Something about Mary

Posted January 16, 2015 by joebowker
Categories: Family, Mary
Tags: ,

This is one of those weeks where I wish I was back working so that I could relax.

It has been a very busy week in Chez Stanley. Mary is now doing twice weekly visits to the YMCA. The Y has a program called “Beyond Rehab”. They have a room for folks recovering from injury to exercise with supervision by a nurse. The nurse makes sure that everyone is safe. NO MORE FALLS.


They have a treadmill that goes very slow, a recumbent stair stepper, recumbent bike, a weight thingy for doing pull-downs and an arm pedaler. When Mary arrives, the nurse takes her BP, pulse, sometimes O2 sat. There is an O2 machine for those who need it. Overall, it’s good for Mary, but it wears us out taking her here, there and everywhere.

They sometimes have a couple of cute, young student nurses. (Important for us old geezers to get some TLC.) Easy on the eyes, Harold would say.

So on Wednesday, we did normal Bible study, then to memorial service for George C’s mother who passed away last week. Service was over at Crystal Cathedral Memorial Garden. Actually, it’s now called “Christ Cathedral”. Bought by the OC Catholic Church.


On the left side of the above picture is the “Memorial Garden” which is a small cemetery, that will remain even after the sale of the cathedral to the RC of Orange County.

So the engineer in me is thinking, they sure did a good job of hiding the cell phone antennae. There probably aren’t any cell phone antennae, but what a place to put one.

Thursday, I did the run to the Y while Paula worked at Asst League Gift Shop. Then I pick up carpet cleaner. Do grocery shopping, then take Mary to OVBC (Ocean View Baptist Church) for knitting ministry. Mary wants to learn to knit. So I take her along with my iPad. OVBC has excellent WiFi, by the way. We’ll do it as long as we have someone with patience to teach her. Her friend Beth has stepped up to coach her. Thanks, Beth. Knitting is not in my (or Paula’s) skill set. They have a coffee pot going at OVBC and WiFi, so I’m all set.

Finally today, Paula takes Mary to Rose’s Salon to get her hair done and then off to Dr T’s for routine checkup. I take the carpet cleaner back, then get haircut, large iced coffee at Starbuck’s, and a few more things at Albertson’s. Today the coffee at Starbuck’s was free because of award on the Starbuck’s App. Friday visit with Rose is a recurring event. If it were me, I would shave it all off. PITA.

Dinner tonight for Roberta, then dinner tomorrow for Mike, Theresa and Theresa’s mother and sister who are in town visiting from Taiwan.

Mary’s short term memory is slowly getting worse. Try as we do to keep her aware of what’s happening next. She will forget within an hour or two. It’s hard to not get frustrated.

Man I’m whipped.

TTFN

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More on “Unbroken”

Posted January 12, 2015 by joebowker
Categories: Books, Movies, Reviews
Tags: , , ,

After seeing the movie “Unbroken”, directed by Angelina Jolie, I went back to my Kindle archives and reread the book by Laura Hillenbrand.  I just completed reading the book. There is so much more than the material presented in a two hour movie.

The book is divided into five sections. The first section covers the pre-war period and Zamperini’s war experiences up to the point where he becomes a bombardier.

Section II covers his early experience as a B24 bombardier up until the point where his B-24 crash lands in the Pacific. So far the book and movie are pretty much in sync.

Section III covers the experience in the lifeboat. Louis Zamperini, Russell Allen Phillips (the pilot) and the Francis McNamara (the tail gunner) were the only survivors. They survived for 47 days at sea before being captured by the Japanese. Movie and book still pretty much in sync.

Section IV covers Zamperini’s experiences at various Japanese prison camps. Particular attention is given to Mutshuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe. Watanabe was a Japanese Sargent in charge of some of POW camps where Zamperini was imprisoned. The book and movie both cover “The Bird” but the book goes into much more detail on the living conditions and the prisoner abuse at the hands of “The Bird” and other Japanese guards. The book mentions that most POW guards were the dregs of the Japanese military. They were the stupidest and the most troublesome. They could not make it in the front-line military. Go read the book.

Bird went into hiding after the war for seven years before all war crime charges against the Bird and other guards were quietly dropped. Bob Simon interviewed Watanabe for “60 Minutes” back in 1998. Here is a pointer to that interview on youtube.

The book talks about the arrival of the B-29’s in the Spring of 1945 in raids on Japan The POW’s quickly figured out the the B-29’s had to be based fairly close since the B-29’s were arriving early in the day. At first, only a few B-29’s arrived over Tokyo, but eventually hundreds of them were bombing Japan. Go read the book.

B29

One point that the film misses is that the POW’s were to be executed if Japan lost the war. The deadline for that action was August 15, 1945. The Atomic bomb probably put the fear of God into the Japanese. After the A bombs were dropped many of the guards headed for the hills. Go read the book.

