Goodbye IMCOM-K

I got up early to read, but it was too cold. So I started my day with the usual onslaught of e-mail: a few missives from friends, and LOTS of ads and articles. Somewhere in there I ate breakfast, showered and dressed. Last night I asked Chris what the dress code for the color-casing ceremony was, and he said 'what you're wearing is fine'. So this morning I put on black pants and a black top. Chris picked me up at the gate at 9:30. It seemed plenty early for a 10am ceremony at Collier field, but parking was hard to come by since the garrison was having their fall outing. We parked at gate 17 and walked back. The other IMCOM-K spouses were dressed up. Oh well. We had designated seating on the front row, facing the 8th army band. The trombones were up front. I loved it. The ceremony was on time, if not early. There was lots of army protocol, saluting, standing at attention, or parade rest, etc. The history of IMCOM-K was read aloud, former IMCOM-K generals and CSM's were honored, a speech was given. The IMCOM-K flag was rolled up and a long tube was drawn over it. I thought casing it meant putting it in a frame. Another oh well. I did not take pictures 'cause official photographers were there, and I figured the pics would be on Facebook and I could borrow one. When the ceremony was over, the Demko's invited us and the Johnson's out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. It was very good. Mr. Demko's wife is Korean and knew just what to order and how to order it. We shared at least 4 entrees, and shrimp rice and noodles. It was too much food. The conversation was excellent and we had a great time. We all rode in one car. When we got back to our car, Chris drove me to mine, and then I drove right back to gate 17. I went to Namdaemun. It might be my last time, so I did a bit of wandering. I got more of the little footies that I wear with my flats, and I got 4 of the soup bowls that keep the soup so hot it boils at the table. Not sure why. As a beholder, I am amazed at its heat retention properties, but as an eater, I think what is the point of keeping food too hot to eat? I got some things for a friend, too. I saw a vat of chicken feet. If they had been cooked, I would have ordered some just to try them, but they were raw. Sadly I did not have my camera even though I remembered packing it. The temperature dropped and I started looking for the subway. The soup bowls got heavier the longer I walked. I was glad to finally find the station. When I got home, it was after 5. I ate the three persimmons I bought at the market. They were too soft to keep. Michele was watching Lord of the Rings. I watched a bit, then checked e-mail. Chris came home. I fell asleep on the couch 'cause the flannel quilt was just too inviting. Later Chris put me to bed, but I woke up tasting kimchi and I had to brush my teeth. So now I am posting to my blog and going back to bed.

Nothing says 'I Love You' like squid and seaweed

I did not read this morning because it was raining - hard! So I got on my computer and read e-mail both before and after breakfast. I got an e-mail from my sister that my parents are in the hospital. Mom is there for therapy and Dad moved in to watch her so she doesn't fall. Then MaryAnn Skyped me for awhile. She thought giving me a hard time would make me feel better. Of course. What are friends for? When I got to the thrift shop, almost no one was there. Ms. Chung had a gift for me - squid and seaweed. Now with a gift like that, you know she shopped just for me. Most of the books donated were in Korean and we have plenty so they all went to charity. Not much to shelve, so I counted puzzles. The one I most wanted to count was still new in the box so there was no reason to count it. Hmph! I checked a few games for missing pieces and priced them, and put them out on the shelves. I also priced the Singer sewing machine, the Touch-n-Sew bobbins and cams, and the antique buttonholer attachment. Around 2:15 I sat in my car and ate cashews for energy. Then I drove to gate 17 and went to Dongdaemun. I bought a roll of VB for backings and some other stuff that caught my eye. Ms. Kang was very generous with the remnant pile. I saw Mr. Kang near the elevators. He pulled out his phone and called up the October calendar. He tapped on Oct. 11th for the luncheon and I nodded. Then I tapped on the 22nd and pantomimed leaving. He looked sad and tears came to my eyes. There goes his retirement. On the way back to the subway, I decided to stop by the Moda man. He showed me the new stuff he had. When I asked if it was 3500 won, he said no, it was 4000. I hung my head at the price, but really it is still quite a savings over stateside prices, so I bought some anyway. I was going to head to Namdaemun, too, but had very little money left and too much to carry. So I just went home. I had a bite to eat and checked e-mail. I almost forgot to get the potholder demo ready. Fortunately I had the pieces from last year still in the closet. I sewed together some strips of batting to make pieces big enough for potholder. As I turns out, I did not need to. During class, no one finished early enough to make the potholders. As you can see in this picture, the apron is too long for her. But another lady made the same one extra wide for her husband. He came to pick her up at the end of class. She had him try it on and it was like a bib on him 'cause he was so big. I should have had a pic of that. Esther stopped by to give me a bag of kimchi she made a year ago, I think. I am always glad to have kimchi. But when I got home and tried it, I labeled it OMG kimchi. Very spicy! It was really good with a bit of pork.

One more ready to go

I made two sandwiches last night and it must have worn me out because I slept a little late this morning. I read from 8 to 9 and then had breakfast, e-mail, etc. I wanted to go to Dongdaemun for backing fabric, but I hadn't finished the quilt top yet and I have learned the value of actually measuring the top as opposed to figuring out what it is supposed to be on paper. So I spent the morning and part of the afternoon sewing the blocks together and adding a border. I did some cleaning in the kitchen 'cause it was really a mess. And when I thought about Michele moving out, and our leaving Korea without her, I cried. A lot. I just don't know how I am going to face that. A mother knows from the day her child is born that someday the child will leave. But I never thought it would be like this. So many big events happening at once. I feel like I should be doing something to prepare for all of this. Surely sewing is the least of my worries, but I don't know what else to do. So after making this top, I started pulling out fabrics to make the cushion cover that Ms. Chung asked for. It was really hard. Usually I only make stuff from inspiration. But for this I had no starting point. I don't have a good idea of what she wants. I just want to be done so I can stop worrying about finishing it. Finally I picked a really simple design so that when it is quilted, the quilting pattern will show up.
Chris came home late, with a Netflix movie called Centurion. I needed a break, so I watched it with him and Michele. It was very gory and I had to look away at times. We also watched the special scenes on the DVD, so it was almost 11 when we finished. Chris did not want a sandwich for tomorrow, so now my day is finished.

