"Regret: To feel sorry, disappointed, or distressed about something that one wishes could be different." I don't have many regrets, but I guess everyone with a conscience and a memory has some. Memorial Day brings one to the surface. Today I'm thinking about a few. This isn't a sad post, just a reflective one. I haven't lost my positive outlook! =)
The first one is a faint memory, one of my earliest. I was only 5 or 6 and hadn't started school yet. My mom and I went to visit her sister. While they talked in the kitchen, I went into their living room and sat on the floor to read a book. From where I sat, I could see part of my cousin's bed in her room. She was in her late teens and had a disability. I still don't know what it was. She couldn't do anything for herself and couldn't speak clearly. Adults talked in code about it. Anyway, she must have heard me turning the pages of the book because she sat up and startled me--and stared at me. The world seemed to stop the moment we made eye contact. Something about her hair and face resembled the girl in the Exorcist. I ran away--afraid. I never saw her again. She died when I was 13. At her wake I heard people talk about how lonely she'd been, spending most of her time in her room with no one to talk to except her mom and 2 siblings (when they were home). When I heard that I thought back to that day. She probably wanted me to come into her room that morning, maybe read the book to her. Instead I ran away. I'm kind of ashamed of that. Yeah, I know I was tiny, but still I wish I had reacted differently.
The second one is short. I want to apologize to the people who read my "Mikey" blog. When I started it, I said I was trying my hand at fiction. But like all of the stories here, they are all true stories about my life. I said it was fiction because I didn't want my blog friends to feel obligated to read it. That was probably for the best because I also need to apologize for the writing being so bad (so bad even my wife didn't read them--LOL). The first chapter or two were okay, but it went downhill quickly. I think I do better when I can see an odd twist or something funny in an experience. I couldn't find a twist for those stories. Someone asked why I used the name "Mikey". It was simply that Mike and Mikey made good substitutes for Rick and Ricky.
The last regret is the one tied to Memorial Day. When I was 25, my office sent me on a trip during the last week in May. I planned to combine the trip with a vacation, so my wife and daughter were with me. I finished my work on the Friday before Memorial Day and was looking forward to time off--and visiting with my wife's relatives. She called my mom Friday afternoon to see how things were going. My mom complained about a headache. That was normal, she always complained about one ailment or another. Always. When my wife offered me the phone, I said no thanks. I was tired and didn't want to hear the complaining, so I told my wife I would talk to my mom when we got back. After playing bingo with her friends that night, my mom suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (from a brain aneurysm). It's a long story, but the bottom line is I never got another chance to talk to my mom. Officially, she died on Memorial Day. My mom nearly died when I was born and again when I was 6, so I was very lucky to have her with me until I was 25. I wish I'd remembered that when my wife offered me the phone that day. I realize I am being as subtle as a brick, but if you haven't spoken with a loved one in a while, maybe now would be a good time.
Regrets....things we wish we'd done differently. History can't be changed. The important thing is to learn something from them and not obsess over them (for too long). If someone offered to brainwash me so that I would forget all of my regrets, I would say no. Those experiences are part of who I am. Hopefully they help guide me in positive ways. As a great Canadian once said, "We need our regrets, our guilt. They're part of what makes us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves." William Shatner (as Capt. Kirk) was very wise. =)
PS - While I'm at it, I should apologize to my kids for embarrassing them on Sunday. As we sat in a restaurant I quietly sang along with a song lyric playing in the background. It was, "Shawty fire burning, fire burning, on the dance floor." I'm pretty sure only they could hear me and the looks on their faces were priceless. LOL, okay, this one is not a regret, I'd do it again. They make it too much fun for me. ("Daaa-ad!!!")
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Vote for Kym (and see her happy dance)
At the risk of drawing your attention from that riveting post on my jewelry and neck size, I want to encourage you to take a few moments to vote for Kym. She can explain it better than I can, so I copied everything below from her FB. If you need more motivation, see the line in yellow! I'm hoping her video will include the Hampster Dance music. :D
Vote for Kym @ the Urban Culture Conference
Hi everyone! For those of you who don't know, I have my own clothing line HERRO HACHI and i'm in the running for an award at the Urban Culture Conference here in Vancouver. I would really appreciate your votes!!
