greginboise

Latest news and happenings

2008-09-21T04:39:01Z

Latest news and happenings
Let’s see, since June I’ve finished my Bachelors degree, took a small vacation, got right back into the thick of work, and started hitting the internal job postings. I’ve been hoping for a position that would be the best fit for my experience and education but so far nothing has been right. However, there is a good possibility of positions in purchasing or production planning coming up soon and believe these should be the positions I could stand out doing. The family has been doing well too! Alyssa has started 1st grade and Mikayla is doing 2 days a week in pre-school. Linda is happy for the free time for what it is at this point. The girls have been having plenty of fun together, learning to read, or getting together with friends.
Thinking back over the last few months I’ve been pretty happy about not having school work to worry about but that’s about to change. Early in August, I answered my phone and found I was speaking with the admissions counselor reminding me that it was time to complete my registration process if I was serious about getting my MBA. The timing of the call caught me off guard. I was hoping when the time came for me to make the decision I would have found a new position. This would have helped me focus on a specific track and recharged my enthusiasm by giving me a new set of goals. However, by examining a few of the realities (study skills are fresh, and this will postpone my school loans) I reregistered and completed the other details in time to start on MBA on Wednesday. Looking over the program and sitting through an orientation last Wednesday I have a good idea of the workload and learning opportunities I’ll have by completing this next level.

I’ll try to post some new pictures soon.

Here are a few pictures

2008-06-22T03:49:38Z

Alyssa at her dance recital

Alyssa and her friend Zoey

Mikayla and Alyssa

Semi annual entry: hopefully not

2008-06-21T22:43:21Z

Six months plus between postings isn’t really that bad is it? Of course I have an excuse with school, work, and family absorbing my free moments. However, the school excuse just took hiatus because I am now a graduate. Monday night (6/16) was my last night of class, which was a little anticlimactic because the graduation processional was on May 31st. I’m going to take a week or two to enjoy and catch up on fun stuff. In Mid July, after Alyssa’s birthday, the family and I are going to take a small vacation down to Salt Lake City and just hang out. Later in the summer we are expecting a visit from the Klingalhoffer’s up from Redwood City, Alyssa is going to be excited visiting with Mari again. Those girls have a bond that goes beyond their connection from the orphanage.

I suppose I’ll post a few photos of me in my cap and gown. (what a geek I am).

I think this would be a good place for a link dump. I’ve lately been intrigued by historic/nostalgic photos, especially when accompanied with stories or other commentary.

Here is a good example: http://www.shorpy.com/

This other is the USC digital archive where there are plenty of photos of Southern California, Glendale, Burbank, etc… from the Auto Club:
http://digarc.usc.edu/search/controller/browse.htm?summary=&panelId=tree1Panel&collectionList=acsc&title=Auto+Club&type=Collections

Here is a great example of what I would do if I had the time and resources:
http://wesclark.com/am/new.html
or
http://wesclark.com/burbank/photos.html

James Lileks is an old pro at compiling memories and re-representing those memories in an artful and humorous way. Starting with his website:
http://www.lileks.com/index.html
where you can find:
http://www.lileks.com/institute/index.html

And here is a new one:
http://www.godblessamericana.com/
Note the Moonlight Roller Rink event that he had.

Funny thing that You Tube!

2008-01-05T01:44:29Z

I've been exchanging phone calls with my old friend Pat Rogers who I haven't seen in over 10 years, he has been trying to make contact with old friends in order to reconcile any hard feelings. I also think he is feeling odd about his place in life given that he has moved to Dallas Texas in order to further his musical interests. Nevertheless, he has followed his passion and is playing and teaching guitar.
Here he is via You Tube:

Happy Hogmanay and Ne'erday

2008-01-01T06:43:32Z

Well, it's pretty obvious I don't post often enough, you know the typical excuse; the kids et al. Also school and work take their toll. Nevertheless, here is a post to help share some our Christmas pictures.

Enjoy

greginboise @ 2007-07-04T10:50:00

2007-07-04T16:56:15Z

memories

2007-06-29T05:08:09Z

Every now and then, an image or an idea bring back recollections of times past or even actual childhood experiences. A few nights ago, I sat down, flipped through the cable channels, and landed on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) just as Fat City was starting. The movie seemed familiar although I cannot recall seeing it, but the era, the cinematography, or the vaguely familiar story took me back into my memories. My trip down memory lane is not specifically about the movie but about a happening in my childhood sometime after 1971. First, to bring things into perspective, here is the Amazon review to help frame Fat City:

Jeff Bridges stars as an amateur boxer on a brief rise who catches the eye of an aging pugilist (Stacy Keach) heading downward in this 1972 film by John Huston and based on the novel by Leonard Gardner. Keach becomes the younger man's mentor, and the two hit central California's tanktown circuit of small matches for small money, interspersed with visits to smoke-filled bars and hellish gyms. Theirs is a cut-rate dream, all right, but as real and driving--and finally just as punishing--as the mythical black bird itself in Huston's The Maltese Falcon. The cast is outstanding, the cinematography by Conrad Hall stunning, and the climax one of Huston is most painfully memorable. The story is filled out by surrounding detail that never leaves the memory: boxers and trainers who whisper of injuries that could put them out of business for good; a lone fighter who takes a bus into town, bides time in a crummy motel room, takes a beating in the ring, then leaves on the next bus with a few dollars in his pocket. This film helped re-establish Huston's reputation as a major filmmaker. It was followed by the likes of The Man Who Would Be King. --Tom Keogh

My memory:

I was six in 1971 and in between the first grade and second grade, for me a very impressionable age. As I recall it was summer and returning from some boyhood activity one day, I noticed an unfamiliar truck in our driveway. I ran through the front door into the living room, which was occupied by my mother and two men. The men, I learned were the husband of my mom’s first cousin from Mississippi, Elkin, and their son Jimmy (something like my second cousin). They had driven in from Ignacio, Colorado where they were running a ranch. Their purpose for coming out to Los Angeles was to pursue Jimmy’s pugilistic endeavors. Jimmy was 19 or 20 and I suppose he had amateur bouts either back in Mississippi or in and around Ignacio. Therefore, the natural next extension was to turn pro. As I recall, they stayed with us for a few nights, at least, and then ended up getting a room somewhere. During that time I recall walking with Jimmy to one of the local supermarkets and getting Buddig lunchmeat, we ate it right from the bag. Jimmy told me “he needed it for the protein” and “this is what fighters eat when training,” or at least that is how I recall it. Regardless, I was enthralled with the “boxing” “fighter” concepts I was being exposed to during his stay but I am sure I was also influenced by the matches I watched on the weekend network sport shows.

