Great Pumpkin

Autumnal words of wisdom: "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker." -Linus van Pelt

Oh Halloween candy, when will we meet again?

Since there is no Doctor Who until Christmas, I had to resort to a Nora Ephron marathon today. After a little When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail, it turns out my perfect man is some sort of Tom Hanks/Billy Crystal combo and that is slightly unsettling. I'm still not sure what that says about me and my taste for men.

I swear this is the last one...he's just so darn key-yoot!

There is a faint smell of wet dog permeating the nostrils at the moment, but both dogs are spick and span. I have just learned of a magical instrument called The Furminator. Someday it will be mine. I'll show that fur who's boss!

Cuddlebug

Curious Case of Adoptive Parents

For every wonderful adoptee story, there's always the ones that slip through the cracks that people don't talk about. Not every adoptee gets a happy home. Just something to think about.

Recently there have been two emergencies in our adoptee community. Matthew, who was adopted to the U.S., was brutally attacked and thrown in front of a car by a white American male in Itaewon on Oct. 1. He sustained two fractures in his jaw and is not able to eat solid food, much less work. In addition, his parents did not get him naturalized in the U.S. so he is living as a Korean citizen who cannot speak Korean, which makes finding work for him difficult.
Tim was found by another adoptee, Michael Moon, on the streets in Itaewon around mid-August. Tim, whose parents also did not get him U.S. citizenship, was deported from the U.S. more than half a year ago. He became homeless while in Korea because he had no one to care for him; he lives with a mental illness for which he received social security benefits in the U.S. which was left untreated when he came to Korea. He has been in the care of Pastor Kim, Jane, and Michael for about one month now. Because of his disability it is hard for him to live at KoRoot, so he is living in a gosiwon in Itaewon now. It is our understanding that he will need to be supported by the community for one year for his living costs. After one year, he will be able to classified as handicapped and receive benefits from the Korean government. (Michael and I have called his parents, and they want absolutely nothing to do with him and will not give a penny toward his living expenses, and they do not want him to come back to the U.S.)
As members of the adoptee community and our friends, no matter what your organizational affiliation, please help give Matthew and Tim a temporary lift as they work their way toward self-sufficiency by participating in this potluck dinner and silent auction fundraiser. Sometimes all we have is each other.
For friends overseas who would like to contribute, you can send funds to TRACK's accounts. This is not a "TRACK project," but rather, someone needs to administrate the funds and TRACK's accounts are set up so we can withdraw and use the money in Korea. The accounts are:
Paypal: truthreconcile@gmail.com
Woori Bank - SWIFT Code : HVBKKRSEXXX
Acct: 1002-738-888382 TRENKAJANEJEONGTRACK

Kari Strand's Steps to Best Friendship

Step 1. I take a tumble off your bean bag chair, recliner, love seat, ottoman, or hammock.

Step 2. Share a meal of bacon and/or baked goods are made.

Step 3. Reminisce about past experiences playing a musical instrument. Extra points if a band camp or marching band anecdote is included.

Step 4. At any point in time we brush each other's hair. Not necessarily simultaneously or in sequence, nor does it have to be in the same room, the same day, or the same year. As long as hair brushing is both received and given, this step will be considered complete.

Step 5. Undergarments are strewn, without shame, in any number of scenarios. Hanging from ceiling fixtures, thrown at your head, worn as accessories, adorning furniture, or sling-shotted around the room (to everyone's delight, of course) are all possibilities, although many variations are likely to occur.

Step 6. Your feet come in contact with mine and revolt is not demonstrated by either party.

Step 7. A variety of hats are worn together for no reason other than to wear hats and/or pretend to be pirates/private detectives.

Step 8. The final, and most important step- the sleepover. True friendship is waking up to me staring at you.

