Looking back 2024

(Edited on 11/30 - Thanksgiving Weekend: Just realized... I never finished my Looking Back at 2024 post)

1. changing churches
1. sandy, nancy
2. SW responds to call
3. moving
4. finding new tenants
5. mice/rat problem
6. Niners losing
7. hiring Sylvia
8. 3 accidents
1. me on lawrence
2. joyce with tesla
3. hawaii oops!
9. lost my data on laptop
10. Tahoe camping
11. Hawaii trip
12. softball
13. huge bouts of fights with NN
14. silent treatment from SW
15. NN - Tropical Touch (elation to disappointment) regional champs, AP exam, 
16. SW - basketball / Eclipse (summer of disappointments)

Family Getaway

In a rare and sudden audible... Joyce and Grace plans a long weekend getaway for the 4 families to Paso Robles.  I took absolutely zero part in planning other than knowing the dates.  In fact... I got scolded for looking ahead at events we can go to as a family.  

What is it about going on vacation without a plan?? Two days before the trip... Grace sends the link to the Airbnb and comments, "I've done nothing to plan ahead!!!"

I didn't mean it... and I don't think I committed any foul play when a colleague found out I was going to Paso and sent me a list of go-to's.  I flipped that list over to Joyce... just so we have a fallback.  Did I do any planning?? NOPE!! Not I.....

I went with the flow... and things more or less worked out.  Having the safety net of the in-laws truly helped... especially in the cooking dinner department.  Grace is a maniac when it comes to making a huuuuugggggeeeee breakfast.  And I was in the corner... sipping my coffee watching as things unfolded.  

Cihan's kids absolutely adored me.  I gave enough bait for them to enjoy my fun side... and held back when I felt the need for privacy.  Far too often... I felt bad for the neglect and would "babysit" more than I originally bargained for. 

Family gatherings are tricky... to move 12 people from point A to point B.  To find a restaurant that can seat us all.  To make sure everyone likes something.  That's near impossible.  We've been on enough trips together where Grace knows... that Joyce knows... that I'm impatient.  I may not be the executor of expediency.... but I probably will get blamed, and rightfully so.  If you're slow... then it's your job to catch up.  Not my job to wait.  

I asked the kids this on our way back.... the top moments of this trip.

My top moment... the moment I sank my teeth into that Firestone Grill fry.  Everybody acknowledged it.  But days later as I look back... I think my top moment was actually sitting in the Downtown Plaza... all alone while the fam went shopping at Barnes and Noble... and I had 30 minutes of me time listening to a beautiful couple busking.

I need to treasure these getaways.  At some point... they will be my lifeline of having any family connections and if I thumb my nose at them now... they may not be there when I realize I miss them. 

"You can do that?!"

My son is now a full fledge teenager.  The more he matures... the more he realizes his dad is getting old.  My jokes are no longer as funny.  My stories no longer as impressive.  He demolishes me in video games. He challenged me to run a mile around the lake and he blew me away. We're at the sand dunes at Pismo... and he's appalled when I told him I ain't rolling down the dunes.  As Ray Kinsella once regretfully said in the Field of Dreams, "I never forgave him for getting old."

But amazingly... as we're walking down the stairs one day... I'm casually strolling - step by step.  And here's SW... holding onto the rails and staring at every single step.  He notices that I'm not even looking at where I'm stepping, "You can do that?!?"

I guess the old dawg's still got a few tricks up his sleeves.... but for how long? 

Splash Brother

You hear warning stories of guys being on their deathbeds and regret missing out on a play... or a game... or a recital.  That happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I missed one of SW's basketball games - most likely his last season playing organized basketball for obvious reasons.  Already blogged about how he made it to A team, only to be the 11th or 12th man of that team.  All season... he just wanted one goal... to make one basket.  He came close a few times. Clanked a 3 on the front of the rim.  Had a gimme under the basket jumper.  And got chased down for a layup... only to get stuffed.  In a blowout victory against a local team... he begged his coach to let him and the other 11th/12th man play the entire 4th quarter.  Maybe it was punishment that I missed the game... cuz that's where he made, not just his first, but his second shot. 

