Sunday, April 30, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
The World Lost A Great Man Today
My Grandpa Rogelio
December 1958 (3 years before my mom was born)
1937-2007
March 26th, 1937 to April 23rd, 2006
I awoke to a phone call this morning. It was my mom. Being a Sunday, and Robert's 21st birthday, I thought she was calling to remind me to wish him a happy birthday. I was wrong.
"Blake, my dad just died."
That's all it took. I jumped out of bed, called in to work telling them I would be out for the next couple of days, and I was off. Topher came down with me which helped me because I knew I would not be alone.
Four years ago, when he was healthy as a horse, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. In four short years that disease robbed him of his body and mind, but not his soul.
The one thing I will always remember about my grandpa is how he was my interpreter growing up. We would go up to Weed and visit for weeks at a time. He was the only one outside of my mom and aunts that could speak english. At the time my grandma did not know any english, and Nora being young was always away at her friends houses. He loved history, geography, and always had a good joke and an amazing story about his life growing up.
I love you grandpa, I hope you know that.
December 1958 (3 years before my mom was born)
March 26th, 1937 to April 23rd, 2006
I awoke to a phone call this morning. It was my mom. Being a Sunday, and Robert's 21st birthday, I thought she was calling to remind me to wish him a happy birthday. I was wrong.
"Blake, my dad just died."
That's all it took. I jumped out of bed, called in to work telling them I would be out for the next couple of days, and I was off. Topher came down with me which helped me because I knew I would not be alone.
Four years ago, when he was healthy as a horse, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. In four short years that disease robbed him of his body and mind, but not his soul.
The one thing I will always remember about my grandpa is how he was my interpreter growing up. We would go up to Weed and visit for weeks at a time. He was the only one outside of my mom and aunts that could speak english. At the time my grandma did not know any english, and Nora being young was always away at her friends houses. He loved history, geography, and always had a good joke and an amazing story about his life growing up.
I love you grandpa, I hope you know that.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thank You For Smoking: A Breath Of Fresh Air
Last night Panda and I went to go see Thank you for Smoking. It was a great film that all in all pushed the message that you, yes you, have to make up your own mind on the issues in front of you.
That's all I'm going to say about the movie. You have to go see it for your self. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Reflecting @ Upper Bidwell
By spending most of my day at work and school, I knew I needed to get out and enjoy the wonderful break in the weather. So I headed to Upper Bidwell Park to be out in the sun, away from all the traffic and the sounds of the freeway.
You know the should invent a tripod for cell phones. I'm all the way at the end of this concrete wall. I love listening to the wind blow across the tall grass.
...What can I say, there ducks...Chico ducks...swimming in Horseshoe Lake.
Nothing special. It's a lone white oak in a sea of green.
The nice thing about Bidwell Park is it's huge. As a matter of fact it is the third largest municipal park in the US. Here is the lone Middle Trail.
I love this area and Loomis after the long rains, everything is so green and the land is full of life.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Living Life In The Fast Lane!
Are you ready to race?
Easter Sunday will be Monica's 17th Birthday. So to start the celebration Panda and I took her to Pluto's for lunch. When we were done with our meals I asked her what she would like to do.
As you can see she chose wisely.
What we have done today:
On a side note, Panda has never done any of the above things. Monica and I have not done anything like this since I lived at home.
All I can say is we are having a blast!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Happy Birthday Stephanie!
Happy 21st Steph, you finally made it. I know you do not read my blog, but I just wanted you to know that I wish you an amazing birthday. I know you are going to be hitting a lot of bars today, so have fun. I would tell you to be careful and not to drink to much, but I know you are with friends and you only turn 21 once. So go crazy and have a blast!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Something Afoot!
During an ice cream run after school today, Panda and I walked into Heel and Sole Shoe in Chico. We were waiting for 6 o'clock to roll around so it would be buck-a-scoop night at Baskin Robbins.
I came across this, a shoe and a bottle of beer. What is a shoe and a bottle of beer doing in a shoe store?
