0229 leap year

Marsha came by to wish me a Happy Birthday. She gave me a birthday beanie baby, then took me out for lunch at Marie Callendar’s in Lakewood. We talked for awhile and caught up. I asked her about her son, J.T., who was in grade school when we first met. He’s now a senior at the University of Arizona. How time flies!

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Hmmm. There wasn’t a February 29th in 2007, so nothing to report.

0228 thursday therapy

I went in for my physical therapy today. Rebecca wasn’t able to make it, so Bianca took her place and put me through a grueling workout. Actually, it was okay but therapists like to push the envelope and see if you can reach the limits. June explained it to me once as the sooner the patient is able to maximize the workout, the sooner the patient will be able to reach the goals and expectations.

On the way home, my father and I stopped by Jack-in-the-Box for some bacon cheeseburgers.

AYEAR AGO TODAY: I had my three therapies today. Around 9pm, Mike & Carol came by with Judy for a visit.

0227 a matter of timing

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I missed out on becoming a part of baseball history. The Florida Marlins have had the distinction as the only Major League Baseball team with its own cheerleaders, the Marlins Mermaids (see photo above). They also have two other promotional squads: The Marlins Minnows, a teen group (ages 13-17), and the Marlins Maniacs, a high-energy group that will encourage fan interaction during the games.

A fourth group was just added, the Marlins Manatees, made up of overweight men who can dance. Tryouts were last Sunday. Fifteen men showed up and all fifteen were signed-on. Maybe they’ll have another tryout and I can move to Florida.

I hope I’m overweight enough. If not, I can always add. Plus, I can dance. Well, sort of (ignore the 12/10 blog). Or better yet, I’ll wait for the Dodgers to catch on to this new fad. Or maybe the Angels.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had my therapies today, then dinner. Koinonia showed up about 6:30pm, to help me get ready for an impromptu birthday party being given to me by friends from SBCC, in the rehab dining room. Led by Pastor Nathan, the group sang a modified version of “Happy Birthday” to me, and cake was served. My friend, Kelly (not from SBCC). also came by to see me. Most of the group left about 8:30pm, but Koinonia stayed behind to help cleanup and show me what I missed during their recent retreat in the mountains.

0226 one foot in front of the other ...

This was an early morning for me as I had an appointment to see Dr. H at 9am. He reviewed some recent blood tests and was pleased with the results. My cholesterol is 115, which I assume is good. We talked about blood sugars and how I’ve been controlling them with a combination of diet, exercises and medication. So far, he isn’t about to consider me as diabetic, which is good, although I do have a diabetic condition that I need to keep in mind. My blood pressure was 121/80 that morning.

After the checkup, I went in for my PT session with June, who was being assisted by Alicia. She performed an eval of my right leg, with emphasis on the knee and ankle. We finished the session with some walking in the hallway and some discussion with the supervising PT about making modifications to my AFO.

My father drove me home after the session, but we stopped at Jack-in-the-Box again, but this time I got a Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger (no more Sirloin Steak Melts for me, thank you).

I was a warm day but I was able to get in a couple of sets of exercises.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Nothing of note happened today. My sister visited with me in the morning, and Gene came by in the late afternoon, on his way to work.

0225 about my blog

I’ve been told that my blog needs to be kept updated at all times. Funny, I haven’t heard any complaints until now. But I should tell you why it’s always a couple of days behind.

First of all, Blogger stamps each entry with the date and time of when the first entry was saved. Unfortunately, this is not user-controlled, so if I wait a day until the entry is ready, then its marked a day later than when it’s supposed to be. So I often “bookmark” a spot until the entry is ready for publication. I can always edit an entry later and the date/time stamp remains the same.

Second, I try to use both hands when I’m typing, but my right hand is still limited by the effects of the stroke. This usually results in misspelled words and grammatical errors. I used to type directly into the blog website, but now I use Word with the spell-check and grammar-check enabled, in order to catch errors before I save them on the blog itself.

But typing still takes time because my right hand is not as strong as it used to be. For example, today’s entry may be short but it still took me 2 hours to make the entry, including correcting errors.

I’m still working on yesterday’s entry but a lot happened on Sunday and it’s just taking time. I estimate about 6 hours plus of work on that entry, excluding time for eating, sleeping, and therapy. So please be patient with me. Thanks.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Nothing of note happened today as it was a Sunday and no therapies were scheduled. My sister came by in the afternoon for a visit.

