Gone Living...

I'm done with school for now.

Time to head home.

Summer's here.

I made a to-do list earlier, a couple days ago. I make one occasionally. Just a way to write things down that need to be done and that I need to remember. I put it on an plain index card, so I can put it in my back pocket of my jeans and look at it when I need to.

I made a to-do list for this summer. There are just some things I want to do and try.

Thought I'll share it with you.

Summer's To Do -

1. Know the "autshop" on my car
2. Learn how to barbeque
3. Play golf everyday then swim
4. Take my family to the movies
5. Travel to the beach
6. Get in shape, tone my muscles
7. Play a board/video game with my brothers every night
8. Mow the lawn/yardwork
9. Get a new tan ;)
10. Read books/watch TV a lot
11. Play catch with the brothers
12. Learn sign language fluently again
13. Transfer all home videos to DVD
14. Videotape a lot
15. Have fun

I'll be around here and there. Staying in touch. Let you know if I completed anything or not. Three months of summer ... it's gonna be good.

'Til then ... I'm gone living.

:)

Not Yet

Well, it's that time again.

School's almost over. I'm staring down the barrel of it now. Only nine days left before I finish everything school-wise for another year and get to head home again.

It's usually about this time of the year anyhow where I'll start thinking about how I've done over the past school year. Things like - Did I do my best? Did I get enough sleep? (which is always a no. *grins*) What did I accomplish? What did I learn? Am I ready for next year?

After thinking and remembering a bit, this is what I find.

I believe I did do my best. It's all I can do. Whether my grades show it or not, I know I worked hard, really hard. I got three more finals to go, so can't quit just yet. I'm still gonna study hard for those exams and get through it all. Whatever happens happens.

Oh, I never get enough sleep during the school year. One day I think I'm all caught up, only to lose it the next by getting about four hours of sleep. Weekends are just the time for me to catch up a little bit, but it's still not enough sometimes. Sooner or later though, I'll get back some of that sleep.

I completed another school year. That's a good enough accomplishment for me. Plus I turned 20. :)

I probably learned a lot school-wise. I'm thinking though that by the time I finish my finals, I won't remember much about the textbook facts I had to learn. They seem to have a way to disappear during the summer. But I also did learn to have a little more fun. What's life without a few laughs?

I don't want to think about next school year just yet. I better finish this year off first. Then I want to enjoy summer for a while. Don't have much plans for it except to travel a bit, watch TV, read some books, play some golf and hang out with my family. It should be fun. I'm really pretty sure about that.

So, nine days of school left for me. Three finals to study for. One dorm room to pack up.

Then it's home for me. My best car will get me there.

Summer's almost here.

But not yet.

Just a Number...

I have certain numbers that I love. They're particular numbers that I always like to come across or have things added up to. Any other numbers are just numbers to me.

Some of those favorites are 13, 43, 7, 10, 23, 61, 5, and 313. There's a few others that I can't recall right now.

But if I get a number and I don't particularly like it, I try to change it to a number I do like. For example, suppose I get 68. It's just some random number to me. So, my mind starts changing it, right? I go something like this - 6 + 8 = 14. Still don't like it. 1 + 4 = 5. Now, that's a good number. 68's okay now.

Another example would be 1434. 1 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 12. No. 1 + 2 = 3. That's good. And I keep doing this until it works out.

:)

It's kind of random and crazy, I know. I only caught myself doing that within the last couple years. I've just been doing it automatically for years. Can't change it. But it's not that bad really. Just something that makes me ME.

People use numbers for all kinds of things - money, codes, measurements, age, etc. They're all just a number. Yet sometimes, it becomes something more.

Today, my new favorite number is 20. I've never really like it before, but I'm starting to now.

It's been an extremely good day.

Note to Self...

Umm, just a little warning first - this is going to be something of a rant. I'm not one to complain most times, but this is something that needs to be said to keep my sanity in a way.

Now, I've been quiet for a while, haven't I? Hmm ... I got a good reason if that helps. Well, I try to have a good reason or at least a reason for everything I do. And I'll explain things here as much as I can.

Back to the heading...

Note to Self - Beware of Pills.

And so I begin.

During my Spring Break, I went to the doctor for a checkup on a few health issues. I was given some antibiotics to take at the time and referred to a "specialist" to see a few weeks later. I took the antibiotic as instructed. I decided to take them in the morning, for that's when I take my vitamins and the occasional if necessary Tylenol. Lo and behold, the health issue started to get better a little bit by the end of my Spring Break.

I went back to school for a week then came back home on that weekend to watch my brother in the high school play, My Fair Lady. He was good and I enjoyed it. Drove back to school Sunday afternoon. Monday morning, I woke up with a bad sinus infection. And I was taking the antibiotics at the time.

