Sunday night, perfectly content for once

Months later and I'm still listening to Sam Smith's cd. So sad that I didn't figure out he was coming to Merriweather in July until I heard it on the radio - of course by then it's too late. The only way I'm getting to go is if I win some tickets. Oh Sam. I follow him on Instagram.

Good news on the music front is that my all time favorite James Morrison is slowly stirring. He's featured on someone else's single. I'll take what I can I get. If James has an Instagram, I don't know about it. I think he's too cool for Instagram.

My favorite celebrity on Instagram is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The man is downright charming.

JW totally grew on me. He dropped by last night, was feeling sick though. Going to be sad when he leaves, but I'll take what I can get before then. Today I spent Sunday perfectly happy. Read a book. Watched an episode of Heard It Through the Grapevine. Started another book. Hula hooped. Texted friends/family that I love and that love me. Found out that MB had her third child and it's their first boy! I think 3 is the perfect number. I wonder if he'll have dual Korean/US citizenship. He's such a cutie. MB is awesome. That little boy is lucky in the parents God gave him.

Give me the guts to cancel my Verizon cable/phone subscription. I need to give it up. Books hold my interest more than TV, but they're not as warm sometimes. I like seeing people walking/moving/dancing/being foolish. You know, all the things I do. When you read, all those things happen as well (if it's a good book), but you imagine them, so they come from yourself to some extent. Is that healthier?

Last weekend, my mom told me on the phone that I was an average student until I started reading in 3rd grade. My teacher at Eisenhower Elementary noticed me and set me on an advanced track. Her name was Mrs. Calhoun. I owe a lot to her then, which I definitely didn't realize until Mom told me. I hope she's doing alright, enjoying retirement from teaching.

comfort

I bought a comforter. Those things are more expensive than I thought. I walked into the store and a down comforter costs $400. Yeah, I went with the faux-down on clearance. The pattern was my second choice, but who cares. I saved $214 on that thing! Next in my step to make my apartment warm near the windows: curtains. Another day.

My friend's 30th birthday Puerto Rico trip is in motion. It's going to cost more than I'd hoped, but whatevs. Like I told my friend, I really don't buy that many things, so I can afford it.

Dinner was a turkey patty, broccoli, and cauliflower. Tiny bit of that soju I bought weeks ago. The novelty wore off. I think soju is an acquired taste that one bottle didn't make me acquire. Same as with coffee - in undergrad I kept ordering a white chocolate hot chocolate and the baristas kept giving me a white chocolate mocha and one day instead of telling them their mistake, I just drank it. And thus I was converted to coffee. Now that I'm in my advanced 20s, my body has decided to reject concentrated amounts of caffeine. The coffee phase didn't last long.

Yesterday, I finally walked my giant bag of plastic recyclables up the hill. My apartment looks like it has more space, but I have more recyclables (cardboard) taking up that same space, so it doesn't really look any better. Maybe if I could get rid of that crappy TV my dad shoved at me... I'm really not a fan.

Watched the last half of the NYC Marathon. Those people are fast! Still addicted to Prada Candy and to Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour.

let's go to the beach! each!

Real quick. I realized that I have less than one week until I'll be at the beach, so on Sunday I started doing a bunch of youtube fitness exercises. I like the cardio one that gets you to burn 150 calories in 8 minutes. I discovered I have really weak arms. I already knew that, but now it's painfully obvious and embarrassing because its not like I have twig arms. I have arms that look like they have muscle but are lying to the world. The kind of arms that turn into wings when you get old if you don't stay on top of them. Thanks a lot genetics.

I have yet to find a good bikini and a good hat for the beach. I'm sure that CS won't make me wear the bikini all through the beach vacation, aka after we've eaten. I'll just tell her to plan to get up super early and we can take the pics. And then eat and change into one-pieces, haha.

Still in love with Seo In-guk because I'm dragging out my joy of King of High School Savvy. I only have 2 episodes left. Tears of sadness. Can I meet someone like his character in real life? He's awesome! I laugh every single episode.

I also started watching Miss Korea, which came out last winter, mostly because The Voice is in it and I heard it wasn't bad. And it's not bad. Pillar is also in it, although he doesn't get to shine with this character. The guy who played the older brother in The King Two Hearts is a gangster in it and I still like him. I like this drama because whenever there's a character who deserves to get their hair pulled or smacked, the characters actually do it. This woman took off her heels and went running down a hallway just to give a smackdown to a woman who was using the Miss Korea contestants to seduce men. And when this girl was being super bitchy, I was telling the main character that she has to retaliate, and SHE DID. I love it!

