Not all blog entries have to be cheerful little cups of sunshine. I need a space to bitch about how I am sick--AGAIN! I have virtually lost my voice, my throat hurts and my nose has been so stuffed, I couldn't fall asleep last night. I feel like I've tried everything--Tylenol, throat spray, theraflu, syrup--nothing works. It hurts so much and I've fallen behind on my packing.
I want. To. Die.
I hate Phoenix. I hate the weather. I hate the air. I hate how you go from a really hot outside to a freezing inside because of the AC or vice-versa during the winter. I think the ventilation system is one cause for some of my illnesses.
I just can't believe how many times I've gotten sick since moving out here. Let's count, shall we?
July--Dehydration, fever, urinary tract infection.
August & September--ongoing viral thing where I always felt dizzy, sleepless and nauseous
October--fever with flu-like symptoms
December--urinary tract infection--again!
Jan--sore throat, allergies followed by what I have right now.
You can bet I'm never putting down roots here or retiring here. I'll probably die before I get social security. Sometimes I think this city is the worst thing to ever happen to me. Of course I'll probably change my mind whenever I get better. Right now, this sick, bitchy Terry needs to say her peace.
I better have a year of no illnesses in my future!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Ali--still The Greatest for many
Yesterday, Jan. 17, was Muhammad Ali's 65th birthday and I got to see the birthday boy--thanks to work.
At 4p.m., AP's sports department in NY called my boss, Ed, and told him they got word from Billy Crystal's publicist that Billy would salute Ali on stage that night while performing his one-man show, "700 Sundays" at Arizona State. See, we only found out that Ali now lives in a very ritzy enclave of metro Phoenix called Paradise Valley. His move out here was pretty much under the radar. The presentation would happen during intermission between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
Poor Ed had to call around for a photographer. So, our staff photographer had to quickly drive straight from Tucson, two hours away, to get to ASU. After calling a couple of people in our already understaffed bureau, he asked me to go.
In a nutshell, I ended up waiting almost an hour in a sound booth behind the orchestra section at the Gammage Theater for an event that took five minutes. You can see the result here:
Billy Crystal serenades Ali on birthday
I wasn't a happy camper that I had to work late. But I'll admit, afterwards, when I processed everything I saw and the amazement from the theatergoers I interviewed, a part of me was kind of stoked that I got to see an icon like Ali. And it was pretty cool to see and hear 1,000-plus audience sing "Happy Birthday" to him.
The weirdest thing to come out of all this is that I made the AP sports wire. Dude, I suck at catching, kicking and running. The only thing I throw is garbage and that usually doesn't make it into the basket.
At 4p.m., AP's sports department in NY called my boss, Ed, and told him they got word from Billy Crystal's publicist that Billy would salute Ali on stage that night while performing his one-man show, "700 Sundays" at Arizona State. See, we only found out that Ali now lives in a very ritzy enclave of metro Phoenix called Paradise Valley. His move out here was pretty much under the radar. The presentation would happen during intermission between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
Poor Ed had to call around for a photographer. So, our staff photographer had to quickly drive straight from Tucson, two hours away, to get to ASU. After calling a couple of people in our already understaffed bureau, he asked me to go.
In a nutshell, I ended up waiting almost an hour in a sound booth behind the orchestra section at the Gammage Theater for an event that took five minutes. You can see the result here:
Billy Crystal serenades Ali on birthday
I wasn't a happy camper that I had to work late. But I'll admit, afterwards, when I processed everything I saw and the amazement from the theatergoers I interviewed, a part of me was kind of stoked that I got to see an icon like Ali. And it was pretty cool to see and hear 1,000-plus audience sing "Happy Birthday" to him.
The weirdest thing to come out of all this is that I made the AP sports wire. Dude, I suck at catching, kicking and running. The only thing I throw is garbage and that usually doesn't make it into the basket.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
A New Year is here now
And with that comes the usual catalogue of resolutions--eat healthier, be nicer, yadda yadda. Here were some of the resolutions I made for myself.
1) Find my own place. Not that I don't appreciate my current living situation, but I feel like having been here nine months and getting the lay of the land, I'm ready to graduate.