It's a pair of flip-flops with bottle opener on the bottom of each shoe! I mean come on. . . they actually made a flip-flop with a bottle opener on the bottom of the shoe! Plus their convertible to boot. I still can't believe it, but at $40 a pair, and lots of designs to chose from, I know I must get a pair.
I came across this, a shoe and a bottle of beer. What is a shoe and a bottle of beer doing in a shoe store?
It's a pair of flip-flops with bottle opener on the bottom of each shoe! I mean come on. . . they actually made a flip-flop with a bottle opener on the bottom of the shoe! Plus their convertible to boot. I still can't believe it, but at $40 a pair, and lots of designs to chose from, I know I must get a pair.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
A Look Back
What's to drink?
Spring Break 2006
March 12, 2006
Location: Kitchen of our condo, Kihei, Maui.
From right to left: Robert's hand on the blender (contents: strawberry margerita) Jason, Bottle of Kona Longbord Lager, six-pack box of Kona Longbord Lager (which you can now buy here, on the mainland, at Safeway), Bottle of Maui Dark Rum
What Do Tim, Uncle Fred, And Steve All Have In Common?
I am amazed on how quickly people enter your life. You get to know them, you start to enjoy their company, then all of the sudden they vanish like a fart in the wind. (e-mail me with what movie that last line was from and you could win a prize)
Take Tim for example. Panda met him and fell in love. We had him over for dinner, and at the end of the meal he was gone.
Tim's uncle Fred came over when we were back in Chico. He had a ruff life and traveled a lot around Maui and California. How he wound up in Chico he doesn't even know. But a friend of Tim was a friend of ours. He came over for a drink or two, and before you knew he was gone.
Then there was Steve. Now unlike Tim and Fred we knew Steve for a while. As a matter of fact I think Jason and I met Steve in Safeway on Nord during a late night beer run. I would bump into him here and there, never knowing his story. One night Panda and I were home alone and getting hungry. As I was about to leave for Safeway (about 100 yards from my front door) I bumped into Steve again. Unlike previous times were we would just say "hi, how you doing?," we actually had a conversation. Steve is your basic farm boy. Born and raised on the farm with a huge, and I mean huge family. He came to Chico because, to be honest, it was big city living. I knew I had to end the conversation soon (Panda + hungry = mad Panda) so I invited him over for dinner. And like everyone else before him, when the meal was over, he was gone.
All three of them were great individuals. All of them had great stories and great personalities. Yet from the start we all knew that a life long friendship could never happen.
Why?
Because they were all food products. Tim and Fred were Maui Pineapples and Steve was a farmed Rainbow Tout. What can I say, I love to cook.
Take Tim for example. Panda met him and fell in love. We had him over for dinner, and at the end of the meal he was gone.
Tim's uncle Fred came over when we were back in Chico. He had a ruff life and traveled a lot around Maui and California. How he wound up in Chico he doesn't even know. But a friend of Tim was a friend of ours. He came over for a drink or two, and before you knew he was gone.
Then there was Steve. Now unlike Tim and Fred we knew Steve for a while. As a matter of fact I think Jason and I met Steve in Safeway on Nord during a late night beer run. I would bump into him here and there, never knowing his story. One night Panda and I were home alone and getting hungry. As I was about to leave for Safeway (about 100 yards from my front door) I bumped into Steve again. Unlike previous times were we would just say "hi, how you doing?," we actually had a conversation. Steve is your basic farm boy. Born and raised on the farm with a huge, and I mean huge family. He came to Chico because, to be honest, it was big city living. I knew I had to end the conversation soon (Panda + hungry = mad Panda) so I invited him over for dinner. And like everyone else before him, when the meal was over, he was gone.
All three of them were great individuals. All of them had great stories and great personalities. Yet from the start we all knew that a life long friendship could never happen.
Why?
Because they were all food products. Tim and Fred were Maui Pineapples and Steve was a farmed Rainbow Tout. What can I say, I love to cook.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sprig Break 2006. . . No, Wait. Spring Break 2006
Ok, I know I have to finish the story on Tim (Panda's Hawaiian Lover) and post on the week in general. But first things first.
