Illegal BBQ fires and magic tricks

Saturday: Independence Day!
We went to the park to have a BBQ. We got harassed by multiple people for having fire in the park—c'mon! It was contained!—but we negotiated with the park ranger:

“No fire in the park”
“People smoke in the park all the time, they have fires.”
--He smirks.
“It's a holiday. Please?”
--
“Balli balli” we promised (“We'll be quick about it”).
It's funny that they don't mind that we drink in public, but they freak out about this.

Sunday –Sara came to Bucheon. We had coffee and tea at Hollys and were bombarded by older Korean men who insisted on showing us magic tricks. Some of the magic tricks were pretty good, but they wouldn't leave us alone so eventually we left.

We went on a few errands including a trip to E-Mart that lasted waaaay longer than it should have. Sara wanted to get a few chairs for her new apartment and there were some cheap ones in grey and the same style in black for 5 bucks more. They tried charging us extra (as though it were the black ones), but we managed to communicate what we needed to say to the tall, strong, and masculine-looking female manager. We held our ground long enough that she wasn't interested in handling the situation anymore, and she gave us what we wanted.

We went a few other places and ended up eating lunch/dinner at McDonald's. Even ordering at McDonald's wasn't easy because the place was packed. It reminded me of my unpleasant experience of a similar nature when I was in England (though luckily I didn't cry this time).

Sara is awesome and I had a great time hanging out with her. After she went home, I decided I'd deal with my apartment issues, i.e., the mess. I took my bedding to the laundromat because my washing machine only works 50% of the time.

Who knew doing laundry could feel so romantic? At the laundromat I sat outside, listening to the Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack, and then Buena Vista Social Club. I painted my fingernails, drank some water. I felt the warm breeze on my face and watched the sun go down. I felt content.

The cat went wild when I got home—she sniffed and licked the new laundry. You'd think they put cat nip in it or something!

All in all a good weekend, though I've got a stuffy nose and sore throat still (after having tonsillitis earlier this week). At least I feel mentally refreshed and ready to face the week.