Eventually, nearing the end of the summer, my mother, brother, and I tagged along when Jimmy and Elkin returned to Colorado. We spent a few weeks on the ranch in Ignacio, met the rest of our relatives, and experienced as much country life as a city kid could in that amount of time. Over the next few years, we traveled back to Ignacio on our summer vacations and Jimmy actually moved out with his brother Larry and stayed in a small rented apartment in Glendale while he continued his career.

News of Jimmy’s career was followed through the mid 70s by my parents and the relatives on my mom’s side of the family. We were quite proud at times of the strides he made in his career but I was disappointed not to be old enough to attend his matches. I suppose my age had something to do with it but by the late 70s, Jimmy fell off my radar until I thought of him in regards to Fat City.

At this point you may say, “Quaint story but what’s the tie in?” “Who’s Jimmy?”

Jimmy Heair.

In hindsight, Jimmy was quite accomplished but not without the turmoil and struggle that accompanied many fighters. Most notable was his string of undefeated fights, placing him as one of the top contenders for the WBA lightweight title. At one point, he was 33 wins with no losses. Injuries seemed to cut into his prime and circumstance postponed the fight for the title. Losses started to come and even though he scrapped back and was always within a few wins of being in contention, the biggest opportunity was the anti-climactic loss to the former holder of the title, Roberto Duran. Historically, Jimmy did as well against Roberto as could be expected; he fought Roberto to a 10 round loss by decision.

Here are a few newspaper clippings:
Oct 10, 1972

Jan 21, 1973

Jimmy Heair

Country    US American

Hometown   Memphis, TN

Birthplace Memphis, TN

Division   Light Welterweight

Career Record © www.boxrec.com

Date       Opponent                  Location                  Result

1984-08-01 Adam George               Cade, LA, USA             L KO   2

1983-06-02 Danny Ferris              Atlantic City, NJ, USA    L TKO 2

1983-04-22 Danny Ferris              Latham, NY, USA           L KO   7

1983-01-18 Jim Pixley                Little Rock, AR, USA      L PTS 10

1982-04-20 Donald King               Atlantic City, NJ, USA    L KO   4

1982-03-26 Isidoro Moreno            Miami Beach, FL, USA      L PTS 10

1982-01-23 Tony Doyle                Meridian, MS, USA         W PTS 10

1982-01-19 Bill Bradley              Memphis, TN, USA          L PTS 10

1981-12-11 Nino LaRocca              Milan, Italy              L TKO 1

1981-11-22 Ali Hassan                Meridan, TN, USA          W KO   7

1981-10-08 Mike McCallum             Tampa, FL, USA            L TKO 2

1981-09-02 Mike Senegal              Lake Charles, LA, USA     L PTS 10

1981-08-29 Ali Hassan                Tupelo, MS, USA           W PTS 10

1981-06-29 Roosevelt Green           Chicago, IL, USA          L PTS 10

1981-06-06 Don Morgan                Tupelo, MS, USA           W PTS 10

1981-05-12 Tony Jordan               Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   2

1981-05-04 Charlie Peterson          Chicago, IL, USA          W PTS 10

1981-04-18 Abdul Farakhan            Tupelo, MS, USA           W PTS 10

1981-04-07 Abdul Farakhan            Memphis, TN, USA          W TKO 6

1981-03-13 Rufus Walters             Houston, TX, USA          W KO   7

1981-02-24 Charlie Peterson          Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   7

1981-02-13 Freddie Harris            Meridian, MS, USA         W KO   8

1981-01-27 Clyde Spencer             Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   2

1981-01-17 Gilbert Miconda           Houston, MS, USA          W KO   5

1980-12-09 Billy White               Birmingham, AL, USA       W KO   3

1980-11-18 Robert Culp               Belleville, IL, USA       W KO   2

1980-10-23 Johnny Copeland           Memphis, TN, USA          W TKO 9

1980-09-09 Maurice Quillens          Memphis, TN, USA          W PTS 10

1980-07-01 Sal Lopez                 Sacramento, CA, USA       L KO   5

1980-05-31 Raul Aguirre              El Paso, TX, USA          W KO   7

1980-05-09 Javier Rivas              El Paso, TX, USA          W PTS 10

1980-03-31 Clint Jackson             Knoxville, TN, USA        L KO   9

1979-12-07 Freddie Harris            Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   5

1979-10-03 Richard House             Orlando, FL, USA          L PTS 10

1979-08-24 Marvin Ladson             Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   1

1979-07-10 Don Morgan                Memphis, TN, USA          W PTS 10

1979-06-19 Emmett Atlas              Orlando, FL, USA          W TKO 2

1979-05-29 Tony Johnson              Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   1

1979-04-08 Roberto Duran             Las Vegas, NV, USA        L UD 10

1979-02-20 Juan Roman Panchi         Orlando, FL, USA          W KO   5

1979-02-06 Robert Spencer            Orlando, FL, USA          W KO   3

1978-12-12 Pete Ranzany              Sacramento, CA, USA       L PTS 12

        NABF Welterweight Title

1978-11-02 Kelvin Jackson            Orlando, FL, USA          W PTS 10

1978-10-12 Adriano Marrero           Memphis, TN, USA          L PTS 10

1978-07-13 Jimmy Corkum              Hattiesburg, MS, USA      W KO   3

1978-06-20 Jessie Martinez           Little Rock, AR, USA      W KO   2

1978-05-23 Clyde Spencer             Little Rock, AR, USA      W KO   3

1978-04-25 George Madison            Greenville, TN, USA       W KO   1

1978-03-21 Paulino Garcia            Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   4