Communion wafers

I read downstairs for about 40 minutes. It was too cold to stay barefoot longer and I couldn't concentrate because of the chill. I went upstairs to have breakfast and read e-mail. I laid out my blue and yellow blocks on the bed to see what arrangement would look best. I took a shower, dressed and went to post. However, the gate was closed and locked. I shook it until the guard came over. From his broken English I gathered that it was closed due to an exercise but he did not know how long it would be closed. So I had to walk around to gate 52 (now 7) and back to get my car. I drove to the thrift shop. There were plenty of books to shelve, and Karin was assigned to follow me to learn all my tips and tricks so she can take over the book room when I leave. We got them all done in three hours, plus a few DVD's and VHS. We collected 3 boxes for charity and 2 for SIWA. Ms. Chung asked me several times if I was coming on thursday and I began to wonder. After I signed out, I went outside to sit in the grass and read for 20 minutes. The weather was much warmer than this morning and I was beginning to regret wearing pants instead of shorts. I was going to go to Namdaemun but did not have the energy to face it. So I stopped by the commissary and bought wheat flour for the communion wafers. I ran into Mary who had found my quilt this morning at the SPC. I took the flour home, and sat down for 'just a little bit' to read e-mail. More than an hour later, I went into the kitchen and started the recipe. I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ones in another. Then my phone rang. Within a minute of answering it, it died, so I had to plug it in while I talked. I could not leave that spot and the call went on and on. Chris came home and put chicken in the oven for supper. My stuff was in his way but there was nothing I could do. And she talked on. Finally she had to go, and I got back to my dough. The recipe called for splitting it into 12 parts and rolling each part into a 6 inch circle. I divided it one time too many, and was on my way to making 24 paper-thin wafers when I realized what I had done. I rolled them back together, and did it right. I had to score the tops which was only possible when they had some thickness to them. I tried to roll them out on the cutting board, but it is no longer flat. So it was on the cookie sheet that they got rolled out. I used my 6x12 ruler to cut the rolls into thirds - but not touching the dough. While they baked, I answered more e-mail. I was contacted by Seoul Weekly's editor for A Day in the Life. They want to follow me around for a day and I thought it would be good coverage for the quilt group. The photographer cannot make it on Monday so they want to come on a Thursday. I have to coordinate this with PAO who has to assign someone to 'escort' the journalist and photographer while they are on base. I did not realize that it would be so complicated. Anyway, back to the wafers. I made a second batch and it was more than enough to fill the jar and another baggie besides. Still, I think each wafer only feeds 20 people so if they need 2 per service, it will only last them until Christmas. Michele wondered if there was any extra that she could eat. Ha. Then I put away the blocks on the bed, preserving the order so I can work on them later. Now it is past time for bed, and the nightly sandwich.

Viewing an apartment

Even though I think I had trouble sleeping last night, I had no trouble getting up this morning. I was out in the courtyard by 7. It was a little chilly sitting there in my bare feet and it occurred to me that it might be time to shift to reading in the afternoons. Chris came by, back from work, to get his cell phone. He kissed me as he left. When I went back up stairs, I fixed breakfast and sat in front of my computer to read e-mail. But it would not connect to the internet. So I rebooted, but then it was still acting strangely. I tried another restart, but it would not respond. So I turned to the older computer. By the time it booted up, breakfast was finished, and I had to take my shower and get dressed for quilting. I brought two kinds of cheeses, and my quilt for show-and-tell. No one was at the SPC when I arrived. I started carrying in the equipment until Cathy came. Judy and Ok were not long behind her. We had started a large number of baby quilts last week, and we finished them off today. !6 in all. One walking foot failed to perform to Cathy's expectations, so I tried the one I had for sale. She did not like it either. But at least it did work. Lots of women came but most did not stay the whole day. I was the last person to leave. I took all my stuff and the garbage outside, stopping off at the trash center. I put everything but my purse in the trunk and drove to gate 19. I walked to E-Mart to shop for a friend. I found someone to show me where the aprons were. They said they did not have the rice bowls I wanted. I went upstairs to the electronics market to get an R4 card. They did not speak much English and I did not speak much Korean. I did understand it would take 30 minutes. But what were they doing? I asked the lady about rice bowls and she showed me the housewares section. Those were REALLY expensive. She mentioned E-Mart and I say they didn't have it. But she couldn't quite believe that, so she took me down there, and yes, they did, but only as a three piece set with the soup bowls. The thirty minutes were up and we went back to her stand. The man with her handed me a DS card, I got the impression that it was an R4 with a copy of Maple story on it. I hope I understood him correctly. Then I walked back to post, and drove to my gate. When I opened my trunk to take out the quilt, it was not there. I looked several times in case my brain just had trouble interpreting what it saw. But no, it was not there. Since it makes no sense that someone would steal an unfinished quilt, I concluded that somehow I did not put it in there. I went home perplexed. But as I walked in the door, Michele was getting ready to walk out. She was going to meet Chris to look at an apartment that her friend found an advertisement for. Tired as I was, I wanted to go along. So I followed her. The three of us took the subway at Noksapyeong to Hapjong. Chris called the agent at several points during the trip and the particulars of meeting kept changing. We met Conza and ate supper until time to meet the agent. Then we missed him and had to change stations, but finally found him. He showed us an apartment that was 2 rooms and a sparse kitchen. No stove, oven, fridge, washer or dryer. I wouldn't like it, but figured it was about what a student could expect. He walked us to the nearest bus stop and left. Michele checked the bus routes to college from there. Then we walked to the subway and went home. I was too tired to sew, but rested until I got up the energy to read a few e-mails before bedtime, and making the sandwich. I wonder if I am forgetting something I promised to do.
* Judy's quilt from show and tell *

Last day at Memorial chapel

I did not read this morning because Chris made me a better offer. When we got up, I made breakfast and he talked with Michele. They had another one of those political discussions. This one was about how the present day federal gov't strayed from what the founding fathers envisioned it to be. I read a bit of e-mail, and then we dressed and went to church. I wore my new custom made dress. Today was our last Sunday at Memorial chapel. The army is discontinuing Father Gene's salary. Next week we will meet at the hospital chapel and our pastor will be 'volunteering'. Donations will be accepted on the side. He announced after church that we were out of communion bread and needed someone to take up that ministry. I offered to make a really large batch before we leave, and he gave me the large wafer cutter and the 'cookie jar' they go in. After church we went to the commissary, and then home. Chris put chili on the stove to cook. I had lunch and then cut his hair on the porch. Romaric came over about 2 for the usual Sunday gaming session. Heidi came over at 3 for a lesson. I cleaned up my sewing room to make space. We started an apron. She left about 5. I dealt with some older e-mail, and printed out the wafer recipe that Father Gene e-mailed me. I wanted to start right away, but it called for wheat flour and I don't have any. Because the commissary is closed on Mondays, it will be Tuesday before I can buy some. So I decided to sew instead. I took my blue and yellow exchange blocks and trimmed them. I found a green ginko fabric to sash them in. The decision was too quick and easy. I hope I won't regret it. I spent the rest of the evening sashing and pressing while listening to the story unfold out in the living room. The game was going so well that they played later than usual. And now it is sandwich time.

Another day, another 1000 stitches

I did not read this morning because I thought Chris was taking me to post early, but I wasn't ready in time. So I drove myself. I got to the AnC center about 9:30. I loaded my backing (see pic) and picked out batting. There was not enough of the one I wanted to fit my quilt so I had to use the polyester kind. I put on the batting and the top and started basting and quilting. Somewhere in the middle, I got a Gallil error, meaning the machine couldn't reach down far enough to finish the design. So I rolled it ahead a little, and tried to restart it but it would not do what I thought I was telling it to do. I called Cathy but she did not answer her phone. Then I called Mary and my phone died. As luck would have it, the framing guy had a phone charger and he plugged it in for me. So I did get to talk to Mary and she knew what to do, but the RESTART option was nowhere to be found. I checked under every heading on the screen. So I did what I would have done had I seen it coming: I 'selected' the whole row and moved the bottom up just a little. I had to roll the quilt back to where it was. Then it stitched a few inches, and ran out of bobbin thread. But after that, it all went fine. I finished about 1:30, went next door to the Daiso store, ran into Ella and we chatted for a bit. Then I stopped briefly at the thrift shop to drop off the crock pot insert that didn't fit. I parked at gate 17 and went to the organic market for eggs, and then came back and decided to sit in the shade near the dog park to read for about 45 minutes. I went home to put my eggs in the fridge. I ate lunch and fell asleep. When I woke up, I helped Chris make supper. I spent a little time on e-mail and lots of time in my sewing room. I finished that QOV top and I think it is the right size. Michele likes it. Somehow I just knew there was a quilt top in the pile of scraps and now it's here.

