At my sister's request, I shan't be posting pictures here of the bereaved family and in-laws.
As you recall from my previous post, my eldest sister, her husband and their daughter came here to Northern California to visit with us last week.
Events Leading Up To And Following Our Personal Loss:
On Saturday, March 7th,
on my way to work, my car's "check engine" light came on. The time was 2:45 p.m. I had a feeling that it was a bad omen as my sister and her family were visiting us here in California on this particular day and they were returning to Michigan on Friday, the 13th.
The "check engine" light turned off the following day, a Sunday.
On Tuesday, March 10th,
I asked my sister at what time they arrived at their hotel the previous Saturday. She said that they got there at around 2:45 p.m. I was feeling more worried then.
On Wednesday, March 11th,
my mini stay-cation ended as I got up early to sign-out. I signed-out at just before 9:00 a.m. And I walked to the Powell Street BART Train Station to catch my Richmond-bound train.
It was almost 11:30 a.m. when I got back to my condo here in Vallejo, CA.
I had lunch for breakfast. Then, I went to the Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane to buy some groceries. And I walked a few doors to Liberty Tax Service to pick-up my tax refund which will help me to pay-off one credit card debt.
As an aside, now that the Oscars is over and done with, how did I do in my Oscar prediction? Well, I got the Best Actress wrong as I was rooting for Rosamund Pike ( GONE GIRL ) but I got the Best Actor "somewhat" right. To be fair, I never saw, STILL ALICE. And I thought Jake Gyllenhaal ( NIGHTCRAWLER ) would win the Best Actor award. But, then, I saw, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. And I said to myself, If there ever was an Oscar category for Best Lookalike, Eddie Redmayne would surely win it.
After resting for a short while, I went again to the local Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane to buy a belated birthday gift card for my little nephew in addition to the St. Patrick's Day T-shirt that I bought for his dad, my brother.
Early in the evening, I drove on over to my brother's house for dinner. There, I met my brother-in-law's eldest brother for the first time in 28 (?) years. 'Though he's older, he's trimmer now. It was a pleasant little family get-together. And my sister posed with her husband and her brother-in-law for a photo that she planned on sending to her parents-in -law in Michigan through Facebook.
After the family get-together, I went to the Century 14 Vallejo to see the movie, CHAPPIE, at 10:35 p.m. in auditorium 8, 6th row ( counting from the front ), 10th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.65. I bought a small Popcorn ( $5.95 ) and a small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast ( $4.10 ) at the concessions counter. I liked the movie.
On Thursday, March 12th,
after having left my workplace, I decided to see the movie, RUN ALL NIGHT, at the Century 14 Vallejo, for the 7:00 p.m. advance screening in auditorium 11, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $11.15. I bought a small Popcorn ( $5.95 ) and a small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast ( $4.10 ) at the concessions counter. I liked the movie.
I was supposed to go to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Concord, CA, to have dinner with my brother, my sisters and their families that evening. But I am now on a special diet and had to forego having dinner with them.
After the movie, I decided to go visit my sister and her family at the hotel before they leave for Michigan the following day. Honestly, I was feeling a bit apprehensive all week long about the fact that they were leaving the following day, Friday, the 13th. But since it was the last time that I will have seen them until August of this year when I hope to vacation with them in Michigan, I decided to visit them one last time and say, Goodbye. As a parting comment, I told my brother-in-law, Tell David ( his elder brother ) that I want to see him again soon--not in another 28 years! It was a little after 10:00 p.m. when I left their hotel room.
On Friday, the 13th,
I wanted to do some jogging early in the morning. But for some strange reason, I felt so enervated that I just wanted to stay in bed.