Hmmm...well...what do you know?! Done! Yes, I'm in the midst of reading over a lease for a one-bedroom condo that I've verbally agreed to rent. It's only a few miles from where I'm at now. But the neighborhood, dubbed the Biltmore, is a little more upscale. In other words, I won't be able to give a crime scene tour. It's a pretty nice complex. I'll be on the second floor and my balcony overlooks the swimming pool. There's also a fitness center. I guess making use of that is my second resolution, (see below) hehe. I think my most favorite part is that I will have a washer/dryer in my place. Yeah, my rent will spike but hey...you get what you pay for. Anyway, I'll be living there starting Feb. 1. I will be sure to send out a mass e-mail with my new address.
2) Do more physical activity. Yeah, I'm not sure if I want to join a gym. But today I will be starting the first of 10 hip hop dance classes. I saw an ad on craigslist for a teacher out in Mesa which is about 25 minutes away from me. Thank goodness it's only her kiddie classes that she asks to perform in the spring.
3) Cook and eat healthier. I know that may sound funny from the person who keeps winning ice cream but I'm really going to try and prepare my own food and lay off the junk.
4) Travel somewhere. Anywhere. The last time I went anywhere abroad was January 2005 when I went to Thailand, Japan and Cambodia. The last 18 months was spent job hunting. And after that, the only outside-CA trip I took was in April 2005 to...Phoenix! Argh!! This year, I'm determined to go somewhere off this continent.
5) Get one freelance assignment published. I don't care if it's for some little 'zine that prints copies out of someone's garage. I miss doing features. I'd like to have one feature/essay published in a magazine.
Guess that's it for now. These "resolutions" may evolve over the course of the year. But who can predict. And really, isn't that part of the fun?
1) Find my own place. Not that I don't appreciate my current living situation, but I feel like having been here nine months and getting the lay of the land, I'm ready to graduate.
Hmmm...well...what do you know?! Done! Yes, I'm in the midst of reading over a lease for a one-bedroom condo that I've verbally agreed to rent. It's only a few miles from where I'm at now. But the neighborhood, dubbed the Biltmore, is a little more upscale. In other words, I won't be able to give a crime scene tour. It's a pretty nice complex. I'll be on the second floor and my balcony overlooks the swimming pool. There's also a fitness center. I guess making use of that is my second resolution, (see below) hehe. I think my most favorite part is that I will have a washer/dryer in my place. Yeah, my rent will spike but hey...you get what you pay for. Anyway, I'll be living there starting Feb. 1. I will be sure to send out a mass e-mail with my new address.
2) Do more physical activity. Yeah, I'm not sure if I want to join a gym. But today I will be starting the first of 10 hip hop dance classes. I saw an ad on craigslist for a teacher out in Mesa which is about 25 minutes away from me. Thank goodness it's only her kiddie classes that she asks to perform in the spring.
3) Cook and eat healthier. I know that may sound funny from the person who keeps winning ice cream but I'm really going to try and prepare my own food and lay off the junk.
4) Travel somewhere. Anywhere. The last time I went anywhere abroad was January 2005 when I went to Thailand, Japan and Cambodia. The last 18 months was spent job hunting. And after that, the only outside-CA trip I took was in April 2005 to...Phoenix! Argh!! This year, I'm determined to go somewhere off this continent.
5) Get one freelance assignment published. I don't care if it's for some little 'zine that prints copies out of someone's garage. I miss doing features. I'd like to have one feature/essay published in a magazine.
Guess that's it for now. These "resolutions" may evolve over the course of the year. But who can predict. And really, isn't that part of the fun?
Monday, December 11, 2006
I have been Santa-ed by Staples
Part laziness, part lack of excitement--there aren't too many reasons for my not updating this blog since Thanksgiving. The last couple of weeks had some ups and downs. Here's a quick rundown:
Day after Thanksgiving--interview shoppers outside, get thrown out of Wal-Mart.
Saturday after Thanksgiving--my mother comes to visit for a week.
Dec. 2-3--attend my friend Sunanda's wedding reception (Mmmm...Indian food!) , go on a cupcake crawl to a couple of bakeries around LA, catch up with several old friends, eat lunch on the patio of a cafe on Melrose (it was just a very LA thing to do--an interesting thing for someone who just came from Phoenix)
In the last week and a half, there have been at least 3 occasions where death kept me overtime at work. I keep getting obit assignments like half an hour before my work day ends.
