Pictures from our Christmas Party

More KOA Party-goers. My boss, Eugene Kao and his Thai wife Ohn are on the right.

Veronica and Barbara were in charge of the door prizes.

Here I am in my 10 yr-old Christmas dress, which has seen better days, accepting my doorprize from Joel Falter and Juan Gutierrez, our CFO. Whoo-Hooo! A Gift Cert to Target. There were 30 gifts, some of them quite expensive.

More Pictures of our night on the Queen Mary

The Dancers performed the Rhumba - the girl reminded me of Edyta - she was barely dressed! The dress sure moved beautifully with her, though.

For the first number, the girl wore a beautiful dress with a flowing skirt. I wasn't able to see them perform as well from where I was sitting, though, as I did the second number. They were limited by the tiny dance floor, too.

Here is the one side of our table (from left to right): Joel Falter, our COO, and his wife Karen; Emma Sorto, corporate marketing; Veronica Martinez, accounting; Veronica's brother in law, Ulises Ramirez, our IT guy, is crouching between the girls), next to him on the right is his wife Barbara, our office manager and Veronica's sister. Their father worked in the movie industry until he retired recently. His artwork graces some of our downtown LA buildings.

Here I am with the corporate Marketing Director, Desiree Hamilton on the left, and Jasper and Grace Domingo on the right. Grace has a beautiful voice and used to sing professionally. Jasper is one of our engineers.

Fun Party on the Queen Mary

My company, KOA Corporation, had their annual employee Christmas party on the Queen Mary in Long Beach this past weekend.

I'd been to the Queen Mary before. Years ago Meldee Perry's mom splurged on the three of us and gave us a lovely night's stay on the ship, with a dinner in one of the premier restaurants onboard. [That special weekend was a such real treat for me. We took the ghost tour and really enjoyed our stay. I remember that it also brought back many memories of my five trips across the Atlantic as a child. I've been on various ships of the now defunct Norwegian-American Line: The Stavanger Fjord, The Oslo Fjord, and the Bergens Fjord.]

I hadn't been back to the Queen Mary since that special weekend, and it was fun to go at night (though a little creepy as I was wandering around by myself) for a party.

Everyone was dressed in sparkly evening clothes! There were several parties going on there Saturday night (December 6, 2008). As we were going up the front elevators, one of the hotel guests, newly arrived with a big suitcase, remarked, "Oh, All of you look so beautiful - um, and Handsome!" That elicited some laughter.

I'm new to my company, KOA Corporation, so this was my first employee Christmas party. I've heard that they go all out for these events, and this was no exception.

We had the stern of the ship to ourselves, and the whole of an area called the "Veranda Grill" for a really nice dinner/dance.

It was quite a hike into the ship from the parking lot - and then another hike from the center of the reception areas down to the stern of the ship. There was absolutely nobody on the port side of the ship - everyone was on the stern side because of the spectacular view of the lights of Long Beach visible from there.

The Veranda Grill is surrounded by windows and gives a panoramic view of the Long Beach coastline.


Here is a view of the main dance floor of the Veranda Grill. the doors on the right open onto the veranda. A few steps further down is the whole stern Sun Deck of the ship.

Bits of the original Wall Murals have been carefully preserved along portions of the walls. It is fun to imagine what the place originally looked like. Of course, we were there at night - imagine the areas surrounding the dance floor full of round tables set for full dinner service, with colorful red and green linen napkins and bustling waiters wearing white jackets with the ship's insignia on them.

Dinner consisted of cocktails and hors d'ouevres, then ceasar salad followed by a filet mignon/chicken breast for each person accompanied by a potato au gratin and fresh green beans with julienne carrots. Dessert was white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce. It was all pretty yummy!

We were treated to a ballroom dance show by a couple of dancers from the downtown Los Angeles dance studios that you see every week on "Dancing With The Stars". They performed two numbers and gave guests a quick lesson in the Cha-Cha-Cha - breaking the ice and getting people onto the dance floor where a DJ kept things pretty lively.

I got to meet all my various bosses' spouses, which was great (although these little tiny Asian women with their beautiful hair and flawless skin always intimidate me. They are so lovely!). I also got to see and meet many people from our other offices, some of whom I had never met. KOA has offices in downtown LA, Ontario, Orange County, San Francisco Bay area and San Diego, in addition to the Monterey Park office where I work.