Clip from Miss Korea. In the US this means a drug dealer is around, but apparently not in SK.

SC popped up again and texted me some crap about I miss you. And I was basically bitchy through text, but it wasn't even fun because he pulled the victim card and asked me why I was so mean. I miss RA if only for the fact that he just texted right back. He was way more entertaining! Even if he did snore so loud I swore I'd never sleep and he hogged the covers.

soaking strawberries

Got a letter from EM yesterday. Of all the people I know, she writes the best letters. They're like presents. They're written on old vintage paper with a real pen, like she dipped a quill in ink. And she always includes a little card or note that she found in a thrift shop. And they're looong! I love them. I love her.

Other things I love are the drama Marriage Not Dating, which has replaced Seo In-guk's drama only because that drama has gone the way of angst, so I'm going to leave it alone for a few weeks until the story comes out of the doldurms and back to it's original zippy pace. Kdrama angst draaggggs. Just when you think it's over, it hits a snag and unravels so slowly, never to end until the last episode. Or the episode before the last episode. Marriage Not Dating I enjoy because it's got angst and zip built in, so I don't think the story will rocket towards that angst pit of despair. I won't gush about any of the actors because although I like the main lead, Yeon Woo-jin, he's not that pretty. Unless he really pulls out the acting chops, like Park Ki-woong in Gaksital, he's not going to make me gush. He's more winning because of his energy, which I'm hoping he gets to express in this drama. He sure was depressing in Arang, that's for sure. And how is he not serving in the military right now? Did he already go? No clue.

Also, I think I have to go to the doctor about my knee. It's been sore off and on for the past year and refuses to get better. I miss running, and I can't be serious about it when I can't really run. I used to go 4 miles every other day, and then I'd develop shin splints problems. But now I can't even run long enough to develop shin splints. Boo.

Last note: soaking strawberries in vodka just makes them mushy. No flavor explosion.

farewell June - hope in general

I didn't poison myself with the poached chicken. Yay!

i want some walnut ice cream... or earl gray

What lessons did I learn in June? Don't mess with people who still live with their exes. Yes, I already knew that, but for some reason I felt compelled to teach myself that lesson again. It wasn't that bad, just a gentle reminder really. I also learned that having to listen to someone else snore all night is horrible. How do people do it? I see why all those commercials to stop the other person from snoring keep running. Does any of it work? I learned that some difficult hikes really are difficult, even if you're 20-something. I learned that girls are always bitchy, but you love them anyway. I learned that dieting is more effective for losing weight and exercise is more effective for keeping the weight off. I learned that the Hinge app exists and I am too afraid to try it. Also, what poaching is (in cooking).

What do I hope for July? Safe travels for my family and myself. Safe travels for my friends. Good health for all. I hope not to be alone as much, so I can gain more life experiences. I hope to sketch out a premise for a novel project that sticks. I hope in general.

books and dramas, drama in books

Been in a drama slump lately, and now that summer's here I have no US shows to watch, so it's only K and TW dramas to keep me entertained by television. Only I haven't been addicted to anything since Gap Dong ended last weekend. Usually I watch more than one drama at once, but Gap Dong was it for like 4 weeks. But! I think I'm going to love the new dramas:
High School King of Savvy with Seo In-guk
Joseon Gunman with Lee Jun-ki

And I'm going to go back and watch a couple of completed dramas:
Return of Iljimae with Jung Il-woo
Tree with Deep Roots only b/c of the child part with Song Joong-ki

I think after my Verizon contract expires I'm not going to renew it. I'll just get a netflix account and go to the thrift store all the time and buy 50 cent paperbacks. I just finished:
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

And I just started Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. This book is very readable and feels like Mad Men. I never want to see the movie.

Hot RF at work reads! He apparently read the Garth Stein book before, which he mentioned because he saw it on my desk. I find him so ridiculously attractive, but I can't tell if he's gay or straight. He's too well groomed is I guess what I'm looking for. He could swing either way. The Garth Stein book is significant because no other book has ever made me cry on page 6 before, but it's far too simply written to ever go on my favorites list. I like what I like in novels these days, and that novel went overboard in being inspirational - almost like a self-help book towards the end. I can forgive it because the dog reminded me of Bobbi right away, hence the crying because the first and last chapter dealt with the dog's death and the dog passed away almost exactly how Bobbi did. I have a lot of guilt about that - I knew she was sick but I didn't believe she would die, so I went to sleep on faith that she'd be there when I woke up. But then she wasn't, and I learned to just stay with someone if I love them for as long as I can, or I'll regret it.

