Aknowledging Asian Americans

"Where’s my mail?" I asked Alan.
"I put it on your desk chair. There was nothing."
Walking up two flights of stairs to retrieve my mail I said,
"Your nothing may be my something."
-a tidbit conversation on
August 6, 2009

On June 8, 2009 it was reported from the Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea that “North Korea” had convicted two American journalists and sentenced them Monday to 12 years of hard labor for crossing into its territory, intensifying the reclusive nation's confrontation with the United States.

The Obama administration said it would pursue "all possible channels" to win the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture.

Fast forward to this excerpted article on August 4, 2009:

North Korea will pardon two jailed US journalists after visiting former president Bill Clinton apologized to leader Kim Jong-Il for their behavior, state media reported Wednesday.

“The measure taken to release the American journalists is a manifestation of the DPRK-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s) humanitarian and peace-loving policy,” the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

“Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong-Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it,” KCNA reported.

“Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong-Il an earnest request of the US government to leniently pardon them and send them back home from a humanitarian point of view,” it said,

KCNA said Clinton’s meetings with leader Kim and with his official number two Kim Yong-Nam featured “candid and in-depth discussions on the pending issues between the DPRK and the US in a sincere atmosphere and reached a consensus of views on seeking a negotiated settlement of them”.

It almost seemed that Kim Jong was more excited about the formalized photo he would have with former President Bill Clinton (that's the impression I got when I saw the photo in the newspaper). I felt that was Kim Jong’s historic moment of worldwide notoriety.

When I saw the televised media of these women disembarking from the airplane back to America it really ‘melted my heart’. It reminded me of the many Asian-Americans that we have in the USA who are a great contribution to our country.

Now that ‘Sonia Maria Sotomayor’ is the first Hispanic approved Supreme Court Justice in the USA I hope an Asian-American is not too impossible as the next ideal choice.

The Asian American population is heavily urbanized, with nearly three-quarters of Asian Americans living in metropolitan areas with population greater than 2.5 million. Asian Americans are concentrated in the largest U.S. cities, with 40% of all Asian Americans living in the metropolitan areas around Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. Half of all Asian Americans (5.4M) live in Hawaii or the West Coast, mostly in California (4.2M). I found this Wikipedia information about Asian Americans to be quite interesting. Check it out and read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_American


Twenty-five years ago today:

Wednesday,
August 8, 1984

Karyn Kossoff and I took BART together to get back to work in The City. I did not see Linda at the BART station (lucky me). I may see her tomorrow though. I may ask her out for Saturday night just to see what direction it will lead.

I met Bobbie Renbarger in the morning and we went to Merrill’s Drugs. She let me borrow $2.00 because all I had was a $50 dollar bill. She’s sweet. I like her. I also like when she puts her arm around me in her very subtle, friendly, affectionate way.

I do not carry any credit cards effective “today”. The credit cards are cramping my style. I need to clear up my accounts in order to have a respectable savings amount.

I shared lunch with Barbara Reynolds and Bobbie Renbarger. The three of us when to the Galleria and shared a pizza with garlic bread (and cookies). I was stuffed by the end of the lunch hour.

I went to SAFEWAY after work and bumped into Bunny Berney. I was boyfriend/girlfriend with her sister, Elisa, at one point. Bunny looked cute and we talked a bit. She is very nice.

I bought Dad a bottle of wine with a special Birthday Card for his 49th Birthday. He seemed pleased by my thoughtfulness. I stayed with Dad to eat a bit and talked to him for a while about work ‘in general’ and other nonsense.

Eventually I was back at my pad. I browsed through the mail and magazines and hopped on my bicycle for a quick ride. The constant pedaling did not agree with me so soon after dinner (not to mention the filling lunch I had).

I wrote a letter to Michael Thoennes. It was a funny card that depicted ‘Nowheresville’. It seemed suitable for his new location in Oregon. He was always so nice to me. I think he is going places because he seems so determined.

I wrote in my journal to ‘catch up’ on the happenings of the last few days.

That lady who is in-charge at the Bay Area Sperm Bank (Barbara) called me.
“I was wondering if you would continue to donate again,” Barbara said.
It’s hard for me to say no to people. I have a scheduled appointment on Wednesday, August 15, 1984 at 6PM.