There were close to 150 employees and their spouses there and they gave out 30 door prizes. I won a gift certificate to Target. Some gifts were really spectacular, such as GPS systems and other electronic gadgetry.

It was a really fun evening, marred only by having to go alone. It was a very romantic evening that would have been much better shared with someone special.

Ride on!

Okay, if you want a laugh [and heaven knows most of us need one these days] click on the following link and view the little YouTube video some cat owner thoughtfully shared with the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

I'm grateful for people who will share these things on-line for our enjoyment. One little video can really make your day a little brighter.



I've been asked to speak in the church at the end of November. My topic? The peace that comes from Self Reliance. I may not be the poster child for that concept, but it occurs to me that being a little prepared for disasters of all kinds certainly can't hurt. If you want to truly be frightened these days, it doesn't take much! If you live in Southern California, for example, just visit http://www.shakeout.org/... or turn on the TV news.



I decided that I was obsessessing on the bad stuff and my solution was to try to get a little more prepared. First, I bought a whistle to carry with me at all times - the Acme Thunderer (see photo) that I have previously mentioned in this blog:

It's still the Official Whistle of the Italian Police Department, by the way.

It's amazing to me how that one little purchase calmed me down. My second "preparedness" purchase was a solar-power/hand crank flashlight/radio/cell phone charger. This device will go in my car. My next plan is to get the apartment handyman to help me "earthquake proof" the apartment. I want to have all the large furniture anchored to the wall and the knick-knacks secured with non-slip tape or museum putty. This is a one step at a time adventure, but I've noticed how these simple things go a long way towards helping me feel more secure.

Food storage is another one of those things where a little preparedness can help us through calamity. I think about the times in my life I've been very glad to have an extra can of soup, or an extra bottle of shampoo on hand! We have an obligation to ourselves and our families to prepare emergency supplies and have a game plan for how to contact each other or where to meet if we are separated in the event of an emergency. Here in the Los Angeles area it's possibly the threat of earthquake, or fire. In other places it could be something else. For any of us it could also be terrorist attack, pandemic, or sudden loss of job or other income due to forces beyond our control.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the ShakeOut's message of "Drop, cover and hold on!" is applicable to us all no matter where we live or what our circumstances in life.

Drop to your knees and ask for the Lord's help in taking caring of yourself and your family.

Cover your necessities by storing food, toiletries, money, medicines and other items that might help you fend for yourself in the event of an emergency.

Hold On to your faith, your loved ones and your peace by preparing for the future. You will be glad you did.

Mother Earth is, when all is said and done, just a giant Roomba after all.

Ride On, little kitty!

Global Warming- Man Made Hoax

Go to the following link for an eye-opening view of the man-made global warming hoax that is being perpetrated on the people of the world. It's a 9-minute film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLxicwiBQ7Q

You can also follow my Climate Skeptic link and watch the video there.

My Squirrel

This looks very much like the little squirrel who recently took up residence in UpTown near my house. I was so impressed by his orange floooooooofy tail! I think he's hidden stores in my flower pots, because he comes to check them on a regular basis.

Inferno!

I borrowed these images from the Times, just to show how scary it looked on TV! I'm so lucky to have been far away from these fires, but even so, we've been ringed with them and subjected to smoke and ash - and continual TV coverage - since they began last week. I woke up on Saturday, November 15th, with the whole house smelling like smoke. I had to close windows and run the fans inside throughout the weekend, because I was having trouble breathing.

When I ran around doing errands on Saturday, I could see this giant cloud to the south-east of Whittier. It just hung there in the sky looking ominous and scary. We've had a lot of wind recently and you could smell the burned wood in the air.


When I awoke on Sunday the smell and air quality was even worse. When I got to church I felt like I couldn't breathe. One of the little girls I teach volunteered that she had a friend in Brea whose school had been burned down (I couldn't confirm if that was true). By the time I left church, it looked like snow had been falling in the parking lot - the cars were covered in a fine grey ash and speckles of black soot. This was only after a few hours being parked outside!

