Jim's journey

0424 happy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

We expected a great turnout for Easter and we were not disappointed. South Bay Community Church rented out some of the facilities at North Torrance High School, including the gym, the cafeteria, and the library.

There were two services and a bunch of free food. Breakfast was provided before the 9am service, and lunch was available afterwards to those attending the 11am service.

The morning started out overcast, but the sun came out in the afternoon. It was great to see so many new faces.

In the photo, you can tell that it's a special occasion when Pat wears pants instead of shorts.

0420 pastrami

2011-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Mike and I had lunch at Golden Star again (see Feb 9th post). This time, I tried the pastrami sandwich. Not as good as “The Hat” (see Jan 12th post), but it had a lot of flavor!

I was able to use one of the coupons (C3d) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.50!

2011 Book: $69.14 to date

0413 eggy bread

2011-04-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Mike and I had lunch at Coco’s in Lakewood. I was in the mood for breakfast, so I had the French Toast. Mmmmm!

I was able to use one of the coupons (A11c) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.37!

2011 Book: $64.64 to date

0408 steve lucky & the rhumba bums

2011-04-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

Netty joined me at the Nakano Theatre (in the Torrance Civic complex) for a performance by Steve Lucky (his real name!) and the Rhumba Bums. The music was swing and very toe-tapping. The food & drinks were catered by Lucky Strike Lanes, in the Del Amo Promenade.

The night was simply amazing. But I did feel like I was one of the “young” ones in the audience.

0305 lobster

2011-03-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

A friend and I had dinner at Gladstone's in Long Beach. It was a dinner that was originally scheduled for November, but both of us had schedule conflicts, and it was postponed 2 or 3 times.

We both had the Lobster Dinner. I usually have lobster twice a year, at the Redondo Beach Lobster Festival in September, and as a birthday present to me (my birthday was last Sunday). The lobster meat was full of flavor and was great in the drawn butter.

One hitch, though. The lobster was presented on the plate, having been pre-cut and separated in the kitchen. All of the pieces were there, including the head. At one point, I had to turn the head around because it was unnerving to eat while looking at the eyes.

I was able to use one of the coupons from my Entertainment Book and saved $25.00! (C112).

2011Book: $50.65 to date

0227 today in history

2011-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Today in history:

Henry IV was crowned King of France (1594).
The island of New Britain was discovered (1700).
The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti (1844)
The 22nd Amendment was ratified (1951).

That's about it.

0209 golden star

2011-02-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Mike and I went to Golden Star for lunch. I had passed by over the years, but never stopped in. Boy, was I surprised. From the outside, it looks like a typical burger/sandwich house. On the inside, however, is a sit-down restaurant. I had a chicken sandwich. Yum!

I was able to use one of the coupons (C3c) from my Entertainment Book and saved $4.62!

2011 Book: $60.27 to date

0205 root beer float

2011-02-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

After my walking exercise in Cerritos, my friend and I had lunch at Red Robin's. I had a Diet Coke; my friend had a root beer float. The float is listed on the Red Robin's menu under "Bottomless Beverages". Sure enough, when he was past the halfway point, the server came up and asked him if he wanted another. He said, "Yes," and the server brought out another one. I figured that the server would bring a mug of root beer only, but the server brought out a mug with root beer AND ice cream. The ice cream was soft serve but the root beer was Barq's. From a money-saving angle, it's very cost-effective.

Something to remember when the weather warms up.

0202 el torito

2011-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had lunch at El Torito. I was able to use one of the bonus cards from my Entertainment Book and saved $5.00!

2011 Book: $55.65 to date

0130 church office

2011-01-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

The church office is located in a commercial/light industrial complex, just east of Crenshaw, between Del Amo and Torrance. Steve pulled up to the front door and I made my way up the stairs. Not an easy feat, because there is no handrail along the first set of steps.

After getting up the stairs, I entered the activity area, whre Legacy and Evolution normally meets. Folding chairs were set-up in rows and along a wall. KidzKrew was meeting in staff offices in the back. The only major drawback is that there was no air conditioning. The office complex is normally unoccupied on the weekends, so the management company doesn’t run it on the weekend. It can, but requires a 48-hour notice to do so.

I found a seat and several staff members joked that I was early for first service, which usually starts at 9:30am (it was around 8:30am). I replied that I was really early, as I was there for second service, which usually starts at 11:00am. By their facial expressions, some of them thought I was joking.

0127 jett

2011-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, my parents took the dog to the vet, as he was walking with a limp (the dog, not the vet). The vet said that it was a bit of arthritis, not an injury. He gave my mother some medicine to give to the dog to lessen the discomfort.

Tonight, my father and I watched my mother as she put some of the medicine (it’s a liquid) in the dog’s food. It was the only way to give it to him. He’s wary of any other method. I asked her if he can tell.

She responded, “I don’t see why not. You haven’t.” I must’ve had a bewildered look on my face. She laughed and said that she was just kidding. “It was worth the look on your face,” she said.

I believe her. But if you see me and my hair looks unusually shiny, then you’ll know why.

0119 coco's

2011-01-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had lunch at Coco’s. There was a pastrami sandwich on the menu, but neither of us had it as it would pale in comparison to last week’s lunch. I was able to use a coupon from my Entertainment Book and saved $5.00! (A11b)

2011 Book: $25.65 to date.

0116 what steelers?

2011-01-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

I attended the second service at SBCC today. Pastor Ken has been covering many of the Old Testament stories that we heard about when we were growing up. This weekend, his message was focused on the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by the huge fish. The book of Jonah covers the story.

He recited the story, verse-by-verse, as it appears in the Bible.

In Jonah 1:5 it reads "All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep." He recited the verse as it was written. But when he repeated the verse, to emphasize a point in his message, he said "steelers" instead of "sailors".

I thought to myself, "Steelers? What steelers?" Then I remembered that Pastor Ken is a Pittsburgh fan and his team is playing in the Super Bowl in a few weekends.

0112 the hat

2011-01-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Mike had to make a run to his mother’s house in Monterey Park, so we headed up there after the Psalm study. We picked up sandwiches at The Hat, on Atlantic Blvd. Boy, that brought back memories.

1224 tony roma's

2010-12-24T23:35:00.000-08:00

After the service, I joined some friends for a Christmas Eve dinner. I thought that we would end up at Norm’s again (see posts for 12/24/07, 12/24/08 and 12/24/09), but someone found out that Tony Roma’s was still open (just outside the Carson Mall), so we headed there.

The last time I was at a Tony Roma’s, I ordered the Sampler, in order to decide which type of rib I’d order the next time. But that was about five years ago and I forgot which one I decided on. So I ordered the Sampler again.

It was a larger group than previous Christmas Eve’s: Mike & Carol, Judy, Janice, Wanda, Brian, Vern, Laura, Matthew, Brianne, and myself. We all had a great time!