0224 road trip

It was overcast today and rained in the morning but my Koinonia lifegroup decided to go ahead with a planned outing to the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, so Sheri stopped by to pick me up around 11am. With her was Liz, Wendi and April. We were meeting the rest of the group at the main entrance.

After loading me up, I navigated them to the Library by the route I took about fifteen years ago. The main entrance is accessible via Allen St from California, but that’s if you come from the north side. We were coming from the south, so my directions took us through residential areas. After a few turns, we made it through the Library gate on Oxford Road.

I shared a story with them about my last trip to the Huntington by the same route (yes, fifteen years ago). My girlfriend at the time asked me if I were lost as we passed the third set of houses. I was waiting for the same comment from this group but it never came. Of course, I’d never hear the end of it if I did get them lost.

We found a place to park in the handicapped parking near the front (one of the perks if I’m in the car) and we met Sam, Stephanie, Jennifer and Eric at the main entrance. The rain had let up and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. We didn’t have enough people for the group discount (minimum 15) so we paid our entry fees, applied our stickers, and walked through the entrance to the grounds.

Sam acted as our tour guide and we started in the new Chinese Garden, which just had its opening ceremonies yesterday (Saturday the 23rd), so the grounds were still decorated with red Chinese lanterns, leading the way.

My friends took turns pushing my wheelchair through the grounds. I’d like to thank Sam, Eric, Wendi and Sheri for helping me out. I’ll try to be walking before our next outing.

After looking through the Chinese Garden we made our way to the Japanese Garden by way of a shaded path lined with camellias. Sam mentioned the romantic locations on the grounds and this path was a great place to take a date. This had me concerned for a moment since it was Sam pushing my chair by himself when he said this.

We soon passed through the Japanese Garden, stopping momentarily by a karesansui (don’t ask me, just google it) for a group photo, before continuing through a bonsai-lined walkway and a bamboo forest. We then explored the Australian Garden, past the Jungle Waterfall, and were most of the way through the Subtropicals when suddenly the walk ended at a grassy slope. It wouldn’t have been a problem except for my wheelchair.

The group scouted ahead and found a paved drive just a short distance across the grass, so Eric and Sam decided to push me across. We made it, but we must have found every low spot in that slope, not to mention the mud pit that I was almost thrown into (and I would have, if I didn’t have a death-grip on the armrests of my chair).

Once we were on smooth pavement, we went through the Desert Garden. Eric was helping me brake as the path was downhill. At one point, Eric asked me a “hypothetical” question. Would I be able to stop myself if he were to lose his grip? I told him not to worry, since that hill of barrel cactus in front of us looked soft enough for me to land on. But the way that Jennifer laughed made me put my hands on my wheels, just in case. Eric was also surprised that my wheelchair did not have a seatbelt. Hmmm.

We found ourselves on a broad, curving drive near the back of the Gardens. Sam said that he knew where we were and we should continue forward, so we did. After about ten minutes, we ended up at the point where we had come out of the bamboo forest before entering the Australian section. We had gone in a complete circle!

The only path that remained was an uphill slope. Sam said that he would push me up the hill, but first he had to stretch.

We passed the Japanese Garden again, but this time we saw the large wooden bridge, so we stopped for a photo op. Eric & Jennifer ran down to be by the bridge, as we took pictures.

The road passed by the Chinese Garden, too. But we continued on until we were amongst the buildings of the Library. The group had enough with the natural landscapes and it was almost 2pm, so we headed indoors to look at some art. We ventured inside the Boone Gallery and saw La Rose Imperiale, a collection that traced the history of the modern rose, through books, art, and an interactive fragrance display featuring rare rose oils from Bulgaria, Morocco, and Turkey.

As we departed the Boone Gallery, Sam was being drawn to some ripe oranges on some nearby bushes. We quickly made our way inside the adjacent Erburu Gallery, which houses the European Art at the Huntington.

The group sat down and admired Thomas Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy”. We wandered into the Scott Gallery (in the same building) to see some American Art. Liz found a sculpted bust of Ruth (not Babe, but the Old Testament heroine), by Chauncey Bradley Ives, with strands of wheat woven through her hair (Ruth’s hair, not Liz’s). After some more wandering, the group ended up on some benches, resting.

Eric commented that maybe we should move on, since it seemed like we saw everything in the two galleries (Erburu and Scott), and everyone saw the blue bear.

Everyone turned to look at Eric. What blue bear? Eric corrected himself. “Blue Boy,” he said. We all laughed, then picked ourselves up and wandered out of the building.

