We spent another wonderfully lazy weekend at home in part because it was cut short by another work trip and also because we didn’t want to do anything too crazy before our trip to Japan next weekend.
As usual, we didn’t mind.
Neither did the kitties.
In the mornings and evenings it can get to be pretty chilly around here. We still keep our windows open but sometimes it gets so windy up on the 17th floor. The other day a huge gust of wind blew over a bunch of thing in the bedroom and office, which in turn scared Max and Rufus. Next thing I knew I had two boys cuddled beside me the rest of the day. They were the perfect reading buddies.
At night, after dinner, Rufus will trod off to bed early while Max will stay up and hang out in his little corner of the room that has his favorite chair and chewed up box filled with toys. We usually wake up the next morning to find the boys stretched out on our bed like two slabs of bacon, taking up as much room as possible, and reluctant to start the day. That is until they hear me in the kitchen. Then it’s a mad rush to claim the “treat stool” and constant meowing, head butting, and paw tapping until they are fed.
PS: Pandora is still with her grandparents in Atlanta, living the best life of all of us as a spoiled princess kitty.
^^ for daily use, I snap the bag’s sides closed and carry a few items + my cell phone ^^
As long time subscribers to CSA boxes, one of the first things I did when we moved to Korea was look up a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery service. Fresh produce is so plentiful here, but it’s not always cheap (or varied) and while I could probably build a relationship with a local farmer or vendor I don’t quite have the language skills for that. We have a small organic market across the street from our house but its selection of produce is very small. Some stores sell organic produce but usually the best assortment can be found at department stores…and it’s expensive! Before we subscribed to a CSA in Korea we found a box of approximately 10 organic tomatoes at a department store for something like $12, marked half off from $24 because some were bruised. I snagged as many boxes as possible. We have also found a pretty good and inexpensive selection of organic mushrooms and veggies at Costco and chains like Emart, but getting to those stores (and dealing with the crowds) can be a hassle.
For those old enough to remember, there will always be the time before and the time after. Everyone knew someone. Everyone was affected.
Maybe it was less the actual event than it was experiencing the same collective moment on a shared timeline. The time before symbolizing an era when we were young and carefree and innocent. Though maybe it was never like this. Maybe I’m over idealizing life before 9/11. Maybe 9/11 made us all realize what was always there.
My experience of New York falls in the time after — my first trip to NYC was a couple years after 9/11 when there was still a huge hole in the ground. Time had passed but the memory was still so fresh. We were still hopeful; still at the beginning of a new timeline; still believing we could put it all behind us and be better people; a stronger country. I don’t remember a New York with two twin towers and yet that’s still what I see whenever I look at the skyline. I always see that empty space. I always wonder what could have been.
On a slightly more upbeat note, have you seen this video about the last known living 9/11 rescue dog’s birthday in NYC? Working/service/rescue animals are such unsung heroes. Love.
Tucked away between high rise apartment buildings and nondescript skyscrapers, in the center of a bustling commercial downtown district, is a hidden building that somehow time forgot.
We slipped in an alley beside a towering department store and, after a few confused glances at one another, continued walking until we saw the distinct black and white pinata logo for La Mia Emily.
We optimistically thought we would get away on Labor Day weekend, even up until Friday night when I went to pick up Sly from the Airport after returning from a short trip back to the states. We were somehow convinced a little trip was a possibility. I suppose it was. We could have jumped in the car and driven somewhere, or, done what we seem to be doing a lot of lately and booked a last minute flight.
Living overseas makes us feel like if we don’t do *something* every single weekend or holiday then we are wasting our time. What we really needed was a vacation from vacation.
This Labor Day, as if on cue, the weather was chilly and skies were gray and overcast. We closed our windows for the first time in a long time and pulled on sweat pants. Sly finally had time to repair our ancient tv with a part he purchased months ago and I streamed the first football game of the season — the Texas – Notre Dame game (ND manhandled Texas) — on the worst, most delayed stream ever. I texted my sister and old childhood friend throughout the game as we normally do during every Longhorn football game. The first game of the college football season always marks the changing of seasons for me and even though I was thousands of miles away, watching a crappy delayed stream at 9am in the morning, it still felt the tiniest bit like being home.
TOP to BOTTOM; L-R: Dinner with our real estate agent-turned new Korean friend, 1600+ Pandas, our babies
“fireworks fantasy” at Boryeong, animal shaped ice cream in Seoul (with weird cereal pieces at the bottom, beach concerts in Boryeong, Chimac Fest, super moon over the city, chicken + beer fest (before we found the craft beers)