I spoke to my friend Roxie, who lives in Walnut/Diamond Bar area, close to the fire. She said it was the closest they'd ever been to flames in all the years they'd lived there. They had packed the car ready to evacuate, if need be, but thankfully that never happened. However, she added that the air quality was worse in Whittier on Friday night, as that's where the wind was blowing all the ash and particulates in the air. Of course! I just love living in 'shake 'n bake' country. (said with sarcasm) If I could figure out somewhere to live without winter snow/ice, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, extreme summer heat, or floods, I'd move in a flash.

So, I'll have you know I made a big emergency preparedness purchase this past week: a whistle! It's a nickel plated Acme thunderer, the whistle preferred by Italian traffic police (I'm not making this up!). Now there'll be no problem in locating my broken body when the BIG ONE hits and whatever building I'm in collapses on me. They say we're overdue for a BIG quake, that 7.8 on the San Andreas fault. I've seen the simulations on ShakeOut.org and it ain't pretty, folks. I'd rather not be here to see/feel/experience it! Yikes.

On a happier note, we have a new squirrel with a huge, fluffy tail in the neighborhood. I used to see them on my way to work down on Broadway all the time, running on the telephone lines across the road from tree to tree. They were so beautiful. Now, it appears they've moved into UpTown where I live!

My cat is on the lookout for this little guy. She isn't happy with him. I've always liked squirrels, since my initial introduction to them as a child. I met a fabulous one in the King's Park in Oslo when I was about four. That one would play 'hide and seek' with me around the tree where it lived and was very tame. I've tried to explain the concept of peaceful squirrel co-existence to Emily, but so far she's not buying into that argument. She prefers to pursue a more agressive house protection policy which includes lots of howling and growling if said squirrel or neighborhood cats come snooping around.

Historic Vote!

Okay, I'm from Arizona and it was hard not to pull for McCain. He's our guy. His wait at the Arizona Biltmore for election night results was just a few miles from where I was (mostly) raised. It's funny, though, despite differing ideology, I still think it's very wonderful to have lived to see the day when an American of African descent can run for the highest political office in the land - and win. Having seen first hand the civil rights struggles of the 60s, this is an incredible time to be living. Rah Rah America. And heaven help Obama as the new guy in town. I don't envy him the mess he's inherited with the office!

The Truth of God Shall Go Forth

As I write this, thousands of people are preparing to descend upon Salt Lake City to protest the passing of Prop 8 in California, and other propositions which support traditional marriage in various states of our nation. I wish these people no harm, but their voices will not persuade me to think differently on this subject. It reminds me of a line from a play called The Order is Love. It went something like this, Brigham Young had asked a man to take his family and move to another area of the west, leaving behind the homestead he had just made for himself and his wife. The man initially said, "no" to Brother Brigham. Then Brother Brigham asked him to go home and pray about it. The man continued: "So I prayed about it. Dammit."

We are a people who have been on the receiving end of a lot of prejudice and hatred since the Spring of 1820. My great-grandfather Nils Evensen was arrested for preaching Mormonism back in the early 1900s. It was a common practice at that time. As I recall the story, he succeeded in converting his jailer prior to his release.

Regarding Prop 8, and the future of traditional marriage in America, I have given this matter a lot of thought. But all my arguments pale in the face of the one: that I believe there is a prophet of God on the earth today. That colors all other considerations. Elder M. Russell Ballard Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles expressed some thoughts so much better than I can, so I am posting his recent address to the world-wide membership of the church.

"This is God’s work, and God’s work will not be frustrated. But there is still much to be done.


My brothers and sisters, on July 19th of this year the Sons of Utah Pioneers placed at This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City a statue of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successor, President Brigham Young. This statue, entitled Eyes Westward, shows these two great prophets with a map of the western territories.


Many people, including Latter-day Saints, forget that Joseph Smith was very much aware that the Church would eventually be relocated to the great American West. In August of 1842 he prophesied “that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some [would] live to . . . build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains” (History of the Church, 5:85).


Even Joseph’s closest associates in those early years did not fully understand the trials that the Latter-day Saints would endure as the Church rolled forth from its small beginnings in the early 1800s. But Joseph Smith knew that no enemy then present or in the future would have sufficient power to frustrate or stop the purposes of God. We are all familiar with his prophetic words: “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).