Sam guided us through the Library Exhibition Hall, which is laid out chronologically from end to end. Of course, he led us through the exit, so we had to walk past everything in order to start the exhibits from the distant past. The exhibits focused on Anglo-American documents including a volume of the Gutenberg Bible on vellum (one of 12 known to exist), and one of the 13 original copies of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. Whether it was one of the few copies that Lincoln actually signed (he didn’t sign them all – I’ll explain in another blog), I can’t remember. Ask Liz.

On the way out, we stopped at the gift shop. I wasn’t up to shopping, so I sat outside. Through the gift shop window, Liz and Wendi were pointing toy rats in my direction. Oh-oh, they remembered.

We made a mad dash to the cars as it started to rain. Sheri and I left our jackets in the van, so we led the procession. Fortunately, we parked close so we didn’t get too wet.

Sam led the way to a dumpling house on Valley that he was familiar with, but they were closed until 5:30pm (which was more than an hour away). Plan ‘B’ was the Phoenix Inn, on Valley about four blocks east of Garfield. After parking in the back, we made our way inside and found are large communal table that would seat all nine of us.

We decided to dine family-style, so Sam organized the ordering. Liz got herself ready by tying her hair back and staking out a 12-inch zone around her plate (Wendi had to count her fingers later, just to be sure).

As we got to dessert, a small cheesecake with a single candle was brought out. The group sang “Happy Birthday” to me, and I was given a card signed by all of them. It was nice that they only used one candle instead of the true amount. They knew the real number (remember the toy rats? read the 2/07 blog) but were probably deterred by local fire ordinances.

We finished up and exited to the parking lot. After saying our goodbyes, I thought that Eric was pushing me to the van until I passed it. Then I heard Eric’s voice but he sounded several yards away. I realized I was rolling independently at the same time the group did. Fortunately, someone caught me before I rolled out of the parking lot (I was also accelerating) and pushed me back to the van.

Sheri dropped me off at home around 6:30pm. She didn’t actually drive up the driveway, but that’s another story (hint: read the 12/23 blog).

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My sister and brother-in-law brought the two nephews for a visit.

0223 sat

Both Jim Y and Steve K were occupied, so today I spent the day at home, doing my therapy exercises. Around 4pm, I had my parents drop me off at SBCC in time for the evening service.

Pastor Gary spoke about the “Mystery of the Nephilim”, part of his continuing series “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets”. The Nephilim only appear twice by name in the Bible, in Genesis 6 and Numbers 13, and are described as a race of giants that were produced by the sexual union of the sons of God (presumably fallen angels) and the daughters of men.

The Nephilim were gigantic, strong, and immensely hungry, and they devoured all of humankind’s resources. They were evil and caused massive destruction on the earth. They were one of the reasons that God brought the Great Flood upon the earth (as chronicled in Genesis 6) and their race was thought to be extinct until Joshua’s spies saw them again in Numbers 13.

There is evidence that the Nephilim were all destroyed in a civil war but also a prophecy buried in the Olivet Discourse (Jesus’ prediction of the end times to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, shortly before his crucifixion). Matthew 24:37 reads “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Pastor Gary warned us that the return of the Nephilim will be a sign of the end times and the Second Coming of Christ.

After the service, a friend told me that he may have seen precursors of the Nephilim, but they have organized themselves already. He thinks they’re part of the NBA.

I made my way to the tech booth to get the Faith Lesson presentation ready for the class that night. Steve T helped me out with the soundboard and Randy helped me set up the MediaShout show. Judy and Carol were moderating the lesson that night, which centered on the importance of the Jordan River in God’s plan. Lesson Two is titled “Wet Feet” referring to stepping into the Jordan River in order to make a difference.

Mike & Carol had me home by 9pm.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My sister and niece came by for a visit in the morning. I had all four therapies today and my blood pressure was 121/86.

0222 just another day

My brother, John, was scheduled for a catscan today at Long Beach Memorial, so my mother went for a visit and to accompany him during the trip and the procedure.

I did my usual day and afternoon workouts, as well as working on my pc.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: This must have been an uneventful day, as no notes were made. Liz came by in the evening and we talked about the Koinonia retreat. She and Sheri stayed up and talked all night.

0221 sirloin steak sandwich?

It was overcast today as my father took me to my physical therapy appointment. I met with Rebecca, and she was assisted by Bianca, who was without a patient until March. They started me on a mat, to check the flexibility (or absence of) of the right ankle. I can push the toes downward just a little bit, but have no strength in pulling it back up, thus stretching the Achilles’ tendon.

They gave me a few exercises to work on and also had me trying some leg exercises without the AFO. The workout was tiring but was well worth it.