1224 Christmas Eve service

2010-12-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

SBCC had two Christmas Eve services. I went to the second one at 5:30pm. I was glad I did so, because the first service at 4:00pm was packed, with standing room only. I noticed that when I arrived, as the rear doors were open and I could see people standing inside with their backs to the walls.

The second service was comparably less populated, at 80% of the seats filled. Fortunately, I was in my wheelchair, so I was already in a sitting position.

KidsKrew came in and performed their version of “Jingle Bells” and then joined Evolution for a recital of the story, “Love Came Down At Christmas”. Christmas messages were given by Youth Pastor James and Pastoral Intern Dave. After the messages was a performance by the Hula Ministry to the song “Winter Snow”. The Worship Team performed before, during, and after the service.

1222 el torito

2010-12-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had lunch at El Torito. Partly because of the food selection (this location has Huevos Rancheros in their buffet) and partly because I had a coupon from my Entertainment Book. I saved $5.00! (A12a)

2011Book: $20.65 to date

1217 tron legacy

2010-12-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

I went to see “Tron: Legacy” at the Regal Promenade Stadium 13. I thought it was very good. Some people I talked with said that they saw the original “Tron” and thought that the special-effects weren’t that great. I told them that the special-effects were cutting-edge at that time (“Tron” was released in 1982), but they’d look old now.

The movie was good as it continued the story that was started in the original film. Jeff Bridges played the same character that he introduced in the first film. The story tells that he re-entered the digital world that he created, but became trapped. His son, Sam, remembers him leaving one night and never coming back. Now, 20 years later, he enters the same digital world and discovers that his father is still there.

There was one character (“Alan”) that I thought looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember his name. When the credits rolled, I discovered that it was Bruce Boxleitner, the original “Tron”. The actor has appeared in a number of movies and television shows. No wonder the “Tron” character was helmeted in “Legacy”. Digital avatars don’t age, and using special effects would have been very costly (although they DID do it for Jeff Bridges’ “Clu” character).

Okay, time for a question. When Garrett Hedlund’s character was transferred into the digital world, his clothing was taken and replaced with the uniform of the realm. When he returned to the “real world”, he was wearing it again. How did that happen? Before you answer that, also address the source of Quorra’s clothing. Where did that come from?

1213 I'm still here

2010-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Several friends contacted me to find out why I haven't posted in a few months. Yes, I'm okay. No, I haven't died. No, I didn't have another stroke.

No excuse. I just ran out of time to maintain it. So I'll be catching up in the next few weeks.

Sorry.

1211 too much sun?

2010-12-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

I had a glass of wine to help me unwind. I can hold my alcohol, but just a small amount causes my skin to “flush”, and thus my cheeks and neck turn pink for about an hour.

I finished the glass and was thinking about getting another when Steve Y walked up and we had a brief conversation. He asked me how I was doing and I told him that things were going well with me. He replied, “I see you’ve got some sun!”

That was when I decided that I must’ve had enough wine. Lol!

1211 how is your Spanish?

2010-12-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

After checking in at the registration table, I looked over the array of prizes that were being raffled off. One of the major prizes was a portable heating unit. On one side of the box was a picture and all of the features as bullet points. On the other side was the same picture, but all of the descriptions were in Spanish.

Guess which side was facing out and which side was against the wall? I think that the organizers were trying to see how long it took before anyone noticed.

1211 shrinkage

2010-12-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Tennis Connection was having their Annual Holiday Party at the Doubletree Inn in Torrance (on Hawthorne, about a block south of Torrance Blvd).

As I put on a dress shirt, I noticed that I was barely able to button the collar. Funny, it fit fine the last time I wore it, which was at Jerome & Liz’s wedding (see 8/07 post). It must have shrunk while hanging in the closet.

1211 sweet potato fries

2010-12-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

Jim Y and I went to lunch at Coco’s, following my walking exercise at Liberty Park. After ordering, we noticed another patron had orange-colored fries on his plate. We flagged down the server and he confirmed that they had sweet potato fries. Jim had the server substitute a side dish on his order, but my order didn’t have a side dish, so I asked if I could have a side order. When the food arrived, the server placed a big bowl (about 10 inches across) heaped up with sweet potato fries on our table. I said that I only ordered a side dish. The server replied that the kitchen ran out of small plates, and this was the best that they could do. He assured me that I wouldn’t be charged any extra for the additional amount. The bill only had a side of fries for $1.99.

Next time, we’ll ask if they could do it again.

I was able to use one of the coupons from my Entertainment Book and saved $5.65! (A11a).

2011Book: $15.65 to date

1203 I tried to be bad

2010-12-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

The news reported that UCLA students were caught trying to paint “UCLA” on the USC football field. This brought back a memory of a prank from over 30 years ago.

In my senior year, we had a football game against our rival Lakewood High. It was a couple of weeks away, but some friends had an idea to make a big “splash” to make our senior year memorable. We decided to “paint” a block “J” (our high school was named for David Starr Jordan) at the 50-yard line of their football field.

My father owned and operated a garden center, so I volunteered to arrange to “borrow” some lawn paint (in winter, some people painted their dormant bermudagrass green, rather than overseed it with annual ryegrass). As I was reading the label for application instructions, one of the “old” (now that I think about it, he was in his mid-thirties) employees asked some pointed questions to figure out what I was using it for.

I couldn’t lie very well, and he figured it out. He told me that if the lawn paint was applied to live grass, then the paint would kill it. I told him that I couldn’t think of another option.

He suggested using a liquid fertilizer. I told him about the time constraint. He suggested diluting urea (51% nitrogen) in water. Because of its high nitrogen content, urea is fast-acting. Plus, as a liquid, the chances of burning were extremely small. I asked how I’d be able to get it right without a stencil. He suggested forming an outline with sand, and then pouring the liquid inside the outline. If there was enough time, the sand could be spread with the foot and it wouldn’t harm anything.

I told the others about this and they agreed. After all, no one wanted to damage or destroy anything.

The Friday night before the game, several guys walked up to the front of Lakewood High (we couldn’t get access to the football field) and poured sand in the form of a block “J”, then walked fast to their cars and left. About 10 minutes later, the rest of us walked up to the same location, spotted the outline, and proceeded to pour the liquid into the outline. We were about to scatter the sand when someone spotted headlights coming down the street. We ran to our cars and took off.

I had some friends at Lakewood High, and they told me the rest. The principal arrived early on Monday, saw the sand and had a custodian rake it away. He thought that if that was the best that could be done, then the football game would be a sure win.

The next day, the grass grew in the form of a block “J”. More so than the surrounding grass. The principal called the sheriff and said that he wanted to file a vandalism charge. A deputy drove up, took one look at the “J”, and then told the principal that he couldn’t file a vandalism charge because nothing was damaged. The principal asked what he could do. The deputy said that he could apply a grass killer, but then he would be damaging his own property. Besides, the grass killer would take at least 3-4 days to work (remember, this was 1977), and the football game would be over by then. He could have a custodian mow it, but there would be no guarantee that it wouldn’t grow back. Or he could just live with it. With that said, the deputy left.

