How Unlucky Can One Get?

Yesterday was the unluckiest day in my life!

I had a PTO yesterday (Friday, 3/28/25).  The sun came out and it looked like a pretty good day to relax.

Nope!  I logged into work to do some month-end stuff and ended up working the entire morning.  I was cool about it because work is work, and I still had half a day to myself.

Well, things went downhill in the afternoon.

I went grocery shopping and planned to be home early to make a nice dinner. I dropped my phone while scanning a discount code.  It dropped and landed on the bottom of the refrigerator that was full of lunch meat.  No problem, I will just pick it up.  But guess what?  My phone disappeared!!  Somehow, it just vanished right before my eyes!

I couldn't believe it. I removed all the lunch meat from where I dropped the phone to look for it.  IT WASN'T THERE!  Where can it be?  Could it fall through the grills and end up at the bottom of the refrigerator? I asked the Store Manager to help. She said there is no way to take apart the unit but she tried to pry it open to see inside.  Nope, the phone wasn't in there.  She then called my phone. It didn't ring! Oh My God!  That was the craziest thing ever.  How could the phone just disappear right in front of my eyes?

I ran home to use the "Find My Phone" to see if I could locate it.  The phone was offline.  So that meant someone had it and turned it off. How?  When?  Could it have been picked up while I was looking for the Store Manager?

I, of course, set the phone to LOST immediately and went to get a new phone (and the thought of $$$ flying away hurt).

Then guess what?  On my way to the Apple store, a car scraped my back fender while I waited at the light.   I got off the car and was pissed,  WHY NOW?

The guy first tried to deny scraping my car, then said he would pull over to exchange info.  We were in heavy traffic at the lights, and I didn't want to inconvenience others.  So I followed him.  When the light turned green, guess what?  He took off!!

I was so mad that I actually laughed out loud.  What a day!  What next?  Yes, I would have taken a photo of his car and license plate before moving my car. But, I DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE!!

Anyway, as sucky as it was, I went to the Apple store with a smile on my face.  The Apple guy was helpful and got me a new phone quickly.  However, he could not activate my phone because I have AT&T!!  He said, sorry, AT&T needs to active my phone number on the new phone,  He said there was an AT&T store two blocks down.  Two LONG blocks, I may add.  When I got there, guess what?  The AT&T store is closed permanently!  They moved!

Ugh!  What next? I took a deep breath and drove to another AT&T store. I told the AT&T guy that I had a very bad day and I needed him to make my day better.  He was empathetic and activated my phone without trying to sell me add-ons. Thank you!!

I finally got home around 6pm.  I looked at my new phone ane still could not grasp the day's events.

It was such a bad day for me, but you know what?  I look at the bright side:

1.    My iPhone is still offline. It will be a paperweight if anyone turns it on. The phone is useless to anyone other than me.

2.    The scrape on my fender was not that bad.  I probably would not file a claim anyway.  The guy who ran away will get his karma someday.  I wish him luck.

3.    I was able to restore my data on the new phone and had my life back on track.

4.    I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I toasted myself for making it through this day.

Yes, I had a miserable day yesterday, but bad luck will not bring me down.  I am still kicking today.

2020: I Came. I Fed. I Conquered.

 
I am a volunteer feral cat feeder. My assignment is feeding a feral colony in a cemetery once a month. This is my second year volunteering. Visiting a place of eternal rest takes a different meaning for me this year because I myself, faced the possibility of death.

In January, when I came here the day after being discharged from a one-week hospital stay and being tagged stage 4, I was not sure if that was my last...

In February, I came here during my most miserable time with ascites causing swelling in my abdomen and legs. It was two days after getting my port and two days before my first chemo. I had difficulty breathing yet I pushed on because I did not know if that was my last...

When I came in March, I knew it was not my last...

From April through July, I came here and saw season change. I was hopeful that I will be here for all seasons.

In August, I came four days after my surgery, and I was happy to share good news with the kitties.

In September, I came here knowing that I have kicked cancer butts and I got a new lease on life.

Life has been back to normal since October.

Today, I just want to say: I came. I fed. I conquered.

Good Bye 2018

My take on 2018: Life is like homemade yogurt:

1. Keep things simple (just need milk and active culture). 

2. Slow down and appreciate (it takes 10 hours to incubate).

3. Have fun (add whatever toppings you like).

4. Enjoy the moment (yummy and healthy).

5. Do not give up (if you fail making it, try again).

6. Be kind and generous (don’t eat all by yourself).

Thank you 2018!