Now, around this point, I was beginning to have a slight stomachache every time I ate something. I kind of ignored it at the time, thinking it wasn't anything major. I've had ulcers before and I tend to like some spicy food, such as barbeque sauce with a cheeseburger, so I wasn't really concerned with it as I was with the sinus infection.

Nevertheless, to fight off a new health issue, I began to take some more medications, mostly Sudafed and Tylenol, but being very careful with how much I took and when I took it. After a few days, that stomach problem got worse and the sinus infection would not go away. By the end of that week, both issues got much worse.

I stopped taking the antibiotics and eventually got off the Sudafed and Tylenol as well as the vitamins. I stopped everything, being content to just let my body heal itself. At this point, I could not eat very much anymore. I mostly had to stay on liquids and take chances once in a while to eat a little something when I was hungry.

Second week went by. Much of the same continued to happen with the stomach yet the sinus infection was slowly disappearing.

I had that doctor appointment with the "specialist" coming up and that occurred at the end of the second week. So, I came back home again. Saw the doctor for a short time and got some new prescriptions to try, one of them being a new antibiotic. When I mentioned my stomach problems, he merely told me to wait a few more days before taking his prescription, but I should be alright. Heeding the doc's advice, I went to the pharmacy to pick up my new prescription to start on in a few days. I waited around a bit and they were ready. The pharmacist began giving some basic instructions about the prescriptions. When she got to the new antibiotics, she said to not to take it with any dairy products or vitamins or any other medications. I think she said something more, but I can't remember at this point.

Now, the antibiotics I was taking is the same variation of the new ones. Yet the instructions I just received were not given to me about the first antibiotics. Just to clarify, I asked if the same instructions applied. She said yes. I then asked what would happen if the antibiotics were taken along with what it was not supposed to be taken with and mentioned my stomach problem as well.

It turns out I burned a hole in my stomach.

Not a hole literally. But the insides of my stomach have been "burned" in a way. And every time I eat something, acid is produced like normal to aid digestion, but the acid keeps the wounds from healing, keeping me from being healthy again.

So, I'm now on my third week. I still have a burned stomach. I've lost over 10 pounds. I'm hungry, but cannot eat anything without pain. I'm very reluctant to take any more medication because that is what got me here in the first place. And school never stopped to allow me to take a rest for a moment.

I'm sick of the sickness that I feel. It's a mystery to me.

Note to Self ... Beware of Pills. Always!

Ahem. Thank you for listening if you stayed with me this far.

Finding "Wishbone"

Growing up, I was a big fan of the "Wishbone" books and TV show, which ran from 1995-2001. I believe it was my first TV show obsession along with "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers." I mean, I joined the Wishbone Fan Club! And I've never done that for any other TV shows thus far, though Supernatural's getting pretty close. Back then, every single day right after school, I would turn on the TV to watch "Wishbone" and sing the tune -

What's the story, Wishbone? What's this you're dreamin' of? Such a big imagination on such a little pup. What's the story, Wishbone? Do you think it's worth a look? It kinda seems familiar, like a story from a book. Shake a leg now, let's wag another tail. Sniffin' out adventure, with Wishbone on the trail. Come on, Wishbone. What's the story, Wishbone? What's the story, Wishbone? What's the story, Wishbone? *Woof!*

Wishbone took me to the center of the Earth, to old London, to colonial America, to Mount Olympus, to many Wars, to the old West. He showed me the Knights, the Indians, the Prince, the heroes and villains of old, the common man who lived long before I did. It was here that I learned to love stories as they are.

Even though I loved the show and wanted to buy its merchandise all the time, my younger brother hated it. I always tried to get him to read it, even for a little bit, but still he refused. Of course, he pulled the same thing with Harry Potter, but I won that battle shortly and now he loves the books and the movies. Anyhow, Wishbone was a great part of my childhood.

Yet somwhere along the way, I just stopped reading them. I don't know why. Maybe I couldn't find anymore new books, even though there were some out there I didn't have. Maybe I was influenced by my brother. Maybe I thought I got too old for it. Maybe because by 2001, I underwent a life-changing surgery and diverted my entire focus from the imagination to reality.

Now, I seem to have retain some of that innocent child that disappeared several years ago. (Although, some would vouch that I wasn't really that innocent, even though I tried to be. *wink*) I have started researching for the books and movie episodes that I don't have, finding a way to complete the unfinished set.

Not much have been accomplished in the last few weeks I've been looking, for the books are out-of-print and the movie episodes are rare.

But it's something I'm working on finishing. Everything in its own time, right?

Happy Cows Universial?

Being on the West coast - smackdab in the middle of California - there is a general promotion to consume products primarily made in California. It's supposed to be a way to help the economy I figure and to take pride in residing in a state that generates a lot of products for the marketing world at large.

Yet there is one specific promotion I always see on TV as far back as I can remember. It has many variations on the context of the commerical, but one thing is always the same: the tagline announced at the end. The tagline says -

"Great cheese come from Happy Cows. Happy Cows come from California. Real California Cheese."

