The L.A. Dime

Here’s a few pictures. Tina looking like the Buddha as she sits on the guest bed working on Sophia’s scrapbook. And then a belly shot from 39 weeks.

So there’s this list of things I want to do in my life. I completed one last year — finishing a marathon, and am soon to begin another — fatherhood. Among the many items remaining on the list are surfing, being good at chess, going to Australia and Ireland, reading a story on NPR, and now this.

These are two words I heard in one sports radio talk segment concerning the Michael Vick case. While I’m not fanatical, I like animals, and I believe what Vick and his cohorts did is despicable, disgusting, cruel, and inhumane. But hearing those two words relating to his dog-fighting ring only confirms America’s passion for hyperbole and sensation. Columbine and Virginia Tech were atrocities. Murdering your wife and child for an insurance settlement is heinous. Perhaps I’m arguing semantics, but I feel some perspective is due here. Yes, he’s a bad man who’s done bad things. Hopefully he’ll do his time. But if Vick were a postal carrier, it may not have even made the national news, and no one would be using this exaggerated tone to describe his crimes.

I support NFL Commissioner Goodell’s hard-line stance on player behavior. And he was right to suspend Vick indefinitely. But I don’t believe Vick can or should be denied the opportunity to play again by the league. IF there is a team willing to deal with the chaos his presence will create on the field and in the community, then, by all means, he should be given the opportunity to work. That’s one mighty big “if,” though.

Short of a missing locking bolt for the crib, which is currently in transit from Taiwan, the Nursery is now fully operational, with special thanks to my Mom and Jan, and to Vicki for making our beautiful curtains. Resting in the crib, keeping it warm, is Ernie. Sitting on the glider is Bobo. The shot of Tina and I is following our first purchase of Dreft, and the first washing of our special onsies designed by family and friends.

we are so very fortunate to have our family and friends plan not one, not two, but three showers for our little Sophie!! Each one was unique and special….read on for my favorite moments from each:Shower # 1 – Hosted by Saundra and Me-Me; having family and long-time friends help celebrate our happiness over the soon-to-arrive little one, every guest creating their very own onesie for Sophie, the poem/message from Sophie (courtesy of proud Grandma Saundra), the large & very tasty selection of foods, the jungle/safari cake and just plain being with everyone that Brad and I love (and miss) so dearly.

Shower # 2 – Hosted by Lupita, Chong, Kelley and Laurie; the “Welcome Sophia” banner that everyone signed with a message, the fun games (the video of Brad carrying a water balloon between his knees almost makes me pee my pants!), all the tasty treats (including that fabulous home-made cake) and all the cute safari animals used for decorations that we got to bring home and now live in the nursery.

Shower # 3 – Hosted by Faleena and Kelly; the hand-made & absolutely adorable invitations, the games (boy, who knew having a friend put a diaper on me would get so personal), watching everyone create onesies that are truly one-of-a-kind, and a super-yummy & beautifully decorated cake from Porto’s.

Brad and I feel so incredibly blessed to have all of you along for this journey. It’s been a long 1.5 years, and you all have been there through the joy, the pain and now the joy again. We couldn’t image doing this without each of you. Whether it’s an encouraging hug, a sweet card, a gift, an offer to cook or babysit or just sharing in our joy — you all are the very best and we thank you so very much for everything, from the bottom of our hearts.

Our official due date of September 8th is only 3 short weeks away but our doctor seems to think that it could be any day now. Little Sophie is about 7 pounds now and her head’s been “down” for a few weeks now. The nursery is all set and even though you can never be truly prepared/ready for this adventure, I do feel like Brad and I have done all we can to be as ready as we’ll ever be. We often talk about what she’ll look like, what her personality will be like, and how we’ll handle the sleep-deprived days. Nevertheless, the car seat is installed, the hospital bag is packed, the various routes to the hospital have been planned out (based on time of day and day of week), the list of people to call is ready, and the diapers are ready to be used.

Brad has been practicing swaddling (although I guess it’s a little different with a baby than a stuffed animal), and I am just so lucky to have someone like him who is not only super excited, but always so extremely thoughtful and helpful with whatever my current crisis might entail.