Reminiscing...

Last month (February 2015), both my brothers had a chance to go back to Taiwan to visit the family.  Jason took Jennifer, Brandon, Carli and Justin for the very first time.  James and Karen went back for the first time as a married couple.

Their schedules were different but they managed to meet up and visited some relatives together.  So precious!!  Our family hasn't seen so many WUs at once for so long.

Of course, they all went back to Tainan to visit grandma's house.  That's the big old house that mom's family resides and has housed at least four generations of KO kids over time.  Mom was one of the kids.

Mom's parents had lived and raised their children in this huge house.  It was big enough to house my grandparents and their eight children (later, the addition of grandchildren at various times), employees (back in the old days, employees were live-ins) and the housekeepers.

The big house went through some built-outs as my grandparents' family grew.  The place I remember is 5 stories high (the 5th level is a roof garden) with an open terrace on each level.  The house also has three ground level courtyards.  The grandparents used to occupy the living quarter in the very back.  We had to walk through the front section of the house, the courtyard, the main living room, the second courtyard, the kitchen and dining room, another courtyard to get to their bedroom.  For a kid, it's a long way to get to grandma's room.

Oh, and I remembered for a while, the last courtyard also had a chicken coop. Grandma used to tell me to go pick up fresh eggs in the mornings so she could make me a warm glass of almond-egg-milk.

The front courtyard opens all the way to the top.  People can look down from above or scream up from below.  When people were too lazy to walk down the stairs to get something, they would lower a basket, ask the folks below to put it in then pull it up.  Yap, a rudimentary dumbwaiter for the lazies.  

This picture was taken by James from the 4th floor terrace.  Each level comes equipped with a kitchenette and bathroom.  The levels can be occupied as independent units but stairwells and hallways connect them top to bottom and front to back.  We can get to the same point from different routes.  A well thought out design. Most importantly, there are enough bathrooms, but one just had to get to one especially when in a hurry.

During summer and winter breaks, bunch of us kids would be sent to grandma's house - just like summer camps but more fun because we got spoiled!!  The kids had the whole house to explore and so many places to play hide and seek.  The house was not child proof but there was never an accident with kids running, chasing, sliding, jumping, climbing... 

The back of the house was not remodeled as much as the front end when I was a kid.  The kitchen that I remembered had an "old style" wood stove and a wood burning water heater for the bathroom in the back.  I remembered we all had to take turn manning the water heater at bath time.

I remembered meal time was always like party time.  Sleeping time was like slumber party every night.  We sometime would just gather at the court yard during hot summer afternoons for snacks and for story time with grandma or with our aunts and uncles.  It's always nice and breezing in the court yard.   Sometime, the adults would ask the street food vendors to bring their carts in.  The vendors were always happy to do so because their food cart would be cleaned out at one stop, then they could wrap up and go home for the day.  Oh, the sweet memories!!

"Going to Grandma's House!"  - Although I only got to do that every year for the first 9 years of my life - and only a few more times up to now - it is still a very special place and I still reminisce with my brothers.  I am very happy that James and Jason got to visit, and I am so glad that Brandon, Carli and Justin got to see a part of our childhood.  Jason noted that, as in tradition, Justin stuck his head between the railings just like so many of us did when we were kids.

Our grandma's house is our very own Neverland.

Hello 2014!

Time flew by too quickly.  I didn't even say good-bye to 2013 and here we are, 10 days into the brand new year.

My last post was more than two months ago.  The past two months went by like a blur.  I wasn't even ready for Christmas.  What Christmas??  I was intensively involved with the office move that I lived, breathed and dreamed about it 24/7.

Ahhh, the move...It was quite an experience.  I was volunteered the role of Project Manager.  I was a bit scared at first since I had never handled such a large scale move before, and I certainly had no idea what I was supposed to do.  But, someone had to do it... and I was that someone.

I took a deep breath and jumped into a sea of unknowns.  From overseeing the construction, finding movers, furniture vendors and other service providers, to organizing everything for 20 people to move from a 10,000 square feet office to a smaller 6,000 square feet space... and dealing with the hiccups, insurance requirement, restrictions, scheduling and the aftermath,.... man, now looking back, I had to ask myself, how the heck you did you do it, Suts?

Yes, pat me on the back please.

Everyone was impressed with the efficiency of the move.  The partners were totally blown away that they walked into a brand new office that was fully ready for operation.  All boxes put away; all systems ready to go.