I decided to go to bed fairly early tonight. The phone was ringing just before I decided on shut-eye. It was Bruce (I don’t even know his last name come to think of it!). Anyway, if I am not mistaken he just invited me to a semi-formal party on Saturday Night at 8PM.
“The party will include a lot of models and some will be meeting with agents,” Bruce said.
“Okay, I’ll go. Who knows who we could meet there, right?”

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For the Coffee Connoisseur

“Why don't you have a cup of coffee at least?
I, um, I'm a little low in sugar and I don't have any cream,
but it's real coffee.”
-Barbra Streisand

I received a postcard dated March 11, 2009 from Netherlands with a photo of a coffee cup. It had a 'scratch n' sniff' and included these Dutch words:
Kom je op de koffie? The backside of the postcard stated the following:

Hi Michael!
A postcard from Holland! Just scratch the coffee and then smell it. Lovely, huh? Coffee is one of my big passions! i couldn't do without. I've heard that American coffee is really bad, is that so? Enjoy your coffee!
Cheers,
Cindy

I sent Cindy an electronic mail that went something like 'American coffee is pretty BAD unless you know where to shop for the GOOD beans'. Cindy's postcard inspired me to write about my three favorite coffees. Today I share them with you:

1. Torrefazione Italia Perugia Blend-
Medium roast, full body, smooth and rich!
http://www.titalia.com/site/default.aspx

2. PEETS Coffee
a. a mix of beans-half Italian Roast + half Major Dickason's Blend
b. a mix of beans-half French Roast + half Major Dickason's Blend
(PEETS French Roast-
The darkest roast. An intense, bold coffee with pronounced smoky overtones.
Major Dickason's Blend-
Our most famous blend. Combines the best coffees from the world's premier coffee-growing regions. Very full-bodied, complex, rich, and smooth.
PEETS Italian Roast-
Intense; blended from the fullest-bodied, most flavorful coffees from the Pacific and Latin America.)
http://www.peets.com/shop/coffee.asp

3. Verona Blend, Starbucks
Caffè Verona is a seductive blend of beans from Latin America and Indonesia, with a gentle touch of Italian Roast lending depth, soul and sweetness.

ALWAYS buy the coffee beans and grind them just before preparation for the freshest, dreamy cup.

Of course, if you're in ITALY...always go to the coffee bar for the best 'cappuccini' in the world. That's the BEST.

Twenty-five years ago today:

Saturday, March 24, 1984

This morning I took a zip quick bike ride to mom's. I ate breakfast and continued on my ride to the Fruitvale BART station. I transported my bike into San Francisco and did some brisk riding in and around Golden Gate Park until about 3:30PM. I discovered the velodrome. The continuous circling was boring but invigorating. I cruised on over to Foster Freeze for a Root Beer float.

When I returned to Alameda I went to mom's and made another Root Beer float. I deserved it after all of that riding.

John and Sherri told me that Chris Cordellos had called me. I called him and he told me he was going to dinner with his mother. I slept. Then Chris called me back and discussed the notion of going to see a movie. We were going to see 'Splash' but we ended up at The Black Angus in Walnut Creek for drinks and browsing. The imitation Live Band was a 'sorry' experience after our recent concert escape.

Chris made some true confessions.
"I have to tell you that I had a St. Patrick's Day party at my place. It was so 'LIVE'," Chris suddenly announced as we listened to the sorry music at The Black Angus.
"That's cool that you had so much fun," I said as I wondered why he hadn't told me before tonight.

We continued on to "The Hub", a small bar in the town of Walnut Creek. It is not welcomed by many, as you could imagine as it has a mix of gay and lesbian clientele. Those places kind of depress me. Chris' confessions continued at this bar.
"I've changed so much in the last two months since meeting you," Chris said happily.
I smiled at the news, thinking it a good thing.
"I backed out of a beach party just so I could see you tonight," Chris continued.
I started to have my own personal visions of a potential US Coast Guard beach party.

"Michael, last Thursday I was going to tell you that you deserve someone better than me."
"Why?" I asked.
"I decided not to say it because I would be 'knocking' myself," Chris revealed.
I listened, wondering what he was trying to say.
"We are both different in our opinions," Chris hesitated, "but we have the 'The Quake' tunes in common. And I just think I'm really wrong because we are compatible in a lot of ways."