Regular season - over.   I'm now that guy who will forever regret missing a game over some stupid meeting.

Not always... but life sometimes affords you second chances.  This time - in the form of a post season tournament.  In the face of an 11th hour work emergency... I'm able to make it for the 2nd half.  SW is on the court... gets subbed on and off to give the starters a rest.  And every time he and the 2nd five are on... the other team makes a run.  With 4 minutes left.... SW gets his last shot at redemption.  

It's a pick and roll.  He sets up a screen for his teammate who runs behind him.  The defense falls for it and chase the guy... only for the other defense to switch.  So SW's free and makes a dash for the open court behind the line.  The bounce pass is there right as he arrives.  He catches... sets... and launches -  embodying Steph, Reggie, Klay, Ray Allen, 三井壽。It's the biggest arc since Noah's times.  And on the other side of the rainbow was the pot of gold in the form of silk... nothing but net.  The one crazy dad roars in cheers... "That's my son!!!"  The other TKA parents cheer with me.  They know what it meant and how it feels.  SW's teammates are besides themselves.  

Bay Area may have lost Klay.... but today... for this moment in time... we gained a new Splash Brother. 

一分錢一分貨

My undershirts and slowly wearing thin and ripping... my lovely Giordano which I bought in 2008.  My sturdy Costco CK which I bought... who knows when.

I went back to Costco and saw the price.  Quickly checked on Amazon and saw it was cheaper.  Then on my drive home I stopped by one of those discount stores and found a pack of 6 for $10.  BINGO!!!

A month later... they're starting to tear.  It was 100% polyester so all the dust, lint, hair from the wash is sticking to it.  Gonna wear it one more time and toss them. 

What a waste of money. 

Case of the Missing Money

TKA had their annual Christmas Faire and SW and his friends got together to sell Curry Fishballs and Lemonade.  He got home after practice and I asked him how was business.  He said, "Good, after paying back the parents, we each get $20."  Nice!!  Until.... I got a barrage of non-accusatory, factual texts from the parent group.

Bottom line, up front.  There's a lot of money missing.

When the closed down shop... one of the boys counted the cash and it was around $325.  A parent was there to be a second set of eyes.  They took money out of the pile and paid back the other parents that invested.  So it was now down to $210.  

One of the boys had to go to PE, so he gave the money box to SW who brought it to history class.  And then subsequently left it in his locker for another class.  During lunch, they recounted the money and about $100 went missing!! 

The point of the chat was.... how should we solve this mystery? And how can we make this a learning opportunity for the boys?

I saw the texts... and tried not to get defensive, since the other parents weren't exactly pointing fingers.  But you can't help but feel the cyber fingers pointed at SW.  During dinner... I casually asked about the event, the other booths, the quality of food, the money, the handoffs, and any chance of "extra-curricular" activities.  SW was very nonchalant... he wasn't hiding anything.  As a matter of fact... I had to "chok" him to have him tell me money went missing.  But the boys attributed it to miscounting. 

I hop back on the parent chat and started sharing some ideas like... recreating timeline.  Asking the History teacher for help, maybe looking at video footage of SW's locker.  It wasn't till Joyce came down after talking to SW that she made some logical deduction.

By the number of fishballs we made... and for the price it was sold that.. there's no way you can have $325 in money box.  Even if we take out the initial investment for change (singles, fives, and tens), it would've been $275.  Plus the boys gave out samples.  So as conservative as you can get... you might have sold $160 worth.  None of the parents (including me) questioned the initial counting of the money. Because it was done by a student... with a parent. 

The math simply doesn't add up.  We go back and forth... back and forth... and in the end... no one wanted to go beyond the fact that there are too many gaps in the story.  But I think everyone got to the mutual understanding.... no one stole it from the box... it wasn't taken by one of the boys.  Henceforth... it must be a counting error.  

And if you follow the story... that's exactly what the boys already deduced during lunch when they first discovered it.  Here we are... a bunch of adult parents worrying our kids don't know how to handle money.  Maybe we should learn to trust our kids more. 

