Napa, Gel Seats,No appointment and Baby Stones

This past December I flew back to California to stay with Joanne and her family to celebrate Christmas and obviously spend time with Joanne. Upon arriving at California I was smack with some bitter cold, not like Boston but not what I expected from Cali.On our first day Joanne and I went out and did some window shopping , hoping to find a Christmas gift for her mom.Walking down the downtown San Fran area was beginning to become nostalgic and all the sites were beginning to become more familiar as we continued to this pier area where they have some sort of "Hay Market" of various goods; goods that were visually beautiful, full of scent that were pleasantly overwhelming. delicious hmm smell so good you could taste it. We ended up buying some olive oil which can only be describe with a series of moans and groans that come from having taste the orange blossom olive oil.
Just the thought of it now makes me want to go and order some online. Anyway, we got some more stuff to help prepare for Christmas dinner at the Cheungs place. Upon getting to Cupetino I was greeted with more California cold weather man was it cole and trust me I can easily go into some rant about it. But I won't. Joanne's mom made some Hot Pot or Shabu Shabu, with some fish balls, slices of pork, beef, shitake mushrooms and (gulp) frog. Yes I was offered frog on Christmas and I was not ready to take a bite of Kermit the frog. I could recall images of myself as a kid eating animal crackers, enjoying the idea of me eating a horse or a zebra a giraffe and the whole concept of me eating these animals was fun and enjoyable. But somehow I couldn't get myself to take a bite out of Kermit's leg, I couldn't get myself to ear Rash,Pimple and Zits(the Battletoads),




Anyway I was survived and was forgiven but overall dinner was great I truly enjoy Hot Pot, enough for me to have bough my own Hot Pot about a year ago. Later on that night Joanne and I went over to her friends house and I got to meet literally the Get-Along Gang, her friends are so nice to each other I mean wow that was awesome. We played a game and I was totally hooked.




The next day Joanne and I headed off to Napa and arrived a bit late in the morning or early afternoon. We settled into the hotel and went of to the bicycle rentals. If you never ridden a bike before then for starters you are missing out.
We rode down the road riding by some beautiful scenery which was breathtaking. Its been a while that I have ridden a bike and its been a lot longer for Joanne. We rode past a handful of vineyards. We got to one place that looked beautiful both outside and in. But as we walked in it was offensively quiet. We tiptoed over to the wine server and asked for our wine taste. The light set pregnant lady seemed to have been bothered by our request. her look of snob was abrasive. Maybe because Joanne and I aren't Wine connoisseurs, what can I say we like what like who cares if we aren't connoisseurs. Well we left with a foul flavor in our
mouth and set off to another winery which carried dessert wine. This place was a lot better, and surprised us with some great tasting wine. We ended up buying a bottle and where off again to ride into the sunset, but that wasn't after we pedalled harder and harder as we tried to make the 10 miles back to the rental place. We got to one place where an older couple came out with their trucks to inform us that tasting was by appointment only. Snobby and didn't match their attire.
another place we went to the next day in car was beautiful, but their wines where to acidic, but I enjoyed poking fun with Joanne at this family who brought in their 8 year old to Napa. Who brings an 8 year old let alone two 8 year old to a winery.
As we continued back to Joannes place the next day, we enjoyed walking around SF and visited a couple of places.
My new found love Pancho Villa Taqueria
We also went to some intriguing chocolate bread. Oh WOW IT WAS SO GOOD, soft slightly hard on some edges and chocolaty to the end IN the end I ended up with a great trip to the Emergency Room and found out I had Kidney Stones. PRICELESS.
I got a filter 3 bootles of pills and a little container to put the stones in....which I forgot to do. Sadly I had to fly back so earlybut I can't wait for February.

Card Making and lotta thoughts

I can't imagine anyone reading my blog and thinking "Man this is some profound stuff. Yes!! I came here and found the meaning of life". But with that said
I cant wait until this month is over , or until thursday morning to go to California and visit Joanne. Together we will be able to hang out, get good eats and go on photo walks. We will probably go running together and have a good time accompanied by some healthy competition. Although knowing that it is all about relaxing and enjoying ourselves I know that this week is going to be so long before we can get to our break and then BAM its all gone. SO I hope that we can enjoy every minute of the day in San Francisco.
Anyway this past weekend I got a chance to hang out with some friends and make Christmas cards. Which I thought was awesome and I made 5 of them (but I only took 4 pics since I have no idea where I put the 5th one right now
I think it fell inside the car)
I always wonder where my time goes I do one thing next thing you know 3 hours have gone by. WTH Where did my time go?
I can start of with something simple like breakfast and cleaning the kitchen and my time flies away.
Maybe I need to time myself or set an alarm or have time trials. OR it is my environment that takes my time away, I'm so busy trying ti do everything since everything is so "Go, Go, GO" here; I may just need a change of place, a change or my surroundings... Maybe California!......