Been thinking about why I run, and it's not to challenge myself. It's only because I like to run. I like to do a couple miles and smell the woods. I'm realizing that most people aren't like this - they need a race, to test their willpower, to strive for some kind of running goal. I don't. People can't believe that I just want to be outside in the woods. That's all. The way the trees smell. I need that. If I'm too busy struggling to run an 8 minute mile, how am I going to get what I need?

Harpers Ferry day trip

Just a whole bunch of firsts going on around here. Today was the first time I've felt seriously sick in a while - I had to resort to ginger ale and crackers. I didn't have any saltines, only ritz, which were too flavorful at first. And I had the kind of ginger ale that's Goya brand and stings your tongue - I'm just glad it was flat. Bubbles and stinging combined is brutal.

I had to lay on the couch writhing around trying not to puke. The smell of pizza made me nauseous - such a wimp! It's because I went on an epic hike yesterday and barely ate. I was going to have dinner, but then after I showered I decided to read a book first, but I got about 3 pages in when I started to fall asleep, so I took out my contacts and decided to take a nap 6:30ish... and that was all she wrote. I woke up at 4:13am, decided I couldn't do anything, and went back to sleep until 8am. Mistake. I must never go that long without eating again because it just wasn't worth it. While I was lying on the couch I watched nearly all of the final mens' French Open, which was Nadal versus Djokovic this year. I rooted for Nadal as always and he wound up winning, so yay. He is entertaining when he wins. I appreciate drama queens.

Friday night/Saturday with RA went well I thought. I'm trying not to get too attached to him because he just wants a hook up. I have to keep it only hook up because that's the way it is. Willpower, A, willpower. I like him is the trouble, but as long as it just stays like I'll be fine. I just need to stay occupied with other things, that's all. Went hiking and that hike was serious. It was uphill for a mile and a half. I've never been on a hike like that. It was walking up stairs for so long! We didn't even do the whole part that I planned to do because I couldn't face another mile of straight up. I really need to take elevation maps more seriously. We crossed through 3 states (yay birth state of Virginia!) and I got to see the mountains again, reminded me of living in Roanoke - I used to think PA was so flat when I'd come back from living there. Nothing like the shadows passing over the mountains (as RA pointed out) and being able to tell the weather by whether or not the top of a mountain is shrouded in cloud. I realize this probably won't end well, but I like him, so I'll go with the flow.

train bridge over the Potomac River

Frustration - I keep going to Weis and not bringing the coupons!  It's been 2 or 3 times now - It's not like that store is particularly cheap.

shake the world

So I thought RA was gone, but now he's back... no se. I'm confused, so I decided to listen to GD.

Got to work all extra early so I got to leave at 4:15 and it was really nice. It was b/c I didn't manage to get to the 7am bootcamp. I should've known I wouldn't be capbale of that after a long weekend. In any case, it made me 15 minutes early for work, so I got to leave early. I'm being really stubborn about not using air conditioning so I was really sweaty by the time I got home. It just creeps up on me, I swear.  I need to work out.

Listening to GD's Black feat. Jennie Kim

Had the best weekend. I can't even remember what I did on Saturday, but today I woke up and spent like 2 hours working out. First a run/walk for 3 miles, then dancing and hula hoop and 3lb weight stuff. And I ate so well too - regular cereal before the run, but after that the yogurt/honey/granola/fruit thing that looks so pretty and that MW's mom gave me the idea for. After that I make a quick grocery store run and got to use my butter purse for the first time. Seriously, that is the cutest purse and it feels so nice. I am still in new purse heaven.

Also, finally got that mailbox key thing sorted out. I'm not dumb! I just needed a new key and the apt complex didn't tell me until like a week after they installed the new mailbox. But at least I didn't miss any bills, because the electric bill has a mysterious $100 credit on it, so I didn't have to pay anything. And then my April spending wasn't as horrible as I'd thought. The purse thing was by credit card, so it's going to be counted in May. I need to just not spend anything in May because my contacts are coming up in June. And then there's the doctor visit this week, so I need to remember to call mom and write down the family history. And also to bring my shot record with me. I'm not on any medication, so there shouldn't be anything else besides the insurance card.

OMG, GD's "Shake the World" song is so awesome. I love the beat.

No great hopes for the random guy I met volunteering. I think he's on the rebound. Ah well, at least he told me so now I definitely have perspective. Don't think anything's going to come of it before he ships out, but it did make me call two of my friends to despair to them and we had really good phone conversations as a result. Love BG and CS for that!

