So Much To See, So Little Time

Had the full day off today to do some exploring before I make the long journey home. Started by checking out the impressive Jusangjeolli Cliffs. Then visited Jeju World Cup Stadium, where some games were played during the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. Also saw the Cheonjeyon Waterfall. Spent a little time at the Folk Village, which is an outdoor museum that recreates specific periods in Korean/Jeju history. Finished my travels at the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, which was spectacular.

After my touring was complete, I had dinner with my good friend Dr. Park, who lives in Jeju. Dr. Park spent over a year living in Cincinnati and working in our lab at UC, so it was very good to see him again. We went to a Korean buffet with his son and enjoyed just about every possible Korean food that exists. For those who have been keeping score, it would be appropriate at this point to mention that a Jenny Craig subscription would be an appropriate Christmas present.

It's breathtaking...I suggest you try it

The conference ended today and afterwords I was able to do some sightseeing around the island. Enjoyed some great hiking up Mt. Hallasan, which featured very interesting terrain. It got progressively colder as we went up, and we eventually found quite a bit of snow at the top. Turns out there was a small snack shack at the lower summit, where we enjoyed a very welcome cup of noodles. I included a picture of the hardy trekkers and fellow conference attendees Holger, Bobby, and myself.

Next we went to check out some interesting sculptures, which can be found just about everywhere on the island. I'll have to do some research to find out what meaning they have in the local culture. After that, we went to Sangumburi Crater, where we again saw interesting terrain. Very beautiful. Finally, we made it down to the coast to take a quick look at the beach. This place has everything!

Poster-ized

Wednesday
Gave my poster presentation today. It was pretty exhausting. Spoke for 3 hours straight as approximately 900 people walked by (I didn't just make that number up, it was the number of attendees at the conference and almost all of them attended the poster session). Lots of great questions though and it is really rewarding to share your work with others. Went out for another Korean feast afterwords with some interesting researchers I met. Incidentally, it is illegal in 43 states and 117 countries to look this good.

Tuesday - The Coconut is Tropical

Took some shots around the hotel before hopping on the shuttle this morning. Jeju has been described as the "Korean Hawaii" and there are definitely some similarities. However, one difference is that it is wicked cold in the morning and evening here. Today was around 40 degrees F when I was snapping these photos (had a hard time not dropping the camera due to freezing fingers). Also included a map of the island I found in the hotel parking lot. Joon Sub presented his poster today and received many complements on his technical accomplishments and roguish good looks.

Monday - Welcome to Jeju

I awoke early and took some pictures of the hotel and surrounding area. My hotel is situated at high elevation, so I have a great view down to the coast. Also check out the rainbow that formed in the morning mist.

After grabbing some breakfast and chatting with other conference attendees at my hotel, I hopped on the shuttle and made my way down to the conference center. An impressive structure, very modern design. I included a picture of me at the conference, and the coast is directly over my shoulder. Attended several talks on microfluidic systems in this large auditorium that would probably fit the Statue of Liberty inside of it.

Had a delicious lunch today: bee-bim-bop. And for dinner, we had a Cincinnati reunion party for all Bearcats, past and present, which was a lot of fun.

Saturday/Sunday - Getting There

My first task was to get from Massachusetts to Jeju, Korea, which is a small island off the southern coast of the mainland and the site of the 4 day conference. I had originally planned to rent a kayak and get a little fitness in while paddling across the Pacific, but reconsidered when I calculated it would take approximately 17 months for me to get there, which just wouldn't fit with my fantasy football schedule. So I opted for the 14 hour flight from the States instead.

My flight plan took me from Hartford to Chicago (2.5 hours), then Chicago to Incheon, Korea (16 hours). I then had to transfer to another airport in Seoul called Gimpo before flying to Jeju Island (1 hour). Total trip took just over 24 hours to complete. I've included a picture of my flight crew on the leg from Chicago to Incheon. I thought the uniforms for the flight attendants were very different from what I have seen on domestic flights. Also, when I transferred from Incheon to Gimpo airport, I took a limousine, only it is not what you are thinking. In Korea, a limo is simply a bus. So much for living the dream.

After arriving in Jeju, my grad school buddy and unofficial tour guide Joon Sub picked me up and dropped me off at my hotel. Sleep was not an issue tonight.

