Browse Month: October 2006

Monkey and Dragon Loot the Town

DSC_0960.jpgMarie brought Cole over and we met up with my neighbor Khai and her 14-month-old boy Lance. We went Trick-or-Treating together this evening and what an adventure it was! Our little monkey and dragon went to about six houses and collected quite a loot! Since it was their first Trick-or-Treat outing, there was some confusion at first. Eventually, they figured out that when the door opens, you stick your hand in a bowl and grab as many colorful wrappers as you can. Cole insisted on tearing into one of the chocolate wrappers and got his first taste of chocolate. It sure was tough prying it out of his hands after that. Lance seemed to enjoy his first real Halloween and hanging out with his new friend Cole. They were so adorable in their pudgy-looking outfits. Here are the photos.

We’re still here?

This afternoon started as usual.  I had a 1:45 meeting for an incoming student.  Those usually last no more than two hours.  Unfortunately, this was not one of those.  First of all, I walked into the room and found fifteen people seated around the table.  Uh, usually there’s no more than maybe eight.  Secondly, this child had 30 goals.  We usually have about 15 and that’s already a lot.  Thirdly, the parents brought an advocate and the three of them collectively usurped most of our time with their incompetence and poor auditory processing.  I had to sit through the entire meeting listening to the nuances of each goal being picked apart one at a time.  I only had 4 of my own to share and they didn’t have much to comment on those.   I guess it still beats having to re-write them or being criticized.  So, not only did I have to sit through all the other goals but mine were brushed over like they were insignficant.  At 5:45 pm, I kindly excused myself.  By then, the sun had set, it was really dark outside, and my office was locked!!  Luckily the custodian was next door mopping the floor and I got in.  Phew!  My car keys were in there!  *sigh*  That was four hours of my life I’ll never get back.

It’s about time.

We were long overdue on fixing the patio. I started the project about a year ago by pulling out most of the weedy reeds (they were so out of control) and dug up the wires that weren’t working anymore.  I guess that wasn’t bad for a girl who doesn’t own a shovel. Yep, I basically used a hand shovel and my bare hands. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any more energy to finish it since the dirt was so hard and difficult to manage.  So, I left quite an unsightly mess in the planter for about a year. I also wanted to redo the side plot where the maple lives. It’s gone through some crazy rain, hungry  neighborhood rabbits, and dogs running through it. It was time to replace most of the shrubs.

So, in celebration of the last day of Daylight Saving Time, we decided to fix it up with a little help from the nursery down the street. Sure, we could have done it ourselves but it would have take at least two or three days and wouldn’t look nearly as nice. Instead, we went to the nursery on Saturday around noon, picked out what we wanted, asked for a quote on planting it, and forked over the money. They showed up at 4:30 pm the same day, dug up all the old stuff including the hard clay dirt, installed all the plants and flowers, and put in new soil all in one hour. Of course there were three guys but man, that was fast! Ah…I feel much better now. By the way, the time change totally rules. Having an extra hour in the morning will definitely help me get to work on time now.

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carpool

Last night my photography class was at Cypress College.  That’s where my instructor does some of his work and he thought that it would be good for us to see an exhibit of photographs along with all the studio equipment there.  There’s an older Chinese lady in my class who asked me last week if she could come with me since she was afraid to drive somewhere new at night.  She’s retired now and visiting her daughter for six months.  She’s staying at her daughter’s home, which happens to be just up the street from me!  I was hesitant at first, thinking it would be awkward but just called her up yesterday afternoon and offered her a ride anyway.  She turned out to be a very nice lady and could practically be my mom.  Her eldest daughter is also 31 years old and just got married this past summer.  We had a nice conversation about a variety of things including her pottery class, a new exhibit at the Bowers Museum, and how I grew up so similarly to her own children.  I found her company to be very pleasant and sorta comforting.  I can also say now that I’ve made a new friend in the neighborhood.   

Takes me back to college…

Last night I came home from dinner with Jes’ parents and had some homework to do. I started my report but got really sleepy, as I usually do at 10 pm. I knew that I had a 7:45 am meeting the next day with a report that was due at the meeting but I decided to take a little nap. So, at 1 am, Jes found me asleep on the couch and shooed me upstairs. I brushed my teeth and spent the next 10 minutes lying in bed with the same guilt and worry that I used to get when I was in college. It’s the guilt and worry that would occur when I had a paper due the next day but I was too tired to finish it. Do I stay up for my second wind or do I wake up extra early the next morning to finish? I opted for the second choice with the risk of oversleeping and being late to the meeting without my report done. Luckily, I woke up at 6 am, finished my work, and made it to work 15 minutes early. Sheesh…I thought those stressful homework days were long over.

Thanks for the Magical House

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It’s my Mommy’s birthday today.  We had cake at the cousins’ house on Saturday and took her out for steak at Kincaid’s in Redondo Beach on Sunday night.  We all had steak, prime rib, or BBQ ribs and Mommy had a birthday creme brulee, which she wasn’t a fan of.  We helped her finish it and also tried their key lime pie…yum yum.  Anyway, I wanted to thank my Mommy for all the home-cooked meals, trips to the mall, wake-up calls, and worrying for me when I’m still in “La La Land”.  The Magical House wouldn’t exist without you.  Happy Birthday, Mommy.  You rock.