Stupid movies I watched (parts of) this weekend:
We're the Millers
Identity Thief
Jack the Giant Killer
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

And I think last week I watched the last Harry Potter movie because it's so good. It always makes me cry though.

mint green is growing on me

Why am I up this late? Doing my taxes. Running off candied ginger and a post-run high. I need to make a list of the crap I have to do tomorrow morning:
laundry
change sheets on queen bed
pick up the car seat from the rental office at 8:30
grocery shop
buy a screwdriver
pasta plus at 11:45
work
pick up E by parking in short term parking

Ick. It's all good as I do my taxes on my new $9.99 IKEA table that is worth about $10. They sure priced it right. The only reason why I couldn't make this myself is the nice paint job. None of my furniture really goes, but I am beyond caring. Couldn't resist a $12 pillow that has a treasure map print on the cover. I'm not sorry I bought it. Whenever I drive to IKEA on 495, other drivers do really stupid things, and so far I've been able to just watch and not get involved. I really hope it stays that way. I don't like the living room chairs from IKEA because they're too low. Guess I'll just stick with what I have. Next next weekend I'll go up to PA and make a TV stand / bookshelf with Mom.  Home Depot wood for the win.

coolest clock evAR

holding feeling running shopping interesting drinking

I ran for the first time since 2/2/14. Why? Well it was warm outside and I felt like it. Why didn't I run for almost 2 months? Well it was cold outside so I didn't feel like it - I hate when snot dribbles down my face and I have to run holding tissues.

Feeling kind of sick because I had pizza, wine, ice cream, and tea for dinner. I need to get control of my diet. Hopefully I can run twice a week now and I'll lose some weight. I was definitely in a plateau before. Hopefully my knees will be okay. I'll try running at work on Tuesday.

It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow but I have a grocery shopping mission. It was supposed to rain all day today and that didn't happen. Wow I am not interesting at all when I've been drinking.

winter snowy ice glory

I watched some Olympics to get over my withdrawal from their winter snowy ice glory. Women's figure skating and men's short track.

The Queen of figure skating 김연아! 

Yes, a couple years ago I randomly taught myself to read Hangul b/c I was bored with not being able to read in Kdramas. And I forever love Apolo Ohno, but I now have deep respect for Viktor Ahn. And JR Celski could be in high school - such a baby face.

Dentist tomorrow morning. Commence mad brushing.

post-exercise burn (+peppermint tea)

The week 4 video of winter shape-up surely was a workout. The video is crazy good.

But the girl who made the workout video is kind of awesome. Usually I get tired of the leader's voice, which makes me only do the workout a few times. But I like her.  Favorite quotes:
Last one. Best one.
Burpees!
This is real life.
I just can't get over how fantastic it is that she's likeable, even while she forces you to sweat. I like the workouts because the exercises change so fast that I don't have time to get bored.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and after that only two more days of winter shape up left. I really needed it to stay active. The hold the cold has on me has been strong in 2014.

Prayers to my coworkers and their families. Prayers to my family.

snow day 2014 :-)

Code red at work, which just means it snowed, so don't go in to work. Unfortunately, I had to telework. Are those extra hours? I hope it snows a buttload tonight so that I don't have to go to work tomorrow.  Upside, no commuting, I got to have the Olympics on in the background, I did my workout in the middle of the day, I drank like 7 cups of tea and I think I'm going to make some more, there's nothing like tramping through a foot of snow in waterproof boots, my neighbor helped me shovel out my car, and of course hearing everyone's snow day stories.

and i'll love you (platonic) forever

Saving on commuting time means I get to watch dramas. I'm on a total rom com kick, so I already squee'd over the latest two episodes of "My Love From Another Star." And after my tea, I'm going to watch episode 4 of "I Need Romance 3." I never bothered to watch 1 or 2, but Sung Joon is in the third one, and there's something about him that does it for me. I'm basically in love with his voice and his acting. I know it's not his looks b/c he looks like a very tall 17 year old. I'm a sucker for a good male voice, not the high ones. Take Jang Geun-seok for instance, he is (or was) pretty like a girl, but his voice is delicious. It goes the opposite way too, like Kang Ji-hwan who looks attractive, but his voice is just so darn high that I can't get behind him.

