sweet sweet showers and other tales
Here in Shidae apartments we depend on a gas boiler for our heat/hot water. Our heat is provided by heated water flowing through pipes in the floor. This method of heating has its pros (warm toes) and its cons(the heat doesn't disperse very well). The boilers are really old and shitty so we can't choose a temperature - its either off or really really on. It also takes ages to get hot water and when we do get it we have to perform a Dark Rite to get it to stay on long enough for a shower. It never gets hot enough for me to feel good about the dish water temperature. Add to this the fact that the boiler is located out of the apartment and you have a hated dread machine. When I say its on the balcony it just doesn't express how like going outside to turn the heat off and on it is. This year is the coldest year in a long long time. Pipes froze, and our boiler broke. It stopped working pretty much all together and started spraying water all over our balcony. Maintenance came and looked at it, shrugged, and told us that its a boiler break down epidemic and that it would take a month before they were able to do anything about it. Luckily for us Stephen's co-teacher is an aggressive old ajuma who is used to getting her way. It took about a week for them to get us to the top of the list. Our new boiler has a control INSIDE THE APARTMENT. If that isn't enough to make me swoon, it also has a temperature gauge so we can set the room to be say, 20 degrees and it keeps it there. The water heats up all the way and stays hot even if the shower is at full blast.
Keira is cutting a tooth - you can just barely see it. I think that might be why she has stopped sleeping. That is really rough because we all live in one room, so if she isn't sleeping no one is sleeping. Between that and the fact that we've all been sick with one thing or another for pretty much a month and a half and I am feeling worn pretty thin. We caught up this week on some cleaning that I've been putting off pretty much since Keira was born in addition to the usual stuff, so this week if there is down time I can relax without the guilt fairy riding me. My wrists are so much better - I am at about 95% in my left and about 75 for my right. Now if only I could get rid of the yeast infection in my boobs! We are mostly making Keira's baby food and its going well so far. I worry about variety some - and we need to replace our blender so I can expand her diet some. She is eating really well these days. Despite the sleeping issues she is doing great. We are infinitely blessed - she is healthy and generally a really easy baby (so far, knock wood). My only remaining complaint is that my skin is still awful. Its like I am being visited by the ghost of puberty past. I am pretty much at my wits end with trying different things. The best combo seems to be a Rosecea soap and a cream for people with really really sensitive skin and all that really does is make it so that there is space between the pimples.
I have become so used to the weirdness in Korea that today I almost didn't notice the baby pajamas that had a dancing poop rock band motif.
Keira is cutting a tooth - you can just barely see it. I think that might be why she has stopped sleeping. That is really rough because we all live in one room, so if she isn't sleeping no one is sleeping. Between that and the fact that we've all been sick with one thing or another for pretty much a month and a half and I am feeling worn pretty thin. We caught up this week on some cleaning that I've been putting off pretty much since Keira was born in addition to the usual stuff, so this week if there is down time I can relax without the guilt fairy riding me. My wrists are so much better - I am at about 95% in my left and about 75 for my right. Now if only I could get rid of the yeast infection in my boobs! We are mostly making Keira's baby food and its going well so far. I worry about variety some - and we need to replace our blender so I can expand her diet some. She is eating really well these days. Despite the sleeping issues she is doing great. We are infinitely blessed - she is healthy and generally a really easy baby (so far, knock wood). My only remaining complaint is that my skin is still awful. Its like I am being visited by the ghost of puberty past. I am pretty much at my wits end with trying different things. The best combo seems to be a Rosecea soap and a cream for people with really really sensitive skin and all that really does is make it so that there is space between the pimples.
I have become so used to the weirdness in Korea that today I almost didn't notice the baby pajamas that had a dancing poop rock band motif.