Nearly 18 decades have passed since the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. We have had 178 years to observe the fulfillment of prophecy and to watch “the truth of God” as it goes “forth boldly, nobly, and independent.”


The Church began its first decade with only a few members. Despite intense opposition, 597 missionaries were called during the 1830s, and over 15,000 converts were baptized into the Church. The United States, Canada, and Great Britain were opened to the preaching of the gospel.


There were many converts during the 1840s while persecutions continued to rage against the Church and especially against the Prophet Joseph. In the midst of these difficulties and despite the great challenges of travel, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ continued to cover more of the earth through the faithful service of 1,454 missionaries called during the 1840s, and Church membership grew to more than 48,000. On June 27, 1844, the persecution of Joseph Smith culminated when he and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in the Carthage Jail.


Soon after the Martyrdom and in fulfillment of Joseph’s vision, Brigham Young and the Church began preparations to move to the Rocky Mountains. Hardship, affliction, death, and apostasy were ever present. Still, the work moved forward. In the 1850s some 705 missionaries were called to serve in areas including Scandinavia, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Hawaii. Missionary work also began in such diverse parts of the world as India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, South Africa, and the West Indies.


Among faithful converts from Scandinavia and Britain baptized during the decade of the 1850s were those who suffered and died, on land and on the seas, as they journeyed to join with the Saints here in the Rocky Mountains.


In 1875 the first seven missionaries were called to Mexico, and the work there flourished even amidst revolution and other challenges. And it was just four years ago, in 2004, that the Church reached the milestone of one million members in Mexico.


The faith of the Saints was tested in every footstep as Brigham Young led them to build temples and establish more than 350 colonies in the West. By the time Brigham Young died in 1877, worldwide Church membership had grown to more than 115,000. Despite all of the persecution, the truth of God was indeed going forth boldly and nobly.


Time does not allow a detailed review of the growth of the Church during the next few decades. But it should be noted that during the 40-year period from 1890 to 1930, while the Church and its doctrine were still under public attack, Elder Reed Smoot was elected to the United States Congress and had to fight to be seated. A great deal was said of the Church and its teachings during that time—much of it hurtful and directed towards President Joseph F. Smith and other Church leaders. However, some newspaper articles began to speak of members of the Church as contributing citizens and good people.


On September 3, 1925, President Heber J. Grant announced that the Church would begin missionary work in South America. Following the Lord’s pattern for taking the restored gospel to all nations, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—my paternal grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard—was sent, with others, to South America to dedicate the land for the preaching of the gospel.


On Christmas morning of 1925 in Argentina, Elder Ballard dedicated the South American countries and started missionary work. Before leaving the following July, he prophesied: “The work of the Lord will grow slowly for a time here just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day as does the sunflower that grows quickly and then dies. But thousands will join the Church here. It will be divided into more than one mission and will be one of the strongest in the Church. The work here is the smallest that it will ever be” (in Melvin R. Ballard, Melvin J. Ballard: Crusader for Righteousness [1966], 84).


Anyone familiar with the growth of the Church in South America knows the fulfillment of that prophecy. Today, Brazil alone has over one million members.


During the four decades from 1930 to 1970, more than 106,000 missionaries were called to serve worldwide. Church membership increased fourfold, to over 2,800,000. More than one million new members were added just during the 1960s. By 1970 missionaries were serving in 43 nations and 9 territories. During this 40-year period, the South American nations of Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela were opened to missionary work. In Central America, servants of the Lord unlocked the nations of Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In Asia, major new efforts began to bear fruit in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Philippines.


None of this was easy. Challenges, obstacles, and persecution accompanied every attempt to take “the truth of God” into every continent and country so that it could “sound . . . in every ear.” Still, we moved forward in faith; challenges were met, and obstacles were overcome.
President Spencer W. Kimball asked members of the Church to lengthen their stride in spreading the gospel and sharing gospel truth. He asked every stake in the world to increase the number of missionaries, and he led the Church into using media to help convey our message to hundreds of millions of people throughout the earth.