This also goes for real life. I come from a family of skinny people. I think all my cousins, which is like 30 people, are skinny except for 2 (to my male cousins, skinny/muscular in some cases). My parents are skinny. I am for some reason, the only one of my 3 siblings that has to struggle with eating and exercising in order to stay thin. I flirted with chubby, but now I'm a size 6, so smaller than the average woman around these here parts. Anyway, all I'm saying is I'm preconditioned to love skinny  people. I do not go for husky guys. And if you're a husky guy with a high voice, oh it'll never happen. I mean, I can't force myself to be attracted to you. This is my trouble, I need to meet some guy that I'm actually attracted to. No, friends from high school, don't make me online date.

short track! short track!

I always forget how entertaining men's short track is.  People going down left and right. Everyone graceful and controlled. Pulling off spandex suits. Yes, I should be asleep by now.

Men's 1500m, final heat

Going to cut down to one scoop of sugar per cup of tea. I drink a lot of tea. I dreamed about ice cream, so I made the dream come true and bought it.

feel the Olympics addiction coming on

Been struggling to churn out a post a day on black writers for Black History Month. Mostly struggling because I don't make an effort to remember author names and I'm trying to stick with living writers. I think it would be so boring to rehash the same classic authors over and over. I mean, I love Chekhov, but the man's been dead for years; give me someone who's heard of the internet and used a cell phone. Yes, I know Chekhov is Russian and definitely not Black. He was just the first dead author I thought of, is all.

Still doing the Winter Shape Up 2014 program. I've almost made it through 2 weeks. Tomorrow I just need to do the workout video, take a shower, and then it's off to the Wizards game with AC. I also want to buy some Turkey Hill ice cream, which I just realized is $1.98 this week. I went to Shoppers today, but didn't even look down the ice cream aisle. I had eaten only a biscuit all day, so I was weak. I couldn't even find it in me to have a pleasant bland look on my face. It was that situation where you stand and your vision goes red and you feel like you're swaying. Why did I do that? I woke up and read a book for hours instead of sensibly eating something. In my delirium, I accidentally bought pork sausage. Ew. I wanted turkey! I didn't realize it until I'd eaten two. I was wondering why it tasted different. Ew. Ew. Ew.

Sochi opening ceremony

Olympics time differences are throwing me off. I guess watching the Winter Olympics was easier the last time around when they were in Vancouver. You could watch it live then. I read that Sochi is 9 hours ahead of EST, but for some reason I can't get my head straight concerning when I should actually watch. Does all the action happen while I'm asleep? So far I've managed to watch only reruns, but at least since I'm so anti-web surfing these days I'm not getting spoiled. I really just care about the figure skating (not ice dancing), the snowboarding, and the speed skating. I caught some athlete stories and also saw Apolo Anton Ohno, who isn't competing but announcing this time around. He got ridiculously famous thanks to the Olympics, and I used to have a crush on him back in 2002 in Salt Lake. I thought he was so much older and cooler than me - turns out he was 19. My mini-crush has stayed steady over the years, but will always be mini due to his facial hair, haha. I'm superficial like that. I also caught a rerun of Evgeni Plushenko skating in the team event mens short program, and it was cool to hear his name pronounced with a Russian accent. I'm totally saying it wrong. So wrong. He's 31 and I hate how they're calling him old.

Loving the Kdrama You From Another Star/My Love From Another Star. I've gotten into the ritual of watching the week's episodes Friday after work. I sqee'ed so hard after the end of episode 15 yesterday. I adore the female lead (she makes me laugh, she makes me cry, she makes me jealous that she can pull off so many avant garde fashion choices). I adore the male lead (he's a grumpy old man in a 26 year old's hot body, always grumbling about kids today). I adore the second male lead (baby!). The best scenes are the ones where the two leads are together. I love when the occasional super-addicting Kdrama comes along. I've been wanting to watch "I Need Romance 3," only because Sung Joon is sexy in every picture I see from that show, and I liked the female lead in Two Weeks, so it must be good. I've always thought Sung Joon was kind of tall and awkward, and the only thing that made him sexy was his voice. Even in "Can We Get Married?" I thought of him as kind of awkward and adorable more than someone who gets your heart thumping. I'm sure hoping those pictures aren't lies because I am prepared to adore his character.

Superbowl XLVII... and here I keep thinking it's 34 every year

Half-watching the Superbowl. Or I was. Not much of a game this year. I mostly turned it on b/c it reminds me of my father. He doesn't watch sports as much as he used to, but he always watches the Superbowl. This year he's stuck in San Fran.

