0930 word up

The nice thing about Facebook is that I’ve found a bunch of friends from high school and college, plus people I used to work with. I’ve also found some people that share the same common interests with me. One of these is playing the game of Scrabble.

There’s an application on Facebook that utilizes the same tiles, gameboard, scoring and turn-based play. The only difference is that sometimes a game will be played over several days.

Right now, I’m participating in about five separate games and my friends play whenever they log in. I get a notification when it’s my turn, so I don’t need to wait for them. I just check-in every now and then. It helps pass the day to check-in between exercise sets and it helps to keep my mind (and vocabulary) active.

0927 wedding day

I went to the wedding of some good friends of mine, Grace and Bobby. I knew Grace from a lifegroup we were in several years ago, before it broke up and I joined WTBA. Bobby was a member (and still is) of WTBA. When my work schedule changed in 2006, I left WTBA and joined Koinonia, where I met Bobby’s sister, Wendi.

The ceremony was in the courtyard of Grand Newport Plaza in Costa Mesa, a beautiful setting with a fountain. The wedding party was large and a lot of people were at the ceremony. But I knew many of them and it was a very special day.

Liz picked me up in the morning (the ceremony was at 10:30am!) and after a bit of creative driving, we found the parking structure. I should mention that Liz looked great. We found the courtyard and sat down. We were soon joined by Scott, Mari, Kendra, and Chris (aka Daniel). They were followed by Ken, Natsuko, Michelle, Tricia, and Sheri. Then there was Mo and Sherilyn. I even saw Darin and Vivian come in.

The procession and ceremony was magnificent and full of splendor. Wendi looked great as a bridesmaid. There were a few humorous moments, but it was a nice ceremony. Pastor Gary (of SBCC) presided. The recessional was warm and happy. Okay, it was very happy.

The reception was a lot of fun. When they wanted to give away the table centerpieces, the MC asked for a volunteer from each table. Ken volunteered Don, and talked him into going up front. He explained that it was easy to do, since Don doesn’t hear very well.

At the time that they had the bouquet toss, I noticed that Liz wasn’t joining the other single women on the dance floor. When I asked her about it, she told me to drop it. I thought that I found a compatriot in wedding-reception-routine-avoidance. Boy, was I wrong.

Very soon, it was time for the groom to toss the garter. I figured if I didn’t make any eye contact, I would be overlooked. Not so. Not only could I feel Rome standing behind me, but Liz was directing traffic. Fortunately, my wheelchair has brakes and I kept them in place by holding them. They soon gave up and left me at the table. I’m kind of glad that they didn’t think it through. If 2 or 3 of the guys picked up my wheelchair, there was nothing I could’ve done, brakes or no brakes.

The highlight of the reception was a live performance by members of the USC Trojan Marching Band. I remember when Bobby announced the engagement many months ago, he mentioned that they were looking for a Saturday that USC wasn’t playing a home game. I guess this was why.

When the dancing started, I made my way to the restroom. I guess I was in there quite awhile because when I came out, only the wedding party and a couple dozen guests were left. Liz and I left soon after that.

0922 autumnal equinox

As I understand it, today is the autumnal equinox. There is the summer solstice, where the day is the longest and the night is the shortest. Opposite of that is the winter solstice, where the day is the shortest and the night is the longest. Between them are the vernal (spring) and autumnal (fall) equinoxes, where the day and the night are equal in length.

So the length of the day today is equal to the length of the night. It brings to mind a memory, which I would like to share.

When I was in college, I had a friend named Julie. She was Caucasian, but had a great tan. There was a big party one weekend and she decided to wear a sleeveless dress that showed off her tan. But she wasn’t satisfied, so the afternoon of the event, she decided to darken her tan by lying out by the pool with her friends. This was in the 80s, when we didn’t know much about skin cancer.

I didn’t see her until I was at the party. I saw her talking with some others across the room and remarked to a friend, “Boy, Julie sure look good!” My friend laughed and responded, “Yeah, but wait until she turns around.”

A minute later, she turned and I noticed a shade of difference. I crossed the room for a better look. Her back was lighter than her front. We chatted a little and I asked her what happened. She told me that she was so engrossed in the conversation with her friends at the pool, that she forgot to turn over.

She ended up tanning the front more than the back. A faint line could be seen on the sides of her arms and legs. She said that the dress was so nice, that she decided to wear it anyhow.

She evened it out the following weekend. I remember her joking (to others who were not at the party) that she showed off her tan lines.

0919 HB2U Glenn!

Glenn is the friend that I’ve known the longest. We met at an outing for the old LA Asian Ski Club (now it’s the Asian Ski & Board Club of LA) when we were both in our early thirties. At the time, he was a sous chef at the Annandale Country Club near Pasadena. Today, he’s an instructor at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts. Now, he’s celebrating his fiftieth birthday and there’s a party tomorrow (which I won’t be able to attend).

One day, he went skiing locally at Big Bear. He had his boots custom fit so that they were comfortable. But not that day. They were so painful that he stopped by a friend’s ski shop in San Dimas to have them looked at.

The outside of the boots were undamaged, so the shop owner looked inside. He pulled the right boot liner out of the left boot, and did a double-take. He also pulled the left boot liner out of the right boot. And then he laughed. Glenn had pulled the boot liners to clean them, but put them back in the wrong boots.

