Lesson 40

Dyeing your dog different colors is acceptable and cute in Korea.

Kristen and I wanted to get out of the apartment today, so we went in search of a nice park she said she'd been to once before. We hopped on the bus and got off at the wrong park. It was a little late in the day, so we figured we might as well enjoy the wrong park. I lay down in the shade with Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth and Kristen relaxed in the sun, listening to some Indie rock band to block out the noise.

Kristen, being plugged into her iPod, didn't see the two little white dogs bounding toward her. I would have given her a heads-up before they came sniffing along and invading her peaceful meditation, but I was too shocked by the fact that the little white dogs... weren't... exactly... white. One had neon pink ears, tail, and paws, and the other looked as though it had fallen into a tub of highlighter ink. Apparently this is an O.K. thing to do in Korea, like perming your 5-year-old's hair.

They need to stop hiring Lisa Frank to do the grooming at the local pet store.