Potato chips

I was kidnapped on new year's eve by family friends - a mom and daughter team said I was not allowed to stay home alone watching Grey's Anatomy. They drove over, took me out for WAY too much food, and brought me to their very warm home so that I could watch GA at their house with a brief break at midnight to watch people hitting the big bell downtown. On new year's day, they continued to feed me and then packed up all sorts of things to set up house, from food to plates to dishcloths. I could barely fit into my suit to pay respects to my famous family, where I was utterly embarrassed.

One of my aunts insisted that I shake hands w/the former prez and my great aunt (she has a strong grip, something that people always say about my own), and then insisted on announcing that I was unmarried, causing him to pull out a fresh bill to give to me. He had just given my tiny nieces and nephew money, too, b/c you give money to children. In Korean tradition, if you are not married, you are still a child. It doesn't matter how old you are (and I just turned 33 on new year's day, along w/everyone else born in the year of the fire snake). Totally mortified.

I recovered by going home w/my cousin and his wife (who is newly preggers!! I'll be around for almost the entire pregnancy, minus the summer birth) and laying on the heated floor in front of the TV with chocolate. We had the traditional soup of the day for dinner. Today I picked up a bunch of things from my studio so that I can pack for the countryside. Tomorrow is laundry D-day and an art opening, the next day is lunch w/Hyesun, and then I am gone to the boonies.

I was craving potato chips for a long time and finally got them today. I'm suddenly scared that my laundry won't dry in time. I feel incredibly out of it, both by my own hand and also not, and was thinking today that I don't want to do any more moving a million times in small time frames. Though I'm very thankful for all the support I've been getting from friends and family here, I'm just tired and homesick. Homesick for a quieter life. Homesick for making art. Homesick for warmer weather and more sun. Oh, it's January.