0828 flaky thoughts

I received an email from Karen (see pic), a good friend who lives in the Bay Area. I sent her a belated birthday wish and she responded with an update on her life. Things are going well for her and she just returned from a trip to the Na Pali coastline on Kaua'i. Now there's a place that's high on my list of places to visit before I die. Maybe I'll make it out there next year ...

She is also still active with the Nisei Ski Club, which is going to Vail for a week in 2008. I'd love to go, but too much is uncertain in my life right now. I hope that I can make it on one of NSC's great weekend trips this winter, though. I love to ski the north shore of Tahoe.

0825 membership has its ... ??

Mike & Carol came by to pick me up in time for the Saturday eve service at SBCC. Associate Pastor Ken was finishing up his series with "You Have Childlike Faith" by comparing our adult responses to those of children, who haven't been exposed to the realities of life and who answer with blind truth in their hearts.

Following the service was Supper Saturday, which is on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. Tonight they served Curry Chicken or Pork Over Rice, along with salad, dessert, and beverages. It was qute good.

The SBCC Member's Fellowship followed at 7pm, starting off with another round of Pastor Ken's Games, emceed by Jim Y. This time, members were divided evenly into 8 teams. Each team lined up and then blindly drew an animal from one baske and an affliction from another, then each team member had to pantomime it down the line. The last team member had to guess both parts correctly to win. Only one team was able to do so. It was quite funny to watch. Fortunately for me, I got a "pass" from Pastor Ken before the fun began, since I wasn't feeling up to it.

After the fun was over, Senior Pastor Gary stood up to welcome 19 new members into the church family. As usual, he proceeded to "interview" each one as to how they found the church, what made them stay, and why they decided to become a member of the church. Sheri Koga (top pic) was first in line and her response to the last question was, "well ... why not?" This drew a lot of laughter from the membership, and the quote was repeated several times as Pastor Gary made his way down the line. Special recognition was given to Scott and Iris Aiboshi as we all thought they were already members, since they've been attending the church for quite some time. Apparently, they thought so too. But now it's official.

Pastor Gary talked about the future of the church, since we are one of the few in the area that is actively growing. There had been rumors of a new capital funds campaign, but that has been put on the back burner, as the church has internal needs and infrastructure to address first. We also received a personal update on the Uganda orphanage by Sherry Roberts (middle pic), who also became a member tonight. She talked about their achievements, and we also viewed a DVD put together of video shot in Uganda. It was very moving.

The meeting ended with Communion, with music provided by Pastor Nathan (bottom pic). It was nice to be back at church, to see all the people I'd missed for the past several weeks. Mike & Carol had me home by 10:15pm.

0825 what a week

I've been sleeping in a wind tunnel for last few nights. At least, that's what it felt like. I've been wearing a BI-PAP mask to bed and it looks just like one of those oxygen masks that athletes use, only it provides a positive-pressure environment over my nose and mouth. I can exhale with ease, but if I hesitate to inhale, it pushes in with a breath's worth of oxygen and forces me to breathe, thus getting around the apnea. I've been getting better sleep and am starting to feel more refreshed in the mornings.

Jim Y came by this morning with Michelle, and they loaded me into Jim's van for a walk around Lakewood Center Mall. Jim provided me with walking support and Michelle pulled the O2 cart with us. I don't know exactly how far I walked, but it was continuous for almost an hour. We started just inside the mall entrance at CPK and turned around before making it to the merry-go-round in the center.

We had lunch at CPK, and Michelle entertained us with stories about the recent mission to Uganda. She will be by next week to share her photos with me.

Brother John is being moved today to Country Villa in Long Beach. This is hopefully the last transfer for awhile.

0821 zzzzzzzz

On Sunday night, I checked into the Memorial Care Sleep Disorder Center for an overnight evaluation of my sleep. They hooked me up with all types of electrodes (see pic) and then I laid down for a night of what I hoped would be blissful sleep. How wrong I was.

I was awakened in the middle of the night to try on an assortment of headsets to help me breathe better. Having positive pressure applied helped me to sleep peacefully the rest of the night.

So here I am, two days later, and trying to read a preliminary copy of the Polysomnography Report, and I keep falling asleep while doing so. Kinda ironic. It says that I do have apnea and it's a really bad case of it. More as it develops.

0818 john and jim

I had a dream last night about my brother, John. I dreamt that he was walking around the house, helping out with everyday chores, just like it used to be. I was surprised that he was mobile, yet I still could not walk. I called out to John and he came and stood by the bed, and we had a short conversation. Then I woke up to find my father standing over me, asking if I was okay. He was illuminated only by the small nightlight that is on to help nighttime wanderers navigate through the den to the family bathroom. He said that I was calling out to someone and talking in my sleep, so he came out to see if I was okay. I told him about the dream I had of John. He just smiled and told me to go back to sleep, then shuffled off into the darkness.

