Mind of his own...

JT has started picking out his own clothes lately. On one hand it is pretty funny because he rarely ever matches, his shirt, pants and socks. On the other hand, he picks out expensive clothes! I don't own anything from Lucky Brand and JT has Lucky Brand t-shirts.

JT always wants to wear his Cat in the Hat shirt:


We had to represent the homeland:JT loves Curious George:

Aunty Dawn...

Aunty Dawn has Thursday's off and this Thursday she hung out with her favorite nephew. Thursday is also trash day so JT gets to 'spy' on the trashman picking up trash.

Grandpa and his customized "Jack in the Box".

Boy, I bet you Friday workers will be jealous seeing this picture of JT at Venice beach:

Only thing missing is a lounge chair and a corona beer.

Nap time:
Oh-no...all day with Aunty....save me!

Jack says, "Thank you-welcome"...for taking me to the beach!

Maid of Honor...

Ron, I hope this movie does well so you can make lots of money in royalities. I had no idea you sold your Maid of Honor story to the studios.

I just saw the trailer to your life story:




Well, I guess you embellished a little bit since you didn't qualify as Maid of Honor but being a bridesmaid is just as close.

Sascha's Birthday...

Sascha came down last weekend to celebrate his birthday and he had specific requests for creme puffs and cake. I asked if he wanted writing and Sascha didn't care...so that left it up to me to select the writing.

Cake #1:

Followed by the old standby, Cake #2:

JT got more attention over the weekend as JT was able to play with Sascha and Melissa all weekend.

All together again...

I'm back! I just didn't feel like doing any updates last week. Last weekend Sascha and Melissa flew down from SF for the weekend. It was the first time Stewart, Dan, Oscar, Payal, Sascha and I were all together since January 2007.

We met up for dim sum but things got chaotic with kids running around so I didn't get pictures of everyone.

Stewart and Genie:
Grace and PJ: JT, Sascha and Oscar:

Router and Aya

Last week I came home and my router test light was on. I reset the router, powered it back on and NOTHING. Crapsters my router went out. Oh well, lately I have only been using 1 of my 3 computers. Go figure that once the router goes out the following things happen:

1. The guys at work want to play Call of Duty4. I don't want to switch my internet connection from my home pc to my gaming machine every night;

2. Work wanted me to work from home...again I don't want to be changing my connections from one PC to the other;

3. Sascha came to stay with me and him and his wife need internet access for their laptops;

4. My business partners want me to make a file server, steal my bandwidth and host a central repository on our work machine.

Now I have 4 pcs, one internet connection....so I need a router. It has been a pain in the butt to get the router configured. I have 'borrowed' several routers, so each time I have to look up the make and model. Get the password, get the user id and then test it. I even called TimeWarner to help me and they couldn't help me! ARGH. Finally, I had some time tonight and I finally got the router configured!

I am back in business, online a home, ready on 3 of the 4 pcs as I just don't feel like make a file server right now.

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I bought another LA Zoo membership pack. As a present I got a free 'plush' purple gorilla. JT doesn't really like stuffed animals. He will hold it, throw it around, look at it and then he is done. However he calls the purple gorilla, "MOM". Honest. I didn't teach him that either.

Aya hasn't been home a lot and recently he grabbed the gorilla, looked at Aya, looked at the gorilla and said, "MOM!"

Needless to say Aya doesn't like being a purple, hairy gorilla but JT thinks it is the funniest thing to call the Gorilla mom! I love it!!

Aya and MS Paint...

After I crushed Jenny in the Ninja drawing contest last week, Aya decided to try her hand at using MS Paint and I got this at work: ....YODA! Too funny. Not only is this a fairly good drawing of Yoda in a minute of less, but this was Aya's first time using MS Paint. I think there might be a series of challenges coming up now!

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Yoko update: Things are going well right now. Aya's mom is eating more now. She is actually kind of picky about what she wants to eat and how good things do or do not taste. I suppose that is good. She is back to watching her Korean dramas on a portable DVD player thanks to yours truly (yes, I know I am great). The more surprising news is that Yoko was able to walk using a cane this week.