The shop owner was amazed that Glenn skied a whole day like that. So were we when we heard about it later.

Wait a minute. Glenn can’t be fifty. If he’s fifty, that means I’m ..... I’m .....

Never mind.

0216 walking again

This was my first PT session since the knee injury about six weeks ago. Jenn had me walk through the hallways and we set up a project to keep me busy. I am to plan a hiking trip for sometime in January 2009. That’s only five months away!

Okay, so it’s a little over four months. Hiking brings back a flood of memories from the times I spent with friends in the Santa Monica Mountains. The last time was a morning trek through Temescal Canyon a couple of years ago with Bobby and Liz.

Temescal Canyon is a loop of about five and a half miles and an elevation change of about 850 feet. Right now, I can barely make it across my flat, paved driveway in five minutes.

More on the therapy (and hike) later.

0914 koinonia

My lifegroup met after second service today. When he dropped me off at the church, my father asked me when I wanted to be picked up. I told him “3pm” and he said that he’d be there.

We have a running joke about him because sometimes he forgets and shows up early. One time, he poked his head in at 1pm, and we were just getting started.

The group study finished around 2:30pm, and there was no sign of him. My fellow group members commented that he’s getting better. There was still another group meeting at the church, so I waited in the lobby (which was cooler).

Around 3:05pm, I called home. My mother answered. I asked her, “Where’s Dad?” Through the phone, I heard a conversation that went like this:

Mom: “Were you supposed to pick up Jim?”

Dad: “Yes, but not until three.”

Then I heard running and a door slamming. My mother came back on the line. “He’s on his way,” she said. I tried not to laugh.

He picked me up around 3:40pm. We’ll try better next Sunday.

0910 drunk dialing

A friend sent me a message on Facebook recently and made mention of “drunk dialing”. I don’t think this friend understands the term but I realize the problem. You see, this term is outmoded and should have been removed from our vernacular. It represents a technology that is no longer being used.

Let me explain. Telephone calls used to be made with a rotary dial. This is unfamiliar to anyone born after 1990 because push button phones were introduced in the 1980s. But to illustrate the problem, let me tell you a story, from 1984.

I was partying with my softball team from work. I remember getting drunk one night (after my fifth beer) and I tried to call a friend to let me sleep it off at his place. My fingers kept missing the fingerholes in the dial. But even when I got them in the dial, it was the wrong numbers. Instead of reaching my friend, I called Kentucky Fried Chicken. That was a colorful conversation (“What do you mean he’s not there?”).

Nowadays, it's different with preset speed dial options and push-buttons. "Drunk dial" just isn't as funny anymore. In fact, it's harder.

When was the last time you dialed a wrong number? See?

0907 koinonia lunch

My lifegroup got together today for lunch at Moo’s Chinese Restaurant in Torrance. We played a few games to pass the time and break the ice. One of the games was “Two Truths and a Lie”, where you tell three things about yourself, but one has to be untrue and the others have to guess what it is. The problem was, two of our members couldn’t lie so they ended up telling three truths about themselves. It was funny and entertaining.

The problem I had is that I’ve used my past experiences with this group so much that they know what I’ve done. Fortunately, one person in our group has short-term memory, so I was able to get away (just barely) with my lie.

When I got home, my parents had an early dinner waiting for me. It was Chinese! But it was either eat or not have dinner, so I ate.

0906 going vertical

Jim Y (osam) came by today to help me get up on the walker for the first time since the August 3rd injury. I was able to move around the den, with his assistance, and it felt good to get up. We only walked for about 15 minutes, but it was good and I look forward to more!

0903 a typical day - part 3 of 3

Lunch depends on who’s at home each day. I can put together a sandwich by myself but it’s hard to do it with either of my parents around, as they will make their own lunch and make something for me while they’re at it (whether I want lunch or not). I once tried to tell them I wasn’t hungry, but that almost ended up with me being dragged to see the doctor because it “wasn’t normal”

The afternoon is mainly leg and foot exercises. Leg curls and extensions, leg lifts, ankle lifts, Achilles stretches, and short walks (with the walker) are a few of the exercises I’ll do. I perform several sets during the day, with breaks in-between to keep it from getting too tiring.

Dinner is around 5pm, but a lot depends on how my parents feel. Mother will make dinner or pick something up.

After dinner used to be treadmill time, but since the knee injury I just do some leg stretches. I usually catch up on my emails at this time.

This is what a normal weekday is like. Sometimes it differs because of therapy or doctor’s appointments. Sometimes I have visitors.

I usually bathe in the evening, but depending on the schedule, will sometimes do it in the morning or the afternoon. The whole process takes about an hour and I usually do most of it by myself. I sometimes need assistance with my back or left arm (my right hand cannot grip the washcloth completely) but I transfer to and from the bath bench without assistance.

The weekends vary from the routine, depending on what I’ve got scheduled. Sometimes a friend will help me walk on Saturday mornings. I’ll go to church service at SBCC on Saturday evenings and/or Sunday mornings. My sister likes to have family gatherings on Sunday afternoons. I have a twice-a-month Bible study that meets on Saturday nights after service. I also have a church lifegroup that meets every Sunday afternoon.

I keep busy with the logistics for all these activities. Arranging transportation is important, since I’m not able to drive and I don’t like my parents to drive after dark.