Late in the afternoon, I forced myself out of bed. And, in the evening, I went to see CINDERELLA at the Century 14 Vallejo, for the 8:15 p.m. showing in auditorium 2, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 4th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $7.90, a "Senior Discount" price ( either because I'm seriously starting to look like an "old fart" now or because I'm a regular patron and some of the theatre staff members who know of me just want to give me a special deal--I like this second reason better ). I bought a small Popcorn ( $5.95 ) and a small Powerade Mountain Berry Blast ( $4.10 ) at the concessions counter. I liked this movie. And the audience gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.
What I don't like about this movie is its leading lady. She is not beautiful enough. I have seen more beautiful girls in the town where I work--with or without makeup!
All day and evening long on Friday, the 13th, I had a nagging and disturbing thought that something bad happened or will happen to my sister and/or her husband and/or their daughter. But I told myself that I was just being unduly superstitious and that I should banish such an unwelcome thought from my mind.
I texted my sister in Michigan to see if they had already tried the two loaves of bread which I gave to them as part of some going-away presents. I gave them a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Seeds and a loaf of Greenlee's Cinnamon Bread since these delicious West Coast breads are not found in Michigan or in any of the other Midwest and East Coast States.
Later on, I checked my Facebook page for any new private message from my sister in Michigan. She had tried to contact me yesterday, the 13th, at 6:58 a.m., as it turned out, but was unable to since I have four 'phones. And she sent her text message to my LG cellphone that I don't check for messages on a daily basis; I have my Samsung Galaxy Mega for just that purpose. Her text message read: "Richard passed away. Massive heart attack. We're at the John Muir Emergency ...."
At first, I asked myself, Who's Richard. As I didn't want to believe in the cruel, unexpected and certainly unwanted bad news. After all, I saw my brother-in-law alive and seemingly well just the night before. I was in denial for the next three hours, walking in a daze in my condo and sitting/lying around in bed hoping that somehow it was all just a bad dream. A dream that I desperately wanted to awaken from sooner than later!
After three long hours, I gradually accepted the factuality of the unwelcome news. And that I should go to my sister and give her the emotional support that she needed at her time of grief. But I neither called her nor texted her a message because I was still somehow in disbelief over this tragic turn of event. I drove to my other sister's place in Fairfield, CA, where our eldest sister was staying for the weekend as she made funeral arrangements.
It was there that I learned that they were getting ready to leave their hotel for the Sacramento Airport for their flight back home to Michigan when Richard started complaining about having indigestion and chest pain and asked my sister to take him to the nearby hospital. When they stepped out into the hotel's parking lot, he fell down. It was at approximately 3:30 a.m. when it happened. My sister, who was a registered nurse, tried to resuscitate him with CPR. When the paramedics came, they also tried to resuscitate him with CPR and with their defibrillator paddles. But it was too late. He was DOA ( dead on arrival ) when they reached the hospital.
I had my younger brother book an online flight and hotel reservation for me. Then, I called my workplace to tell them about the bad news and that I was requesting a Bereavement Leave of Absence.
On my drive back home, my car's "check engine" light came on once again at 9:53 p.m., effectively "bookending" my bad premonition. Why was my premonition so vague in the first place and was there anything I could have done to save my brother-in-law's life, I asked myself repeatedly. There I was, someone who experienced supernatural events all life long but, yet, was unable to render any kind of aid at all when it mattered the most!
What is the point to my spiritual cultivation and of what value is it when I am powerless to render aid to those in need, especially to my loved ones? When a male Guardian Angel's voice told me many years ago, "God gave you the Power," and when a female Guardian Angel's voice in later years told me, "You are supposed to store this Energy and wait for God to give you permission to use this Energy for Healing," and when I was awakened in my sleep a few years later by the sheer brightness of "Ecclesiastes 3" emblazoned in my Mind's Eye, did I just imagine it all? Was I just in a delusional stage when I experienced supposedly "supernatural" events? Do I keep up with my spiritual cultivation or just abandon it altogether since it seems so pointlessly just a waste of my time? Do I persevere in my cultivation since "Patience is a Virtue"? Why would God dangle a proverbial spiritual "carrot on a stick" in front of me when such an act is so cruel and unbecoming of a "compassionate and loving" God? Why did they have to schedule their return flight on a Friday, the 13th, when they could have flown back on the 14th? Was my brother-in-law's death a matter of When, not Where? Did he exhibit any signs or symptoms of heart disease? Last, but certainly not least, did my overwhelming sense of dread jinx my eldest sister's family? These questions bounded and rebounded in my mind, somewhat like the muted sound of a death knell.
