserate for a while. Then I got on my computer to eliminate junk e-mail, and respond to friends. Now I just want to go to bed.

Day after Buddha's Birthday

I forgot to mention yesterday that it was Buddha's birthday. Michele had the day off from school. I never got the day off when I went to college.
Anyway, I spent the morning on e-mail, then dropped off some recyclables, and drove to the SPC. I met Cathy, Mary, and Kim. Cathy drove us to Sue's building. We found her in the lobby. She showed us the back way to get to a nearby Italian restaurant. It was very nice. Sue bought us lunch as her way of saying goodbye. She is moving this weekend to another place in Korea, but will come back once in a while to say hello (and buy fabric). We got back around three, and I then drove to Gate 17 to take the subway to Dongdaemun. I figured it wouldn't take long to buy a few things, but it did.
First I bought zippers. Lots of them, in different colors and lengths. At around 20 cents each, it was hard not to. And Cathy wanted some as well. Then I went up to the fifth floor to buy magnetic snaps. Got a few zippers there as well. I also bought Cathy some white fabric, and some more quilt backing for me. I looked for a metal tape measure that I could cut up and make some more bags. Couldn't find one. But Mrs. Kang asked around for me, and led me through the market and down an alley, etc, to a place that sold me a 3 meter one for 5000 won. I stopped to buy myself a folding umbrella because Michele used mine until it broke. I bought a roll of kimbap at a street stand on my way to the subway. I did not get home until after 6. Chris had already eaten, and there was pork on the stove. So I ate some of that, and then began the process of clearing e-mail. Chris told me that a box of supplements had come in. But I didn't open it. And I haven't yet processed the fabric I bought on Tuesday. Quick, somebody feel my forehead. I must be sick!
Michele wanted to watch a movie, so I picked one of the unlabeled ones. It turned out to be the A-Team which we have already seen. So I labeled it, and chose another. This one was "The Bounty Hunter". I filled the bread machine to make another loaf, and sat down to crochet my rug. After the movie, it was time for bed.

Aloha Luncheon

I was excited about going to the luncheon, but couldn't decide what to wear. I have several sarongs from the Philippines that seemed appropriate. So I tried wearing one over my bathing suit. About that time MaryAnn called, and I asked her if it was appropriate. She asked someone else, and they said no. So I ditched that, and tried my wrap-and tie pants with a white top. Well, the top had a spot on it, and only white goes with those pants. So finally I wore the green broomstick skirt and top with a shell necklace. I got to the DHL at 9:55, and walked to the gate to sign in Sue and her husband. She and I looked through the fabric man's wares at the same time. But she finished first. A gentleman I have never met asked if he could come to our meeting on June 6th to see Mr. Kang sell fabric. Seemed ok to me, I think he sells quilts. Then I signed Sue and her husband out, and the luncheon began. First they handed out $67,000 in scholarships. I wish Michele had submitted an application. Then we had a buffet lunch. After that, there were announcements and the raffling of the vendor donations, as well as the ceremonial changing of the AFSC board. Here is MaryAnn wearing her lei of office. She said she was being outstalled. The new secretary was not there to be installed, but Maryann turned in her lei anyway. After the luncheon things slowed down a lot. MaryAnn and I chatted for quite some time, and then I drove over to Leslie's place where Julia was visiting. Julia and I had planned to go hiking, but the hard rain changed our plans. Instead, I watched her teach three kids how to cross-stitch. I saw Mary as I was leaving and promised to call her about tomorrow. Michele was home when I got there, and Chris arrived soon after. I forgot all about my newly-purchased fabric as I dived into my daily dose of e-mail. Dave came over, and the three of them started a DnD type game. They were so loud that I had to shut the door to concentrate on my e-mail. I got through most of it, and called Mary, and then took a break to clean up all the clothing and stuff I had pulled out this morning trying to put an outfit together. Then I did a little figuring for our Thursday night project, and wrote myself a set of instructions. Tomorrow I will follow them and make any corrections for Thursday. I soaked my sprouting seeds, made Chris a sandwich, and posted to my blog. Bedtime.