We stopped at Jack-in-the-Box again (no curly fries this time) and tried the new Sirloin Steak Melt. Which reminds me of a story: While watching a Lakers game the other night, a Jack-in-the-Box commercial came on, showing Jack and his wife enjoying a jacuzzi with another couple. The other woman asked if they (Jack and his wife) were into trying new things, which gave Jack the opportunity to describe the new Sirloin Steak Melt. The scene closed with the other couple smiling as the woman replied, “Yeah, let’s make a Jack sandwich.”

My father turned to my mother and said, “There’s a joke there, but I don’t get it. Do you?” My mother replied that she didn’t get it either. So my father turned to me and asked, “Did you get it?” Thinking fast, I told him I didn’t. He just shrugged and turned back to the TV, as the game came back on.

Whew! Another potential crisis averted. If I told him I understood it, then I would have to explain it to him and probably to my mother as well. One should never have to explain swingers and threesomes to their parents. Even if the other man was sporting an obvious pornstar moustache and he looked like a blond Harry Reems (some of you are already Googling his name as you read this).

I finished the day with a couple of sets of my therapy exercises.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had three hours of therapy in the afternoon. Mike & Carol visited me in the evening.

0220 grey skies

I learned today that the father of my friend, Jim Y, is at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance. Apparently, his father had a head injury last weekend and he is brain-dead, but his body is being kept alive artificially. My prayers are with Jim and his family, as his mother seeks the strength to take his father off of life support.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Nothing of note happened during the day. Sheri came by in the evening for a visit. She told me about the Koinonia retreat over the past weekend up in Crestline, near Lake Gregory.

0219 HB2U Mom!

My mother’s birthday is today. I reminded my father of it, but he just shrugged. I wished her a happy birthday before she left in the morning to see John.

I went in for my PT appointment with June. She had me exercise my right leg without the AFO (ankle-foot orthotic) and it felt strange. I found that my right leg is strong enough to handle my bodyweight, but I will need to exercise more without it. She gave me some exercises to do at home to build strength in my ankle.

We stopped by Jack-in-the-Box for lunch on the way home. While we were eating our meals, my father pulled out a curly fry and held it up for me to see. It was one solid piece, when unwound, that measured about seven inches long. He said that it was so special, he’d save it for mother. I told him not to bother and to eat it.

When mother arrived at home, after spending the day with John, my father told her that he had a special gift for her birthday. I held my breath (to keep from laughing) as he brought out the curly fry from lunch. He explained its special nature, but added that it was a temporary gift until he could go out shopping. My mother looked at me, smiled, and said, “At least he remembered.”

What happened to the curly fry? She threw it out, of course.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Had a full day of therapy, with physical and recreation in the morning, and speech and occupational in the afternoon. My sister came by in the morning with Matthew, my oldest nephew, who had the day off from school as it was President’s Day.

0218 president's day?

Today is President’s Day. It’s supposed to be a day for celebrating the birthdays of U.S. Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. So why were schools out last Monday for Lincoln’s birthday? I’m getting really confused.

Since it doesn’t seem to matter anymore, I’ll celebrate today in honor of the eighteenth President of the U.S., Ulysses S. Grant, for no other reason than my elementary school was named after him. He was a successful General, but a lousy President, even though he was re-elected to a second term in 1872.

One visitor to the White House noted “a puzzled pathos, as of a man with a problem before him of which he does not understand the terms.” Sound familiar?

A YEAR AGO TODAY: It was a Sunday, so no therapies were scheduled. Visitors from church were Mike & Carol, Judy, and Lillian Y.

0217 sun

I decided earlier in the week that today would be a day of rest and reorganization, so I didn’t go to church today and I missed my lifegroup meeting. After the long day yesterday, I looked forward to sleeping in today. That is, until my father got me up at 8am (I usually rise at 7am) to get the day started.

After my morning routine and breakfast, we worked on organizing and cleaning up inside the house. We finished by mid-morning and my father then headed outside to do some gardening. I thought about taking a nap, but instead used the time to catch up on some reading and other personal stuff.

I really miss being independently mobile, but that’ll come back. I did my therapy exercises in the afternoon and evening.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had my first real breakfast of scrambled eggs and oatmeal. My sister came by with her whole family. Only speech therapy today.

0216 saturday in the park

Jim Y picked me up for our weekly walking exercises, but I was a bit tired so I didn’t make it all the way down the sidewalk like I usually do. The night before, it took me a couple of hours before I fell asleep. That must be why I was so tired in the morning.