The principal had a custodian mow it, but the “J” grew back the next day. He couldn’t justify the time it took to have it mowed again, so he had a custodian fertilize the grass around it, hoping that it would work fast enough to obliterate the “J”. It didn’t.

The “J” was still there on the day of the big game. Although I didn’t admit it, our principal told me to tell whoever did it that he got a kick out of it. He said that the most that he could figure was that I was somehow involved.

Hours spent looking at my reflection in the mirror (then and now) couldn’t figure that one out.

1124 el torito

2010-11-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

Mike and I went to El Torito in Lakewood Center for lunch. Mike got a combo and I had some seafood (read shrimp and scallop) enchiladas. I was able to use one of the coupons from my Entertainment Book for $10 off (A12). My first use of the EntBook!

2011Book: $10 to date.

1123 thanksgiving?

2010-11-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

This morning, there was a segment on the KTLA news about a food giveaway at the Hollenbeck Youth Center in downtown Los Angeles for needy families in time for Thanksgiving. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was there helping out. The KTLA reporter asked him several questions, which he answered quite well. Then she asked, “How do you say ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ in Austrian?”

He replied, “We don’t have Thanksgiving in Austria”.

1121 entertainment book

2010-11-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

I got an Entertainment Book today. It’s not my first, but it’s the first one since I started this blog. So I’m going to be posting my experiences in using the Book.

Maybe this year, I’ll save enough to cover the cost of the Book.

1120 parmesan

2010-11-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

I did my walking exercise inside Lakewood Center, as the pavement was still wet from the nighttime rain. After the walk, we (my friend and I) went to Sbarro’s. He had a portion of lasagna, with a lot of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

By looking at the photo, is ‘sprinkled’ the right word?

1117 ornaments

2010-11-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

I went to Costco today and saw a case of Christmas ornaments. But a friend told me that the ornaments were for a yard display, not a tree. Good, because you’d need a really big tree to put them on (see picture).

1107 jenga

2010-11-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sam had Koinonia over today. We played a number of games, including Jenga. Jenga is a tower made of pieces of wood, stacked in alternating layers. Players take turns pulling a piece out and placing it at the top. The object of the game is to avoid being the one who pulls a piece and causes the whole tower to fall.

When it did tumble, everybody laughed. That is, everybody except for the two-year-old, who was on the verge of crying. He didn’t cry, but we decided to play something different.

One of the guys had an idea for “Jumbo Jenga”, with railroad ties and steel helmets. No idea if they ever tried it.

1008 joel

2010-10-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Joel Gaines, the guy who plays keyboard on the SBCC Worship Team, had a concert tonight in the Nakano Theater at the Torrance Civic Center. It was very good. The theater was intimate with cabaret-type seating. I went with some friends from church, and met up some others from the church, including Barry & Marcia, who moved out of the area several years ago. It was nice to see them.

Joel wrote all of the songs that were performed and was also selling a CD that he compiled (I already have mine). There will be another show tomorrow night.

0921 hawaii five-o

2010-09-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hawaii Five-O premiered last night. It’s not a remake; it’s a re-imagination of the original series. The back-story is well-thought out and the characters are very contemporary. As long as you can accept Kono as a female, the show is very appropriate. There is even a plausible explanation of “Danno”.

For those of you who think that I’m watching it only for the pretty women, let me just say this: not “only”.

0903 kathie lee

2010-09-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was flipping thru channels this morning and on the ‘Today’ show, Hoda was reading a list of guests scheduled to be on the show next week. She mentioned that a rep from Adam & Eve will talk about some of the new adult sex toys. Kathie Lee Gifford replied that it was good, because “one of those things could slap me in the face and I still wouldn’t know what it is”.

I laughed so hard that I almost fell out of my seat.

0827 marijuana

2010-08-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was flipping thru last week’s San Diego Reader (picked up during my excursion last weekend), when I spotted an ad for a medical marijuana collective with a 2-for-1 coupon. 2-for-1 joints, that is.

What is this world coming to?

0821 hachi

2010-08-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

The ride back was spent watching a movie, but I could see and hear several people taking naps. The movie was “Hachi”, with Richard Gere and Joan Allen, and was about a dog that met his master at the train station at the end of each day, and continued to do so for nine years after his master’s untimely death. Very moving.

0821 gelato

2010-08-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Our Tour ended with a gelato at Cafe Zucchero. It was refreshing since it was a warm and sunny day. Afterwards, we were given an hour to meander around and see the sights.

0821 filippi's

2010-08-21T15:11:00.001-07:00

We looked inside Filippi’s Pizza Grotto (1747 India Street), a small restaurant with a small deli in front. You had to walk thru the deli to get to the restaurant. I found that the main aisle in the store is barely wide enough for my wheelchair, and the other aisles were too skinny for me to venture through.

The deli was cozy and there was a fragrance of meats and cheeses wafting thru the air. Yum!

0821 prohibition

2010-08-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

For several minutes, we stopped on a sidewalk on Columbia Street as Anthony told us about the Black Hand and the bootlegging that was conducted in the area. He showed us a warehouse and described an underground tunnel that connected it to a residence next door.

0821 church

2010-08-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

One of the high points of the Tour was the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church. The staff was setting up for a wedding, but we were allowed to go inside and look around. The congregation sits in old-style wooden benches, and there are murals on the ceiling and rear & front upper walls. One depicted the Crucifixion of Christ, but there appeared to be more observers than I thought there were. Anthony explained that it was the custom of the time (when the murals were painted) to incorporate images of patrons as observers.

Interesting.

0821 po pazzo

2010-08-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

We stopped for lunch at Po Pazzo (1917 India Street), an authentic Italian restaurant. We had to select our entrees ahead of time, either Chicken Cacciatorre or Spaghetti and Meatballs, so it would be ready, as our tour had a time limit. I chose the Chicken and it was very good. Viv couldn’t make it, so she told Anjie to have her entree for her. Anjie ordered the Spaghetti; Viv ordered the chicken. It was nice for Rob, who stepped in and ate the extra entree, as Anjie’s spaghetti was enough.

0821 anthony and cristina

2010-08-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

As we arrived in Little Italy, we were joined by Anthony and Cristina, our tour guides, who were well-informed about the history of the area. They showed us some of the architecture as our motorcoach drove through the local streets.

We were provided with wireless headsets, to listen to Anthony’s presentation, at his normal speaking voice, no matter how far away we were from him.

0821 little italy tour

2010-08-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Survivor’s Ministry at SBCC had a trip to Little Italy (in San Diego) today, from morning to late afternoon. The tour group met in the SBCC parking lot and boarded a motorcoach.