The Very Quiet Quilters

When I arrived at the SPC this morning, the room across the hall was occupied with high school students taking a test. They did not have a sign on the door, so I didn't realize at first that we needed to be quiet. As ladies showed up, we told them about the testing next door. Finally I put a sign on their door so everyone would know. Well, it was warm and muggy today. Even though we opened our windows, it did not help because it was the same outside. So the kids across the hall opened their door. In order not to disturb them, we closed our doors. I took my shoes off just to be a little cooler and because they squeaked.
Cathy did a demonstration on pinwheel blocks and quilts. We had an unwanted fabric exchange. And then we worked on baby quilts. We only finished 5, but have a bunch almost ready for next week. We were done and packed up before 3.
I went to the AnC center to turn in the minutes for April. Ms. Pak wasn't there, but I left it on her desk. Then I sat at the picnic table out back to read for a bit. I figured it would rain any minute. But what ran me off was the bevy of men with weed eaters, buzzing loudly and kicking up dirt and grass. I went home. I read my e-mail, and did two meditation sessions. Chris came home during the second one. We talked for a bit, and then I fixed myself some supper and juiced up the veggies for this week's round of veggie pops. The three of us watched "The Last Starfighter" courtesy of Netflix. They are working hard to prepare for an rpg tomorrow with their new friend Dave. I am going to bed. Gotta get up early to figure out what an Aloha outfit is.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my readers. Even if you are not technically a mother, I am sure you have mothering instincts, so you are included.

We awoke late. Chris wasn't feeling well enough to rush around getting ready, so I went by myself. I was a little late, but I knew they would be handing out flowers, and I did not want to miss out. The sermon was not a typical Mother's Day sermon. The pastor kept asking us if the resurrection made any difference in our every day lives. After the service, Bob asked me to count money with him, like Chris usually does. It always tickles me that they ask Chris to count the offering. I am the one with years of offering-counting experience in two different churches. We got just over $200. Small attendance. I went into the fellowship hall for refreshments. Instead of kimbap, there were hard boiled eggs, and doughnuts. I ate two eggs. Then I went to the commissary for groceries. Chris walked over from the apartment so we could shop together. Michele helped to put the groceries away.
Chris asked me to cut his hair, so I did, out on the covered porch. Then I swept up the hair. He asked me if he could invite a guy over who he met over the internet. This guy plays with 'the voices', too, but different voices. I said 'Sure, if you clean the apartment'. He laughed and said he'd get Michele to do it. Later, I found myself cleaning the bathroom, the kitchen, and the livingroom. Finally I blew up and said "Why am I cleaning on mother's day? You should do it, you invited him." And Chris said "Oh, I thought you were kidding about that." To his credit, he then mopped the floor in the public area, though I did have to point out the spots (and he says I need glasses).
Chris made pork, potatoes, and broccoli for supper. The guy was late arriving, so Michele and I ate. When Chris got the call, he went to the subway station and walked him to our apartment. The three of them talked 'gaming' all evening. I swear they were speaking English, but I couldn't understand a single sentence. I read my book. Dave left at 10, I finished my book before 11, and then I made Chris' sandwich for tomorrow. Now it is time for bed. Good night.
* Tokyo quilt *

Cleaning up

I slept in while Chris and Michele got up to play with 'the voices'. Eventually I got up too, and had breakfast with e-mail. I alternated my day with working in the computer room, and working in my sewing room. I made the two blocks as requested yesterday. See pic. I also cleaned up my sewing table. I did a little cleaning in the kitchen too, but there is more to be done. Can't wait 'till the last minute to do it all. I printed out a sheet on tips for cleaning everything with baking soda, vinegar, borax, hydrogen peroxide and castile soap. The idea is not to use commercial cleaners because of the toxic chemicals in them. I started a batch of seed for sprouts. I think the air is moister now, and they should grow again. And I ordered another batch of supplements.
After supper, we watched "Invictus" with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It was worth the time.

Blocks and HST's

I had planned to sit outside today and soak up some rays while reading. But though the weather was warm, it was not sunny, and it rained later in the day. I spent most of the day on my computer. I cleared some e-mail, then researched casserole cover patterns to find one suitable for a one-night project. Then more e-mail came in. I got a request for two quilt blocks, similar, but in different colorways representing Korea. I tried to clean up my sewing room. I made more HST's at the request of several SoTTT sisters. Chris came home early, and I asked him how I could get my name and city to print on HST paper 'cause its a pdf. I did not realize that he didn't feel well. When he finished my request, he laid down and went to sleep. Michele came home and talked to me in my sewing room as I worked on the HST's. She did not want to go into the livingroom 'cause Chris was sleeping on the couch. When she left, I joined a pile of selvege edges and wound them into a ball. I also fixed a beltloop on Chris' jeans. then I made some buffalo for supper. Michele ate sausages, and I don't know if Chris ever ate supper. I went back to my computer to look up Lotus blocks and heard Romaric come over. The three of them talked for awhile, then put on a movie. I listened to an interview and a meditation. For break, I went back to my sewing room. Not having found a suitable lotus block, I looked through my stash for lotus fabric. I found some, and some koi fabric. Not sure now which ones to use. Well, I will leave it for tomorrow when I can see better in the daylight.
* This quilt is from the Tokyo show *

