One sees a flower bed in the front yard. One can see tulips hostas and other perennial plants. It’s like people buy houses because there are pretty flower beds. The flower beds added to the curb appeal. Then proceed to not care about the flowerbeds that previously were lovingly tended. Or so my imagination creates the story of the cute little old lady who loved her garden. Along comes someone new who doesn’t care. Makes one wonder how they maintain the inside of the house. Is it like what they say about nails. That you should maintain your nails because people can see or assume that depending on how well you take care of your nails is how well you take care of other things. So makes me wonder how clean these home owners nails are.
Also this can be almost the start of social commentary of the area I live in. Now that quite a few homes are presenting this way. This used to be a low crime cute town. Is it slowly getting worse or is society in general just not caring about maintaining their homes and possibly selves anymore? Is it just here? Or is it everywhere?

I was not planning to go back to my blog today, since the website program as been pissing me off royally and I spent 4 hrs yesterday just trying to get the about me and contact pages to post correctly to no avail. I also primarily wanted this page to be about food travel and the lost arts. This musing has that…kinda… Either way I ended up being introspective because I was watching Bon Voyage and wanted to post about it; so here goes. This is what a blog is for right??

Nowadays these 20 somethings and 30 somethings have accomplished so much. When it feels like I have done so little; though my therapist would disagree. She would remind me: Been to University. Traveled abroad for a year to Ireland. Deployed to Iraq and Cuba. Gone to to crazy parties. I’ve been promiscuous, I’ve been chaste. Learned how to scuba dive, sail an 1812 sloop, and use a Japanese katana. I have lived. Yet, I’m always striving for more and it never seems enough.

I was watching (because my sister Elizabeth encouraged me too, at first, and then I became addicted) to BTS‘ Bon Voyage. It’s a silly addiction. A Pop Idol reality TV of a sort. Where they can afford trips and activities the rest of us can barely afford. My friend mentioned just yesterday how kids are given everything by parents and they don’t have to struggle with money like we have. That they are given everything by parents. Unlike us. We have earned everything we have no by our own hard work. (Before Army starts getting mad; BTS has actually, also, not just been given everything, and they have had to overcome a lot to get to where they are. PS- I’m Army too, now… Thanks Elizabeth, Ugh. lol) But those 20 and 30 somethings have been given an extra step up that we didn’t have, so they are bound to accomplish more sooner than my friend and I. But is that really a good thing? If they didn’t earn it? Not really.

Which leads me back to BTS- These shows are addicting, as I mentioned earlier. And its because in these shows you laugh and cry for them. Every single episode. They have struggled to get there. The members gloss over their struggles most of the time with jokes and smiles, but occasionally you can see behind the vale, the mask, to almost see the real struggle, the real them. It might be fun times for them, but it also helps them to become better people. On the show they are always encouraged to explore, embrace their youth, their lives. It has them be introspective and grateful. More than most human beings I have ever met.

I wish I had that kind of support in my life. To guide me and encourage me, recommending or forcing me to do what is good for me. Its kind of like what parents do, but really, once you move away from home, you don’t get it as much. Its like having a role model, or mentor. That is really lucky, and very special to have.

The shows encourage me to be introspective (as this days blog makes evident); to want to be the best I can be, just like the guys are striving to be the best they can be. Encourages one to go out and grasp what we want. To travel, do activities, have fun, and to live. Make a difference. And all of us want to, in the end, be happy and spend each day with Joy, while embracing the moment. If only we could.

On Tuesday I took my foster child Zoey to have Korean food for the first time. Zoey is obsessed, as are almost all teenyboppers are with all things KPop. So what better way to get her to know a culture than by their food.
Unfortunately Zoey is not as adventurous with food as I am. She chose the chicken katsu. Which is a chicken cutlet that has been hammered flat battered and fried in panko crumbs. It’s primarily a Japanese dish in origin. I chose what is one her favorite Kpop group BTS’ food: Kimchi stew.

https://www.kworldnow.com/5-favorite-bts-foods-that-you-might-enjoy/

Regardless of what dish you choose you are given about 5 different sides on little plates. Pickled daikon, black bean in soy sauce and sesame seeds, squid in a garlic chili sauce were for me the most memorable.
Our dishes come, Zoeys with rice and salad and mine just with rice. They give her a fork because her skills with chopsticks are primarily at the stabbing stage. Mine though not exceptional can at least pick up most items.
The kimchi stew is a red soup with cabbage, pork and a few rice cakes. I essentially eat all the items out of the stew over the rice with my chopsticks. Afterwards I attempt the broth with the long handled teaspoon I was provided.I’m not sure if this is the correct way to eat the stew and the spoon was an interesting change.
Zoey spent most of our time there watching music videos of kpop groups on their TVs. Overall it was good food and Zoey and I tried something new.