It'll only take 30 seconds:
1) Go to http://www.urbancultureconference.com/
2) Scroll to the bottom where it says "VOTE ON THE BEST OF VANCOUVER"
3) Select "STYLE"
4) Select "APPAREL BRAND"
5) Vote for me "HERRO HACHI"
** you can vote once per IP address (work computer, home computer, iphones, etc) **
If i win, i vow to video tape myself dancing in the middle of a busy street wearing the cow costume you see in the profile picture. yes, it even has udders. ;)
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Vote for Kym @ the Urban Culture Conference
Hi everyone! For those of you who don't know, I have my own clothing line HERRO HACHI and i'm in the running for an award at the Urban Culture Conference here in Vancouver. I would really appreciate your votes!!
It'll only take 30 seconds:
1) Go to http://www.urbancultureconference.com/
2) Scroll to the bottom where it says "VOTE ON THE BEST OF VANCOUVER"
3) Select "STYLE"
4) Select "APPAREL BRAND"
5) Vote for me "HERRO HACHI"
** you can vote once per IP address (work computer, home computer, iphones, etc) **
If i win, i vow to video tape myself dancing in the middle of a busy street wearing the cow costume you see in the profile picture. yes, it even has udders. ;)
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
My Accessories
This will probably be as close as I come to a fashion post (but you never know). The chain and cross you see in the pictures are the only items I wear at all times. I never take them off. Well, almost never. They have to come off for x-rays or MRI's (and to take these pictures), but other than that, always on. It's hard to explain why. I'm certainly not a very good Catholic. I haven't worked an Aswang into a post lately, so I could say I wear it to keep Aswangs away--and that it's doing an amazing job! But the truth is simply that I find comfort in it.
The real story is about what I learned in getting the chain and cross.
When I was 19 my GF knew I wanted a cross and gave me one with a chain for Christmas. But the chain was too small. So we went to the jewelry store to exchange it. When I told the clerk my GF had asked to buy a man's chain to go with the cross, he responded, "Young man, an 18 inch chain IS a man's size." I was shocked. What was a normal neck size? But that shock didn't keep me from hearing the condescension in his tone. We got her money back for both items.Thanks to genetics, too much "toting that barge and lifting that bale" during my childhood, and an unfortunate dose of gamma radiation (nerdy comic book reference), I have a 19 inch neck. It does its job nicely! ;P
Anyway, a few weeks later I bought myself this cross and 24 inch chain. It's long enough that it doesn't show--as long as I keep my 2nd shirt button buttoned (which I do). The cross is not for show, it's for me.This post was inspired by Lei of the White Sky Project. She wrote, "Quick! Pop quiz! Who has a more massive neck - The Rock or Thor?"
Or Ricademus??? LOL, no way! Those guys are definitely "more massive".
PS - The pictures are misleading--the chain is very thin and the cross is small.
Friday, May 20, 2011
What did she say?
This short post is my last related to Panama (for now). One night we went to an Italian restaurant for something different. I ordered calimari and a small pizza--the "chica" size. Both were excellent.
Since my boss speaks Spanish, she did a lot of interpreting for me. That night was no different. I've mentioned how bad I am with languages, right? Well, to order I simply pointed at what I wanted on the menu. When the waitress asked a question I immediately looked at my boss. She told me the girl asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered a Coke. Then the waitress asked another question and again I looked to my boss (I think it was a reflex at that point), who laughed and said, "Come on Rick, all she said was 'Pepsi' in the form of a question." She must be a Jeopardy fan.
Anyway, if the waitress talked about us later, she probably said our group included one guy who ordered in Italian, one lady who ordered in Spanish, and one guy who didn't know what Pepsi was. LOL
Have a great weekend!
PS - My next post may be my first fashion-related entry...sort of. =)
Since my boss speaks Spanish, she did a lot of interpreting for me. That night was no different. I've mentioned how bad I am with languages, right? Well, to order I simply pointed at what I wanted on the menu. When the waitress asked a question I immediately looked at my boss. She told me the girl asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered a Coke. Then the waitress asked another question and again I looked to my boss (I think it was a reflex at that point), who laughed and said, "Come on Rick, all she said was 'Pepsi' in the form of a question." She must be a Jeopardy fan.
