* italics = currently in progress

Kdrama	☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★	Notes
1% of Anything	★★☆☆☆	13 episodes in. It's basically a choice between Creep and Bigger Creep. Oh, except now Bigger Creep has jetted off to America. Enter: Annoying Bitch.
49 Days	★★½☆☆	Everyone seems to love this, but I was kinda meh about it. It's not bad, but I'm just not all that into it. And the ending? Not my cuppa, if you know what I mean. Solid drama, but not really for me.
Baby-Faced Beauty	★½☆☆☆	I do not understand this drama's popularity. I thought it was pretty bad, and the 'ship was wholly unengaging. Why did I finish this again? Oh right, I'm on a kdrama binge... *only explanation necessary in some cases*
Best Love/Greatest Love	★★½☆☆	Female lead is great (she's the reason I got past the first horrible part of Pasta!), but the male lead is sli-i-my. Like, greased up slimeball with a side of ick. And yet? Weirdly charming in his befuddlement. When I was watching, I did enjoy it, but I wasn't clamoring to get to the next episode when I finish one. Never a good sign. Wouldn't be my go-to rec, but I wouldn't steer people away from it either. Fans of the Hong sisters will probably enjoy it a lot more than I did.
Boys Over Flowers	★★☆☆☆	Kinda boring for a drama with so much hype surrounding it. About halfway through I stopped caring about the main 'ship/love triangle and started focusing more on the secondary characters, which made it more palatable.
Brilliant Legacy	★★☆☆☆	Was stuck on the first episode for a while, but when I finally watched the second episode, things started to click. The thing I take away from this drama the most: So. Much. Crying. Jeez, you'd think the actors were paid by the tear or something.
Capital Scandal	★★★★★	I LOVED THIS DRAMA! Amazing in pretty much every way. I feel like I liked the tone of the show better earlier on, but I'd only want to deduct a quarter star at most, so I'm rounding up. Picspam is in progress here.
City Hunter	★★★★★	Not gonna lie, if it wasn't for my ridiculous fondness for Coffee Prince as my first kdrama, this would be my number one drama of all time. LOVED IT. I do wish they'd kept the pace up until the very end, but I'm okay with it becoming more political thriller-like than action/rom-com. Fabulous production values, solid cast, interesting premise, and the only downside is done away with early: the set-up is loooooooong. I coulda done without most of that half-hour and change. However, it does away with a lot of exposition later on, so it may be worth it (though maybe not). The freaking cliffhangers (oftentimes literal!) of the middle run of episodes were KILLING ME! Looking forward to a rewatch where I won't have to go through the agony of waiting for episodes (and subs!) again.
Coffee House	★★½☆☆	11 episodes in. I straight-up just don't get this drama. I'm the person who almost always 'ships the couple the writers tell me to 'ship (or at least don't 'ship leads with second leads), but here I am, 'shipping what I assume will be the wrong couple. For the first time, I'm actively wishing that the lead couple don't end up together. It's weird and off-putting, actually. But I'll keep going. I guess...
Coffee Prince	★★★★★	My first! As with most dramas, the pacing is a bit off, especially in the latter half/third. But my affection for it knows no bounds, so top marks it is!
Dal Ja's Spring	★★★½☆	The 'ship was okay, but nothing special. The ensemble and the grown-up feel of the story made up for the lack of 'shippiness, though.
Delightful Girl, Choon Hyang	★★☆☆☆	The last three episodes seemed like a completely different show. One I may have liked better if it had been that way all along, but instead it just felt abrupt and weird.
Dr. Champ	★★★½☆	Cuteness! And another sports drama, go figure. At least it's Korean this time? The one issue I had with it was how long it took for the female lead to let go of her ridiculous crush on other!guy. Long after I thought it obvious that she had developed feelings for Mr. Right (and boy, was he ever!), she suddenly says she's in love with other!guy. Say WHAT?! DO NOT WANT.
Dream High	★★★☆☆	Very enjoyable, even though I wasn't completely invested. Loved it for the story more than for the characters. And I was totally on board for either 'ship in the triangle (which was a triangle! Not a square! Never thought I'd live to see the day...) and was actually rather surprised at the outcome.
Full House	★★★★☆	The middle third of the show was hands down the funniest run of Kdrama episodes I've ever seen. The final third is dragged down by the requisite melodrama, but the funny still lives on.
Goong	★★★★½	What can I say? Great show, great 'ship, great kissing. The politics/elders drag the show down, but a rewatch where you just ff through all that makes this show nigh-on perfect.
Goong S	½☆☆☆☆	What a piece of crap. Couldn't even make it past episode 5. Only gets points for production value. (Which was probably a leftover from the original.)
Heartstrings/You've Fallen for Me	★★★☆☆	11 episodes in. Ugh, I had such issues with the first six or so episodes. Creepy stalkerish obsessive love, girl falling for boy for no reason whatsoever, not enough focus on the things that would have made those other things bearable (the musical and music). And then episode 7 came along and said: "Hey, you know all those things you hate about this drama? Here, let me fix that for you." And now I'm happily on board for the duration (which just became shorter due to an episode being cut because the actress was in a car accident. Which, incidentally, was just before episode 7.)
Hello! Miss	★½☆☆☆	1 episode in. Eh. I think I'll move on to something else and return to this later if the feeling strikes me.
Joseon X-Files	★★½☆☆	3 episodes in. I sort of see why this is so well-liked, but it reminds me too much of western tv for me to get really attached. I mean, I watch kdramas BECAUSE it's not western television. I'll definitely finish, though. At some point.
Lie to Me	★★★☆☆	12 episodes in. Kinda love it a lot. But with that cast and that storyline it was pretty much inevitable. We're heading into the second half, so tragedies are bound to abound, which is a shame because I want more CUUUUUTE. God, they're so adorable together I just want to smush them. *is starting to become incoherent* *loves them that much* I'm a bit weary about the writer change in episode 11, though. Adopting a wait-and-see attitude. In the end, I think the writer change was probably a mistake, but then again, the earlier writers seemed a bit lost in the muck as well. It could have been much better than it turned out to be, but in the end I still say it's worth it if you enjoy the leads in any way.
