5K for Homeless Families (#9)

Maiya at the LA Marathon 5K in March 2008

Every night in LA County, over 73,000 men, women and children are poor and homeless.

That is why me, Maiya and 15 of my co-workers are walking in United Way’s 5K called HomeWalk this coming Saturday, November 15th to raise money for homeless families. Please help us end homelessness by making a donation to HomeWalk through Maiya's Homewalk webpage and help us in our efforts to support the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Thanks to Uncle Bill, Granny Franny & Grandpa Don, Grandma Machi & Grandpa Walt and Tony for their donations.

NaBloPoMo, 9 down, 21 days to go.

Day @ Magic Mountain (#8)

Auntie Keiko took me & Maiya to Magic Mountain today. It was Auntie's first time in 35 years, my first time in 15 years, and Maiya's first time ever. We pretty much spent the whole day in Bugs Bunny World, going on all the kiddie rides. It was fun, but tiring with a lot of walking, minus a little meltdown Maiya had in Gotham City after lunch. The low point was me thinking that I lost my wallet and waiting 25 minutes in line at Guest Relations, but luckily I called Tony at work, and he confirmed that I had just left it at home.

Auntie Keiko's favorite, Tweety Bird

Riding the Carousel togetherThomas Train roller coaster (first time)Animal farm goats, sheep and a pig

We're home now and I'm pretty exhausted. But, I'm taking an online class in Early Childhood Education, and I have an exam that I have to do tonight. Yes, on Saturday night.

Halloween @ Home (#7)

Halloween 08: Left work a little early and rushed to get home before dark, but missed the office Halloween party for our After-School program. I didn't want kids to have to manuever our small front porch, so Maiya, Tony and I passed out candy from the porch. Not many kids came this year compared to the last few years. Kids were passing our house because all the houses around us were decorated and across the street from us is a house under construction, so it was dark across the street.

Because Maiya got so much (non-candy) loot at preschool, we only went to about 5 houses on our block, went to the next block to visit Maiya's new friend Mikayla, hung out there for about 15 minutes, then went to maybe another 5-6 more houses on the next block and then came home and went across the street to our neighbor's house to visit their totally decked out yard.

That was about it. Auntie Lily came over, passed out candy while I laid on the floor, exhausted. Then we went and got Islands takeout for dinner. The next day I went to the drugstore to buy some 50% off Halloween lights and decorations so that next year people know we are open for business. Cause ya know I don't need all that leftover candy.

It's not over (#6)

Sometime yesterday, someone started a Petition to Reopen Proposition 8. When I signed it at 5pm tonight, I was the 164,800th person to sign it. I just checked it, and it is already at 225,400. Protesters against the proposition are taking it to the streets. It will go back to the courts. Regardless, women will love women, and men will love men, and they have the right to marry who they love. How something so simple and lovely got so twisted is just beyond me.

Sweet victory, bitter disappointment (#5)

Image and t-shirt design: Mike Murase

Never have I felt so emotional on election night... we have a new president! So happy for Barack Obama, his beautiful family, and all the people who believe in the message of hope and change. He sure has his work cut out for him after 8 years of Bush's failed administration, years of lies, arrogance and deceptions. But I have hope that Obama will provide leadership and good policies for the next 4 years. I hope that he can end the war in Iraq, and push through some of his ideas.

There has been a lot of talk about the first African American president and people's amazement at "never thought I'd see the day" is really touching. But I also like to think of my new president as a Hapa dude from Hawai'i who grew up eating Botan rice candy and has an Asian American sister named Maya! They never say that in the media, why not? :)

But, the night was also tinged with bitter disappointment in 52% of Californians who voted for Prop (H)8. It is completely inconceivable to me that people would vote to eliminate rights to people to marry, would vote to discriminate against gays and lesbians, would vote to invalidate the union of over 10,000 couples in California since May 2008. We're talking about people's right to get legally married to the people they love. I think even Jesus would have been for marriage equality. I would love to hear from people who voted yes, because I just don't understand it.