During his 12 years as President of the Church, nearly 200,000 missionaries served full-time missions. Worldwide Church membership almost doubled, and the number of stakes nearly tripled. Missionary work was opened or reopened in many countries, and the miracle of conversion was happening in many lands despite every adversarial attempt to thwart the Lord’s work or discourage the Lord’s workers.


A little more than two decades have passed since the end of President Kimball’s mortal ministry. During that period of time we have experienced unprecedented prominence in the worldwide community of faith. Probably not coincidentally, we have also experienced unprecedented ideological attacks on our people, our history, and our doctrine through the media.


And yet the Church continues to grow. Membership has more than doubled again—from 5.9 million in 1985 to more than 13 million today. And last year the one millionth missionary to serve during this dispensation was called.


Now, my brothers and sisters, my purpose in this brief review of Joseph’s prophetic vision of the destiny of this Church and its literal fulfillment through the decades is to remind us of this simple truth:

“The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.


“For God doth not walk in crooked paths, . . . neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.


“Remember . . . that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men” (D&C 3:1–3).


God has spoken through His prophet and announced to the world that “the Standard of Truth has been erected” and that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.” That is undeniably and indisputably true. We have seen it for ourselves, in decade after decade, from the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith to the time of President Thomas S. Monson. Persecutions have raged. Calumny and lies and misrepresentation have attempted to defame. But in every decade from the time of the Restoration forward, the truth of God has gone “forth boldly, nobly, and independent.” The little Church that started in 1830 with just a handful of members has now grown to more than 13 million Latter-day Saints in many different nations around the world, and we are well on our way to penetrating every continent, visiting every clime, sweeping every country, and sounding in every ear.


This is God’s work, and God’s work will not be frustrated. But there is still much to be done before the Great Jehovah can announce that the work is done. While we praise and honor those faithful Saints who have brought us to this point of public prominence, we cannot afford, my brothers and sisters, to be comfortable or content.


We are all needed to finish the work that was begun by those pioneering Saints over 175 years ago and carried out through the subsequent decades by faithful Saints of every generation. We need to believe as they believed. We need to work as they worked. We need to serve as they served. And we need to overcome as they overcame.


Of course, our challenges are different today, but they are no less demanding. Instead of angry mobs, we face those who constantly try to defame. Instead of extreme exposure and hardship, we face alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, all kinds of filth, sleaze, greed, dishonesty, and spiritual apathy. Instead of families being uprooted and torn from their homes, we see the institution of the family, including the divine institution of marriage, under attack as groups and individuals seek to define away the prominent and divine role of the family in society.


This is not to suggest that our challenges today are more severe than the challenges faced by those who have gone before us. They are just different. The Lord isn’t asking us to load up a handcart; He’s asking us to fortify our faith. He isn’t asking us to walk across a continent; He’s asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn’t asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He’s asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn’t asking us to die a martyr’s death; He’s asking us to live a disciple’s life.


This is a great time to live, brothers and sisters, and it is up to us to carry on the rich tradition of devoted commitment that has been the hallmark of previous generations of Latter-day Saints. This is not a time for the spiritually faint of heart. We cannot afford to be superficially righteous. Our testimonies must run deep, with spiritual roots firmly embedded in the rock of revelation. And we must continue to move the work forward as a covenanted, consecrated people, with faith in every footstep, “till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” That it may be so for us is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

KOA Halloween 2008

Halloween at KOA in Monterey Park. From left to right: Me (vampire victim), Edward Okitsu (Ozzy fan), Guiseppe Canzioneri (pirate), Veronica Martinez (hippie), Steve Trinh (goofy), Emma Sorto (gypsy), Juan Gutierrez (batman), Vicki Yan (Chinese lady).

Management brought in a nice sandwich and salad lunch from Subway with pies from Marie Callendar's for dessert. Everyone voted on the best costumes. There were gift certificates given to the costume contest winners. The pirate won a deserved top prize.

A fun day at work.

Exercise Your Franchise

I voted last night and slipped my absentee ballot into the mail this morning. It made me feel good to get it done. This election has seemed a little wilder than most - but then sometimes I think we have selective memory about these things. It will be interesting to see the outcome next week.

