This was all funny for about a day. Well, maybe less than a day.
There are a few channels in actual English. One being the History channel (score), and one being some network that seems obsessed with NCIS (LAME-O). I hate that show and all the ones like it and am embarrassed that it's in crazy syndication over here... Cornball. Gag me. (Which city, you ask? I DON'T CARE! THEY'RE ALL TERRIBLE!!) And if you like it, I will judge you for it. If you wanna watch a "crime show" about that stuff, what the heck else would you watch besides Law & Order: SVU? Duh. Get with the program.
Anyway, I brought only my most favorite movies and most favorite tv series that I have on DVD. I only had so much room and so much weight that I could bring when I came in May, so I had to make some brutal decisions. Not all of them made the cut. The ones that were lucky enough to make this trip and not be subjected to a box in Mr. Sander's basement include Roseanne, The Cosby Show, Forrest Gump, The Blind Side, and my fav Judd Apatow flicks. (Also numerous chick flicks that you don't need to concern yourself about.)
I love all of these and can recite them by heart, but as a normal person you need to have some time pass between screenings of these beloved films so as to not wear them out. Perhaps 3-4 months or so between so you can still laugh at all the jokes and anticipate your favorite scenes.
Naturally, I wore out these select few pretty quickly once we moved into our apartment. You'd be surprised at the amount of organizing and unpacking that's involved in situating a half household. Well...really a third of a household in our case, and for all this unpacking I needed background noise. I was done in a few days and found myself in a pickle, having played most of the movies and shows at least once. After the initial flurry of moving in tasks, which lasted about 3 days, I only had my own work and errands to do.
To work well, I need to have myself set-up, so to speak, or else I get distracted or bored and/or annoyed. I work for myself and am home most days. I like to have stuff playing when I'm editing and doin' my housewife chores. Silence usually bugs me. I like tv noise or music. If I don't have these, I hear the voices in my head and good grief are THEY annoying.
In my most favorite work space so far, in our little house in Alabama, I would usually have YouTube or my little tv or iTunes playing, switching out in between them all day. Audrey, who either curled up under my desk in a less than comfortable looking position or on the futon, seemed to enjoy the variety of entertainment as well. (She also gets bored easily.)
With no regular tv to have on and most of my music trapped back on my desktop at my Mom's, I've been concerned about how to keep myself happy.
This is where the library comes in. (*You thought library = books?! HA HA HA HAAA!)
I must say, this Army library is quite impressive. It's small and not impressive by any architectural standards, but they have almost every tv series you could think of, including HBO and Showtime and old CW shows. (Like I think every season of Dawson's Creek, the first season of Felicity, and a commendable amount of Gossip Girl.) There are also tons of movies and apparently if they're missing one that you're searching for they will order it for you and it'll magically appear. Wow. (Sorry if I mislead you with the whole "this Army library is impressive" statement. I didn't mean it has a cathedral ceilinged reading room furnished with old leather chairs and ladders that slide along 15 feet high bookshelves stocked with leather-bound classics that have that beloved old book smell. This isn't Beauty & the Beast. I'm easy to please.)
There is also an adorable old Korean man that works there who always has funny comments about my DVD choices. He doesn't exhibit strong English, and I still know only 3 words in Korean,
which makes it even more entertaining. He hasn't said much about the books I take out... Wonder what that means...
Anyway, there's a limit to the number of DVDs you can check out, which makes sense. It also makes sense that I was unaware.
One time when I took out too many, the equally adorable, shy, young Korean girl who works there took my stack and spread them out and quietly gasped, "Oooooo...many DVD. Oh. Oh no."
Confused, I asked her what was wrong and she said I had about 8 too many. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but I did have like 7, I think, and you can only take out 5. She broke the rules for me though, and I happily (and a little guiltily) left with 2 full seasons of Friends, the 2nd season of Shameless, the last season of Gilmore Girls, the Sopranos, the classic, 2nd season of Gossip Girl, and Parks and Recreation. Awesome.
Anyway, this library is sort of a sanity saver. Ok, maybe I wouldn't go clinically crazy without background noise, but I sure am happy & exceedingly grateful to have the comfort of home in television entertainment. Walter has made a bunch of friends playing in different frisbee leagues around here and in Seoul, and they make me appreciate all the things I have access to on post. Thanks to them, I am reminded to not take small things for granted. They can't do simple things like rent DVDs in English (without it being a total mission), they don't have access to a pretty nice gym whenever they want, they cannot purchase Sam Adams and PBR, and they can't even buy Cinnamon Toast Crunch to prepare for a long day of teaching English to crazy little 6 year olds. They have to buy Korean cereal, and who knows what those boxes say!
