Which way are things going? Part II

My initial post in this series covered what some of my friends and other people (one of them is not a friend of mine) I know have done with their lives since graduation.

Things I have done
In this post I have summarized a few of the more interesting things I have done. Part of the reason I started this blog was to write down some of my activities.

People who have been positively impacted by me
The most important thing in my life is how I affect the people around me. These are a few examples.

• My Mom: I have helped her do many things she wanted to get done but could not do herself or get help with immediately.


• My neighbor Mary: She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in September. Since I live closer to her than any of her family, I took her to doctors appointments and radiation treatment a couple of times a week. Without me she would have had to find someone else to take her; someone who would not have been as supportive and positive as me.


• My RICA catechuman Philip: If I did not get involved with the program, he would have a sponsor two or three times his age instead of someone only five years older.


• A few people with leukemia and people who had surgery and needed platelets. Somewhat related post about donations here.

Trips I have taken
All of the dates are approximate.

New York
These trips were to Western New York including Buffalo and Jamestown.

Oct 08 Visit grandparents with my brother
Jan 09 See Grandma get an award for supporting Catholic education
May 09 Celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday
Jul 09 Spend time with Grandma

Las Vegas
Most of the trips were with my family where we went to comedy clubs, saw shows, and enjoyed buffets. I think I am missing a trip somewhere in here.

Oct 08
Dec 08 Hang out with Larry and Peter from high school
Jun 09
Aug 09 Hang out with Peter and Larry again
Sep 09 We took my Aunt Addy there on here visit here

Berkeley
Thanks to the hospitality of my Associate and Linda, Sidney, the Newman Staff, and the Taggart and Purcell families, these trips progressed well.

Aug 08 A goodbye tour before more people scattered
Dec 08 Visit the Associate
Apr 09 Stay at the rectory and plan for the alumni group
Jul 09 Fr. Charlie's last student dinner
Sep 09 Kim and Patrick's wedding
Jan 10 See people I did not see on my previous trip

I went to two CRP conventions in Anaheim and Sacramento. Rohit handled the rooms.

On the drives up and down the 5 and the 101 I made stops to see people many times in Santa Barbara, San Jose, and Sunnyvale.

I went to a few Cal football games. The close ones were day trips, but the bowls were full adventures into new places.

Cal at USC '08
Emerald Bowl
Cal at UCLA '09
Poinsettia Bowl

For good measure I went to San Diego last month.

There were a few day trips around Orange County, into Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. I went to the Orange County Fair for the last two years. Considering the state is trying to sell the fairgrounds my visits were timely.

Books I have read
I made a separate post listing the books I read in the last two years. Reading 35 books in 15 months is a decent amount. There are at least 1,000 pages of reading that did not make it onto the list.

Television
I watched over ten seasons of The Simpsons, all of Arrested Development, all of Star Trek The Original Series, and all of Stargate SG-1. I spent a lot of time on Hulu.

Other
I have tried dozens of new recipes and made a lot of drinks. I took a class on PHP and MySQL, learned some C++, and started an alumni group complete with a website. I fixed a pencil vending machine and front door latch. I biked and ran more miles than I can remember.