non-SELF: day it doesn't matter

I have to rant a little. I'm not going to gossip (god forbid), but I do have to get a few things off my chest.

First, Koreans shuffle their feet all the time. The women wear these cheap platform flip flops at work and couldn't possibly pick up their feet (I agree it would be tough in this ridiculous footwear). So they shuffle. And the men are just as bad! They wear plain old flip flops and shuffle through life in those. These aren't old men or children: they are my co-workers and my students. And. They. Are. Shuffling. GOD it's annoying.

Second, this exercise regiment is killing me. I can't get enough food nor enough sleep. No matter what I eat, I'm hungry and no matter how long I sleep, I'm still tired. Last night, for the second night in a row, I was asleep by 9:30. Sure, waking up at 5:45 is hard, but come ON...isn't EIGHT hours of sleep enough? Jeesh. I know it's extreme, but really...shouldn't these things be leveling off by now? I thought so. However, on an entirely positive note, I'm totally healthy. I haven't gotten a tickle in my throat or a sniffle in my nose since this all started. Pretty amazing for someone who gets sick nearly every time she rides the subway. Pretty, pretty good.

Third, I got neighbours yesterday. For eight months, I've been totally neighbour-free. On one side of me is a freezing cold concrete wall. On the other is a vacant apartment since Tom moved out (the yelling-in-his-underwear man) in July. It's been glorious. Last night though, at around 9, these two English-speaking Koreans were moving in. Right. I said hello, was friendly, even said, "welcome to the building." Sure I did. And then sometime after 9:30 (because that's when I went to bed, sheepishly), she started to yell. Her yelling woke me up. Who the eff yells that loudly? He tried to quiet her down, which only further exacerbated the issue. Wonderful. It must have been about twenty minutes of yelling, intermittently. Between her rants, I drifted back to sleep, only to be jolted awake again later. ARGH. I was this close to knocking on their door and telling them they were too loud, but I was in my pajamas and red socks. Who wants to be seen like that? No one. They are why I'm tired: interrupted sleep.

Fourth, I'm cold. Still. No matter what I do, unless I'm 5 kms deep in a run, I'm cold. I'm cold at home (oh, except for the night before last. I fell asleep with the bedwarmer on and the thermostat set to a whopping 21 degrees! It was heavenly!), really cold at work (because they insist on leaving the windows open in the hallways, rendering me completely conversationless as I motor from class to class), and cold when I walk anywhere. I will say that they keep the buses rather cozy though, so as soon as I board, I feel much better, but come ON, Spring. Where ARE you? I'm so sick of winter. And the other foreign teachers swore that spring was almost here. We could start wearing spring jackets. Yeah right...I'm still bundled in whatever layers I can find. Today for instance, I'm wearing a tank top, shirt, wool sweater, and hooded sweater over pants and insulated long johns. Extreme? I think so.

Fifth, my favourite blogger isn't blogging very regularly. That means I don't have happy happy happy things to fill my day. And that annoys me. I get that sometimes there's nothing to say and that blogging takes time, but come on.

Sixth, I still haven't figured out how to buy tickets for Seoul Fashion Week. The website is all in Korean and I can't think of a reasonable time to interrupt what seems like legitimate work to ask a Korean co-worker if they can help me navigate my way to a ticket.

Lastly, I don't have an Italian job yet. This simultaneously freaks me out and aggravates me.

Alright, now it's time for the good. I told you that a little man changed my Korean life. So too, last night, did a little lady change it. I love love love little Korean children. My students, for the most part, are just regular teens, with their regular hormones and issues...oh brother. While I do have a soft spot in my heart for teenagers and their angst (eye roll), the children here are super sweet. Love love love.
There is an old man at the gym (I like to call him, "Porm" because he always comments on my form, but pronounces it, "porm") who humped an exercise ball for some time this morning. It was so comical, we could barely get through the shoulder sets we were doing. We actually thought it would be a good idea to film him and make this spectacle public. Because it was that good. Korea...you've done it again.

Week 4 of SELF ended with 27 kilometres. I skipped three runs this week, but I managed three 8 kms. I like this and will be just fine with a 27-km week.
Voila done.

I miss Rice Krispy squares. If you have the wherewithal and want to send me the marshmallows, I can buy the rice. Naturally...in the Land of Rice. Then I can make this classic with no oven. A kid mentioned that she loved apple pie today. I almost fell over. I'm not a pie fan myself, but sometimes the thought of something from home is just amazing. Now pie is all I'm craving for Breakfast, Second Edition.

I need something to cheer me right up...


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