Love to Kill, A	★½☆☆☆	RAAAAIN! Best thing about this drama! But it's so DRAMATIC and the second female lead kinda sucks (or has a weird dialect, but I'm going with "sucks"). Also, the ending made me knock off an entire star - I hate that shit!
My Girl	★★★½☆	Charming, especially the female lead.
My Lovely Sam Soon	★★★★☆	Great pacing, great 'shippiness, great all around.
My Princess	★★½☆☆	I was really enjoying it until I went off on vacation, at which point the magic evaporated into thin air.
Myung Wol the Spy	★★½☆☆	8 episodes in. The first episode didn't hook me, but episode 2 did! Then 3 and 4 happened and I was like... "Okay...?" It just felt like they were going off in the wrong direction. And then 5 and 6 seemed to get things mostly back on track until the very end of 6 when he SLAPS HER. OH NO, YOU DID NOT JUST HIT A WOMAN. I'm really freaked out by that, actually. Well, at the idea that it wasn't just staged for the fans congregating there, anyway. If it was real, I'm not sure if this drama will ever be able to get me back. (And yes, I may live to eat those words, I know that.) But episodes 7 and 8 didn't do it for me. Yes, there was some great stuff there, but only if I totally ignored the end of episode 6. I think this one may be a lost cause. (And yes, I still know I may live to eat those words.)
Oh! My Lady	★★★½☆	I feel like I liked this show more than it deserves. I think it's because I liked the 'ship so much. Lesson learned upon rewatch: while I like the 'ship, I LOOOOVE watching Sung Min Woo fall in love with his daughter even more.
Only You	★★☆☆☆	Meh. That's my review: meh.
Pasta	★★★☆☆	The misogyny early on brings down the grade of a show that actually turned out pretty okay. Good ensemble.
Personal Taste	★★½☆☆	Okay, but a few nonsensical developments annoyed me far too much for it ever to be a favorite.
Playful Kiss	★★★☆☆	The Korean version of It Started with a Kiss, which is almost exactly the same, but with more engaging leads, better characters and better production values. It's a shame they did nothing to change the underlying story and the heroine's journey, that would have made me love it tons more than the TWdrama.
Prosecutor Princess	★★½☆☆	I'm not sure what I think about it actually. Not caring one iota about the 'ship makes this a definite "meh" for me. Likable lead actress, though.
Protect the Boss	★★½☆☆	1 episode in. I don't know, I'm not convinced the tone isn't all wrong for me. I'll have to watch some more episodes to see...
Que Sera Sera	★★½☆☆	1 episode in. I don't know, I don't feel like you can judge any kdrama before you've seen past the first week, so I'm adopting a wait-and-see attitude. So far it feels a bit all over the place...? But that may be because they're setting up a lot of different plot threads.
Romance Town	★½☆☆☆	Felt very all over the place. Storylines seemed to be started randomly and without much thought. Enjoyed the leads, though, which was the only reason I stuck with it for so long, but even that soured somewhat by the last few episodes (but at that point I felt it would have been a waste to force myself to sit through half a season of dreck and then not finish it.) By the end, I hated almost everyone. Ugh, this one was definitely not for me.
Runaway	★★★★☆	2 episodes in. I think...? Anyway, couldn't really get into it, so I just kinda stopped watching.
Scent of a Woman	★★★★★	2 episodes in. Lovely cinematography (and sometimes that's all I need to enjoy a drama) and great leads, but with a non-promising premise (woman dying of cancer decides to live her last six months to the fullest). I just don't want dying and depression in my kdramas. They're my happy place! But still, I can't not watch this. (I'm almost hoping for a cop-out of "oh, we misread your MRI/x-rays/CT scan/etc THREE TIMES.) 6 episodes in: I. LOVE. THIS. SO. MUCH. Everything since the first week has been AMAZINGNESS X INFINITY. I don't even care that the whole premise is about her dying. I will cry buckets if she does die, but it's been sooooo satisfying so far that I can't imagine them screwing anything up. MORE EPISODES NOW, PLEASE.
Secret Garden	★★★★☆	Watched the first half and then lost the will to watch kdramas in general and this suffered for it. Picked it up with not a great deal of enthusiasm, only to find that I loved it more and more (I think this is the first kdrama I've found to get better towards the end. Usually, it's the beginning/middle that I love to death).
Soulmate	★★★★☆	My favorite things about this drama was a) the soundtrack, and b) the ending. Oh, I could wax poetic FOR DAYS about the ending. And the soundtrack, for that matter.
Spring Waltz	★★★☆☆	I have very conflicting emotions here. On the one hand, I HATED episode 2, and when I found out that the flashbacks kept going and going and GOING, I just skipped past them (TWO AND A HALF EPISODES OF FLASHBACKS?! UGH!) On the other hand, PRETTY! Oh so very pretty! And I actually liked the present day stuff, especially when I could ignore everything from the flashbacks. (I don't really know what it is about the meeting-your-one-true-love-as-a-kid 'ship trope that I dislike so much. Maybe it's the whole SOOOOOUUULMATES/DESTINY thing, which I despise, or maybe it's the fact that there is always a sexual component to 'ships and putting kids in that equation equals EWWWWW.) Another issue was one I've had with a lot of Dramas: why in the world would you enter into a relationship with someone you're not attracted to and show no interest in? I can see trying to recapture love that's been lost in a relationship, but when it's never existed in the first place, why even bother raising the other person's expectations?
Stars Falling from the Sky aka Wish Upon a Star	★★★½☆	I think this is the first drama I've watched where the tragedy/comedy dichotomy works really well. Also, kudos for not retreading the same tragedies over and over and over. (Why does no one ever learn their lesson and be done with it in dramas?) Very sympathetic female lead and interesting 'ship dynamics.
Sungkyungkwan Scandal	★★★½☆	Very good drama that I enjoyed the beginning of a lot, but grew a bit weary of by the time I hit the last five episodes. Probably because a lot of them focused on the main 'ship and I kinda didn't care for them all that much. The ensemble was enough to keep me moderately happy even for the last bit when I was less invested.
Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, The	★★★☆☆	Reminded me a lot of Soulmate, but I wasn't quite as fond of it. The fact that they focused on the female friendships and weren't so focused on the romance was a definite plus. Good if you're looking for something a little different, not quite as formulaic.
You're Beautiful	★★☆☆☆	Started out cracky, got kinda boring, and somewhere along the way had THE most embarrassing dream sequence EVER (don't talk about fanfic, we don't want to know that you know!).