Last year, the TSA and FFA banned all lighters and matches on flights. By doing so the Zippo market collapsed. All the sudden you were able to buy a $50 lighter for only $10 bucks. So what would a cigar/cigarette smoker like me do? Simple, I bought the legal carry-on limit (the limit is two per person) for myself, Steph, and Panda. All in all I bought 4 lighters (4 because Steph and I each brought a lighter with us).
Well to make a long story short I decided to get one of them engraved. On the front it's engraved "Spring Break 2005," and on the back is all our names ("Blake, Stephanie, Panda, Kevin). I thought this is a nice little tradition I started, so from then on out, every time I go on a big trip with my friends I buy a Zippo where ever we are at, and when we come back to Chico I have in engraved.
I must have spent countless hours searching all over Maui for a Zippo 2 weeks ago. I found nothing. Knowing that I was coming home empty handed I decided to get one of the lighters from last year engraved. You know "Spring Break 2006" on the front, and "Blake, Stephanie, Panda, Jason, Robert" on the front.
Well, I went to go pick up the lighter today from Things Remembered at the mall. There was the lighter, all out names on the back, and "Sprig Break 2006" on the front. Notice anything? SPRIG BREAK!!
So what now you ask? Well thank God that the Zippo had a brushed nickel finish. They are going to take it to a jeweler and see if they can buff it out, and then re-engrave it.
All in all I now have my doubts about getting irreplaceable items engraved. I'll be happy once everything works out. But for now, I play the waiting game.
Last year, the TSA and FFA banned all lighters and matches on flights. By doing so the Zippo market collapsed. All the sudden you were able to buy a $50 lighter for only $10 bucks. So what would a cigar/cigarette smoker like me do? Simple, I bought the legal carry-on limit (the limit is two per person) for myself, Steph, and Panda. All in all I bought 4 lighters (4 because Steph and I each brought a lighter with us).
Well to make a long story short I decided to get one of them engraved. On the front it's engraved "Spring Break 2005," and on the back is all our names ("Blake, Stephanie, Panda, Kevin). I thought this is a nice little tradition I started, so from then on out, every time I go on a big trip with my friends I buy a Zippo where ever we are at, and when we come back to Chico I have in engraved.
I must have spent countless hours searching all over Maui for a Zippo 2 weeks ago. I found nothing. Knowing that I was coming home empty handed I decided to get one of the lighters from last year engraved. You know "Spring Break 2006" on the front, and "Blake, Stephanie, Panda, Jason, Robert" on the front.
Well, I went to go pick up the lighter today from Things Remembered at the mall. There was the lighter, all out names on the back, and "Sprig Break 2006" on the front. Notice anything? SPRIG BREAK!!
So what now you ask? Well thank God that the Zippo had a brushed nickel finish. They are going to take it to a jeweler and see if they can buff it out, and then re-engrave it.
All in all I now have my doubts about getting irreplaceable items engraved. I'll be happy once everything works out. But for now, I play the waiting game.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
There's Something About Tim: A Quick Post
I know that I still have to post about our week in Hawai'i, but first I must tell the story of Tim. It was a warm Tuesday afternoon. An afternoon Panda would never forget; the day Panda fell in love with a local.
We drove to the Costco in Kahului to get some film developed, pick up some cheap hamburger meat, and to buy a snorkel set (the one I bought at Sharper Image finally broke after 4 years). It was around the meat department, no, the produce section where Panda noticed him.
She knew that he was the one for her. Here, right in front of her was the one hookup she wanted during spring break.
Shyly, looking right at him she asked "What is your name?"
He simply replied "My name is Tim."
I will have to admit that at first Tim was like all the others I have seen. You know, very generic and stereotypical for a native. But once we all got to know him we knew what Panda saw in him. He was special.
Tim grew up on Maui, born and raised at the base of the West Maui Mountains. He came from a big family (who, after seeing pictures, all look the same), enjoyed the weather that only Maui had to offer, and loved playing in the rain.
We all couldn't resist, so we asked him over for dinner. . .
Well I must be of to campus, I'm meeting Panda for lunch. I'll finish the post after school.
We drove to the Costco in Kahului to get some film developed, pick up some cheap hamburger meat, and to buy a snorkel set (the one I bought at Sharper Image finally broke after 4 years). It was around the meat department, no, the produce section where Panda noticed him.