That goes to show, never say you can't.  Just bite the bullet and do it.  Somehow, you will find a way to do it right.

I will face 2014 with my new found fearlessness.  I think 2014 will be an interesting year.  I can't wait to see what it will bring.

Here I come 2014, ready or not!!

Happy 2013!!

So on January 1 2012, I set off to start my project 365.  One picture a day.  Now, how hard could that be?  Well, it was harder than anticipated.  I only had taken 208 photos for the project.  Oh, and 2012 was a leap year so there were actually 366 days.

So, I didn't do well.  I had excuses but ultimately it was my own doing.  It took determination, dedication and discipline.  I didn't own it.  Oh well, what happened happened.  I just have to make sure that I don't repeat myself going forward.

Nothing is easy even if it's the simplest task if you are not determined to keep it up.

Though an incomplete project, I've learned something.  Spotting beauty around us.  Beauty is everywhere.

No, I will not try this Project 365 thing again.  Once is enough but it was a learning experience.

Happy New Year Everyone.  Make everyday count!!

Time in a Bottle

This little vodka bottle (375ml) has been in my freezer for almost 20 years.  It's a nice size for the freezer - not too big; not to small.  It fits the side door perfectly.  I got it from the DFS duty paid store for $10 and I haven't been able to find one the same size in stores elsewhere.

This little bottle fed me dinner when my mom was in acute rehab for 30 days after her brain surgery.

I would rush to the hospital to relief my dad after work every night.  I stayed with my mom until 11:30pm or so then I came home to prepare next day's lunch and dinner for my dad who would go back to the hospital to stay with my mom for the next 12 hours.

After I cooked and cleaned up, it would be about 1am or so every night.  I had no appetite and would take a shot of super chilled vodka from this little bottle then go to bed. It put me to sleep but did not supply the nutrients.  I lost over 10 pounds in 30 days.

On the last day of my mom's stay at the hospital, I toasted myself with 2 shots of vodka and kissed the bottle.  "We made it," I cheered!

My New Life Started 38 Years Ago

July 21, 1973. That was the date that my brothers and I stepped on the American soil for the very first time.

We were little kids then – younger than Brandon and Carli today. We arrived to a foreign land to start a new life. Looking back, we certainly didn’t know what life would bring us. Just like now, we don’t know where future will take us.

From a kid's perspective, we observed and had to adjust quickly as soon as we stepped out the airport. There were a lot to take in:

Woo! Look at Dad’s big Chevrolet Nova sedan! We were used to seeing smaller cars back in Taiwan. It was so cool that we could all squeeze in the back seat with room to spare. And look at all those yellow taxis!! How come they were not red like in Taiwan??

Wow! Look at that big stretch of highway. Is it called “high-way” because it’s high above the ground?  In Taiwan, cars traveled on narrow surface streets because there was no highway/freeway back then. It was amazing to feel Dad’s car traveled fast on big empty roads.

Wow! Look at that, hills in the city!! We thought it was strange that the streets of San Francisco went up and down. And look at our apartment! It was right on a slanted street!

“We’re home!” said Mom. Our first apartment was on Balboa St. and 16th Ave. It was a fourplex and we had one of the top units. The kids found the house odd. It was all wood! Narrow wood stairs with carpet. Wood floors, wood panels, wood everything... In Taiwan, our house was concrete. Hmmm… there was no ceiling light. Instead, there were floor lamps emitting a warm yellow color light. In Taiwan, we were used to bright white fluorescent ceiling light. We didn’t have floor or table lamps. I remembered that we had fun pulling the light switch repeatedly. Somehow that little dangling metal pull was fascinating.

We also thought the windows in our unit were funny. How come they stuck out and not straight? Now we know that it’s called a “Bay Window”. My brothers and I decided that we each could hog a panel and call it our own “window”.

I recalled that we were able to look out to the ocean from some of the bay windows. That was exciting too. In Taiwan, we had to drive outside the city to see the ocean because Taipei sat in a valley. We were poor city kids trapped by buildings and only got to see the ocean when our parents took us on field trips. It was refreshing even for little kids like us to see the sky meeting a flat sea at the end right from our home!!  Wow!!

The shower was a new experience for us too. In Taiwan, people took bath not shower. Bathtubs were made of concrete and usually built along with the house. You would fill the tub with water, soap and rinse outside the tub then jump in for a soak. We did not use showers. We used a bucket to splash ourselves with. For our first bath in the US, mom had to teach us to turn on the shower and stand in the tub. DON’T GET THE FLOOR WET!! I have to tell you, it was very hard for little kids to do. Taking a shower was equivalent to playing in the rain.