1978-02-21 John Morgan               Greenville, MS, USA       W KO   3

1978-02-07 Robert Tijernia           Memphis, TN, USA          W TKO 3

1978-01-25 Donnie London             Greenville, MS, USA       W KO   1

1978-01-19 Freddie Harris            Memphis, TN, USA          W TKO 6

1977-12-13 Mike Ramirez              Memphis, TN, USA          W TKO 4

1977-11-08 Robert Turner             Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   5

1977-10-15 Juan Garcia               Palm Springs, CA, USA     W KO 10

1977-09-20 Jerry Strickland          Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   1

1977-08-23 Scotty Foreman            Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   7

1977-07-07 Freddie Harris            Memphis, TN, USA          W PTS 10

1977-06-13 Joe Medrano               Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   4

1977-05-23 Dennis Haggerty           Memphis, TN, USA          W KO   2

1977-05-13 Rudy Hernandez            Tucson, AZ, USA           W KO   3

1977-04-26 Freddie Harris            Memphis, TN, USA          L PTS 10

1977-03-02 Harold Weston             New York, NY, USA         L PTS 10

1977-01-10 Arturo Leon               El Paso, TX, USA          L PTS 10

1976-12-11 Richie Puentes            Ignacio, CO, USA          W KO   5

1976-11-09 Dave Green                Wembley, London, England L PTS 10

1976-11-06 Augustin Estrada          Ignacio, CO, USA          W KO   5

1976-10-12 Rocky Ramon               San Antonio, TX, USA      W PTS 10

1976-09-18 Santos Solis              San Juan, Puerto Rico     L PTS 10

1976-08-03 Lorenzo Trujillo          Corpus Christi, TX, USA   W PTS 10

1976-07-01 Rodney Cooper             El Paso, TX, USA          W KO   2

1976-06-17 Armando Muniz             El Paso, TX, USA          L PTS 12

1976-05-26 Tongta Kiatvayupakdi      Bangkok, Thailand         L PTS 10

1976-04-05 Jose Luis Soberanes       Tijuana, BCN, Mexico      L TKO 7

1976-03-16 Jesus Chucho Alonso       Tijuana, BCN, Mexico      W KO   5

1976-03-04 Arturo Leon               Los Angeles, CA, USA      D PTS 10

1976-02-05 Javier Muniz              Los Angeles, CA, USA      W PTS 10

1976-01-10 Andreas Gonzalez          Las Vegas, NV, USA        W PTS 10

1975-12-18 Rudy Hernandez            Los Angeles, CA, USA      W PTS 10

1975-10-07 Jorge Rodriguez           Juarez, CHH, Mexico       W KO   2

1975-09-10 Nicolino Locche           Buenos Aires, Argentina   L PTS 10

1975-07-28 Laudiel Negron            San Juan, Puerto Rico     W KO   5

1975-07-11 Sigfredo Rodriguez        Durango, DUR, Mexico      L PTS 10

1975-05-02 Jose Peterson             San Diego, CA, USA        L PTS 10

1975-04-16 Lorenzo Trujillo          El Paso, TX, USA          W PTS 10

1975-03-14 Centavito (Antonio) Herna San Diego, CA, USA        W PTS 10

1975-02-28 Gerardo Ferrat            San Diego, CA, USA        W TKO 5

1975-01-18 Arturo Leon               Anaheim, CA, USA          L PTS 10

1974-11-22 Juan Collado              San Diego, CA, USA        W KO   8

1974-10-11 Miguel Mayan              San Diego, CA, USA        L SD 10

1974-08-30 Hector Thompson           Brisbane, QLD, Australia L PTS 10

1974-08-09 Ignacio Castaneda         San Diego, CA, USA        W KO   8

1974-07-19 Raul Montoya              San Diego, CA, USA        W PTS 10

1974-06-06 Rito Torres               Dallas, TX, USA           W KO   3

1974-05-09 Rudy Barro                Los Angeles, CA, USA      L PTS 10

1974-01-01 Clemente Muciño           Mexicali, BCN, Mexico     W KO   5

1973-12-13 Ignacio Castaneda         Los Angeles, CA, USA      W TKO 9

1973-10-27 Arturo Pineda             Los Angeles, CA, USA      W KO   4

1973-10-04 Costenito Rodriguez       Los Angeles, CA, USA      W KO   5

1973-08-17 Raul Montoya              San Diego, CA, USA        W PTS 10

1973-07-20 Miguel Mayan              San Diego, CA, USA        W PTS 10

1973-06-23 Rene Morgan               Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   2

1973-06-01 Clemente Muciño           Los Angeles, CA, USA      W TKO 5

1973-03-17 Chango Carmona            Los Angeles, CA, USA      W UD 10

1973-01-29 Hiroyuki Murakami         Anaheim, CA, USA          W TKO 5

1972-11-28 Angel Mayoral             Los Angeles, CA, USA      W KO   9

1972-10-31 Miguel Mayan              Bakersfield, CA, USA      W PTS 10

1972-10-09 Juan Collado              Northridge, CA, USA       W KO   3

1972-09-11 Cesar Sinda               Anaheim, CA, USA          W KO 10

1972-08-28 Quito Sugar Montgomery    Inglewood, CA, USA        W UD 10

1972-07-24 Ignacio Castaneda         Inglewood, CA, USA        W UD 10

1972-06-30 Jamie Campos              Inglewood, CA, USA        W UD 10

1972-06-19 Benito Hernandez          Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   3

1972-06-05 Alberto Hugo Maldonado    Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   1

1972-05-15 Lupe Orantes              Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   5

1972-05-08 Chi Chi Ontiveros         Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   1

1972-05-01 Ray Llamas                Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   2