She knew that he was the one for her. Here, right in front of her was the one hookup she wanted during spring break.
Shyly, looking right at him she asked "What is your name?"
He simply replied "My name is Tim."
I will have to admit that at first Tim was like all the others I have seen. You know, very generic and stereotypical for a native. But once we all got to know him we knew what Panda saw in him. He was special.
Tim grew up on Maui, born and raised at the base of the West Maui Mountains. He came from a big family (who, after seeing pictures, all look the same), enjoyed the weather that only Maui had to offer, and loved playing in the rain.
We all couldn't resist, so we asked him over for dinner. . .
Well I must be of to campus, I'm meeting Panda for lunch. I'll finish the post after school.
Monday, February 27, 2006
A Look Back
Spring Break is fast approaching! Only 2 weeks left untill we are there!
The Most Beautful Sunset I Have Ever Seen
Family Vacation July 6, 2002
Location: Kamaole Beach, Kihei, Maui
The Most Beautful Sunset I Have Ever Seen
Family Vacation July 6, 2002
Location: Kamaole Beach, Kihei, Maui
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Starbucks Has All The Answers
Now I drink a lot of coffee. And out of all the coffee cafe's in Chico Starbucks is by far the best. Recently they have been putting commentary on there cups, you know the kind of commentary that warrants a disclaimer at the bottom. Well today's "The Way I See It" was by far the best.
And here it is. . .word for word.
The Way I See It #61
Imagine we are all the same.
Imagine we agree about politics, religion and morality.
Imagine we like the same types of music, are, food and coffee.
Imagine we all look alike.
Sound boring?
Differences need not divide us.
Embrace diversity.
Dignity is everyone's human right.
~ Bill Brummel
Documentary filmmaker.
His programs focus on human rights issues.
Now that's a good cup of coffee.
And here it is. . .word for word.
The Way I See It #61
Imagine we are all the same.
Imagine we agree about politics, religion and morality.
Imagine we like the same types of music, are, food and coffee.
Imagine we all look alike.
Sound boring?
Differences need not divide us.
Embrace diversity.
Dignity is everyone's human right.
~ Bill Brummel
Documentary filmmaker.
His programs focus on human rights issues.
Now that's a good cup of coffee.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Drunk @ Jack's
What do you do when you've drank to much and your in downtown Chico? You head to Jack's of course!
This one is of Kevin. He is trying to remember how much he had to drink. He never remembered
A Night @ Normal Street
From Left to Right: Kevin, Jason, Katrina, Me
We're all just a little intoxicated...and it was great!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Friends And Religion: Part Two
I finally got a response. Mailed Feb. 4th, 2006 @ 3:54PM
"Blake, drop it already. There is a reason I haven't brought it up all
these years. You won't change how I see Catholicism or other
religions. I try not to press it on you, so don't force my hand.
The reason i didn't post this to your blog was because I couldn't get
to it - the server isn't responding."
I think your missing the point. You forced our hand. Do you think we like having you come up here as our guest to tell Panda and I that we are going to hell. That we're catholic because our parents are? That the Bible we read is wrong?
Do you think I enjoy the fact that you went through Panda's room searching for a Bible, and when you came up empty you told her that we she is loosing her faith because doesn't go to church as much as you do? Who are you to question our faith in God? Who gave you that right?
You know where to send the key, C.O.D. it for all we care.
"Blake, drop it already. There is a reason I haven't brought it up all
these years. You won't change how I see Catholicism or other
religions. I try not to press it on you, so don't force my hand.
The reason i didn't post this to your blog was because I couldn't get
to it - the server isn't responding."
I think your missing the point. You forced our hand. Do you think we like having you come up here as our guest to tell Panda and I that we are going to hell. That we're catholic because our parents are? That the Bible we read is wrong?
Do you think I enjoy the fact that you went through Panda's room searching for a Bible, and when you came up empty you told her that we she is loosing her faith because doesn't go to church as much as you do? Who are you to question our faith in God? Who gave you that right?
You know where to send the key, C.O.D. it for all we care.
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