i need a lawn, so i can yell at kids to stay off it.

mothers, hide yer sons

here is a list of the things that came with my fried chicken box from chicken mexicana:

2 pair standard wooden chopsticks
1 packet of table salt
1 cup of nondescript brown sauce
1 tub of pickled radish, cubed and submerged
1 245-ml can of pepsi
1 book of coupons
1 menu
1 business card
1 chicken mexicana bottle-opener / fridge magnet
1 box of individually-wrapped chicken mexicana toothpicks

it was almost like christmas. much better than 5 cartons of eggs or a box of styrofoam cookies.

in other news, this is awesome:

at night, my hatstand comes alive and makes eyes at the bookshelf

after wiping out in my new chucks last night while attempting what has been termed a "pirouette," i've decided that learning to walk in real shoes again after 6 months of flip-flops can be tricky and sometimes painful.
also, a man with two left feet walked into a shoe store and said "i want to buy some flip-flips."

living in seoul is a dream i have to remind myself i'm still in every morning upon waking. this city pulses and pants like an animal in the midday heat and rambles like a drunkard after dark. it is beautiful, alive, and all mine. on the metro today i thought how melancholy public transportation sometimes can be. buses and trains whine and hiss; the people on board stare into nothingness, or sleep, or grudgingly try to reclaim the lost time. but i love it. i love to see the people there, forced to slow down and just exist, leaning and shifting together in an awkward synchronicity.

september is halfway over, and i haven't seen any sign of fall yet. the sun still glowers cruelly at the pavement, the trees and vegetation still riot in the corners. when i walk through the streets, i am thinking of mistakes i have made and not the year ahead. i can tell that fall will be short when it does come, a shaking off of the heat that falls straight into winter.

prima esperanza

if you are ever in a position to either witness the wrath of a korean mother or not witness said wrath, do yourself a favor and choose the latter.
i hope i am not becoming too squeamish.