0930 long day!

I woke up early today, since I had to be at church by 9am, for the last two services in which I was appearing in a sketch with the SBCC Drama Team. Both performances went off without any problems, and I think that my parents attended the complete 9:30am service. Wow!

I was able to attend the Koinonia meeting in the afternoon. This tme, it was just Eric, Stephanie, Sheri and myself, as Sam had a business meeting, Wendi wasn't feeling well, Liz had family matters to take care of, and Jennifer had to work. We completed Lesson Two of our group study on the Book of Genesis.

Sheri recapped a meeting that the lifegroup had with Pastor Ken, to get answers to questions that had been brought up in previous studies. The list of questions was long so there will be another meeting to answer the rest, plus some that we've been coming up with since. There was also clarification on a question about Mo not eating after six; actually,it's seven. Just don't ask Sam to explain it.

Eric shared some about his and Jenn's return to their former church last Sunday, to give a presentation on their part of a medical mission trip to Uganda and Kenya back in August. I've seen the 227 photos they took on the mission; I hope to hear their stories and thoughts about the two weeks they spent on the African continent.

I made it home by 4pm.

0929 Live From Gardena, It's Saturday Night!

Tonight marked my return to the SBCC stage as a member of the SBCC Drama Team, after being gone for almost a year. My part was one of four monologues, as a man addicted to Internet adult sites. My friend, Kelly, asked if the performance was worthy of Academy Award consideration. I responded that I hope it isn't believable, because if it is, then I might be put under investigation by the church.

I must say, though, that Ryan Y put in a great performance, as a student who was caught breaking into the school office to change some grades. I don't think that he has ever been in trouble at all in his young life, so he had no life experience to draw from. His performance was acting in the truest sense.

Pastor Gary wrapped up his "I Blew It!" series with tonight's installment of "I Blew My Purity". He explained that God created us to be like Him, and in order to be "saved", we need to be as Christ-like as possible. He illustrated this by talking about his own daughter, Natalie.

He said that he wants Natalie to be an Angels fan, because he's an Angels fan. Okay, we can see that.

He said that he wants Natalie to be a Star Wars fan because he's a Star Wars fan. Okay, we can accept that one, too, although it's more like an obsession in Pastor Gary's case.

He said that he hopes that Natalie will attend Pepperdine, because he's a Pepperdine alumni. Okay, but it would be nice to aim higher.

He said that he wants Natalie to be a good athlete because he's a good athlete. Hmmm. Sorry, Pastor Gary, but you lost us with that one. Natalie will be a good athlete because her mother, Cheryl, is a good athlete.

After the service was the Walk With Jesus group study of The Parable of the Net. I caught up with Liz there, but didn't see Sheri. Liz was getting together with her posse later (see 09/15 blog for info on Liz's posse)

A group of eight of us went to Coco's afterwards. Steve and Carol were really hungry, so they had dinner. Gary and Kiyomi split an appetizer. The rest us (Mike, Lillian, Judy, myself) were only interested in dessert, so we had pie. Steve is a very neat eater; he ordered a Teriyaki Burger, then proceeded to eat it with a fork and knife, and didn't touch the sweet potato fries until afer he was done with the burger. He managed to finish the fries with just the fork, though. Mike & Carol dropped me off at home by 11pm.

0929 too comfortable .... LOL

What happens when three people are really comfortble with their relationships together? TMI, for one. So that's what happened today when Jim Y, Michelle and myself were out for our weekly walk at Lakewood Center. You see, the three of us used to be in a lifegroup together, and we've become accustomed to speaking our minds and our hearts, with no holds on anything.

Without giving away the answers, our quizzes and "surveys" to one another included subjects such as hair length, hair color, cup size, lingerie colors/styles, and boxers/briefs. What a way to pass the time. We walked for about forty minutes and covered most of the space between Macy's and Bed, Bath and Beyond. We did stop a couple of times so that Michelle could do some window shopping.

Lunch was at East Side Mario's, on Candlewood. Jim and I had salads; Michelle had the ziti. I made it home around 1pm.

0923 the weekend

It's Sunday, but I still need to recap Saturday night.

Like any other Saturday, I attended he evening service at SBCC. Pastor Gary continued his series on "I Blew It" with a message on how many of us blow off God, sometimes without realizing it. We need to be more conscious of our actions and our thoughts, so that we don't have regrets when we come in front of God for judgment.

Supper Satuday was Italian and very filling. The Walk With Jesus study started promptly at 7pm, and we broke up into our study groups to discuss The Parable of the Weed, from Matthew 13. It was good to hear how others had read the same verses but came up with different understandings.

