Memorial Day

Memorial Day: I understand the importance of Memorial Day, know what it signifies, know what it means for America, but I’ve just never got involved with it. It’s not a holiday that resonates with me: None of my family members have ever been involved with the military, I’m not particularly fond of war, etc., etc. Doesn’t mean I don’t like Memorial Day- it happens to be the holiday that comes at a crucial time to break up the monotony of the late spring-early summer and marks the beginning of the dog days of summer. The days are the longest, the weather is the best (especially in Southern California), and that extra day off work is SO necessary. Plus it’s another day off the long work week the NEXT WEEK. O I love it. ….PLUS Memorial Day kicks off “Bee Week,” something I’ve cherished since 2007. One day I will make it to Washington D.C. (hopefully as an invited guest due to one of my children/relatives making it there via qualifying for the National Spelling Bee), but that’s pretty far in the future. Wouldn’t want to be the creeper that’s just “there” with other people’s kids. But I love the festivities surrounding bee week, discussing favorites, catching up on what past spellers are doing (not surprising that a LOT of bee veterans that we watched year ago end up at top colleges around the country) and see what other bee bloggers/etc. are “buzzing” about. It’ also a good time to re-watch either 1.) Akeelah and the Bee (2006 movie), 2.) Spellbound (2002 documentary), and/or 3.) read “American Bee” by James Maguire (2005 book). All are recommended, for Spellbound it’d be my 10th or 11th time watching it, and I can pretty much spell all the words given in that movie. More bee coverage to come involving discussion of favorites…..I’m sure it’s not lost on people that the last 3 years have been dominated by girls (Shivashankar, Veeramani, and Roy)…..hint: I’m picking a boy this year. Anyway, Memorial Day is a good chance to “memorialize” what I’ve been up to the last month….It’s been a blur of a month that’s seen my birthday, attending a boyhood friend’s wedding, another trip to Vegas, lots of litigation, and moving out into a new address. O and Game of Thrones. I cannot believe there is only one Game of Thrones episode left this season. Can. Not. Get. Enough. Of. That. Show. Remind myself to do a “Game of Thrones” blog after the season finale next week…..kind of like a “The 10 People You meet on the Wire” segment. Going to Vegas for the umpteenth time in the last 4 years gives me some perspective: I’m never gonna win a lot of money in Vegas. You don’t win a lot unless you’re willing to bet a lot, and I’m not foolish enough to put enough money on anything that might hurt me. It’s basically this axiom: To win enough to have it matter you have to risk enough to be have it hurt, and since chances are you’re gonna get hurt, I don’t chance it. Another axiom to go by: “If you can only be happy if you win at Vegas, you’re gonna be unhappy at least half the time.” Seriously, think about it. Don’t gamble to win. Final axiom about Vegas: After dropping friend off at McCarron Airport (the airport next to the Strip in Vegas), do NOT miss the off-ramp to the 15-South to LA. We kept going on the 215 North and 20 minutes of Highway hypnosis and impeccable obliviousness later, the road stopped at a street light, at which point we realized that “Peccadillo, Nevada” is not where we wanted to be. If you ever bet on the UFC (why would you want to?), it seems like betting on the “meaner” guy does the trick. Seemed like each time the guy who “wanted it” more won. Including Julio Dos Santos, current UFC Champion, who crushed, I mean CRUSHED, Frank Mir. O and get ready for blood. I…….was not ready for blood. If you’re a fluent Chinese speaker out there reading this blog and don’t speak Japanese and have never thought about it, seriously, try it out. You already know more than you think. The “Kanji” of Japanese is almost word-for-word like Chinese, almost like someone “lifted” it from someone else (not implicating anything, just speculating), but the good news for Japanese/Chinese speakers alike is that it makes it much easier to learn the other language. Maybe it’s just me, but learning a new language is just refreshing: don’t know why I didn’t feel it for French, but I just feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, with each new Japanese word/phrase that I pick up. Does anyone share my feeling of having tickets to Game 7 of your favorite sports team’s playoff game, then watching them blow a 4th quarter Game 6 lead and lose in the final seconds because of 2 missed free throws? It happened to me with the Bulls, and I’ve just haven’t been able to get over it. I so wanted to go to that game. Game 7 was on my bucket list and I was denied. The wound is still fresh and the scars have not healed. May June (get it, get it) bring fresh stories and fresh memories. But for now, let the 2012 Spelling Bee begin!!! Fantasize on, Robert Yan