Alan and Rob led the group in games, including guessing the number of candies in a jar, and bingo. Suffice to say, I didn’t win either of them.

0814 reunion

2010-08-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Grads from my high school organized an All-Class Reunion at Tracy’s Bar & Grill in Long Beach. Although it’s been held for several years, this was the first one I attended there. I decided to go after hearing that several of my classmates (Class of 1978) were planning to attend.

It was great to see everyone that was able to attend, although since it was All-Class, there were many that I didn’t know.

0807 wedding

2010-08-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Liz and Jerome were married today. The wedding ceremony was fantastic. Pastor Gary officiated the ceremony in the Worship Center at SBCC.

Before the ceremony began, the groom and groomsmen were on the patio taking pictures. At one time, they walked as a group from one side of the patio to the other. Someone commented that it looked like a scene from the movie “Reservoir Dogs”.

0731 caesar's

2010-07-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jim Y and I were leaving The Loft in Cerritos, when we spotted “Caesar’s Mongolian B-B-Q”. Somehow, “Caesar’s” and “Mongolian B-B-Q” don’t seem compatible. What do you think?

0728 ok discount

2010-07-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

I passed by a store called “OK Discount”. I guess it’s not a great discount or a good discount, but an OK discount. LOL

0720 haircut

2010-07-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

I went to get my hair cut today. The sides weren’t short enough the last time, so I kept an eye out for a picture to use as an example. I found one. It was a picture of Anderson Cooper with graphics promoting his “AC360” show on CNN.

I showed it to my barber and asked if he could cut it that short. He said he could and started trimming.

While he was combing and cutting, he mentioned that Cooper probably goes to a salon and pays $100 for his haircut, and then deducts it as a business expense. I told him that I couldn’t deduct it, so to just give me the $10 version.

He stopped and said, “Well, in that case, we’re done!” After a few seconds, he resumed his combing and cutting. He said that he was just kidding, but the look on my face made it worthwhile.

I can imagine the look on my face. At the moment he stopped, my hair ... well, let’s just say that Hitler had a better haircut.

0718 avoiding a difficult explanation

2010-07-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

After pizza, we made a quick stop at Paleteria La Mexicana, for something cool. It’s a small store with three freezer cases that have glass doors on the top that slide. They had two different types: an “Otter-Pop” tube and a “Popsicle” bar with a wooden stick in one end. Both were wrapped in plastic.

I went with the tube and chose coconut. My friend, Ching, got a tube also (I think hers was watermelon) and asked the guy on the other side of the cases about how to open them. He said to just bite it and it would open up without any problem. We paid and left with our goodies.

In the car, we wiped our tubes with antibacterial wipes. Mine was starting to soften, so I picked an end and bit into it. What do you know? He was right! The end just opened up easily. Unfortunately, it was the opposite end and the “stuff” spilled into my lap.

It was a little disturbing because it was a thick milky-white liquid.

0718 dean's pizza

2010-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ching picked me up in the early afternoon and we headed over to Dean’s Pizza for something to munch on. It’s located at the southwest corner of Redondo and 10th in Long Beach. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it.

She had heard about it from friends (she’s a Yelp Elite; long story) because they have a great Thai Curry Pizza. We ordered one to share and it was great. Until now, I’d never had a pizza with tofu on top. Great choice!

0716 85C

2010-07-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law’s sister stopped by on her way home. She picked up some pastries from 85C in Irvine. There was a feature about it in Thursday’s Times. It’s a Taiwanese bakery on Alton Parkway, just a few blocks from where she works.

The name of the bakery comes from the “perfect temperature to serve coffee.” 85 centigrade! Yes, they serve coffee there.

We were sitting in the front room. I was facing Lori, and the driveway was to my left. I thought I detected motion out of the corner of my left eye. But when I looked to the left, there was nothing there. I found out several minutes later that it was my cousin, Patty, and her daughter, coming over for a dip in the pool.

0714 compression stocking

2010-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

After Bible study, Mike F and I stopped by Abrams & Clark, to pick up a compression stocking that my podiatrist recommended. I put it on when I returned home. It looks like I’m wearing women’s hose. After a few failed attempts to pull it on like a sock, I read the enclosed directions and then it went on the first time. Very effective at compression.

But now I’m afraid that my podiatrist will tell me it will work better if I shaved the leg.

0711 toy story 3 question

2010-07-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

My sister came by today and brought two of her kids with her. My nephew is only 7, but he had an “important” question about “Toy Story 3”.

There is a scene where the characters are on a conveyor belt, heading for a grinder. Suddenly, the slinky-dog is pulled up to a magnet, which removes metal from the rest of the garbage. Each of the characters grabs onto something metallic and are also pulled up. This act carries them above the grinder. On the other side, they let go and land on the conveyor belt.

My nephew’s question is ... how did the slinky-dog get down?

I didn’t have an answer for him. If you saw the movie, do you?

0710 dinner and a movie

2010-07-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Tennis Connection had a “Dinner & Movie” event at the Del Amo Center Promenade. I was able to arrange transportation with Gary K, and we met the others for dinner at BJ’s Brewery.

Larry L was one of the organizers and got our tickets during the dinner. I had the Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad. It was very good.

A large part of the group (me included) went to see “Toy Story 3”, from Pixar. It was very good.

Afterwards, we stopped by Jerry’s Deli for coffee and pastries. I split a pastry with Leslie.

0703 wimbledon

2010-07-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

Serena Williams won the women’s singles championship at Wimbledon today. The awards presentation immediately followed the final match and Serena was given the customary platter that symbolized the title. My father commented that it would have been more impressive if there were a rack of ribs on it. LOL

0630 coinstar

2010-06-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Coinstar has machines in many grocery stores across the country. The machines separate and sort the coins and keep count while it does it. The machines charge 9.8 cents per dollar, but the result can be converted into cash at the checkstand. Sounds great?

I found out that Coinstar partners with several companies to put the total on gift cards or coded receipts, without charging the 9.8 cents per dollar fee. Companies like Amazon, Albertson’s, and Borders Books. Cool!

0621 can't find a tree when you need one?

2010-06-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

There was a live telecast of the parade in downtown Los Angeles for the Lakers. There were a lot of people there. Perhaps thousands lined the parade route. Then the news station that I was watching ran an interesting story. The parade planners planned for every contingency: food, beverages, souvenirs, security, publicity, etc. But someone forgot to order porta-potties.

0524 a pound is a pound, isn't it?

2010-05-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading articles about keeping the mind sharp as one ages and quite often I see a tip about learning something new keeps the mind active. So this past weekend, I found out that a pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of gold.

How? Glad you asked.

Feathers are weighed in Avoirdupois weight (AV) and gold is weighed in Troy weight (T). A grain of feathers weighs the same as a grain of gold. An AV pound is 16 ounces and is 7000 grains. A T pound is 12 ounces and is 5760 grains. So a pound of feathers weighs more than a pound of gold.