I suppose that there is only so much material one can fit into a two hour film. The film misses so much. Section V covers Zamperini’s life after the war. The film barely touches his post war experience. The film shows Zamperini arriving home and that he lived happily ever after. Go read the book.

The film misses so much in this area. The film misses the PTSD, the alcoholism, the nightmares, etc. Most of the returning POW’s really had to struggle to return to a normal life.

The book covers so much more than the film. So what are you waiting for, go read the book. The first link in this post is to the Amazon Kindle entry for “Unbroken”. Go read the book.

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Update on Mary

Posted January 9, 2015 by joebowker
Categories: Family, Mary
Tags: ,

It’s a pleasant day here in sunny, warm Southern California. I am enjoying some quiet time to myself while Paula is off taking Mary to get bloods drawn. This is in preparation for her appointment with her primary care doc next week. It has been a challenge to get her to primary care doc for routine physical. So Paula just made the appointment and told her we’re going. After she gets the blood drawn, Paula will take Mary to get her hair done at Rosemarie’s in San Pedro. Rose has a thriving business taking car of the old ladies. Mostly wash and set. Then lunch at El Pollo Loco. (One of Mary’s favorite lunch spots.)
 
 So yesterday Mary received a letter from her brother Jack in Houma, LA. Mary was thrilled to receive the letter. Now if we can just get Mary to reciprocate. That will be a challenge. I learned in the letter that Jack reads this blog, which is a good thing. I expect that either Jan or Julie are printing each post and giving it to Jack to read.
 
 Mary has told us that she would like to get back to Houma to visit with Jack. She was unable to travel for Jack’s wife Donna’s funeral this past June. So Paula and I have been talking about how to make it happen. Mary certainly can’t do it alone. So Paula will probably be going with her. We will probably do the trip some time in the Spring when the weather is a bit warmer in Houma. I’m thinking April-ish. Maybe we can get Jack and Mary actually to talk on the phone.
 
 Mary has started going back to the YMCA in San Pedro. They have a program called Beyond-Rehab. It aims at people looking for trying to get back into an exercise program after serious injury. They have a nurse and therapist available twice a week. The staff keeps watch over the users to make sure that they don’t get re-injured. This was one of our big concerns. So Mary is going twice a week. Sometimes she overdoes things and sleeps/rests the rest of the day.
 
 So January 24 is her 91st birthday. We haven’t figured out how to celebrate. Perhaps a cake at Wednesday Bible study. We’ll drop a dime on Pastor Jacques to make sure that he knows. We’ll do a verse of “Happy Birthday” on the piano.
 
 So thats about it from here. I was told by Paula to put away the Christmas tree. Better get on it.
 
 TTFN
 
 
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Unbroken

Posted January 4, 2015 by joebowker
Categories: Books, Movies, Reviews
Tags: , , , ,

Another date night last night. Paula and I went to see the movie Unbroken at a the Terraces theater in San Pedro. We like the Terraces theater because it’s close to home and they have a senior rate. Last night, the senior price was $6, After the movie we picked up some BBQ chicken, potato salad and some other kind of salad for dinner.

“Unbroken” is the movie directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O’Connell that is true story of Louis Zamporini. The film is based on the best selling book of the same name by Laura Hilldebrand. It follows the story of Louis becoming an Olympic track star and then serving as a bombardier in the South Pacific. The film is rated PG13 for violence.

Louis_Zamperini_at_announcement_of_2015_Tournament_of_Roses_Grand_Marshal

Louis’ bomber crashes in the South Pacific. He then spends 47 days in a life raft and is eventually captured by the Japanese. He then spends the rest of the war in various Japanese prison camps.

I am always amazed how film makers manage to make scenes look so realistic. The crash scene of the bomber looks so real. You actually feel the director had a camera on board a bomber and then crashed it in the ocean.

This film is not for the faint of heart. It spends a great deal of the film showing what it was like for him in the prison camps. But he survives. Zamperini had been scheduled to be the Grand Marshall of the 2015 Rose Parade. Unfortunately, he died this past July, Here is the link to the Wiki entry for Louis Zamperini.

Louis Zamperini is famous in these here parts. The Torrance Air Port is named after him. Torrance High School named its sport stadium after him.

Laura Hildebrand is also the author of “Seabiscuit” Another book worth reading.

Good film and a good book. Go see the film and read the book.

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More on “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail”

Posted January 1, 2015 by joebowker
Categories: Books
Tags: , ,

Well, I finally started reading the book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. As always, there is usually more to the book than what you find in the film. Here are a few thoughts.