1972-04-17 David Herrera             Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   6

1972-04-10 Gabriel Vega              Inglewood, CA, USA        W KO   1

1972-04-03 Antonio Alcala            Inglewood, CA, USA        W PTS 5

1972-03-25 Agapito Villegas          Long Beach, CA, USA       W PTS 6

1972-03-12 Richie Puentes            Farmington, CA, USA       W PTS 6

1971-08-28 Julio Lopez               Santa Monica, CA, USA     W PTS 4

1971-08-19 Julio Lopez               Los Angeles, CA, USA      W PTS 4

1971-08-14 Julio Lopez               Anaheim, CA, USA          W PTS 4

1971-08-12 Jorge Rivera              Los Angeles, CA, USA      W PTS 4

1971-08-07 Val Chapron               Santa Monica, CA, USA     W PTS 4

1971-07-22 Jorge Rivera              Los Angeles, CA, USA      W PTS 4

Record to Date

Won 96 (KOs 62) Lost 32 Drawn 1 Total 129

Looking over his record and the newspaper clippings made me realize how much I really missed. Nevertheless, the things I do remember are vivid and unique to me but because I am writing this, I feel I need to record it somewhere and share it with the curious.

On a final note, I came across this interview with Paul Thorn that mentions Jimmy in and notes the lingering ailments that follow a fighter into retirement.

“After struggling to beat well-traveled Buck Smith, the 14-4 Thorn came to the realization that he could easily end up like his best friend and hero Jimmy Heair, a 1970s lightweight contender from Memphis whose souvenirs today of over 150 pro fights are halting speech and a stumbling gait.”

Lets see if this works?

2007-06-23T04:15:10Z

Disneyland slide show.

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/gsbell/Disneyland2007/?action=view&current=e442c148.pbw

Oh well, I'm not skilled enough to make the slide show function work in this post.

Going's on.

2007-05-30T20:14:21Z

I’m a week from finishing another class and going on a four week break between classes. I scheduled my classes this way in order to take the family to Disneyland in June. We are driving from Boise to Reno Saturday June 9^th and spending the night at the El Dorado. This should be about a seven hour drive. The trip south will continue on Sunday and we will pull into Burbank for the night. Of course the stops would not be entirely necessary except for the kid’s patience in the car. Then again, Linda wants to stop at a few select stores to shop for kid clothes. This is where Linda wants to stop; Naartjie .

I suppose the shopping is going to happen Monday morning then we’ll head down to Anaheim early Monday afternoon. We are staying in the original Disneyland Hotel from Monday and leaving Friday. In between we have a “Goofy Breakfast” and “Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration" at Ariel's Grotto scheduled for the girls. The rest of the time we’ll definitely hit all the old classic attractions, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, will be the first stops. A new “Nemo” ride is supposed to open the week we are there. Linda and I are looking forward to the Blue Bayou restaurant for dinner.

The Knorr’s (Greg, Suzanne, and kids) will be meeting us over Wednesday and Thursday, they have season passes. Bruce was going to come (from California City) down to visit but I think he eventually won’t.

I e-mailed my old friend Mark Zoradi to see if he had any special suggestions for our visit and he suggested the Soarin' Over California attraction.

No matter what we eventually do, the vacation will be timely for everyone.

BTW, Alyssa graduated pre-school last Friday, here are a few pictures:

And here are a few pictures from a few months back:

And one of Mikayla's birthday:

Had an emergency today.

2007-03-05T04:47:36Z

Alyssa was playing in her room this afternoon and ended up falling against her bedroom door and cutting her face just to the right of her right eye.

Linda screamed down stairs for me to come up. This added to the hysteria and when I got up to the bathroom Alyssa's eye was nearly swollen shut and bleeding profusely.

This all happened at about 3:00 PM and we loaded up and headed to St. Luke's and arrived at 3:20. We didn't get in to see the doctor until about 4:45 and by about 5:30 Alyssa had two stitches right of her eye just below the eye brow.

Alyssa did as well as a 4 1/2 year old could be expected. She cried and panicked off and on but over all she was a real trooper and mostly cooperative with the hospital staff.

greginboise @ 2007-03-02T22:32:00

2007-03-03T05:36:30Z

I know I haven't posted much in a while but time has been an issue. I guess I'll start by catching up on some current events.

We made it through the holidays without overspending and still had a wondeful time. Alyssa, at 4 1/2, had a great time all through December. Her pre-school had activities and we spent a few nights going out to look at the lights. Mikayla, got in a groove too but at 23 months everything out of the ordinary is exciting.

I switched shifts just after the holidays and I'm still trying to readjust to the new schedule. Mainly the hardest part is working in school with all my other commitments.  However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I should be through some time between July and December. July and December you say? Well, if I CLEP (test out of some electives) I could be done in July, if not December.

Once I'm done there will be new opportunities. (I may post one of my recent papers on my five year career development plan) This could probably keep ideas in focus.

In June, we are going to take a little vacation and take the kids to Disneyland.  I hope to see a few friends and relatives but who knows?

Next week I'll finish one class and I'll have a three week break before the next class starts. I'm hoping to catch up on things that I've been putting off.

This week the kids have been sick or getting over something. Mikayla has been the sickest. She started out with the sniffles and then had that quickly turn into a 103 fever. Saw the doctor on Thursday morning and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. The Doctor perscribed Amoxacilline. Today her during her afternoon nap whe started wheezing, so back to the doctor she went. Turns out she has the croup! Overall, they think it was caught early enough that it won't get any worse.

I'm hoping to post some new pictures of the kids soon. Of course we have loads but they are on my wife's computer.

Now to end with something light. Everytime I see those Geico commercials with the cave men I have to think of my friend Greg. He's pretty hairy with a pronounced brow and once even joked about a time he went to the smithsonian museum in Washington D.C., when he was on a high school field trip, and walked past a progression of pictures from neanderthal to modern man and happened to fit somewhere around the missing link.  He said his high school class had quite a laugh; so did we! So the other night I was doing some homework and the Geico commercial with the caveman cruising though the airport came on.  The background music on the commercial is quite a hook so I thought I would find out what song it was.