On Monday, March 16th,
I drove to a local car repair shop to have them diagnose the "check engine" light even though it turned itself off once again the day before. They told me that the diagnostic alone would take a few hours since I didn't have an appointment. I said that I would think it over.
Then, I went across the street for a spinal adjustment at my Chiropractors' clinic. I shared my bad news with my doctor.
I went back home. And I decided that I really should take my car in to the shop to have them work on it before I leave for Michigan.
I went back to the shop and told them that I will drop my car off the following day, a Tuesday. Then, I drove on over to the Hertz Rent-a-Car at the opposite end of the block to have them reserve a car for me.
On Tuesday, March 17th,
I dropped off my car at the shop and walked on over to the Hertz Rent-a-Car to pick up my rental. I had to pass by a Nissan Car Dealership along the way. And a casual acquaintance was there. He was a salesman. I told him what I was up to and added that if the shop can't fix my car I may have to buy a new car from him. I rented a red Mazda 2. This is the second time that I've rented a Mazda 2. I like it much better than the Kia Soul and the Kia Forte that I rented late last year. Here's a picture of the Mazda 2 parked in my carport parking space:
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| I rented a white Mazda 2 a couple of months earlier. And every time that I would enter its cabin, I would bang the right side of my head against the top door frame because a really short person who rented the car before me raised the seat to maximum height. After banging my head against the door frame a few times, I figured out that it had to have a height adjuster and I lowered it accordingly. Banging my head a few times against the door frame eventually made my head smart in two different ways! |
On Wednesday, March 18th,
my manager conveyed his condolence and approved my request for a leave. Other co-workers also offered me their condolences.
On Thursday, March 19th,
at 7:00 p.m., I went to my Periodontist for an evaluation. I will have to have my # 5 tooth extracted eventually, am told. They want me to have an implant. But I told them that since I was a Dental Lab Tech at one time, I want to make my own partial denture at the lab where I once worked. And I added that I did some online research and learned that, for men, a contributing factor to bone loss is low testosterone level. I told the doctor that I am presently addressing this problem. And she said, "Okay, just don't go '"Roid Rage" on me." I said that I was going about it the natural way without resorting to the use of any steroid drug.
After my periodontal appointment, I decided to go jogging at the local park just outside of my condominium complex. The old, white fart with three dogs--one of which he keeps off-leash ( the aggressive one )--came from the opposite direction. As expected, the aggressive mutt charged at me. I used my homemade pepper spray to keep it at bay. I called the old fart an asshole. The sign at the gate clearly says to keep dogs on a leash yet he constantly skirts the rule. I have no problem with dogs that are well mannered and non-aggressive, which his dog is neither. I have had encounters with German Shepherds and Pitt Bulls THAT WERE ALL FRIENDLY TO ME even though I was a stranger to them. I called the Animal Control Dispatcher to lodge a complaint, the second one I did on this same irresponsible asshole. If this particular dog is still let loose, I will be forced to shoot it eventually, Yogi or not! The old fart's dog has assaulted me a total of five times already. I checked with the police department and was told that I have the right to defend myself from a dog attack.
The mechanic said that the problem with my car is that some idiot at another shop ( cough--Wheel-Works--cough ) tried to do a "quick fix" on my radiator using a leak sealer which just ended up clogging half of the radiator resulting in an uneven temperature reading which triggered the "check engine" light to come on! I told him that I will have him work on my car upon my return from Michigan because I have to fly there for a funeral.