I can’t wait to use that in a bar bet.

0519 asian chicken

2010-05-20T00:51:00.000-07:00

Mike and I met for our weekly bible study (every Wednesday at 10:30am) and went to lunch at Coco’s in Lakewood.

I had the Asian Chicken Salad, which left me wondering: How difficult is it to find Asian chickens?

0508 bill

2010-05-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

An old friend contacted me and we went out for dinner to talk and catch-up. Bill and I attended high school together. Most recently, he was an editor for "Institutional Investor" magazine in New York. He was a writer for "Wine Spectator" before that.

Yes, he resides in New York now. He was spending a few weeks with family. He has a sister who still lives in the area.

0503 farmville

2010-05-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Zynga, the company that produces several online games that can be played through Facebook, has come up with a way to make the game-playing experience smoother and easier for someone like me.

One of the games is FarmVille. It’s designed in such a way to get you to come back often. There are two forms of currency: FarmVille Coins and FarmVille Bucks.

Farmville Coins are easy to get and accumulate. Plant crops by paying to plow and seed, then harvest (after waiting the appropriate amount of time). The revenue from harvesting is more than the cost of plowing and seeding, so it’s a way to make FV Coins, which can then be used to “buy” some items for your farm.

Unfortunately, some items can only be obtained using FV Bucks. FV Bucks can be “made” only two ways. You can get one FV Buck fr every 1-2 days that you log in to the game, or you can buy some with REAL currency, using a credit card. I avoid sending credit information over the Internet, for obvious reasons. So I’ve made myself content with generating the FV Bucks slowly.

Zynga came up with a third option that subdues my paranoia. Cards with FV graphics are now available at Target, 7-Eleven, Best Buy, and GameStop. This allows someone to purchase a card at a retailer using cash, thus avoiding any exposure of credit information. A $10 FV card has a code (exposed after scratching off a cover) that will credit your account with 55 FV Bucks. Sweet.

I was talking to a friend (also on FarmVille) about stuff and the conversation changed to the cards. I asked her if she saw them. She replied that she did and, “What kind of loser would get one of those?”

I replied, “So this wouldn’t be a good time to ask you to pick one up for me?” Lol.

I got a card on my own a few days later. :D

0501 assyrians

2010-05-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

After service at SBCC was my bible study group. We’re going through the Book of Isaiah right now. The section we’re in is “God’s Judgment of Assyria”. One of the women had difficulty pronouncing “Assyrians”, so she substituted another word every time she had to read a verse with the word in it.

What was the other word? “Australians”. It was difficult keeping a straight face when she was reading.

0417 warszawa

2010-04-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

A group of friends got together to try a Polish restaurant in Santa Monica. It’s a small place called Warszawa, and the food is very tasty. There were eight of us altogether. Neil had come in from Ventura, while Cheryl made the trip from Redlands. The rest of us are spread across the L.A. basin.

The restaurant has about ten tables, so reservations are strongly suggested. There’s a covered patio in the back for private parties, although it was unused the night that we were there. The parking lot is small. There are a lot of signs, but the restaurant isn’t mentioned on any of them. But if you ask the staff, the parking lot is available to restaurant patrons.

The wine list isn’t long, but there are some good selections. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into it, like the menu.

The menu isn’t long, but there are a lot to choose from. There are nine salads, plus a combination of up to six of them. There are five different types of hand-made Pierogis (Polish ravioli) but you can order a combo plate with one of each. Mmmm. They are served dry, like empanadas.

I ordered the salmon-filled dumplings, and they were very delicious. One of the guys ordered the “Bigos”, which is a Polish hunter’s stew. The way he ordered it, though, sounded like he said “beagles”. My bad.

We all left room for dessert. Neil decided to try the “schlicki”, which is a vanilla crepe filled with lemon cheese, served hot with raspberries. One of the women said to Neil, “If you let me have a taste of your schlicki, I’ll order something else.” We told her that even in a Polish restaurant, her comment sounded suggestive.

Several of the desserts were ordered and then passed around. One item was a dark mocha chocolate cream layer torte with light vanilla sauce. The waiter added a word of warning: the menu doesn’t indicate it, but there’s espresso in the torte. Caution was tossed aside and the torte was ordered. Everyone took a bite and commented that the espresso was very light. I had a piece from the bottom. I found out then why everyone said that the espresso was light. It had settled in the bottom. My piece had a strong espresso taste.

0410 mo pho

2010-04-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Jim Y and I did our walking exercise at Liberty Park in Cerritos. Afterwards, we had lunch at “Pho 4 U”, to try some of the other things on the menu.

The menus are easy-to-read and there are plenty of pictures. Too many choices, but I’m sure that I’ll be back. At the time of our visit, the restaurant was having a promotion of a FREE Thai Iced Tea with Boba with every entree. The server mentioned that we missed out on the previous promo. That’s when they had a FREE dessert with every entree. Apparently, timing is everything.

The Pho Tai (#10 - Rare Steak Noodle Soup) was very good and there were plenty of noodles. I would have ordered the Pho Dac Biet (#9 – Special Beef Noodle Soup), but I’m not a fan of tripe. The soups come in two sizes (medium and large), and the large is a meal in itself. The soups also come with a plate of extras, such as bean sprouts, sliced chile peppers, and a sprig of mint. There’s also a small plate for dipping the meat into sauces of your choice. I had just the Hoisin sauce.

The Com Suon Bo Nuong (#32 – BBQ Beef Ribs Rice) is the Vietnamese version of Korean kalbi beef. It’s served with each rib separate, instead of as a strip of three ribs. The meat is tender and full of flavor, and the presentation is very appetizing. Rice is served in a separate bowl, and a plate of kimchi accompanies it for seasoning.

The Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio (#39 – Charbroiled Shrimp with Egg Roll and choice of Beef, Pork, or Chicken) is served in a bowl on top of noodles and mixed vegetables, and served with fish sauce. Yum!

I was going to get a smoothie to go, but because of the FREE Thai Iced Tea promo, they weren’t making smoothies. Oh well, something to look forward to on a future visit.

I’m glad the door was offset from the ramp. I had to push to get through the door jamb on the way out, and used my foot to stop from going into a planter. If the ramp was in a straight line, I might have rolled into traffic if my foot wasn’t enough.

I’m wondering why the doormat has a Mercedes Benz logo. Something to ask about in the future, if I remember.

0405 HB2U Caroline!

2010-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today is Caroline’s birthday. She’s a good friend, attractive, and isn’t married. She works in Financial Services.

If you’re interested AND you’re not a jerk (which eliminates half of you), I might give her your e-mail address. Of course, you need to be single (there goes the other half).

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Caroline!