Maybe about 10 days ago, I had to write an obit for this clown named Emmett Kelly Jr. I felt like Mary Tyler Moore, laughing yet feeling bad about Chuckles. Clowns kind of scare me. That was just a strange assignment.
Last week, I had to write a couple of obits, including one for a soldier who died in Iraq. It did get to a point where I really did not want to talk to another person who had just lost a loved one. You have to remember to show some sympathy and not just dive into asking questions. And "I'm so sorry for your loss" always feels so trite. Well, I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to talk to anyone for any obit as we get closer to Chrismtas.
Ah, now on to the anecdote behind my entry title. I ordered a bunch of personalized items as X-mas gifts from Staples.com to be picked up at my local Staples. I get this message on Dec. 1 from my local Staples that my order will be ready in five days. So, I show up six days later -- going out of my way off my usual route home--and the guy can't find my order. Since I was out of town last weekend, I was able to call this morning and talk to the woman who manages the print center. She assures me that my order will be ready by 6 p.m. tonight because the printer will be fixed by noon. So, I show up after work and this really nice, older gentleman named Hank looks everywhere and he can tell that I'm getting frustrated. I recount how this is the second time I was told my order would be ready and it's not. So, he finally gets a hold of the manager I spoke with and is stuck on the phone. Meanwhile, a couple of people are lining up for Hank's help. And I'm sitting on a stool off to the side looking very bored.
Being me, I have to project my exasperation to other customers. I ask a woman in line if she's waiting for a personalized item. She says no and asks me what's wrong. Being me, I quickly dive into my plight and how I'm the reason the clerk is stuck on the phone. She gives me her sympathy and says she' s just there to make copies for her daughter but doesn't know how to make 2-sided copies. So, I show her how to use the copier and make her copies for her. It was at that point I figured intros were in order and the woman introduced herself as Elaine.
At that point Hank gets off the phone and Elaine tells him she was already helped, lol. Hank says to me, "I know. I've been talking you up big. I said (to the manager), 'Here's this girl who's mad at us for misplacing her order and she's helping our customers.'" So, Hank then gave me the bad news that the manager had rushed someone else's order thinking it was mine. So, mine was still not ready!
I started giving a schpiel about how Staples should at least deliver my order to my office. It's ridiculous to keep coming out there for nothing. Luckily, Hank read my mind. He said the manager not only agreed to have a courier deliver my order to my work, but to give me my order free of charge. Elaine, who had stuck around to hear how my situation would be resolved, went "GOOD!" It was funny to have this woman I just met sticking up for me, LOL.
If it all holds true, then my X-mas budget will have a signifcant bump. What a funny day. And to think I was worried it would be a completely crappy Monday because some woman called me a f---ing bitch this morning cuz where I stopped on the road during a red light, I was blocking the driveway to a Burger King she wanted to get into. Geez, if I had acted like her at Staples, I would've gotten squat--and rightly so.
Day after Thanksgiving--interview shoppers outside, get thrown out of Wal-Mart.
Saturday after Thanksgiving--my mother comes to visit for a week.
Dec. 2-3--attend my friend Sunanda's wedding reception (Mmmm...Indian food!) , go on a cupcake crawl to a couple of bakeries around LA, catch up with several old friends, eat lunch on the patio of a cafe on Melrose (it was just a very LA thing to do--an interesting thing for someone who just came from Phoenix)
In the last week and a half, there have been at least 3 occasions where death kept me overtime at work. I keep getting obit assignments like half an hour before my work day ends.
Maybe about 10 days ago, I had to write an obit for this clown named Emmett Kelly Jr. I felt like Mary Tyler Moore, laughing yet feeling bad about Chuckles. Clowns kind of scare me. That was just a strange assignment.
Last week, I had to write a couple of obits, including one for a soldier who died in Iraq. It did get to a point where I really did not want to talk to another person who had just lost a loved one. You have to remember to show some sympathy and not just dive into asking questions. And "I'm so sorry for your loss" always feels so trite. Well, I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to talk to anyone for any obit as we get closer to Chrismtas.