Anyway, if the waitress talked about us later, she probably said our group included one guy who ordered in Italian, one lady who ordered in Spanish, and one guy who didn't know what Pepsi was. LOL
Have a great weekend!
PS - My next post may be my first fashion-related entry...sort of. =)
Monday, May 16, 2011
That's not me--Panama edition
A few odd things happened in Panama. The strangest was a recurring case of mistaken identity, one I'd forgotten to blog about. When I returned to my room Tuesday evening I found an invitation in my room from the Embassy of Paraguay--to attend a reception celebrating their bicentennial. The reception was the next day in the hotel, so I assumed all guests were invited. At dinner later with my co-workers, I asked if they wanted to attend the reception.
They had no idea what I was talking about. They were not invited.
After dinner I checked with the hotel and I was the only guest invited to the reception. The Embassy invited me. I don't know how they knew I was there, but this has happened before. They thought I was someone else. There is a fellow out there with my name (but different spelling) who is involved in international relations. I passed on the reception. While the mistaken identity started out as fun a few years ago, it got to be annoying.
First (a few years ago) I received a holiday card from a Saudi ambassador. I didn't know why. Then I got invited to a reception for the German ambassador at the US Capitol building. Still I didn't know why. But I went and had a great time--they had amazing food. I spoke with the ambassador for a few minutes and the place was crawling with Senators, but no one I'd voted for. Then I started getting phone calls from TV and radio stations wanting to interview me--I thought they meant it was a survey of some sort and I kept hanging up on them. There were more cards and more receptions and it was all good fun. But the phone calls really got on my nerves--one girl in particular. Why did she care what I thought???
Then I got invited to something really cool. An after-party for the White House correspondent's dinner. My wife wanted to go with me and made me call to see if I could bring a guest. A few questions and answers later and the mistake was corrected--I was uninvited. There have been a few invitations since then, but nothing worth attending. But the calls continued--especially from that one girl.
Finally, instead of hanging up on her, I asked, "Why the heck do you care so much what I think???" She responded, "Well, you are the country's leading expert on 'Frackistan'!" I almost said we should nuke them back to the stone age. But I only thought about saying that--I didn't want to risk starting an international incident by teasing one reporter who didn't know how to spell her target's name...or that he lived in a different state. On the plus side, at least after that I knew why I was getting the invitations.
Somehow it never occurred to me to blog about that--until I got the invitation in Panama.
Hmm, did anything else happen in Panama that I could blog about? I can't remember at the moment--it's past my bedtime. Good night and thanks for stopping by! =)
PS - Originally, the mistaken identity started because a former boss insisted my name go into a Federal listing--even though I wasn't a Federal employee. The cards started coming to my office at first and later to my home.
They had no idea what I was talking about. They were not invited.
After dinner I checked with the hotel and I was the only guest invited to the reception. The Embassy invited me. I don't know how they knew I was there, but this has happened before. They thought I was someone else. There is a fellow out there with my name (but different spelling) who is involved in international relations. I passed on the reception. While the mistaken identity started out as fun a few years ago, it got to be annoying.
First (a few years ago) I received a holiday card from a Saudi ambassador. I didn't know why. Then I got invited to a reception for the German ambassador at the US Capitol building. Still I didn't know why. But I went and had a great time--they had amazing food. I spoke with the ambassador for a few minutes and the place was crawling with Senators, but no one I'd voted for. Then I started getting phone calls from TV and radio stations wanting to interview me--I thought they meant it was a survey of some sort and I kept hanging up on them. There were more cards and more receptions and it was all good fun. But the phone calls really got on my nerves--one girl in particular. Why did she care what I thought???
Then I got invited to something really cool. An after-party for the White House correspondent's dinner. My wife wanted to go with me and made me call to see if I could bring a guest. A few questions and answers later and the mistake was corrected--I was uninvited. There have been a few invitations since then, but nothing worth attending. But the calls continued--especially from that one girl.
