It Started with a Journal

So far so good on the kombucha front. I made the nutrient solution (which is a fancy way of saying "sweet tea"), stuck in the SCOBY, and now I just have to let nature take its course. It doesn't help though that it's cooled down considerably here, so the temp in my house may not be ideal for yeast to thrive. :/

Apparently there's a Kickstarter to make an American version of Boys Over Flowers. There's less than a week left and so far under $1k in support. LOL. All I have to say is... GOOD. American TV would never be able to adapt YA Asian drama well. The studios don't appreciate the *sanctity* of a pure-hearted, guilty-pleasure romance. They'd totally want to ruin it with intrigue or infighting or sex or whatever the hell else to break the couple up -- not to mention, would either try to cancel it prematurely if ratings aren't good, or if ratings ARE good, try to unnaturally extend the series well beyond anyone's enjoyment. It's fucking sad that that pretty much describes all American TV. They don't know how to tell a good story and then let it go. All they care about is MONEY.

Never let it be said that Asian dramas can't actively improve your life. Not only do they provide a bunch of happy endorphins and make you really hungry for good Asian food (it's funny/awesome, food is such a big part of the characters' everyday lives, whereas on American TV, food is pretty much an afterthought -- characters pretend like they're gonna bite into a slice of pizza but never do, they push food around on their plate or eat one pea, etc.), they also give you great ideas like a bath headband to hold your hair back when you're watching your face! Now I have four of my very own. It's not as nice as Kotoko's (from J-drama Mischievous Kiss, the latest remake of the manga Itazura Na Kiss, though the best remains Taiwan's It Started with a Kiss), but it'll do, pig. It'll do.

To Kindle or not to Kindle? Anyone have one and care to offer an opinion? I think it's really neat and all, but I don't know if I can let go of my traditionalist ways that say a book should be held in one's hands. I'm slowly getting used to the idea of letting that go (so much harder than letting go of CDs), but even if I get past that, I don't know if I can get past the idea of having to buy all my books, rather than borrowing from the library or something. I mean, the books I REALLY love, I'll still want a physical copy, which is also true of cookbooks, so is the Kindle (and its ilk) just not for me yet?

I'm back from my loooooooooong vacation. I've had better. I was sick for the first two weeks (and I think I've gotten sick AGAIN since coming back!). The weather in SoCal was horrible for much of it. Torrential rain pour that caused flooding. WTF? If I wanted that sort of thing I would have stayed in Seattle. And then there was SNOW where my parents live. Again, WTF. The best part of the trip was when jade_okelani, ropo and I got mani/pedis and later Jade and I went to this $20 massage parlor that was AWESOME. (Robbie couldn't go because she has stitches near her boob.) I've been to an inexpensive massage parlor before and it was OK. But this one was fantastic. Jade, who's been to many more of them than me, said that it was way beyond the next best she'd been to. Foot soak, foot rub, and full-body massage (clothes on) for 60 minutes, $20 plus tip. If I had that place near me I would go every week. It was better than some $60+ massages I've had! Jade has found me a place to try in Kirkland (it's $25), but I don't know how good it will be. This other place set the bar too high.

The big, huge, enormous news is that I have bought my parents a house. I've been talking about it for a long, long time and it finally came to fruition. We closed escrow before the end of the year after a nightmare of a process (the seller's representative had the absolute WORST communication skills -- I don't know how SHE has a job when so many intelligent and literate people do not; my lender afterward was like, "that woman was driving me crazy"). It was just one problem/issue after another. I was stressed out about it every day. So that was not pleasant. Hopefully that's over now and no further problems will arise. GIANT SIGH. However with this new mortgage I'm going to be living off instant noodles. Seriously, I went to H-Mart last night and bought like a month's worth of ramen. It'll be like being a college student all over again!

Went to Vegas to check out my aunt's 'condo' (it's more like a small suite) at the MGM for the first time. She bought it for some astronomical amount during the housing market boom and it's plummeted in value -- but anyway, I made the mistake of accompanying my mom to the slots, where I lost the money I brought to gamble with (not a lot). I don't know why I always do this, maybe because the slots are so brainless and require minimal effort, but I NEVER win at them. Others in my family seem to be able to win at them all the time; not me. I should always stick to table games. Last time I was in Vegas I won money playing blackjack (with Jade's help), and this time I won back most of my slot losses playing roulette (with my cousin B.'s help). If we'd stayed longer I might have done better than essentially break even, as long as I stayed away from the slots. :P

For Christmas I got pajamas (which I always love and believe we should wear at all times during the day and night), a bunch of clothes I returned (both because I didn't want to take it back to Seattle when all I brought was a backpack, and because most were so Not Me), video games (from my brother), various gift cards, and the always-welcome gift of cash. I also got this calendar from Robbie, which I wanted because I'm a giant nerd. She also got me a Snuggie, teehee. What's funny is that my aunt got Talis a doggie Snuggie, and there's a photo of the two of us in our Snuggies. Hilarious. Well, to me, anyway.

Misfits is the best show ever. If you haven't seen it yet, do. There are two seasons, S1 has 6 eps, S2 has 7 eps.

Oh and to feed my It Started with a Kiss obsession, I've borrowed Itazura Na Kiss, the original manga finally translated into English, from the library. :D

We had a freakish storm this morning. Noah was out there with his ark. It rained so much and so hard, and there was lightning. I do not believe I have received any superpowers because of it, more's the pity. It would be kind of awesome to have that kind of weather raging outside if you were snug and warm at home, but when you're trying to get to work via bus? Not so much.

ID this TV show quote: "I'll build the ark; you gather the animals."

I've been a total and complete slug since I got back. I always get this way in the wintertime, when it's so cold that I don't want to do anything but huddle under my blankets. I don't have central heating in my house; instead, each room has its own baseboard heater. This helps save on the electric bill, but it also means that once I'm in a warm room, I don't want to leave it for anything.

I finished Misfits S1, and once again I must rec it. I haven't started S2 yet, because I'm hoping that jade_okelani is going to start the show soon, and if she likes it, then we can watch S2 together while I'm in LA. If she doesn't like a show this awesome and funny, then I'll have to reevaluate our friendship. Ditto ISWAK, which she is FINALLY going to start watching when I'm visiting, though I'll give her a little more leeway on it, since it is sort of on crack (but in a good way!). Back to Misfits... by the end of S1 I was finding Nathan strangely compelling. He's so not my usual type. He's more up slitherhither's alley with his skinny frame and all. He's Merlin-esque.

I can't believe I'm going to be getting on a plane on Friday. And then again on Sunday. And then again on Wednesday. Hopefully it will not rain like this on Wednesday, because K. has to watch the kids while D. has some appointments, so she can't take me to the airport. Last time I took the bus to the airport it was pouring, and that is SO NOT FUN when you've got luggage. And this time I'll have a whole chocolate cake with me! It's insane, but I'm bringing Bakery Nouveau's chocolate cake to LA so jade_okelani and ropo can try it.

I've been trying to search for official, confirmed info on It Started with a Kiss 3, but apparently it only exists in fans' dreams. All there is are rumors, nothing for sure. That makes me sad.

XM Radio keeps calling me because they want me to re-up my subscription (which was a trial, anyway). I never pick up. They've been trying every day for weeks now. I wonder when/if they'll ever give up? Will I cave before they do? It doesn't seem possible, and yet... I don't know that I've seen anyone be this persistent.