Halloween Preschool-Style (NBPM#4)

Maiya's preschool celebrated Halloween with a practice run. First they had their pictures taken by a professional photographer. Then, they took their homemade grocery bags trick-or-treating at the temple offices upstairs and then went door-to-door at the classrooms, knocking on something like 17 doors, with parents waiting inside to hand out non-candy treats and goodies. Afterwards, they ran around in the gym like crazy for like half an hour.

Maiya had a great time. She was confidently walking up to the doors, knocking and loudly saying "trick-or-treat" which is much different from me as a shy child, hovering in the back of the group. I'm also always a little wary about the number of fairies and princesses among the girls and am always happy to see other costumes for girls that are not too "girlish." I know that many want to be princesses at this age in particular, but I know it is because that's what the corporate media, Disney, stores, commercialism and parents, perpetuating and feeding into that whole thing. We had an all black witch costume, but I felt a little nervous that Maiya would feel left out if she wasn't a princess, but she was totally cool with it, and just so excited that it was Halloween.

The other thing as a parent that bothers me about Halloween is the amount of processed foods that fall under "non-candy" snacks, rice krispy treats, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, chips, sweetened "fruit" nuggets that advertise as healthy (that one is hard to swallow). Since we don't buy these types of things, I don't like to have them in the house. If I'm going to give her a packet of processed snacks, I try to take it out of the wrapper and divvy it up into 2 or 3 servings, so she doesn't get too attached to the corporate logos and such. The other night she wanted a fruit rollup, so I gave her a plate of real fruit first, before she could eat it, and she did.

Next up: Halloween in the neighborhood.

P.S. I know you voted today, right?

Vote tomorrow (#3)

Jenni & Maiya say, "Vote 4 Obama!"

Yesterday was a fun day. We went for cousin Kyle's 6th Bday party at Pump It Up. Maiya had a great time. I gorged on pizza and felt it the rest of the day. Afterwards we went to my mom's house to celebrate me & my brother Darin's bday (40th!) - hopefully someone will share photos since my camera battery was not charged. Maiya had a tantrum of epic proportions that started at my mom's and finished at home. Remind me not to interrupt a nap after going to a party place again. Anyways, it ended with a little laughter and a lot of cuddling. Tomorrow the birthday continues with the Korean Spa with Laura and dinner and shopping with Lily. Well, folks I got lots of backblogging to catch up for NaBloPoMo, so stay tuned after the election.

My Birthday Wish (#2)

Man, I keep thinking that I'm 40, but really as of today, I am 44 years old, born in the same year as Michelle Obama and Sarah Palin. I told Maiya the other day, "You know how you're almost 4? Well I'm almost 44!" She said, "Oh, wow." I still feel 30 and some might say that I look it, although less and less, as I see more and more gray hairs every day. I'm not the skinny mini of my college days, and I seem to injure myself at the gym with some regularity. Anyways, happy 44th to me. You know what I want for my birthday, don't you?

No on 8. Donations to Great Leap. Vote for Barack Obama in 2 days. Not asking for a lot, but asking for everything.



NaBloPoMo#2.

Yes We Carve (NaBloPoMo#1)

Check out the Yes We Carve website. People are posting their Barack-O-Lanterns right and left.

Credit: Amber Koenig-Dehn of Santa Cruz, CA

Oh, and I decided I don't have enough things to stress me out in life and I really needed some more things for my To Do List, so I decided to do NaBloPoMo08 again this year, which means that I will be blog posting every day this November for National Blog Posting Month. I must be nucking futs.

Happy Halloween 08

This past weekend, Tony's parents Fran & Don came over for the weekend. On Sunday night, we had an impromptu party with 15 people over (pictures to follow). My mom and Maiya's cousins Danika and Chris brought over pumpkins for Maiya. So, we carved them. See the pictures above... the 2 small ones are a tangerine and a little pumpkin chili pepper. More Halloween pictures to follow.