Cheryl Strayed hiked the PCT in 1995. This is mentioned in passing in the film. The book was published on 2012 and the movie released in 2014. For you in my audience that are challenged at math, that’s a long time. In the summer of 1995, the big story was OJ, the murder and trial. It was probably a good time to be off the grid for the summer.

In the middle of the book, Ms. Strayed tells of running out of money. Part of her travel on the trail way by way of Greyhound. She skipped part of the trail due heavy snow in parts of the Sierras. So she says she was down to her last $0,65. No ATM’s in the wilderness. No ATM’s in some of the small towns in the Sierras. It also meant no cell phones. There were cell phones in 1995, but they were clunky affairs that didn’t work real well and were expensive to use.

I had a cell phone back then. I think it was a Motorola  flip phone. Back in the day, they had something called roaming charges. It could get real expensive to make a phone call.

So it took Ms Strayed 17 years to get her book published. It reminds me what my brother Rich has told me. “Writing for a living is hard work.” Here’s a link to her wiki entry.

There’s a section toward the end of the book on Crater Lake in Oregon, Crater lake is one of the deepest lakes in North America. It is about 1900′ deep at its deepest point. Read here for more info on Crater Lake.

Crater_lake_oregon

If you saw the film, go read the book. It’s worth it.

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2014 in review

Posted December 31, 2014 by joebowker
Categories: Blogging
Tags:

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,400 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 57 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Cioppino

Posted December 30, 2014 by joebowker
Categories: Cooking, Recipes
Tags: , ,

Cioppino is an Italian fish stew that an excellent choice for a cold winter’s day. (Even in LA). Temperature today in San Pedro is in low 50’s with light rain. Not exactly weather back in Mass, but chilly nevertheless. The attached recipe belonged to Paula’s father Harold. Harold died in 2009. Whenever we have it, we think of him. It was one of his favorite dishes.

There are tons of recipes for cioppino available online. Here is the pointer to the Wikipedia entry.

2014-12-30 19.25.49

Selection of fish depends on what’s available at fish monger. Quantity depends on how many people you are serving. Our choices also depend on the price of various fish components. One can end up spending a lot of money at the fish counter.

2014-12-30 19.36.31

 

Ingredients

1/4 c Olive Oil
1 Onion (large), chopped
1 Clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp Parsley, fresh, chopped
1/2 c Celery, chopped.
1/2 c Green Pepper, chopped
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can of tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2/3 c red wine (Harold’s handwritten copy specifies 1 cup Stanley wine. Back in the day, Harold made his own wine.)
4 c water (optional: substitute 8 oz clam juice for one cup of water)
1/4 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Red Pepper
pinch of Rosemary (Harold’s copy suggested “or any other young lady”)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 lobster tails – Cut in 1″ pieces
1/2 lb Medium shrimp
6-12 Scallops
3 Crab legs – cut in half
6-12 Little shell clams
6-12 Mussels
1 lb white fish ( Swai, Cod or whatever’s available. One can find Cod on the west coast but usually it’s expensive.), cut in 1″ pieces

Directions

Heat oil in large kettle. Saute onion, garlic, parsley, celery and green pepper until golden.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, paprika and wine.

Simmer 15-20 minutes – Stir occasionally.

Add water and remaining seasonings. Cook slowly for 45-60 minutes.

15 minutes before serving. Add chunks of white fish.
10 minutes before serving. Add shell fish.
Cook over low heat until fish are done. The clams should open up when they are done.

Serve with garlic bread and a glass of red wine (in a glass, not the soup). I suggested Chianti, but I was outvoted by Paula. So we had a nice Cabernet Sauvignon). Thr version we made tonight didn’t have either the crab legs or lobster tails. Too expensive.

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Wild

Posted December 22, 2014 by joebowker
Categories: Movies, Reviews
Tags: ,

Last night Paula and I decided to go to the movies. We saw the movie “Wild” starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Directed by Jean-Marc Valee. The story is about the true story of Cheryl Strayed who went on an 1100 mile trek on the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to the State of Washington.

The movie is based on the best selling book of the same name by Cheryl Strayed. I had already downloaded the Kindle version of the book, but I had only finished reading the first few chapters. I would normally rather have finished reading the book before seeing the movie, but the movie was playing at a convenient time and place. I will get to the book eventually. I don’t think that I am exactly the target demographic for this. (I’m male and 66)

So the story is of Cheryl making an impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother and the failure of her marriage. We keep seeing flashbacks of her final days mother’s death from cancer.

We get the feeling that Cheryl is woefully unprepared for the journey that she has begun, On one of the first nights on the trail she has trouble figuring out how to set up her tent and use her backpack stove. Her pack is way overweight with stuff she really won’t need. The story of is one of challenges and her learning how to depend on her self.

