Still writing

On the home stretch. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. After these books are done, I'm going to make July a pretty low-key month.

Wednesday May 14th was our 3rd wedding anniversary. Originally, we were going to go to Children's Grand Park, where we got married, but the park was recently closed down due to a bird flu outbreak. Sejin said it was actually open on our anniversary, but most people were staying away, naturally. That kind of put a damper on things....

So, we decided to go somewhere we'd never been before, so we went to the 63 Building, the tallest building in Korea. We saw a pretty cool aquarium in the basement and then rode up to the 61st floor to the observation deck which offered some pretty good views of Seoul. Finally, we had lunch at "Walking on the Cloud" restaurant on the 60th floor. Decent food and a great view. It was a nice evening.

Last week I received a package from my Ravelry Pen Pal group swap partner. I was very excited to receive it so soon, all the way from California. biotechgrrl sent me 4 balls of creamy bamboo yarn, and a ball of beautiful purple yarn, of a luxury brand I've never tried before. Also, a journal and note cards which say "Don't count the days. Make the days count." Always something very important to keep in mind! Looking forward to having time to knit up that yarn! Luckily, biotechgrrl received my package, which I was relieved to hear!

I guess the biggest news as of late: We went to the hospital today and had a really good experience. The doctor was very nice AND speaks fluent English. The baby measures where it's supposed to, at 1.2 cm, and the heart was beating very nicely.

It's been a long time

I'm usually more anxious to write something here if I have finished knitting or crocheting something. That may be the reason for not posting for so long. That and I've been very busy writing books. Very, very busy.

Even so, I try to rest on the weekends...well, that's not the entire truth. There's not much resting going on. Seems I have plans every single weekend and people still calling to make more plans. These days I really dislike plans of any type. Anyway, I suppose I've had some good times among all the busy-ness over the past month.

The first weekend in April, Meg and I went to Andong, somewhere I've wanted to go for quite a while. I'm glad that we went. It was very interesting, the weather was great, and there weren't too many people at the tourist sites. Although not everything was green, the blossoms were out, which made for great pictures.

Some places of note that we visited were:

Hahoe Village, traditional Korean village of over 400 buildings where people still live. This was a great place. Very picturesque and not overcrowded. We spent the better part of Saturday there.

Dosan Seowon, early Confucian academy. Much different feel that Hahoe Village, being a place of academia, so the contrast was nice.
Jebiwan, small temple near an 11th century Buddha carved in a cliff. We went here as sort of an afterthought, but I was glad that we did. The temple was in the middle of service, the blossoms were out, and it was just beautiful. The head monk also came out and said hello.Last weekend (the last weekend in April), Meg and I visited our good friend Louise down in Busan on the south east coast. We did some shopping, took in a movie (The Other Bolyen Girl - it was good!), walked through Jagalchi Fish Market, and went to the beach. Very nice weekend.

Jagalchi:

Near Haeundae Beach:
Those weekends were good to break up the monotony of being inside working all day in this nice weather. The weather is getting even better now, so hopefully there will be more little weekend trips like these.

Now, it's back to work.

Crafts keep me sane

Still working hard on these books. When I stop and think about it, it's absolutely crazy that I've been given the responsibility of writing 6 books by the end of May, however easy the content. But I've given my word, and they will get done. Lately I feel like I'm back at university, writing my thesis. I think I wrote most of my thesis in the last 3 weeks before the deadline. I was pulling all nighters every other night. I've only pulled one all-nighter so far for this project (that was to get in the first book on time), but I have a feeling there will be more to come. The good thing is that it'll all be over by June, and then I can take a couple week off to recover.

I visited Dongdaemun Shopping Town last week, and was very pleased to see that all the vendors have their cotton out! I've been waiting to see the cotton. The thing is, I don't have a lot of experience knitting or crocheting with cotton (aside from doilies), so I'm excited to try it out. So far, it's quite different from wool. It's less stretchy and I'm finding my hands hurt when I use it. I think I just need to ease up on my tension. This was a good day:

Also last week, I had to go to Kyobo Bookstore to get some new materials for new classes. Of course, I stopped by the Japanese Knitting section on my way to the English section. Always a mistake. The books and the patterns inside are too cute for words. And the worst part is that they're pretty cheap. Each book goes for about $10, which I'm sure is a lot cheaper than what people in the West pay to get Japanese books shipped over. Anyway, I picked up the two cutest ones, this time with some cute bag and scarf patterns. These are the patterns I'm particularly interested in:I couldn't resist giving something a try with my new cotton, so I made these little coasters, which I just love. They only took me about an hour each.