Odori class

Maiya has been pretty excited about her Japanese odori dance class which she started about a month ago. I had to change my day off at work and it totally messed up my schedule, but it is so worth it. I never learned how to dance odori when I was a kid, so it's very fun to watch her learning and having fun.
You got to check out the adorable video I took a few weeks ago, she's the one in the royal blue yukata with red goldfish and my red bathing suit sarong as an obi belt practicing "Teru Teru Bozu."

No on 8!

Cross blogging on the Little Tokyo Unblogged... API Marriage Equality in Little Tokyo

Stop the Hate. No on Prop 8!

Jenni's Yucky Day Off

Monday was my DAY OFF. Here's a recap as I remember it.

7:00 wake up, T leaves for work.
7:15 first day of online class. do first 2 assignments.
8:30 MG wakes up, joins me on computer.
8:40 Breakfast with MG, yogurt, berries & cereal parfait with peaches and warm cocoa. Do breakfast dishes, clean up ants
9:00 back on computer while MG watches SuperWhy on PBS, call school re: late arrival
9:30ish play with MG, 3 calls from work, watch beginning of "The View"
10:45 take shower, rush to get MG dressed and ready to leave house. minor meltdown with uncooperative child.
11:10 leave house to pick up Grandpa, who had fallen that morning.
11:20 drive grandpa to dialysis
11:35 arrive at dialysis center, weigh-in, drama-5 phone calls, etc.
12:05 rush out of dialysis center with MG, MG eats lunch in car.
12:35 arrive at preschool in time to brush teeth for naptime.
12:40 try to pick up lunch, no parking, bail out.
12:45 stop in at work to review 3 files to give to auditor... too much to do, cranky & stressed out, end up staying 4 hours
4:45 rush to pick up MG to get to Great Leap to help with budget
4:50 pick up MG
5:10 arrive at Great Leap, meeting re: budget, cashflow, etc, distracted by MG who's hungry and bored, on poissonrouge
6:40 rush out of Great Leap, calling Lily for 7pm dinner, called 5 times, voicemail
7:15 arrive at Talpa, leaving message for Lily to meet us there, MG cranky
7:35 T arrives stressed out and stays 5 minutes, T's dad at ER
8:00 Lily calls. Order tacos for Lily, get T's food to-go
8:15 Pay bill, head home
8:25 Finally home, MG working at her desk, playing with ink pad and writing, check online class cyber updates and FB. Turns out grandpa broke his tailbone
9:10 bath time for MG
9:40 in bed with MG, reading stories
10:00 Lily arrives, eats dinner. Empty dishwasher and fold 2 loads of laundry while talking with Lily.
12 midnight. Lily goes home. Turn on TV, fall asleep watching Sex & the City.

Next day off, I think I'll stay home and veg.

Jenni's Movie Pick: La Misma Luna

We saw a great movie last night, "La Misma Luna" translated to "Under the Same Moon." It was a sweet movie about a 9 year old boy Carlitos whose mother has been working in LA for the last 5 years trying to make a better life for him. It shows the immigrant struggle and the insanity of what makes you a legal vs. undocumented immigrant. In the movie, Carlitos crosses the border by himself and comes to Boyle Heights searching for his mother. I knew I was going to like the movie when I started bawling in the first 5 minutes.

And, for our 15 seconds of fame, Tony's mural "Home is Little Tokyo" has about 5 seconds of airtime in the film when Carlitos' mom and her friend are riding a bus on Alameda past Little Tokyo.

In the Special Features on the DVD, there is a short piece on the La Misma Luna mural that was commissioned based on the movie. I'd like to go see it, on Cesar Chavez (formerly Brooklyn) and Breed Street just a few blocks from where my mom (and cousins) grew up.

As a mother and a granddaughter of immigrants, who works with Latino immigrant families, I do recommend this beautiful movie.