Was 50 and cloudy and a gorgeous day to be outside today. I meant to run for 30 minutes, but I wound up walking/wandering around outside for an hour and 15. I covered 4.78miles. I needed it! Tomorrow it's back to cold and snow and slipping around.

Spent the weekend engrossed in Tartt's "Goldfinch" novel; still not done, but I'm moving along. The main character frustrates me sometimes though - it's hard to put myself in his place and think of his actions as reasonable. At the point in the novel I've reached, I'm tired of him b/c his first instinct is to lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. He's no good for the people in his life, a screwed up childhood only gives you so much leeway.

Tomorrow's plan is to make it through work as best I can. Looks like it'll be a boots kind of day again, as another snowstorm blows through the East coast. Meh.

you tart, you

Brain surgery is going around. Successful ones luckily. All those days of starving and today I got free food at work from 3 different places. The potluck was the best.

I got Donna Tartt's book from the library. I had to place a hold on it, which I did maybe a month or two ago. And now I shall finally be able to read it. I mainly want to read it because The Secret History is one of my favorite novels and I'm waiting for her to write something again that blows me away.

I was moody today. I had to go to a lab meeting and socialize for 45 minutes while trying to stuff myself with green beans. I gave up. I didn't. I mostly thought about brain surgery and how there aren't enough women in science. A room full of scientists and only 4 including me were women. 3 including me were Black. 3 were Asian. How do boys do so poorly in grade school, but then by college there are like 2 girls in the higher level math and science classes? I should know - I've been one of the two girls. Is it like this in other countries?

Wondering. Wondering about that phd. At this point it won't happen unless I reach out and contact the university. Should I let this chance slip away? Is it a chance? I guess I just want permanence, and that's just an illusion, a thing I thought existed. I wish school would give that to me, but I'd have the degree and then still search for a job, bounce around, I don't want to bounce around with uncertainty, which is why the military lifestyle appeals to me. You're bouncing around with certainty, with purpose, with the security that you'll have a job, with minimal risk.

I started the Winter Shape Up 2014 program on Monday and I am sore. It lasts for a month. I don't mind because I need to get toned again. I still fit in my clothes, but what if that's only because my body is gradually stretching them? It should be warm enough by Friday for me to run outside. Yay to the yay.

i could do that.

haiku

It's gotta be you 
all the way
all that i ever wanted
i promise you i will be true
it's only you
I watched T.O.P's new music video and came away with an old BSB lyric in my head. Been that kind of night. Thanks, Two Weeks.

Studied up on haikus b/c my aunt posted one on the book of faces and asked me if it was any good. So I learned new words in wikipedia:

metonym(n)-a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name, but rather by the name of something associated in meaning w/ that thing or concept; for example, Wall Street implies corporate America, the pen implies the written word, Hollywood implies the film industry

caesura(n)-a complete pause in a line or poetry or in a musical composition <---I actually used to know this one, but it's been 4 years since I took Advanced Poetry in school, so I forgot

kigo(n)-a defined word or phrase that symbolizes or implies the season of the poem, often in the form of a metonym; for example, cherry blossom implies spring, pumpkin implies autumn <---apparently Japanese haiku writers referenced books of kigo phrases, and here I thought they came up with them on their own

kireji(n)-cutting word typically found at the end of a line or verse. It may cut the stream of thought, suggesting a parallel between the preceding and following phrases, OR provide a dignified ending, concluding the verse with a heightened sense of closure; for example, -, ...

After all that, of course I had to take a crack at haikus, which I have never written successfully. I think I concentrate on the 5-7-5 too much and forget to put any substance into the poem at all.

The sharp scent of grass
expands lungs drowning inside.
I need to get out.

Aka, I drove home with the window open just so I could breathe in the fresh air. Inside air is so stifling, and my knee acted up this week, so I didn't run, therefore didn't get outside.

My director was funny - he popped into the office to announce an alpaca festival at the county fair this weekend and said he loves alpacas and can't wait to pet them. He's usually so serious and concerned that I have no clue what he likes. No doubt he's hilarious when he gets home to his family.

baaaby bottle pop! baby bottle pop!

I've had one of those days where I had no time to myself until 9:30pm. And I get ready for bed at 10 people. Well, I guess the time spent commuting will have to count as me-time. I feel very accomplished.

Talked with my friend over the phone, she's a new mother. Wow, the patience that takes. I'm impressed every day.

Played volleyball for a little, just enough to know my serve is still there. My hand hurts. Who knew, but volleyballs are softer in warm weather. Can we get a repeat of the first days of October when it was 80 outside?

the baby bottle pop commercial song is stuck in my head