Ah, now on to the anecdote behind my entry title. I ordered a bunch of personalized items as X-mas gifts from Staples.com to be picked up at my local Staples. I get this message on Dec. 1 from my local Staples that my order will be ready in five days. So, I show up six days later -- going out of my way off my usual route home--and the guy can't find my order. Since I was out of town last weekend, I was able to call this morning and talk to the woman who manages the print center. She assures me that my order will be ready by 6 p.m. tonight because the printer will be fixed by noon. So, I show up after work and this really nice, older gentleman named Hank looks everywhere and he can tell that I'm getting frustrated. I recount how this is the second time I was told my order would be ready and it's not. So, he finally gets a hold of the manager I spoke with and is stuck on the phone. Meanwhile, a couple of people are lining up for Hank's help. And I'm sitting on a stool off to the side looking very bored.
Being me, I have to project my exasperation to other customers. I ask a woman in line if she's waiting for a personalized item. She says no and asks me what's wrong. Being me, I quickly dive into my plight and how I'm the reason the clerk is stuck on the phone. She gives me her sympathy and says she' s just there to make copies for her daughter but doesn't know how to make 2-sided copies. So, I show her how to use the copier and make her copies for her. It was at that point I figured intros were in order and the woman introduced herself as Elaine.
At that point Hank gets off the phone and Elaine tells him she was already helped, lol. Hank says to me, "I know. I've been talking you up big. I said (to the manager), 'Here's this girl who's mad at us for misplacing her order and she's helping our customers.'" So, Hank then gave me the bad news that the manager had rushed someone else's order thinking it was mine. So, mine was still not ready!
I started giving a schpiel about how Staples should at least deliver my order to my office. It's ridiculous to keep coming out there for nothing. Luckily, Hank read my mind. He said the manager not only agreed to have a courier deliver my order to my work, but to give me my order free of charge. Elaine, who had stuck around to hear how my situation would be resolved, went "GOOD!" It was funny to have this woman I just met sticking up for me, LOL.
If it all holds true, then my X-mas budget will have a signifcant bump. What a funny day. And to think I was worried it would be a completely crappy Monday because some woman called me a f---ing bitch this morning cuz where I stopped on the road during a red light, I was blocking the driveway to a Burger King she wanted to get into. Geez, if I had acted like her at Staples, I would've gotten squat--and rightly so.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Happy Turkey Day
However, I feel like the only turkey. I don't get Friday off. Darn. I have to go out before 5 a.m. on Friday to cover the Black Friday shopping craze. Double darn. Thankful, thankful, what am I thankful for? Heck, I'll be thankful when it's Saturday!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Chocolate fashion show
Model walks the runway wearing an outfit made with chocolate at the Chocolate Fashion Show in New York on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006.(Fashion Wire Daily/Grant Lamos IV)
Chocolate Fashion slideshow
Now, this is one fashion show I could really enjoy. Ironic though that the "fabric" is probably something these models wouldn't sink their teeth into unless they were starving or being offered their last meal.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Toying with a Rockwell
Ziggurat is the latest cool word I have discovered. According to Webster, it is "an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top." It's also what's used to describe Maya II, this public installation erected by Norman Rockwell's son, Jarvis, in downtown Scottsdale. After his father died in 1979, Jarvis began collecting all sorts of toys--mostly action figures. I have no idea if one event had anything to do with the other. But in a nutshell, a bunch of volunteers helped him line up hundreds of toys on a pyramid. It's the second time he's exhibited his toys (hence the II in Maya II and Maya is sanskrit for "illusion"). The installation can be interpreted a number of different ways: a slice of childhood nostalgia, a commentary on how the same devotion people feel for deities is sometimes conveyed to pop culture idols, a commentary on mass consumerism, etc.
The piece definiteily stops people in their tracks. I went down to the atrium of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts where it's on display. It was pretty interesting to overhear other onlookers get excited when they saw an action figure they recognized. Just about every cartoon and comic book character was represented. They were grouped together to set up all these little stories taking place on one narrative. I spotted figures from "He-Man" (Evil-Lynn), "The Simpsons," every Disney movie, many popular Marvel and DC comics, Princess Xena hugging an MC Hammer doll, "Star Wars," "Star Trek," and Japanese pop art from Yoshitomo Nara.