Breakfast Soup

I ate soup for breakfast today and felt like a real Korean. It took some coaxing before I felt comfortable enough to really dig in, like I was flaunting some sort of breakfast law. The Cookie Crisp Policeman will be after me, no doubt, then I'll be on the run like the Trix Bunny and Lucky Charms leprachaun.

Kipper

A new couple is interested in Kip. I suppose it's probably good since I end up treating him more and more like my little baby every passing day. Every time someone is interested in him I get a really strong urge to keep him, but I'm trying to keep in mind the time he ate all those eggs and tore the garbage apart so the feelings subside. I am part of this group on facebook, Animal Rescue Korea that does a lot of work for abandoned animals in Korea, but people really went off on this girl that had to give her newly adopted puppy back because it had seperation anxiety. It makes me feel a little nervous about giving Kip away, but if we stay in touch then I can at least be there to take him back if they find they don't want him. And, both strays I've found and re-homed have been successful so I'm feeling positive about it. I'm also debating whether I should foster another animal if Kip gets adopted. J thinks that I should absolutely not and focus on training Lou. It is sometimes stressful to have two animals when I'm only one small person...maybe a cat. Definitely not another dog....unless it's super small and super calm. I think those are far and few between though. Even Kip is a bit of a terror sometimes. Yes, definitely only a cat if the need arises. It's settled then.

My three day weekend was a success. It was relaxing and I got a bit of laundry done while chasing my dogs around the apartment with my dancing and pointing (I like to point at them a lot with finger guns just to keep them on their toes). I did have the most terrible tacos due to my unwise decision to be spontaneous and order Buffalo Chicken Tacos; not realizing that my old archnemisis Blue Cheese would be involved. I guess in retrospect, I have no concept of what "buffalo" means when joined with a meal. I assumed it would just be a spicy chicken taco. Apparently it means piling a mound of fried onions atop of a mound of chicken, very sneakily covering a layer of blue cheese cubes, adding a little lettuce and tomato on the side, as well as some sliced avocado, with a sauce I did not recognize or partake of due to its creamy, mayonaise-esque appearance. I was sorely disappointed, but the rice and beans were good. Lesson learned, On The Border, lesson learned. On my official holiday (Monday) I meant to get more housework done, but instead read the Hunger Games and made soup.

I've been thinking lately about my own time in elementary school and how some of the children here can tolerate going through such easy English lessons when their own English level is so much higher. The only times I can remember being really annoyed was during class reading time where the teacher would pick students to read aloud from the book we all read together. There were those kids who could only read one word per minute and with no inflection or storytelling ability. I'd always end up reading ahead and try to quiet the urge to rip the book from their hands and do it myself or yell out how to pronounce "photograph." And it always infuriated me to no end during music class when the teacher would never call on me even though I was the only one with my hand raised (yes I was that child). But now, seeing how the same students answer all the questions and, if left unchecked the other students will just rely on the one or two to give the answers, I give her a little credit. Not much...but a little. Like a thimble's worth of credit.

Toughnuts

I like parties, it's balloons I don't like. Don't talk to me about balloons. Balloons explode, Jen. They explode suddenly and unexpectedly. They are filled with the capacity to give me a little fright. And I find that unbearable.
Roy always manages to sum up my feelings about life perfectly.


I need this dog stat. TOO CUTE!!!!!!! I'm obsessed with dogs lately. I really love the small ones now, but only if they're not yippy. There is a dog across the hall that is always yipping when it hears someone. I find the family strange as well. The wife did a lot of peeping out the door at us. She would actually crack the door open and watch while we were in the hall. They have a dog, and yet the woman acts afraid of my dogs even though they ignore her. They have a son in high school and one day the father opened the door at the same time I was coming out and the boy was standing in the doorway in nothing but his tighty whities. As soon as he saw me he ducked back behind the corner, but I found it amusing nonetheless.

I ate too much today. I think it's the change in weather and not wanting to go out. I like being tucked into bed with my pups around me, sipping on various beverages and watching my programs.