Leaving on the 22nd of October

Usual morning routine. Nothing unusual except that it started late 'cause I was up late texting with Maryann on Skype. I was having a dream that I was on the top floor of a 12 story seaside hotel. the waves were so high that they were hitting my window. But no one seemed worried that 12 story waves might topple the building. Also the BBT guys were there, playing wind instruments. And I kept going up and down the same steps, over and over. I am mentioning this because later Michele complained about having to write a paper on psychoanalysis of dreams. The text she was reading argued that dreams are wish fulfillment. So she wanted to use that for her paper. I challenged her to interpret my dream as wish fulfillment. As she was doing her homework, I was auditioning fabrics for the role of border in my quilt. None made the cut so I had to use the sashing fabric over again. For the backing I could have gone to Dongdaemun to buy a big piece, but I realized that I can't keep solving my problems by buying fabric. So I picked 4 purple fabrics that I don't particularly care for but that go together and cut 5 18.5 inch squares out of each one. I pieced them all together into one big backing. By then it was after supper. I checked for batting, but do not have a piece big enough. Chris called Michele in the middle of the day and told her that we have orders. When he got home, he said the report date is Oct 23, and we have plane tickets on the 22nd. All of a sudden my world seems to be crashing in on me. I feel a little panicked that my time is so short and there is so much to do. Much of the e-mail in my inbox now seems so unimportant. I imagined it might be easiest to 'abandon in place', and just buy new stuff in the states. But what about the fabric? If I were to leave it, would Chris have me institutionalized for mental illness, or have me arrested for impersonating his wife? And then I wonder, what am I going to do without Michele, and without a sewing machine for the months after we pack until we find a place to live? And when I get back to the states, I will be just another American living in America. Who will want to read my blog then? Will I have to rename it?
* Quilt from a Seoul quilt show *

Well, I got this far...

Got up and read as usual, on time even. Then had breakfast, yadda, yadda, yadda, and a little bit of sewing. Went to thrift shop at 11. Not much in the way of books to shelve, but lots that I designated for charity. Mr. Kim promised to take them yesterday. Lucky for him he came today.
There were plenty of videos, and then I counted puzzles. There were about 6 of them, all the same series, all labeled 1000 pcs, but different counts. The highest one was 1025 so I think that is the proper number. No one ever complains that the 1000 pc puzzles are incomplete so I have to wonder if they actually put them together. After I left the thrift shop, I turned in the minutes for July and August and then went home. I did a few internet errands, and then sewed my quilt together. See pic. Now, do I want borders too? I auditioned some brown ones. Then I got ready for class, laying hands on the pattern, and cutting interfacing for those who wanted to buy some. Chris came home later than usual, so I did not realize how late it was. Still, I got to the SPC on time, and was the only one. I had it mostly set up when the next person arrived. Four people came to class. All made good progress on their aprons, but no one finished. So next week we will pick up where they left off. We were out a little early 'cause they realized they did not have to rush. I was home before 9. I read a little e-mail and then decided to juice the veggies. Half of them had to be thrown away. I juiced the rest and a green apple. Tasted pretty good and I made two sets of popsicles. Chris is having a cookout at work tomorrow so I don't have to make the sandwich. No bread left anyway.

Marathon sewing day

I was a little late getting up to read. But I did, for an hour. Then I had breakfast, etc. But before e-mail could take over my day, I hid in my sewing room to work on my purple and yellow quilt. Only, there was this bag of QOV scraps in the way. So, ok, I sewed my way out of that. Made 4 more blocks and over 15 yards of piano key border. Not sure where to go from there. It took about 5 hours. Then I put it away, and got out my blocks. I sashed and sashed. In medium teal and dark teal. Michele and Chris came home, about an hour apart. Chris cooked chicken legs for supper. I ate my sprouts, which were fully sprouted just like they are supposed to be. After supper I sewed more, putting the blocks into rows while watching NCIS. When I get the rows together, then I need to work on a backing. The one I bought just won't fit now that the blocks are sashed.

Thrift shop meeting

I finished my book this morning. But it did take the full hour. Then I had breakfast, e-mail, a shower, and watered my sprouts. The broccoli sprouts are doing much better this time. Then I worked on my purple and yellow blocks until it was time to go to the thrift shop. As I walked to post, I noted that the weather was cool and nice for walking. How prophetic. My car wouldn't start so I had to walk to the thrift shop. I arrived a little later than 11. The meeting was already in progress. I figured I had missed only about 10 minutes, but when they gave door prizes and I got one, someone remarked that winners should be required to attend at least half an hour of the meeting. Oops, it started at 10. Oh well. After the meeting, we gave gifts to Ella because she is leaving. The board gave her two pearl necklaces and a set of pearl earrings. I gave her the Christmas quilt that I meant to give her at Christmas but it wasn't done. When we went back to work, I shelved books and a few magazines. Carmen was there and I hadn't seen her in a long time. Joan was there, too, and when she heard I needed a bra to create bra art for the next luncheon, she said she'd bring me some. Some people will give you the shirt off their back, and some will give you their bra... Anyway, a crockpot came in that was like mine only the dial was broken. So I kept the inner pot. I also got a coffee grinder so I won't have to use Chris' to grind my flax seed. When it was time to go home, I had a crock pot to carry back to my car. I measured it at the car and left it in the trunk. No sense in carrying it all the way up if it isn't the same size. I read e-mail for about two hours and then Chris called to set a time to jump my car. When it was running, we drove it to his office. He went inside to get a paper that he forgot, and I drove around for a bit. Then he came out and drove it around some more to charge the battery. When we left for home, he brought the crock pot thinking it would fit. But when we tried it, it was too big. Michele was not home so we...took advantage of the situation. By the time we finished, she was home and eating a burrito. So we ate leftovers too. I promised myself I would sew, but I had just started entering the Army digital photography contest on-line, and wanted to finish. I had no idea that it would take so long to go through my pics and pull out the good ones, and crop some others. Now it is time for bed. I also meant to make veggie pops. That didn't happen either.

New quilt pattern

I got up early to read, as usual, but today it was cold; a sudden change in the weather. I was reading a book called "Arctic Drift". The main characters are stuck in northern Canada without proper cold weather gear, and I could feel them shivering. Or was it me? Anyway, after an hour, I went up for breakfast, e-mail, and a shower. I sliced cheese for lunch, and headed out. I was there on time for once, but nobody else was. A new lady showed up to help me. Thankfully she was tall and could reach things I can't. We set up tables and machines. Then Cathy and Mary arrived. Lois and I cut batting while others cut kits for our new style of quilt ( on the left). They are easier to cut and sew than the old ones (on the right). We got a lot accomplished. Although we did not finish many quilts, we sewed and turned at least a dozen I think. It was late when we finally put everything away and got out of there. I took Mary home, and went home myself. I read e-mail until it was time to meet Chris at the gate. He drove us to gate 12, and we walking into Itaewon to pick up my dress and his pants. The man who helped us in the past was not there. They told us he died. What!?! Yep, car accident. Hit and run. It took us a moment to absorb that. Then another man brought out my dress for me to try on, and Chris' pants, which they fixed. My dress fit, and the repair to the hole in Chris' pants was acceptable. They would not accept any payment for the pants. On the way back, we were stopped by Mr. Bob, suggesting Chris should buy some shoes. Chris already has Mr. Bob shoes, and with a little prodding he remembered us. He took us in his shop, and showed us his wall of business cards. He wanted to sell me a pair of custom made shoes, and I decided that my outrageously expensive dress should have some outrageously expensive shoes. So he gave me catalogs to look through. I picked a pair of shoes, and gave him the color and heel type I wanted. I got the impression that I could have drawn a pair of shoes and he could make them. We had to pay up front 130,000 won. He traced my feet and measured them in several places. He told me Nancy had bought 7 pairs from him. At that price she must think she will never need another pair of shoes. Chris says his are very comfortable, and I have always sought a comfortable dress shoe, so maybe now is my chance.
We continued our walk back to post, and then home. My boxes of supplements and raw organic nuts had arrived, so we carried them up to the apartment where Michele was reading her class assignments. We ate leftovers for supper, and I read a bit of e-mail, intending to quit and sew. But there was always 'just one more' e-mail to read. Is this an addiction? I researched an old sewing foot I found at the thrift shop, but cannot find out what it does or is called. I also looked up 'Singer Hemstitcher', which also came in. It is not going for much on ebay, but certain sites charge over $100 for these. So how shall I price it at the thrift shop? I am going to the shop tomorrow, but it will not be a regular day. Kinda wish it was, lots to do there.