The biggest thing for the kids to get used to was “no running in the house”. We had to be light with our footsteps because we did not want to disturb the downstairs neighbors. We were used to live in a one-story house with concrete floors and where everything was solid and sturdy. The American house seemed so fragile!

First night in the U.S. Our first home in the US was a one-bed room apartment. So Mom and Dad converted the formal dining room to our bedroom. They got us three single beds. Wow! Our own beds!! In Taiwan, we three kids had shared one huge custom-built bed that took half of the bedroom. Yes, we were able to roll, jump and play on that bed, but we did not have our own space. This was such a treat. Our own beds!! Since I was the oldest, I got the bed next to the bay window. And following the pecking order, Jason, the youngest one, got the bed next to the kitchen door.

First morning in the U.S. I remembered I woke up and I made my bed. First time ever in my life too! No one taught me how. I just did it and I told myself, this is my new life.

My Knights in Shiny Armour

WHO ARE THEM? My cars of course. They were the ones who took me everywhere and protected me from the rough conditions outside. They took me to work everyday and patiently waited for me to get back to them.

Coming of Driving Age. Got my license at 16 and hogged Dad's brand new Plymouth station wagon like it was mine. I wrecked it of course like most young new drivers. Dad was a good sport. He didn't scream when he saw his smashed car. He just calmly told me that "It's too late when you say OOPS." You know, it really hit home and I still remember his words.

My First Knight: a white 1984 Mercury Lynx. I got it all by myself. A basic entry-level car that had manual window cranks, no AC and no clock. In our earlier years, RK and I didn't get to see each other much, but he would loop by to where I parked when he had a chance to leave a love note on my windshield. I still have the notes.

My Second Knight: a black 1987 Merkur XR4Ti. A what? Yap, not a lot of people knew about it. It was a Ford car that was made in Germany. It was a nice turbo charged car that could really run. It was love at first sight. I took the Lynx to the dealer for service and I ended up trading it for the Merkur the same day. Dad and Mom couldn't believe it. Out the door with a white car and back with a black one. I had the Merkur for a good 10 years. It was good to me. I was very happy that I sold it to a person who was specifically looking for a Merkur XR4Ti believe it or not. The guy was from Germany and he had owned couple of this car in different colors. He said he had been looking for a black XR4Ti in the U.S. but had a hard time finding one. Fate would have it that he found mine by searching "black Merkur XR4Ti" on Yahoo (this was back when Yahoo had a free posting space like craigslist) on the first day of the post. He bought the car the same day. Wow!

My Third Knight: a black1996 BMW 318IS. When I finally decided to get another car, RK and I had discussed whether I should get a cheaper new car or a better used car for the same price. I got my little beemer in 1998. So it was used, but you couldn't tell. It only had 10,000 miles and it was in storage for 12 out of the first 24 months so it was in mint condition. I knew it was mine because its license plate number was 3STW361. See my initials??? Wasn't that cool? The beemer was with me for another 10 years and it never disappointed me.

My Current Knight: a black 2007 Jeep Wrangler. I already told the story of my childhood dream of driving a Jeep so I won't repeat. Check out my blog post from April 2009 for this little guy's story. So far, I'm loving it. The Merkur had power-everything, a clock but no cup holders. The beemer had power-everything, a cup holder but no CD player. The Jeep has everything and it will be with me for another 10 years.

So, here you have it, story of my knights. You like it? Notice that all but my first car was black? It's a pain washing car though because I can't get it to look shiny black. But, no fears, RK is a good car washer. I'm a lucky girl!

I'm glad that I took the time to write about my cars because they are part of my life. Couldn't image life without them. THANK YOU, MY KNIGHTS!!

Not the Perfect10 but It Worked

2000 - 2009. It seems a very long time yet not very long. I started a new job in February 2000 and I'm on my third gig ten years later. I left the comfort of an old familiar place that I worked in for 10 years and ventured into high-tech, back to retail and now in financial services. Funny how things worked but I guessed it was all good because I picked up new things and made new friends along the way.

2000 - 2009. A continued growth period for me. Went back to school after being out for 18 years. Went for my MBA going part time from Fall of 2002 to Spring of 2006. Can't believe I actually made myself going through the studying, cramming for exams and writing papers but that's already a distance memory. Looking back, yes, I would have done it all over again. It was time well spent.