So, as the topic of this post suggests, doing these little crafts keeps me from going crazy. If I work well, I allow myself to do a couple rounds of crocheting. If I just goof off on Facebook or Ravelry, I can't. Very simple, but it works. I'm getting both work and crafting done, which keeps me satisfied. Last week I completed both my red silk doilie (which was not fun because of the twisty thread), and Antlia, which was for the Doilie Heads crochet-along. I like how both of them turned out. Now, I'm working on Crocus Doilie. I'm very excited about this one because I've been eying the pattern for months. I hope it turns out how I picture it.Oh yes, and yet another time waster has entered by apartment -- a piano. I've been wanting a piano for years, and it's here. I bought it used, and I'm pleased with it. Nice sound. Surprisingly I haven't been drawn to it too many times. I'll likely play it more when these books are done. Toto loves the bench! Well, back to work!

Busy

Haven't been able to post lately because I've been unbelievably busy. But good busy. I'm working on two book series simultaneously which is harder than I thought, but I think I can do it. It's only until the end of May, at which time I can take a couple of weeks off to breathe. Until then, though, I'm not leaving the house too often. I teach all day on Monday, and I occasionally go out for coffee with a friend. That's about it. I don't even have time to knit or crochet, which is the worst part! I started a vintage doilie a few weeks ago and I'm still not done. Saturday, the Ravelry Doilieheads group doilie crochet-along starts, so I'm hoping I'll enough time to join in on that. The pattern looks simple enough.
My big news today is that I'm getting a piano tomorrow. Someone on Daves is selling theirs and it looks like a good deal. I really don't have any room to put it, but I'll stash it somewhere until after May, when I have time to play it. Luckily it comes apart easily. Very excited about that. Now I just have to get my sax over here...must be quite dusty now at my parents' place.

Last weekend I had a late housewarming party. Sejin and I had been meaning to have one ever since we moved in, but we kept putting it off. Finally we decided to have a potluck, and it was a success. Around 17 people showed up and everyone brought something delicious. Most people left around 11:00pm, but a few stayed on much later. We hit the noraebang, which is only fun late at night, and had a blast. I'm not much of a singer, but it was fun to watch Sejin and the others.


Sejin has discovered a niche market in Korea, which is selling insurance to foreigners. It seems a lot of foreigners actually want extra insurance, but it's really hard to find a representative at any company that speaks English. Furthermore, from what people have told me, many companies prefer not to sell to foreigners at all, which is really dumb. Although Sejin will not make much money selling term life contracts to foreigners, he enjoys speaking English, dealing with foreigners, and helping them make their lives easier. Slowly, he is becoming aware of the many inconveniences foreigners face in Korea, and I think he takes pride in helping them through it. He's very excited actually.

That's about it for now. I am now going out to meet Meg for a coffee and I'll have dinner with Juyeoun, my friend and language exchange partner.

A New Hobby?

The Ravelry gathering on Saturday was a success. I had a great time meeting the very interesting ladies who came out. We started at My Knit Studio in Insa-dong. What a great place! She has some beautiful luxury yarns that I will probably never buy, but her English book and magazine collection is very impressive. Thankfully, she didn't have the book I've been thinking about, so I saved a bit of money. That would be Victorian Lace Today. I'm sure I will get it some day in the future, but I don't have time to actually knit anything from it right now anyway.

From there we went to Dongdaemun Shopping Town and shopped at the wholesalers. No matter how many times I go there, I will never stop being amazed at how much yarn there is there. Thank goodness I don't have a sewing machine, because there is so much fabric there, too!
It was when we got to the top floor that I gave into my weaknesses. I've been wanting to get into beading for quite a while, so I broke down and bought some lovely beads, fishing line, and clasps. It cost me all of $15, so I didn't feel too guilty. That night, I make a necklace and a bracelet, which I feel are pretty enough to be called successes. I'd like to learn some more complicated stitches for bracelets, like brick stitch.

After that, we went to an Indian restaurant called Himalaya and had some really deilicous Indian food. I was really happy to find this restaurant, as it is both yummy and cheap. It was a really nice change from Korean food and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. So, Saturday was a lot of fun, and I was happy to get home and look at my purchases while watching Law and Order.