I first voted in a Presidential Election when I was away at college. That's a lot of elections ago. We live in a great country. Be involved in the process!

Happy Halloween from ME and Emily Cat

Happy Birthday to ME!

I had the best birthday weekend! It started with a friend coming by on Friday night. Deonne surprised me with a handmade birthday card and lots of chocolate (always the right size, always the right color) She stayed and visited with me and Emily. It was a very pleasant evening.

Then, on Saturday, my actual birthday (the 18th) I got a phone call from my niece, Linnea. That was so thoughtful of her. It was great hearing her voice. I also got to talk to Merlene. I then had a real treat when Vicki, Jana and her husband Randi came to pick me up for lunch at

at the Whittwood Mall. Ruby's diner is one of my favorite places! We had hamburgers and ice cream and the waitresses sang to me! It was fun. I'm not always crazy about hamburgers, but their Hickory Burger is the bomb. We ate way too much, shared parmesan fries and talked and talked.

After leaving there, Vicki and I went shopping. It's so nice to be able to walk around without pain! I find I still get tired easily, and my asthma was bothering me, but I was able to do almost all the walking I wanted to, trooping through Best Buy and Target. What a joy! Then, I drove over to Barb Wagner's house for a get-together with part of the "gang". Lisa, Elaine and Maura joined us and we all went to

for dinner. Lisa just loves Pumpkin Pancakes which are in season now, so we made sure she got plenty of whipped cream and pancakes. To my surprise, they picked up the tab for me and wished me a Happy Birthday! Then we went over to Barb's house for a rousing gin rummy-type card game called 3-13. It was such a pleasant day. The group was going to play "9 in the Hole" but I had to leave, smiling, at 9 p.m. - early because our church starts at 9 a.m. and I still needed to work on my lesson for the Young Women of our ward.

On Sunday the Young Women all wished me a happy birthday. We have some newbies into the program, so my class was full - there were 8 girls instead of the usual 2 or 3! Talk about giggling cuties. They make me laugh.

I enjoyed church services, had a nice Sunday afternoon nap, and received nice calls from Dianna Lynn and Roxie, then Peggy came by bringing salad, soda and strawberry birthday cake!

Soon, there was a knock at the door, and a delivery guy delivered pizza from Papa Johns!

So, we had a great time eating pizza - and I even got real fancy candles on my birthday cake! Then Peggy very kindly hooked up my new DVD player for me. (My old one just died and I had just purchased a replacement). It's so hard for me to do because you have to get down on your hands and knees to get at all the plugs. Peggy did a great job and it was up and running in no time! So, of course, we had to play a movie - just to make sure it worked. I chose to see "P.S., I Love You", which I really enjoy. No doubt because it has Gerard Butler in it!

What a nice birthday weekend. It almost made up for being older than dirt this year. Still, I figure anyone who has so many sweet friends - people willing to buy you lunch to celebrate with you on your birthday - is very blessed and rich indeed. How lucky I am!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Daddy at 82 - October 14, 2008. This was thoughtfully taken by one of the caregiver/owners of the Golden Age home where Daddy resides. I sent him the edible bouquet. Looks pretty good!

My Secret Life

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

As thy days shall demand, so thy succor shall be

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you

He hath said,You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;

In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;

At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,

As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all

My people shall prove

My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;

And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,

Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to its foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Today is my father's 82nd birthday. He got to have cake yesterday and he's celebrating today as well. Even so, I doubt it registers with him. He'll enjoy it for the 2 seconds his brain is able to process it, then forget it again. In July when I last saw him, I wasn't sure he'd make it to his birthday, but here it's October 14th and, by golly, he made it!

So, here's to the last weeks/months of a good person's life. Happy Birthday, Daddy, you are a good man and a kind father. May your last bit of time here on earth be as happy and pleasant as possible. Enjoy that angel food cake and the root beer! And God Bless you!

Reunicon 2008

Reunicon - we have the technology!

More Reunicon 2008 Pictures

At Knott's in Buena Park, Steve and Scott
Steve, Scott and Robin at the hotel in Buena Park, California

Patricia, Mark and Jill discussing topics of great social and scientific import...

Me, Scott and Robin at the Newport Beach Temple at dusk. There are lots of little bunny rabbits who live on the grounds and are very cute! Who knew?