2000 - 2009. A decade of family changes. Jason and Jennifer added 2 more to the Wu family: Brandon in 2000 and Carli in 2004. The total count is now 9. In these past 10 years, we gained quite a few new relatives yet we also lost so many: big Uncle, 4th Uncle, Cousin Cecilia and mom's and dad's many friends, all so dear to us. Mom's stroke was a big blow in 2007. It turned our family up-side down and our lives have not been the same since then. But, we are blessed because we still have each other.

2000 - 2009. It's a profound decade for us humans. I just hope that we have learned from our lessons as we head into the next era.

2000 - 2009. What has not changed? Robert and I are still hanging strong. Through thick and thin, we will be together for a quarter of a century comes May 2010 with Max, Dudu and now Dexter woven into our lives.

Good-bye, the first decade of the 21st century! It was nice knowing you. You could have been nicer but we really can't complain. It's up to each one of us to make things better. You've given us the chance.

Deja Vu

SOMA. My turf from 2000-2003. I Walked down from Market on 2nd Street to meet Mike at the 21st Amendment this afternoon. For a brief moment, it felt like I was still working in that area because everything is so familiar.

It has been more than 5 years since I walked on this street. Things did not change all that much. Starbucks still there; Subway, the credit union, Tempura House, the Irish pub, the camera shop, the copy place, Maya, the little coffee shop, the corner parking lot all still left standing... The 21st Amendment is still around serving its summer watermelon beer. Hey, we're in another economic downturn. Hmmm... did I have a Ground Hog's Day?

But, Nothing stands still. Wondering what happened to the folks who used to work with me. Are they better or worse off today?

How about myself? So much has changed in my life in the past 6 years. I visited my old turf two jobs later. Wow. Wondering where I will be or what I will be doing this time next year...

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

A Little Something from the Past

Yahoo has been on the move to close down business units right and left. First it was Jumpcut and now Yahoo 360 Blog. I really don't use both services much but I do have both accounts -- just had to try them out - had to be with the time, you know. Very much like the dot-bomb days... Anyway, I had total of 2 blog entries on the Yahoo Blog and I had to archive them or they will be deleted forever. You know how sensitive I'm with lost memories. So, I want to capture them here.
***************

AUTHOR: sutsen
TITLE: Entry for May 25, 2006 - Graduation Tomorrow
DATE: 05/25/2006 23:35:55
STATUS: publish
BODY:

So, I'm finally graduating. I'll be in the hooding ceremony tomorrow. I have never imaged that I would be part of another graduation ceremony. When I attended my undergraduate ceremony 19 years ago, I thought that was it...

Not too sure how I feel about all of this. I went back to school because I wanted to challenge myself. So, now I did it. What did I prove? What's next? There is still so much to learn in the world. Law school? Medical school? I'll be the world's oldest intern!!!

A bartender license looks reachable. It may be fun too... I bet I'll be able to make some serious tips giving business advice while bartending.

--------

AUTHOR: sutsen
TITLE: Entry for May 18, 2006 -My First Blog
DATE: 05/18/2006 01:43:01
STATUS: publish
BODY:

I turned in my research paper yesterday. What a relief!! I can't believe it's done. I'm actually that close to the end of the tunnel!

I have carried the paper with me in my backpack and in my brain for the past 4 months. I thought it was going to be about 35 pages long. With every edit, the number of pages kept going up... it went up to 39 then 42... much longer than expected. I guessed I really got something to say.

I turned in my paper to Dr. Meeks two weeks ago. He suggested some changes and happily signed it off on 5/10. I took it to Dr. Castaldi on 5/12 hoping that he would just signed it - with eyes closed - please, please, please.

Of course, things never go the way I want it to go. Against all convention that 2nd reader really doesn't care about what you write, Dr. Castaldi wanted to read my paper first before he signs off. Urrrr... I almost threw up! What's up with that? What if he doesn't like my paper? What if he refuses to sign?

Dr. Castaldi emailed me Thursday night, "you left your sunglasses in my office." Gee... I guessed I saw darkness before me and I didn't need no stinky sunglasses as I walked away from his office....

My tummy didn't feel good for the next few days not knowing the fate of my paper... but I still had to work on the consumer behavior presentation and paper. I kept telling myself: need to concentrate on what is on hand... no time to worry about the unknown... do what needs to be done and worry later...