Jdrama	☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★	Notes
1 Litre of Tears	★★½☆☆	Definitely affecting, but I'm not sure I felt that the drama made the best of the underlying story. The story itself was what made the drama, not the other way around.
Buzzer Beat	★★★☆☆	Okay, what is it with me and Japanese sports dramas? And I enjoy them too! (Actually, it's not fictional sports that I don't usually enjoy, now that I think about it, it's actual sports. Fictional sports is like watching a highlight reel, after all.) Enjoyable and fun, but nothing extraordinary.
Hana Yori Dango	★★★☆☆	Good drama, but it just didn't click for me.
Hero	★★½☆☆	I didn't enjoy it at first, because it seemed too much like any old (and I do mean old! Like 70s old!) American procedural about lawyers, but liked it more and more, probably because I took a break and watched Standard Drama Fare, and it started to feel refreshing instead of retreadish.
Himitsu no Hanazono	★½☆☆☆	8 episodes in. Okay, I guess, but there's so much else to watch that I'm not making any effort to work it into my schedule. Also, I don't think the ending for this drama is going to be to my liking. =( I was right, I didn't enjoy the resolution of the 'ship or the drama. Meh.
Hotaru no Hikari	★★★☆☆	3 episodes in. It didn't grab me right off, but by episode 3 I was enjoying it so much more. Probably because the high expectations I'd had for it had settled somewhat.
Love Shuffle	★★★½☆	I really enjoyed the first round, but the second time around got a little weird and felt kinda off. Loved some of the 'ships, though, as well as the actors and the friendship between the core four.
Nodame Cantabile	★★★★★	LoveloveLOVED it! I think everyone should see it just to revel in the glorious classical music.
Pride	★★★½☆	After watching a few questionable dramas, this was such a breath of fresh air. Loved the two leads, loved the Queens soundtrack, loved the framing of the shots, loved how much fun everyone seemed to have - characters and actors alike - even in the middle of the angst.