Finally, instead of hanging up on her, I asked, "Why the heck do you care so much what I think???" She responded, "Well, you are the country's leading expert on 'Frackistan'!" I almost said we should nuke them back to the stone age. But I only thought about saying that--I didn't want to risk starting an international incident by teasing one reporter who didn't know how to spell her target's name...or that he lived in a different state. On the plus side, at least after that I knew why I was getting the invitations.
Somehow it never occurred to me to blog about that--until I got the invitation in Panama.
Hmm, did anything else happen in Panama that I could blog about? I can't remember at the moment--it's past my bedtime. Good night and thanks for stopping by! =)
PS - Originally, the mistaken identity started because a former boss insisted my name go into a Federal listing--even though I wasn't a Federal employee. The cards started coming to my office at first and later to my home.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Panama Jack? Not me
I spent last week working in Panama--and getting tours of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute research sites. It was great, except for the humidity. It was too humid. It was like Williamsburg, VA in August, but worse (it's the start of the rainy season). I got home from the airport around 11:30 Friday night, unpacked, showered, and went to straight to sleep. It was the end of a long week, with 6 flights, 3 boat rides, lots of walking and lots of food.
I don't have pictures of the food, but I have some pics from our ride in a canopy crane and should be getting pictures of other sites from my fellow travelers. I hope one of them got a good picture of the steps on Barro Colorado Island--the hillside was steep, the steps were many and the air was thick. But the air didn't bother the Howler monkeys, they were making a real racket when we arrived at the top. We also visited Bocas del Toro (up-and-coming eco-tourism hotspot), Gamboa, the Punta Culebra Nature Center, and Naos Island Laboratories.
In summary, the food winners were corvina ceviche (the fish, not the grape), mango, fried (whole) corvina w/garlic sauce, mango, yucca fries, pineapple, shrimp in coconut sauce, some sort of corn ball (for breakfast), mango, patacones (smashed and fried plantains), mango, and a green sauce called chimichurri (I brought home 2 bottles). I'm not a coffee drinker, but my companions said it was great.
The wildlife we saw included iguanas, sloths, sharks, sea turtles, raccoons, fiddler crabs, an assortment of colorful fish, frogs, and birds, and way too many bugs.
On my last night in Panama I won $400 in the hotel's casino. I needed to because I over-tipped like crazy for everything during the trip...because of the extreme poverty visable in the country-side, Bocas del Toro and much of Panama City. Panama is pouring billions into upgrading the canal (which will raise the water level and flood some of our buildings). I hope that generates sufficient return to allow the country to put more money into education and social programs.
A few pictures from the crane:
The crane itself (pic from their website):
I don't have pictures of the food, but I have some pics from our ride in a canopy crane and should be getting pictures of other sites from my fellow travelers. I hope one of them got a good picture of the steps on Barro Colorado Island--the hillside was steep, the steps were many and the air was thick. But the air didn't bother the Howler monkeys, they were making a real racket when we arrived at the top. We also visited Bocas del Toro (up-and-coming eco-tourism hotspot), Gamboa, the Punta Culebra Nature Center, and Naos Island Laboratories.
In summary, the food winners were corvina ceviche (the fish, not the grape), mango, fried (whole) corvina w/garlic sauce, mango, yucca fries, pineapple, shrimp in coconut sauce, some sort of corn ball (for breakfast), mango, patacones (smashed and fried plantains), mango, and a green sauce called chimichurri (I brought home 2 bottles). I'm not a coffee drinker, but my companions said it was great.
The wildlife we saw included iguanas, sloths, sharks, sea turtles, raccoons, fiddler crabs, an assortment of colorful fish, frogs, and birds, and way too many bugs.
On my last night in Panama I won $400 in the hotel's casino. I needed to because I over-tipped like crazy for everything during the trip...because of the extreme poverty visable in the country-side, Bocas del Toro and much of Panama City. Panama is pouring billions into upgrading the canal (which will raise the water level and flood some of our buildings). I hope that generates sufficient return to allow the country to put more money into education and social programs.