More MG-isms

8/13/08 - First thing in the morning, while still in bed:
MG: Mommy I want popicle for beck-fast.
JK: Umm, no.
MG: Why?
JK: Because it's not a food for breakfast.
MG: Just kidding. Ok. Mommy I want peanut butter jelly sandwich for breakfast. (Pause.) Yes? or No?

8/23/08 - Talking in her sleep: "I want the hot dog. I don't want blueberries."

8/28/08 - Talking in her sleep: "No no no no. I don't want to eat it. No daddy. No daddy. Daddy you forgot to go to the car wash. You have to wash mommy's car."

9/1/08 - Made Up Story: "One time I went to Granny Franny's and there were 5 dogs. 5 big dogs. And they were so big they hit their head on the top, on the ceiling. Just kidding."

9/2/08 - Dream recall: "Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I made burritos for everybody. I made burritos for all the people. By myself."

10/12/08 - While in the shower: "Mommy, something slidy is coming out of my nose. What it is?"

Bento Mama - Part 1

Thought I would share some photos of Maiya's bento lunches from this summer. We'll call this Part 1.

July 14 - Sushi, inarizushi, frozen mangos, double blueberries

July 15 - PB&J, dried cranberries, frozen mangos, blueberries

July 16 - PB&J, dried cranberries, string cheese, frozen mangos, raspberries

July 17 - ribbon pasta & quinoa, tofu with furikake, edamame, mangos, raspberries, blueberries, applesauce

July 21 - PB&J waffle, string cheese, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries

July 22 - Bean burrito, edamame, raspberries, blackberries

Don't Undo "I Do."

Tony wanted me to share this... he just sent $36 to help defeat Prop 8. Marriage for same sex couples has been legal in California for over two months! But we must work now to preserve the victory. No On 8 is leading the campaign to defeat Proposition 8, a November ballot measure that seeks to eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry. Please consider contributing to No On 8 and help us spread our message across America.

Donate to No on Prop. 8!

Peace. Out. Vote.

Trike-A-Thon

Maiya's preschool held a Trike-A-Thon last week. The kids learned about bike safety and charity, while having fun. The $45 we raised goes to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. It's great that even at 3 years old, Maiya can help sick children by raising money for them.

Next month, me & Maiya will be joining some of my co-workers in HomeWalk, raising money for United Way to support homeless families in LA County.

Sidewalk to Nowhere

This is kind of shocking footage of McCain supporters outside a campaign rally.



Peace. Out. Vote.

H + E Tie the Knot

Congrats to Hector & Erika for tying the knot on Saturday!

H + E

My man cleans up nice!

Francisco & JuanaHector, Greg, Erika, Tony & Karl

The wedding and lunch was small (50 people), simple and elegant. Friends with Hector for 30 years, Tony was the "Best Man" and even bought a suit for the occasion! The reception was at Lilly's on Abbott Kinney in Venice, with a nice, private outdoor space and a beautiful garden adjacent to the restaurant. The live music was great, I think their name was Good Cop, Bad Cop. The food was pretty terrific. I had grilled salmon with lentils and soy ginger salsa and chocolate souffle with pistacchio ice cream, and Tony had a steak sandwich with creme brulee, yummy.

Big props to Hector & Erika, and our best wishes as they begin their journey on a bicycle for two!