I mentioned that it was a hot day. Jim observed that it wasn’t hot enough, since the women on the track were all covered up.

After the short walk in the park, we went to lunch at Coco’s. I had a Frisco Burger and fries and Jim had an appetizer sampler. After the meal, Jim was given a coupon for a discount on a dinner entree, but must be used after 5pm. He offered it to me. I told Jim to keep it, since I didn’t expect to be at a Coco’s after 5pm (little did I realize ...). Jim had me home around 1pm.

I wanted to attend the Saturday evening service at SBCC, so I had my parents drop me off just before 5pm. Pastor Gary continued his series on “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets” with a talk about the “Mystery of the Babylonian Harlot”. He read all of Revelation 17, with emphasis on Verse 5, that reads, “This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

He talked about other scriptures like verses 4 and 18 in Revelation 17, and verses 10 and 16 in Revelation 18, that indicated that the Great Prostitute is really the city of Babylon, which is being rebuilt in Iraq.

I talked with a friend after the service. He said that he was kind of glad that the Great Prostitute was actually the city of Babylon, because otherwise he would have to check the forehead of every woman he meets. I replied that it would be especially difficult for him, because he can’t even look at a woman’s eyes because he is usually staring at her chest. He tried to dispute that fact until I asked him to tell me the eye color of the last three women he met.

I made my way to the tech booth to get ready for the Faith Lessons class at 7pm. After a bit of balancing and two steps, I settled into my wheelchair in the booth with the assistance of Alan, Karin and Mike Y. Mike also helped me to set up my Powerpoint presentation and the DVD on the booth PC. We had a few difficulties, so Steve T helped me to run the sound board during the class.

The class went well and Lesson One was moderated by John M, who kept the class on-track. About 40 people attended, although we expected a higher count. Maybe we’ll see some new faces next week when we present Lesson Two.

The class ended at 8:30pm and dessert was served by Kiyomi and Joy. I had pre-arranged for Mike & Carol to give me a ride home. Since it was early enough, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We ended up at Coco’s on Hawthorne Blvd and I found myself wishing that I had claimed that coupon from lunch. Fortunately, others had coupons, so we were all set.

There were twelve of us and we were split up into two tables. I had a bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato fries this time. But we lost track of time and finished up around 11pm. To save Mike & Carol from backtracking, Steve T gave me a ride home. I crawled into bed around midnight. It was a long day.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I passed my first swallow test, which meant that I could have real food instead of liquid nutrient (read: Ensure) through a stomach tube. There were restrictions, such as the food must either be soft or “mechanically ground”. But I remember that I was being “tortured” each day because my roommates could eat but I could not. I got used to mashed potatoes and sweet potato puree. I remember that although the evening menus boasted of “sirloin tips” or “beef wellington”, it was always served to me in a bowl and looked like ground hamburger. But it tasted great and was a welcome feeling to be able to consume it through my mouth.

0215 HB2U Wendi!

Today is Wendi’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WENDI!!!

I sent her an e-card and we celebrated last Sunday, but I wanted to mention it in today’s blog. By the way, she’s single, attractive, available and in her early 30’s, so wake up all of you single 30-something males. As for me, I think it was best said by my favorite bartender, Sam Malone: "I may not be old enough to be your father, so jusst think of me as a youthful uncle."

She likes the outdoors (hiking, fishing, etc.), she’s a health professional (she’s assisting a disabled senior in the bottom pic) and she has great legs. She prefers a man’s man; mama’s boys need-not-apply (you know who you are and I know who you are). And she calls everyone (even other girls) “dude”. On the flip side, though, she does like to shop and travel, she has a nice smile and an infectious laugh.

Email me if you’re interested.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Not much was noted. I remember that it was a quiet day, since I was supposed to be moved to Acute Rehab, but never was. In the evening, I was visited by Jim Y, along with Mike & Carol (for the 2nd night in a row). Liz came by to sit with me, too.

0214 happy single awareness day

The day started early with a visit to a medical lab to have a blood sample taken for testing. I needed to fast before the blood was drawn, so I didn’t eat anything since dinner last night. But after the lab visit, and before my PT appointment, I had a filling breakfast at the local McDonald’s.

We found a place to park at LB Memorial but we were early so a short nap was in order before making our way to the rehab gym. I met Rebecca and we finished up the eval (see 2/12 blog) with some range-of-motion tests. We were joined by Alicia, who didn't have a patient that day.

