Band on the Run

It's the weekend, gooooood. Friday at school was Market Day, where the kids can spend the stickers they've earned over the previous 3 months in either our restaurant or stationery store. Fun fun. Last time I worked in the restaurant, but this time requested to work in the stationery store. With 2 burners running, and only a tiny window for ventilation, it gets really hot in there. I'm glad I didn't make the official call about the air conditioner being off for the season, because it's running now. The last two days have been overcast and muggy.

I didn't really work very much in the stationery store yesterday. I wandered around making balloon creations. Holy crap, do I ever SUCK at being a balloon artist. All I can make is a sword, a rabbit, or a dog. Or a massive structure of twisted balloons you can stick on your head and call a hat. After I made the balloon things, they all untwisted themselves or popped, freaking out the little kids and the teachers. Elizabeth was begging me by the end of the day not to pop anymore balloons. The highlight of the day was Karen tapping Elizabeth on the shoulder with a long blue balloon as Elizabeth was trying to write reports during one of our breaks, only to have the balloon pop in Elizabeth's ear. You should have seen her face! She explained she was so scared, as a little girl, of popping balloons. Perhaps she should get over it already? I mean, she hasn't been a little girl for quite awhile!

My left hand is all mangled today. I have a balloon artist injury. I was tying off the balloons with my left fingers, and they were getting all sore and swollen about half way through the day. At one point, I had a balloon knotted on my middle finger and couldn't get it off. I panicked a little. The tip of my finger was turning purple and throbbing. I had to pop the balloon to get the thing the hell off my hand, much to Elizabeth's delight.

After work, we went to a nice bar near the school and had some anjou (munchies) and beer. I had a lot of beer. Elizabeth left early, a bit drunk, she said, after 2 glasses. Judy, Karen, and I stayed on and drank and chatted. It was nice.

Later, we called in the cute taekwondo instructor I had dinner with a few weekends ago, and he, Judy, and I went to the norae-bang (karaoke.) Judy bailed about 4 am, but Jin-Hun and I stayed up singing and dancing with our bad selves until about 5:30. Just so you know, singing "Band on the Run" by Wings is good. Singing "Africa" by Toto is very very bad. I think the difference is having back up vocals for harmonies.

Friday morning, a stove doctor came and pronounced my stove dead. We bowed our heads and had a small service. Peace be with you, greasy counter-top stove. Karen's promised to sort me out something else next week. Meanwhile, I've borrowed a portable gas burner from the school. It runs with an aerosol can of fuel. Groovy. It works pretty well and I managed to make some ramen for lunch this afternoon in 2 shifts, the first frying up a bunch of mushrooms, spinach, and a fried egg at the end, with the veggies pushed to on side of the pan. Second was the noodles and broth. Topped with a bit of sesame oil and seeds, it was hot and salty and just what my hangover was looking for.

I was going to meet Judy, her boyfriend (who I haven't met yet) and Jin-Hun for dinner tonight, but things didn't pan out and I was glad. I napped instead, and we all agreed to do it sometime next week perhaps.

On tap tomorrow is a bit of shopping and walking around and people watching. Monday's a holiday. 3-day weekends kick ass.