Top 10 Things on my Mind

1.  The Oscars...and The Artist, which gets my vote for Best Picture.

How does a silent, black and white film become the most talked about feel good movie of the year?  I have no idea, but the moment the lights dimmed and the music began I was hooked.  This was one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I've had in years!

2.  New YA Novel...middle grade groundbreaker for boys...readable draft ready by mid-summer.

While waiting for Julia Milan to find a home, I'm keeping myself busy with a new novel about a fifth grader from Oakland named Martin, whose uncanny insights about leadership and human nature propel him to national promiance during the presidential election of 2012.  Presented as a biography about the young life of a future U.S. President, this political page turner is unlike anything in bookstores for middle grade readers (especially boys!). 

3.  Julia Milan news...no news yet...

Good things come to those who wait, and great things come to characters like Julia who must wait to find an editor who understands why she is the way she is.

4.  Vanguard Mutual Funds

I've been meaning to update my 401k situation with a new strategy and positional shift to Vanguard and its low-fee, strong-performance mutual funds.  I never seem to have enough time to read annual reports and prospectuses, but I'm getting my act together this week.

5.  Neal's Visit last week

w/ Neal @ Chapel of the Chimes

My longtime awesome friend Neal Fowler visited last week and we had a TOTAL blast hanging out, eating Zach's pizza, the new burger joint down the street, watching a few flicks ("The Descendants" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy") and even giving 4th grade neighbor Sophie a violin lesson.  Can't wait for Neal's entire family to come visit!

6.  Inspiration Point with Alice

This morning, Alice and I took a wonderful 4-mile walk through Tilden Park in Berkeley, walking along Inspiration Point on a crisp, cloudless day.  As Alice would say, "This is living!"

7.  1776 and George Washington

I listened to the audio version of David McCullough's "1776" last week and parts of it again this week.  The Battle of Trenton is still swirling around in my mind.  I now understand why George Washington is so revered by historians.  He needed a total game changer before the start of 1777, and on Christmas night 1776 he totally delivered what has to be one of the most dangerous, gutsy, midnight surprise attacks of all time.  Stunning.  Truly awe-inspiring.  I love this founding father right now.

8.  Racquetball

I'm preparing for the A division of the State Singles Tournament next month in Fullerton, CA, and it's amazing to me how consistent I can be one day and inconsistent I can be 24 hours later.  Yesterday morning I moved around the court like an 80-year-old.  I could barely move.  Steve B., Brian R. and I have been playing singles a lot in prepartion for March.  Next week is the Club One Doubles Tournament.  Can't wait!

9.  Page Plus Cellular on the Verizon Network

Last month, I was all set to upgrade my orginal iPhone to an iPhone 4 with AT&T, but quickly learned that would mean an additional $30 in monthly fees, so I searched for a less expensive but reliable option.  This company out of Ohio is very good and uses the Verizon Network.  For $30/month, I have all the minutes, texting and data I need.

10.  Downton Abbey Season 2

 Not as tight nor compelling as season 1, but still an engaging program with many likeable characters.  Can't wait for season 3!

New Year

Alice and I traveled to Hawaii for a few days after New Year's, just to get away and relax before embarking on the beginning of a very busy year for both of us.  We were in Honolulu five days and four nights, and we both had a sensational time.  The weather was perfect and the food was just as good.  We took a lot of pictures and I hope to add more to this entry throughout the week.

Christmas at Gwen's was wonderful.

Alice, Austin and I had a great time!

Santa was very good to Bailey and Zenna:

We played games...

ate food...

played video games and watched tv...

opened presents...

and bonded with the family!

On Monday, we visited the Arends in Olympia and had a blast. 

Christmas Cards

I haven’t mailed out Christmas cards since December 2007. This year I was determined to update my address list, visit the card store down the street, and send out something that (a) updated my friends and family on my life in 2011 and (b) included all my old and new contact information. It took about three weeks to organize everything, but as of this week I’m finally putting stamps on envelops and sending the cards on their way.

For years I’ve sent out around 20-40 cards, but this year I doubled my address list to include new and old acquaintances through Facebook, conferences, and racquetball.  I bought four boxes of cards, one set with angelic renaissance paintings from the National Gallery, one set featuring cabin and forest drawings, one snowman set from Hallmark and one glittery old-fashioned set that was on sale. It’s so nice to have these cards crossed off my to-do list!

I had planned to create a one-page Christmas letter that updated everyone on my life; however, last week I received Curt & Megan’s Christmas card from New Zealand in which Curt’s paintings and the 2011 family updates were interspersed within an 8-page mini-book folded from one sheet of paper. I unfolded the sheet, studied how it was put it together, then I blatantly copied their idea. I think I’ll make these little booklets every year because they’re so cool. 8 pages from one sheet of paper…I love it! Maybe next year I'll print 16!  Thank you Curt & Megan for this great idea.