TWdrama	☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★	Notes
Devil Beside You	★½☆☆☆	11 episodes in. I was promised hot make-outs (not by anyone in particular, just from general things I've read about it), but so far I'm bitterly disappointed. I just don't get the main couple at all. Nor do I care. I'll probably finish at some point when I can't think of anything else to watch.
Drunken to Love You	★★☆☆☆	14 episodes in. I was enjoying it okay at first, but now I'm getting bored. And the slapstick element in TWdramas get on my last nerve, so now whenever it shows up, even relatively sparingly like here, I immediately lose interest in the episode.
Fated to Love You	★★☆☆☆	There were some amazingly emotional episodes, but ultimately the show is dragged down by a rocky start and a bad ending.
It Started with a Kiss	★★½☆☆	I quite enjoyed it, even though it cut a little too close to my embarrassment squick sometimes. It was too long, though, and the resolution was too rushed. Oh, and no one told me there was a season 2. Fudge! Now I have to get that too! Too bad the sound quality of TWdramas always SUCKS, because that brings down the grade of all of them for me.
Love Contract	★½☆☆☆	I felt like this show meandered. A LOT. I wish there had been more purpose to the 'ship arc(s) and the plot. But what pulled the grade down from two stars was the finale. Yes, it was CRAZY, but not in that "OMG, SO MUCH CRAZY SHIT IS HAPPENING!" way, but in that "OMG! WHY IS ALL THIS CRAZY SHIT HAPPENING?!" It was...not good.
Smiling Pasta	★☆☆☆☆	Ugh, I'm getting kinda tired of the humiliation porn, especially in TWdramas, where it's worse than anywhere else. Why can't at least some girls be awesome? I'm not even sure why the hell I finished this drama. By the end I was hating everything that it chose to be. I basically Alt+Right Arrowed it through the second half and I just got more and more annoyed even though I was hardly watching it! I think TWdramas will be off the table for a while, there's only so much suckitude one can take.
They Kiss Again	★★★☆☆	Basically just a continuation of It Started with a Kiss, though it is very enjoyable in its own right. I loved how sweet they were together, but sometimes Zhi Shu's infantilization of Xiang Qin got on my nerves. Stop trying to teach her valuable life lessons, she's not a child!
Tokyo Juliet	★½☆☆☆	Quit after 2 episodes. It just wasn't for me.