I was home by 12:30pm, so my father made us lunch. I worked on the PC in the afternoon, but was able to get in my home exercises and treadmill walking, and the evening was just like normal.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had OT, PT, and Speech by early afternoon. The case worker came in and reported that I was doing so well with therapy that I would be moved over to Acute Rehab in the next day or so. I was also scheduled for a swallow test on Friday (Feb 16th) to hopefully get me onto solid food again. I was visited after 7pm by Mike & Carol, John & Rieko, and Judy, from SBCC.

0213 middle of the week

I tried out some of the changes recommended to me in yesterday’s PT session. More use of the walker around the house. I incorporated some of the changes into my exercises as well. I exercised as scheduled in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Time was also spent on finishing up the Powerpoint presentation for this Saturday’s faith lesson class at SBCC.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had physical, occupational, and recreation therapies today, but I was plagued with hiccups. So much that Sheri made a special note of them when she visited with me that evening. She wrote: “Jim still has hiccups. Nurse gave medicine for hiccups at 8:22pm. We made bets as to what time it would kick in. I said 10 min, Jim said 15 minutes. We both lost!” I really liked it when Sheri came by. She read from 2 Corinthians 10 that night, too.

0212 back to rehab

I started a special program at Long Beach Memorial Rehab which students in the PT program at Cal State Long Beach come in for some hands-on training with actual therapy patients, under the supervision of a licensed PT (who is also their instructor). Every Tuesday and Thursday, from now until early May (except for spring break), I will go in for an hour of therapy/exercise.

Today I met June and Rebecca, the two PT students that will help me with my exercises in the coming weeks. They performed an evaluation of my strengths and weaknesses, along with giving me some tips on improving my home exercises. June will work with me on Tuesdays and Rebecca will help me on Thursdays.

I made it home and had lunch, then rested. I skipped my regular afternoon exercises but made up for it during my evening exercise time.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I only had Speech therapy but my visitors were Jim & June, friends of my parents. Kim & Linda (my brother-in-law’s mother and sister) brought me a box of Whitman’s chocolates, but since my diet was restricted to liquids (through a stomach tube), I gave them to the nursing staff. From my church came Alan & Jeanne, and Lillian Y.

0211 start of a new week

I caught up with some tasks I ignored over the weekend, plus I started sorting through all the photos I took yesterday. I exercised in the morning, afternoon, and evening. We had ice cream for dessert. My mother gave a cup of Chocolate Fudge Brownie and I thought, “Wow! She must have given up!” (see 12/25 blog for details). A short while later, she came back and told me that she made a mistake but didn’t realize it until she was eating the last spoonful of Strawberry ice cream from her cup. She said that she thought, “Hey, this isn’t chocolate!” Too late. I had already devoured my cup of ice cream.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: It was a Sunday, so no therapy was scheduled. But John & Akiko came by to visit with me. Walt brought his laptop with photos. Leslie brought some potted tulips. Eric & Jennifer stopped by in the late afternoon.

0210 the truth behind lasagna and 666

Sam came by and picked me up for the second service at SBCC. We sat with Eric, Jennifer, Wendi and Chris.

Pastor Gary continued his series of “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets” by talking about the antichrist and the mystery of ‘666’. He spoke about references in Revelation 13. In Verse 18, it reads “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.”

He talked about how people have studied the number ‘666’ in great detail, and how it’s been found in many places and associated with many people. President Reagan was once thought to be the antichrist because of the number of letters in his first, middle and last names (Ronald Wilson Reagan).

Pastor Gary also spoke about numerical values. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek. Both alphabets have numerical values associated with each character. ‘Jesus’ spelled in Greek has a numerical value of 888.

He discussed the numerical values of the names of SBCC’s pastoral staff. Pastor Ken’s name totals about 127. Pastor James’ comes in at 177. Pastor Nathan’s is a whopping 1014. But Pastor Gary’s own name comes in at 641, which is too close for his own comfort. Sam wondered aloud about Pastor Gary’s middle name. So loud that Pastor Gary responded directly with a “never mind Sam!”

After the service, Sam and I loaded up in Sam’s car and headed over to Sheri’s place for our Koinonia luncheon. Everyone but Liz was able to make it. Liz was in Mexico, attending the wedding of a friend and would not make it back in time.

When we got to Sheri’s place, I had to stand in order to make it past the front step. Sam helped to support me as I side-stepped through the front door to my waiting wheelchair.

Sheri had prepared salad and lasagna, and after saying grace we dug in. Stephanie brought some oranges and Asian pears to share, and Wendi had picked up some cream puff and éclairs from Beard Papa. Eric and Jen brought cakes for the two birthday girls (today is Sheri’s and this Friday is Wendi’s).