The movie ends at “The Bridge of the Gods” over the Columbia River in Oregon. This is not actually the northern terminus of the trail. That is actually in British Columbia in Canada.

BridgeOfTheGods

Another waypoint featured in the film was Kennedy Meadows in Tulare County, Callifornia. Population 28. Some really beautiful views.

Kennedy_Mdws

We both enjoyed the movie. I’d give it about 2.5 stars out of 4.

The flashbacks are a bit disjointed. I was never quite sure about how the flashbacks connected to the main story.

There’s a lot of beautiful cinematography. Oscar material? Not sure, maybe for cinematography. I don’t see it for best film or best actress.

Tomorrow, we do Christmas Cookies. Stay tuned.

TTFN.

Joe

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Flip Flopping Along

Posted December 22, 2014 by joebowker
Categories: Aging, Mary
Tags:

Well, here we are the day before the day before Christmas trying to finish up shopping and wrapping presents.
 
 So a couple of days ago, Mary told us that she was feeling down about Christmas. So what was the problem, we asked. This is what she told us. In years past Harold and Mary would travel out toward Palm Springs. They would stop at the Hadley Orchards Outlet and order gift baskets to be shipped to relatives and friends.


We would often receive a two pound box of dates. It didn’t matter that I didn’t particularly care for dates. So for the last few years after Harold died, she didn’t get to do this.
 
 So we suggested that we could order online from the Hadley web site. We told Mary that this would be an all day affair. It would take at least 2.5 to 3 hours each way. Mary doesn’t understand buying stuff on the internet.
 
 So on Monday, we were about to bite the bullet and take her out to Hadley and get it done. Can you tell me who you want to send packages to? I ask. She says she will have to look at her address book to make a list. So she can’t remember the names. I sort of know who she is thinking about sending to. But I can’t quite get her to tell me. Just give me the names, I say. I can get the addresses.
 
 So when we were eating dinner on Monday, she says that she doesn’t really want to go. Okay, we say. Done. But no, Tuesday morning at 10 AM she gets up and says she wants to go. But you told us last night that you decided not to go. I didn’t say that she says. Yes you did, we say. If we thought you still wanted to go, we would have wakened you up a lot earlier
 
 So I am thinking that maybe, I need to keep a log book to document each decision and have her sign off on it. Nah, that won’t work.
 
 So my point is (I do have a point). How do I get her decisions documented so that when she changes her mind and deny that she ever said something.
 
 By the way, last night was “date night”. We went to see “Wild”. More in the next post.
 
 And tomorrow, we will be taking care of Jonathan. We’ll be making Christmas Cookies. Should be fun.
 
 TTFN
 
 Joe
 
 
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LA Kings 2 – Boston Bruins 0

Posted December 3, 2014 by joebowker
Categories: Boston, Los Angeles
Tags: , , , , ,

Last night Paula and I attended a hockey game between the LA Kings and Boston Bruins at the Staples Center in downtown LA.
 
 We got the tickets as part of an alumni get together event from Northeastern University. The event included a pregame get together in a conference room with other NU Alumni. We had a nice buffet dinner and snacks. Non-Alcoholic drinks were free. There was a cash bar with way over priced drinks ($6 for beer and $12 for mixed drink.
 
 We were greeted by Bill Woodman Director of the NU Fund.
 
 Once the pregame get together was done, we headed for our seats. The Staples Center is a huge place and is easy to get lost in it. Our seats were in the nose bleed section, one row down from the top. Here’s our view from our seats,
 


The Bruins seemed to not have any offense to speak of. They kept the game close but couldn’t get anything past the Kings’ Goalie. The score was 1-0 throughout most of the game. Kings added an empty netter late in the third period.
 
 What amused me was the amount of entertainment during timeouts and between periods. Halfway through each period a swarm of scantily clad lady ice crew skated out to fix up the ice. I should have brought my binoculars. You can buy a calendar with pictures of the LA Kings Ice Crew. Such a deal.
 
 Then there was the “Dance Cam”. A camera would spot light many fans up on the jumbotron while they showed all of their moves. Then there was one sad looking guy wearing a Bruins cap shown on the jumbotron who was loudly booed by the partisan crowd.
 
 They also had a gimmick where a fan could win a ride on the Zamboni between periods.
 
 Not only were the seats a long way from the action, but they were small and lacked any leg room. My right knee (the one where I had knee replacement surgery a few years ago.) was in constant pain from lack of room to stretch out. Luckily Paula had some ibuprofen for me.
 
 We had a fun time. Though I really hate driving into downtown LA at rush hour. My thanks to Bill and the rest of the Alumni Office back in Boston for making sure that we all received our tickets and had a good time. Here’s the pointer to the Facebook Page for NU Alumni.
 
 I’m looking forward to baseball season for an Angels-Red Sox game.
 
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