It Started with a Journal

Here's the write-up for our LA trip! Written in August 2018 while in Anchorage, lol.

July 6 was the GOT7 concert, and I was planning to go down for about a week to see family and friends as well. I would stay with jade_okelani, and meet up with K. from Korean class for the concert itself. But a few days before I was scheduled to leave, adelagia decided that she would deeply regret not going to the concert, so she last-minute purchased a concert ticket and plane ticket for herself! Wheeee! You guys don't know how surprisingly spontaneous this is of her, lol. We are both really big on Planning. Anyway, she booked a room at a place near Jade's, which was convenient for carpooling purposes.

( Part the first! )

LOL you guys... the missing part from my grill arrived yesterday, and it turns out, IT WASN'T MISSING AT ALL. >< The missing part was the retaining clip, which is about the size of two large paper clips (aka still not that big). I looked EVERYWHERE for it, because all the other small parts like the nuts and bolts and what not were all in separate bags, and it wasn't anywhere in those. However, when I went to go finish putting together the grill now that I had the missing piece, I realized IT WAS ALREADY ON THE HOSE THINGY. Like, I had to remove it, in order to put the plug in, and then use the clip to make sure it stayed -- but still, that's where it was the whole time. OMG. I don't know why I didn't think to actually look on the hose itself -- I mean, I figured I needed the thingy, so why even bother touching the hose? >< >< Also, I don't know why they were so inconsistent with their parts!! How is anyone supposed to know it would already be there? The instruction manual has it as a separate part, and indeed, you do have to remove it only to put it back on, so...????

Anyway. The job is done. And now I have a spare retaining clip, which is good considering how important it apparently is. Or at least I think it's done, I don't know for sure because there are a couple of weird things. 1) There is a long hook thingy that the instructions never explain. In the parts list it says it's a "matchstick holder" so I guess it's not technically part of the grill that makes it function. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to put it, though; and 2) The timer/alarm clock. There are NO instructions for installing it in the grill manual, and the little instructions that come with the thing basically tell me to cut the cardbox box it came in apart, and stick that into the slot where the timer is supposed to be. LOL WTF? Am I supposed to put the actual timer in after that? Or was it always intended to just HAVE THE APPEARANCE OF A TIMER BUT NOT ACTUALLY BE A TIMER? lolol I can't even.

Sooooooooooo I am apparently going to KCON NYC. J., who I met at S.'s wedding, pinged me out of the blue the other day and asked if I had any interest in going. I didn't, really, because a) I'm not that into any of the groups going there; b) it was so close to other vacations I had planned; and c) it was all the way across the country. However, J. was desperate because she had bought the tickets on impulse and was now regretting it. (BOY DO I KNOW HOW THAT FEELS!!) Apparently her original intention had been to treat her niece, but her brother (niece's dad) won't let his daughter go, apparently feeling that she was getting way too involved with Kpop stuff and should have limitations. (Niece is already going to a GOT7 concert; they are her bias.) I don't know why J. would buy these tickets without FIRST being sure that her niece could go, but I guess that's where the impulsiveness came in. In any case, they are premium platinum all-access tickets, which means a bunch of extras, including a great place to be at the concert (unfortunately it's standing room near the stage -- I'd rather have actual seats further away because I'M OLD). She doesn't think she can sell them, and would also rather just go if she has someone to go with her, so she offered to let me have the other ticket if I would go with her. Since I am having trouble selling my impulse-buy BTS tickets, this might be an opportunity for us to do an experience swap. My tickets cost twice what hers did, I'm pretty sure, but on the other hand, her friend is putting us up in Manhattan so that prob makes up for it. Anyway, my flight is booked and it looks like this is actually happening, which is crazy. I'm going purely for the experience, though I do wish I were into at least one of the bands that will be there.

Speaking of Kpop, and bands, and GOT7 -- I'm finally into them! Good timing, too, since I'm going to see them in concert in about a month. Now I can actually be excited about that. I started by loving JB, primarily from seeing him in Dream Knights, but now I've grown to love love love Jinyoung, because he's adorable and smart and SO SAVAGE. <3 I rarely like guys from the same "world" equally, but I think it might be the case with JB And Jinyoung. I can't choose between them, and YOU CAN'T MAKE ME. (If I had a gun put to my head, I think I could make a choice... but it's a very fine line, and depending on what I'm watching, I could be swayed!) They used to be in a duo together called JJ Project, and as another fangirl said, "I'm JJP trash." That's what I am, I've accepted it. So now they are joining our lineup of oppas, and I hope we find more soon, because adelagia is a bit oppa lite at the moment.