Liz had forwarded a “Birthday Queen” tiara that we made Sheri wear during the whole afternoon. We played a game where we would tell three things about ourselves, but one of them had to be a lie. It was up to the others to guess which was the lie. My three things? Okay, try your best to guess the lie.

(1) I went to my high school prom with the captain of the football team.
(2) I once worked backstage at a Van Halen concert.
(3) I once participated in a clinical study where it was determined that having an erection lasting more than four hours was a bad thing.

Do you know which one is the lie? Email me with your guess. Or just post a comment to this blog.

We spent most of the time responding to questions from Sheri, like “Where were you born?” and “When did you first accept Christ as your savior?” and “What is your favorite hobby?” My favorite hobby? Well. that depends. Before or after the stroke?

My favorite hobby after the stroke is sleeping. They were not thrilled about my response, so they asked about before the stroke. Well, I used to like to cook. Specifically, baking. I used to make a great three-layer cheesecake and I liked to bake cookies. One of these days, I’ll be back to that hobby.

I’d like to share everyone else’s responses, but it’s not my info to share. Our group is close-knit and we really have a good time together, although we do have to remind Sam to turn it down a notch or three. If you know Sam, then you know what I’m talking about.

We broke up around 4pm. Sheri’s father was taking her out for a birthday dinner. Sam had a great plan for getting me to the car but ended up almost launching me onto the driveway. Four sets off hands caught me and helped me back into my wheelchair. Following Wendi’s supervision, they were able to get me to the car without further incident, although my seat cushion was wedged somewhere it should not have been.

Sam got me home by 5pm, where I looked forward to dinner and my favorite hobby.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My sister and niece visited with me in the morning. I had Speech and PT in the morning, then was visited in the afternoon by friends from church – Mike & Carol, Steve T, Judy, Lillian Y, John M, and Kiyomi. It was a nice day.

0209 a sunny day

Jim Y wasn’t able to make it for our weekly walk because of work, so it was just Steve K and I at Liberty Park. We walked for about an hour, just up and back along the sidewalk between the track and the tennis courts. It was a sunny and hot day.

Afterwards, we went to lunch at The Loft. While we were there, I ran into Kelly (Pastor Ken’s brother) and Grace. It was nice to see them again.

Steve had me home by 1pm. My sister dropped by a few hours later, along with my niece, Katherine, and youngest nephew, Daniel. They left after my father returned from a visit with John.

I didn’t go to church that night.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: Doc H came by to check on me. He will make changes to the medication to make the dizziness go away. Did some assisted-walking with PTs Carlos and Venus. Walked about 100 feet. My sister wrote down at 4:30pm, “Jim awake, bored but himself”. Not sure what that meant. Will have to ask.

0207 gung hay fat choy

Happy Chinese New Year to you, too. Today marks the start of the Year of the Rat.

Legend says that Lord Buddha had called for all the animals to come to him before he departed from the earth. When the cat learned of the news, he told rat about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However, the next morning the rat did not wake up the cat. This is one of the reasons why cats hate rats.

The rat made it first to the assembly, although the rat depended a lot on ingenuity to be the first to the assembly. He convinced the ox to let him ride on its head. The ox agreed and they went together. But when they were about to reach the assembly, the clever rat jumped off the ox's head and got through the finish line first. Only twelve animals came to offer Lord Buddha farewell and as a token of appreciation he named a year after each of the twelve animals in the order they arrived. In this way each year got linked with an animal. People born in that year are believed to share different traits.

The first of the twelve years is the Year of the Rat then followed by the year of Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The cycle repeats every twelve years.

I was born in the year of the rat, which makes me either 36, 48 or 60 this year. I’ll let you figure out which. Apparently, I’m most compatible with oxen, monkeys, and dragons, and incompatible with horses. Hmmm.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I woke leisurely at 9am, as my OT was attending a meeting, so didn’t wake me at 7am to get dressed. PT came by around 11am, followed by lunch and a breathing treatment. My mother stayed until about 4pm.

0206 walking

My walking exercise usually consists of three or four sessions on the treadmill, with each session finishing up with an extended walk using both of my feet, supported by my arms on the handrails, with the tread moving at 0.5 mph. So far, I’ve been able to walk about two minutes before my arms and legs get tired. The duration grows each passing day. It’s very encouraging.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had OT in the early morning, PT around 10am, and Speech in the afternoon. My sister came by in the morning, on her way to work. My mother came by in the afternoon.

0205 close shave

My cousin, Christine, stopped by yesterday for a visit and gave me a haircut at the same time. When she was done, she commented, “Well, your mother wanted it short.” I had to run my fingers through my hair several times before realizing that it was REALLY short (see pic).

A YEAR AGO TODAY: An ENT doc checked my throat and reported that my left side vocal chord is paralyzed, but will come back “in time”. I had a PT workout cut short due to dizziness. My liquid feeding was increased due to lost weight.

0204 ancient japanese proverb

After yesterday’s service at SBCC and the “hidden code” at the church, I sent the above image as an attachment to all my friends. I don’t think they appreciated the humor. Do you?

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I thought I had therapy today, so I rose early and got dressed. But no one came for me. I returned to bed. My sister and brother-in-law came by after lunch and wheeled me out to the patio. We were soon joined by Glenn and Jean. It was a nice day.

0203 running in the rain

It was raining in the early morning, but let up around 10am. My father dropped me off in time for the 11am service at SBCC. With the assistance of Cynthia, I made my way inside and found a spot in the back.

Most of my SBCC friends were participating in the Redondo Beach Superbowl 10K/5K. Scott was registered for the Baby Buggy 10K, so he was taking Kendra along for the ride. But Mari is not a runner, so she was in the 5K Walk instead. So Liz joined Scott for the 10K. Mo and Sheri were in the 5K run, although we expected Mo to be in the 10K run, since that’s his event. Chris and Sunny were also in the 5K walk.

Eric, Jen and Wendi were going to join the walkers en route, but changed their minds because of the rain. I found out later that Mike and Dana were also registered, but wimped out because of the weather.

At one point, I was considering joining the walkers in my wheelchair, but I looked at the course map and decided against it. Heading east on Herondo from Harbor is uphill and I knew I couldn’t make it.

Pastor Gary opened the service with a trailer from “National Treasure” in order to kickoff his new series “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets”. He spoke about the Bible, and how it’s filled with God’s secrets, just waiting for someone to read it for the information that it contains.

He talked about how Wikipedia defines the formation of the Earth but also contains a disclaimer that it really doesn’t know the true age, which is based on speculation. The Bible, on the other hand, is based on human history and can be followed back to Adam and the creation of the world by God.

He spoke about the behemoth in Job 40, and the leviathan in Job 41. The descriptions matched those of dinosaurs and dragons, which co-existed with man, not pre-existed as some scientists would have you believe.

Pastor Gary closed with a challenge. The Design Ministry hid a message in the decorations on the walls of the sanctuary and lobby. A prize will be given away to whoever guesses the message.

I met with a friend after the service who told me that he figured out the hidden message during the service. I told him that he should be congratulated on his ingenuity, but did he get the lesson from Pastor Gary’s sermon today. He responded by giving me a blank look and saying, “Pastor Gary spoke today?”

I wheeled off to the Dugout for my meeting with Koinonia. It was my turn to moderate and I was pleasantly surprised that everyone made it. Sheri grabbed her seat early, stating that she needed to sit across from me so she can watch my face change colors when I laugh (see 01/13 blog). We started a bit late but dug quickly into the Lesson Fourteen discussion and we finished up a little after 2pm.

While the others left, I joined the Faith Lessons team (Mike and Carol, Judy, Kiyomi, John, Carlton) upstairs for a review of the materials for the five-week class beginning February 16th. Getting upstairs was easy, with some assistance by Mike; coming down afterwards was tough, even with assistance from John and Mike. Thanks also to Carlton, who carried my wheelchair up and down.

We went through the Powerpoint slides, the handouts, and the order of service for each of the five lessons. With a few minor changes, we’re ready.

Mike and Carol had me home by 5:30pm.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: It was the weekend, so no therapy was scheduled. My sister came by with my niece for a visit. My mother was there for most of the day.

0202 saturday

Jim Y came by in the morning to pick me up for our walk. It was overcast and dreary, so he wore his cold weather gear (t-shirt instead of a tank top). We headed over to Liberty Park in Cerritos, where he helped me walk the pavement between the all-weather track and the playground.

I almost made it to the end of the tennis courts before turning around for the walk back. It took about 80 minutes for the roundtrip. I can feel the improvement, with greater strides and a faster pace.

We had lunch at Carl’s Jr., then headed over to Target to pick up a few items. Jim had me home by 2pm.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I fell out of bed last night, so they moved me back to the bed by the door so they can check on me easier. They also installed a “bed alarm” that goes off if I should move again. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to disconnect it, since I really didn’t have anything else to do.