Week in Review: Week 270

MONDAY

ALREADY???

TUESDAY

Jump Rope News: no news. Still can’t get past 49.

Hunted for shoes. Failed. I DESPISE in-person retail. The feeling is mutual, I’m sure.

WEDNESDAY

I need to get productive – I’m leaving in two days for the overnight wedding adventure and I have stuff I need to get done before then BUT I’m still “stress hungover” from last week and I’ve been in my nightgown and on the sofa in front of the tv before dark for the past few days!

Haircut has dropped off my list cuz now not only is Haircut Michael MIA, but the salon isn’t even answering calls. I was THIS CLOSE to whacking a hunk of hair off myself this past weekend. And while that usually goes So Well, I stopped myself (well, I did a bang trim, but). But I MUST get shoes for the new/substitute dress and I need to make the apartment landlord-ready in case she needs to come down for anything while I’m gone. I always feel like I have to let her know if I’m going to be away overnight and then she offers to check on Jane. Who will be fine for 30 hours alone and would probably be happier just left alone than to have a stranger come into the apartment while I’m gone, but…Landlady always insists. I don’t mean INSISTS insists, but she’s like, “no, poor Jane all alone, I’ll check on her” and it’s hard to say SHE JUST WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE. Anyway. So, dish-washing and vacuuming Must Happen in the next two nights. I know to the average person that probably seems like nothing but they feel like such daunting tasks to me.

THURSDAY

Car charger/adaptor thingie so I can charge and listen at the same time, broken. WHY TODAY, UNIVERSE??

I’ll go anywhere by myself as long as I have: available balance on a credit card, full tank of gas, cell phone with a full charge for GPS. Car snacks are nice but not mandatory.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY

Favorite bits of trip:

• Driving under landing planes, especially when the big shadow passes over the car
• Rest-stop concession had grapefruit juice
• Laughing hysterically in car alone while listening to Grown Ass Fandom podcast
• When the Toll Police didn’t get me for driving with an unfilled EZ-Pass
• Listening to Katie “take a meeting” at lunch – she sounded so competent. Way more competent than *I* EVER was 🙂
• My niece looking so radiantly beautiful and happy as a bride
• Wedding cake
• Long soak in the tub at the end of long long day
• Visiting friend from work who moved to Philly a couple years ago and seeing that she and her husband have built a really nice life for themselves
• The grapey-sweet scent of wisteria in bloom everywhere
• Driving home with windows down and sunroof open

SUNDAY

Literally, the day of rest. I am puffy, stiff, and weary. SO much time spent in the car. There was traffic and construction everywhere. I’m not a person who minds traffic really…but it cut into my Katie time. And now my feet are puffy and my jeans are tight. Ha. Don’t know how that happened in two days, but. Whatevs. Slept late, watched videos, worked on blog posts, responded to 12k comments on my Friday “wedding guest dress” TikTok post that has gone a little viral. It’s up to 7,200 views and I normally get 150-250. Go figure. I really want to vacuum cuz my dirty carpet is depressing me…but I don’t think I have the energy.

Basically, I’m glad that the past two weeks are behind me, between work stuff and then trip stuff…I’m exhausted and haven’t had enough “Bettye Time.” I’m gonna cut myself some slack this week.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. Yeah, right.

WHAT I’M READING

This really good Rolling Stone article about BTS that is delightfully NOT fluffy and portrays them in a realistic light.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

Thirty But 17. This is a “he’s so cute she’s so cute everyone’s so cute it’s all so cute I can’t!” and then I cry. It’s one of those. So touching and endearing. I’m gobbling it up as fast as I can but I don’t want to finish it cuz then it will be over 🙁

#FirstWorldProblems

I wanted to share a trailer but I have to say as wonderful as their SHOWS are, their (Asian dramas) trailers are HORRIBLE. As are most of their descriptions. If I went by either of those things, I would never watch ANYTHING. Fortunately, I follow talented and creative TikTokkers who make WONDERFUL “trailers” and make every show seem appealing. I’ve been known to watch an entire 16-episode show because of ONE 10-second scene I saw shared on TikTok. I hope those people are making money somehow off their creations, cuz they’re Really Good.

Ahh, so I finished this tonight just before scheduling this post. So sweet. It’s sad when the really good ones end, like I’m losing these lovely people from my life (it’s a sad existence, I know). So if I especially like one of the actors – as I did the darling male lead in this one – I look them up to see what else they’ve done, so I can add those to my “to watch” list…that’s how I find new shows to watch. It’s not like people at work are recommending shows! Anyway, I was disappointed to see he hadn’t been in anything in a while, which seemed odd cuz he was SO good…and I saw he’d won some best new actor awards a couple years ago. Then I found that he entered the Korean military last year…so it’ll be awhile before I see him in anything again 🙁

I find the Korean military so interesting. Here, most people enlist right out of high school, and either make a career of it, or spend their two years (or whatever it is), then come home and get on with their lives at age 21ish. In Korea you have up until age 28 to enlist…and it seems like a lot of actors and other celebrities DON’T go right away, but then end up having to leave like right when their careers are taking off, which seems so…like…why wouldn’t you do it early and get it over with??

BTS is facing this in the near future, with the two oldest members having turned 28 in the past few months. But the Korean government passed what some are calling “The BTS Law,” which says that if someone (a celebrity or athlete) is “contributing significantly” to the nation, then they can have til the age of 30 to enlist. There’s a lot of discussion online about whether they’ll just go 1 and 2 at a time, and the remaining members will continue performing…or whether in two years they’ll just all go at the same time, get it all over within the 20-months, then all return to music at the same time. Neither option is ideal, but they all speak firmly about honoring their country by doing their duty in the military.

Oh well. I ALMOST made it through an entire post without mentioning BTS.

** Sorry for lack of photos. The past couple weeks have whooped my butt.