Children's Day

Chris got up early to go to a teleconference. I slept in. When I finally got up, I had breakfast and e-mail. I looked outside and saw that it was a beautiful day! Temp was already in the 60's. Trying to decide which fabrics to bring to class tonight made me late to the thrift shop. On my way there, I stopped to take a pic of the school next to our apt complex. It was full of canopies under which families were eating picnic lunches. In the middle, they were having games or races.
At the thrift shop, one of the volunteer husbands was there installing security cameras. I shelved books and videos. We had a ton of VHS. We also got a lot of video games, but most were scratched. I came across a DDR disc and wished I'd brought our PS2. There was also a pile of DVD copies. We can't sell them, so I brought some home thinking we could watch them and give them back. I had a slight headache when I came and it steadily got worse. When we closed up at three, I wanted to sit and read in the park, but knew I had to go home and have something to eat and drink. Ms. Chung needed a ride to gate 8, and then I went home. I had lunch and several glasses of water. And then laid down, hoping the headache would subside. I even slept. When Chris came home, he had a package for me - the HST's from the TQS triangle exchange. One of the HSTs was from Ricky Tims himself! Some weren't labeled at all. It was great to get them though. Then it was time to go to class. The headache came with me. I wouldn't have minded staying home, but I am essential personnel in this matter. So I went, set up some tables, got out the machines, mats, cutters, etc. A lot of women showed up, even some who had never come before. Melanie explained how to make the snap-close bags and we dived right in. What a novel use for sections of metal tape measure! Melanie generously shared hers (she bought her husband a new one). I forgot to take pics, again. Well, they were all cute, trust me. Mine did not come out perfectly, so I took another set home to try it again. We cleaned up in record time. I was home by 9, to find Chris and Michele watching "King Kong". I watched for a little while, then decided to post to this blog and go to bed.

Happy Star Wars Day

I got up at 7 to eat, shower and dress. I grabbed the cardboard recyclables on my way out. After dropping them off, I drove to the theater, where I parked and walked to the elementary school. In Mrs. Jackson's room, I was assigned to the smart board. The kids were playing a game where they can blow up a submarine by typing in the coordinates. It seemed like the easiest center, so I don't know why she gave it to me. The kids were so good at it that I switched over to the egg game. We were finished before 10, so I walked over to the Chosun and paid for next week's luncheon. Then I drove to the little park to read in solitude and connect with the earth. Then every siren on post went off. Or on. It was loud, and I would have been scared, but it happened at precisely 11am, which told me it was a drill. And it was. So I read until it was over, and then I went home. I cleared e-mail, and generated a few. I listened to an interview, too. Mostly though, I have been deleting them. I swept up in the livingroom and sewing room. Cleaning the vacuum filter is not one of my favorite activities. I called Julia when I saw that she had called me yesterday. She wished me a happy StarWars day. I had never heard of this, so she explained it - "May the 4th be with you." Ha, ha, ha.
Then I sat down to read. Chris came home and warmed up leftovers. I continued reading until Chris went to bed. He had to be at work at 6 for a teleconference. There is also one at 3am, but he is skipping that one. Now I have to make the sandwich and go to bed.
* Another quilt from Tokyo *