Well a quick search revealed:

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Of course I'm probably very slow and behind the curve on this but here is the goup's original video:

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greginboise @ 2005-09-28T18:41:00

2005-09-29T00:41:47Z

You are a
Social Moderate
(43% permissive)

and an...
Economic Conservative
(61% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Centrist

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Changsha update

2005-09-18T12:38:01Z

Here is our latest mail post:

Hi folks,
We have quite a few new photos of our trip posted to our Photobucket site. We hardly have time to get these edited and uploaded within a day of our outings. Linda has wanted to do the writing of these updates but you can guess how it has been. Of course I’ve been doing what I can but I often leave out the most important details; in her opinion. Right now it is about 11:00 pm Saturday the 17th here in Changsha and many of the recent photos are from today’s trip to the countryside outside of Changsha, in the Hunan province. Yesterday (and about 30 photos back) we went to a kindergarten (here I go forgetting the details) but the name was something like; Hunan White Crane School. The school is for 3-to-6 year olds, and specializes in the arts (gymnastics, acting, and singing). Our guides arranged this trip for us in order to show us a little of the Chinese city life as well as their general educational facilities. The school staff and the students were very welcoming and happy to share with us. Our group was very impressed with the abilities and talents of the children. I’m sure Linda will be able to fill in more of the details to anyone that needs more information, be sure to ask!

Today, our guides took our group about 40 minutes outside of Changsha to a typical Chinese rice farm. We basically showed up uninvited and were warmly welcomed by the family that worked the land. The farmers had very few possessions and very few conveniences, but they were proud of what they had and enjoyed visiting with our group. In the pictures, if you look for it, you will see very rudimentary plumbing and “out” facilities. Our group stayed about a half an hour then headed up the road to the local market street. The name of this little outpost eludes me but I will find out before I leave. Nevertheless, this was the epitome of Chinese rural culture with a touch of modern influence. The street had vendors of every sort; vegetables, meats, fish, toys, electronics, and home improvement items. Of course to our senses the meat hanging on hooks in the open air is not appealing. Nor is the cage of little green live frogs but all in all it was an experience that we will never forget. The people were friendly and boisterous (many spoke a few words of English), mainly we just got smiles and curious looks from everyone as our group roamed down the street to snap photos. Well it’s late and we are suppose to go the embroidery factory in the morning. More later

go to the bucket for the rest.

greginboise @ 2005-09-14T07:08:00

2005-09-14T13:10:19Z

More to follow

adoption trip HK

2005-09-10T09:00:06Z

Well this is the form letter that i sent out recently so it maybe old news.

Hi Folks,
I have a few minutes to send a quick message about our trip thus far. We have been in Hong Kong for two days and have just about adjusted to the time change. Yesterday (Friday HK time) we arrived at about 8:00 am, and took a cab to our hotel. We are staying at the Kowloon Shangri-La, a very fine hotel. We spent part of yesterday morning napping in order to make up for the 14 hour flight, and then we found the hotel’s Dim Sum restaurant in the early afternoon in time for lunch (great food). Linda and Alyssa wanted to do some shopping so we set off on foot to the shops within a few blocks of the hotel. After about an hour we made it back with a few goodies for Alyssa and Mikayla. The evening came quickly and we had a quick meal then bed.

Today we had a half day tour around Hong Kong, which included stops at the HK convention center (the spot where the British turned possession of HK back to the Chinese). The other stops included; Victoria Peak, Aberdeen Harbor and Fishing village, shopping at Stanley, a quick stop at Repulse Bay. We are hoping for more shopping tonight as well as a highly recommended Chinese restaurant around the corner. In the evening we are hoping to take the Star Ferry across Victoria harbor for some night time photos.

Tomorrow we will start seeing more of our adoption group arrive and prepare for the group orientation about the adoption itinerary.

Hopefully we will have a good chance to write in the next day or two, until then keep us in your prayers.

Greg, Linda, and Alyssa

http://photobucket.com/albums/y156/gsbell/

And here are a few to fill in space.

Yani I think you would find this one cool:

Alyssa's Birthday

2005-07-14T03:13:29Z

Today was Alyssa’s 3rd Birthday and she had the time of her life. First thing in the morning we gave her a wooden birthday party set (Similar stuff that goes along with the rest of her wooden toys). Then we were off to a little tea room for lunch (sure beats Chucky Cheese). And then we finished off the day with the typical party with the in-laws and Tessa, here at the house. She was so excited!

Some new pictures from the 4th

2005-07-10T22:18:37Z

Linda and Alyssa; Obviously!

Here she was telling me her own story about a "ghost in the spooky forest."

our dear old dog, Fawn:

Whew!

2005-07-10T22:11:08Z

I finished my class on Tuesday but I haven't quite exorcised the feeling of angst. Being creative and working (thinking) with the left half of my brain is stimulating, but often harder than using the right. The class was quite informative but I would have rather had it broken up into two or more subjects. The curriculum consisted of reading a number of selected short story authors and examining, plot, theme, setting, style etc., then developing aspects of our own short story, adding elements over the 5 weeks of class. Then the final portion of the curriculum was to research and examine how to get published. Each of these subjects could have been covered in separate classes.

All that being said, here is the story I wrote:

Also this is still a work in progress!