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( Coming Attractions )

So, I bought the dark blue Guide Vogs and I kinda love them a lot. A bit on the small side, but a few hours wear around the house helped a lot (can't wear them out of the house yet. The ice may have melted, but I'd freeze my toes off).

Next on the agenda: a camera bag! I have one of the usual nylon thingies, but I kinda hate it a lot. It's bulky, cheap-looking and not versatile at all. I want something that doesn't look like a camera bag, but will still protect it and be comfortable to wear for hours on end. I know, should be easy, right؟

( Here are the ones I'm considering so far. Plus a poll! )

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In other news, I've been watching way too much TV. Thoughts on a few things:

( The Good Wife )

( Jane by Design )

( Lost Girl )

( Top Chef )

( One Upon a Time )

( Hart of Dixie )

( Awake )

( Touch )


( Comedies )

I feel like it's been so long since I made a TV update post that if I started to write up my thoughts on various shows I'd never be able to stop. So instead I'm going to sneak in this post on a Saturday evening when it's pretty dead around here and maybe that way I can work my way up to talking about the important stuff (television, that is).

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So, shoes.

I'm not a shoe person. When it comes to accessories, purses are my weakness (I've bought two this month alone - one just a few hours ago). But that was before I found Fluevogs. I don't think I've ever gotten all weak with WANT over shoes before, but with these shoes I practically drool while looking at the web site. ( A few or my favorites. )

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( And while I'm posting, but not about TV, an update on the podcast thing. )

I just got an email from a guy (interestingly enough also from Sweden), who wanted to use one of my screencaps at a site that prints images on canvases. The site wants reassurances that the image isn't copyrighted and I'm not exactly sure what the deal is.

My thinking on it is this:

The screencaps are actually copyrighted material, but since I'm not making money at it (it actually costs me money) and since I'm not depriving the production company of income, they have no interest in pursuing legal action and turn a blind eye to the whole practice of screencapping.

HOWEVER, if a screencap is used in the way this person mentions (uploaded to a site and printed on canvas, which is then sold for a profit), it will be an infringement of copyright that deprives the production company of income and they may very well sue the printing company over it.

Would that be a reasonable way of thinking about it? Also, if that's the case, how does one go about making those types of one-of-a-kind art that are an infringement of copyright, but that can't be obtained easily through legal means? Can one approach the production company? Are there images (stills and promotonal images) that are devoid of copyright? Enquiring minds want to know!

(Enquiring minds also wants to know what site this guy is using, because I may be interested in some of those canvas pictures myself. Just not interested in paying shipping costs from the States.)

.

1. Reply to this post with "THE WEATHER'S DEFINITELY TURNED; I'VE ALWAYS LOVED THE AUTUMN," and I
will pick five of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon glee.

( Icons! )

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My Semagic client still isn't logging into Livejournal. Ugh, LJ, what are you doing?!

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Oh, also, I translated the EMAs this week, which means I got to translate my first bit of Korean in a professional capacity. (Can I just say that I love that the kpop fandom will have an English translation available on YouTube within hours?)