I returned the rental car and walked back to the car repair shop to pick-up my car. In this photo, you can see my blue car parked behind a BMW:
I spent the night at my brother's house in Fairfield, CA, so that we could all fly together the following day.
On Friday, March 20th,
we arose at 3:00 a.m. to drive to the Oakland International Airport. My other sister's family followed us in their car.
The following photos are all time-stamped for California time. Chicago time is two hours ahead. And Michigan time is three hours ahead. I didn't bother to adjust for the time difference because if I don't know how to do simple subtraction/addition with the fingers on my hand then I need to be sent back to a remedial 1st-Grade math class!
This is a picture of the Southwest Airlines curb-side check-in line at the airport in Oakland, CA. 'Sorry for the blurry picture.
Even though it was still just a little after 5:00 a.m., there was already a huge turn-out of teens and young adults eager to have an early start on their Spring Break. The airplane's final destination was Florida.
Speaking of teens, my other sister's teen daughter, Kimberly, showed up at the airport wearing a thin hooded sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. I looked at her and wondered if I got the wrong 3-day weather forecast for Michigan,
These are pictures taken from my window seat, the first one is somewhere above either Nevada or Utah. I don't know where the next one is from.
We disembarked at the Chicago Midway International Airport because it was cheaper than a Grand Rapids, Michigan-bound flight. We would just drive the rest of the way to Grand Rapids.
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This is a picture of a World War II fighter plane at the Chicago Midway International Airport. I found it hard to believe that this fighter plane would be displayed here when it should be rightfully displayed at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. There's a true story behind the naming of the O'Hare International Airport revolving around the local World War II hero who was linked to a notorious crime boss.
Midway is in Moro Township, Madison County, Illinois, and is a town built on bricks. Literally all of the houses and buildings are made of it as far as I could see!
These are two pictures of the Burger King on 6411 Blue Star Highway, Saugatuck, MI., where we stopped for a light meal. The first one shows the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT that we rented from Hertz Rent-a-Car ( which was not impressive at freeway speeds, being slow to accelerate and somewhat unstable--it does have a rearview camera, though ). The second one is of a pile of dirty snow directly across the parking lot from where the van was parked.
This is a picture of an accident involving two cars on the Gerald Ford Highway just about 24 miles from our hotel in Grand Rapids. We had just passed by the other car involved in this accident.
This was where we were staying at, the Hampton Inn and Suites, overlooking 28ht Avenue in Grand Rapids, MI. My cousin, Lionel, whom I hadn't seen in a few years, was rooming with me in room # 211. The hotel has a Fitness Room and a Swimming Pool. It also serves Continental Breakfast.
Shortly after my other sister and her family checked-in at the hotel, they went to the nearby Target Store to buy a jacket for my niece, Kimberly.
We had dinner here. My niece, Jackie, brought along her new boyfriend, Jake. This is our first meeting. He's a handsome young man.
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| There was a partially filled Gatorade bottle to the right of our parking space. It was still frozen. |
My cousin, Lionel, brought a book which was written by a late aunt on my mother's side of the family. Its appendix lists six generations' worth of relatives' names. And it has a chapter on the Japanese invasion during World War II. It should be interesting to read. My cousin said that he will send me a PDF copy.
After we finished eating at the Chinese buffet, we went to this Target Store, just a walking distance from the hotel. But we drove on over because it was already dark and because it was still cold outside, with piles of dirty snow scattered here and there throughout the shopping center's parking lot. I needed to buy yogurt for the next two breakfasts. And, since my room doesn't come with a refrigerator, I asked my brother to keep my yogurts in his room's mini fridge.
