16: i gotta write that one down...

there is one character who seems to be a staple in every historic k-drama i have watched to date. it is the cunning villain—usually a Minister within the government, or some similar type of adviser to the King—who at some point will be shown, sitting in his personal sanctuary, issuing death orders to be carried out by his underlings... all while calmly and diligently wiping the leaves of a favorite plant with a carefully folded cloth.

i am beginning to think that i know that guy... minus the death orders.

me: (walking into the bathroom) uhm... why is there a giant plant in the middle of the tub?
him: the leaves were a bit dusty, so i was giving it a wash.
me: in the tub?
him: yeh. that way i can turn the shower on, then tilt the pot to one side so the water washes all the leaves.
me: so you were giving a shower... to a plant. i see. what about the other plants? aren't they dusty too.
him: i only care about this one.
me: i see.

and then i just look at him like he is insane for the rest of the day. although, to be fair, i find some reason to wear the same expression almost every single day.

the other indoor plants do not seem to have what it takes to warrant heightened levels of caring, but the obsession concern seems to have spread to the outdoor plants. here he is, iced tea in one hand, pruners in the other, lamenting over a pepper plant that was experiencing some difficulty. i was laughing so hard.

me: it's not that big a deal... it's just a plant.

then he looked at me like i was insane.

it should be noted, lest anyone think that i am giving him a hard time by recounting  the lunacy that passes for life around here, that i am frequently subjected to the same very treatment. the difference is, my stories about some crazy thing he did or said are usually read by the tiny handful of people who happen to stumble upon this space. meanwhile, the stupid things i do or say end up in a completely different place.

every once in a while, he would ask if i want to check out the episode of some show for which he did the writing, and without fail one of the characters would say something that rings a bell. my eyes would flash over to him, and he would be sitting there, wearing a big cheezy grin.

me: uhm...?
him: i told you. anything you say can and will be used in animation.

he has enough of those virtual post-it notes to cover the entire area of the large monitor of the studio computer, and most of them contain random snippets of our conversations... preserved and waiting for the perfect moment.

no exaggeration, we would be in the middle of talking, or joking about some wholly pointless thing, then he gets this look in his eyes, and he takes off in the general direction of the studio, always with the same phrase trailing behind him.

him: ooh... i gotta write that one down.

then i get to cringe about where my words will turn up.