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.

potato head

Well, I am off to Idaho in a few hours. Sometimes I am like a litte five year old, I get all excited and then can't sleep. So I'm working about three hours of sleep and working the circles so dark that I look like I got punched in the face a few times look. And just to confirm the fact that I'm no spring chicken, I realized that I'm getting a lot older while packing. Instead of making sure my super cute outfits and hair stuff got priority baggage space, the first thing I packed was my OTC meds just in case. If you hear anything on the news about a party by the river a few hours outside of Boise, make sure you look to see if I'm in the background mugging.

flashback

10 years ago...
Ten years ago, it was 1996. Take this survey, post the results, and see how many things have changed since .

1) How old were you?
THEN: 20
NOW: 30
2) Where did you work?
THEN: Back then I answered to Private (Last Name Here) a lot and worked as a Clinical Lab Tech for the military.
NOW: Clinical Lab Tech for an evil corporation.
3) Where did you live?
THEN: Washington DC
NOW: Seattle, Washington
4) How was your hair style?
THEN: Down to my butt long
NOW: Short and orange (my mother's description)
5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: Sometimes, when I went to concerts and such
NOW: No
6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: the BCGs I was SUPPOSED to wear stayed in my closet
NOW: the super expensive trendy homage to Wonder Woman classes I am SUPPOSED to wear stay in my bag
7) Who was your best friend?
THEN: Stephanie
NOW: I know a lot of beautiful people...but my sister will always be my bestest friend
8) Which of your pets were still alive?
THEN: Dino, the worst treated dog and still one of the biggest weights on my conscience.
NOW: Iniki, the best dog EVER
9) Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend?
THEN: Chad, a 26 year old Capricorn
NOW: Devo, a 26 year old Capricorn
11) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Johnny Depp
NOW: Johnny Depp
12) Who was your regular-person crush?
THEN: Ummm, who can remember...I have a lot of crushes.
NOW: Well, I can't answer that...but I have a top 5 list
13) How many piercings did you have?
THEN: Four or so
NOW: Two
14) How many tattoos did you have?
THEN: 3
NOW: 5
15) What was your favorite band/singer?
THEN: Rage Against the Machine
NOW: Too much good music in my life to choose a favorite, but I really like Modest Mouse
16) Had you smoked a cigarette?
THEN: Yes
NOW: Yes...unfortunately.
17) Had you gotten drunk?
THEN: Quite often, especially considering that I wasn't 21 yet.
NOW: Less often and with less effort. Fucking aging.
18) What kind of Car did you drive?
THEN: Hyundai
NOW: Nissan
19) Looking back, are you where you thought you would be?
I can't remember what expectations I had for myself ten years ago. But I think that my ten-years ago self would be pretty pleased with the life I've made for myself and the wonderful people I've tricked into being a part of it. I know I'm pretty pleased with it.

holy guacamole

Somebody pinch me...or maybe don't. I had the most amazing weekend. It all started off with a mini-show at a random warehouse by the water. Then off to a party with a slew of graduate students doing the most non-academic things. Afterwards a club night my friends have just started. One small pitstop at Frittes, a Belgian fry joint, where I introduced a gaggle of drunken folk to the joys of curry ketchup. Then, we were off to my friends' monthly afterhours affair. It's been going on and going off for a little over a year, I've been to all but one of them. I remember when it was just a few of us, chillin' outside. The house and that party have been good to me. It's where I've met most of the amazing people I know. It's where I met an amazing man, who every day I feel a little luckier to know. And somehow...Garth, who was in town for a gig, heard about the house and came out to play...then hung out with us. And he was completely down-to-earth and chill and lo-key, a perfect compliment to what has been building all this time. It was amazing. I was able to hang out with my friends and sweetie on what may have been the most beautiful day of the year...I watched the sunrise over Lake Washington and the sunset over Puget Sound. Le sigh, when did life start getting so...GOOD?

say what?

Yesterday afternoon I had a flurry of appointments. One of them involved taking care of my lady-bits at the Planned Parenthood. While sitting there waiting, because they are the least on-time facility I have ever been to, I noticed that they had one of those "Soft & mellow hits of yesterday, today, and tomorrow for your day" kind of radio stations playing on the overhead speakers. As I'm sitting there, "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna came on. AND THAT is what I call sublime irony!

mystery solved

FRIDAY, JULY 07, 2006 MYSTERY SOLVED It's not a rapid aging process making me want to sleep an obnoxious number of hours...I'm sick! Here's to summer illnesses...

missing sheep

Aging is generally okay with me. I don't mind the gray hairs, the developing crow's feet, the achey knees, the southward migrating bosom...but this losing sleep thing has got to go. I shouldn't EVER feel the need to be in bed by midnight and up before 8am. The only time I should see the sun rising is when I haven't gone to sleep from the night before. I can't start a routine sleep schedule...it might lead to something horrendous like living a responsible and respectable life...and the only worse fate I can think of involves perm solution and a lot of peroxide. PS-Happy 4th of July!