Okay so let me clarify "walk". It isn't that way you or I walk and the cane isn't a sporty pimp cane, but it is one of those 4 prong handicapped canes and she walked down the hallway and it took some time. The silver lining is that she was able to stand and walk. Her physical therapist was on vacation last week and when she came back she was surprised at how much progress she made in just one week!

In addition, Yoko is able to move and lift her leg. She can also lift her arm and has started trying to write. While it all seems obvious and easy most of all these actions take concentration so Yoko isn't doing of these things easily just yet. Hopefully she will continue to get stronger and these actions will become like second nature again.

She has a checkup with her neurologist next week so hopefully her brain gets a clean bill of health.

Marie Digby...

I have now taken my second picture in the last 15 months of the UMG product meeting. My first picture was with the country group Carter's Chord and this time I took a picture with Marie Digby.

Usually, I don't know the artists that are coming in. However with Marie Digby her "Umbrella" video on YouTube has been pretty popular the past month. I also saw her on MySpace so I was at least aware of her...but I didn't know she was on one of our labels that UMG distributes. She was much better live and in person than on YouTube.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sister! We went out to Sakura's for dinner last night to celebrate my sisters birthday:

When we came home Aya said, "Did you know that I met your sister when she was still in high school? Man, I feel old." I replied, "You feel old, I've known my sister her entire life!"

And our year is over...

And so our basketball quest to become the best has come to an end. We played a young, athletic team this morning and just didn't have enough to pull out a victory. We were a step slow, didn't get the loose balls and didn't make the clutch shots down the stretch. We still played well but not well enough to beat the better team. And so it ends.

When it comes to sports I am very superstitious. Since our winning streak and playoffs I have worn the same clothes to the games (I am not Ron so, I have been washing them). I have been doing the same warm up routine. I have taken the same type/flavor of drink. I have chewed the same brand/flavor of gum. I haven't cut my toe nails nor have I gotten a haircut.

Just like our winning streak but routine was also changed up. My haircut was changed from Saturday to Sunday....so I got a haircut. Since the day changed, I had to go before my game which rushed a bit and got me out of my routine. I didn't have my same breakfast, I didn't get my same rest time and I didn't run as much as I normally do before my game because JT wanted to run with me and while it was fun to do father-son stuff it wasn't the best focal point for me to get ready.

To make matters worse, I realized when I was leaving the gym that I forgot to chew gum in warmups and get a new piece before the game. I completely forgot and left my gum in the car. I suppose it didn't matter as last week I took the last piece of gum from the pack...so new packs aren't always "lucky".

I suppose the only thing I didn't do was cut my nails...which I finally cut after the game. It was like having claws. So "YES" you could say I am superstitious about keeping my winning ways.

Normally, I am really upset about losing and I am happy about retiring. This season has been a tough season but a fun season. So much fun that I have decided that I won't quit and I think I will start getting ready physically for next season (provided my list of demands are met by Ron and Jeff).

We were so close to the finals this year I could almost taste it. Even though I was lucky enough to be on a southern california championship team we lost to the northern cali championship team I just wanted a shot at redemption. Hopefully I have enough for one more run next year.

It's our anniversary...

9 years ago today Aya and I got married. It doesn't seem like it was 9 years ago. Aya and I went to Cafe Del Rey to dinner. We went there the night I proposed so every year since then we have gone back to celebrate our anniversary.

I know, a lot of you think, "I don't know how Aya has put up with you for 9 years". Jerks. At least come up with something new...but I was wondering about that question today. I realized that Aya doesn't really have to put up with me....I am a GREAT catch...so if anything it has been 9 years of *ME* having to deal with Aya!