Afterwards, I gathered with some others and the nine of us ended up at Tampopo in Tozai Plaza, to get some food while watching the UCLA-Washington football game. I had the Tampopo ramen, which was a bit of a challenge since I cannot yet hold chopsticks in my right hand (and never learned to use them in my left hand). So I tried using a fork and ended up making a mess. I resigned myself to drinking the soup until I could see the noodles, and then trying to scoop them out. The ramen came with half fried rice, so I didn't starve (whether it was rice that was half-fried or a half-potion of fried rice, I can't be certain). I should have ordered a donburi dish instead. Next time.

0922 it's satuday

Well, the week has been long and eventful, but it's finally Saturday. Jim Y and Michelle came by for my weekly walk. We went back to Lakewood Center, but this time we started in the mall access next to Bed Bath & Beyond on the south wing.

Once we reached the wing entrance, we turned right and walked to J.C. Penneys. We made a large loop and headed back towards the north end. Jim was commenting on the lack of exciting stores, until we came to Victoria's Secret. Michelle kept us focused on our task and we finished the walk in about 70 minutes.

We then went to lunch at Marie Callender's on Candlewood. There was a chalkboard in the front, wth preview items from their fall menu. I selected the Grilled Tri-Tip Salad, which consisted of mixed greens, gorgonzola cheese, apple chunks, mandarin orange pieces, roma tomatoes, sliced onions, candied walnuts, a vinaigrette dressing, and topped with still-warm freshly-grilled tri-tip pieces. It was very good. Too bad I didn't save room for a slice of pie. But I did grab a couple of pies to take home.

0920 peter's pictures

My good friend, Peter (see pic), stopped by to visit and he dropped off a flash drive full of photos from the SBCC baptisms at Seaside Lagoon last Sunday. I thanked him for the photos and I will deliver them to the church staff this weekend. We then had a chance to talk and catch-up. I told him that I was glad that he and Claudia had a good time, and it had been almost a year since I last saw both of them (we had a game night at his shop on Labor Day weekend 2006). Right now, he's hoping to become a firefighter with L.A. County. Once I get back on my own feet, we'll have another game night.

0919 netflix vs blockbuster

I sent out an informal survey to a bunch friends via email, to find out the differences between Netflix and Blockbuster, for receiving DVDs through the mail. So far, I've received 32 responses. 12 of them prefer Netflix; 9 prefer Blockbuster; and the rest either have no opinion or have other options available to them.

The Blockbuster crowd likes to emphasize that I can just hop into my car and exchange the DVD at my local Blockbuster store. Many of them are unaware of my mobility issues, so I do not fault them for it. But it's because of my limitations that I'm looking into the DVD-by-mail services. Before the stroke, I would just catch the latest movies at the theaters with friends, as often as 6 or 7 per month. So far, I haven't seen any movie that was released since last Thanksgiving. I have a lot of catching up to do.

It looks like I'll be trying out Netflix first.

0918 WARNING!! R-rated joke below

I don't usually share risque jokes, but I have to share this one and I will explain why afterwards. I received this joke from my cousin Randi earlier today and it's quite timely; it also shows that we share the same warped sense of humor. I already accept that I'll be censured or disavowed by my Koinonia lifegroup. So if you're sensitive to such things, then read no further.

A male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, still heavily sedated from a difficult four hour, surgical procedure. A young student nurse appears to give him a partial sponge bath.

"Nurse", he mumbles, from behind the mask. "Are my testicles black?"

Embarrassed, the young nurse replies "I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet."

He struggles to ask again, "Nurse, are my testicles black?"

Concerned that he may elevate his vitals from worry about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and sheepishly pulls back the covers. She raises his gown, holds his penis in one hand and his testicles in the other, lifting and moving them around. Then, she takes a close look and says, "There's nothing wrong with them, Sir!!"

The man pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her and says very slowly, "Thank you very much. That was wonderful, but listen very, very closely.....

A r e - m y - t e s t - r e s u l t s - b a c k ? "

I'm still laughing. You see, in order to treat my apnea, I use a BiPAP machine (see pic) every night with a full mask that covers my nose and mouth. Once I put it on, I cannot communicate clearly with my parents. I try to say things like "turn on the fan" or "turn off the light", but will often get mixed results. Just last night, after putting on the mask, I asked my father to turn off the light. He looked around the room and replied, "Frog? What frog?" I laughed so hard I almost hyperventilated.

0916 splash!

Today was Baptism Day for South Bay Community Church. But since it is September and the weather is still warm, it was held at the Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach for the 2nd year. SBCC rented the facility and the potluck lunch started at 1pm. Worship started at 3pm, the Hula ministry performed, and testimonials from 28 baptism candidates began at 3:45pm. Immediately following was the full-immersion baptism in the Lagoon, performed by Pastor Gary, in his full body wetsuit.