Back to "Normal"

I'm feeling like my old self again, minus the lingering pain in my lower back from that nasty spinal tap. My head is fine, no headaches, nothing unusual. I can't wait to get back on the racquetball court. A few of the morning players are playing left handed while Steve B. recovers from his wrist injury. Maybe we should start a left handed singles league in 2012. That might actually be a lot of fun.

While I wait for Sam to find a publisher for Julia Milan, I'm drafting the novelization of Botticelli Girl. I'm combining the structural efficiency of 24 with the narrative elements of Tom Perrotta's Election. I plan to stick close to the original storyline of my and Chris's screenplay. I may have to bang this one out quickly so that Sam can have a backup novel in case the unthinkable happens and he can't find a home for Julia. That totally boggles my mind.  The outrage only encourages me.

Alice and I will be tournament sponsors at the 2012 Stockton Pro/Am in April.  I cannot wait to see the world's finest racquetball player who ever lived (Kane Waselenchuk) compete against Rocky Carson, Ben Croft, and Stockton's own Jose Rojas. Last year, we saw the best female players battle it out in Stockton, and the championship match between Rhonda Rajsich and Paola Longora was one of the most memorable come-from-behind victories I've ever seen (Rhonda won in five games).

I'm reading a bunch of books right now, both hardcopy and ebooks on my ipad, Kindle and iphone. What I like most about ereaders is the ease of looking up words I don't know. It's an amazing time for readers and writers.

I'd love to see The Descendents this weekend, but I know Alice has wanted to see Tower Heist for weeks. Maybe we'll see both.

Two weeks from now we'll be in Seattle. It will be so good to see all my family and friends. I'm listening to

right now. After years of listening to this album, it only gets better, especially track 7's Skating.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Subarachnoid hemorrhage...that's what I was diagnosed with last Tuesday evening, two days before Thanksgiving.  It all began Monday night after 10 while watching "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell."  I felt an intense headache hit me out of nowhere.  I stood up and actually shouted, "What the hell?  What is this?  What is going on?"  I couldn't believe what was happening.  I sipped some green tea but that did nothing, so I turned off the television and went to bed, leaving my dog Sandy on the couch to fend for herself.  The intensity of the headache was so strong that I had trouble sleeping.  The throbbing pain lasted all night.  I thought about calling someone but it was getting late and I had absolutely no energy to talk to anyone.  I hoped I was simply experiencing my first migraine, even though I've never had a migraine before.  All I knew was that I was having the headache of my life and didn't have a clue why.

The next morning I felt awful.  My headache had lost about half its intensity but was still very much there.  I remained in bed until 8:30 a.m., then took a shower and got ready for work.  I took Sandy to Rhonda's and was given a migraine pill, though Rhonda warned me it might not kick in for a while, since my headache had begun several hours ago.  At work, my coworkers told me to call my doctor.  Alice called and scolded me for not telling her what had happened sooner.  I called Dr. Lawrence and scheduled an appointment for mid-afternoon.  I worked only an hour, then headed back home and went to bed.  I slept soundly for two hours, then drove to my doctor's office ten minutes away. 

I saw Dr. Lawrence at 2:45.  He called the Emergency Room to see if they could check me over and run a few tests.  I arrived at the ER at 3:10 p.m. and stayed until a little past 1 a.m.  They gave me a CT Scan which showed nothing unusual.  They then administered a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) that showed blood in my spinal fluid, which apparently is an indicator that there may be bleeding in the brain.  They drew four vials of fluid and the blood wasn't dissipating.  That's when I was told I was going to the hospital. 

I hit Wikipedia hard on my iphone, studying up on brain issues like the nerd that I am until my phone battery hit the red zone.  Alice and Richard arrived soon afterward around 9ish.  A nurse hooked me up to antiseizure medication and other personnel made arrangements for my hospital stay.  I was told I would be transported via ambulance to Eden Hospital in Castro Valley because they had a top neurology center.  All I could think of was how disappointed and worried my family would be because I wasn't flying to Seattle for Thanksgiving.  It was surreal.

While we waited for the ambulance, Alice, Richard and I chatted for several hours in the tiny ER room.  They sat in chairs and I was on my back in a thin bed with wheels.  They were both so calm and kind, and I'll never forget how comforting it was talking and laughing with them.  After midnight, I was placed on a gurney and wheeled into an ambulance.  The medic riding in back with me had recently graduated from Mills College, so we talked about Julia Morgan and creative writing teachers.  Twenty minutes later I entered Eden Hospital's Emergency Room and was placed inside a waiting station next to an old drunk vet behind a curtain who sang nutty sailor songs while harassing his attending nurse ("Can you please keep still," the nurse insisted. "Don't touch me!  I can't give you anything if you keep wiggling like that!").  I bet that happens a lot.  Meanwhile, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.  I spoke with two doctors before they wheeled me out of ER to room 1223 of the ICU wing.  An entire team of nurses moved me from the ER bed to my ICU bed.  That's when I was told I was being treated like a stroke victim.  They gave me a battery of mental and physical tests.  Everything was fine.  The guy in the ICU room next to me was yelling and screaming like a raging maniac, which apparently he was (a security guard stood near his door).  I felt tired but clear-headed and fully functional.  My headache was tolerable so long as I was lying on my back.  Once I was hooked up to machines I was left alone. It was impossible to imagine anything was seriously wrong with me.  Maybe I was in denial, but I also knew it was my destiny to live to be 100, so I figured everything would be fine.  Because of this, I wasn't worried at all.