Scott and Patricia at Po' Folks. Scott appears to be 'peeling his face', a decades old tradition, to annoy an unsuspecting Patricia.

Gird Up Your Loins!

The new, 2009 Dollar bill:

Reunicon 2

When the fun is just too much - Scott snoozing.
Jill, Scott, Brenda, Patricia, Mark, Me, Steve, Lisa, Robin (above)

Above: Me, Steve, Scott, Jill and Robin at Knott's.

Above: Robin, Steve, Scott, the Princess from Medieval Times, Mr. Boege, Elaine

I love my friends. I have lots of them. But the ones I love best are the crazy ones who make me laugh. Jill, Patricia, Robin, Brenda, Elaine, Steve, Scott, Mark, Lisa and I got together over the weekend of September 26-28 in Buena Park for a lovely gab fest. It included lots of going out to restaurants and talking talking talking. We also had a lovely trip to see the Newport Temple and view the ocean (it whispers to Scott... don't ask.) I can't remember laughing so much in years. When you got off the elevator on the 6th floor of the hotel, you just had to follow the noise to find us! I sure hope we didn't ruin anyone else's vacations!

It was especially nice to see Patricia, Scott and Steve who flew and drove in from faraway places, like Snoqualmie, Washington; Indianapolis, Indiana and Scottsdale, Arizona. We missed some people who couldn't make it, but it was great catching up with the people who did. Most of the time I masquerade as a responsible adult. It was fun to be silly again.

We did Knott's chicken dinner, Medieval Times, and Po' Folks, too.

It was particularly good to see Patricia, whose sister passed away on the morning of the 26th. I was so happy to be able to give her a big hug in person.

Friends are so important in life. I'm lucky to have some of the best friends in the world.

September Song

It seems this year is just chugging on by so fast! I can't believe we're

well into September. My mother would have been 83 tomorrow, the 17th. It doesn't seem possible she will have been gone 31 years as of October 11th. Time flies. I was 18, blinked twice and now I'm well past 50. There are so many things I still want to do and see and I feel time just slipping on by.

I was looking at pictures of the devastation left behind from

Hurricane Ike and it really hit me how fragile life is. You can have

your world turned upside down in the space of hours - or minutes!

Legacy

From Left to Right: Kenneth Maloy, William E. Wells, Jay Evensen, Paul Maloy.




















Ever have a truly terrific teacher? One that really made a difference in your life? Bill Wells was that guy for many of us who passed through the portals of the East Phoenix area's Longview Elementary School in the 60s and 70s.

Mr. Wells made it cool to play an instrument and participate in band or orchestra. So cool, in fact, that little Longview Elementary's marching band played in the major parades - we're talking Fiesta Bowl, etc - and did so because they earned their place there! The school's auditorium was eventually renamed the William E. Wells Auditorium. It's still standing. However, the old Longview school was torn down some years ago and rebuilt in a rather awful, multi-story, boxlike "improvement". The Osborn school system, back in the day, got excellent funding from the Central Avenue business corridor tax money. Now, there is no funding for these inner city schools, no music program and no people of Bill Wells' ilk to carry on the banner. Longview School's music program produced a fair amount of professional musicians, and a lot of us just regular folks, too, who had the opportunity to learn and perform and grow under Mr. Wells' enthusiastic baton.

My brother Jay had a chance to see Mr. Wells again recently. The man is well into his 80s now (we had thought he was dead!) and still full of stories and life.

We need more 'Mr. Wells' in the world.

When the cell phones take over, there will be no more...

Time's Champion

Time's Champion is an un-authorized novel based upon a story by the late author Craig Hinton and completed by his friend Chris McKeon.

Chris McKeon happens to be a fellow whose parents are in my ward. In fact, his dad was my Bishop once upon a time and his grandparents are good friends of mine. His mom was bragging on him the other day, and that was the first I'd heard about his writing. I knew he was into science fiction before his mission - we'd gotten into a real deep conversation regarding Star Wars once in the hallway at church and at the time ended up missing Sunday School completely - but I didn't know he was into Dr. Who, or that he was a writer.