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| After we did some shopping here, we went across the street to a convenience store to buy cigarettes for my other sister's husband because Target doesn't sell cigarettes. My brother also bought a powerball lottery ticket. |
On Saturday, March 21st,
on this morning of the funeral, we decided to go to Grand Haven, Michigan, to look at Lake Michigan because my aunt, my cousin and my brother's family have not seen this lake yet. But, first, we stopped at a CVS Drugs store, a few blocks from our hotel, because my aunt forgot to bring her prescription pills with her. I decided to buy one mega million lottery ticket and one power-ball lottery ticket while I was there at the store, just in case.
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| The water in the foreground is ice-free. But, behind the sand and ice barrier, the lake is still frozen. Since ice expands as it freezes, it pushed up the sand to form temporary barriers along the coast. If you Google Grand Haven, MI, you'll see pictures of the coastline free of the ice and sand barriers. |
Then we hurried back to the hotel for the service since everybody else wasn't yet dressed for the funeral. I was already dressed in black. The service was held at Beuschel Funeral Home at 5018 Alpine Avenue NW, Comstock Park, MI.
There, I met with my late brother-in-law's oldest brother, David, once again but on such an unwanted and sad occasion. I met with my in-laws to condole and hug each one of them. There were over a hundred people who attended the service.
While we were waiting for the funeral service to begin, the funeral home director tried to entertain my brother's three-year old son. The funeral home director pointed to the grandfather clock which has a mirror and asked, "Look, what do you see in the mirror? I see a little monkey." My sister-in-law took offense to that and just glared at the director sternly. "I have two monkeys at home, too," said the funeral home director. But it was already too late. The offense had been made. Even though the funeral home director probably meant nothing by it, to those who are sensitive to the issue, a racial slur is a racial slur, no matter what.
Look, folks, you don't go up to a little Pilipino child and make such a comment. Pilipinos have been demeaned by the "Monkey" reference since the time of the 28ht US President, Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson was either the first one to use this racial slur or he made it acceptable and popular. It all began when he learned that his favorite niece was infatuated with a handsome Pilipino stage actor. Interracial relationships back then were taboo. And President Wilson forbade his niece to associate with "monkeys".
The "Monkey" term alludes to the fact that in the old days the Pilipinos would gather around and sit on a staircase or squat on the ground as they rid each other of any head lice infestation, which is similar in fashion by which monkeys groom each other.
Anyway, I think it was just an innocent slip of the tongue. But my brother did not like how the funeral home director "pretended" to know how we felt about our loss. Again, I don't fault the director on it. How else would you expect a funeral home director to greet the mourners, with a song and dance and with a joke thrown-in for good measure? I think not.
When it was time for the service to begin and we took our designated seats, the mostly white people in attendance looked at us seated in the Family Section. Come on folks, it was not as if my eldest sister is white. Keep your color association in check, please. Thank you.
During the service, my niece, Jackie, got up to the podium to deliver her eulogy. It was a good one, one that moved some people to tears. Also, the song, "To Where You Are," by Josh Groban, added more to the tearful "humidity" already permeating the room. About half an hour into the service, my LG cellphone vibrated but I didn't answer it.
After the service, the mourners were asked to form two lines through which the casket would be carried to the waiting hearse. I was one of the pallbearers. There were eight of us: My niece's boyfriend and her late father's three brothers, and me, my brother, my cousin and my other sister's husband. Grouped together, there were four tall white men and four short Asian men. I was just glad that not all of the white pallbearers stayed on one side of the casket because that would have meant a heavier burden on us Asians. And the casket was heavy, even with the help of the funeral home director! After the casket was loaded onto the hearse, it was driven off to a storage facility since the ground was still frozen. I was told that it will be after the Spring thaw when a grave will be dug for our Richard.
It was bright and sunny outside of the funeral home but it was also very cold because of the Wind Chill Factor. Piles of snow were still braving the midday sun.
This made me wonder. What did they do back then before refrigeration was invented whenever a person would die in the wintertime since one wouldn't be able to dig up a grave because the ground was frozen and one couldn't cremate the body because one needed the wood for heating and cooking?