I was there to witness the baptism of Jennifer, a member of my Koinonia lifegroup. Her husband, Eric, assisted Pastor Gary when her turn came around. The top pic is from Jennifer's testimony, before the immersion. If you look close enough, you can see the legs of Pastor Gary's wetsuit.

I met some friends I had invited. Peter & Claudia were there, and so were Bryan & Linda. Peter expected to see Kelly, but she had mentioned that she had homework to complete and probably would not attend.

Thanks to Mike, who was able to provide me with transportation to and from the event.

0915 parables

Mike & Carol picked me up in time for the Saturday eve ervice. Pastor Gary spoke about how people ruin their lives and others aroud them by mishandling money. His sermon dealt with man being responsible to God, who entrusts man with everything on this planet, including money.

The Walk With Jesus study group started soon after the evening service ended. Pastor Ken broke us up into smaller groups. He used colorful stickers on our name badges to tell us what group we were in. Since I was wheelchair-bound, he asked me which sticker I had so that I wouldn't have to move. I responded that my sticker had a rainbow coming out of a cloud. His eyes rolled backwards and I heard them click. Apparently, I was supposed to identify the background color (green) as well. And so he divided the attendees by the color and design of their stickers.

We were instructed to introduce ourselves within our groups, as we will be gathering in the same groups each week to discuss the material. My group had Lyle, Alice, Liz and Orlando. We prayed and then discussed The Parable of the Sower, from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It was an animated discussion and I learned a lot by just listening to the others.

Afterwards, I met up with the people from my Revelation study group for dessert. Fred Jay was in town for a visit, so he joined us. We went to Coco's and found out there was a special on pie. There were nine of us altogether: Mike & Carol, John & Reiko, Judy, Kiyomi, Steve, Fred and myself. We had a great time eating and socializing. The boysenberry pie ala mode was delicious!

0915 service for bryan lee

Today was the funeral service for Bryan Lee, the brother of two frends of mine. It was held in the red brick church at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. Koinonia arrived early to help with set-up and to man the reception table. I was able to hitch a ride with Sheri & Mo. Sam, Eric & Jen were already there, along with Liz and her "posse" (read: Chris and Sunny). The service was to start at 12:30pm, but was delayed due to Pastor Gary getting stuck in heavy traffic (the Dodgers had a day game, and there was talk of a 'house' blocking freeway lanes). The service was well-attended and Bryan had a lot of good friends. Bobby and Wendi shared stories of growing up with Bryan. I met a couple of friends (Jane Kinoshita and Larry Haramoto) I haven't seen in a lomg time; they are friends of Bryan's mother, Kathee.

The burial service followed immediately afterwards.

0914 next up ... senior discounts!

I've finally arrived! No, I'm not that old, but I requested and received some used tennis balls from my friend, Leslie, the unofficial queen of tennis. I put them on the legs of my walker (see pic) and it now moves a lot smoother than before. It also helps me to blend in with the other white-haired slow-moving walkers out there. Next stop: Denny's. I hope that the walker and the white hair will be enough to get the senior deal without having to show my ID. Note: I made the mistake of bouncing one of the balls and Jett grabbed it and won't give it back.

0912 a bit of drama in my life

The SBCC Drama Ministry met tonight to read through a script for a sketch to be performed in a couple of weeks. Jim Y, the ministry leader, sat in on one of the parts in the character of a man with anger-issues. Halfway through, he really got into the character. So much, in fact, that the rest of us thought that either he's really good or the novocaine finally wore off from his dental appointment earlier in the day. Note: He's really good!

My character is a man addicted to Internet adult sites. Apparently, he thought I'd be perfect for the part. I'm not certain if that's a compliment, but for now, I'll take it that way. Come out to SBCC on the weekend of September 29-30, if you want to see it. It will be performed at all three services.

The best deterrent for downloading Internet porn? A dial-up connection.

0908 busy day

It's Saturday!! Jim Y came by around 10am for our weekly walk. Michelle couldn't make it; she had already committed to "The Women of Faith" conference in Anaheim. I was able to recruit Steve, a friend of the family, to take her place. We tossed my stuff into Jim's minivan, and off we went. We arrived at Lakewood Center and parked by the mall entrance near CPK, for what my friend Liz refers to as "mall therapy".

We started the walk inside the mall entrance and turned right once we reached the Target wing. We made it all the way around the Carousel in front of Macy's, before returning to our starting point. The non-stop walk took about 80 minutes to complete and I was able to maintain a good pace.

This time we had a brief discussion about "Lids", the store that sells only baseball-style caps. I know that it's a chain, but it made me wonder about the founder's original business plan, and how he was able to secure financing for it. It must have taken some fancy footwork to get the bank to accept it.