Other than that, I have been extremely busy. Teaching some classes, did a photo shoot, had an interview last Friday. Always something on the go. Oh, and last Thursday was Valentine's Day, so Sejin and I stayed at the Hilton that night. He had a coupon for a free night -- score.

Today starts two weeks of hell in my life. I have until the end of February to finish the project I've been working on for the last 8 months. I really can't stretch it out any further, since new offers are on the table. Starting tonight I have to buckle down and get this stuff done. I have no choice.
Back to my Word document...

Working from home is...

good and bad. On one hand, it's nice to roll out of bed and get to work. On the other hand, there are so many things to distract you from your work! So far, I'm not doing too bad. Today has been bad because it's Friday. It's hard to get motivated on Fridays!

Not much is new. I'm really looking forward to the end of this contract. I need a new project, whether that is teaching or writing or anything! Sejin and I are kicking some ideas around, so hopefully within this year we will have started something of our own.

January was good for doilies. Since White Fan Doilie, I have finished Pink Blush Doilie (in white) and another Starburst Doilie (in pink). I'm not quite sure what has possessed me to make all these doilies lately. It's kind of weird. I think I'm going to take a little break though. I'm thinking about the Print o' the Wave Stole because I've never really tried knitted lace before and it's a beautiful pattern. I have some red silk I may try it with.


This weekend should be busy, in a good way. Tomorrow I'm going to hike Namsan with a few friends and then Sejin and I are having dinner with the owner of our building. Sunday is Stitch n Bitch, so I'm looking forward to that, too.

My Cat, Toto

Toto is a great pet. She basically doesn't do much except eat and sleep and look cute. When people come over, they often comment on how big she is. She's a hefty girl, and she looks chubbier because of her long fur. She has some cute habits. She sleeps right on her back. She sometimes grinds her teeth when she sleeps. And she covers eyes if it's too bright. After I feed her and she eats a little, she tries to "bury" her food by scratching around the bowl. She will only eat her Pro Plan cat food and will not touch any cat treats or people food. She will only drink water from the bathroom. She often sleeps right between Sejin and I. She seems to know what a pillow is for, because she always needs to have her little head resting on it.

The bad side to Toto is that she sheds A LOT. we're always using the lint brush/sticky brush to get her hair off of our dark clothes. Also, she does have sharp nails, like most cats, but luckily, she's not as destructive as some.

Never Gonna Let You Go

It snowed

Woke up to snow on the ground this morning. It gets pretty cold in Seoul, but we still don't get a lot of snow. It's kind of a treat when we do. Apparently, in Gangwon-do, where Sejin did his military service, they get quite a lot of snow. Perhaps a weekend trip might be nice in February. Anyway, here in Seoul, it never stays on the ground for long, so I thought I'd snap a few pictures. What's new? Well, Wednesday night I shot a commercial for a Korean product called Koko's Pet Dryroom. It's a room that uses infrared lights and fans to dry your pet after you give it a bath. It's kind of like a microwave, but apparently it's not harmful. So, I went to the pet shop which uses this invention and the shoot only took three hours. The director was in a big hurry, which was odd. If this commercial actually airs, it will be total cheese. But I have a feeling it's just a sample, and then a new one will be shot with real actors. I don't mind, I got a nice wad of cash for playing with the pets for three hours. Sejin came with me, and he really enjoyed himself. The crew put him to work translating, of course. I felt kind of bad, but he said he had fun.

Here's the pet shop where it was shot:

Crafts. Um, not too active on that front. Haven't really had time. I took the Baby Blue Blankey out of hibernation, so I guess that's a small step forward. I finished the first panel and started the second. It would be nice to finish that some time in this decade. I also started Pink Blush Doilie. I'm making sure not to start off crocheting so tight because I'm wearing out my hands on these doilies. I'm even getting callouses.

I'm feeling the urge to start making toys again, and since crochet is so fast and easy, I'm going to try my hand at amigurumi. Last time I was at the Kyobo bookstore, I picked up one Japanese book and two Korean books, since the patterns are so cute, and crochet charts are international. I haven't tried anything in them yet, but I've looked at them at least 100 times because of the cuteness inside. I'm really looking forward to trying something, most likely when I'm finished the books I'm working on -- that I should be working on right now -- OOPS!

Here are some of my favourite pages from the books: