0331 411 vs google?

Today was a slow day for news, so I thought I’d just share some info. This post is directed at all my friends who are 40-something and older, as it’s old news to all my friends who are 30-something and younger. You know, the people who think I’m a neanderthal because I don’t use shorthand when I text message

Have you ever wanted to get a phone number or address for a restaurant but don’t have access to the internet from your car? Sure, you can call 411 for the info, but the charges are astronomical. So is accessing the web from your web-enabled mobile phone.

My mobile phone calling plan includes text messaging, so I just send the search info via a text message to Google (466453) and I get the info I need about ten seconds later. The number is easy to remember. Just spell out G-O-O-G-L-E and you’ll enter in 4-6-6-4-5-3. Be sure to include the city or zip code or you’ll get pages of info in response.

For example, if I type “redondo beach cheesecake”, I’ll get the address and phone number of the Cheesecake Factory on Harbor Drive. But if I just type “redondo cheesecake”, I’ll get the addresses and numbers for the Cheesecake Factory locations in Redondo Beach, Marina del Rey, and Los Angeles.

Just thought you’d like to know.

0330 sunday

My father dropped me off at SBCC in time for the 11am service. I made my way in and found an open spot near the column on the right side. Brian & Cathy sat with me and we were soon joined by Eric & Jennifer. A few minutes later there was Wendi, Chris and Stephanie. Liz was emcee so we were there to support her. Eric brought the letters but we were missing Sam and Sheri.

When Liz came up on the stage we lifted the letters that spell “GO LIZ!”, but no one made a sound. I think we’ll do better next time.

Pastor Gary continued his “Hostage” series with a talk about surrendering everything we have for God. Many of us have only given up part of our lives to God, and we remain a hostage to whatever controls the rest of us. God wants us to love Him with ALL of our heart, not just part of it. Only then will we be rewarded.

Job 11:13-18 reads: ”Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins -- even those you do in secret. Then you won't be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.”

After the service, I ran into Kathy, so we chatted a bit and caught up. I joined Koinonia in the Dugout for our weekly meeting and Liz led us in a review of the story of Joseph, from Genesis chapters 37 to 50. We finished up the last half of lesson 17 of our group study. Sheri distributed the Luke study guides.

We discussed prayer requests and updates on our lives. My father picked me up at 3pm.

0329 saturday

Jim Y came by and picked me up for some walking exercise. We went to Liberty Park in Cerritos, and I made it to my usual halfway point with the AFO (ankle-foot orthotic) in place. I took it off for the return trip, but it was just too tiring to make it all the way back. So Jim just had me sit in the wheelchair and pushed me back to the van. I had covered only three-fourths of the distance I normally walk.

We had lunch at Subway, and ate our sandwiches as we watched the weekend lunch crowd come in and line up.

0328 oops

I had a small boo-boo this morning. I fell while transferring from my walker to the wheelchair after breakfast. I kinda lost my balance and leaned towards the chair (which was about a foot away) and missed. The sensation of falling was a bit unusual. Everything moved in slow-motion.

I sat on the floor for a few minutes while I checked myself out. No cut, bruises or abrasions, and I didn’t hit my head on anything. I only lost a little bit of my dignity.

I managed to pull myself up on the treadmill, but couldn’t pull myself to my feet because I’ve gotten a bit overweight and my right arm isn’t what it used to be. Fortunately, a friend was able to come over and help me get back in the wheelchair.

I skipped my morning workout as I felt a bit winded after the experience. But I faced my fears and walked to dinner (and back) in the kitchen without further incident.

0327 therapy

I met Rebecca for some more sit-to-stand exercises, plus some knee lifts and sidestepping in the hallway. We finished up with some exercises designed to get me to move my right leg forward and backward, while supporting myself with my left leg only. It was a good feeling.

0325 walking

June had me working on stride and pacing in my walking exercises today. She gave me some exercises to work on at home, since there will be no therapy next week, due to Spring Break. I’m still working on the treadmill at home at 0.6 mph. June mentioned that 1.8 mph is the speed of normal walking, so it’s a goal to keep in mind.

0324 HB2U Liz! (belated)

Yesterday was Liz’s birthday but yesterday was also Easter. So I decided to wait a day, and wish her a Happy Birthday in a separate blog entry. Happy Birthday, Liz!!

I thought about what I’d write about her. Considering that if I wrote anything out-of-line, she’d probably dump me out of my wheelchair. Keeping this in mind, she’s been a great friend and someone that I can talk to about anything.

[4/03 edit] Okay, some of you didn’t like that I took the easy way out and you wanted me to give Liz equal treatment like I did for Wendi’s birthday (see 2/15 blog). Some of you just want to see me get beat up. Normally, I don’t succumb to peer pressure but I’m willing to make an exception this one time. So knock it off with the emails!!

Liz, like Wendi, is single, attractive, available and in her early 30’s. She’s one paper away from being a psychologist, but don’t be intimidated by that ... she likes a good challenge. She enjoys the outdoors (cycling and hiking), playing volleyball and running 10k events. She likes to stay fit and she has nice legs, although I’ve never seen her in a dress (rumor has it that she does own one, though).

She prefers Asian guys and pigs have the advantage. Year of the pig, that is. So if you were born between January 27, 1971 and February 14, 1972, it’s a plus (but not a sure thing, so don’t get cocky). Besides, you’ll have to be approved by her posse (see 9/15 and 10/14 blogs), so a “sure thing” is impossible.

Email me if you’re interested or belong to the IMF.

0323 easter sunday

My father dropped me off at SBCC in the morning. Since I already attended the Easter services last night, I spent the time watching the Easter Egg Hunt in-progress in the parking lot and mingled with friends who had attended the 9am service.

I ran into Sheri, who gave me the birthday tiara for Liz (today’s her birthday, but read tomorrow’s blog). She said that she tried to get Liz to wear it earlier but was unsuccessful, but maybe I’d have better luck. So we found Liz greeting arrivals and made her wear it. It says “Birthday Queen” on it.

It was a hot morning, so I wheeled in to the lobby to cool down. Glen told me that the sanctuary was packed, so they were using the overflow room upstairs. I told him that if I went into the service, my snoring would probably annoy the others so it was better for me to stay in the lobby.

The 11am service ended shortly afterwards. I met Sam outside and we headed off to join Koinonia for an Easter lunch at Seafood Town on Hawthorne. He didn’t know the way, so he followed Anjie. Or I thought he was. At one point, he changed lanes and she was on our right. I asked him about it. He told me that he wanted to make it easier for her to merge left, since we would be making a left turn. I responded that we would be turning right. “Aren’t we on Hawthorne?” he asked. “No, we’re on Crenshaw,” I replied.

He corrected the situation by merging right so he was following her again. She led us right into the parking lot and we found a space.

We had reserved for a large group, but the place was crowded and the two tables were not adjacent. But we were seated quickly and ordered from the lunch specials. It was very filling,

Sam was able to get me back to the church to rendezvous with my parents, who were on their way to my sister’s house in Manhattan Beach for a family Easter gathering.

There is an old saying that the trouble with Chinese food is that you’re hungry again an hour later. I found this to be true as I ate a full dinner with my family. It was great!

At one point, my nephew, Daniel, was acting up. My sister gave him a funny look. I asked her what she was doing. She told me that she was practicing her “mean” look. I was reminded of an episode when we were kids.

The three of us were playing in the backyard when my sister made a funny face at my brother and I. John asked what was wrong and she just replied that she was giving us her “mean” face. He looked at me, I looked at him. Then he told her to keep working on it.

I guess that she’s still working on it.

0322 saturday

Jim Y helped me with walking today, at Liberty Park in Cerritos. I didn’t make it as far as usual, but I feel like it’s become easier to do. We had lunch at Subway and I was home before 1pm.

I had my parents drop me off at SBCC early, since there were two services on Saturday eve for Easter Weekend. I wheeled into the sanctuary and found my place by the column on the right side. The room was half-full.

Pastor Gary started a new series “Hostage”, with a dramatic re-enactment from “Star Wars IV”. The stage lit up to show him bound and gagged, in a chair. He managed to get the gag loose and then called out to Obi-Wan Kenobi for help. Suddenly, a stormtrooper appeared at the back of the sanctuary and fought to where Gary was sitting. He took off the helmet and declared that he was Obi-Wan Mizobe and he was there to save Gary. Needless to say, it was quite a sight.

He talked about how we are all hostages to the temptations that prevent us from having a true relationship with God through Christ. But we must recognize these temptations so that we can escape the control they have over our lives.

He closed the service with a video from Christmas. The high school ministry, Legacy, performed to “Everything” by Lifehouse, and it managed to describe everything that Pastor Gary said in the sermon, through dance and imagery. The video has been posted on YouTube.




After the service, I met with Dee and Janice, while the creative arts team was resetting for the second service. The Easter Egg Hunt was taking place outside.

I sat in the back for the 6pm service. The room was packed. It was the same show as the first service, so I left early in order to check on the Easter Dinner being prepared in the kitchen. Mike made up a plate for me and I found an out-of-the-way spot in the kitchen to eat. It was very good, with ham, potatoes, vegetables, salad, and lots of other great stuff.

After I finished, I wandered around outside and propped myself against a wall to watch everyone else in the parking lot. Steve T was running around, helping out. When he was done, he gave me a ride home.

0320 a step in the right direction

I met Rebecca for my therapy appointment and we worked on sit-to-stand exercises from various chair heights. We also worked on sidesteps and knee lifts in the hallway. We finished up with trying to move my right leg forwards and back with all my weight on my left leg and only Rebecca providing me with support. It was difficult, but a step (pun intended) in the right direction.

0318 re-evaluation

I arrived for my therapy appointment with June, but I underwent another evaluation of my limitations and abilities. I found that I lack the flexibility to move my thighs backwards from neutral. The solution is simple: I just need to get my fat ass out of the chair more often and practice walking. It was also recommended to slowly increase the speed of my treadmill exercises. Will do!

0316 joseph

I arrived in time for the 11am service at SBCC. I had already attended service last night, but wanted to see the baptisms that were scheduled. The room was packed. I was joined in the back by Jasmine, who I haven’t seen in a long time. We talked briefly afterwards and she caught me up on her return from Korea. I also spoke with Christine. I haven’t seen her either.

I found Koinonia helping out in the kitchen, since this is the Sunday of the month that the lifegroup cleans up after second service refreshments. We met in the Dugout, and Sam led us in a review of the first half of lesson seventeen, which covered the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 to 50. Sheri came in after we finished up, as she had to attend a KidzKrew meeting upstairs. Liz also came in late, although my eyes were tricking me and I had reported seeing earlier at the church.

We finished up around 3pm and Sam was able to give me a ride home.

0315 splash

My parents dropped me off at SBCC in time for the evening service. I sat next to the column on the right side so I had a good view.

Pastor Gary finished up his “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets” series by explaining the Mystery of God.

That evening, there were three people getting baptized.

After the service, I made my way to the tech booth for the last lesson of the Faith Lessons series. Mike was moderating Lesson Five: Iron of Culture, which also used the story of David and Goliath to illustrate the message.

Kiyomi and Joy served up some dessert with raisins. The group met in the kitchen for a “debrief” by Mike, to review/discuss the five lessons and to collect all the loaned materials.

Mike & Carol got me home around 10:30pm, just as it started to rain.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My caregiver, Ralph, arrived in the morning to help get me up get dressed and through my daily exercises.

0314 quiet day

It was a quiet day at home. I was able to complete a few workouts and exercises.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My family arrived in the morning to help me move out of the hospital. I arrived at home around noon to find a nice ramp built by my sister’s father-in-law. The den was cleaned up and the pool table was donated to a senior center in Gardena.

0313 leg lifts

I went in for therapy today. Rebecca was early so we started off with some standing and balance exercises. Plus, some leg lifts without the aid of the walker.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I will be discharged from the hospital this week. My family received training on assisting me with transfers to and from the wheelchair to the car, the toilet, and the bath chair. Wendi came by for a visit and was meeting Sheri and Liz, but she was early so we were able to chat for a bit. She found Roger, an OT on the Memorial staff, that she went to school with. Liz wrote down a mysterious message in the margin of the journal. It reads “pheromones vs. body odor”. More on this later.

0311 therapy

I went in for therapy today. June was running a bit late, but we managed to get started with sit-to-stand exercises and some walking without the AFO.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: It was Sunday, so no therapies were scheduled. Mike & Carol came by for a visit, and they brought along Kevin & Lydia.

0309 sprung forward too fast

Daylight Savings began at 2am, and the clocks were moved ahead one hour. Unfortunately, my internal clock was still going on standard time so I didn’t get enough sleep. As a result, I chose not to go to church today and tried to get adjusted to the new time through a series of naps. Ask me in a couple of weeks if it worked.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had all three therapies today.

0308 zzzzz

My parents dropped me off for the evening service at SBCC. Dana was the emcee and he shared that on this day back in 1618, Johannes Kepler discovered the third law of planetary motion, which is the squares of the orbital periods of planets are directly proportional to the cubes of the semi-major axes of their orbits. Hmmm.

Pastor Gary continued his series of “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets” with the Mystery of Death. He mentioned that as we use the euphemism of “passing away” as a substitute for death, so does the Bible. But the Bible often speaks of it as “falling asleep”. He gave examples of Lazarus in John 11 and Stephen in Acts 7. He also differentiated it from the “falling asleep” that many of us do during his sermon.

He talked about how our spirits are separate from our physical bodies and that when our earthly bodies die, our spirits will go to heaven or to hell. Jesus was allowed by God to die for our sins, but we have to believe in Christ in order for our spirits to go to heaven when we die.

After the service, I met with Michelle and Kathy, who were headed for the 36th Annual Spaghetti Dinner, presented by the Torrance Fire Department as a charity fundraiser, although I don’t think that they were going there for the noodles.

I made my way over to the tech booth to prep for the Faith Lessons class. Tonight was Lesson 4: Confronting Evil, and was moderated by Steve T, who surprised us all by wearing a shirt with buttons on it. I pointed this out to Pastor Gary, who responded that he was more amazed that Steve was wearing shoes.

The lesson went well, although Pastor Nathan rearranged the booth setup, so it was a little challenging in moving between the pc and the soundboard for the different stages of the lesson plan. Steve did a good job.

Mike & Carol had me home by 9:30pm.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My father came by for a visit.

0307 slow day

There wasn’t a lot to do today, so I worked on exercises to strengthen my knees to give me more confidence when standing up.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: I had all three therapies today plus a visit from the ophthalmologist. It was a Wednesday, so Mike & Carol came by and brought Judy along.

0306 getting a leg up

I went in for my physical therapy today and was met by both Rebecca and June, as today there would be a patient review with their instructor. We spent some time working on sit-to-stand and I discovered that although I have strong enough muscles in both legs to stand up straight, I have confidence issues.

The patient review went okay, as they used medical terminology to describe my right-side weakness and how therapy exercises would be used to overcome those weaknesses.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: In the evening, I was visited by Sheri, Liz and Wendi. We talked about ..... That’s just what Sheri wrote. “We talked about ...” So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

0305 who is sparky?

A good question, asked of me by many of you who read the comments attributed to “sparky” in the 11/18, 2/10, and 2/27 blogs. I don’t know. Really. All I can figure out is that “sparky” is one of the guys from the dorm at Cal Poly. Unfortunately, a few of them have been in contact recently and know about my blog, and none of them ever used the nickname “sparky”. But whoever it is, he has a good memory.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My father came by for a visit.

0304 the 13th amendment

If you read the blog from 2/24, then you know I mentioned something about Lincoln not signing all the copies of the 13th Amendment. If you didn’t, then you are probably one of the few that didn’t email me, asking for an explanation. So here it is.

Normally, when a piece of legislation gets created, it gets approved by both the House and the Senate before being signed into law by the President. A constitutional amendment, however, gets approved by both the House and the Senate, but only becomes law when it is ratified by the states of the Union.

Thirteen (13) copies of the 13th Amendment (which abolished slavery) were presented to President Lincoln, after being approved by both the House and the Senate. They looked just like any other piece of legislation, so President Lincoln began signing them. But he stopped when an aide reminded him that the states needed to ratify it. So just a few of the thirteen copies have President Lincoln’s signature on them, and that makes them highly valued by collectors.

In March 2006, one of the signed copies was auctioned for $1.86 million.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: It was a Sunday and no therapies were scheduled, so my family gave me a birthday lunch. My sister brought the kids, and everyone from both families were there. Plus, my friends Jim N and Gerry stopped by after riding the L.A. Bike Tour that morning. Jim snagged me a medal to remember it by. I still have it.