Lunch was at Mimi's Cafe this time. I had the Fried Chicken Salad, complete with a honey oat bran muffin, corn chowder and a strawberry lemonade. Steve had the Patty Melt and Jim had the Crab Cakes. I returned home around 2pm and rested up for the evening.

My parents dropped me off at SBCC on their way to my sister's house for dinner. I was on time for the Saturday eve service. Pastor Gary spoke on how marriages are not always perfect, but God is always the option when things go wrong. Divorce is too easy and is sometimes used more often than it should.

Supper Saturday served up chinese chicken salad, mabo tofu, rice, spring rolls, soup, and almond cookies. I saw Mike trying to tell some kids that the "almond" on top of the cookie was really a toenail. There was one kid that gave Mike a look of disbelief and exasperation.

At 7pm, Pastor Ken started up a new group study called "Walk With Jesus", which examines the parables used by Christ so that the lessons he taught would be remembered. This study meets every Saturday and ends on November 17th. All of my Revelation study group is participating, so we've postponed Revelation study until January 2008. I sat with Sheri, from my Koinonia lifegroup, and Anjie. We ran into Liz after the study ended; she must have come in late and was sitting in the back.

Mike and Carol dropped me off at home around 8:30pm.

0907 one of those days

I received a couple of calls today, informing me of the passing of a brother of two friends of mine. Bryan Lee was rushed to a hospital yesterday and died this morning of respiratory failure. I've met Bryan a few times at church and the ballfield, but I'm more familiar with his brother, Bobby (top pic), and his sister, Wendi (bottom pic). I used to be in the WTBA men's lifegroup with Bobby, along with playing softball and day hikes. I'm currently in the Koinonia lifegroup, which is where I know Wendi.

I spoke with Bobby earlier this evening and he's holding together well. I'll check in on Wendi, too. It's times like this that makes me think of my own family, and my brother John in the care facility.

0902 before and after

Koinonia was having a special meeting at Jennifer & Eric's place after church today, but I had decided not to attend as we were having relatives over for a visit in the afternoon. I was hoping that I could get a haircut from my cousin Christine, who is a very talented hair stylist. She arrived with Andy, Zoya and Willie.

For a moment, we almost had to postpone the haircut, as Christine had left her shears and clippers at home. Fortunately, they were able to run over to CVS for replacements, and within minutes, I was several pounds lighter (see pics). Being shaggy in the hot days we've been having had been a liability, but now it's much more tolerable.

We chatted for awhile and caught up. Andy has been playing online games with his nephew, Randy (one of Christine's boys), particularly Heroes Online. When I asked him what super powers his character had, he became evasive. Apparently, his character is able to withstand incredible amounts of damage by opponents. No other offensive skills, however. So when his party opposes another group, Andy's character goes in first, draws their fire and their attention, so that the rest of his party can attack with minor retaliation. In other words, he's the decoy.

It's times like this that I'm glad I don't have a high-speed connection. Otherwise, I'm sure that my character would be very much like Andy's, and they would be standing side-by-side, taunting the enemy.

0901 walking again

Jim Y and Michelle came by for our weekly walking therapy. After loading me and my stuff into Jim's minivan, we headed off towards Lakewood Center once more. We started the walk by CPK again, but turned left in the mall and made our way towards Target, my designated "halfway" point. Along the way, Jim pointed out some printing on a store window. The store was "Cacique" and the message on the window indicated that it was there to serve "the curvy woman from 36C to 48DDD". We debated about stopping the walk there, just to watch the clientele going in and out, but Michelle kept us going.

When we reached Target's mall entrance, we took a break so that my two friends could use the restroom. We resumed the walk shortly thereafter and retuned to our starting point. We noticed that the Wet Seal had finished construction as the plywood walls were taken down to reveal the heavy glass showcases.

After getting back in the minivan, we headed east for Boston Market, where we had lunch. Michelle had a gift card to use and we thanked her for the treat. I tried the Market Chopped Salad with chicken, and it was great! There were mixed greens, carrots, broccoli, diced squash, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and crumbled blue cheese, along with the chicken and a vinaigrette.

While we ate lunch, Michelle pulled out her laptop and flipped through the photos she had taken on the recent mission trip to Uganda. She had taken nearly 300 digital photos and we went through most of them, while Michelle narrated each one. Our lunch lasted two hours, but it was very leisurely and we were not rushed. We had a great time, just talking about the stuff in our lives and how God is using each of us for His glory.

We made it back to my house about 1:30pm and discovered that my sister had brought her kids over for a swim in the pool. Jim and Michelle left, but we agreed to meet again next Saturday.