Ratings plummeting!!

I say I don't care what others think of me... but when it comes to anonymous posts... turns out I do care!!

For my personal account, I have a perfect 5.0 rating on Uber.  But for my work account... I started the past two trips with a woeful 4.64 - which I consider low already.  And to my dismay... after arriving in Denver, I see that it dropped to 4.33!!!  Unacceptable.

And I know who those drivers are too.

The one guy who arrived at San Jose... but charged me a late arrival fee because HE chose to tail the end of a long line of other drivers when I stood in the crowd of bystanders waiting for our ride.

The one guy who took forever to pick me up at SFO (albeit the night before Thanksgiving).  The wait time started at 9 minutes... which ballooned to 13... and then 16.  But in actuality, 16 minutes became 25 minutes!! I even texted him... "Are you still coming? Or should I get another Uber?" He didn't respond.  Text me if you're stuck in traffic... I'll understand.

The one guy who supposedly is hard of hearing... at least according to the sign in the driver side headrest.  But regardless of him hearing or not, my order was from my house to Terminal A - United.  Of course, he took me to Terminal B... and we ended up going all the way around the airport.

All three times... I didn't lower their rating.  I chose to take the high road and just let it be.  But the Golden Rule doesn't seem to apply when it comes to anonymity.  

And because of the 4.33 rating... I was afraid to say anything to the last driver who picked me up in a sauna.  I was too afraid to say anything and mess up the chi in the car.  I took my jacket off.  Was sweating.  And the windows started to fog up... to which... she finally opened a bit of a crack of HER window!! Turn the heat down, please!!!  

Geez louise... puh-leez!!! 

Return of the Unclean Spirit

“Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there," ~Matt 12:45

It started a couple of weeks ago... with a chewed through sportsbag and the subsequent treasure, the Liquid IV Powder.  Then I started seeing droppings.  Then I noticed a box for my airpods was chewed into.   More and more droppings and then one night... I come home and see that unwelcoming bouncing sock pounce on the kitchen floor and underneath my dishwasher.  Sh*t!!! It's made it's way into the living areas now!!!  Right away, I examined the bag of rice and it's obviously been chewed into.  That's it... had to make a run to Home Depot. 

Two days later... the traps were still empty!! My Honey Nut Cheerios was not enough to bait it.  But I still see dropping in the kitchen and living room.  It was time to call pest control.

The came out within a day this time, verses a week, like last time.  And based on the droppings alone, the control guy says we have both RATS and MICE.  Rats... tend to stay in the garage and they don't come into the living areas.  Mice... someone must've carried it in.  

OMG..... carried it in?!?!?!? 

He walked around again and sealed off any potential holes and crevices.  Then he set out more traps and bait.  He saw what I bought and laughed, saying those don't work. 

Since he's been here... there are no signs of droppings.  Thankfully.  Let's see how effective this bout will be. 

Denver Trip

Back to back weeks of being on the road... this time, to good ol' headquarters.

Fresno.  NOLA.  Thanksgiving (SF/Belmont).  And now this.  I kinda felt a tingly feeling in my throat on Saturday... hoping it was perhaps dehydration from drinking with Anderson.  I pounded some Airborn, mango smoothie, and citrus tea.  Throughout the trip... I pounded OJ and Ricola.  Finally... on the trip home.. my body gave up.  

It was a miserable flight home.  A miserable car ride home.  And when I got home... the kids banished me to my room.  Too real.  They didn't want to get sick!

The trip was excellent.  Excellent food.  Excellent company.  Perfect winter weather. Got to hang out with some old and new friends.  Got a lot done in terms of face to face relationships.  Even had time to venture out to a Chinese restaurant for a $38/pound - 2 pound crab!!  Don't think I'll do that again.  Had some bison, elk, and quail.  And even attended a Nuggets/Warriors game.   All in all... a well scheduled and efficient trip.

But I miss the kids. Miss the family. I miss sleeping in my own bed. 

First night home... I popped a couple of Nyquils and dozed off until 8AM the next day.  First time sleeping through the night the entire week.  Sleep - underrated.