The best part was that Jarvis was there himself and I got to chat with him for a few minutes. A really adorable, jovial 75-year-old man. For those of you who don't know, Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists. I like the sentiments and images he portrayed in his art, though I know it was all part of an idealized reality. But it was so cool to talk about those things with his son. He thought I was right on when I said everyone wants those feelings of comfort that a Rockwell painting evokes, even if it's all part of a fantasy. I told him I always wanted to go to the East coast and see a "Norman Rockwell" town. Jarvis said he grew up in that kind of place and it wasn't like his Dad's works. He was pretty frank. He said his region had one of the highest suicide rates. It got so cold in the winter, there was no TV and not much else to do. People were lonely or suffered from anxiety. It's funny. Norman Rockwell was popular before Andy Warhol and other pop artists came along, before there was a pop culture. Now, his art has sort of become part of popular culture and here's Jarvis poking fun at it in a different medium. I know there's some irony in there somewhere.
The piece definiteily stops people in their tracks. I went down to the atrium of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts where it's on display. It was pretty interesting to overhear other onlookers get excited when they saw an action figure they recognized. Just about every cartoon and comic book character was represented. They were grouped together to set up all these little stories taking place on one narrative. I spotted figures from "He-Man" (Evil-Lynn), "The Simpsons," every Disney movie, many popular Marvel and DC comics, Princess Xena hugging an MC Hammer doll, "Star Wars," "Star Trek," and Japanese pop art from Yoshitomo Nara.
The best part was that Jarvis was there himself and I got to chat with him for a few minutes. A really adorable, jovial 75-year-old man. For those of you who don't know, Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists. I like the sentiments and images he portrayed in his art, though I know it was all part of an idealized reality. But it was so cool to talk about those things with his son. He thought I was right on when I said everyone wants those feelings of comfort that a Rockwell painting evokes, even if it's all part of a fantasy. I told him I always wanted to go to the East coast and see a "Norman Rockwell" town. Jarvis said he grew up in that kind of place and it wasn't like his Dad's works. He was pretty frank. He said his region had one of the highest suicide rates. It got so cold in the winter, there was no TV and not much else to do. People were lonely or suffered from anxiety. It's funny. Norman Rockwell was popular before Andy Warhol and other pop artists came along, before there was a pop culture. Now, his art has sort of become part of popular culture and here's Jarvis poking fun at it in a different medium. I know there's some irony in there somewhere.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
In some ways, Halloween is sooo much cooler than Christmas. For the occasion, I thought I'd experiment-bake. I followed this recipe from my cupcake recipe book for "Buried Alive" cupcakes. See below my rather morbid cupcakes. Gives a new take on 'candy ass.' I was going to stick a leg too but it looked too much like some other body part of the male anatomy. Hope y'all have a great and somewhat spooky day!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
No such thing as Santa
Excuse me while I vent for a bit. So, at work, we have to sign up next to each week on a calendar grid for time off requests. For some reason, the time between X-mas and New Year's was done in December of last year! So, I totally have no pull on that. I wanted to ask for Tuesday, Dec. 26 off. My co-worker urged me to go ahead and ask anyway because, as she said, "It's Christmas." Alas, I got shot down by my boss right away. So, this means I have to make it back to Phoenix on Christmas Day. Grrr... I suppose I could just spend Christmas here but...COME ON! Holidays are supposed to be spent with family. The only nice thing is my mother was generous enough to agree to fly with me. I don't think I could deal with flying solo back to Phoenix on Christmas, while other people will be with their families. I hope Santa Claus finds other ways to show me some love. Right now, I ain't feeling it.
In the "Oh no you didn't!" department, I caught wind of this via
Angry Asian Man's blog:
Chinese Laundry Bag
Nobody knows laundry like the Chinese? If the copywriter thought he/she was being funny...WRONG.
In the "Oh no you didn't!" department, I caught wind of this via
Angry Asian Man's blog:
Chinese Laundry Bag
Nobody knows laundry like the Chinese? If the copywriter thought he/she was being funny...WRONG.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Memorial plans gone amok
I swear, I am still interested in keeping up this thing. It's just a lot of time, I'm not sure what I do is worth writing home about.
Anyway...a week ago, I attended this press conference addressing the controversy surrounding Arizona's Sept. 11 memorial which was unveiled, blessed, sprinkled with pixie dust, etc. on the fifth anniversary of the attacks. The press briefing was led by the chairman of the memorial commission, a firefighter. My story made the A-wire, which means the national wire. Bob, one of our sports writers, told me he saw my byline on Yahoo!