Vintage Meme Blog 9/15/03

jenni's blog:: september 2003
September 15 - First & Last List
I have the day off today. Been catching up on blogs, found this on Zeebah's, and decided what the heck.
First bike: It was a used turquoise "Slick Chick" with a silver banana seat. I was all proud that it was blue and not some pink girly bike.
First best friend: Kathy. She had an above-ground swimming pool. We used to play hair dresser in her living room.
First car: 1973 Ford Mustang from my Auntie K. The 351 horsepower impressed guys I was too shy to approach. A few times it would spin around uncontrollably in the rain until my dad put a bag of concrete in the trunk. It was stolen from my college apartment.
First job: Working at a law firm as a file clerk/typist at age 16. That job led me to working in law firms for the next 16 years.
First screen name: Sanjuu Sansei (which means 30 year old third generation Japanese American). Remember Compuserve?
First self purchased album: First 45 single was "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tenille. First album was the soundtrack to "Grease" that I split the cost with my sister and brother.
First pet: 4 turtles when I turned 4 years old. My mom got rid of them because they smelled but told us they ran away.
First piercing/tattoo: Don't remember the piercing. No tatts.
First independent home: An apartment in Hollywood with my best friend, Maria, about 6 months after college graduation.
First credit card: I thought you had to pay money into it, then you could use the money, then would need to replenish in order to spend more. I must have gotten that concept from my parents.
First love: Jimmy Anderson, Kindergarten. He was a cutie.
First enemy: Don't think I ever had one, but when Ron threw rocks at me and Kathy in grade school, they got paddled by the principal.
First big trip: Flew to New York by myself in 1982 and visited Maria the summer after high school. We went to the top of the World Trade Center, saw "A Chorus Line" and "Evita" on Broadway.
First play/musical/performance: Not the first, but memorable - I saw Patrick Swayze in "West Side Story" at the Moorpark Melodrama. Nobuko, my boss, was in the original movie and on Broadway 20 years earlier. My best friend MARIA and my husband TONY were named after West Side Story characters in the 60s.
Last movie seen: I can't even remember the name. I think it was during Thanksgiving weekend in 2002. Check my November blog.
Last book read: "Built in Furniture."
Last cuss word uttered: Probably the "F" word.
Last beverage drank: Organic Juice from Trader Joe's last night.
Last food consumed: Killer Shrimp with rice, last night.
Last crush: Married him.
Last kiss: Ditto.
Last phone call: My dad, called to offer us his old big screen TV which is broken and might cost $200-$300 to repair. Declined. Had a nice conversation with him. It may be the first time he called me on my cell phone.
Last TV. show watched: Saw "Sharon Osborne" the debut of the talk show this morning.
Last time showered: This afternoon.
Last shoes worn: My comfy black Merrell's out to Killer Shrimp in the Marina last night.
Last cd played: Sweet Honey in the Rock that Nobuko made for me called "Women Gather."
Last item bought: Two pieces of political arts. Silkscreened and spraypaint posters by my friend Weston at the Great Leap fundraiser on Saturday. One is about the Figueroa Corridor/Staples Center struggle and the other is of the Koreatown Assi Market Boycott.
Last downloaded: Don't recall.
Last annoyance: Alarm clock this morning.
Last soda drank: I gave up soda a year ago officially, but I must admit that I had a sip of Tony's Squirt at Hector's house the other night.
Last word written: Night. (See above).
Last word spoken: Bye. (Hung up phone from dad).
Last sleep: Went to sleep about 2am. Woke up at at 7:30 am when Tony left for work, but didn't get up till 9:51 am.
Last IM: Never?
Last weird encounter: Don't know.
Last ice cream eaten: Can't remember when. But it was probably Haagen Dazs "Dulce La Leche." Yummm.
Last time wanting to die: Probably as a teenager.
Last time hugged: Last night from Hubby.
Last chair sat in: Currently sitting at my desk at home.
Last shirt worn: Currently wearing a black t-shirt that says "California Arts Council - The Year of the Arts - 2001." See, I wear what I preach. Support the arts.
Last web page visited: zeebahtronic - where I copied this entry.

Madame Mamie Turns 100

A few months ago, I blogged about 3 of my friends over the age of 90, including Fred Hoshiyama and Grace Lee Boggs. Tarabu sent these pictures of his mom Mamie Kirkland's 100th birthday in Buffalo this summer. Mamie is a pretty remarkable woman, here are some pictures of her family at her 100th Bday celebration.

Mamie's 100th Cake

Mamie and her "grown" children

Mamie with Tarabu and Nobuko,
Kamau, Malika, Asiyah, Mohammed and Nora

Mamie & the Generations

We look forward to Mamie's LA Bday later this year!