Why Me?
By Gregory Bell

Every summer in June my thoughts return to my childhood ritual of finishing another school year and preparing for the summer vacation, where my perception of those three months was a lifetime of fun. My reminiscence spirals back through the years picking highpoints in my life that come flooding back, some good some bad. Of the good times, I often long for the chance to grasp a little bit of those special times and bottle them for others to share. The boldest images, those which I recall having a particular lasting effect, were from my first road trip from our home in Southern California to my mother’s cousin’s ranch in Southwestern Colorado.
Like most seven-year-old boys, I dreamt of the freedom away from school and all responsibility. I likewise found this new rhythm of life joyous and exhilarating. The freedom I expected was to spend my long summer days watching cartoons, swimming or playing ball a few blocks from my house at Pacific park. Then again it was my chance to hop on my bike and venture past the limits of my known world. The world to me as a seven-year-old wasn’t much bigger than the area from my house to school and the occasional trip downtown. As a seven-year-old, I knew there was more to the world. I paid attention in school, and I knew about history and geography, but none of that mattered I had never been to any of those places; until now! My recollections of these good times, and my whims of emancipation, come with the knowledge that my parents had dashed my plans by planning some stupid summer vacation road trip. My little corner of the world, an area of Southwestern Glendale, was going to expand to include a great chunk of the Southwestern United States.
This story of my summer vacation begins the last week of June 1972. A few weeks earlier school had let out for the summer, but surprisingly the predictable summer scorching had not arrived and everything was as hoped for. Evenings are exciting, I along with the neighborhood kids spent time playing hide and seek well past the time for us to go in. Families would have simple barbeques and outdoor picnics in their backyards, sometimes gathering near the din of an AM radio listening to Vin Scully give the Los Angeles Dodger’s play-by-play. These happy gatherings mingled with the sounds of the crowds gathered for little league baseball, whose noise would waft to our block, creating an atmosphere of wonder and freedom. Like most of my friends, I would hope for weekend trips to any of the local beaches, or longed for a chance to spend a few days at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, or Dodger Stadium. These were all reasonable destinations, within an hour or two from Glendale, and everybody knows how much kids love these places.
The trip should have been predictable for me. My parents talked about going all the time, specifically to work out the details of Grandfather’s property. Nevertheless, I was oblivious because of the usual pessimism that radiated from my mom; it was always either whether or not she had saved enough money, or whether or not my dad got the station wagon running. We always had money issues but the decisive factor delaying the trip was serendipitously the station wagon. For what seemed like my lifetime, a 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon sat in the driveway up against the garage. I think it was a broken cam shaft, but whatever the malfunction, the hour or two a night, during which my dad would tinker under the hood, didn’t seem to get him any closer to fixing it—at least in my mother’s opinion.
On Wednesday during that last week of June 1972, I spent the day at the pool with my mom, and then walked over to the little league field and watched the evening game. When we returned home, I could see my dad and brother working on the Ranch Wagon, only this time it was off the jack stands. My mom went through the kitchen and met my dad at the back door where she inquisitively asked, “It looks like the station wagon is almost ready. How close are we to traveling?” Progress showed on his face when a slight grin preceded his response, “We should be on the road by Saturday morning as long as I can get it to the Mobil service station Friday afternoon.” My heart sank; I had hoped to go to the movies on Saturday with the kids in the neighborhood, not to mention the neighborhood Fourth of July celebration the following weekend. That moment I began to regret summer. How could I get my parents to postpone or delay this ill-timed trip? Why couldn’t we go when school was in session? To me, that would be the best alternative. That night I went to bed trying to devise a way out because my initial gripes about missing the movies and the Fourth of July were having no effect on my parents.
When daylight woke me Thursday morning, I found my mom unpacking the closets and the storage area in the garage. She was collecting vintage camping gear, ice chests, coolers, and luggage. Things went downhill fast, I couldn’t go out to play but my Brother was enthusiastic. We had to clean up all the equipment and make room for everything in the station wagon. That’s when my friend John ran over from across the street. “Hey Greg lets go to the park!” he said with his usual excitement. “Oscar and Armando are there waiting for us.” I quickly forgot the task at hand. I ran to ask my mom. When I ran into the bedroom, she was armpit deep in sorting and packing clothes. “Mom, John wants me to go to the park with him. Please can I go!” she winced then scolded as she took a long drag on her cigarette. “You won’t have time to play; we have to concentrate on getting packed and ready for our trip.” “But Ma, please?” I started to sulk away when she chided me for my attitude, “Gregory,” she only called me Gregory when I was in trouble, “Gregory, you will need to forget about going with your friends. I have warned you that we would be going to Colorado for the summer.” Then she dipped her head at the door, “Just go help your brother. Your father will be home soon and he will be finishing the car tonight.” I felt like running away. As I got outside, John kept begging me to get out of the work somehow. I ran to the station wagon, where my brother Bruce was cleaning out the residual, unused parts, from the rear storage area. “Bruce, I’m going to the park with John,” I said defiantly. Bruce didn’t much like baseball, or the fact that he was doing all the work. When he responded angrily with a raised fist and the eyes of Satan himself, “You know you need to help me clean out the back, and then help clean up all the camping stuff!” His irritation didn’t faze me at all.
…Bruce was almost two years older; he was mechanically clever for his age and had been helping Dad do some of the work on the old Ford. Bruce, in fact, didn’t like sports, or my friends, or any conventional boy’s games. He was different, different from me, different than my friends. My friends and I liked being outside in the park or riding our bikes. So much time outside, in fact, I had gained color in my usually pale skin and my hair had lightened to the color of bleached bones. My brother Bruce was pale, he liked tinkering with electronics and mechanical things, his projects kept him shut up in his room. Surprisingly, the preparation for the trip brought out the adventurous side of Bruce. Bruce and Dad had been dabbling with Ham and CB radios for over a year and they planned on equipping the station wagon with a portable set. Bruce also gained an interest in astronomy and looking through his telescope, or it may have been his fixation on Star Trek. What ever it was, the trip offered Bruce his first chance to experience everything he had been tinkering with…
Just as I was about to sneak off, Bruce had gone in the house to rat me out to my mom. I was sunk! I was trying to slip out around the side of the house but Mom caught up with me. “Gregory you stop this fooling around and get busy!” I cringed, “But Ma?” She reached down and snatched me up by the shirt sleeve, “We won’t have time for your shenanigans if you don’t get back out there with Bruce, your father will hear about this.”
The morning sun intensified, and by noon I was melting, it had to be in the 90’s. The drudgery combined with the soaring temperatures left me sobbing. Mom yelled out from the house, “finish what you’re doing and come on in and I will make you boys lunch.” Between the sobs, “Ok Mom” squeaked from my lips. Just then, at the back of the garage, my brother opens up my dad’s old army footlocker. This was the first time either of us had seen this chest, let alone, been that deep into the garage. “Greg, come look at this,” Bruce said as he picked up a WWII era officer’s cap. The cap was intriguing, but what caught my eye was the assorted trinkets and equipment. There were ribbons and patches, an old aluminum canteen covered in green canvas, and stowed at the bottom were uniforms and more army canvas supplies. I really hadn’t noticed but my sobbing stopped. I got caught up in the treasure discovery. “Bruce! Gregory!” This time Mom was at the garage door calling us to lunch. She looked weathered from the heat but with a hint of accomplishment. “I made some sandwiches. Come and eat. And then when you’re done, come back out and finish up by hosing out the cooler. Then airing out the tent and rest of your Dad’s old camping stuff.”