Is teal the new neutral?

I got up about 7:15 to read downstairs. Chris called me just before 8 and invited me back to bed. I think it is my first booty call. Then we took showers and dressed for church. The sermon was about how we are not to worry about earthly things, like the fact that next week is our last service. Apparently one service has to go to make room for the others and ours is the smallest. They are cutting off funding for our priest but not the choir director or organist. And we lose our meeting place. The chief of chaplains met with the congregation after church to answer questions, and hear comments. That lasted quite some time. Then we went to the commissary for groceries. Michele helped put them away. I vacuumed the living room and was just finishing up when Romaric came by to game. My student canceled her lesson for today so I had more time to sew. I decided that e-mail can wait. Wanting to sash my yellow and purple blocks, I picked teal of all colors. I don't know why that occurred to me, but I like it. The original plan was to sash half of them in medium teal and the other half in dark teal. But maybe teal is fine for all the blocks. Chris made twice-baked potatoes for supper for them. He made bison for me. I did get a bite of his potato and it was yummy. I thought there would be leftovers, but they ate them all. Romaric left about 10. I quit sewing for the night so I can make the sandwich, soak my new sprout batches, and go to bed.

On the road again...

Chris got up at 8 to play with the voices. So I got up too, and read in the courtyard. Around 9 some boys came out to play. One little boy has a very loud voice and kept yelling to the other boys to play with him. I so wanted to tell him that it was Saturday morning and that people were sleeping and he should be quiet. I have had to close my window in the past to shut out his voice (at least I think it was him). But I did not think I could say all that diplomatically. So I just went back inside.
I put the rest of my fabric in the washer. I fixed breakfast and ate it in front of the computer. I also ate the beans that didn't sprout. Tasted ok. I got an e-mail from Helen that she wanted to go bike riding at 1, so I agreed to meet her at the bike rental place. I dried my fabrics for 30 minutes, and laid them on the bed, damp. I packed a water bottle and tire pump. Couldnt think of what else I needed, so I pumped up a tire, and wheeled my bike into the elevator and rode down to the riverside. I continued on to the bike rental place, stopping once to drink water. I was a little out of breath when I arrived. But it was my lucky day. She said she hadn't ridden in a while and was out of shape. She rented a bike and we rode west. I realized then that I should have brought sunglasses. After a while we stopped at a bench to drink more water, and we got into a conversation. I told her there were 4 capabilities I couldn't imagine my life without: the ability to read, to sew, to do math, and to read music/play an instrument. We talked so long that she wanted to go to lunch next. So we rode back, and she turned in her bike. We wheeled my bike up to the main street and found a restaurant with an outside table so I could watch my bike. She ordered and sat with me. The proprietor brought out the food and we ate and chatted. Then a lady stopped to talk to her. This lady had helped Helen in the subway months ago and they still recognized each other. So the three of us chatted there, and then moved next door to the coffee shop for tea. It was after 5 when Helen said she wanted to attend a party that started at 4. So she and I left for the subway, and Cindy (not her real name, but I can't write her name in English letters) went to catch up with a friend. I stopped along the way to buy some cherry tomatoes from a little stand. Helen helped me wheel my bike into the subway. I hugged her goodbye, and then used the elevator to get out to the other side - a very convenient way to cross the street. I stopped at the south post visitor center to use the restroom and then rode home. When I got to our apt, Chris helped me get the bike inside, and he put it out on the porch for me. He and Michele ate supper and I had the remaining veggie popsicles. Then I fired up the iron and the TV and pressed all the fabric I had washed this morning. I finished just in time to write this post and go to bed.

The one thing you should never ever assume...

...that your backing will fit your quilt top. I was late getting to the AnC center because I woke up a little late, and because just as I was leaving, I remembered that I hadn't recorded my volunteer hours for the month of August. When I got to the AnC center, I oiled the machine, chose my thread color, turned on the computer, pinned on the backing, cut off two yards of king size batting, trimming it sideways to a little wider than my quilt top. And then I put it all together and said a few unladylike words. The backing was too narrow. Not by much, but 'close' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. So I jumped in the car thinking to piece a backing somehow. I went home and thought it would be easier to add side strips to the one already on the machine, and I could do it without unpinning it from the leaders. So I brought some teal fabric that almost matched the backing. I cut two lengthwise strips from it. I unzipped the leaders, and unpinned 4 inches on each end. I rotary cut the selvedge edges off, and sewed the strips on. You can kinda see it in the pic. Then I zipped the leaders back on and went from there. I auditioned a bunch of edge-to-edge designs, looking for something quick and simple. I figure it won't show anyway. The one I chose was a leaf and loop design. Each row only took 12 minutes, and there were only 4 rows. I was done before two. Mary came over with her quilt. Her backing was the proper size and she brought batting. She chose a simple and quick design too. So we were out by 4. We paid at the front desk. I had to sign into their new MWR tracking system. Apparently it has been in effect for a while, but I never heard about it. It would not take me as a spouse because Chris wasn't in it. So they told me to sign up as a sponsor. No problem. I gave Mary a ride home, and went home myself. I sat to read e-mail and eat lunch. Chris came home before Michele. He pulled cheeseburgers and steak from the freezer for supper. Then he put on "Operation Petticoat", our latest Netflix arrival. Although it was set during the war, it was pretty funny. Then I went back to my computer to Skype with my parents, but they weren't on yet. Chris got a Skype interview, and I tried hard to listen in while keeping an eye on my Skype screen. When it was over, he wanted to know how I thought he did. I thought he did well. And now I am ready for bed, but still waiting for the call (which, I see by e-mail, has been delayed due to a dead monitor).