(Actually, a bunch of those frisbee people are fluent in Korean, so... I guess they know.)
I decided to look for some zumba or workout DVD's and LOOK at what I found:
I chose the workout based on the outfit of the lady featured on the dazzling cover.
Which one do you think I chose?
(And I'll get back to you about if I actually did the workout...)
Overall, I love you library. As a child I loved you because I was a huge bookworm nerd, and now I love you because, well...I am still a bookworm nerd but I appreciate your sustaining my nerdy-American-television-show sanity.
Epilogue:
How could I be displeased with a library that offers all of THIS:
And then, on further inspection and to my absolute glee, THIS!
Now I understand how Kip and Napoleon were sold on being cage fighters.
It's marketing genius.
*Just so you know, I am currently trudging my way though a very interesting but laborious book called The Lost Children of Wilder. It's about the intense struggle to reform foster care in the state of New York. It's very well written, and is more investigative reporting than a story (meaning I have to constantly stop and google large judiciary words and famous case references that are over my head) but it's haunting and moving and I'd recommend it to anyone who cares about children. (Did you know that children used to be placed in foster care according to religion? Religion that was never taught to them half the time? And in NY the Catholics and Jews ran the joint, so where does that leave Protestant children? And mostly, where does that leave Black Protestant children? It's crazy. And the Protestant agencies aren't the "victims" here - they're all corrupt and greedy and it makes me sad. And now the main plaintive that this book's case is centered around has her own child when she's 14 and he is becoming a "trouble maker" at 5 years old and it's just...it's just heartbreaking... He's terrified of being abandoned yet again and clearly doesn't understand what he's doing wrong. This thick book is why it has been mainly DVDs being checked out of this cherished little plain brick building the past few weeks. I'm usually a very fast reader but this one actually requires silence. Sorta like a textbook with emotional reaction. ...Is that an oxymoron? )
On a lighter, more random note, here are some random pics from my random Friday, which was an EXQUISITE fall day...
This little guy is the 3rd puppy addition to my landlord's office. Unlike the little white yippy and tiny black chihuahua yippy dogs in the crate seen in the pic, he gets to roam free.
I sure hope his job isn't to be a guard dog, though, because when he saw me through the glass door he barked and jumped back and peed on the floor. I felt bad for the assistant that had to clean it up... He's a fraidy cat and would suck at his job.
This was my bike yesterday after I bought half the commissary. It was fine; it took a little while to rearrange and get it all safely and securely into the baskets, but that's ok. (I had to tie the handles to my hippy grocery bags to prevent things from literally popping out as I flew over bumps.)
I laughed along with the man that helped me take out all the bags when he realized I was going to attempt to cram it all in my front and back basket. I laughed because I KNEW I'd do it, and I did.
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Looks serious. It's sorta weird to see it and think, oh, yeah, that's normal.
But it is, and I'm grateful to have a serious looking hiding place should the time come.
Just sayin'...
This is a crosswalk on the way to post. It's a divided highway with 3 lanes on each side, and these people MOVE on it. (And all those little people you see on the other side of the street there are my nemesis: the damn school kids. They come in herds and are, if humanly possible, more situationally unaware than other grown-up Koreans. I feel like in some past life or THIS life all of these people have been struck by a car or fast moving bike and are now impervious to pain. They have no fear. They could care less. "Go on, NAIL me! I don't care." It's annoying.)
The cars and trucks and bongo trucks race each other down these roads at break neck speeds and I honestly feel a bit safer behind these poles. I could sit out on the curb, like a cool guy waiting for the light to change, but I'm not cool. I want to live.
(See 'em? See 'em sittin' there, revvin' their engines?!)
Fun fact: in Psy's crazy "new" video you can see him "dancing" on poles that look just like this. They're spiky...Idk why.
This is my new friend, "Spotty." I've been told this is her name, and I do find it terrible, but for some reason I cannot come up with a name for her yet. (Emmie maybe?)
She lives at the firehouse on post, and back in June when Walter and I went by to say hi one night, sort of late, she almost bit Walter's face off. (Good thing he has such quick reflexes, bc had it been me, she woulda gotten my face.) But more on that later.
I take her little milk bones when I pass, a few times a week, and I think it's working. My bribes have caused her to wag her tail when she sees me, and look how happy she is in these pics! I'm so smart.
And I leave you with a delicious pic of my lunch today. I'm easy to please sometimes, and hot soup and hot, cheesy sandwich seemed the perfect fall lunch. (I was right.) The grilled cheese may look a bit brown according to the deceiving, lying shadows of the photo, but trust me - you should be jealous. It was the bomb.
Thanks for reading, and now please tell me: what's new with you?!
XOXO
