feel the burn

In two hours, I will officially begin my vacation. In about twelve hours, I will officially begin my journey into the wonders of the playa, where many adventures and hardships await. These are a few of my intentions for my trip: o No expectations-though I am travelling with a wonderous ragtag assortment of wonderful ladies experienced with the ways of the man who burns, and have many friends who I will most likely encounter during my journey...I'm trying not to have a whole lot of expectations. I want to not listen to the constant buzzing of people telling me that I should see this and I definitely must do that... Other than survival advice, which I have taken to heart, I'm trying to go with a clear mind and no agenda. o Not too much complaining-Yes, the weather sucks...hot in the daytime, cold at night. Yes, porta-potties suck. Yes, living in a tent for a week is bound to suck a little. But that's all part of the deal. I'm going to try and keep whining to a minimum. o Be smart, be aware, be safe-I'm going to have awesome calves because I intend to stay on my toesies as much as possible. o Take time to reflect-On the day's activities, on the week's activities, external events, internal events, people I'll miss while I'm there... o Sunscreen is magic!-Don't walk around topless without a little SPF 30. We're going to start heading out tomorrow. I think I'll be back around the 5th or so with many stories and tales that may seem tall but are likely without embellishment. I'll miss you guys.

feel the burn

Tomorrow I start my Burningman Adventure. I'll be out of town from August 25th until about September 5th. I'll miss everybody (except for the large chunk of people I know who will be on the playa with me).

family matters

Just a little update-a-rooney. The boy met the mom. It went as I thought it would, my mom wasn't much of a conversationalist and was a fairly typical stoic Asian mother. But she wasn't entirely cold either. The boy got along well with my sister and my brother-in-law. Mom bought us dinner from her favorite little mom-and-pop Korean joint. Boy ate heartily and didn't fuss when my mom started fussing about his food and reteaching him how to eat, as if the last 26 years he had been doing it hadn't been quite right. It was good, I think he had a nice time and didn't seem too terribly offended that my mom didn't engage him in long conversations that most parents feel the need to have with their children's partners. Next it's my turn, in two weeks I get to meet his mom. But I have a feeling that she is the antithesis of my mother and will want to be super chatty and engaged. If I had the time to feel nervous about it I would...maybe when we get closer to it happening.

slow burn

I've had a lot to do lately getting ready for Burningman. Of course the reason I have so much to do is because I am a consummate procrastinator. Yesterday I decided to lump as much of my buying into one trip, after having dropped Devo off at the airport. I realized that I loathe the shopping mall. There used to be a time that I loved hanging out at the mall all day, going from store to store to store, eating at the food court, spending a bunch of money I didn't have. But no longer, the entire time I felt overwhelmed and exhausted, oversolicitous salespeople kept freaking me out, and despite there being 10,000 square feet of shit to buy, I never really found what I was looking for and the few things I did find were way overpriced. Despite all of that, I'm started to get incredibly excited. Every time I rest my head on my pillow, I dream about Burningman. All aspects of it. I dream about getting ready for it, I dream about getting down there for it, I dream about people I'll see there, things I may do there, outfits I wish I could wear there, people I wish were going to be there. The build-up is starting to get intense.

fingernail munchies

I am getting ready to take the boy to meet the mom. And it wasn't even my idea. Wish me some sort of positivity...luck, karma, good vibes, et.al.! It just goes to show, no matter how old and/or independent you get, you never stop wanting your parent's approval.

m.i.a.

Where did I disappear to? I have no idea. I feel like once again, I've reached a point in my life where I am at a crossroads. Maybe I coasted with all the goodness that the last year provided and got too content. But the last few weeks, major life-decisions have presented themselves, demanding my attention. And I've been hiding from them, and hiding in general. But they stood outside my hideout and waited, toes tapping impatiently. Now I have to deal with them, but to be perfectly honest...I'm a little scared, scared that I'll make bad decisions and end up in a familiar place where happiness is more of a ideal than a reality. But it must be done, I'm trying to think of it as more of an adventure and less like the final moments before I head off into the battlefield.