The event was catered to by my eldest sister and her in-laws. As we ate, I looked at my LG cellphone to see who had called my number during the service. My 'phone was on silent mode and there was no record of a call or message at all. I told my eldest sister, my niece and my sister's mother-in-law about it.
When I mentioned it to my other sister, she said that it could have been just my other 'phone, my Samsung Galaxy Mega, which vibrated. I did check my Mega later--which was on vibrate mode and which recorded a call with no message. But there was a 20-minute discrepancy in the time-stamp. So, I don't know how and why it happened. Take it how you will.
After everyone else had left, my eldest sister took us on a tour of her nearby office.
Then, I took my aunt, my cousin, my brother and his family on a slight detour as we headed toward our sister's house. I wanted to show them the "murder house." The house has a small graveyard in front. What happened was the son murdered his mother and his two sisters; and he then proceeded to copulate with his older sister's corpse! What a sick f*ck!!! This house could not keep any tenant for long. I don't know why they don't just bulldoze the whole thing down and be done with it.
We went to my sister's house so that my sister could show the place to those of us who hadn't been there before. My sister's two Jack Russell dogs were there in the laundry room. And they still recognized me. Especially Gromit, the old dog. I guess dogs don't suffer from memory loss like humans do.
Here's a picture of Gromit and Lady. Gromit is on the left.
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| The last time I saw these two was 3 1/2 years ago. |
After posing for some pictures, we went to Golden Corral Buffet and Grill for dinner. And the place was packed! We waited in line for over half an hour in the cold, cold night. But I guess that it was worth it because there was a lot of good food to be had.
After we got back to the hotel, I learned that I could use the hotel's computer and printer to print my return trip's boarding pass. I called my best friend, Hector, to tell him about the sad news. And I had the "brilliant" idea of using the available ice bucket in my room to get some free ice at the end of the hallway to help keep my last remaining yogurt and boiled egg cold all night long.
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| The soda machine and the ice machine, side by side. |
I hadn't slept well since Thursday. And this night was not different. In fact, it was worse! My cousin, who suffers from Sleep Apnea, uses a C-pap mask to help him go to sleep. But this night, of all nights, his C-pap mask wasn't adjusted properly and HE SNORED ALL NIGHT LONG! Argh .... I stayed awake because I was worried for him due to his Sleep Apnea condition. Well, at least, one of us had a good night's rest. Whoopty-Doo ....
On Sunday, March 20th,
my cousin left early because he was on a different, earlier flight. And I got up to the sight of this by the door:
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| Does the hotel want to get rid of me a.s.a.p. or what?!?!?! |
About an hour and a half before we checked out of the hotel, I went to the dining area to get something for breakfast. I had already eaten in my room and I just wanted to see if there was anything else that I could have. After all, it was free. I saw some fresh-squeezed orange juice. And I hadn't had real orange juice in almost a year. So, I had a cup of that and took it to my room to put it in my shaker cup with some fruit and vegetable antioxidant powdered mix that I brought along with me on this trip.
The orange juice had a diuretic effect on me. I had to empty my bladder three times before we even left the hotel. Sometime later, I emptied my bladder again at a MacDonald's Restaurant. Then, we stopped at a Wal-Mart where I emptied my bladder yet again. When we arrived at the Navy Pier in Chicago, I emptied my bladder twice. When we got to the Chicago Midway International Airport, I emptied my bladder once again. And when we landed at the Oakland International Airport, I emptied my bladder for the last time that day!
I had never seen as many "road kills" as I had on our way back to the airport. There were even three or four makeshift memorials with crosses, flowers and funeral wreaths on the shoulder of the road.
The two pictures below were taken on the ground floor at the Chicago Navy Pier. We parked on the 5th floor because there was a huge turn-out for some floral event. And we didn't get to window-shop on all floor levels because we were on a time constraint. We just briefly explored the ground floor before we sat down for lunch.