The afternoon heat made our chores difficult, but for the first time that day we had some relief when we took the hose to the cooler, the ice chest, and ourselves. Bruce and I were able to finish our chores just before Dad got home. So we had time to go through the generally outdated camping equipment. My Dad had collected much of this stuff shortly after WWII when he was in the service. Most of it was old Army surplus, but a few things, like the lanterns, must have been older. The tent and the cots were very burley, distinctively stamped with the letters “U.S.” at various locations on the thick green canvas. Even after airing out these items most of the rank odor lingered from the years of storage. The odor was oddly pleasing to me—it conjured images of traveling to distant places via wagon trains, or with the Calvary deep into Indian Territory. For the first time my daydreams sparked inkling, ever so slight, to embrace my parent’s plans.
The evening didn’t cool down. My dad struggled with the last few adjustments to the Ranch Wagon. This was evident when he skipped dinner and worked well into the night. My mom had me get together the things I wanted to bring along for the drive. I grabbed my ball and glove, a few Hot Wheel cars, and my comic books. My brother and I used a carton, which used to be a fruit container, to pack our toys. Most everything that had been packed for the trip, occupied a corner in the living room. My Mom just finished moving the last of luggage to the pile, then took a seat on the sofa. In this pause, she lit a cigarette and sipped at her coffee. She had an atlas out on the coffee table along with some vintage brochures. Finally my childish façade had been shaken. I was curious; the allure of the trip gripped me. I had to know more. I approached my Mom and asked, “Mom, how will we get there?”
Mom spent the last moments of Thursday evening showing me the atlas. She pointed out the route, and the towns and cities that we would be going through. Ignacio, Colorado was the ultimate destination but we weren’t going there directly. She pointed out the stops along the way. Using the atlas, a few brochures and the Encyclopedia Americana, the side destinations were rousing. The stops would include the Colorado River, a number of National monuments, and the Grand Canyon. My mind was flowing with images as I drifted off to sleep. My original reluctance was suddenly unfounded. My psyche mirrored the same excitement I experienced awaiting Christmas morning.
Friday’s heat was record breaking, but at least most of the work was done. Early in the afternoon, Dad made it home in time to take the old Ranch Wagon to the service station. Bruce and I went along for the ride. Bruce was in his element but I quickly got anxious. Sitting in the grimy front office of the corner gas station, watching the dial on the thermometer push past 100 degrees, stifled all the pleasant yearnings I had experienced the night before. In my impatience, I began fooling around with anything lying around the office. My dad wasn’t amused and had to scold me. “Greg, quit that squirming and settle down,” as he interrupted his conversation with the manager. After a minute, he finished his conversation then turned his attention to me. “When are you going to get with the program?” he said in his matter of fact tone. I didn’t know what to say besides, “I want to go; it’s too hot in here.” Bruce happened to nod his head in agreement. Dad sighed then said, “Be patient a few more minutes and we’ll be able to get out of here. We will be leaving early in the morning tomorrow and we will need to get home soon.” I saw his earnest fatherly concern shine through. “I’m sorry Dad,” as I hugged his leg.
On the drive home, Dad recalled his own memories of one childhood trip. It was the trek that brought him to California. Because his childhood was during the Great Depression, his story was particularly poignant. Even though his family struggled and their journey was hazardous, their final goal was eventually realized. The gist of his story was, “through all the hardship and disappointment, the lessons that I learned was to know that no matter how tough the journey through life, what mattered most is that being together as a family is what really counts.” And that, “one day you will value this time and the experiences you will have; good bad or otherwise.” Listening to my dad go on about important things in life usually went in one ear then out the other, but this time it stirred my emotions and I didn’t know why!
Sometime around 4:00 am, my brother and I sleepwalked to the station wagon. The next thing I knew, I woke to the early morning light. We were on the road and miles from home. I looked up in time to see a sign, “Welcome to Cucamonga.” I didn’t have clue where we were then, but as it turns out we were on the famous “route 66,” about 40 miles east of Glendale. My dad drove the old highways because of his familiarity with the routes and a concern for the recent repairs on the old Ranch Wagon. The traffic was light as we moved east passing through the suburbs and rural communities of San Bernardino. The Sun had been up for hours and had lit the purple mountains of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino ranges. By mid morning we were entering portions of the desert, recognizable by the Joshua tree cactus standing at attention along the road. Ahead was a Texaco gas station, Dad slowed and pulled in.
The station was welcome relief, we all had to go, and I was getting hungry. The station was next to a 50’s style diner and my mom went in to have the thermos refilled with coffee, but we didn’t stay and eat. My mom had packed peanut butter sandwiches, oranges, and cookies along with a cooler with kool-aid. Although my Brother and I were hoping for milkshakes from the diner, we were happy to have the sandwiches and Kool-aid. My dad finished double-checking the Ranch Wagon after the tank was full and found something under the hood that worried him. He discussed the situation with the guy in the garage, who assumed Dad all was in order. Dad and Mom quickly ate a few bites of sandwich, some coffee and my mom had a cigarette. Mom had us go and use the restroom one last time while Dad studied the map and calculated gas mileage. Just before noon we were on the road again. Making our way toward the Colorado River, the temperature quickly made the inside of the Ranch Wagon stifling. The Ranch Wagon didn’t have an air conditioner, what we did have we called 440 air-conditioning—all four windows down while going forty miles an hour.
We listened to the radios and read our comic books to pass the time. We also spent time pointing out cars and trucks that had unique features. Most of the other cars were passing us but occasionally we would come up behind an old jalopy, which we would have to pass. Mom would take a few minutes, now and again, to tell us some interesting history about the desert, California, Arizona, or Colorado. Much of what she told us was from the stack of brochures she brought along. By early afternoon we reached Needles California, on the California and Arizona State line. The State line is also on the Colorado River and because the day was so hot, we found a spot to turn out and cool off. We only stayed a little while; somehow we were hours behind schedule. I didn’t care that much, I was happy because I was amazed at the territory we were traveling through—it was new and exciting. How could I have been so reluctant before this all started.
The weather in Arizona was just as bad as California except for the added display from the mid afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains. We stopped two times between Needles and Kingman, once for gas and once to avoid a downpour. Just outside of Kingman, disaster struck—not life threatening—the Ranch Wagon broke down. It was the alternator that gave out. Exactly what my dad worried about during the last two gas stops. However, this had an air of urgency because of the lateness of the day. My mom was in a near panic and Bruce and I were trying to ignore the frustrations. My dad was fortunate to have a trucker give him a lift into Kingman for a replacement part. Completing the repair and getting back on the road was time consuming. Short of being hungry and hours behind schedule, we were lucky, but my mom was overly concerned. All she wanted was to get to our first camp area before dark, but that was getting highly unlikely.
There were about a hundred and fifty miles from Kingman to Flagstaff, and our camp was somewhere just east of downtown. We arrived at sunset, which relieved my mom’s anxiety for the moment. Trying to set up a camp after a full day on the road was nearly impossible for my brother and me—my dad had to do all the work. The camp was set in a wooded canyon near a stream and if we had arrived on time, we would have had time to go for a swim. As it was we only had time to make dinner. We had hot dogs; they were the best I had ever tasted.
The last few minutes that evening were splendid. We sat around a campfire eating under the stars. Bruce had just enough energy to set up his telescope and look for the North Star. The CB and AM radio chattered in the background, while my mom sat back with a cigarette reading about the Hopi. The glow from the fires of the other campers was surreal. The light from the campfires played tricks with me as I watch the flicker throughout the canyon. Looking up into the sky from my cot, I saw deep into heaven. I had never seen so many stars! With my last thoughts as I closed my eyes, I remembered what my dad recounted to me the day before and then it hit me. I had never experienced the flood of sensations that I encountered that day. The drive was hard and miserable but at the same time, I was happy.