Arizona Sept. 11 memorial to be reviewed
I haven't seen the memorial upclose. But it's a bunch of stainless steel panels placed in the shape of an ellipse, surrounding a piece of debris from the World Trade Center. Each panel has quotes taken from news reports made during and in the aftermath of Sept. 11. This whole brouhaha started because some very conservative bloggers called it an anti-American shrine because some of the quotes are critical of U.S. policy and action. And then the dorky Republican candidate for governor, Len Munsil, who is behind in the polls, ran with it because he is struggling to gain any momentum. He's so not a contender. His campaign actually issued a press release more or less saying Janet Napolitano, who will likely get re-elected, doesn't care about kids because she wouldn't change a set date for a debate that falls on Munsil's kid's birthday. Hehe, when George W. was in Phoenix last Wednesday stumping at a fundraiser, he gave "Lee Munsil" a shout-out. Sad.
Anyway...a week ago, I attended this press conference addressing the controversy surrounding Arizona's Sept. 11 memorial which was unveiled, blessed, sprinkled with pixie dust, etc. on the fifth anniversary of the attacks. The press briefing was led by the chairman of the memorial commission, a firefighter. My story made the A-wire, which means the national wire. Bob, one of our sports writers, told me he saw my byline on Yahoo!
Arizona Sept. 11 memorial to be reviewed
I haven't seen the memorial upclose. But it's a bunch of stainless steel panels placed in the shape of an ellipse, surrounding a piece of debris from the World Trade Center. Each panel has quotes taken from news reports made during and in the aftermath of Sept. 11. This whole brouhaha started because some very conservative bloggers called it an anti-American shrine because some of the quotes are critical of U.S. policy and action. And then the dorky Republican candidate for governor, Len Munsil, who is behind in the polls, ran with it because he is struggling to gain any momentum. He's so not a contender. His campaign actually issued a press release more or less saying Janet Napolitano, who will likely get re-elected, doesn't care about kids because she wouldn't change a set date for a debate that falls on Munsil's kid's birthday. Hehe, when George W. was in Phoenix last Wednesday stumping at a fundraiser, he gave "Lee Munsil" a shout-out. Sad.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Mom, I'd like you to meet...
My mom is in town this week. Though it was a pre-planned visit, her trip coincides with my attempt to overcome whatever post-viral syndrome I have. In case you're not one of the 100 people I whined to, I got sick in July from dehydration and have not been the same ever since. Every time I think I'm getting back to my idea of normal, I have some kind of setback. Last week, I visited the white porcelain god. I have no idea why I felt the need to hurl. And the next night, I felt something similar and ended up falling asleep on my back, sprawled across the bathroom floor. At least I think I slept, not passed out. No worries, I lay there for only half an hour. Now I'm riddled with leg and neck aches and have to reintroduce heavier foods to my belly. Let me just take a moment to vent: I F***IN' HATE PHOENIX SUMMER WEATHER!! I think World Cup players have shown soccer balls more kindness than the climate here has to me. I've already seen my doctor here twice and there's not much more she can say than "drink plenty of fluids." And I know this sounds silly, but when I come back to visit in October for my high school reunion, I plan to go see a doctor at the Sunnyvale clinic, as though being a Sunnyvale doctor will automatically make a physician more comforting in my eyes. Well, I hope by the end of October, I'll be healthy and able to handle the junk food I like.
It's been kind of neat showing my mom what a typical work week is like for me, what my "Phoenix life" is like. On Monday, I showed her our new bureau -- though we haven't moved in yet. I was going to take her into our current office to introduce her to a couple of people, but then I remembered one of our off-color sports writers was in there and our broadcast reporter who typically yells out curse-word laden tirades. So, I changed my mind. The next day, Barb, our accounts payable person, asked me what Mom was doing to amuse herself. I said she was down in the lobby reading since I got to work. Some others, including my boss, overheard. They were worried that Mom was bored out of her mind. Despite my saying, "She's getting oxygen; she's fine," they thought I should urge her to go somewhere. Anyway, since they now knew Mom was in the building, I think they thought I was trying to hide her or something. So after we ate lunch, I brought Ma up to meet everyone. But I made sure to coach her first (i.e. Do NOT start any sentence with "When Terry was little..."). It's kind of funny; you think that elementary school is the last time you do the open-house thing with your parents. But turns out, that's not always the case. I felt like that again--showing Mom my desk, my computer, some of the things I enter, etc. And instead of meeting my teacher, she met my boss, Ed.