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Eavesdropping

"How come you turned out sane
when the rest of your family is nutty?"
-Ira Levin
in his book
"Rosemary's Baby"

It's interesting how we learn about things. Yesterday, I was at the Los Angeles Airport, minding my own business. I was trying to concentrate on my latest book experience. I am reading 'Rosemary's Baby' by Ira Levin. There was a man a couple of seats away on his cellular phone. You know how people tend to speak louder on their cell phones, right? Well, he was obnoxious. I kept re-reading my last paragraph and finally decided to close my book.

I listened to the stranger talking on his cell phone and wondered if I would hear anything profound. I'll close my eyes and be an eavesdropper.

He was telling someone about 'In The Rooms':
http://www.intherooms.com/
He described it as a FaceBook online social community for people 'in recovery' that has become increasingly popular. I thought this was helpful to know. If you know someone in recovery or in need of comprehensive healing for alcoholism, stress or whatever ails you it might be a good place to surf. I know a fabulous acupuncturist (Lauren Freiman) who must register her services via a profile presence there.

PHOTO: Lauren Freiman

The stranger went on and on...
"I don't like people who try to have an 'in' through any avenue they can find," he said.
"My cousins' boyfriend shows up from Albany, New York with a VIP pass," he explained as his example.
"How'd you get that? I asked him and he said 'I used your name'," the stranger said to his cell phone confidant.
At this point, it was time to board the plane. Hoorah!

Twenty-five years ago today:

Saturday, March 17, 1984

What a fun-filled St. Patrick's Day. It started as early as 3AM when Chris called me from Arcata. We talked on the telephone until 5:30AM! I confronted him with what I learned on his so-called telephone account.
"It wasn't working telephone service," Chris said.
He went on to try to explain his requirement to stay in the Arcata area to serve his time for ten months. He is in the US Coast Guard! I felt sorry for him because I know he just wants out of the service as soon as possible. It took him a while to share all of his feelings.
"I'm afraid I'll be jailed if I go AWOL," he said. I felt good that I knew that AWOL was 'Absent Without Leave'. How did I know that?

Chris went on to share secret facts from his past.
"When I was fifteen years old I was sexually abused by a member of my family," he confessed. That was a heavy one. I wasn't sure how to react. I only knew I cared for Chris deeply and that he was an A-1 friend.

I woke up at 8:30AM and went to H&R Block. I am getting a tax refund of about $80. By 10:05AM U was at Great Western Savings opening my Individual Retirement Account for 1983. This visit took another hour from my day.

By 11:05AM I was at The Bay Area Sperm Bank in North Oakland. I was slightly late but it didn't seem to matter. I have one last appointment on Wednesday. It will be my last donor sample. Then I will learn whether or not I am acceptable as an official donor. I will have a physical exam and then the process will begin (whatever that really means). I believe it's all about contracts and my willingness to reveal my identity when the child turns eighteen. I do want to respond 'Yes' on that. Shoot. I'm willing to meet the mother beforehand if she'd allow it. Why not?

I arrived home by 12:30PM and telephoned Debbie Honcik. We met at the foot of the Bay Farm Island Bridge where we headed on out for a fun-filled excursion to Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. It was great to spend time with Debbie again. We experienced such a rewarding bicycle ride, too. The hills were a challenge for her but she managed fine. I loved it.
"I can't believe how fast you got up those hills," Debbie managed to say as she was breathing hard.
Yes, 'Oh What A Feeling' (like that song). We hung out at the Lake Chabot park area. I had forgotten how much I love the serenity of that park. Maybe I will venture there on my own next Saturday.

When I arrived home at 5:30PM I called mom to beg for dinner. There was no chance of that. It was her day off and wasn't in the mood for preparing a big meal.
"Helen called," mom said.
I returned Helen's call and she was invited to a a dinner/surprise Birthday party at the Alameda South Shore Beach & Tennis Club. I couldn't resist the idea of going. The dinner was excellent. They served tortellini pasta, chicken, ham with pineapple, tossed salad, rice. The bike ride today really worked up my appetite.

While at the party I met a guy named Drew. He is the head of personnel at Blue Cross. The guy who invited Helen to this party is the head of personnel at Kaiser Hospital. Helen and I had a great time. We left by 10PM and went to The Black Angus in San Lorenzo where we danced. I was searching for Nadine (who was supposed to be there) but I never saw her.

