January 2021 (New Year, Inauguration, Lots of Cooking)

I keep forgetting to contact Blogger about why the photos upload in reverse order, but here's another backwards trip through January.  We ended the month with a new President and started the month with a deadly riot.  I always say I'll write another post about politics, but it's taxing to think back over the last four years.  But again, maybe in another post.  

January was mostly a good month for me.  I started recovering from what seems to be seasonal depression and Nacho's death, and I started working on donating and organizing again.  The Buy Nothing Facebook movement is a great idea.  I got a free gift bag organizer and I was able to give away Nacho's opened bath items and diapers, etc.  I've had no Pampered Chef virtual parties in a while.  Hopefully can get some going by March with the new product launch.  With things were bad across the country and being busy with holidays, most other consultants on my team were seeing major drops as well.  I haven't done a whole lot of reading or online things in recent months, but picked back up again in January.  I am determined to finish these books.  When I'm short on time, I just put myself aside, but I am trying again to make more time for things I enjoy.

During the month, we also lost Manny's aunt.  My best friend also lost her uncle to Covid.  I will post about her in the next post.  Her birthday would have been the day of the Inauguration.  I miss her very much, and I haven't figured out how to tell the boys yet.  I did a terrible job of telling Naomi.  Neither of us handle death well.

My friend hosted a Zoom party where we cut pictures out of magazines and put them together into an everyday item, representative of being put back together after we've been shattered by something.  It was therapeutic and fun for me.  This is me as a broken vase that God put back together.

She showed Bible verses and played relaxing music during the party.  Speaking of which, a childhood favorite singer of mine hosted an IG Live concert the next evening, and it was very fun.  He played my request, too.

Isaac and I watching a documentary on the making of Frozen 2.  I was offering to watch a Lego cartoon or animated movie, but his is the type of show he likes to watch.  

Coming back from a walk with Isaac.  The sky is so beautiful these days.

Isaac said this puddle looked like a portal into another world.

On a Saturday morning walk.

The little ones are handy for getting under the table!  And I put the sweeping slippers on him, too, because why not?

Some Indian chicken, avocado ranch salad (from Costco), and an butterscotch oatmeal pizookie.

Taiwanese beef and noodles, chicken stir fry, leftover beef barley soup, and spring rolls (from Costco).

Chicken tortellini soup in the Instant Pot.

Proverbs 31 only Bible Study: Forgiving What You Can't Forget

The Bernie inauguration meme

Amanda Gorman's poem was a highlight for me, as was the national anthem.  I appreciated Garth Brooks' rendition of Amazing Grace and call for peace.

Inauguration was different this year, especially seeing the Capitol after what happened.

We had some strong winds here.  Not sure if that contributed to the streetlight being knocked down, but I didn't see anything that indicated a vehicular impact (well, except the light being down lol).

Air-fryed chicken and homemade fries and salad.

Getting my annual Dog Show fix.  I love Spitz breed dogs.

Signed up for Break Fit, a breakdancing exercise app.

Another bread pudding!  This one was Caramel.  Yum.  After this I started making savory things with leftover croissants, like stuffing and Indian bread (I don't remember the name).

The Brownie Pan is great for making frittatas from leftover ham or bacon.

Homemade jap chae (Korean noodles with vegetables) was a success.

Beef stew

French toast

Chinese Lion's Heads in my Pampered Chef ceramic pan.  And my drugstore fake nails.

Homemade apple pie pockets

Watching one of Trebek's final episodes.  I grew up watching him, the years we had a TV or reception.  RIP

I think this was Manny's smoked tri-tip.  Whatever it was, it was delicious!

Manny made some meat in the smoker.

Cheese fondue per Naomi's request and homemade wonton soup for New Year's.

Menudo from some cans for New Year's.  Next year I'm going to make pozole since that's a little easier for me, and I'm the only one who eats tripe here.

fires:

The fires are still burning in Northern California, although they are now mostly contained.  Southern California has been issued warnings of extreme fire danger in the coming days.  Even though we were not directly affected by the fires, the smoke had made its way to us, and it made my throat hurt and eyes water at times.  It was certainly a surreal sight for our children to see the sky and sun look so different.  