Good news came Sunday morning. Dr. Castaldi emailed, "it looks very good..." He wanted me to edit the conclusion a bit. Other than that, he was ready to sign off. I was so happy that my minor edit turned into a 5-hour writing session. It was done and, I was so done, yesterday at 5:15am!!!

As I took the signed research paper to the Business College, I felt a tremendous weight lifted. I haven't felt that way in a long time! This is almost it!!! Now, I just have to finish up the paper and prepare for the 10 chapter final for Consumer Behavior, go to graduation on 5/26 and my school life will be completely over. Wow!

As I left to go back to work yesterday, I called Mommy, Daddy and RK - I'm ready to celebrate! We met at Palomino for a pre-final-pre-graduation celebration!

Life is good

*************
Can't believe that I'm out of school for that long.... time flies whether you're having fun or not.

Let's Try Again with the Ox

QUIETLY, the rat is leaving us and the big ox is taking over. Comes January 26th, the Ox will step in to plow the way in Year 4707.

The little brown rat made a big mess - worse than the golden pig. Hope the earth ox will guide us with strength and endurance and show us how to do things right. This is the year to rebuild and work extra hard - no time for play. If you don't put in the effort, you won't enjoy the fruit of your labor.

Let's hope that the rat took all the bad luck with him. Please take it and go, little one. We are ready to start over.

Mid Point Check In

So we're half way through 2008. Aughhh! Didn't I just blog about the new year? It seemed not that long ago but here we are, 183 days passed. Oh can't forget the extra leap day, so 184.

So what has happened the first 6 months? There were happy and sad events but I'm not going to talk about the sad. You can read that on papers. Let's talk about the good - the happy stuff.

Better and Better. Mom is gaining strength and she is improving noticeably almost on a daily basis. Her determination and hard work are paying off. Her right arm is still weak but she will regain the use of her right arm and hand eventually. Mom did not lose her positive attitude, and it's so nice to hear her laughs again now she has more energy.

Reach Out and Touch Someone. I ramped up my social and professional networks and reconnected with folks that I have not been in touch for a while. Modern technology allows people to stay in touch so easily nowadays so there is no reason not to do so. We all got to know each other for a reason. Our paths have crossed once, why couldn't they cross again?

Gourmet Wannabe. I'm going gourmet (or trying...) and I'm getting creative with whatever I find in the refrigerator. I thought only Mom can do that but I'm getting a hang of it. Nice to have a good cook for a Mom. She is itching to cook but couldn't so she directs me in the kitchen. I'm her cooking hands now and I'm picking up her techniques and recipes. Lucky me!

Self Improvement. For the second half of 2008, I'm going to focus on staying positive and channel good energy to myself and to everyone around me. Be kind to people. Give. Say hello to strangers. Make someone's day if I can't make mine.

Positive Thinking. A glass that's half full is always more satisfying than if half-empty.

So What’s Good About 2007?

I’ve been thinking about what good comes out of 2007. The top 2007 news and stories are about the bads and the uglies. Where are the goods?

Perhaps 2007 is one in which people have to find/make their own goods out of the bad ones. I had to make some myself. For one, I’m a better Chinese cook now since mom can't longer cook. I’m grateful of every little thing now because my family is still in one whole piece. I’m more generous than ever because I still have a lot when many have lost so much.

Perhaps 2007 is meant to be a year of self-reflection through tragedies and sadness. People cannot fully understand the impact of things and events unless we have personally experienced them. We often don't appreciate the simple pleasures until they are taken away from us. For me now, if mom can wiggle one little finger, it would be the greatest joy in the world – JUST ONE LITTLE WIGGLE!!!

People often complain too much – me included. Perhaps 2007 brought us life lessons: stop complaining; just do it and make things happen.

Happy New Year Everyone!

You're Bad, 2007!

Like ringing the closing bell eagerly on a stock losing day on Wall Street, I’m so glad that 2007 is going away.

2007 brought aches and pains to people globally, nationally, regionally, locally and to me personally . To be fair, it did bring us some things to cheer about but too little too few…

What does 2007 leave behind? Increasing global warming, never-ending wars, skyrocketing gas prices, the collapsing housing market, fires, droughts, so many people died, too many families cried, and mom’s stroke…

(and The 49ers, the Raiders, the A's and the Giants all suck too!)

Go away 2007!! I won’t miss you a bit.

But the sky is not falling!! I’ll think of something good about 2007 before it disappears. Leave a note if you have any good to share.

We must end the year on a good note.