Snap-close pouch class

I got up late. I put a load of fabric in the washer, soaked my sprouts (not looking good), and went downstairs to read for an hour. When I came back, I put the fabric in the dryer for 30 minutes while I read e-mail. Then I took it out, folded it lightly and laid it on the bed. I fixed breakfast and sat back down at the computer. Faye skyped me, and then we 'invited' Kurt. He tried to get William in by phone, but it was asking too much. We talked for an hour. I was late to the thrift shop, but it was worth it. There were lots of books to be shelved and they were bringing in more as I worked. There was also a sewing machine to be tested. The bookroom was a mess and I straightened it up some. I got 95% of the books shelved and I tested the sewing machine. It is a nice one that sells for $175 refurbished. But it came with accessories that go to a much older machine. Weird. Anybody need cams for a Touch-n-Sew? I worked an hour later than usual, then went home for lunch. I read a few e-mails. More ladies signed up for tonight's pouch class and I worried that I might need another tape measure. I cut 10+ kits from the tape measure, the batting and fusible interfacing. I also brought extra fabric in case some one was short. Michele came home about 5, and Chris a little later. Then it was time for me to go. When I got to the pedestrian bridge, I realized that I hadn't brought any of the extra tape segments in case someone came without signing up. Chris brought them down while I went back and we met outside the apartment building. I drove to the SPC, and one lady was there already. She helped me set up and then Lynae came. Between the three of us, we were ready quickly. We set up 5 machines for 10 people. Three brought their own machines, but only 8 came, so we had the perfect amount. Everyone had a good time, but not everyone finished. But they did help clean up. I went home and gave my sprouts their nightly soaking. I have three batches going now. Seems once the fruit flies find a batch, it goes down hill. Or vice versa. I think I'll make the sandwich and iron fabric dry until bedtime.

Out and about

I read for my full hour this morning, from 7 to 8. I had breakfast, skimmed my e-mail, showered and dressed. I sorted the recyclables and took them down to the bins. Then I gathered up my fabrics scraps, a quilt block, the blue dress and Chris' pants with the hole. I went to my car on post, drove to gate 17, parked, and took only the fabric scraps and block with me. I went to Dongdaemun to get more of the fabrics I recently used as quilt backings, but they were all gone. I did not find a wide fabric that really went with my purple and green quilt, but settled for a light blue V.B. as the best I could do. I also bought some for future quilt backings. I happened to see a few others that I couldn't resist. I also bought some ribbon to replace what I just ran out of. Then I wandered around just seeing what I could see. I bought some stretchy stuff to try out some patterns I made. I visited the Moda man. And then I went home, completely forgetting to visit the sock market. I drove over to gate 12. I took my dress and Chris' pants to the tailor shop. The owner said he could TRY to fix the pants. I wonder what TRY is going to cost me. As for the dress, he said the dress tailor was at lunch for the next 30 minutes. I was hungry so I asked where I could buy kimbap. He pointed down the street and said "At Rollin they have expensive kimbap but very good. " It turns out that it is a Japanese sushi place. After eating sushi and pickled garlic, I went back to the tailor shop. The dress tailor had me put on the dress and he made marks here and there. He admired the bag I was carrying and asked if I made it, which I had. So then I wandered home, passing an embroiderer on the way. I thought of having something sewn on a jacket for a gift, but I did not have a picture of what I wanted. I went home, and carried my fabric purchases back to the apt. I meant to wash it, but that didn't happen. E-mail happened. And searching the internet for the proper picture. And an early supper. I soaked more bean sprouts, this time in a smaller batch. I have thrown out 6 batches so far. I can only hope this one grows better. I washed the sprouters in bleach water to kill anything that might be hindering my sprouts. Michele came home and then Chris. He baked 12 chicken legs. It reminded me of the joke - what do you get when you cross a chicken with a centipede? Drumsticks for everybody! After putting supper away and chatting with the family (Michele starts the most interesting conversations now that she is taking political science courses), I finished up some audios, and re-wrote the instructions for the snap-close purses. What a chore that turned out to be. I was just going to amend what Melanie had done, but Foxit was so difficult to work with that I just re-did everything in Microsoft Word. Then I heard Chris set up an interview over Skype so I went out there. And just then his mother Skyped in. So he chatted until the call was disconnected. And for some reason it would not reconnect, so I called her back on my computer. She said my parents are coming to her house on Friday to Skype their dr and can talk to us before the appt. Well, now it is time to make the sandwich and go to bed.

First AFSC luncheon of this year

This morning Chris went to work. I woke up hearing him, but went back to sleep. I was having a dream about eating frosting. I felt badly about it, but it tasted so good I couldn't stop. Thankfully it was only a dream. I meant to make a wine bottle bag last night but fell asleep, so I cut my reading short this morning to leave enough time. I just grabbed a fat quarter and sewed down the side and across the bottom, I put a hem at the top, and tied it with a ribbon. After breakfast, a shower, and dressing, I took my dressed-up wine to post. I parked in front of DHL. There wasn't much parking left because Oktoberfest is taking up the back lot. I went up to the second floor. Mr. Kang was busy so I chatted with Mary and Cathy. Mary signed me in as her guest. Then I was able to give Mr. Kang the bottle and wish him a Happy Chusok. I shopped and greeted ladies I haven't seen since last spring. Chris came by to pick up his phone. I went to the bank to get money to pay Mr. Kang. His helper told me I could have one packet free and then Mr. Kang stuffed another 5 packets in my bag. He asked a nearby Korean woman to translate for him and he asked me if he could bring thread and needles to sell next month. Not sure why he was asking me, but I told him it was ok. Erin was selling embroidered quilts and other items that she had made. I talked to her for awhile. It seems she did not get the e-mail about uniforms at the thrift shop. Then it was time for the luncheon. Mary saved me a seat at her table. I have the best friends! Before we ate, there were announcements, and thankyou's and introductions. Oh, and raffling vendor prizes. We were the last table to line up for food, but there was plenty there. It was a Korean theme so I got kimchi, and japchai, and cooked cabbage and bulgogi. All very good. As we ate, a woman from the Cultural exchange center spoke to us and showed several short films about Korean history, language and current culture. Much of it was new to me and I hope they show these films every year. Did you know that the Korean characters mimic the shape of the tongue or lips used to make their sound? Here she is explaining a demonstration of a New Year's tradition. After the luncheon I gave Mary a ride over to the AnC so she and Cathy could do a quilt of valor. I went home to check e-mail and then work on my purple and green quilt. I put in green corners and replaced the red block. Then I spread it out to see if a piece of minki in my closet would be big enough for a backing. It was, but I found flaws in it. So I think I will go to Dongdaemun tomorrow to find a piece of V. B. fabric for the backing. I turned my attention to the yellow and purple blocks from a block swap almost three years ago. I had 19 blocks, so I made one more. Then I laid them out and decided to sash them, but not sure yet in what color. I had some leftover bison for supper and then watched a movie in my sewing room. It was called Winch. It was in at least three languages (English, French, and Serbian) so I did not follow all of it. There was time to take one last look at e-mail before bed. I read that the FDA wants to make supplement testing so rigorous and expensive that most will be taken off the market. I wanted to e-mail my congressperson but the system will not take an APO address.