movie mania

THave you seen Syriana yet? I saw it last night after having avoided watching it for a while. I knew it would be incredibly depressing. But I didn't realize how sad and hopeless it would leave me feeling after the credits finished rolling. It wasn't just a general sense of hopelessness either, there were definitely specific, pointed feelings of hopelessness as well. But it is a great movie and worth the two hours of your time to watch it.

heroin chic

Last night, I came home from work and noticed this sketchy dude hanging out by my building's garbage cans. But hell...it's a big weekend in Seattle, the weather is record-breakingly hot and it was Pride...so a few random people out and about is bound to happen. Then I went into my apartment and went to open my window. I look out and there are two guys shooting up outside of my window...literally SHOOTING UP...IN THE NECKS!!! I would have been even more freaked out were there not a fence with barbed wire separating them and my window. Definitely not the sight I expected and made me decide to keep my window closed for the night and just sweat the night out.

if at first you don't succeed...

Okay, this is the third and final time I am going to try and do this post. Stupid blogger and stupid computer. Lots of randomness... o I'm lonely. Both of the guys in my life are gone. My puppy dog is on vacation at my brother's house, playing with his cousins (human, canine, and feline varieties). It's so sad when I come home and there isn't anybody there to give me an enthusiastic greeting. My other guy is chilling in Idaho, where I'll join him in a few days for an ass kicking outdoor party. o I'm going to Burningman this year for the first time with my friends in a camp called The Rockstar Orphans. For a fundraiser, we did a yard sale this weekend. It was much less annoying than the last one I did before leaving Kentucky. People in Seattle...not too big on the bartering, they would mostly just pay what we asked for. It was kind of nice. And of course, it probably helped that I started drinking beer at about 9:30 am and was fairly tipsy by noon. o It is so freakin' hot here. I realize it isn't nearly as hot here as it is in the rest of the country. But it really irritates me when people use that rationale to explain why nobody as AC here. Just because it's 112 degrees in Georgia, well that doesn't make the 96 degrees any more bearable.

summer lovin'

Ahhhhh, summer is finally here. The weather has been fantastic. I've been outdoors a lot and have developed a skin-tint that doesn't glow in the dark or attract moths. People are out and about and having a good time. Hell, I've been out and about having a GREAT time. I went out several times this week and got totally obliterated one night and as per my usual custom, eventually ended up in my underwear passed out on my bathroom floor. Then went out last night and had a GREAT time even though the nagging "you have to work tomorrow" thought kept working it's way into my brain. And it's Pride this weekend so I expect I'll be out a few times for that as well. I swear, sometimes I think that I have a job because I need to escape the fun of my life.

alphabet soup

I don't know why I fill these things out...it's not as though the answers are going to be any different than the last fifty I filled out. But procrastination can be hard.

[A is for age]:
30...three decades of glorious me-dom.
[B is for beer of choice]:
I'm not a fan of the brew...but on the rare occasion that I'll drink that swill it's usually something I took from somebody else so my choice is therefore whatever's free and available...just like how I choose my men.
[C is for career]
C is for consistently grossed out by the nastiness I have to deal with at work. Yesterday I had to chop up bloody, ragged shoulder flesh.
[D is for your dog's name]:
Iniki, the best and cutest dog EVER!
[E is for essential item you use/wear everyday]:
E is for expensive face cream that keeps me looking young and vitalic. At least that's what the multi-million dollar marketing campaign has told me.
[F is for favorite song at the moment)
The Pirate Song by Go Betty Go
[G is for favorite game]:
Freeze-tag
[H is for Hometown]:
Born in Pusan, Korea
[I is for favortie internet site]
backseat bangers
[J is for favorite flavor of juice]:
cran-grape
[K is for kids]:
K is for kleptomaniac too
[L is for last girl you hugged?]:
Christy
[M is for marriage]:
Ahhhh, marriage...they really don't give you a t-shirt despite having been there and done that
[N is for name of your crush]:
I change crushes like I change my underwear
[O is for overnight hospital stays]:
When I was a wee baby and they made my belly-button look like it was mangled by an alligator
[P is for phobias]
Heights
[Q is for quote]:
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty." Ursula K. Le Guin
[R is for biggest regrete]
Not learning enough french to understand what regrete means.
[S is for status:]
Happy.
[T is for time you wake up:]
9:00
[U is for underwear:]
U is for a little unclean at the moment, I just got back from the gym.
[V is for vegetable you love:]
Broccoli
[W is for worst habit:]
smoking
[X is for x-rays you've had]
head, leg, back, lungs, toes, fingers, knees, throat, chest, I'm practically radioactive by now.
[Y is for yummy food you make]
I'm a pretty good cook, I make lots of good stuff, I'm really good at pasta dishes.
[Z is for zodiac sign]:
Scorpio, what else is there?