When I rolled out of bed in the morning, I asked my father if he remembered our conversation. He said that he did not, yet he smiled in such a way that made me think he remembered part of it. Maybe it was a dream for him, too.

Jim Y came by again to help me with my morning walk. I am blessed by this man and his friendship. Without contact with my friends on the outside, I would surely go crazy in here.

0816 How To Medicate A Cat

Ah good ... the PC is on and Jim has left the room ... it looks like he is downloading a podcast file. Since he rarely downloads, he doesn't feel he needs anything faster than dial-up. I wish one of you other humans would speak with him about that. He doesn't listen to me any more. I'm just a dog.

The podcast file is about 5MB in size, so it will take about an hour to downnload ... which is whythe PC is on and Jim has left the room. Just ehough time for me to add another tip to his blog.

How To Medicate The Cat

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby.Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on to neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little bastard's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

Sincerely, Jett

0812 family dinner

My family got together Sunday evening, to celebrate the birthdays of my father, Roy, and my niece, Katherine. My sister, Judi, hosted us and provided a warm house full of great food. It was just our family, her family, and Mike's side. Twelve in all, both kids and adults.

The pics are from cake time. I think it was just the 10 candles for Katherine; if they added candles for Roy, we'd still be there, blowing them out (or helping to put out the structure fire). The ice cream is in the foreground of the bottom photo, including one that is black-and-white, which is supposedly popular with the kids today. Hmmm ... I'm starting to sound like my parents .... I'll have to think this over ....

Pictionary Jr. was brought out, but we didn't have time to play. We did have time to reminisce about our family history with Pictionary, starting with the desert/dessert debacle where Judi was supposed to draw "a desert" but instead drew a hot fudge sundae (a dessert), and ending with Mom's attempts to get us to "derringer" by trying to draw a "derriere", a word for an anatomical part that only my mother uses. She still has no idea what a "derringer" is.

0811 quiet day

My father's birthday is today, which means that my niece's birthday is tomorrow. I don't know if a family dinner is planned; I just follow everyone else. Let's see if my math is still working .... hmmm ... I think that Dad is 84 and Katherine will be turning 10 ... double-digits! .... that's a milestone .... and that means that Jett (see pic) just turned 10, too (he was a newborn puppy a month before Katherine was born).

Jim Y came by this morning and helped me with walking around the driveway, while attached to my 50-foot O2 tube. I am thankful for friends like Jim who is able to clear a couple of hours on a Saturday just to help me with my exercise. We have hopes that I will be off the O2 soon as the two of us have plans to have me walking through the local malls for exercise. I'm sure that it will be quite a sight to behold.

0810 signs of life in florida

I received an email today from Arin. She is currently residing in Florida and has yet to actually burn a house down to the ground. In case you don't remember her, check out the pic. She is doing well and is getting plenty of exercise in the Sunshine State. Plus, she is a regular visitor at Walt Disney World, but we all expected that, didn't we?

When I asked about her return, she was evasive but did say that she and Eric plan to drive cross-country to Southern California, once they figure out where it is. Neither of them are good with maps. My suggestion? Head west until you reach the Pacific Ocean, then call for directions.

0810 now if we can just grow bigger hands ...

I log online early each day, to check on emails and read news articles. The Japanese, which is my ancestry, have brought great technologies for the world to hold in awe. But just the same, they have their own missteps every now and then.

For example, the F-Cup Cookie, which allows women to increase their bust size with just two 50-gram cookies each day. The cookies contain Pueraria Mirifica, an herb found only in Indonesia and contains estrogen mimics. You can now find this product, also in tea form, for sale on E-Bay for around $30.

I can't quite tell, but the model used on the packaging appears to be somewhat less than an F-cup, which is the same as DDD, if I understand the size chart correctly. I was once told by a former girlfriend that I have C-cup hands and I've seen photos of Sophie Howard, who is often described as a natural 34G. What do you think?

0809 a note from Randi

I received an email from cousin Randi the other day. Most of it was family stuff, which I am not allowed to publish (Randi reads my blog, too). So that leaves me with her theatrical work. She has a part in "Steel Magnolias", which opens this weekend at the Garden Grove Playhouse (link). I'm thinking of going, just to see what she's wearing .... and for the play, too. Three weekends and then it's gone ... I'll have to check my calendar.