busy quizzie

1. Would you marry for money?
Marrying for money will probably give me the same success rate as marrying for love.
2. Have you had braces?
Nope, I was blessed with fairly straight teeth which is pretty lucky in my family
3. Can you live without a computer?
Sure, I actually didn't use it while on vacation at all other than to check in for my flight. But I keep in touch with a lot of really great people online and I wouldn't want to stop doing that.
4. If you could live in any past time period, where would it be?
Don't you mean when not where? But maybe like during the heydey of the Mayans.
5. Do you drink enough water?
Not as much as I should but more than a lot of people.
6. Do you wear shoes in the house or take 'em off?
I'm Korean, they take themselves off at the door.
7. What are your favorite fruits?
Nectarines and canteloupe.
8. What is your favorite place to visit?
My momma's house. She has laundry machines and FOOD! God bless her.
9. Are you photogenic?
I've been told but lately I feel less so.
10. Do you dream in color or black and white?
I dream in technicolor.
11. Why are you taking this survey?
cause i'm bored and tired and my hot date isn't for a few more hours.
12. Do you drink alcohol?
No I drink liquor.
13. What is the most beautiful language?
Mandarin is a gorgeous language.
14. Do you like being kissed when you are asleep?
Yes, I like waking up to kisses.
15. What do you like most: Sunrise or sunset?
There's nothing like a well earned sunrise.
16. Do you want to live to be 100 years old?
Not really.
17. What time did you fall asleep last night?
Probably about 1, and I feel asleep pretty quick thanks to the Tylenol PM.
18. When you watch movies at home,
do you like the lights on or off? Off.
19. Do you believe in magic? Yes.
20. Do you have a favorite radio show?
No, corporate radio is ASS.
21. Do you like sports?
I'm indifferent.
22. Do you like to watch cartoons?
I love cartoons and anime and adult swim and and and.
23. At what age did you find out Santa Claus wasn't real?
I have an older brother, he clued me in fairly young.
24. Do you write poems?
I used to write really bad poetry.
25. Do you snore?
Sometimes, not often.
26. You sleep more on your back, front, or sides?
I'm mostly a tummy sleeper.
27. Would you rather have a poodle or a rottweiler?
Neither, I already have the best dog ever.
28. Are you basically a happy person?
I am now and I will continue working on it.
29. Are you tired?
I'm getting tired of this survey
30. Did you drink anything with caffeine?
The better question is do I drink anything without.
32. How many phones do you have in your house?
Just my cell.
33. Do you get along with your parents?
Yes now, but I'm also very frustrated by them because I often see where some of the shit that frustrates me about myself comes from.
34. Do you smoke?
SHHHHHH, down to one a day unless I'm out.
35. Do you have a kitty?
Nope, it's like I keep saying cats are perpetual teenagers and dogs are perpetual toddlers...I prefer the toddlers.
36. Have you ever had a birthday party?
Yep and since I have a younger sister, she always got to have a party on my birthday too, including her own presents. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
37. What do you do when you're sad?
Listen to music and cry or just cry. Crying is therapeutic.
38. What do you want most right now?
An ice cream cone.
39. What song are you listening to now?
I'm not, just listening to the chiming of Yahoo Messenger.
40. What are you craving right now?
An ice cream cone.

more than words

This should give you an idea as to what kind of weekend I just had...

return of the swamp thing

I'm back from You-Da-Ho, cause I ain't da ho (and no, I'll NEVER tire of that). Actually, I got back yesterday. But after the excruciating one hour flight that made me more motion sick than any I've been in a long long time, I had to go to work. Today I had a million little errands to run, including picking up my baby from his mini-vacation..so forgive my belated posting. The Vacation - Cliff Notes Version I got there on Thursday afternoon and hung out with Devo and a couple of friends who came down from Seattle for the event. We mostly ate a lot. I don't remember doing much, but I remember there being a lot of fried foods. And American flag speedos. This was actually a great day, I was able to meet a slew of the Boise party peeps and they were all great fun. I also bought some flip-flops, imperative when you walk off the plane into 104 degree weather. Day two began and we drove up to the location (after spending a butt load of money at the co-op) and helped set up some stuff for the party. Lucky for us we had a cabin so we didn't have to set up a camp...but it was still a lot of work and man was it HOT! Then Friday night arrived and we whooped it up, remembering to keep a little bit on reserve for Saturday. During Devo's set, I got really tired and laid down for "just a minute, just to rest my eyes" on the dance floor...an hour or two later my friend Mel found me. According to her, when she walked up to give me a hug I was completely passed out, but my foot was still tapping to the beat. Day three began and I woke up a little earlier than my bedmate. I decided to get my day started since I knew I would just keep him awake with my morning chatter. I headed up to the party location and was picked up by a ragtag group of misfits who were headed to the old swimming hole. I asked them to drop me off so I could rendezvous with my other friends before heading out there. Eventually I made it to the swimming hole, an oasis of cool water and cooler people setting up water badminton. I was there just long enough to keep my internal temperature from cooking my innards since my body had become a slow-roasting crock pot...my god was it ever hot! Then off to the airport to pick up the headlining DJ. Errands, errands, errands and we get back to the party. A little rest and (insert finger snapping noise) time for the party to begin. Party, party, party...more party, party, party...then more party, party, party... It was a great time. There were enough of my favorite Seattle people and enough new people to keep it all flowing nicely. Finally sleep, of course by now it's day four and the sun is high in the sky. By the time we got up after a million interruptions and goodbyes, most of our friends have headed out. They bravely faced the long journeys back home head on. Devo and I however chilled for quite a while and took our time packing up. Then we headed back up to the location where we tried to help break down as much as possible but were fairly useless. We drove back to Boise and hung out a little bit, though honestly the rest of this day was just a blur of exhaustion. Day five began with a big cup of coffee and then driving around looking for breakfast. We ended up eating Thai at noon, talk about indecisive. We didn't have a lot of energy but still had a desire for a little fun, so go-karting it was! That was followed by arcade games, a trip to the airport, a flat tire, and then commando mini-golf...18 holes, 4 people, 30 minutes! A dinner for two and a dipped cone and one last hurrah of being surrounded by people I barely knew but who insisted they liked me anyway because I keep pretty good company I suppose. Then sleep...oh blessed sleep...how I missed that on this vacation. Day six, a coffee drink titled "A Cup of Soul" and so good that it's trademarked. Then to the airport, where this extremely long winded post began. Whew. Just imagine how long this post will be when I get back from Burningman.