A few pictures from the crane:
The crane itself (pic from their website):
The forest canopy:
An iguana in the canopy: 
A sloth in the canopy: 
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A&B, Pertussis
If I'm MIA for a while, I'll either be in Panama (working) or recovering from vaccinations for the diseases listed in the title. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or concerned that there is no vaccine for Dengue Fever. I also received anti-malarial medication--if you have any sort of chemical imbalance, this can cause "vivid nightmares". I can't wait to see if I'll have that experience or not.
I'm mostly joking about getting sick from the vaccines, but there was some question whether I could take the shots or not. I was on steriods recently for a bronchial infection and apparently that suppresses your immune system. If it were up to me I wouldn't have gotten them, but our company doctor was insistent.
I'm mostly joking about getting sick from the vaccines, but there was some question whether I could take the shots or not. I was on steriods recently for a bronchial infection and apparently that suppresses your immune system. If it were up to me I wouldn't have gotten them, but our company doctor was insistent.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
You're all winners (Giveaway results)
But only some of you have won Herro Hachi originals! The grand prize winner gets to choose any in-stock item from the Herro Hachi website and the runners-up may each select any t-shirt in-stock. In the event the winner is unable to fulfill her obligations, the first runner-up will reign in her place.
The scores have been tallied and the grand prize winner is...Robyn!!!
The four runners-up are: Megan; Nashe; Kristie; and Chaotic Cookie!!! Congratulations!
Remember the story about the soccer coach who really disliked my brother??? Ever since he wrote my name at the bottom of the team roster and then crossed it out, I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone at the bottom of a list. So I'm naming a 5th runner-up: Pop Champagne!!!
Please visit Herro Hachi soon to pick out your prize and e-mail your selection and mailing address to Kym (kym@herrohachi.com) as soon as possible. She's got a wedding to get ready for! =)
Thank you all for being here, I truly appreciate it--and thank you Kym for making this so easy. If anyone is interested, the full results appear below. So close Roma!!!
0.117313150 dolce la robyn said...
0.136326182 Megan said...
0.156987213 Nashe said...
0.170812098 kristieinbc said...
0.188604389 CHAOTIC COOKIE said...
0.201269570 Roma Agsalud said...
0.227851192 coffretgorge said...
0.355937376 Jo said...
0.424115726 REINA said...
0.440534684 MeiBelle said...
0.521958068 Karen said...
0.534958953 Wenny said...
0.555619984 teJan said...
0.59663686 Thanh Thao said...
0.610950041 Lei said...
0.758323923 Rena said...
0.79894406 London's-beauty said...
0.926450392 krissy ♥ said...
0.965056307 Kym said...
0.996276742 Pop Champagne said...
PS - I used the random number generator in Excel to assign everyone a number and then sorted the list by the numbers. How else would an accountant do it??? Also, Kym didn't really enter. She joked about it and I thought it would be fun to see where fate would place an entry for her.
The scores have been tallied and the grand prize winner is...Robyn!!!
The four runners-up are: Megan; Nashe; Kristie; and Chaotic Cookie!!! Congratulations!
Remember the story about the soccer coach who really disliked my brother??? Ever since he wrote my name at the bottom of the team roster and then crossed it out, I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone at the bottom of a list. So I'm naming a 5th runner-up: Pop Champagne!!!
Please visit Herro Hachi soon to pick out your prize and e-mail your selection and mailing address to Kym (kym@herrohachi.com) as soon as possible. She's got a wedding to get ready for! =)
Thank you all for being here, I truly appreciate it--and thank you Kym for making this so easy. If anyone is interested, the full results appear below. So close Roma!!!
0.117313150 dolce la robyn said...
0.136326182 Megan said...
0.156987213 Nashe said...
0.170812098 kristieinbc said...
0.188604389 CHAOTIC COOKIE said...
0.201269570 Roma Agsalud said...
0.227851192 coffretgorge said...
0.355937376 Jo said...
0.424115726 REINA said...
0.440534684 MeiBelle said...
0.521958068 Karen said...
0.534958953 Wenny said...
0.555619984 teJan said...
0.59663686 Thanh Thao said...
0.610950041 Lei said...
0.758323923 Rena said...
0.79894406 London's-beauty said...
0.926450392 krissy ♥ said...
