social attachments and what not

i've had a ton of thoughts these past few weeks. i've recorded most of them in my personal journal and a few have been floating around in my head - sorta freeballing it. today i feel like giving my thoughts some airtime. so, in no particular order, here are some recent thoughts of mine:

(--1--)
i don't know that i want to stay in Korea for one more year, and i don't know that i want to go back to the states just yet either. i've decided to consider traveling around Asia every couple of months while keeping some form of residence in Korea. i'd travel to the tourist hot spots; nothing off the beaten path and nothing unsafe. some places i've considered are: Phuket, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Bali. my first trip could be as early as next month. i'm going to the travel agency at the USO to make inquiries. a few additional points:

i want my first trip to be a solo one. i came to Korea with a friend and although i'd like to think that i could have made it all by myself, the truth is i was scared to death and i think i would have had a total mental meltdown if i had traveled alone ... but this year in Korea has had an incredible impact on my confidence. i'm ready to do it - to travel to another foreign country on my own.

i think i've got a travel buddy and i'm so freaking thrilled about that. it's my friend Kim who i met here in Korea. we have talked about going to Hong Kong together in November.

(--2--)
honestly speaking, i'm depressed about an article that i read a while back on mating patterns among animals. it was written in 1999 by Shveta Shah - a student at Emory University - for a publication called Hybrid Vigor, in the issue titled "The Science of Sex". In it she states some facts that make biology the last place one (me, specifically) should look to reinforce any hopes that

1. monogamy is do-able,
2. a boyfriend/lover/husband won't stray, and
3. the expression "they lived happily every after" can describe a relationship/commitment/marriage.

i won't go into the evidence she presents that supports the contrary because ... well i don't want to. suffice it to say that infidelity is common among birds and mammals. why do i care when i don't even have a boyfriend (or a bird)? i care because i am always dreaming of happily ever after. guess i've got to make an adjustment to that dream because it's not biologically possible. but then i met Thomas, well not personally. Thomas R. Insel, MD. describes the classic features of monogamy in his book A Neurobiological Basis of Social Attachment:

"In a monogamous relationship, a breeding pair shares the same nest and territory where they are frequently in contact. Monogamous males participate in parental care, and intruders of either sex are rejected"

sounds good to me. a breeding pair sharing the same nest and rejecting intruders of either sex - i don't want to give up on this dream yet.

(--3--)
i hate you if you abuse children or animals. okay this feeling has cooled off considerably since it was ignited in me.

to the woman who repeatedly yelled at her child "you stupid ass, you idiot" outside the Dollar Store in Fredericksburg, VA back in June of this year, you need some anger management therapy and some parenting tools could really help, but better yet, just check yourself in for a lobotomy. that hurt to hear you verbally assaulting your child - i cannot imagine how much hurt your child felt and the lasting damage such an unloving act can inflict. when you were berating your child i just wonder what's the message you wanted to send; what's the lesson you wanted to give; what is it that you wanted your child to learn? i cannot believe that you waited until we were out of sight, but still very much in ear-shot, to resume your attack. now i know why your kids looked up at us with that look in their eyes when we walked out of the store.

to the boy who was repeatedly (and joyfully) yanking the lead as the frightened cocker spaniel hunkered down - tale-tucked - in confusion and submission, you're a stupid ass, an idiot!

(--4--)
i like Rob Corddry

(--5--)
i have forever been wishing away certain aspects of my body that i have recently come to view in an entirely different (positive) light. for example, my oily skin will preserve my youthful appearance as i age because dry skin and wrinkles can't take hold under such conditions. my weight that i carry in my rear, hips and thighs will, in the future, afford me greater resistance to hip fractures and bone breakage should i happen to lose my balance and take a fall when i'm old and gray.