Browse Month: July 2007

Wine, Cigars, and Teddy Grahams

img_6047.jpgIt’s been so hectic around here lately that I’ve been a little behind on my postings. I just uploaded photos of our night out with our friends and neighbors, Jay and Nikki. It was on one of Jesse’s last nights in Irvine and we thought it would be fun to walk down to the wine bar for a little tasting. We started with a sushi dinner at Mitsui and then walked next door to the bar. It was packed with people but we managed to get a great spot inside. There was a live band playing and we enjoyed a flight of Merlots and a flight of some other reds. I also brought along a “picnic in a bag”, which consisted of smoked mozzerella, my mini cutting board, plates, and a knife. Once we got tired of the noise inside, we squeezed ourselves into the patio where Jesse and Jay puffed on cigars the rest of the night. The evening ended with more wine and a little coffee and Teddy Grahams from the am/pm. So much for boycotting the gas station. Anyway, it was fun to hang out with the neighbors and take advantage our amenities one last time.

Here are the photos.

A New Life

logo_childrenshospital.gifYesterday I accepted a new job at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. I chose the per diem position so I could get a higher hourly rate and no benefits. With Jes’ job providing a pretty good health plan and two mortgages to pay, this was the best plan for now. I think eventually I’ll try to get a full-time benefited position but I think I’m ok with my decision for now. My position will be in out-patient since it’s the best match for my current skill set. It’s not my first choice but it’ll be the easiest transition. I’ve been working in the educational model for the past six years so it’ll take a little studying, reviewing, and shadowing to get me back into the medical model.

I considered working for SFUSD but when I spoke with their lead therapist, she didn’t sell the job very well. One of the biggest things that turned me off was the fact that I’d have to drive (and find parking) several times a day everyday in the city.  That doesn’t sound very pleasant.  With a job at Children’s, I can hop on the Muni outside my condo, transfer to BART, and take the employee shuttle to work…awesome.

So, in about a month, I’ll be saying “goodbye” to attorneys, IEPs, and school holidays and “hello” to picky eaters, heart rate monitors, and premies.  I know I’ll miss my little preschool and the friends I’ve made but this will be a good change for me and HUGE learning experience.   Here’s to a new professional life.  Cheers!

Family Day at the Movies

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The last movie I saw in a theatre was “Finding Nemo”. When did that come out? I can’t remember but it was a looooong time ago. Well, I broke the dry spell by going out to El Capitan to see “Ratatouille”. We also broke my mom’s dry spell of over 30 years. She never goes to the movies because it usually makes her sick. I think I have something very similar but not nearly as bad. Anyway, I drove my mom and dad to Hollywood and met up with Brother and Joy. With all the traffic and Harry Potter Premiere chaos, we made it just in time to see the pre-show.

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Disney certainly knows how to put on a show for the kiddies. They had singing, dancing, and the beloved Disney characters on stage. They also introduced Remy, the main character of the movie. It’s funny that Disney actually managed to make a rat seem cute. In fact, when he popped out of the pot on stage, you could hear everyone say “Aw!”

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Well, the movie was as entertaining as I had expected and the short film at the beginning was a real treat. Going out with the family was also a nice treat. Thanks for planning it, Brother! And nice job on not getting sick, Mommy!

Big Boys

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Today was Cole’s first day of school.  On Friday, I went with Marie to take him for his second “trial day” and was so excited to see him in a school environment.  I think he’s going to have such a good time.  I’m just worried about the separation from Marie for such a long period of time.  So, today came and from what I heard from Marie, he did rather well.  Marie said that he cried a little as she was leaving but by the time she got outside and peeked through the window, he was over it.  I guess it sounded like his biggest challenges were lunchtime (wanted to steal everyone’s food) and naptime (it took him about 30 mins to fall asleep).  Overall, it sounded like quite a success and it’s good to hear that he’s adjusting.

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On Sunday, I drove to Cerritos to unload a bunch of boxes.  Since I knew I’d be gone all day, I brought Koa along.  Since the entire back of the car was full, he rode up front with me.  I was pleasantly amused at how well-behaved he was.  He just sat there like a passenger quietly watching the cars on the freeway.  In fact, I put the seatbelt strap across his chest for fun and he just sat there!   I can still remember just a year ago when he was constantly standing up at the window, sniffing the vents, and pushing the window button.  Boy, things have certainly changed.

Virtual BBQ

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I spent my July 4th with Marie, Cole, and Kenji. The day started at Marie’s house where we had an udon lunch together at Cole’s kiddie table. Afterwards, I played with his new toys – a bunch of different characters from the movie “Cars”. I also brought my laptop and did some work while I was there. In the meantime, I introduced Cole to the internet. We played some online Elmo games and messed around with the Photo Booth program on my macbook. He certainly got a kick out of seeing himself on the screen.

Meanwhile, Jes was preparing some ribs for the BBQ that they were having at Jimmy’s house. So, we turned on iChat and Cole got to wave to Jesse. Eventually Cole got pretty grumpy and we decided to put him down for a nap. Unfortunately he was so excited by the internet games and everything else that was going on that he wasn’t really cooperating. Before he could start climbing on the furniture again, Jes got back online, looked him straight in the eye, and said “Hey, aren’t you supposed to go neh neh?!” Cole was so scared of him that he walked himself over to the futon with a really guilty look on his face and asked Marie for a pillow. He kept looking over to my laptop to check if Jes was watching. Since Jes was still watching him, it was only a matter of minutes before he fell asleep. It worked like a charm! Marie was so shocked since it usually takes at least 30 minutes or lots of coaxing to get him to fall asleep.

Once people arrived at Jimmy’s house, they came by to say “hello” to me. It was pretty neat being about to talk to see and talk to them. In fact, Jes put the laptop (me) at the dinner table with everyone. It was as if I was seated at the table with them. I could see who was there, what they ate, and could hear what they were saying. All I was missing was a taste of the ribs and a beer in my hand. Virtual BBQ!

The evening ended with dinner at On the Border, a walk around the shopping village for a balloon sword for Cole, and then a nice long walk down to the local park. We sat on the grass and watched the fireworks. We also witnessed a huge car crash involving at least 6 cars and a turned-over truck. Crazy.

Here are photos from the day’s events. Enjoy!

Look what I got!

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Just kidding…it actually belongs to Kenji.  Haha.  He said he just walked into the Apple Store in Mission Viejo and picked one up.  I got to play with it and what fun it is!!  It’s like a $600 mini laptop and surfs the internet so much better than my Blackberry.  The buttons respond quickly and things scroll, zoom, and click so smoothly.  It’s also very pretty…too bad that it’s so expensive.   I would be so nervous carrying it around.  It just takes one drop and it’s history.  But once again the love/hate relationship continues.  Curses you, Apple!!  *quickly shaking fist in the air*