Chusok - Korean Thanksgiving

I asked Chris to set the alarm for 7 so I could get up and read. But when it came time to get up, I stayed in bed. It was almost 8 when I arose to make breakfast. I read a little e-mail, but there wasn't much. I showered and headed to post. Cathy was already at the SPC when I arrived, which was good since she has a key to the building which is closed for Chusok. She had a new pattern for baby quilts that is easier to cut and easier to sew than the checkerboard style that we use now. It is basically a large, elongated 9-patch. If you cut three coordinating fabrics at once and swap pieces, you get three kits, each slightly different. So we pulled out a lot of fabric packets and started cutting kits. We made several just to see it in action. Quick and easy. I guess I should have taken a picture. At 11:30 Chris picked me up. We went to Ichon station and took the train to Chungmuro, and line 3 to Gyongbukgang palace station. We were to meet Jin Joo at exit 1. We were early so we looked for the restroom. Unfortunately there was only one, and it was behind the turnstile where you pay to go in. Chris got a text changing the exit to #5. So we walked back through the station to exit 5, passing through two art galleries. Art galleries in a subway station? Ok. Jin Joo was waiting for us. I had visions of walking through a park, but she took us through the palace museum which was open and free today (at least it had a bathroom). She was able to explain all the Korean writing next to the displays. From there, we went outside. We walked north to a park, but ended up spending most of that time sitting on a bench talking. As we walked back, we passed a statue of a phoenix and some people. Jin took us on a walk to find an open restaurant which was no easy task. Finally we took the subway to Sindorim to D-Cube mall. She said it just opened last week. We went to the 4th or 5th floor to a Korean restaurant. She ordered the chicken stew. I would not describe it as spicy, but there were a few peppers that definitely qualified. The meal opened with a water kimchi that was cold and refreshing (mostly flavored water with a few pieces of radish floating in it). We also had bowls of rice. She insisted on paying. Then she took us into the basement to see the organic market and the Food court. It was very interesting. There was a station set up for making tofu, but no one was demonstrating the process. There was a self-serve sushi bar. The organic market had lots of imported foods, probably expensive. All of the department stores I saw were labeled in English or French. Everything was shiny and new. When it was time for her to go home, she escorted us to the subway and we parted company. We took line 1 to Seoul station, and line 4 to Ichon. We got my car and parked it in the lot by our gate. We stopped at a shoppette and bought a bottle of wine as a Chusok gift for Mr. Kang and a case of beer for Chris. When we got home, Michele wanted to know why there were pictures of us on Facebook in places she hadn't seen. Jin had uploaded her already! I sat on the couch and slowly fell asleep. It was after 9 when I roused myself to post to this blog. I hope the pictures are in order, but now that Blogger doesn't give me the html when I load pics, I have less control over where the pictures go.

Almost finished with this one

Chris got up at 12:30am to play with the voices. At least, he said he did. I did not wake up. Michele got up, too, but went back to bed because it was a mod that she had already played. I had asked Chris to wake me at 7. That turned out to be the time he came to bed! So, while he slept, I read in the courtyard. I forgot to time it, but app. an hour later, it began to rain, so I came in. I had breakfast and then Chris and I showered. No wink, wink, we had to get to church on time. He was the reader for the day. We had a bet on the sermon. I said it would be about 9-11 and he said it wouldn't. Well, it was about forgiving, and 9-11 was referred to many times. So who won? After church, there were snacks in the fellowship hall. But no kimbap, just doughnuts and cookies. The kimbap maker was closed for Chusok (Korean version of Thanksgiving). The pastor's wife told me that sometimes Korean families will take in an English-speaking girl to help their kids learn English. Whoo-hoo! Free room and board if Michele can find one of these families. Then we went to the commissary for groceries. In addition to not having organic tomatoes, spinach, and carrots, today they did not have Organic cheddar cheese. Where are all my favorite items going? Is this how they plan to get rid of me? Ok, so we took our food home. Chris told me on the way home that he wanted to surprise me with a trip to a park tomorrow (Chusok), and the organist at church wants to guide us there and take us to lunch. Sounds great to me, but what about quilting tomorrow? Back at the apt, Michele helped to put the food away while I changed out of church clothes. I went into my sewing room to clean it up for a student, but I ended up doing more sewing than cleaning. However, she was late so I did finish. She wanted to make a zippered pouch so we worked on that for two hours. While we were working, Romaric came over. Chris made two frozen pizzas for supper. They were eating when the lesson finished. I sat and watched them eat. Then I had a hard-boiled egg and some leftover bison with kimchi. While they gamed, I finished the border on the green and purple quilt - all except for the corners. Should they be red, or green? Now I am ready to brush my teeth and go to bed. I get to use my new toothpaste. It is made of organic ingredients and comes in a small jar like cold cream. Instructions say to brush, then swish for up to 15 minutes, and then swallow. It is also a calcium supplement.

Working in the sewing room

I read for an hour this morning, finishing the book. It is called "Stumbling on Happiness". The author talks about all the ways our brains make us remember past events and predict future events as happier than they were/will be. Then I spent the day alternately sewing and reading e-mail. This week in e-mail the emphasis has been on the upcoming pain relief summit, and the dangers of mercury in dental fillings. In the sewing room, I made patterns for a dress and a top. I actually tried out the one for the top, shown here. I hope to have time (and material) to try the dress pattern. I tried on the dress I picked up yesterday. With Michele's help I realized that it is too big around the waist. I really should take it back and insist that it be altered. But I don't like confrontations and have other things I would rather do. I figured out what border would be appropriate for the purple and green quilt. I have been assembling it and I hate to stop, but it is bedtime. Chris and Michele played with the voices this morning, and have been watching webisodes of a show about gamers. At 1am they plan to play with other voices. I would ask how anyone can spend so much time on the subject of gaming, but then I could easily spend twice that on sewing if I had no other responsibilities.

The Dress

Because the room is so dark, the day light did not wake me up. It was almost 8. So I read until
9, daring the rain to stop me. But it held off until I finished. Then I had breakfast and perused e-mail. Cathy called once and I called her once. My phone died and I put it on the charger. I sent an e-mail to the Pfaff man to get our parts back, and I got an e-mail from the Community Connections that we are not eligible to advertise in "A Glance at Yongsan" for free. Bummer. It is just an e-mail they send out, wouldn't cost them anything to add a few lines. And we are a community service, a not-for-profit group. About 2:45 I pushed myself away from the computer and went to Itaewon to pick up my dress. It was raining lightly on and off. I sat in the store while we waited for the tailor to come. He had my dress in a bag. I tried it on, and both the tailor and the proprietor told me how good it looked. See for yourself, but I think it makes me look older and wider. This man is the tailor and he only makes ladies clothes. I was assured that he is the best. The dress seems a little big to me but he said a dress made of silk should not be tight. The proprietor put the dress in a suit bag to keep it clean and dry. I took it home and hung it in the closet. When Chris came home, he saw it and was concerned that I wasn't too happy with it. When I complained that it made me look older, he said I was older. Do I slap him now or later? He made bison for supper and since Michele wasn't home, we used that time wisely ;) Chris said he was surprised that I ordered such a plain style of dress. He couldn't verbalize what he had in mind, so I got out my dress patterns to show him. I was inspired to make another dress, but this time it would be like the red one I showed the tailor, which he (the tailor) talked me out of. We ate supper and then Michele came home. I made another purple and green block and added my 4 new blocks to the quilt. Now is it finished, or does it need a border? I put on a movie called "Wake" in my sewing room. I ironed the dress pattern and cut out the pieces. Then I did some measuring. According to my measurements and the measurements on the back of the pattern envelop, I need to make a size 18. Can that possibly be true? This is why I gave up making clothes from patterns. In the past I have made the large size indicated and then it was too big so what is a person supposed to do? At 10 Chris got a call from an interviewer for a job in Washington. He did not think it went well. Now I think I am ready for bed.

