Seattle

Well, I went to Seattle last week. From November 13th-18th. Main reason for this trip was to see my grandmother before she dies. We don't know how long we can expect her to live, but I don't like to act on the optimistic side of things, so I decided to see her as soon as possible.

She's actually still well enough to function normally, but she's lazy. All she does is lay in her bed and get up for meals or the bathroom. We've been telling her that she should be more active and eat more so that her health doesn't decline further, but she's quite obstinate. For a while, she would go to the senior center, and we assumed she was taking part in the exercises. But she told Auntie Jane that it was very tiring for her to sit and watch the old people do exercises. Ridiculous. Anyway, she's using oxygen tanks to supplement her breathing and will start on chemotherapy soon.

Grandpa's lifestyle is the same: eat and sleep. He likes to go to the casino and play the video slots. But he doesn't really understand what's going on, so we often have to tell him which button to press. Since I was watching him for a while, I decided I might as well put in a few dollars in the machine I was sitting at, and senselessly press the button for a while. Then I was mesmerized by turning my $20 into $100, and kept playing. I thought to myself, "I will stop when I have a profit of $100." Of course I lost it all before that happened, and was hooked on the silly machine for a while. Then I tried to make up for the loss by playing blackjack, which didn't pan out very well either. Next time, no machines.

So grandpa liked my beef/chicken/vegetable soup. I cooked for them that Friday, and made a huge pot of it. For lunch, I gave him a bowl, and couldn't figure out whether he liked it or not. My poor Chinese and his poor English creates a situation in which we have very poor communication. But when he finished his bowl, he motioned for more, so I gave him another bowl. About three hours later, he came out to have more soup. And two hours after that, more soup again. Auntie Jane and Uncle Rocky liked it too. I was told it was "very healthy and delicious".

I took a picture of the grandparents, and got a picture of myself with grandma. Simple straight-on portraits, nothing fancy. Haven't taken any good pictures of them recently because they're usually opposed to taking pictures.

We went to Pike's Market and walked around the pier. I think Seattle would be a nice place for me to live. Fresh fish and seafood. And I prefer colder climates. Scenery is really nice too. During the fall there's a brilliant landscape of greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.

Phones

I started a part time job. Therefore, I am now only a part time bum.

Working at HoneyBaked Ham until Christmas. Handling phone calls mostly. Think I would be better suited for a task that requires less human interaction. I dread phone calls. Whenever I'm not talking on the phone, I stare at it and hope it doesn't ring. Also, sometimes when I'm on a phone call and the customer is being needlessly talkative, I'm very tempted to just hang up.

So the new plan is to finish the Studio Art degree at UT this spring or summer. If I can't find a decent drafting job soon after that, I'll go to UH for mechanical engineering. Apparently if I have a degree already, it's automatic acceptance.

Going up to Seattle from Nov 13th-18th to visit grandmother. She was recently diagnosed with lung cancer in its final stages.

Shadows and Silhouettes

they are but shadows and silhouettes,
full of shame and regrets.
sinning and repenting,
hopelessly unrelenting.
acting upon greed and lust,
doing whatever they must.
crime and violence;
have they no conscience?
but they know not what they do--
if only that were true.
it's a sad conclusion
of the mind's utter confusion.
yet they are always aware.
always some sense and logic there.
so don't trust what they say,
they'll lie to get their way.
but not all are ruled by vice.
some are moral, some are nice.
though often hard to find,
a few are honest and kind.
they can dry your tears,
help battle your fears.
fight injustice and hate,
save themselves before it's too late.
they are demons and saints,
slight differences of emotional restraint.
a struggle that knows no rest,
they are but shadows and silhouettes.

Candy machine

I thought up a new way to pick up the kids and turn them upside down. Works best with Camille. Starts with her laying face up. With one of my hands, I hold onto both of her hands, and with my other hand, I grab her ankle. Then I lift her up, and swing her like a pendulum. At one end, it's like I'm holding her standing in the air. On the other end, she's completely upside down. For the final swing, I let go of her ankle and she ends up standing. However, due to being disoriented, she usually falls right over. She thoroughly enjoyed it, and when I put her down, she said that we would call it "the candy machine". I'm not sure how the name makes any sense. I asked her why we would name it that, and she said "because it's awesome". Due to the height difference, it doesn't work as well with Bianca. Instead of grabbing the ankle, I use my forearm to support her legs under her knees.

If you try to attempt this with a kid you know, be sure to watch their head so that you don't swing it into the ground or a wall.

Afterwards, my shoulders were sore for a long time. Good strength exercise. The only upper body exercise I ever get is lifting up those kids and spinning/flipping/throwing them around. I intend to do more exercise soon. Mostly running. Need to increase stamina.