Mom's journey into my world continued after work that same day. I took her to the homeless shelter where I spend most of my Tuesday evenings reading to children whose families live on the premises. Hehe, all the regular volunteers who know me all started their intros to Mom the same way: "I thought she was your mom but I didn't want to assume..." I should've scared them and said, "What? You think just because we're the only two Asians in the room, we must be related?!" And some of them recognized her from when they flipped through my camera a few weeks back and saw pics from my free ice cream party.
I was so happy later on. One of my favorite girls, Hannah, 5, showed up for the first time in weeks. I thought she and her mom had moved on or found housing. Hannah is just really cute and bossy in that adorable way that only little girls can get away with. Mom and I shared blanket space with her and took turns reading books to Hannah. I told Mom beforehand that a lot of the kids here are extremely cute and she ended up agreeing with me. So, my mother is the first person to really get a glimpse of how I spend my time. I found it's really fun to share things like that with someone.
Mom is only sorry that she didn't get to meet my co-worker Jacques. He's on vacation in Italy. He is also a character who makes work pretty interesting for me. I had no idea that we'd get along so well. Jacques is currently fixated by this series of filmed vignettes chronicling the life of Chad Vader, Darth Vader's underachieving younger brother who is the day manager at a grocery store. It's pretty amusing--at least Episode 1 is. These episodes were made for some film competition by some guys in Wisconsin and have found fame on YouTube. Anyway, Jacques currently likes to address me as "Commander Tang" and Ed as "Emperor." If any of you are curious, it's a total trip into geekdom.
Chad Vader: Episode I
It's been kind of neat showing my mom what a typical work week is like for me, what my "Phoenix life" is like. On Monday, I showed her our new bureau -- though we haven't moved in yet. I was going to take her into our current office to introduce her to a couple of people, but then I remembered one of our off-color sports writers was in there and our broadcast reporter who typically yells out curse-word laden tirades. So, I changed my mind. The next day, Barb, our accounts payable person, asked me what Mom was doing to amuse herself. I said she was down in the lobby reading since I got to work. Some others, including my boss, overheard. They were worried that Mom was bored out of her mind. Despite my saying, "She's getting oxygen; she's fine," they thought I should urge her to go somewhere. Anyway, since they now knew Mom was in the building, I think they thought I was trying to hide her or something. So after we ate lunch, I brought Ma up to meet everyone. But I made sure to coach her first (i.e. Do NOT start any sentence with "When Terry was little..."). It's kind of funny; you think that elementary school is the last time you do the open-house thing with your parents. But turns out, that's not always the case. I felt like that again--showing Mom my desk, my computer, some of the things I enter, etc. And instead of meeting my teacher, she met my boss, Ed.
Mom's journey into my world continued after work that same day. I took her to the homeless shelter where I spend most of my Tuesday evenings reading to children whose families live on the premises. Hehe, all the regular volunteers who know me all started their intros to Mom the same way: "I thought she was your mom but I didn't want to assume..." I should've scared them and said, "What? You think just because we're the only two Asians in the room, we must be related?!" And some of them recognized her from when they flipped through my camera a few weeks back and saw pics from my free ice cream party.
I was so happy later on. One of my favorite girls, Hannah, 5, showed up for the first time in weeks. I thought she and her mom had moved on or found housing. Hannah is just really cute and bossy in that adorable way that only little girls can get away with. Mom and I shared blanket space with her and took turns reading books to Hannah. I told Mom beforehand that a lot of the kids here are extremely cute and she ended up agreeing with me. So, my mother is the first person to really get a glimpse of how I spend my time. I found it's really fun to share things like that with someone.
Mom is only sorry that she didn't get to meet my co-worker Jacques. He's on vacation in Italy. He is also a character who makes work pretty interesting for me. I had no idea that we'd get along so well. Jacques is currently fixated by this series of filmed vignettes chronicling the life of Chad Vader, Darth Vader's underachieving younger brother who is the day manager at a grocery store. It's pretty amusing--at least Episode 1 is. These episodes were made for some film competition by some guys in Wisconsin and have found fame on YouTube. Anyway, Jacques currently likes to address me as "Commander Tang" and Ed as "Emperor." If any of you are curious, it's a total trip into geekdom.
Chad Vader: Episode I
Sunday, September 10, 2006
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