I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and was getting hungry, but couldn't eat anything until after the angiogram that was scheduled around 11 a.m.  I had another CT Scan early in the morning, which again came up negative for anything abnormal.  I slept for an hour or so until Alice arrived at 9:30 a.m.  I called Gwen and told her what was happening.  We were supposed to fly to Seattle out of San Francisco that afternoon at 4:30.  I couldn't believe we weren't spending Thanksgiving in Seattle. 

At 11 a.m., I was taken to a large room for my cerebral angiogram and walked through what would happen and the various scenarios that would occur if an aneurysm was found.  They gave me a sedative that kept me awake but had me drifting off into my own happy place, complete with the soundtrack of my choice, courtesy of Pandora.  I had requested something by Handel, but instead I got something by Rogers & Hammerstein.  Before I knew it the procedure was over and I was back in my ICU room.  Alice told me everything was fine.  No aneurysm, no surgery, nothing out of the ordinary.  Whatever it was that had affected me Monday night was not showing up on any image or x-ray.  I felt incredibly relieved and started texting and talking with my friends and chatting on my iPad with my family, who by this time were already at Gwen's.  I was still loopy from the procedure but didn't realize it until later.  The nurses monitored me throughout the afternoon and evening, and by 10:00 p.m. I was sound asleep for the rest of the night. 

The next day (Thanksgiving) I had an MRI, which also came up negative for anything abnormal.  Everything looked fine.  I was taken to a regular room with my own bathroom (nice!) for the rest of the afternoon, and discharged from the hospital (thanks to Alice and Dr. Kim!) later that evening at 7:45 p.m., just in time for pumpkin pie at the Youngs.  It was the best piece of pie I think I've ever had.  It felt so good to be alive and well with great friends and family.  I took a seat on Lisa's awesome art deco chair near the fireplace (which used to be Neil's chair) and assumed a reclining position with my eyes closed and my mouth wide open.  I was sound asleep for what felt like several hours.

The nurses at ICU (Danni, Israel, Daniel and Rebecca) and Max on the 5th floor took excellent care of me and were truly fantastic.  I stayed at Alice's over the weekend and Jill came out to visit from Reno for two days.  I was tired and sore from all the poking and prodding, but our sibling time together was wonderful.  We went to see the new Martin Scorsese film Hugo in 3D in Daly City with Alice and Austin, and it was wonderful.  Jill and Alice thought the movie was a bit longer than it needed to be, but Austin and I thought the film was pure magic.

Since we didn't make it for Thanksgiving, Alice, Austin, and I are going to Seattle for Christmas!  We plan to do everything we were going to do over Thanksgiving, plus we get to hang out with the gang, which will be so great!  My lower back is still very sore from the spinal tap and I still have a slight headache, but I hope to be good as new within another week or so.  I had to forfeit my semi-final singles match to Tyrone the other night, and that was perhaps the most painful part of this past week.  No racquetball for a while...ugh!

Dr. Lawrence and I went over everything Monday afternoon in his office.  It's hard to know for sure exactly what had happened to me because nothing serious was discovered in the CT Scan, MRI or angiogram.  Whatever happened may have cleared itself, or I may have had my first migraine ever, followed by a spinal tap that included blood from a punctured blood vessel.  Whatever happened, it's very bizarre and hopefully a one-time thing.  I'd like to think my 18 years of playing racquetball saved my life.  My body had some crazy event happen Monday night, but because my blood pressure and heart rate are so low and my inner workings are naturally pretty efficient, my body simply cleared out whatever the distraction was.  This event has certainly changed me, but one thing it hasn't changed is my steadfast belief that I will be on this planet playing games, listening to Handel and Vivaldi and Beethoven (and Rogers & Hammerstein), writing, reading, watching movies, hanging out with my wonderful family, friends and coworkers, terrorizing my opps on the racquetball courts, and laughing with my sweet Alice until I live to be 100.  If this is my midlife wakeup call, I'd say I've taken the message to heart!

Alice and I watched Harold and Maude yesterday afternoon.  She foudn the film bizarre, though she did laugh a few times, especially at the priest's comments on Harold's impending marriage.  Without the context of 70s America, I can understand why the film might seem creepy.  Alice couldn't quite get over Harold and Maude together.  I hadn't seen the film in a couple of decades, but it still feels relevant and holds up.  The music, the irony, the insanity, all ring true.  Bud Cort and Ruth Gordan are perfect.  I'd forgotten how good Vivian Pickles is.