Stuffed Pumpkins

Chris got up sometime around 2am to go to work. I fell back asleep. I woke about 7, and took some food waste downstairs to drop off before reading my book. As I read, I was occasionally assaulted by raindrops. But I stayed for an hour anyway. I went up to have breakfast and e-mail. At 10:30 I had a shower, gathered some recyclables, and headed for the thrift shop. There were not many books to shelve, so I filled my time by counting 1000 piece puzzles. Actually, most were over 1000, so I guess that number is just a guideline. It takes me 20 minutes each. Hardly worth it for a $4 price tag. And it is no guarantee that all the pieces are there. If there are 1007, is that right or should there be 1008? Anyway, at 2 they decided to call it a day. I drove to the DHL to cash a check and get cash for picking up my dress tomorrow. Then I stopped by the commissary to get cherry tomatoes. But they were all gone, and the lady said the man who brings them doesn't work there any more. So I got Romas but they don't look as good. Also got a brown coconut (no fresh ones) and Cheerios for Michele. At home, I made a hole in the coconut, sipped out the water, then whacked it with a hammer. The shell cracked all over, and only the meat was left. It resembled an deflated basketball. I ate about half while reading e-mail. I took a pic of the machine parts that the Pfaff man took last December. At 4 I pushed myself away from the computer to work on tonight's class. I rounded up some green fabric and some orange fabric. I found a little bit of stuffing, and last year's pattern. I printed out the more complicated pattern just in case. I also brought the minutes for Cathy to sign if she came. But she didn't. I arrived about 6:15, got the materials out of the closet. Someone had stacked the tables against the wall, and covered them with chairs. So I had to dig out the tables. We had a nice size class. The prayer group next door had their kick-off meeting. I forgot to take pics of the pumpkins we made, but they were cute. This pic is from last year. Erin brought me 5 pillowcases she'd made for the kids with cancer. They are really cheery. I was able to sell one ruler and a gridded ironing board cover. We packed up early since the project went fairly fast. I went home expecting Chris would be in bed, but he was still up, though not for long. I made his sandwich for tomorrow and soaked my sprouts. Their performance is so disappointing. I don't know what has changed.

Some place new

in
an


Ok, I read for an hour, ate breakfast, skimmed e-mail. Then I dressed and drove over to the commissary. I put a check in the mail and grabbed a taxi. I handed him Cindy's card. She had invited me to walk on the mountain behind her house with her and some friends. I did not remember which bus to take, and she hadn't told me which stop to get off at. He put the address into his GPS. Then I called her to tell her I was coming. She was delighted because she had forgotten to call me last night. She had said the bus ride would take an hour. The taxi ride was about 40 minutes. It dropped me off on the road above her house. But a man nearby (possibly the guard) hurried over to read the card in my hand and to show me where Cindy lived. She was home and her dog was very happy to see me, jumping up and licking me. We talked until the other two women arrived. One of them had a dog and the two dogs took off, racing around the house. And a very nice house it was, too. So we walked down to the main street, and over to the right to a bus stop. The bus took us partway up the mountain. We walked the rest of the way, and then down through the woods. We stopped to see the place where "Coffee Prince" is/was filmed. We saw the foundation remains of old buildings in the woods. We saw a school group looking at the flora. It felt so good to be mostly alone in a forest, walking by a stream. But they told me that on the weekends, it is full of people. We came out on the main street and walked back to Cindy's house, stopping along the way at a snack place. They split a pizza, and I had a San Pelligrino. I had some nuts in my purse. When we got to Cindy's house, Olivia had to leave, but the rest of us gazed at the surrounding rooftops and had a nice chat sitting on her porch. The dogs kept chasing each other. When the 4th lady had to leave, I left too. She drove me to the bus stop. There were two possible buses to take. One takes longer and goes to Itaewon. The other goes to Seoul station where I would catch either the subway or another bus. I grabbed the first one and it took me to Seoul station. I perused the list of buses in the area but none of them were buses that went near my apartment. So I took line 4 to Sinyongsan, and caught the post run bus to the commissary. I drove my car back to its normal parking place. I was glad to be home and having lunch. I ate most of the remaining sprouts from E-Mart. I had to eat them with natto to choke them down. The taste is strong and bitter. I do not know what kind they are, although it looks like there are several kinds in the package. I had forgotten to take my vitamins, so took them then. I engaged my e-mail for an hour and took a break to juice up the last of the veggies I bought last week. It was almost 5 when Michele came home from college. Later Chris came home, bearing a box that came in the mail. It had supplements in it. Chris cooked brautworst for supper. I started another batch of seeds for sprouting. Not having much luck and don't know why. I covered the containers with a collander to keep the fruit flies out, but I suspect they are small enough to get in anyway. Chris went to bed early 'cause he has to be at work at 3am for a teleconference. I put on my night gown, and made his sandwich. I checked out the meetups in Alabama to see what people are interested in. It seems there is something for every one. I am writing this blog as I listen to an hour-long audio. When it is over, I plan on going to bed.

The fitting

I started my morning with an hour of reading in the courtyard, followed by breakfast and e-mail. I showered, collected three types of recyclables and put them on the rolycart with a sewing machine. I rolled it down to recycling, dropped off the plastics and cans, and then proceeded to the base. I drove to gate 17, where I met Sue. She looked fantastic and had lost weight. She put two of the sewing machines on her rolycart and put the third one in a bag. We had a nice chat, and then I went to the thrift shop while she went to the post office to mail the machines to her new address. I shelved books, magazines, DVD's and CD's. Just when I thought I had finished and was going to count puzzle pieces, more books came in. It was just after two when I left to go to the gas station gate. I walked into Itaewon. I ran into Shirley and we had a nice chat. I walked on until I reached the tailors shop. I had to sit for a little bit waiting for the tailor. He had the dress cut out and basted together. I tried it on and it was snug. I think he thought it should be that way, but I wanted a bit more wearing ease to sit and in case I gain a pound or two when I go back to the states. So he ripped out some stitching. And the dress did not fall apart. He must have had it double-stitched. It was a bit looser then. But not in the hips where I needed it for sitting. Anyway he fussed and fussed, and finally was satisfied that he could finish it right. He left with the dress and I went back to post. I drove back to my gate and went home. There was e-mail waiting for me. I listened to a few podcasts, and quit about 5. I had just layed out my purple and green quilt with the 4 new squares when Chris came home. He had a new Netflix movie and a box from Amazon. I did not like the 4 new blocks. Three of them are more intricately pieced than the rest and it bothers me. When Michele came home, we watched "The Great Race" and discussed what other films we have seen the main characters in. I made another block for my quilt but am not sure which one to replace.

Taking care of details

I woke up at 8, went down to read in the courtyard. As it was later than usual, kids were outside playing. There were three boys, kinda noisy. I ignored them so I could read. Then two of them had to leave. But the one that was left knew me from second grade math class. So he decided to tell me about the 'somethings' that are growing in a tank in his apartment, and about a movie he saw . But not in a fashion that I could decipher what happened. When he left, I went back to reading. But all he had done was go get his bike. Then he sat on it and told me why cats open their mouths to sniff the air, and about some surfer who gets attacked by sharks every time he goes surfing and .... Luckily it was 9 and I was done. So I took my leave and went upstairs to have breakfast. Michele left soon after for college. Chris wanted to get some shoes re-soled near Itaewon, so I grabbed my bad shoes and stuff and followed him. We parked at the gas station gate, and walked to the right outside the gate. On the other side of the pedestrian bridge, there was a 'cubicle' housing a man who fixes shoes. Chris arranged for his shoes, and then when the man saw mine which needed gluing, he said he would do them for free. We walked up hill to Itaewon. We stopped at What the Book for a copy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Michele needs it and The Hobbit for a class she is taking. But they did not have The Hobbit. They did have lots of Star Trek books, but I did not get any. Then we went to the place the Chris and Michele had their suits made. I had my favorite dress and a piece of expensive silk from Thailand. I had been thinking for some time that I wanted to have a dress custon made. Not only would I then have a nice dress to wear, but I could use it to make a pattern so I could make more properly fitted dresses. I never thought that they would want $300 to make the dress! Yet, expensive silk needs to be sewn properly and you only get one chance since needles holes will be permanent. So I agreed. I thought getting a second one made at the same time would be cheaper, but he still wanted $250. No. Anyway, I put on my dress, and the chief tailor measured me. And suggested changing the lines of the dress, saying it would be more flattering. He had better be right. He asked me to come back tomorrow afternoon for a fitting. Then Chris and I walked back to post. We went to the thrift shop to see if they had The Hobbit. They did not, but Chris got two DVD's. Then we stopped by his office to get some empty coffee cans. We parked inside gate 17 and walked to the organic market. I bought kimchi and 10 eggs, which we put in the coffee cans. Chris dropped me off at our walk-in gate. I took the eggs and kimchi home, while he went to get the shoes. He returned a while later. Michele was home already, only having 1 class on Monday's. I ate lunch and checked e-mail. They watched the two DVD's from the thrift shop. I sat in on the second part of a movie called Akita. It made no sense to me, and not to Michele either, who saw the entire thing. Chris made supper which we ate during the movie. then he put on Journey to the Center of the Earth. Now that it is over, I am blogging and might do some sewing before I go to bed.
*Another random quilt, indicative of the cooler weather I am anticipating *