This weekend I started listening to podcasts. I'm not sure why I've never tried it before, but I just haven't felt the urge to. And now I'm intrigued, but I feel completely lost in the sea of STUFF that's out there.

So, any recs?

What I'd like to find are podcasts featuring geeks/fans/just people loving something in nerdy ways. Also, short techy/newsy stuff. (Unfortunately, these subjects tend to bore me after a while, so the pithier the better.)

I tried NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, and while I enjoy the subject matter I'm put off by two things:
1) Not enough women. Men are hardly the only nerds out there and yet it seems that even when they have to find stand-ins for their regular guests, it's men replacing men.
2) The TWoP thing. I'm sorry, I'm still not over it, and I wasn't even active on the site. I can only imagine how those who were feel about the whole thing.

Today I listened to Aisha Tyler's Girl on Guy (the latest one with Adam Savage) and I got so caught up in it that I had to put away the book I was reading on the subway because I wasn't retaining anything even though I "read" several pages. The love for nerdy things on that show was a pure delight! Haven't tried any other episodes yet, but you can bet I will.

Also, I'll gladly take recs for clients and/or apps. I'm currently using the Podkicker app and so far it seems to do a credible job, but if anyone's got something better, tell me about it! I beg you!

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( Watched Once Upon a Time and Grimm this weekend. )

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This weekend I went to order the desk I finally settled on ( (this one) ) and the clerk told me that they were having a sale on it this week. HALF OFF. You'd better believe I waited. I'm ordering it tomorrow.

It's been a loooong time since I updated. I'm not even sure why since I have been watching tons of stuff and have had things to say about them. I think the problem is just that it eventually got to be so much that it just felt overwhelming to post about it. So I figured I'd start writing and see how long I can go before get tired of it.

Returning Shows

( The Amazing Race )

( Community )

( Criminal Minds )

( Downton Abbey )

( Fringe )

( The Good Wife )

( Happy Endings )

( How I Met Your Mother )

( It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia )

( Parks and Recreation )

( Project Runway )

---

New Shows
Keepers (aka The Ones I'm Still Watching)

( Hart of Dixie )

( Homeland )

( New Girl )

( Pan Am )

( Prime Suspect )

( Revenge )

( Ringer )

( Suburgatory )

( Up All Night )

Non-Keepers (aka The Ones I Gave Up on After an Episode or Two)

( 2 Broke Girls )

( Charlie's Angels )

( Enlightened )

( Person of Interest )

( The Secret Circle )

( Terra Nova )

( Unforgettable )

The really scary thing here? I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting a couple of shows/pilots.
Yeah...

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Other things what I have watched

( Awkward )

( Raising Hope )

( Rookie Blue )

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Okay, I think I've used up ALL THE WORDS now. Sorry about the word vomit and if you struggled through all that, I'm truly sorry. Cookie?

I spent the afternoon watching in rapt fascination as the whole Myung Wol the Spy thing unfolded. Or should I say imploded? Holy crap, it's like a drama! It's like a drama about a drama THAT'S ABOUT A DRAMA. This is getting so meta it's like universes folding in upon themselves.

Let me just say that until Han Ye Seul jetted off to America this afternoon, I was firmly in her corner, because I think the way they shoot dramas is CRAZY. Like, that story making the rounds while City Hunter was airing about Lee Min Ho performing a stunt and then not getting up off the ground because he fell asleep in the aftermath is funny until you actually start to think about how exhausted someone has to be in order for that to happen. No wonder dramas are plagued with so many car accidents. All the drivers are sleep-deprived!

( Spoilers for recent episodes )

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( Scent of a Woman, on the other hand, is pure LOVE. )

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( Protect the Boss )

( Sungkyungkwan Scandal )


( Coffee House, episodes 1-11 )


( Heartstrings )


( Myung Wol the Spy )


( Scent of a Woman, episodes 1-3 )


( City Hunter )

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( I just saw this on Tumblr and I ordered it right away. )

Framing it and putting in my hallway! Yay, I've been all indecisive about what to put on my walls there. Now I've got a start!