The ride ended Saturday June 10th at the VA Center in the Brentwood area of West Los Angeles. I spent the night at my friend Mel's condo which is located in the new hot spot, Downtown. Located a mere two blocks from the Staples Center, Mel's condo is in one of the myriad new high rise complexes being built around Los Angeles' historic downtown area. Hello, gentrification.
The next morning, I drove out to the San Gabriel Valley to have dim sum with my Aunt Ming, Uncle Shao, cousin Evelyn (a fellow teacher) and her husband Mark. I was told to make sure to get to my Aunt and Uncle's at 9:30AM in order to get to the very popular dim sum restaurant in time to line up outside to make sure we got a seat. Trust me, I didn't dare be late, and wasn't.
Myself (Oh my god, I am so looking like my Dad) and Aunt Ming
Myself and Uncle Shao
After dim sum, I attended the LA Dodger-Toronto Blue Jays game at Dodger Stadium with Evelyn and Mark. The hometown Dodgers got routed 11-5, but it was my first time to Dodger Stadium and the day was beautiful.
After the game, I met up with a former HRS student, who has joined the teaching ranks. She and her boyfriend cooked me dinner. A shout out to Gretchen W. and Jakob. The momentous event of the day, however, was my initiation to the world of the Nintendo Wii. I first got to try it out at Mark and Evelyn's before the game. But Gretchen and Jakob also had one. I must have spent a good hour playing it.
I HAVE TO HAVE ONE. It's impossible to truly describe it's allure, but just as it is with many things, the simplicity of the idea and the quality of the execution is what makes it so universally appealing. But for me, there is an added bonus. Since my accident, I haven't been able to play tennis because I am unable to run. With the Wii, I am able again to play tennis, albeit with a Wii remote, but the essence is the same. I had the BIGGEST grin on my face while I was playing it. I was so into it, I broke a sweat and they had to turn on the air conditioning.
The weeklong trek came to a close with a late night flight from LAX to SFO, but it was a great trip all around.
The next morning, I drove out to the San Gabriel Valley to have dim sum with my Aunt Ming, Uncle Shao, cousin Evelyn (a fellow teacher) and her husband Mark. I was told to make sure to get to my Aunt and Uncle's at 9:30AM in order to get to the very popular dim sum restaurant in time to line up outside to make sure we got a seat. Trust me, I didn't dare be late, and wasn't.
After dim sum, I attended the LA Dodger-Toronto Blue Jays game at Dodger Stadium with Evelyn and Mark. The hometown Dodgers got routed 11-5, but it was my first time to Dodger Stadium and the day was beautiful.
After the game, I met up with a former HRS student, who has joined the teaching ranks. She and her boyfriend cooked me dinner. A shout out to Gretchen W. and Jakob. The momentous event of the day, however, was my initiation to the world of the Nintendo Wii. I first got to try it out at Mark and Evelyn's before the game. But Gretchen and Jakob also had one. I must have spent a good hour playing it.
I HAVE TO HAVE ONE. It's impossible to truly describe it's allure, but just as it is with many things, the simplicity of the idea and the quality of the execution is what makes it so universally appealing. But for me, there is an added bonus. Since my accident, I haven't been able to play tennis because I am unable to run. With the Wii, I am able again to play tennis, albeit with a Wii remote, but the essence is the same. I had the BIGGEST grin on my face while I was playing it. I was so into it, I broke a sweat and they had to turn on the air conditioning.
The weeklong trek came to a close with a late night flight from LAX to SFO, but it was a great trip all around.