We went on to Colorado in the following days, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde National park, and the Anasazi cliff dwellings. The rest of the trip was a blur compared to that first day, but the memories are etched in my mind and slip out from time to time.

a month away

2005-06-28T04:48:01Z

The adoption agency has received this month’s quota of referrals and we missed the cut. We were anxious because of the possibility that we could have squeaked into this group. Nevertheless, we do know that we are in next month’s group without a doubt. All this means is that instead of traveling in August, we will probably be scheduled for early of mid September.

Alyssa’s birthday is a few weeks out and she is definitely growing up! She is so full of herself and so smart. (Like any parent doesn’t know this) :0

Work is ok. Weather has been mild! And I only have a few days left in this latest class.

One of these days, I will have little more time to correspond with everyone a little more personally.

Greg

Here are few picture of Alyssa this weekend.

Update.

2005-06-11T03:55:04Z

Ok what’s new!

School has been good but time consuming. The countdown to getting our referral has been definitely stressful for Linda. We speculate that we will be in the next group matched and issued referrals by about June 21st; we are on the cusp of the usual monthly groupings and that means that we might get pushed out to the July groupings. However, if we do get the referral this month, we will be traveling by August.

Tomorrow, we are taking part in the subdivision community garage sale and have spent the last few days going through just about everything that we have packed into the attic and every corner of the garage. Unpacking many of the boxes that were salvaged from my parents’ apartment, I have found a number of interesting and precious items. I am hoping to find the time to scan and share much of the photos and genealogical information with any concerned relatives.

One of the many surprises I have found were a couple of pastel “channeled” portraits by a famous psychic artist, Stan Matrunick.

a few of today's pictures

2005-04-22T02:45:03Z

Linda, Alyssa, and I spent the day running errands. We started with breakfast,

Then this spot was to have a picture of Alyssa having her bangs trimmed but the photo I up loaded was not formatted properly. I'll fix it and post it again soon.

Then stopped for some fun,

Well more photo's to follow soon. At least when I edit and upload a few more.

Greg

reviving my MSN group

2005-04-17T18:45:06Z

Linda and I have a dormant MSN group that we established to keep a few friends and family abreast of our first adoption journey in 2003. We have some of Alyssa’s the Gotcha Day pictures, and others, while we were in Changsha and Guangzhou. There are also a few holiday or Birthday pictures over the last few years. I think this will be a quick alternative before I find an alternative photo host site compatible with LJ.

http://groups.msn.com/TheBellFamilyChina/thebellfamilyhomepage.msnw

First post

2005-04-11T18:51:13Z

Hopefully I will be able to keep this journal up to date with some news and pictures. As far as the news is concerned, Linda, Alyssa, and I are awaiting the referral for our next adoption. We are expecting to hear something by July if everything stays on schedule. Alyssa's little sister (Mikayla) should be between 9 months and a year old when we pick her up. We are hoping to have Mikayla come from the same province of Hunan as Alyssa.

By the way the little picture is Alyssa last fall at the pumpkin patch.

Ok now I need to figure out how to post pictures.