0404 easter morning

2010-04-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Steve T picked me up early as he was working the soundboard for all three services at SBCC. There was an early morning continental breakfast to get the day started right. Regulars were “encouraged” to attend the first service, in order to make room for new faces in the two other services.

The service began with a “video” featuring two of the emcees, Dave and Roxy. I’d describe it, but I can’t think of the proper words to use. So click below and watch/listen for yourself.

Pastor Gary started his “Inspirare” series and focused on an interview of someone facing a crisis and relying on God to get through it. “Inspirare” is a root word for “inspire”. Each person relying on God to get through the crisis is a source of “inspiration” for all of us.

Today’s message featured an interview with Barbara Romero, who has been with the church for many years. The video is broken up into three parts. Here are all three parts for you to watch/listen.

The video took up most of the service. Pastor Gary titled this week’s installment as “Inspirare Invictus” and used verses from seven chapters of the Bible to illustrate his message.

0403 Easter weekend begins!

2010-04-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend at SBCC was a lot of fun! I volunteered to assist on both days, so what I don’t cover here will be in tomorrow’s post.

Steve T picked me up on his way to SBCC. His daughter, Tiana, was in the car and volunteered to help at the carnival. Steve was working the soundboard for the two Saturday services and Tiana was helping kids decorate cookies. I was assigned to help in the bean-bag toss booth.

There were a lot of kids there.

0403 pho 4 u

2010-04-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Jim Y and I did our walking exercise at Liberty Park in Cerritos. Afterwards, we decided to try “Pho 4 U” for lunch, which is next door to the Subway that we frequent.

The food was good and I know that we’ll be back. We were not disappointed.

0403 HB2U Jerome!

2010-04-03T12:30:00.001-07:00

Today is Jerome’s birthday! Rome is a good friend and is definitely someone that you do not want to be on the bad side of. Trouble is, though, he’s usually smiling. I’ve known Rome for several years. Liz is his girlfriend.

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Jerome!

0331 omega-3

2010-03-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went to Target in search of chewable Vitamin C tablets. What I found were “Gummy Vitamins for Adults”. There were several types, so I bought a bottle of each of the Vitamin C and the Omega-3.

The label on the Omega-3 reads “This product contains natural colors and flavors. Contains no wheat (gluten), milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish. Does contain fish (anchovy, sardine, mackerel, tuna) and soy.” The label also indicates that the flavors are “lemon, berry & cherry”.

I tried one. It didn’t taste like lemon, berry or cherry. Now I wonder about the “natural flavors” and “contains fish”.

I found the chewable vitamins at Walmart.

0330 bap

2010-03-30T14:44:00.002-07:00

A few days ago, a friend and I were “conversing” in an instant message. The conversation wandered, but at one time my friend typed about a “bap of sunflower seeds”. I knew the reference was a “bag” and a correction came through a moment later. But that didn’t stop me from thinking about it. You see, a “bap” is a Scottish term for “bread roll”.

The last time I heard it was about six years ago, but the first time was several decades ago (okay, three decades). It was in college, and it was accidental. In fact, if I didn’t ask, I never would have thought about it.

I was in a cafeteria with a group of friends, when another group approached and asked if they could join us. We were seated at a large round table and there were enough chairs, so we said it was okay.

A few minutes later, one of the girls in the other group (I didn’t know her; she was a friend of a friend) asked me, “Are you going to eat that bap?” Bewildered, I asked for clarification. She pointed at an untouched dinner roll on my tray. I shrugged and told her to help herself. As she was eating it, I asked her why she called it a “bap”.

She said, “Sorry about that. My grandmother used to call it that and I guess I picked it up. She was Scottish.” And that’s how I came to know the word. Otherwise, I’d be totally oblivious.

Yeah, I know. Hard to believe that a dinner roll would be untouched on my tray.

0328 avatar

2010-03-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

About six weeks ago, Brian asked me if I saw “Avatar”. I told him that I hadn’t, but would catch it on DVD. He indicated that with the sound and special effects, it would be best to see it in a theater while it was still out. A scan of movie listings showed that it was still out in several theaters.

A couple of weeks later, the studio announced that the movie would be released on DVD in mid-April, but it would not contain the 3-D version. So we added that criteria to our search.

Conflicting schedules prevented us from meeting, but we finally saw it today. Brian picked me up at SBCC and we headed over to the Bridge Cinemas at the Howard Hughes Center. After getting our tickets and 3-D glasses, and a mandatory bag of popcorn (I always have to have movie theater popcorn), we found our seats in Auditorium 8.

The movie was good and I enjoyed the 3-D effects. I’m glad that we were able to see it.

A couple of things from the movie. I saw the substance “unobtainium” in another movie. “The Core” (2003) with Aaron Eckhart. And Grace’s line “Don’t shoot. You’ll only make it angry.” I heard that line spoken in “Blazing Saddles” (1974) with Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder.

After the movie, we stopped at Quizno’s in Gardena and we each had the Raspberry Chipotle Chicken salad. Mmmm. They were good.

0327 bible study

2010-03-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

My Bible Study group usually meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month. But because of a membership meeting (3/20) and Easter weekend (4/3), we were going to have six weeks between studies. One of our members, Gary H, indicated that six weeks was too long of an interval between studies and he argued for an interim study to keep current. So we scheduled an interim study for tonight. Everyone was present. Except Gary H.

0327 sun chips

2010-03-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Jim Y and I did our walking exercise at Liberty Park in Cerritos. For lunch, we went to Subway. I had a sandwich combo, which included a bag of chips. I settled on Sun Chips. The back of the bag had a bunch of ideas for finding “green” alternatives in everyday life. There was a quote from Stacey in Richardson, Texas, that read “I use re-useable bags when I go grocery shopping,” There was a picture to go along with the quote. In my opinion, Stacey should have shaved before the photo was taken.

0326 new place

2010-03-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sunny moved into a new place and had a small, informal get-together of friends (Ed, Brian, Kevin, and Jerome were the others). Liz was able to pick me up, but navigating the front path was a challenge. The first was a set of 2-3 steps from the sidewalk without a handrail. Note to self: Going up was easier than going down.

The next set of steps (3-4) had a handrail, but was still a challenge since the pads were short. I made it through the front door, and then saw the final challenge: A stairway to a level that had the kitchen and dining area (the level inside the front door had the front room).

I started up the stairway the same way I go up the stairs at church, but soon found out that the stairway was narrower as the walker was hitting my left leg (I usually turn the walker sideways and grab the grips with my left hand for support). I developed a rhythm and made my way to the top.

As an early arrival, I was put to work helping to put together the appetizers. It was just bacon-wrapped dates and stuffed mushroom caps, but there were a lot of them. Mmmmm. They were good (cooked, of course).

Liz contributed a pear salad with candied walnuts and gorgonzola cheese.