E-Mart and groceries

I skipped reading again in favor of some attention from Chris. We showered, dressed, ate breakfast and then drove to church. Since my car was at the apartment, we drove separately onto post, and then jointly to church. The sermon was not on a religious topic, but about our chances of keeping our service. The powers that be are reorganizing the services on post due to budget cuts and parking issues. We could lose our time slot and funding for choir director, organist and pastor. Then where would we go? After the service, we had kimbap and doughnuts. The choir members asked me if Michele had gotten an apartment yet. They recommended the area outside of Yonsei's east gate. We took one member to the gas station gate, and then filled Chris' tank. We parked at old gate 19 and walked to E-Mart. It's funny how such a short pleasant walk on a day like today seems soooo long and arduous in the winter cold. We bought natto and sprouts. Then we went to the commissary for groceries. As we drove home, I tried to call Michele to meet us at the apt building door, but she didn't answer. We left the groceries in the entry way. Chris parked the car in the parking deck while I carried the groceries into the elevator, and Michele helped me get them into the apartment. We put them away. Chris popped a movie into the DVD player. I fell asleep on the couch, having been up so late last night seeing that play. When I woke up, I checked my e-mail. Romaric came over. So we all sat and chatted 'cause we hadn't seen him in months. Chris made supper and we all ate. Then I went back to my e-mail. Sometime last week I had it down to 30 unread e-mails, but I am back up to 45 now. Oh well, there is more to life than e-mail.
*Another random quilt picture*

Friday and Saturday

On Friday morning, I read, had breakfast, briefly checked e-mail, and headed to the AnC center. I got there before 9 but the building was open so I immediately set up my quilt on the longarm. I called Cathy when the machine did not give me reference points after my first row of edge to edge. While I was talking to her, my phone died. I was rushing through the quilt hoping to finish by noon so I could go look at an apartment with Michele. When Ms. Kim came up to see what was going on, I asked her if she had a phone charger, and she did, in the office downstairs. So I charged my phone, and called Chris. He said he was going to see the apt so I had more time to finish my quilt. I had made the center in the early '90's before I had much experience and it was a bit stretched out, but I managed to 'quilt it up' so the borders would be in line. I got it done at 2:30. I thought Judy had something to quilt, but she wasn't feeling well and did not come. Cathy did not have anything either. So I went home, ate lunch, rested a little, and went back with another quilt top. It was a double wedding ring. Cathy came over to show me what designs we had specifically for dwr's. I chose a middle and a melon. I also chose a Bryte green thread for the quilt top. But after it sewed out, I decided it was too bold. And yet you don't really see it in the picture. Anyway, I was not able to finish before 7, so I left it unfinished and got to my gate before it closed. The gate guards remarked how much they like my husband. Okay, well, I like him too. At home, Chris had made steak for supper. I was so tired that he loaded a plate for me and I ate on the couch watching TV. It was a movie called "Son of Rambow". I was going to spend the rest of the evening readying another quilt top to be quilted and posting to my blog, but Chris made me a better offer (wink, wink).
Saturday morning - Apparently the 'offer' was still good, so I skipped my usual hour of reading and had seconds. Then I ate breakfast and read through a bit of e-mail. Chris drove me on post. We had to go around to gate 17 because of construction back-ups. I went to the AnC center to finish my quilt. When I was done with the wedding ring portion, Cathy came over to help me with the border fill. I finished about 12:30. I went over to the Chosun to find out exactly when the luncheon would be. And yes, it is during Chusok. But the lady there could not say whether the fabric man would be there. I left my e-mail address and she will get back to me. I thought about going to Dongdaemun, but it was too hot. I drove home, skirting the construction by going around the back way - something that would normally scare the day lights out of me. I ate lunch, and juiced up veggies. I drank some and made popsicles with the rest. I read more e-mail, and then we watched Serenity. I was expecting Julia to call before 7 to meet me. We planned to go to a play called "If Tables Could Talk...". I started walking to Noksapyeong about 6:45. She called about 7:15 and said it would take her half an hour to get there. I got there way ahead of her and went in to save her a seat. It was a bunch of folding chairs set up in a basement. $15 entry fee. Three small tables were set up in front. Mostly English-speaking people arrived to watch. But Julia was the only one who spoke to me. The play was series of conversations that took place in a restaurant. I shall not describe them here. If I had a mental eraser, I would eradicate all memory of what I heard and saw when the lights went down. I am sure the actors did a fine job, but I would not call those conversations entertainment. The last one went on so long that I had decided it was an artsy thing where the actors make up lines until the audience leaves. But no, there was a surprise ending and I would dearly like to forget it. Julia and I got on the subway together. She got off after one stop and I got off after two. I called Chris from the first station and asked for a ride home. So he was waiting by the gas station gate for me to arrive. It was so good to see him. When we got home, he and Michele finished watching another movie, and I am going to bed as soon as I finish this blog.

First day of class for us both

I was in the courtyard by 7 and read until 8. Michele left at 9 for her first day of classes at Yonsei. I made Chris' sandwich (forgot it last night) and dropped it by his office on my way to the thrift shop. Again, we had plenty of children's books, so many we had to give away perfectly good ones. We also had CD's and DVD's. I gave to charity all the "Parental Advisory" ones. At two I brought in Ella's machine and tested it. Then we locked the doors and left. I went to the commissary to buy fresh vegetables. When I got them home, I did not have the energy to juice them. I checked e-mail, and wrote the group minutes for the months of July and August. I had a late lunch, and then worked on a project for class. I made a snap-close pouch as a sample of something we could do in a future class. I also made one last block for my purple and green quilt. Michele came home at 5. I asked her how it went. She said ok, but she has to go back tomorrow. Ha, ha. Chris was home soon after. I ate a quick supper and grabbed my class samples as well as fabrics for the pillowcases and headed out. I got there at 6:15. Daniele was already there. She wanted to finish her purse from earlier in the summer. So I gave her the next step and then set up tables, etc. for class. I was expecting a much bigger turnout. Three people made pillowcases and Rusty came to return baby kits and help out. They decided to do the stuffed pumpkin next week. I talked to Rusty for some time after class, and then went home. Am ready for bed now. But wait, what about the sandwich?