0303 no more 4-letter words?

The news had a story today about South Pasadena proclaiming this as a “Cuss-Free Week” within the city limits. The idea was suggested by a 14-year-old boy who lives in the city and has started a No Cussing Club at his junior high school. He has created a website at NoCussing.com, which now has members across the nation and around the world.

Imagine what a world would be like without four-letter words. Then there’s this ....

A young couple got married and went away on their honeymoon. When they returned, the bride immediately called her mother.

"Well, how was the honeymoon?" asked the mother.

"Oh, mama," she replied, "the honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic..." Suddenly, she burst out crying. "But mama, as soon as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible language. He's been saying things I've never heard before! All these awful 4-letter words! You've got to come get me and take me home... please mama!"

"Sarah, Sarah," her mother said, "calm down! Tell me, what could be so awful? What 4-letter words has he been using?"

"Please don't make me tell you, mama," wept the daughter, "I'm so embarrassed! They're just too awful! You've got to come get me and take me home... please mama!"

"Darling, baby, you must tell me what's making you so upset... Tell your mother these horrible 4-letter words."

Still sobbing, the bride replied, "Oh, mama... words like dust, wash, iron, cook..."

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My sister brought me a Jamba Juice menu. since I can drink thickened liquids, but not slush. A lot to think about and read (and hope for). Didier and Cameron came by for a visit.

0302 family get-together

My family got together to celebrate the February birthdays (four of them!) and we had a good time with it. We shared some Chinese food at Sea Empress in Gardena, but the cake was Paradise from King’s Hawaiian.

A YEAR AGO TODAY: My brother-in-law stopped by today, but I was out of the room at therapy. He dropped off an MP3 player for Pastor Nathan to load with sermons and songs. My mother came by in the afternoon, but I was out on a field trip to the Long Beach Museum of Art, with the staff from Recreation Therapy. I tried to get out of going by suggesting that I may be asleep at the departure time, but the therapist just shrugged and said that it makes no difference to her since it’s easier to load me in the van if I’m not conscious. So I decided to go and I had a good time.

0301 fish tale

My father dropped me off at SBCC today for the evening service. It was overcast today and as we drove into the parking lot, he commented that it must have rained today, as the lot was wet. Then he saw the snow and didn’t know what to say. I told him that the church had a Snow Day today for the kids and brought in about 20,000 lbs. of fresh snow.

I wheeled into the service and Pastor Gary continued his series “National Treasure: God’s Book of Secrets” by speaking about the Mystery of Ghosts. He set the sermon by reading from Deuteronomy 18:10-12 that says: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.”

He also gave us Leviticus 20:27 that reads: " 'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.' "

King Saul of the Israelites faced the Philistine Army and was afraid. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him. So he sought out a medium so that he could seek advice from the prophet Samuel, who was now dead. Pastor Gary spoke from 1 Samuel 28 and told us of how the medium contacted Samuel, and how the spirit of Samuel rose from the ground to tell Saul how God will act according to the prophecy of before.

Pastor Gary spoke about a debate by Bible scholars today on the identity of the spirit. Some argue that it really isn’t Samuel because it rose from the ground, instead of coming down from heaven. He read II Corinthians 11:14 which says: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Pastor Gary gave us a lot to think about.

After the service, I spoke with a friend who warned me that if I continue to read the horoscopes, then he may have no choice but to stone me. I told him to relax, since I only read them to be entertained; I don’t live my life by them. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve been a medium. I’m now a large. An extra large.

After sharing a laugh, he went out for supper in the lobby and I headed for the tech booth to prep for the Faith Lessons class. Tonight, Lesson Three was being moderated by Carlton, who said that he preferred a hand-held mic instead of a lapel mic, otherwise his hands would have nothing to do but cause distractions.

The lesson ran rather smoothly, with just a few bumps. I told Mike that we’d have it all down pat by the time we finished Lesson Five. After class, Kiyomi and Joy served up a light meal of Okinawan soba and pork. I asked Carlton if things would have been better if Debbie (his wife) had attended. He replied “Yes and no,” but he wouldn’t elaborate.

Mike & Carol had me home by 10:30pm.


A YEAR AGO TODAY: Nothing was noted for today.