I may just need to be in a more relaxed area, maybe I do need to go California and see what life is like over there. I also cant wait to be over with school. It does take a lot of my time Blasted time

Bagel Onion Ham and Egg

Turning 32 isn't the biggest thing in the world, once you hit those 23's 28's and 30's you are petty much over the hump the next one is the sad one for me. 40!!! 40 years old.
It sort of looks at your life and asks what have you done for yourself ? what do you have to show for it. Why are you ehre. So I dont want to go there yet. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter. I feel like im 18(21) but I know Im 32.
and as they say If I knew then what I know now. ..What would I have done? Would I have worked out more? Would I have focused on my art more to take a different path? 1
What If I only knew about my health. Would I have really take some roper precautions to not fall under the gall stone spell.
In the end it doesn't matter.. Right now I know that no matter what route I would have taken I do believe that God would have meet me there and taught me a lesson. Scolded me, and taught me how to be a man. No matter what He would have taught me to be appreciative about where I am in life. Like right now. I know I am not at the top of my career and that I am also not at my peek of physical physic. ut that's OK. I have come a long way to accept and be happy about who I am and where I am at in life. There many few things I don't care about any more and the many things I ignore now in days is to be said about . I realize that in the end of the day I do want Christ above everything else in my life. And as hard as that is to read, as hard as it is to say. I know that I need to be with Him Christ my Lord.
On my birthday Oct 11th I went out to eat with my roommate. We went to Dedham and went out for breakfast. I enjoy this place solely because of their breakfast sandwiches other than that they suck. their coffee is burned and requires that you buy another coffee in order to make up for the lack of taste that this place's coffee has.
It was fun going there
although traffic was a bummer, after breakfast I went over to movie stop and got rid of a ton of movies and swapped it for "The Simpsons" DVD season 20(so far not bad)

Its time for a financial change

“Even timid Japanese are finally starting to push for change,”( Miku Ohkura)
Everyone seems to be getting upset at rich people and bad financial decisions made by them.
It seems that people have had way too much faith on the rich and forgot to realize that they are no different than you and me, except that they make more money than most Americans.
Upon reading an article on the New York Times, I am again enraged at how the rich are being taken care of. Under different circumstances would the people who are rich be able to do what they are doing now? If they were raised in a poverty stricken neighborhood or (just to come out and say) it without the silver spoon in their mouths would they have been able to get to where they are now, would they be no different from both you and me? I am tackling two different subjects here, but I see them as one. Why should they get all these benefits because they make 7 more figured than I do? In the end of the day they are also human. It is time that we need to think about what we need as a country rather than what we want. So many companies are out there to make the next buck,trying to come with new products that make people rush to the stores and for what? We have decent looking houses for outrageous prices. Why? WHy can't we simple? I don't mean to go back and life the "simple" ways of the 50's and 60's but just live simple, not get everything that is out there because it is cool but because it is something we need. We need to show the banks that as a new generation we are responsible and are thinking about our future un like the rich financial slobs that live their upscale,pricey lifestyle.
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Juan

32.....with friends...and just that!!

All in a day but it was much longer than that...PT 2

After attending the first half of the field-trip I managed to escape barely with my eyes open. Realizing as great as history is , I never really like the 1500 era or anything that had to do with the "Declaration of Independence" We make it down towards Quincy Market. which is located in Downtown Crossing right next to City Hall. It is a local tourist attraction although locals can't help but be attracted to it as well; but who can blame them with all the eateries, shows, and events, the random performances, name brand stores, and beautiful view of the Big Dig Bridge. If you are there on Fridays and Saturdays you can enjoy the beautiful and wonderful world of Farers Market. Where you can buy fruits and Veggies for a dirt cheap price. Being drawn back to the reality that I was in a field trip and I had to chaperone my students I draw their attention to a large statu of Sam Adams. I get them to gather there for a class pic, I get them to make space so we can see the name"Samuel Adams"; I salute this for the great beer it produces and my students have no idea what I am doing. After a couple of snapshops and silly pics. We are then led by an enticing aroma of high fructose and fried goods towards the food court. As we open the large glass doors to see a vast hallway of fast food; stunned in amazement we had to get the students to move but once we had their motors running we lost them. Literally no more than 2 seconds later we had not one of out students in plain sight.
My co-worker and I decided to then do the same, walk around and see what to get to eat. Your mind tends to wander as you walk around picturing yourself eating everything you see, trying out the different flavors.hmm just the thought of it makes me hungry. From time to time you do hear that voice of reason telling you 2 things"You're gonna get fat" and Its to pricey. I ended up getting some low mein from an everyday chinese fast food joint. Which surprised many of the students with us even the Chinese ones because they never thought I would know how to use chopsticks..because they cant use chopsticks. In the end looking at all the people wandering around, not paying attention to their left or right, aimlessly bumping into people I realize a few things. One being how much I wish you were there with me to people watch, enjoy local fast food not matter how pricey or greasy it is and too take pictures of the distracted people who are walking around. I miss you.. I love you
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Juan

just one dinner

It lasted 3 days