and this is happening (gremlin caterpillars)

So the story goes that one of K.Lo's friends gave her this awesome butterfly kit for her birthday. It comes with a mesh "house" and instructions, and then you go online and order the caterpillars whenever you're ready. Like don't have a vacation planned in the middle of the experience, or whatever. So the caterpillars arrive not long after in a bubble-wrapped cup. Open IMMEDIATELY. The creatures inside don't move much, don't look like much. They're maybe a centimeter long, 5 small streaks in the mud, and you shrug and say, well okay. And put them on the kitchen counter, out of the sunlight. There's tannish sludge food on the bottom of the cup, and they must be eating it, because a week or so later those suckers are huge. And they still don't move that much, but they're definitely alive and active and accomplishing something with their furry, undulating lives. And they're totally cool. Pre-butterflies! But also they're sort of gross, like the no-longer-mogwai gremlins that form a goopy, crunchy pod around themselves and hatch into something sinister and green. Except we know that's not at all what's happening, and this is nature, live and up close, and it's totally rad. Despite or maybe because of its alarming evolution. Eventually they migrate to the top of the hole-punched lid to become full chrysalises (and leave behind their heads? i think?), or at least four of them do. The last is just laying there in the muck food, looking to be dead, or something, but then you realize it's just the Gregor Samsa of the bunch and place him on a napkin on the bottom of the mesh house, while the others stay attached to their paper disk, pinned to the side of the house, all lying in wait to become butterflies.

pen-

i was restless today. well after taking the time to crew cut the 20+ft hedge front to back. i see daylight in it's yet to be filled in spots which would've made me sad in years past but i'm trying to get better at that whole reining in nature thing... i didn't quite have the energy to consolidate the debris so the nursery has huge mounds of basket weaving material all over- though serves them right for putting hiabiscus near us which got to shaded and then developed whitefly which in turn effected like 5 other plants on our premises, and it's not quite finished on the left side but i need supervision as i'm cutting near a phone line. intermittently my life did flash before my eyes as i took the vista in around me while balancing the humming rotating blades in my hand. but there really wasn't anything to see and there was no transcendent breeze hitting my face either. i did keep telling myself sarcastically, yah, go ahead cut toward yourself with the electric hedgetrimmer. go ahead, do it. i am such an ass. besides it has way worse consequences when i cut fruit toward myself trying to undo years of mom and home EC, and then i went to shower and have lunch. and i managed not to once fall to my death. or hack anything that wasn't hedge. and now i'm all clean and fed and sparkly with nothing to do.

so out of boredom i went to get a latte. and now i'm all twitchy from caffeine-- i vetoed returning my moms purchase to target because i knew i'd buy something more expensive than a latte. and that's where i am. the day just sort of took an unsatisfactory turn in the last 4 hours. i should've gone back outside. that's where my energy was. wandering around the house and thinking about things to pack hasn't been fruitful. i spruced up the artroom, and whatever.. but eh. i need to get rid of the tv (20" boulder. couldn't i buy a small flat screen when i get back? or? no? i mean cuz that would be spending money...) and the printers i've decided... or should i keep one of them? i mean i can't decide. (1 lazer printer 1color printer 1possibly badnozzle color printer) ach. oh and a letter from citbank  to tell me-- $15 per month i don't have $6000 in my account. are you KIDDING ME?!  so now i have to break up with them. totally blows. sure i owe them money but uh...yah. i can't afford $15 either.canNOT. whatassholes.

anyway, i have that korea skype tonight. i'm thinking december and if there isn't anything in busan i'm not sure i'm willing to wait. i could always move mid year. lose my bonus and start again... decisions decisions. or first year seoul. second year busan? hummm. allright i better go. i have more wandering around aimlessly to fit in and dinner and well not much else but still.

enclosed photos c/o pen:

here i am superpsyched bcs kerry came by and brought me a frap completely unsolicted. so so good. heres the norton. i take the picture to confirm the tree is called "cassia". and that its super awesome with its fluffy yellow cool.

this is a most excellent picture of jesus with angel. Love EET.
what! another picture of a saint squashing a dragon. in this case michael. i think a collection of sts with dragons might be in order. oh degas. me on my way to work.

more flower pics from the church lot that haven't been stolen like the 2nd sunflower was just this last week. happy zinnia. oh and i don't know how i feel about our matches our business cards. i guess they're cool. but um, yah, they're cool. here's a lovely wild strawberry from lunch with sarah and some further tree in the sun magicalness.

not to be done with the outdoors this is fellow garden warrior emily, and follows our servethecity funtimes. more letter like stuff later. psych is on and i have to panic about getting up at 2am to pray.

but how can all of my life be too busy and time consuming and ridiculous when you look at those bright smiling faces. it cannot.

that'll do bean. that'll do.
m.

Pentalope,

So here we are again. Look at me go! Documenting things and everything. Breathe soft though. My first adventure was to Little Tokyo. Thorne as always is hilarious. Very mod, though I felt overaccessorized with the red sweater. Her mother insisted however. Underneath is a very retro pinstripe longsleeved tee- She felt a bit like taking over the world and insisted on walking and being amused, and dragging plungers around the mall. It was a good deal for $5 though. At one point in our grazing of all things tasty the fro-yo guy was like, dude she's staring into my soul! It's freaking me out! Oh formidable girl. (We laughed at his pain and kept on eating our yogurt).

Previous to this we ate at a nonspecified eatery and I threw caution to the wind in the name of soy. I faired ok. The miso was good I thought, I adventured with the crab salad- not my forte but pretty good and the presalad was great, and the rolls were decent, the teryaki only so/so but hey good times. We tried "new". Followed with infusion tacos because we couldn't not try them. Obviously. I mean we were so full but still.

then after such a day and a talk on sin, by alisterb@gg the day began again with Callie and we were at first going to hike and then opted to explore the canyon instead. Wandered. Found this structure. I would be an angry hobbit too if my house was painted green. And then after looking all round the textures of the place were just crazy- dizzy and overgrown, and zigzaggy crazy. I did break out my guide books and identified 'bermuda buttercups' (notpictured) and a red-tailed hawk... sure I could be making it up but still... the things unidentified is what we really care about... possibly poison oak? cool puffy yellow tree, random wall with holes in it... strange terraces and signs of fire. And the lovely sound of water. It was nice.