Sunday, May 13, 2012
Instead of a letter TO the editor, this one's from me, the editor, to my Momme on Mother's Day.
Dear Momme, Yeah, I know Mother’s Day is really just a Hallmark holiday, a time for florists and candy makers to boost revenue by selling things to dads, sons and daughters who hope to show their love to the moms in their lives. I’m bypassing Hallmark and going straight to the web to tell you publicly how thankful I am that you are the woman that you are, and that I am lucky to have you as my mom. Thank you for letting me swim in the lake until the skin on my fingers and toes puckered, and I shivered when I got out of the water. Thank you for wrapping that warm towel around me when I got out of the water and holding me tight while I warmed up. Thank you for letting me skate on that same lake when it froze in the winter where I learned to …
Happy Mother's Day to my mom-in-law.
Dear Mom-in-law, As my second mom I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. I know some people endure the stereotype mother-in-law that is the butt of many jokes, but I’m lucky I have you, a mom-in-law who defies the stereotype. Words I use to describe you are kind, thoughtful, intelligent, generous, creative, talented, artistic, fun, and loving. Oh, and did I mention that you must be one fabulous mom? After all, you (and my fabulous dad-in-law) created one wonderful son, also known as Mr. Patch. Thank you for welcoming me to the family and always making me feel a part of it. Thank you for always being willing to pitch in and help us with anything and everything. Thank you for all the cat-sitting and dog-sitting you’ve done…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Barack Obama is the first sitting American president to publicly and officially support gay marriage.
After years of pressure from the American public, civil rights groups and the media, President Barack Obama gave a definitive answer on his stance on gay marriage Wednesday morning in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts. In the video, which you can watch to the right, Obama says the following: "I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Dealing with Dad's dementia: This week, I talk about what feels right when you feel like you are helpless
I have a routine. It’s a busy routine; but it is a routine, nonetheless. I go to school—because I want yet another degree—then I go to help my dad around the time he should be waking up. I eat with him, try to do something with him. Then I go to various different jobs till late at night. Mom helps him at night. My brother covers anything if he were to wake up before 11 a.m., which lately doesn’t happen much. But, this routine is getting messed up when my dad’s ability and desire to do things starts to dwindle. A few weeks ago, dad had trouble with something. I couldn’t leave as there was a huge mess from this “trouble” and he said he couldn’t find things he needed, etc. It was very chaotic. I had to stay so he wouldn't slip and fall on …
Friday, May 4, 2012
5 kick-up-your-heels drinks to make at home.
With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, BevMo!’s cocktail experts have crafted some killer margarita recipes to spice up your fiesta. Whether you’re a cork dork or a beer fanatic, nothing beats a margarita on Cinco de Mayo! Here are our 5 favorite takes on the classic concoction: PERFECT MARGARITA Rub rim of a chilled margarita glass with the lime wedge. Dip into salt to coat. Combine tequila and margarita mix in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake. Strain into a margarita glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. CUERVO GOLDEN MARGARITA Rub rim of a chilled margarita glass with the lime wedge. Dip into salt to coat. Combine tequila, Grand Marnier and margarita mix in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake. Strain into a margarita glass. …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Dealing with Dad's dementia: This week, I talk about how I long for a 'normal' day.
“Papa, what are you doing?” “I’m just going to the other room to rest.” “You don’t want to sit here with me? Maybe do something or watch a movie?” “No.” I remember growing up and my dad used to follow me around, so to speak. I would go to one room to watch cartoons and he would be there a few minutes later. Sometimes I would get annoyed if I wanted time alone. But, my mom would come around and just say that he wanted to sit with me. So, there he would sit. He would sit there laughing at the Wile E. Coyote, throwing in a few words here and there about school or other important things. Now, I long for those times where my quiet time would be interrupted by my dad’s laughs and intermittent talks on life. He doesn’t seem to want to be around …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Creating a free shuttle system for the city would encourage more retail and restaurants to open in Cupertino—and with it would come tax revenue.
A Case for a Free Shuttle Service in Cupertino For years the City of Cupertino has been trying to stimulate retail growth and encourage residents to shop locally. The City generates essential sales tax revenues from local businesses to fund city services. However there still remains a relatively high inventory of unrented retail space such as at the Vallco Shopping Mall. Other neighboring cities have thriving retail businesses such as at Valley Fair and Santana Row which draw large numbers of local residents to shop and dine. The City is currently working on a permit for Sand Hill Properties to develop a large “Main Street” shopping and business center along Stevens Creek Boulevard near Lawrence Expressway and Highway 280. This more than…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Challenge Day at Cupertino High School is about knowing there are people to talk to, who will listen, who will care.
Challenge Day was introduced to me by Alysa Sakkas, a Cupertino mom whom I’ve come to know through her contributions to Cupertino Patch. Sakkas has been invaluable to me, helping connect me to people and getting to know the community better, so when she emails and says, “Hey, are you interested?”—the answer is yes. And thanks to the value my company places on volunteer work—through a Patch program called Give 5, employees are encouraged to volunteer on company time—I was allowed to have Rachel Stern fill in as guest editor and manage Cupertino Patch so that I could spend the day at Cupertino High School. Sakkas suggested Challenge Day would enhance my understanding of local kids, and as usual she was right. Boiled down, Challenge Day is …
Friday, March 23, 2012
Hema Kundargi's cooking challenge gives us another yummy recipe.
Taking a cue from Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay Local Voices blogger Hema Kundargi challenged friends to their own cooking throwdown. In Kundargi's Thursday post she presented the recipe, Lip-smacking Broccoli Salad The combination of mango, broccoli and onions are a very bold blend of flavors and texture. You have to taste it to believe it. In this recipe you may subsitute green garbanzo beans for regular garbanzo beans. 3 cups broccoli, sliced 2 mango, diced 1 onion diced 1 cup fresh green garbanzo beans (available in Indian stores or frozen in Trader Joes) 1 bunch of butter lettuce Salad dressing 2 tomatoes, cooked and pureed and drained through seive to remove seeds 2 tablespoon light sour cream 1 red chili 1 green chili ½ …
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Bruno-the-fabulous-foster-dog gets a new title: forever dog.
We said we weren’t keeping him. We said we would never want a small dog. It’s official, we’re foster failures. At least that’s the term Humane Society Silicon Valley applies to people like us who adopt their foster pets. We made it official March 3: Bruno-the-fabulous-foster-dog is now officially Bruno Ernst. This was the first time my husband, Mike—Mr. Patch— and I fostered a pet. We specifically asked for a small dog believing that we would be less inclined to want to keep a small dog. We’ve always had big dogs in our lives and thought small dogs were all yappy and high-strung. Bruno changed our opinions of small dogs and wore us down with cuteness. That, and our 18-year-old cat seemed to like having Bruno around. How can you go wrong …
L.A. Chung
11:22 pm on Sunday, May 13, 2012
Loved your very heartfelt tribute to your mother. It makes me think that all those little things one does for one's children are not so little, after all, if they can be remembered decades later with such living detail. more ›