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| To the left is Frankie's Pizza-by-the-Slice. To the right is Big Bowl Chinese Express. My aunt and my brother and his family wanted to try Chicago-style pizzas. I couldn't eat any of it because of my diet. I had Chinese food instead. I ordered the Cherry Bomb Shrimp, two Chicken Pot-stickers and a cup of water ( all for $13.24 ). I didn't eat the wonton skin that the pot-stickers were wrapped in and neither did I eat the rice that came with the meal. |
The following are pictures of scenes outside of the Navy Pier:
When we got to the security checkpoint at the Chicago Midway International Airport, I thought nothing of keeping my Acer C7 Chromebook in my backpack because the security at the Oakland International Airport didn't require me to remove my laptop from my backpack. But, I was soon to find out, they do things a little differently here in Chicago. My backpack was pulled from the conveyor belt and examined. And I was told to stay in place.
Then, a TSA inspector came to open and check my backpack for any suspicious item that it may have concealed. She asked me where my computer was. I extended my right arm to point to where it was in my backpack. Whereupon she extended her left arm to block mine as she said, "Keep your hand away and stand back!"
Geez, I thought, this must be Mrs. Paul Blart, mall cop.
She asked me why I didn't comply with another agent's order to remove my laptop from my bag. I told her that I use the laptop and a folder to keep my hand-held mirror safe so it doesn't break. She asked me where the mirror was. I told her that it was in the backpack. She said that she wasn't going to stick her hand in the bag if there was broken glass in it. I told her that there was no broken glass at all, and that she could remove the mirror simply by pulling it out by its handle which was clearly visible. Duh ....
She then proceeded to empty my bag and wiped test patches on my computer and on my CD player. And she put the test patches in a screening machine. Hey, if they were looking for some seminal fluid residue, they sure were out of luck! 'Cause I'm probably shooting "blanks" by now at my senior citizen-qualifier age.
Later on at our boarding gate, after I returned from emptying my bladder yet again, my brother joked, "Hey, the TSA agent came looking for you. They want you to go back."
I said, Good, 'cause I want to go back and slap Mrs. Paul Blart, mall cop.
When I checked my backpack for the last time, I found out that Mrs. Paul Blart forgot to put my shaker cup and my empty water bottle back in my bag. She might have done it on purpose just to inconvenience me and to show me who was the "boss". I had to go back to retrieve my stuff but she had already thrown away my empty water bottle.
I was forced to buy a 16.9 oz bottle of Green Planet Natural Spring Water for $2.92 at a nearby coffee and snack bar. What a rip-off!
We arrived at the Oakland International Airport around 10:20 p.m. and I didn't waste any time in emptying my bladder for the last time. We left for home around 11:00 p.m. I got back to my place close to 2:00 a.m. of the following day because I had to do a little bit of grocery shopping on the way home.
On Monday, March 23rd,
I went to the Century 14 Vallejo to see the movie, DO YOU BELIEVE?, at 10:55 a.m., in auditorium 12, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $7.15 for the First Show Matinee. And I bought a small Buttered Popcorn ( $5.95 ) and a 16.9 oz Honest Tea Green Tea ( $4.60 minus $2.00 movie watcher reward e-mail coupon ) at the concessions counter.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that this movie was filmed in Michigan! Specifically speaking, scenes were shot in Manistee, Ludington, Muskegon and, of course, Grand Rapids, places that I visited along with my brother-in-law, my sister and my niece. The movie, with its "church sermon" feel to it, borders on melodrama; but kernels of sage advice from Scriptures do pop up here and there. I especially liked the Bridge Accident Scene. Overall, the movie serves as a "Comfort Food for the Soul" as it offers to satisfy one's hunger for Love and Guidance. And it also offers spiritual assurance and closure to those of us who are currently experiencing personal grief.
Richard, R.I.P.
1955-2015
1955-2015
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