Archive for December, 2005
Yesterday, we drove by the house in Redondo Beach where I lived when I met Kathy. At one point (on November 13, 1985 to be exact), a section of the sidewalk in front was replaced, and we carved our initials in the wet cement. Take a look (click to open up a larger 450K picture):
In case you can’t make it out, it says:
BH {heart} KS
JH 11/13/85
GH
BH is me. KS is Kathy. JH and GH are brothers Josh and Gabe.
We also stopped for lunch at In -N- Out burger. For anyone who has never been to Southern California, and who doesn’t know about In -N- Out, I can only describe it as the best hamburger in the world, ever. The picture below is so typical of Los Angeles (click to open up a larger 450K picture):
December 21st, 2005
We fly to LAX today, then it’s two weeks in warm sunny Los Angeles. We fly back late on new year’s eve, with a one hour layover in Las Vegas. Maybe the plane will have mechanical problems, and we’ll be forced to stay the night…
December 17th, 2005
Several years ago, it was my normal routine to stop on the way home from work to refill my 44-ounce plastic cup with Diet Pepsi. As I’ve recounted before, I stop at a place where refills cost $0.69. On one particular occasion, I walked up to the cashier (a young woman in her early twenties), and she announced the price of the refill, with the intonation of a question: “Sixty nine?”
A quick side note: For those unaware, I may very well be losing some of my hearing. This is absolutely true, and is normally no laughing matter, though it does make this particular situation all the more funny.
I didn’t hear her actual words when she spoke the price of the drink, I just heard the change in the pitch of her voice, indicating that she was asking me a question. That, and the general number of syllables she used, made me think that she was asking me something like “Is that all?” I was buying nothing else, so my response to the perceived question was “Yes, please.”
I’ll pause here while you take a moment to re-read her question and my answer.
I paid my $0.69 and went out to my car, wondering why she was looking at me with a look of surprise, embarrasment, and disgust. It wasn’t until I started driving away that I finally figured out why the heck she looked so darn shocked at my answer. Once I realized how embarrased I should be for my mis-interpretation of her question, and my oh-so-wrong response, I laughed myself stupid.
I’ve never gone back inside that store. Now, whenever I happen to drive by, I can’t help but giggle uncontrollably.
December 13th, 2005
Word: “Sexy”
Usage: Spoken by our friend’s two-year-old grand-daughter, who was trying to say “Lexi”.
Example: “Hey, Sexy, let’s go play with all the fun toys in your bedroom.”
Note: I realize it is pretty creepy to hear someone call my (at the time 5-year-old) daughter “Sexy”. It’s still pretty hilarious, though.
December 12th, 2005
To honor the return of the random Simpsons quote (on the sidebar at right), I have also made a small update to this site: Graphical titles, using the Simpsons font. Very pointless, but kinda fun.
December 10th, 2005
Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers sent our way. Mom was discharged yesterday. They received some of the results of the numerous tests and found that her carotid artery on the right side of her neck is 100% blocked and the left side is not that bad. Surgery is not an option since the right side artery attaches to the brain. On top of all that, she has an abdominal hernia and emphysema. She was told not to smoke, to lose weight and to exercise.
Well, I called last night and found out that 3 hrs after discharge, she lit up. But, she said “it made her sick”. Needless to say, our family’s conversation to her were not very friendly. I think that it may have sunk in because she has not touched it since last night. I told her “we have gone through enough this week and I don’t want to have to visit everyone for your funeral”. This morning while I was on the phone with her, my Dad said, “she sealed her cigarettes in a box and wrote “THESE WILL KILL YOU “. For me, that is an accomplishment.
My Dad wanted us all to be there for the holidays. He purchased all of us airline tickets to California. Mom doesn’t know what is going on. So, it will be a surprise to her.
We still need all your prayers for a safe journey. Also, pray that if she decided to not be very responible for her own life and try to smoke again, the cigarettes will taste horrible to her.
Kathy
December 7th, 2005
We got a call a few hours ago from Kathy’s dad, to let us know that Kathy’s mom is in the hospital. She collapsed this afternoon while they were shopping, and she is currently in the ER at Torrance Memorial Hospital. As of now, the doctors think she may have had a stroke, so they are giving her all sorts of blood thinners and other medications that are supposed to reverse some of the effects of a stroke. We are supposed to get an update tonight from Kathy’s dad when more info is available. I’ll post any updates here.
She will be 59 in February, and has smoked two to three packs a day for more than 40 years. They (plus our nephew Jonathon) were planning to come up here for a week and a half on the 18th of this month, but it looks like we might be making an emergency trip down to L.A. instead.
Know this: Even if Kathy and I have to tie her up ourselves and poke her with sharp sticks, I swear on my cat’s tail she is not smoking another cigarette again in her life.
Please pray for a full and quick recovery.
December 4th, 2005