Thrift shop luncheon

I intended to go to the thrift shop early so I could stop by the post office beforehand. But getting everything ready to mail, collecting the recyclables, and preparing cheeses made me late. So I saved the post office trip for later. I shelved books until noon, and then we all had lunch together. MaryAnn sat with me and we kept each other amused. When the lunch was over, we went back to the bookroom, me to shelve, and she to arrange. There were a lot of books and I couldn't get to them all. Never mind the videos and DVD's. It was almost 2:30 when I left. When I went to the post office next door, I discovered that they are closed until May 16th for training. MaryAnn had to go too, so we both went to the main post office in my car. It did not take us too long in line. Just long enough for me to fill out the customs forms. I had planned to pick up some more small boxes, but forgot. I drove to the AnC center and MaryAnn walked to her car. I met Cathy and Mary while they were longarming a quilt. We talked about what we needed money to buy so we could put in a request for funds from AFSC. But then MaryAnn came in to tell us that the soonest AFSC could process funds would be late June and maybe not 'till July. So we decided to ask the thrift shop. When Cathy was finished longarming, we tried to adapt a design for my dahlia quilt. In the process we learned why it would be best to order designs already made specifically for dahlias. Then we all went home. Chris and Michele were already home by then. Chris made buffalo stirfry for supper. I spent the evening trying to decided which supplements I needed and order more. I also cleared and answered e-mail. One is from a lady in the states who wants to trade HST's 'cause she didn't get one from Korea in the exchange sponsored by TQS.
* Here is another quilt from Tokyo *

Finally got the big one

After my usual morning routine, I took the recyclables out, and headed to post. I picked up Cathy on the way. We arrived at the South Post Chapel almost on time. But we discovered that our room was full of tables - tables of kids taking an A.P. test. There was no sign on the door to warn us before we walked in. Ok, so we can use the room across the hall. But all the rest of the tables were in the fellowship hall intended for use by Club Beyond for their big lunch. However we took 4 of their tables 'cause we can't do a thing without tables. Lots of women came and we had a good turnout. Not everyone stayed for lunch, and the A.P. kids left at noon. So then we spread out into the other room for more table space. Mischa stopped by to present the quilt group with a LARGE multi-faceted crystal award for contributing two quilted items to the AFSC auction. You can't see it well in the pic, but trust me, it was beautiful!
Toni got a text from her husband that Osama was killed today. I understand that people were celebrating. But I don't feel right about celebrating someone's death, not even Osama. Did he deserve it? Did it have to be done? Maybe, but I find the situation kinda sad. I'll bet some of them celebrated when Americans died. Are we like them?
When I left the SPC, I drove to the little park and read for about 40 minutes. That's when some little kids arrived and the solitude departed. So I went home to find more solitude. I finished the block from yesterday, and signed a card to go with it. I put a book in a mailer for Janet, and then Chris came home. I got him to sign the card, too. We had supper and watched a movie called "Casino Royale". It is a James Bond film. It was a copy that the thrift store couldn't sell, and it was scratched. So I threw it away after we watched as much as we could. Then I washed up the Popsicle maker and some veggies to make my weekly batch of veggie juice pops. Of course there was some left over for me to drink. Then I cleaned the juicer and the sink, and the countertop and part of the stove top. I made Chris' sandwich, and now I am about ready to go to bed.

Baby Shower

We were both so tired that we slept in this morning. We did make it to church on time. The sermon was about doubting Thomas. After church, Chris helped another man count the offering, while I drove three of the choir members to the DHL. I went back for Chris. We parked at the DHL and went to the Naja ballroom where the baby shower was. The church had paid for 50 people, so we were all invited to join in the hotel's Sunday brunch, already in progress. The food was good and there was quite a selection, even for a picky eater like me. After we ate, the mother-to-be opened her gifts, starting with mine. Shinza, who was acting as hotess, asked me to come up and explain the quilt. I had just taken a large bite of sushi, and wasn't sure what kind of explanation she had in mind. So I went up slowly, chewing and thinking quickly. I said something about not knowing what colors Koreans use for their babies, and I hoped she liked these. She is having a girl, btw.
We then went by the commissary for groceries, which we took home, and Michele put away while we changed clothes. I cleared my e-mail, and tried embroidering the design. It was not good at all. So I re-digitized it. And tried the embroidering part again. This time it was great. Except for the bobbin thread showing on the black satin stitch. But not to worry, I colored it in with a black pen. The stabilizer I used has a water-activated sheen on it. So I hooped it and stuck my fabric to it. So to get the extra stabilizer off, I had to wet it. ARRGH! The ink ran. I tried rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, spray-n-wash, and ammonia. Nothing worked. Finally I used the Chlorox clean-up. It took out the ink and some of the color in the thread, but hey, its passable. Then while it dried, I constructed the flying geese units to go around it. Now I am auditioning corner blocks. Do you like the trees, or should I use the same fabric that is in the center?