She is also working on a part as a singing nun in "The Sound of Music" for the Center Theater in Whittier. That will be worth watching, too.

0807 trio no longer needed at home

My caregiver and I have figured out a way for me to get enough walking exercise with just the two of us, yet keep me connected to my oxygen tube. We're using a compressor unit that was provided to me to use while at home, so I only need to use the pressurized tanks while moving around away from home. The unit plugs into AC and pumps the O2 through 50 feet of poly tubing (see pic). I use this while sleeping and working inside the house.

We just moved it outside to the patio, turned it on, the proceeded to walk around the backyard while breathing through the tube. Just the two of us. No third person needed, at least for the home exercise portion of my physical therapy. Still need to have three people when moving away from home. But I have two appointments this week that could change that. More on this as it develops.

0805 weekend update

Well ... I'll be a cat in a hat!! Jett can use the pc! My sister says that animals without opposable thumbs should not be capable of such feats .... but now I have evidence! Plus the nose prints on the monitor and the keyboard .... it's just amazing! Every now and then, I catch Jett sitting in the desk chair with an innocent expression on his face ... you know ... rolling eyes, whistling .... and I've been falling for it every time. Well, not anymore.

The weekend was quiet as I stayed at home both days and did not attend SBCC. Too much logistics to be concerned with, especially with the oxygen tank. I missed out on Koinonia today and my Revelation study group last night. I will have to catch up with them later. The gas buydown was yesterday; I wonder how it went.

I spent most of Saturday on my pc, and chose to take a nap today. That's about it.

0804 How To Clean A Cat

Jim has left his PC on and wandered into the other room to watch the women's AVP finals on FOX. I know he misses playing and his church's volleyball ministry is on the beach today, so I guess he is imagining himself out there playing with them. Either that or he just likes watching young women in tiny bikinis running and rolling around in the sand. Doesn't matter to me; I'm just a dog. And I'll use this opportunity to add one of my own tips to his blog.

How To Clean A Cat

1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.

2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and lift both lids.

3. Take the cat and soothe him while you carry him toward the bathroom.

4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape. Caution: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for anything they can find.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power wash and rinse" that I have found to be quite effective.

6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside, where he will dry himself.

Sincerely, Jett

0803 a step in the wrong direction

We realized yesterday that in order for me to learn to walk again, I will need the assistance of two people instead of just one. That's because of the oxygen tank (see pic) that I need to be connected to. Before, I would have both of my hands on my walker and my caregiver would walk behind me with both of his hands on my gait belt, in case I lose my balance and start to fall. The problem now is that he needs a third hand to pull the O2 tank behind us while we walk.

So we tried it this morning with my father providing the extra hand, just walking around the back driveway. It worked out just fine, but now this limits my ability to get the exercise needed to regain strength in my right leg.

My friend, Jim Y, offered to assist me with walking on the weekends. But we've now put that on hold since we cannot find a third person to join us for the O2 tank. If you're available, even for just an hour or two, let me know. I can use all the help I can get.

0801 good news vs bad news

The one main drawback to being disabled is that I'm disconnected from the rest of the world. Sure, I watch the news like everyone else, but I miss the personal interaction and face-to-face meetings that make our society wonderful. My only source of interaction comes from emails and web advertisements. After wading through all the junk, I usually end up with one or two tidbits to explore. I've found some interesting websites and some good humor, which I will share in my blog.

I love the irony behind good news/bad news jokes. It is a sad commentary on life that every silver lining has a dark shadow attached to it. But that is what makes life so real.
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Two lifelong friends named Mike and Joe were big baseball fans. They played on the same Little League team as kids, through school and then some minor league play, sometimes on opposing teams. But their friendship thrived and their love of baseball continued throughout their adult lives into retirement. They talked about baseball every day of the year. They even made a pact that whoever died first would try to come back and tell the other if there was baseball in heaven.

One summer night, Mike passed away in his sleep after watching the Yankee victory earlier in the evening. He died happy. A few nights later, his buddy Joe awoke to the sound of Mike's voice from beyond. "Mike, is that you?" Joe asked.

"Of course it's me," Mike's voice replied.

"This is unbelievable!" Joe exclaimed. "So tell me, is there baseball in heaven?"

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Tell me the good news first."

"Well, the good news is that yes, there is baseball in heaven, Joe. We play every day and every night, we don't get tired, and there are no injuries," Mike's voice replied.

"Oh, that is wonderful! So what could possibly be the bad news?"

"You're scheduled to pitch tomorrow night."
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Yes, I know that it's morbid humor, but I laughed so hard when I read ths one. And now I'm sharing it with you.