I was sad to hear Charles Schulz' home burned down.  Thankfully his widow was able to evacuate in time.  I know it's just "things," but those things are memories for his family, and probably things that helped me feel better sometimes when I was little.  Sad for all the loss--of homes, pets, loved ones.  If you'd like to help firemen who suffered losses themselves, you can donate to this campaign.  

This video of the firemen from American Samoa singing a hymn coming down a mountain was very uplifting for me.  I've learned this was from an earlier fire and not the recent deadlier ones, but they are still singing praises coming from a long day's work, and it was good for my heart.

This was from a friend who lives in Menlo Park.  Their forecast was "Smoke."

You can't tell that much in this photo, but the sky was filled with haze, and the sun burned red.  (Don't worry, I wasn't taking this while driving; Naomi took it for me).

humanity:

Las Vegas will never be the same.  It was horrible when I first heard about it, and gets even more horrible by the day.  A friend of ours lost his friend in the shooting.  It's completely devastating to hear.  I think that even if it's necessary to report, I don't like the emphasis on the numbers, the record of it being the worst shooting, the details of the manner in which it was carried out, etc.  I wonder if the next person will try to outdo that, if victims are reduced to numbers while the perpetrator(s) is/are given notoriety that they might be craving.  Thankfully, we are seeing more reports of the victims and their lives, and many reports are coming out about how strangers helped each other or saved people.  I know people have questions, but I don't know if any answers are satisfactory.  Perhaps the first answer for me is that we live in a sinful, fallen world that has turned away from God.  But in the midst of it all, sometimes love for fellow man, the kind that causes one to lay down his or her life for others, shows up.  And it reminds me of this:

I don't really want to get into the politics.  It would just be my opinion anyway.  However, in case anyone wants to hear it, I don't think anyone, even law-abiding mentally sound citizens, should be able to get that many assault rifles, let alone any at all.  Sorry, but taking away those guns doesn't mean taking away all guns, and once again I don't think the 2nd amendment means what some people think it means.  And I believe in putting that to a vote to call for action or stepping up to action myself rather than just talking about it, I guess.  There is a time and place for discussion and debate, although social media I've learned isn't really a good one. 

Another opinion--we can't label a certain group as being more prone to terrorism and mass shootings or serial killings than others.  We've seen people of all colors, affiliations, backgrounds, ages, mental capacities, and yet we still keep trying to find a group, some common denominator--that we're not anything like--to blame.  I do think investigation into affiliations, backgrounds, and motives is important to prevent more violence, but I think we just have to wonder what is going on here in our country that this keeps happening with increasing frequency.

in memory:

It's been a little over a week since Professor Klug was slain in his office.  I'd walked into so many offices in that building to meet with professors.  I can't imagine what happened when his former student walked into his.  Not to make it about me, but it's affected me so much in that it happened in a place that was such a big part of my life and also happened so close to other deaths over which I'm still grieving.

I walked through those halls and around those convoluted paths between buildings, never thinking someday I'd see photos and videos of armed officers scouring them on the news and social media.  It did bring to light the dangers the engineering students might face (ironically in the engineering buildings), with doors that aren't easily barricaded from within, and paths that would be challenging for law enforcement not familiar with the campus to navigate.  For example, to get from one of my classes to another that was just downstairs, I had to cross a bridge/walkway on an upper level out of the building, go down the stairs to the bottom, and then come back into the building and up the stairs.  I didn't know if any remodeling had been done on the buildings since I was there 20 years ago, but from reports, it appears it hadn't.

I received an email from UCLA Engineering yesterday with information for the support fund set up for his family.  It is so tragic to think of his children, only 7 and 9 (some reported 10).  I know they were a Christian family, and I pray for the children who have to endure this at such a tender age.  Sometimes we ask God why, but we won't know this side of heaven.  May he rest in paradise. 

News travels fast on social media and with hackers and internet sleuths.  People had already correctly guessed the perpetrator within a couple of hours of my hearing the news.  Something not talked about much in the news is how another professor, Professor Lynch, held the door to Professor Klug's office and told the other professors to go back to their offices, risking his life to save others. 