I’m feeling pretty good, although the heat is a bummer. My feet are a bit swollen and standing up sure is fun, but overall, I’m pretty lucky with how I’ve felt for the most part of these last 6 months.

Ok then, so the final countdown is on…keep your phones on as we’ll be calling when there’s news to report!

…my very oldest and best friend finally came to visit me in LA!! Yes, Kelly Z. left her 3 adorable girls in the wonderful hands of their dad and grandmothers, so she could enjoy a 4-day get-away to the hot west coast. Although it certainly wasn’t under the best circumstances (our beloved Me-Me had just passed away), we tried our hardest to enjoy the sites, while continuing to remember her throughout each day.

I showed her all the usual touristy sites (Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica), but we also added the Warner Bros. Studio tour which was pretty cool. Most of all though, we just enjoyed having time to really catch up and share what’s been happening in each other’s lives. My two favorite moments of the trip were probably getting the same Henna tatoos (yes, we’re still in 7th grade!!) and having a little girl in Beverly Hills ask us if we’d like to buy a lemonade for $ .50!!! Worst part – getting sunburned on the beach.

Kelly was my first friend when I moved to the US in 1989, and actually came up to me in the lunchroom at Connor Middle School to ask if I’d like to sit with her and her friends. I will never forget that moment as it was my first day out of the comforting ESL class I had been a part of until that moment. Since then, we’ve managed to remain close through different high schools, colleges, and now 3,000 miles. We still talk on the phone at least once every week, and the post office is making a bundle on the cards we mail to each other frequently.

I have always been one to prefer fewer, but deeper friendships and I am proud to know that Kelly has been there with me through it all. To have someone who knows you so well and understands you so well is truly a gift. I actually have two people like that in my life — my husband is the other – and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to welcome Kelly to my LA home and show her our LA life.

Been lots of Kentuckians infiltrating L.A. of late, including Lexington’s Vice-Mayor, Jim Gray, who had dinner with Tina and I at Lucques last week. It’s fine dining to be sure, but not so hip and dripping in image consciousness as to be off-putting like many of L.A.’s more pricey establishments. And to be honest, it’s not all that pricey considering the atmosphere and excellent food. I had duck. Tina had chicken. We both found the heirloom tomatoes to be the best part of the meal.

A week or so before that, we joined a posse of friends to see Wicked at the Pantages theater. We ate at The Velvet Margarita before the show. It was disappointing. I’ve had better tamales from Trader Joe’s freezer, and our friends Mark and Nancy had to go to their favorite Mexican restaurant a few days later to eat some good molé in order to get The Velvet’s bad molé out of their system. Not worth the wait or the money.

Wicked: loved a lot of the music, adored the performers, thought Winnie Holzman’s dialogue was fantastic, but there were many aspects of the story that just didn’t make sense to me. Some musical-lover friends of mine claimed that story is always subverted to character and spectacle in such productions, and in this case, their notion definitely holds true. I will say, though, that the idea for an Oz behind-the-scenes, having come from a novel, of course, is almost as brilliant as a school for Wizards. FYI — Potter #7, not so good. Average. But I understand. She’s tired from counting all that $.

Our friend, JT, recently sent me a link from The LAist about a wonderful Japanese Garden right here in Van Nuys. Mom and I went today, and it’s gorgeous. Water, fish, bonsai, sunshine, grottos, etc…. You’d almost forget you were in the middle of a large city if it weren’t for the airplanes and the sounds of the sewage plant next door (which you can see from an observation tower in the garden — not so pretty, but surprisingly, you can’t smell much and it’s not terribly loud either). I highly recommend you pay a visit some lazy day and repose by the waterfalls contemplating life and spider webs.

Cousin Shannon Galbraith-Kent visited for a few days, enriched our lives with tales of her PhD. in Ecology and Evolution, and braved the public transportation system to take the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Yes, she took a bus. Two in fact. She lived to tell about it, and then to make her way to a conference in San Jose (by plane).