The story is a thematic sequel to Hinton's earlier Millennial Rites and The Quantum Archangel, and to The Trial of a Time Lord. Published as an unauthorised publication with all profits going to the British Heart Foundation (a charity chosen by Hinton's family).
In 2000 an American writer and fan of Doctor Who Chris McKeon submitted a story to Big Finish Productions, known as 'The Seventh Door' exploring elements of Remembrance of the Daleks and featured revelations concerning the Valeyard and the Seventh Doctor, this story was rejected by Big Finish. Undeterred McKeon continued to work on another story featuring the Valeyard and began to investigate other authors who had successfully written stories featuring the Valeyard.

While investigating previous authors' efforts to feature the Valeyard, McKeon discovered Hinton's novels and the two met online in Doctor Who forums to discuss the Valeyard. This correspondence led to McKeon learning of Hinton's intent to write a novel Time's Champion for the BBC Past Doctor Adventures, which was to feature both the Sixth Doctor's regeneration and the origins of the Valeyard.

However in 2004 the novel was rejected by the BBC. After this decision McKeon returned to his earlier (rejected) Valeyard story concepts in the hope of eventual publication, but when he told Hinton of this, Hinton instead gave McKeon permission to complete Time's Champion itself, with the goal of working together to finish the draft for an unofficial online presentation. Before, during and after this period, Hinton and McKeon developed a strong friendship over discussing their ideas (and met personally at the 2005 GallifreyOne convention in Los Angeles), and when Hinton died on 3rd December 2006, McKeon progressed by himself, determined to complete the novel in his friend's memory.

Upon Craig Hinton's death, McKeon announced his position as the co-author of Time's Champion (Hinton had previously mentioned online that he was working with another, anonymous author). Within days, McKeon was contacted by Simon Guerrier, editor of the Bernice Summerfield audio adventures at Big Finish, who expressed his interest in attempting to publish the book through the company's Short Trips anthologies. Guerrier, however, informed McKeon that the chances of clearing the book's publication with the BBC were slim, and indeed this did not materialise. However, almost immediately after, McKeon was also contacted by David Howe, owner of Telos Publishing, a publishing company which had, until 2004, produced Doctor Who novellas and later the spin-off series Time Hunter. Howe offered McKeon the chance to publish Time's Champion as an unofficial work, using Telos' printing facilities to produce the novel (though not as a Telos Publishing book), whose profits would go to the British Heart Foundation (a charity chosen by Hinton's family, as the author had died of a heart attack). Howe himself offered to serve as the book's editor.

McKeon accepted the opportunity and continued to complete the novel. In February 2007, Howe and McKeon met at the GallifreyOne convention to discuss preliminary publication details. On August 27, 2007, McKeon completed the text's first draft, which came out at 170,477 words. This, when examined by Howe, proved to be too large and very shortly thereafter McKeon went to work on the second draft with the goal to cut the word count to 90,000 words. This second attempt he completed on December 27, 2007, albeit with approximately 115,000 words. Howe began to edit this draft over in early 2008, and on February 10, 2008, McKeon received the edited third draft of Time's Champion, coming in at about 103,000 words. This text he subsequently re-read (at Howe's suggestion during their meeting at the 2008 GallifreyOne convention), to which he made some final revisions. This fourth draft was returned to Howe for final editing. Howe then submitted this draft gto an independent reader for further alterations. By late March, this draft had been completed and turned over to another reader for a final read-through and opinion. On July 6th, 2008, the completed text and a cover drawn by renowned Doctor Who artist Alister Pearson were turned in for final publication, and the novel was released on July 21, 2008.

Anyway, I just had to post this as I'm pea-green with envy that he's gotten this great opportunity. Exterminate! Exterminate! (Just kidding. I think!)

I knew this...

My Chinese Name

This is my Chinese Name: Marianne 玛丽安 (Mǎ lì ān)

A Little Known Olympic Event

I will admit I stayed up way too late on Saturday night just to see Phelps win his eighth gold medal. It's been a lot of fun watching Dara Torres, too. I don't like the coverage, though. In my area it starts so darn late and then you never can get to bed on time!

Happy Graduation!

Congratulations are in order for my nephew, Daniel, who graduates today from BYU! Way to go, Daniel!