The main dish was lasagna, served with toasted bread. I had brought some Italian wine and suggested that a bottle be opened. One of the guys was spending several minutes with a corkscrew before it was pointed out that the metal top had to be unscrewed by hand (many European wines are switching over to screws from corks because they are cost-effective, degrade less, and provide a better seal). Yeah, reminds me of the joke about walruses and Tupperware.

The lasagna was delicious. You could tell that it was made from scratch because the ricotta cheese was fresh and full of flavor. The salad was made

After dinner, we played three rounds of Sequence and several hands of cards. Our hostess had some cheesecake, and I brought some pastries from Giuliano’s. Hey, it’s okay if I bring ‘em as long as I don’t eat ‘em. I also brought a bottle of Moscato, which was kept chilled in the refrigerator. As a dessert wine, it was very good.

0323 never mind, russ meyer

2010-03-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

I was watching the KTLA News this afternoon and one of the filler stories was about the planned production of the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, featuring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. There is a casting call for women, who will be in the background or have minor roles. Among the casting requirements are height, skin tone, talent, and a comment that reads “real breasts”. Apparently, Disney doesn’t want to see implants on the big screen.

The female anchor commented, “What I want to know is ‘Who is doing the testing?’”. The male anchor replied, “I don’t know, but I’d like to see the job description on that one.”

0323 sign of the times

2010-03-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

The front page of the Los Angeles Times had several articles about the Healthcare legislation just passed by Congress. They also had this photo with the caption “IN MICHIGAN: Glenn Clark and other demonstrators gather together to endorse a ballot initiative, introduced in the Legislature, that’s designed to exempt Michigan from new federal healthcare requirements.”

Either that caption is a misprint OR the “NO” sign he’s holding is about the Healthcare legislation, and thus supports the ballot initiative.

What are your thoughts?

0314 what time is it?

2010-03-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our family had a gathering for dinner at Il Fornaio in Manhattan Beach. We (my parents and I) arrived a few minutes early and were seated. Soon after, everyone else arrived ... except for the sister of my brother-in-law. Usually, she’s the first to arrive, so we got a bit worried. The rest of us ordered and started eating. About fifty minutes later, she came walking in and said, “Oh, everyone’s early”.

To which her mother responded, “You didn’t reset your watch, did you?” Daylight Savings began at 2am that morning.

The expression on her face told us that she didn’t.

0313 angels flight

2010-03-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

After transferring from the Blue Line to shuttle buses and then to the Red Line, we got off at Pershing Square Station. A few blocks later, we were at the base of Angels Flight, a working funicular that carries people up and down the steep slope of Bunker Hill.

A report on the local news said that it would be reopened to the public on the following Monday, but it was working completely during our visit. The man stationed at the “station” said that the city wanted to be sure it was working before the public unveiling, so it was operating during the whole week prior. But since it was designed before ADA, it was not equipped to handle disabled people, so I waited for the group at the bottom. In retrospect, I should have boarded separate from the chair, which could have been folded to fit through the narrow doorway.

I should have boarded, because there was an interesting fountain display at the top. Oh well.

0313 choo-choo

2010-03-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

The Survivor’s Ministry at SBCC was having a Downtown L.A. Outing, so Jim Y and I decided to do that instead of our exercise. We thought that the opportunity might come up to do some “walking”, but we were wrong.

The group was meeting at SBCC and then carpooling to the Del Amo Station of the Blue Line. To go to SBCC would mean backtracking, so we met the group at the Del Amo Station.

We thought that there would be 10 or 12 people in the group, but we were wrong. Imagine our surprise when about 25 people got out of the cars. I opted for a Day Pass, as that would make it easier than buying a ticket each time.

0311 the hidden track

2010-03-11T13:54:00.001-08:00

Pastor Joey, the worship leader at SBCC, performed with a group called “Ninth Hour”. One of the albums was “In Need” and the CD was available (for purchase) at the church, so I bought one. The listing on the back shows 11 tracks, and when it is put in a player, it gets scanned and the display shows 11 tracks.

Like my other CDs, I’d play it all the way through, then change to another CD when it was done. One day, I was exercising on the treadmill and listening to the tracks, when I heard the last track playing. When it was done, I realized that I had about five minutes left in my workout, so I decided to wait until I finished and then change the CD. I assumed that the silence coming from the player was due to the CD resetting and stopping.

As I was dismounting the treadmill, a 12th track started playing. I checked the player and it identified it as the 12th track. The song was good and I liked the music. I’d heard the song before, but I can’t remember the name.

I checked with Pastor Joey and he confirmed that the song was intentionally “hidden” on the CD. Now I’m wondering about his other CDs.

0305 gladstone's

2010-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Ching and I went for dinner tonight as a late celebration of my birthday, which was the week before. I had a desire for lobster, so we went to Gladstone’s in the Pike area of Long Beach.

It was a Friday, and their lobster special was on Wednesday, so we ended up splitting a Clambake, which had lobster and crab legs, plus a bunch of other good stuff. The accoutrements included a lobster bib so I wore it.

Ching had mentioned to the waitstaff that we were there to celebrate my birthday, so when they came out singing, I wasn’t surprised. What did surprise me was what they came out with. I expected a bowl of ice cream with a candle on it. Instead, they placed a metal holder of cotton candy in front of me.

0227 nothing of importance

2010-02-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

Nothing of importance happened today. I know it’s my birthday, but this is also my blog, and if I want to gloss over it, so be it.

0221 fun chop

2010-02-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

During third service today at SBCC, I sat with Tina. She gave me a small packet, to help with therapy. It contained “Fun Chop”, a small piece of plastic that attaches to the wide end of a set of chopsticks. It purpose is to train oneself in the use of chopsticks as a dining implement, but I’ve found it good for exercising the muscles of my wrist, because it provides a lot of resistance.

One of these days, though, I’ll be using chopsticks again. Ever try helping yourself to dim sum with a fork?

0215 HB2U Wendi!

2010-02-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Wendi’s birthday. As I mentioned last year, she’s taken. Wendi’s a good friend and tells it like it is. She’s fun to be around.

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Wendi!

0210 john

2010-02-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

My brother, John, died today. He was just three months short of his 52nd birthday.

Last night, his blood pressure started dropping. The nurses at the long-term care facility gave him medication to raise it, but it continued to drop. They called 9-1-1. Paramedics stabilized him and moved him to the ER at Long Beach Community Hospital. A few hours later, his heart stopped beating and they were unable to resuscitate him.

0210 HB2U Sheri!

2010-02-10T09:44:00.002-08:00

Today is Sherilyn’s birthday.

Sorry guys, she’s married and she has a son. She’s also the fearless leader of my Koinonia lifegroup. Sheri is a very special person and a Christ follower.

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Sheri!

0206 energizer bunny needed

2010-02-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

I was planning to attend the SBCC Men’s Ministry’s Super Bowl Saturday BBQ Event, but we had a power outtage at the house, so I stayed home for the day. The power went out around 3am and came back on around 1pm.