(I know it from memory now and can do a great imitation of the announcer. *winks*)

I wonder if anybody else in the nation or even the world actually have the Real California Cheese from a Happy Cow in a grocery store nearby.

Outside of California, of course. :)

A Time To Remember

Nine years ago tonight, I went to sleep with tears in my eyes. I have never been the same since. The innocent child in me had slowly faded away as a more experienced one came to be.

That night, my grandfather had passed away in his battle with cancer. He was 62 years old. I was 10 going on 11.

It was the first time in my life someone close to me had died. It wasn’t the last either. In a way, it was a lesson – life is short; make the most of every moment.

Nowadays, I don’t really remember a whole lot about my childhood. Mostly pictures and home videos would make up for it. But this much I remember ...

I always called my grandfather "Papa" and he always called me "Shorty." I was his oldest grandchild and the only one he had a nickname for. He had a ranch in his country home that was on Mooney Road. He had a dog named Junior. He had a few others, but that was his favorite. He raised chickens for a living, but he always had an undying love for the beach and for fishing. He lived life on the wild side too.

I remember his beard and his smile. He always tried to make jokes. He had a good sense of humor. I don't ever remember not seeing him smile. He would light up the room on most occassions.

I remember his tattoos. On the back of his right hand, he had a wolf wearing a hat. On his right shoulder, he had an anchor. There were some words nearby the tattoos, but the meanings I don't remember.

I remember his generosity. Every time I visited his house, I always left with something - a watch, a few toy green army soldiers, a fishing reel, his cowboy hat. These have become some of my most valuable treasures.

I remember the last time I saw him. My family went to visit him at his beach house. He was in terrible condition at the time; the cancer was really taking a toll on his body, but not his spirit. He didn't look much like the Papa I knew. I remember being scared at the time, I could barely look at him. Being ten, I didn't really understand what could happen, but I knew whatever it was, I didn't want it to happen.

I remember on that trip, we went fishing with Papa. I caught a fish or two and he caught some as well. We enjoyed fishing as we did a thousand times before. It was just another day at the pier - a good day. Yet that was the last time I ever went fishing.

I remember the last words I heard him spoke. I was in the car, for it was time to go home. He gave a fishing reel to my mom and told her, "Give this to Shorty."

I remember the night he died. It was about a week later. I was in bed sleeping. Mom had woke me up at 8:31pm and told me with tears in her eyes, "Papa died." I didn't say anything as she left the room. I just took a look at the fishing reel and his cowboy hat by my bed as tears silently fell.

Papa was 62 when he passed away. I sure wish he lived to be a lot older, that he was alive today. Yet to this day, I still remember him. I try to live out some of his good characteristics. And I will always continue to have a love for the beach, for fishing and for life. It's part of my Paradise.

I suppose that's his legacy.

That's Interesting...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Huh. Guess I better make good use of my name. *;-)

Down the Home Stretch

Got through an entire week of studying and thinking and praying and losing sleep and figuring things out and adding teeth marks to the end of my pens. More so than usual. Very grueling stuff, college.

And why did I subject myself to that?

One word - Midterms.

"Life or Death" Midterms.

Chemistry, Physics and Statistics; they're not subjects that I particularly like, but I have to take them and get them over with. On a whole, I think I did okay. Not sure about Math, I think I did the worst on that. But everything should work out okay. I got some more time to fix things if they need to be.

Either way, I'm in the home stretch now. Just got a few more appointments and lectures to get through before Spring Break can get here. Almost there.

Man, I'm tired.

Glorious Saturday

I love Saturdays. I just do. I love it better than Fridays, but not more than Sundays. After all, that's God's day.

Today, I slept in, trying to catch up on hours of sleep that I lost during the week. Then I went golfing for a while. I just chipped around a couple of balls on a patch of grass and that was very fun. Golf is my sport and I just love playing it. I met up with my family later for lunch and a movie. We saw 10,000 BC. That was one great movie. The plot was interesting and the historical elements to the story was authentic in my opinion. I can't wait to see it again on DVD. Plus, the previews were awesome! I saw Hancock, Iron Man, Speed Racer and The Dark Knight. All these movies seem to hold great promise from what I saw in the promos and I can't wait to see them when they come out.

Getting me around the highway today was my trusty car. I just love driving it. And today was no exception. Had my shades on, the music going and a smile on my face.

It was a good day.

But now, I have to end it with some homework. That's not really a good thing.

The upside - if I get something finished tonight, I can watch golf on TV in the afternoon tomorrow with a clear conscience.

Later!

Welcome to Paradise

I started up this blog to set up a place to put my thoughts, whether they be nice and formal or wild and out-of-the-left-field. It's just a simple place where you'll catch me thinking. Right now, I welcome you to my Paradise.

It's a good place to be.