The Rust's Tackle The Globe, Part II: Korea

Keeping with our international travel theme for 2009, it was off to Korea for me. I packed a bag, grabbed my laptop (don't leave home without it) and headed for the Land of Morning Calm. I am attending the MicroTAS 2009 Conference, which is the major annual conference for research on miniaturized chemical/biological analysis systems. I am really looking forward to the conference and the opportunity to visit Korea, which has a personal connection for me since my dissertation adivsor and several colleagues are originally from there.

DIY: Curtain Week

This past week my mom was in town to help me make curtains for the living room and kitchen. We worked for most of the week and made several trips to the fabric store to get missing items or more fabric. Although, I spent a small fortune on the fabric, they fit perfectly and match the colors well. It was well worth the money and the time spent.

Me hard at work.

Valance at window above the kitchen sink

Kitchen cafe curtains next to the table

Patio doors to the deck off the kitchen

Front living room window

Upclose look at the fabric and intricate design work.

Valance on side window in living room.

SNOW in OCTOBER???

I knew the weather would be a bit different here in New England, but not so much as to have snow in October!! But yes, snow is possible even in October here in Springfield. We woke up to a very light snow flurry and our conversation went something like this:

Mike: It's snowing!

Andrea: No way!

Mike: Way

Unfreaking believable. I had to take a picture. Although difficult to photograph, I ensure you that the white specks in the picture are indeed snowflakes.

Welcome to New England!

Fall Getaway

Last weekend, I was finally able to drag Mike away from his work for a few days. I planned our first Massachusetts adventure around the fall foliage and decided on the Berkshires. West of Springfield, lies the Berkshire area including the South, Central, and North. It is well known for Stockbridge, Tanglewood (Boston symphony plays here in the summer), colonial towns, country roads, skiing, and mostly fall colors. We traveled to the Northern area to the town of Williamstown, home to Williams College. We stayed at a quaint country bed and breakfast called Steep Acres where we met a couple from German as well as Connecticut.

On Saturday we tackled the 6 mile hike up to the peak of Mt. Greylock. From the top you are supposed to be able to see all of the Berkshire Mountains as well as the Green Mountains of Vermont. Unfortunately, it was a cold, foggy, and cloudy day and we could only see 10 feet in front of us. However, it was a great hike and wonderful to be out in the wilderness for a few hours.

Mike and I on the trail

The tower at the peak, hidden by fog


To complete our trip, we drove through North Adams, ate lunch at the Hub, and experienced the famous Hairpin Turn on route 2. It was a much needed and beautiful fall getaway. The pictures below captured only a sampling of the fall colors.

DIY: Bathroom Redo

Finally it's finished! I think I started this project over a month ago, and just finished it yesterday. That isn't to say I worked on it straight for those 4-5 weeks, but it was by far the most time intensive project yet.

I've hated this bathroom from the first time we even looked at the house, but was able to push this strong distaste to the back of my head even as we signed our life away at the lawyer's office.

Here is my Why I Hate this Bathroom List:

1. the tile is pink--need I say more

2. oak stained trim that doesn't match the remainder of the house which is white

3. the skinny closet door that bangs into the regular door leaving huge dents

4. the oak vanity that doesn't go well with the pink tile

5. the cracks in the sink

6. the oversized medicine cabinent with the peeling finish

7. the light fixture that isn't centered over the sink and is too large

8. their is only 1 towel bar that holds a single towel

Phew that is a long list and covers almost every single item that makes up a bathroom. I knew I couldn't change it all, so I opted for the least expensive fixes. This unfortunately didn't include the tile. To work with what I had, I pulled outthe one color from the tile that was the least offensive--a dark mauve color, officially named Brown Tepee in the paint world. I also decided to work with the dark, nearly black, grout color to turn the eye away from the pink. To change my feelings of hatred towards the bathroom to ones of acceptance, I made the following changes:

1. pink tile---will have to wait for another day

2. oak trim=painted white

3. annoying skinny door=removed and painted the shelves mauve, filled them with pretty black baskets, and made crafty labels

4. oak vanity=painted black

5. cracked sink---will have to wait for another day

6. oversized medicine cabinent=new, black, wall hanging mirror

7. uncentered light fixture---will have to wait for another day

8. 1 towel bar=black rack with 4 hooks

To pull everything together, I decorated with a black shower curtain, black towels, black/brown baskets, black bamboo roller shade, and a chrome clock. Overall, I'm relatively happy about how the room turned out and maybe in a few years I'll be motivated to tackle the tile!

