Side affect of this blog

It's Judy (again.) When Pat suggested I watch a Kdrama I certainly never expected to be exposed to so many different things. I just wanted to be entertained for a few hours. Yep, that's how shallow I am. But now, I'm immersed in this stuff..... not only the actual shows and culture and language... but also some of the side affects from writing this blog. Examples:

*learning about Weverse. It's a totally separate social media platform for Korean singers, idols, etc. My favorite Kpop band (BTS) occasionally posts little messages like "I miss you guys." Apparently most of their fans go ape with these messages. Me, not so much....

Pat here. Whew! I’m relieved you haven’t gone round the bend with those androgynous BTS guys. I grant you, they can sing and dance, but to swoon over a message that you know they never actually sent (they’ve got an entire team for that) is too much.

REBUTTAL: they're adorable; their fans' messages are totally lame.

*learning about Instagram. Yep, the Gmamas are on there and I for one prefer it over all the social media platforms. It's not the perfect platform for the Gmamas since it's image focused and we're text/narrative focused but hey, we get high marks for trying.

Wait! I was the one who pushed Instagram! I had many “discussions” with you about posting there. You were the reluctant debutante. I felt it would help us attract a wider audience. Has it? You’re the stats person. Tell!

REBUTTAL: Did I claim to be the one who suggested it? No! (See the grief I get from her?) The stats tell me that the occasional, total strangers likes the IG post but I can't tell if they actually read our blog. We have not gone viral... yet.

*learning about translation programs for my iphone. Naver's Papago is the go-to translation progam for Korea and I'm having fun learning how to use it in preparation for my trip to Korea in October.

You get this one for yourself. Good Luck in Korea!

*Selfie sticks. Yep, I bought one. And it's REALLY COOL!!! Why Americans haven't embraced these like Asians have is beyond me.

Okay, these are NOT COOL, and I’m going to warn a certain Minneapolis friend to steer clear of you when you’re waving that thing around and looking ridiculous when you’re in Korea. (In my book it’s almost as bad as driving a minivan.) I think my oldest daughter said it better when I wanted to wear a bear bell in Yellowstone Park several years ago. She said, “Mom, those are for tourons”. When I asked what a touron was, she answered, “It’s a cross between a tourist and a moron.”

REBUTTAL: Apparently you have longer arms than I have. And I'm hurt to the core about that minivan slur..

REBUTTAL TO YOUR REBUTTAL:

My arms are so short that when I had the sleeves shortened on a quilted jacket, I had enough material to make two hot pads, which I use to this day when baking. Judy, do you know what baking is? Asking for a friend…

But it goes beyond stuff like this. For example, I just learned (via Instagram and a Google search) that pineapples symbolize being open to a 'swinger' relationship. Whoa! How exciting is that! I can't wait to go to the grocery store.

And I recently sat through a 2-hour online 'class' for learning Korean and it was a total waste of my 2 hours with one important exception. I have finally learned the ultimate curse word in Korean! Who knew that I would travel this path when Pat made that fateful suggestion?

So TELL! What is it? More importantly, can you pronounce it correctly?

REBUTTAL: Apologies to our Korean readers here. 시벌 Of course I can pronounce it! Not really sure if it's a good translation. The online class claims it to be accurate but for all I know it might mean something totally different.