I was home by 12:30PM. I called Nadine and we talked for a couple of hours. We had one of our usual great conversations. I told her I drove a black mustang. Why do women care about the type of car a man drives? We spoke of the regular phrases we use. We spoke of bicycling, rose tattoos, a future date, my resemblance to Donny Osmond on certain days and my favorite actors (Natalie Wood, Joan Rivers, Ann-Margret,Robert Redford, Mel Gibson). We continued on several topics. We talked about my highlighted blond hair streaks, Hard Rock n' Roll, Paloma, Dan (an ex-boyfriend with two kids), Leslie Fonseca and probably more.

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Erotic Scenes

'In the morning there was no sun, and all day the geese flew south.'
-Bette Bao Lord

I read the above line in my current novel. It made me think of the recent, historic January 2009 story of the new American hero, 'Captain Sully':

A US Airways jumbo jet was slowly lifted out of the icy Hudson River late yesterday, three days after the A320 had made a successful "splash landing" that saved all 155 people on board.

Television footage from the scene, near Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan, showed the right side of the Airbus with the intact engine but its covering was mangled.

Work to recover the waterlogged jet was making "very good progress," Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board told a press conference.

The recovery effort was hampered by slush surrounding the aircraft and huge chunks of ice on a day with air temperature hovered around minus eight degrees Celsius.

The aircraft was placed on a barge and will be taken to an undisclosed location in New Jersey for examination. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders, known as black boxes, remained on the plane.

The flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, met "big, dark-brown birds" shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport on Thursday and both engines lost power.

The flight crew decided to land on the Hudson, rather than back to LaGuardia or to the nearby smaller Teterboro Airport because the plane was flying "too low, too slow" and would have "catastrophic" consequences if things went wrong in a heavily populated area, said Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The plane landed near a vessel so as to improve recovery after landing, but the pilots were not able to turn on the "ditching switch" to automatically seal off the aircraft in water, Higgins told a press conference on Saturday evening.

The successful emergency landing and the ensuing rescue of all the 150 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots, were described as a "miracle on the Hudson" by New York State Governor David Paterson.

Captain Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger has been hailed as a hero and received phone congratulations from US President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama.

After I read my flashback (below) I was reminded of this song called, THE MODEL, by Kraftwerk, that I used to like so much.
http://search.live.com/video/results.aspx?q=kraftwerk%2C%20model&docid=443741831785&FORM=VIVP27

Twenty-five years ago today:

January 19, 1984

Today I called Suzy Miller to confirm our date for Saturday night. It should be fun. We are supposed to go to David's, then have a few drinks. This will be followed by dinner at 'A Little Italy'.
"It should be quaint," David had said a while back.

I left a message on Alexis' answering machine. Paloma was not home when I telephoned her at 2pm. I called Gilbert and we chatted about 'nothing in particular'. I called my mom, too. Elisa Berney (high school pal and former junior high girlfriend) called me about her personal telephone bill. I told Elisa the news about my brother, John. The news of his being a 'father' in May 1984, of course.

I paid a few bills (auto insurance included). I exercised a bit when Gilbert called me back. He started to try flattering me with talk of how he would love to 'make love' with me.
"I would just like you to lie naked next to me," Gilbert said.
I was shocked when I heard him utter that sentence. He is so 'open and direct' in his thoughts. I told Gilbert about a few of the erotic scenes I had seen with Paloma in the French film "Going Places".
"Yeah, there was one guy who was fucked by four other guys!" I explained as I thought I had matched his 'open and direct' statement from before.
Then Gilbert began to surprise me even more.
"I have experienced bondage," Gilbert shared, "it's enjoyable if you love that person.
"A menage a trois is not so great when you don't get the good side of the bargain," Gilbert added.
I imagine the 'good side of the bargain' meant whether you had access to your preferred partner (I guess).
"So...why don't you fix me up with one of your models," I asked Gilbert.
"I will not...and do you know why?" he asked.
"No, why?"
"I would be jealous," he replied, "but I do know one model that would just love you."
It made me wonder.
I questioned him. "Are your models ever all together at one place, at one time?"
"Yes," Gilbert replied, "I have a big party once a year."
I thought to myself (I will look forward to that party).

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