BEFORE

AFTER

Tour of 18 Yamaska

Last week I came up with the brainy idea of making a video of the house. I've had some requests for pictures but thought a video tour would provide a better, more detailed image of the house. Unfortunately, blogger couldn't handle the size of the video. Therefore, I posted it on Facebook.

I am quite pleased on how it turned out. Mom even said she was worried there wouldn't be anything left for her to do when she comes in October. But I assured her I will definitely have a list prepared.

Hope you enjoy!

DIY: Leaky Toilet

For some reason plumbing has a "hire a professional" stigma attached to it. However, being that I have some free time on my hands and a trusty internet source, I decided to give it a go.

The upstairs bathroom had a slow annoying leak coming from the tank of the toilet. After my father-in-law replaced the flapper and tightened a few bolts, it still leaked. Therefore, the remaining leaking culprit laid in the gasket between the tank in the bowl...meaning I had to take the toilet apart. After emptying the toilet of all water, and struggling for a half an hour on getting the bolts off, I was able to remove the tank. And sure enough, the once rubber gasket was a petrified encrusted mass, so disgusting that the guy at Lowe's wouldn't even touch it when I brought it in for a new one...wuss.

I replaced the gasket, bolts, and screws and returned the tank to its rightful position. I turned the water back on, filled the tank, took a few flushes, tightened some bolts, and no more leaks!! Now, if fixing a leaky washing machine was only this easy.

BEFORE



AFTER

Wilbraham Peach Festival

For our weekend excursion, we didn't go far from home. Wilbraham is a rural suburb of Springfield and hosts an annual Peach Festival with a 5 mile run. Mike and I jumped on the opportunity to try our first New England race.

We rolled out of bed at 7am and headed out for the race. We weren't really sure how many people to expect being that the registration stated that the first 200 participants would receive a t-shirt. Come to find out, this was the largest race yet for the Peach Festival topping out at 223 runners! The scale here in Springfield is just a little different than Cincinnati.

Mike and I finished dead on 45 minutes and right in the middle of the pack. It was an easy flat course although humid. After the race we were awarded a peach pancake breakfast as part of the registration fee. I was a tad disappointed to see canned peaches plopped onto my plate considering the title of the festival includes the word Peach. I was imagining fresh farmers market type festival. Boy was I mistaken. Instead, this shindig is more of a Cincinnati grown Catholic Church Festival with fried dough wagons, inflatable bouncers/slides, and a carousel and no fresh peaches for sale anywhere on the grounds.

But for $20 we had a nice race, got a long sleeve t-shirt, a peach pancake breakfast, plus someone mistook me for a senior high school student in need of taking the SAT. Since I just turned 29, that felt pretty good!

DIY: Hanging Shelves

With all of the space we have in our house, I strangely decided to make the oversized closet in the den my very own creative crafting workspace. The closet would have been wasted space otherwise, and now we have 2 extra bedrooms for our yet to be guests or dare say children.

A few weeks ago Mike and I ventured to Ikea to purchase the Expedit desk and bookcase combo which amazingly fits perfectly in the closet space. We took off the closet doors, and I will soon hang a pretty blue striped curtain to hide my creative mess.

To complete the space, I needed to hang a few shelves to place often used items, a bulletin board to post ideas, and a rack for sewing accessories. So with my brand new stud finder with a live electrical wire indicator I set to work.

After drilling holes for the shelf brackets and cramming wall anchors into place, I was able to successfully mount the brackets. And with my innovative ingenuity, I designed a ribbon holder out of a thin dowel rod that easily fits on the curve of the shelf bracket. Now I just hope the cats don't find it. I hung the bulletin board with ease and used the spice rack my grandpa made for me (it doesn't fit anywhere in the kitchen) to organize all things sewing.

From this easy install, I learned that studs are always your friends and live wires are hiding everywhere in closet spaces.

BEFORE



AFTER