Also not spoken much of is the impact of the shooter's cultural ties.  Indian communities have questioned whether there were issues with Dr. Sarkar taking an American wife in an unapproved, unarranged marriage, and then losing one of his parents in recent years.  We'll probably never know for certain.  So awful that he killed his wife as well.  Just a tremendous tragedy all around.  

memorial weekend:

We had a sort of disjointed long weekend.  Manny took Friday off and took the boys to Gilroy Gardens while I caught up on a lot of paperwork for Lucas' PSP and insurance.  I also got my eyebrows threaded and purchased some items for the preschool/kindergarten Sunday School class and two summer parties.  It was so peaceful to be able to run errands or complete tasks without kids in tow.  I consider it a luxury and don't take it for granted.  Then I picked Naomi up and took her to get some boba.  I was hoping to take one of her friends, too, but several have after-school programs.  We got back by 3pm or so, and Naomi just talked and talked to me.  She talks more than I do sometimes.  I told Manny later on, and he said, "Well, welcome to my world."  lol   Manny and the boys returned just in time for me to take Lucas to his violin lesson.  Lucas was beat, but he still did fine.  Isaac went, too.  Whatever the opposite of a homebody is, that's Isaac.  Lucas is enjoying learning the violin.  I ended up taking Isaac out later that night because I needed a break.  Sometimes I feel like I need it to keep my mood in check.  He was tired and fussy for most of it, so not too relaxing, but I still got a chance to collect some thoughts about my life, other people, everything.

Saturday morning, Manny went out to run some errands.  Naomi went on a horseback riding trip with her friend L. (The initials help me who they were but don't expose them publicly).  Since we had no other plans as far as I knew, I let her stay out all day with her friend and her friend's mom.  After horseback riding, they went hiking, had a Chinese lunch and then went swimming.  They topped it off with some frozen yogurt.  What a full day!  When her friend came here, they just hung out in Naomi's room.  Some of Naomi's friends prefer to do that, but this friend is more adventurous, I guess.  Maybe the park next time--that's usually all I can handle if I'm responsible for someone else's children on top of my own.  After making dinner, I decided to go out again, this time for a slow drive and then to take advantage of some sales and buy some more party items and a dress.  The lines were long and slow, but it was so relaxing to not have to manage the boys in public.

Moving on to Sunday, I had told Naomi the night before that I had to go to church early because I was teaching the preschoolers and kindergarteners.  She'd acknowledged it, but then she wasn't cooperative that morning.  Whining and impatience ensued (from both of us), and I ended up being later than I wanted to be and having a lot on my mind.  The class went well overall, but Isaac started getting fussy at the end.  Plus, I'd decided to do a fairly involved craft, which took a lot of time and individual help.  So, I didn't feel it went as smoothly as it could have.  It wasn't that bad, but I strive to do my best for the parents, especially those visiting.  Afterward, Manny took us to California Pizza Kitchen.  It took half an hour to be seated, but the food didn't take too long.  I haven't been there in ages.  I should have gone with the tried and true.  The veggie pizza I tried left much to be desired.  Then Manny took us to See's.  I guess it was a staycation of sorts.  I was tired from the day and from being up late the night before, so I didn't feel like walking around.

Another reason I wanted to get out of there was that Isaac kept punching my rear end, and the more I told him to stop, the more he thought it was a game.  Finally I told him to do it to Manny, who didn't mind, and then it wasn't that exciting anymore.  Why didn't I think of that earlier?  When you're in public, you have to weigh disciplining them on the spot--in this case, it'd have caused a real scene.  Another embarrassing moment--Isaac wasn't watching where he was going and ran into a man talking to his friend.  For whatever reason, Isaac proceeded to hit him between the legs!  Hopefully it wasn't hard, but the man didn't react terribly.  I just started walking away to get Isaac to hurry along.  And one more--when I was with Isaac trying to get his wiggles out while we waited to be seated, he said his Pull-Up was irritating him, so he pulled it partly down and stuck his hand in!  This young woman passed by with friends and exclaimed, "Ewww!"  I can't take him anywhere, except I have to take him everywhere!  I know I'm a little uncouth at times, but this little boy takes the cake (and smears it all over his face).  He has gotten better, but it's just something look back on and laugh.