0.965056307 Kym said...
0.996276742 Pop Champagne said...
PS - I used the random number generator in Excel to assign everyone a number and then sorted the list by the numbers. How else would an accountant do it??? Also, Kym didn't really enter. She joked about it and I thought it would be fun to see where fate would place an entry for her.
Monday, May 2, 2011
“I can’t leave you alone anywhere”
That’s what my wife said to me on Saturday. After a morning of chores, we visited an antique fair to check out the merchandise. I saw a beautiful corner cabinet. But, sadly, we have no empty corner to place it in. As we drove away empty-handed, she spotted friends having a yard sale. She asked me to stop, but for me to stay in the car—as her excuse for not staying long. I dropped her off then pulled down the street into a shaded parking spot.
As I sat there enjoying myself (I had great company, right? LOL), I noticed multiple sets of people coming and going. I wasn’t sure if I was witnessing a fundraising drive or perhaps religion going door-to-door. I made eye contact with one of the younger men and he decided to approach.
As I rolled down the window, four others joined us. It was religion. They were recruiting members for their Baptist church—if they had a high pressure spiel or wanted donations, they never got around to that. Their leader, an eloquent 30-something lady, said they wanted to offer a 10-second prayer for me. I asked them to pray instead for my son. It’s not that I’m beyond all hope, but he has a mild form of autism and I thought the prayer would be better directed his way—that he will someday have an easier time connecting to people and the world around him.
My wife walked up during the prayer, as I was holding hands with the lady and the young man. I could sense her amusement. Not about the prayer, about me talking to people. She thinks I’ll talk to anyone. As she got in the car she said, “I can’t leave you alone anywhere. Only you would find people to talk to when you’re sitting in a car!” I didn’t bother to point out they found me. She was having too much fun—reminiscing about the time I talked with 2 Jehovah’s Witnesses at our front door for an hour with a towel wrapped around my waist (I wanted to share info on Catholicism), the encyclopedia salesmen I gave sales advice (but no money), the German ambassador I gave encouragement (that’s a good subject for a separate post), and a few other instances.
As with the above examples, I’d estimate that 60% to 65% of my conversations with strangers are initiated by them—and not once have they offered me candy. (Yeah, I know that’s lame!!!)
So, do you talk with strangers??? Is that a change from the past? For me, it's funny to look back and remember in my youth my plan was to grow up to be a grumpy Mr. Wilson-type (from Dennis the Menace) and not talk to people.
As I sat there enjoying myself (I had great company, right? LOL), I noticed multiple sets of people coming and going. I wasn’t sure if I was witnessing a fundraising drive or perhaps religion going door-to-door. I made eye contact with one of the younger men and he decided to approach.
As I rolled down the window, four others joined us. It was religion. They were recruiting members for their Baptist church—if they had a high pressure spiel or wanted donations, they never got around to that. Their leader, an eloquent 30-something lady, said they wanted to offer a 10-second prayer for me. I asked them to pray instead for my son. It’s not that I’m beyond all hope, but he has a mild form of autism and I thought the prayer would be better directed his way—that he will someday have an easier time connecting to people and the world around him.
My wife walked up during the prayer, as I was holding hands with the lady and the young man. I could sense her amusement. Not about the prayer, about me talking to people. She thinks I’ll talk to anyone. As she got in the car she said, “I can’t leave you alone anywhere. Only you would find people to talk to when you’re sitting in a car!” I didn’t bother to point out they found me. She was having too much fun—reminiscing about the time I talked with 2 Jehovah’s Witnesses at our front door for an hour with a towel wrapped around my waist (I wanted to share info on Catholicism), the encyclopedia salesmen I gave sales advice (but no money), the German ambassador I gave encouragement (that’s a good subject for a separate post), and a few other instances.
As with the above examples, I’d estimate that 60% to 65% of my conversations with strangers are initiated by them—and not once have they offered me candy. (Yeah, I know that’s lame!!!)
So, do you talk with strangers??? Is that a change from the past? For me, it's funny to look back and remember in my youth my plan was to grow up to be a grumpy Mr. Wilson-type (from Dennis the Menace) and not talk to people.
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