I suppose in either scenario it has been me and Aya for the past 9 years. Some ups, some downs but overall we have been very lucky and fortunate these past 9 years. In fact, we are already talking about making plans to celebrate our 10th anniversary with something special. (I said someTHING not someONE so there is no 2nd kid on the way)

For now, we are celebrating the fact that we were able to do some shopping after dinner. I played some video games (where I got to yell and scream at the tv without worry of what I say or how loud I say it). Aya and I watched the Laker game and Tivo and best of all...I mean BEST OF ALL is that tonight I won't have to worry about Jack waking me up in the middle of the night asking to come into bed and then using my face as his pillow.

Happy Anniversary!

And then there were four...

For the past two years, I have been trying to "retire" from basketball. I felt as though I had better things to do then to play basketball and lose. For me I was only having fun when I was winning...anything else was just a waste of time. Not every league we play in has that 'sense' of urgency to win, but every January there is one league that is all about pride. Playing in this league is worth coming out of retirement...because you play in this league to win.

I don't know why this league is more intense. I want to win every league I play but this league is different. At the end of the season the top 16 teams from the various divisions get seeded into a single elimination tournament...like our own version of March Madness.

This year my team started the season very poorly. We dropped the first two games and things did not look good. We came together as a team and ended up near the top of our division. We drew the #8 seed in the tournament. It was such a relief to just make playoffs!

We won our first game against the #9 seeded team by 20+ points. What did we get for our efforts? We got to take on the #1 seed...and without our best player Jeff. Luckily, we continued our winning ways and beat down the #1 seed by 20 points.

We play again this Sunday and the winner advances to the Southern California finals. I have been lucky enough to play in the So. Cal vs No. Cal finals once before, but this time it is different.

Last time I was a role player on superstar team. This time, I am still a role player but we don't have a superstar team. Everyone has to do there share for us to win and play well. We don't have any one guy that can carry us an entire game. 3 months ago I didn't think we would even have a shot at the playoffs and now we are 1 game out from the finals. I love the competition and the intensity in our games now. This is why I like playing basketball.

The maddness...

March Maddness is over...

....and I am the winner!!! I picked Kansas in my big money NCAA pool, so I picked up a nice chuck of change!

In hindsight, I think I would have won ALL three of the pools I entered. The day the tournament started I realized I have Kansas in all 3 of my pools. I suppose I got nervous or chickened out so I changed 2 of the 3 final four teams to UNC, Kansas and UCLA. In all 3 pools I didn't have Memphis in the finals.

In my heart, I wanted UCLA to win as they are my favorite team. My second favorite team is UNC but I just did not think they would win it all. This year I made my decision based on just winning my NCCA pool. In all my pools almost everyone had UNC and UCLA winning so my Kansas pick was a sure deal if they won it all.

Just before the game started I was reading the LA Times and this was my horoscope for yesterday:

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You're doing the work it takes to be great.

Ninja Contest...

Jenny who went to Mexico to lounge around and take 3-4 days to draw her Ninja has officially made it a contest:

http://jenjenkay.blogspot.com/

Log a comment to vote on who drew the better Ninja.

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What a different one week makes! Aya's mom is doing a lot better. She has continued to eat and do therapy. She is cooperating a lot more now and is actively participating in her therapy. She can now move her right arm and leg. She has to concentrate to move it and it moves slowly but she can move it. Her voice is getting stronger and she is alert a lot longer.

Hopefully she continue this progress and this work/therapy ethic.

Ninja-Style..

In past entries I have written about Aya trying to be stealthy like a ninja and she never is...the other day at work I was just thinking about her and drew a portrait of Aya in Office Paint.

This was our phone conversation. I have caller ID on my work phone and I see Aya calling me:

Miles: What's up ugly!

Aya: Oh, I will call you back.

Miles: WAIT! Why did you call me if you were just going to say I will call you back??

Aya: I thought you said you were busy.

Miles: What?

Aya: Did you say, "What's up ugly?"

Miles: Yes. How does that sound like, "I am busy?"

Aya: I dunno.

This is what I have to deal with on a daily basis. Lately, Aya is on this big kick to call me and leave messages. She thinks she is calling and leaving a message on my cell phone but she is calling my work phone when she knows I am already at home! Grrr.