Monday was hard.  I don't even know why, just conflicts and confusion and the heat.  I made ribeye steaks, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes.  Naomi went to her friend H.'s house to swim.  Their playdate was planned a long time ago, but if we had other plans, we could have easily postponed.  I couldn't tell if Manny had been planning something else or what, and he didn't really say.  I think it did feel a little off in that we were off doing our own things here and there.  I tried to teach the boys about Memorial Day, but they may be too young to understand much about it.  When I did military training in high school, joining the reserves in college was my back-up plan for paying for tuition.  But there was always that feeling that I was too scared to go to battle.  I'd heard stories after some alumni returned from Desert Storm.  The accounts were pretty horrifying--I can barely handle the sight of blood in movies.  The courage to give up your life for your country is something not to be taken lightly.

It was sad to hear about the shooting in my former hometown by a veteran from Manny's hometown.  Reportedly some who were close to the shooter believed he was suffering from PTSD but did not know the extent or what to really do about it.  The horrors of war are often so far removed from our comfort-driven society that we don't often acknowledge what soldiers are facing.  They risk their lives, are forever changed, and then having to return to this culture and function "normally."  And even if we do recognize it, we aren't sure how to help.  It's worth the time to do a simple search and read up.

Cotton candy on the boba tea.  She missed out last time, but the advantage is that four of us shared one that time, while she got this one to herself.

She hasn't been on a horse in a while.  Friend sent me the photos.  Looks like a great time!

Swimming at mutual friend's pool (said friend could not make it out for their excursion).

She's blessed with many strong friendships.

Family portrait craft (supposed to use wooden spoons, but we did not have enough).  Sunday was this little girl's last day in our class.  I'll miss her terribly!

Brother love at CPK.

Looks massive, I know.  It's a lunch-sized paper plate, though.  Manny's eating a little more red meat lately, and I thought I'd show him how much I care with a ribeye.

Another day of swimming, this time with the friend who couldn't make it to horseback riding.  Different mom sent me this one.

our fallen world:

Last Wednesday, I was out or busy for much of the day, so I wasn't able to check the news or social media.  I checked my email briefly from my phone after 1 p.m. and replied to an email Manny's mom had sent at a little before 11 a.m.  A little after 1:30 p.m, I received a message from one of Manny's cousins telling me to turn on the news and that they were all concerned for Manny's parents.  I immediately went online and saw the sad news.  I wasn't really panicked, since the shooting happened 15 or 20 minutes away from where many of our relatives live (but that is still awful close).  But as they began to report that the suspects were on the loose, it became a waiting game.  I responded to his cousin that they must have been at home at the time of the shooting (because of the email).  Manny had already talked to his parents by this time and had the news on when I returned home.  The family had all been calling and texting each other, with Manny's aunt calling and telling his dad to go inside immediately.  The final shootout with the suspects' (or I guess perpetrators') SUV happened on a very familiar street by where a close relative lives.  

There is so much violence around the world, some not even reported here (I heard very little about the Lake Chad bombings), and each one is another call to prayer and action.  This one obviously hit close to home.  Tragic events in which I had a personal connection always stand out differently in my memory.  The more your personal world grows, the smaller the rest of the world becomes.  So we should help each other, tell people of the hope and love of Jesus Christ by living it out (and not focus so much effort on debates or politics, I feel).  We should be a light in a dark place.  On a related note, here is an answer from Pastor MacArthur for why evil dominates our world.

We aren't ones to get on a plane and deliver aid all around the world (God bless those who do), but we do our little part here and send it out with them.  We buy and pack Christmas presents for children in Haiti and single-parent families here.  I think everyone can get involved in some way.  Our church's neighborhood center just purchased a laundry and shower system for the homeless so they can have their dignity and possibly better prospects.  I think this is where the fight begins, and not necessarily on Capitol Hill, even though that matters, too.