0123 food trucks

2010-01-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

After the memorial service, we (Ching and I) went to a street in West Los Angeles, where a couple dozen food trucks were congregated for a fundraiser to benefit the people of Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake (January 12th).rocked the country. There was a lot to choose from. We settled on pork tacos from Flying Pig and a “sandwich” from Nom Nom. Mmmm.

0123 memorial for fred ota

2010-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

The father of a friend of mine, Candice, died recently and I attended a memorial service in West Los Angeles to pay my respects. It was a nice ceremony at the United Methodist Church on Purdue. I saw several friends and acquaintances there.

0116 art 101

2010-01-16T21:55:00.000-08:00

The Santiago Art District is just west of the Santa Ana Amtrak Station and takes up a few blocks. It is mostly artists’ lofts, used as display spaces. Every 3rd Saturday of each month, they hold the Santa Ana Artwalk, from 7pm to 10pm. It is free to the public and gives the artists a forum to show-off what they have done.

After finding a place to park, we headed off in the direction of a food truck that we had spied during our search for parking. We hadn’t had dinner and it smelled good. The truck was Diaggio, and the menu boasted of delicacies such as Argentine Sausage with Chimichurri in French Bread and Spinach & Feta Cheese Empanadas. We ordered a sampling of dishes in order to try and taste as many as we could.

Once dinner was finished, we looked in several of the open lofts for looks at paintings, photographs, and sculptures. It was very impressive.

0116 imaginarium

2010-01-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ching picked me up at home in the afternoon. It was still early, as the Artwalk didn’t start until 7pm. So we caught a movie at Long Beach Town Center. The movie was “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” Near the beginning, I had to use the restroom, so I left. When I returned, I asked, ”What did I miss?” Ching replied, “They found Heath Ledger, but he died.” There were two somewhat related bits of information in that reply. The characters in the movie found the character played by Heath Ledger and the actor, Heath Ledger, died.

After the movie, we burned some time at Starbucks, where we found a receptacle that Ching used to charge up her iPhone. We left shortly afterwards and headed for the Santa Ana Artwalk.

0107 HB2U Ginnie!

2010-01-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

Today is Ginnie’s birthday. She teaches elementary school and is a member of my Koinonia lifegroup. What I want to know is .... where were teacher’s like this when I was going to elementary school? Who can I complain to?

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Ginnie!

0104 the blues

2010-01-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

I was watching an episode from the third season of “Stargate Atlantis” and listening to a commentary by the director. A man and a woman were having a dialogue while the woman was eating a bowl of blue jello. The director commented that he would never use blue jello again. While the two were talking, the woman’s teeth were turning blue.

1230 fish story

2009-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Ching and I decided to get together for dinner. I was thinking familiar, like Mimi’s Cafe. I received an email from her that she wanted to try Bourbon Street Fish, in Inglewood by the Forum. I’m always into trying new things so I agreed.

After she picked me up, we soon found ourselves driving north on Prairie from the 405 freeway. We got so involved in our conversation, that we passed the restaurant. When I say “restaurant”, I’m being extremely liberal.

From the architecture, my guess was that it was housed in a converted service station. After we found parking (very limited), we made our way to the door. Looking in through the window, we thought the place was closed, because most of the tables had upside-down chairs on top of them.

A man (later identified as the owner) opened the door and welcomed us inside. He confirmed that they were indeed open and set-up a table for us (basically taking the chairs off the tabletop and wiping the surface with a cloth).

We ordered separately, but I do recall that the catfish was well-prepared, full of flavor, and fresh. Very incongruous to the exterior. The whole dining experience was very pleasurable.

1224 christmas eve

2009-12-24T22:35:00.000-08:00

My friend, Judy K, picked me up for the Christmas Eve service at SBCC. There were two services (4:00 and 5:30), but we were attending the 5:30pm service. After opening worship with Pastor Joey and the Worship Team, there was a performance by the Hula Team, as they danced and gestured to “Away In A Manger”. It was very beautiful.

Pastor Gary gave a message about hope and told the story of an American POW during the Vietnam War, who was shot down on Christmas Eve four decades earlier. The service ended with candlelight provided by lit candles in the hands of the congregation.

After the service, I saw Carol and asked what the plans were for dinner (we had talked earlier about getting something to eat). She said that instead of driving around and checking what was still open (like last year) and ending up at Norm’s, the plan was to go straight to Norm’s. So we did.

As we were entering the restaurant, Mike told us to look at the special thru the window. They had a New York steak dinner on a sign. Someone asked him if he was in the mood for steak. He told us to look underneath the steak. Under the steak, the sign read “includes dessert” and had a picture of a brownie with a scoop of ice cream. Guess what. Half of us ordered the steak special.

1221 home for christmas

2009-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Youth Ministry at South Bay Community Church was putting on a production called “Home For Christmas” and it was a combination of live drama, film, dance, and live music. The kids did a great job with the show.

Ching came by early and we went to Azuma for dinner. We were so engrossed in conversation that we lost track of time. When we checked the time, we had twenty minutes before the show started. We barely made it in time. Fortunately, Azuma is about seven minutes from the church.

1220 dim sum

2009-12-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

After service at SBCC, our Koinonia lifegroup met in the Dugout for our participation in the prayer for the church’s move, then we went to Seafood Empress for dim sum, just like we did last year. Sam gave me a ride over there and I used the walker to get from the car to the table. Maybe I’ll use the wheelchair next year to save time.

1218 brian setzer

2009-12-18T23:27:00.000-08:00

Netty picked me up and off we went to the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal (formerly known as the Universal Amphitheatre) to see the Brian Setzer Orchestra live. There were a couple of opening acts, so we met Didier and his friends, and went to Tony Roma’s in CityWalk for some food and drinks.

Didier’s friends were Rambo and Fig. My friend was Netty. For once, I had the name that stuck out. I had a Mango Margarita that was really big. Fortunately, Netty was driving, although navigating the wheelchair was fun.

We made it to the concert during the break between the second opener and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. I last saw the BSO four years ago and listening to them while watching them perform, was great!

1214 3-D is here

2009-12-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

I saw a news report on TV that talked about the evolution of technology in televisions. It mentioned that the recent development is in high-definition but the next step will be a three-dimensional image. 3-D has been used since the fifties, but never before has it been built into the technology of a television.

If they can make it work, weather reports will be much more popular (see 11/06/08 post).

1212 whirlybird

2009-12-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

It was overcast and windy, so Jim Y and I went “walking” in Lakewood Center. It had been several months since our last visit. One of the stores changed tenants. The current tenant was selling gifts and the remote control helicopters caught Jim’s attention.

When we were ending our circuit, I leaned against a wall so that Jim could go in and check them out. He ended up buying two of them for his boys. Mind you ... one’s at UCI and the other is a senior in high school.