A Memorable New Year's Eve Escapade

California Central Valley Tule Fog

New Years Eve in California's Central Valley with our new-found friends

New Year's Eve of 1970 was one of the most unforgettable event in my life here in the US. In mid September of 1969, I found myself relocating my family (wife and four young children of grade school ages) from Kansas City, Missouri to Modesto, California. The move was not that traumatic, since relocation expenses, including packing and repacking expenses/activities were paid by my new employer, Shell Development Company.

Modesto, California is the county seat of Stanislaus County, right in the heart of the central valley of California- Land of Fruits and Nuts. The area is famous for its tule* fog during winter. The locals called it the “soup”.

As a newcomer, I had no idea how it feels driving in the soup. I have a feeling though that it could be dangerous, but had no idea how nerve-racking an experience it could be. Driving in the “soup” with zero visibility that new Year's eve night of 1969 is not an experience, I want repeated in my life. I remember, how I felt. I thought, I will run out of breathe and feel like suffocating. I felt trapped and claustrophobic inside the car. The fog was so thick, my car fog lights was of no help. The drive from Modesto to Stockton normally takes less than 30 minutes during the day. But that night it took me an hour because of the dense fog.

Why was I driving on New Years Night in Highway 99 in the middle of the worst valley fog in Central California?. Read on.

My move from Kansas City, Missouri to Modesto, California was a stage in my professional career, I called my “pre-midlife crisis career move”. I loved and enjoyed my job at Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. However, when I received a job offer from a job hunter with a 20% raised in salary, I accepted it without fear and hesitation. In addition, I have always preferred living in the West Coast of the US than in the Midwest, where the winters are milder. Little did I know that the winter fog was horrible in our new home. I would compare driving in the fog with zero visibility here in Central California in the same category of danger as driving in a blinding rain storm or snow storm of the East Coast( Maryland and Virginia) and of the Midwest ( Illinois and Missouri).

During the last four months of 1969, my wife and four children were busy adjusting to their new surroundings and in their elementary schooling. We did not have time to join any local organizations and have zero friends except our next door neighbor. With my new job, I had no time making new friends except with my co-employees. So when New year Eve came, Macrine and I were desperate for some social interaction. We decided to go out for a late dinner on New Years Eve in one of Stockton's 4-star restaurants. Stockton is about 25 miles north of Modesto along Highway 99. The teenager daughter of our neighbor baby sat for the kids.

We arrived at the restaurant at about 9:30PM. The restaurant was filled to capacity. We waited in the bar for available seats. In the bar was another couple also waiting to be seated. They were a little bit older than us. The lady was of Asian ancestry and the man was Caucasian. Macrine and I were desperate for company, and the couple appeared very friendly, so I initiated the conversation. I do not remember what exactly happened, but we decided to get a table for four instead of two tables for two.

Our dinner of steak and lobster was excellent. Conversation flowed freely oiled by two bottles of wine. From our rapport and conversation, it appeared the four of us were long time friends. We learned that the lady had Filipino ancestry. We also learned that they are also Roman Catholics and have resided in the Stockton area for the last 10 years. They have no children and have plans of adopting an orphan from the Philippines.

Their house was in the housing development very near to the restaurant and only about a 3 minutes drive. We finished dinner and dessert at about 11:30PM. Our new found friends decided to invite us to their home for an after dinner drink, so we will not be driving in the highway at midnight. With our adventurous spirit, Macrine and I accepted their invitation without any fear or hesitation.

When we got out of the restaurant, the fog was already thick with only a few feet of visibility. The couple's residence was in the area of middle and upper-middle class homes. The house was tastefully furnished and decorated with several Philippine antiques that the lady had inherited from her Filipino grandparents. We stayed at their home until 1:00AM. We had a bottle of champagne at midnight. I just took a sip, because I know I will be driving through a thick fog on our way home.

Our baby sitter was glad to see us at 2AM after an hour of slow driving because of the fog. The drive was so nerve-racking, I vowed I will never drive in a fog if at all possible or unless there is a medical emergency involving a life or death situation.

Reflecting back to this experience, I can not believe, that Macrine and I allowed ourselves be picked up by complete strangers who later became our close friends. We continued our friendship with the Stockton couple, until 1974 when we moved to the San Francisco bay area after I lost my job from Shell Development Company(SDC). SDC closed their agricultural research facility in Modesto because they wanted to get out of the pesticide business.

Indeed, this is one New Year Night's escapade that Macrine and I will always remember as long as we live.

*Tule fog ( /ˈtuːliː/) is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Great Central Valley. This phenomenon is named after the tule grass wetlands (tulares) of the Central Valley. Accidents caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in Central California.(From Wikipedia)

Reference: My Autobiography, Chapter 9: http://theintellectualmigrant.blogspot.com

Marinduque in my Heart Video

Me and Congressman Velasco, MI Inc Medical Mission of Love, February, 2011

It is time to view a video on the beauty and tourist attractions of Marinduque. Chateau Du Mer is featured in the first 1.1 minute of the video for a few seconds.

One Point I missed in my Final Exam that Changed my Life

David and my wife, Macrine and son Dodie during our First Thanksgiving Day in the US, 1960

One grade point in college changed my life | ViewsHound

Cloyne Court- Excerpt 29

Handing Flyers at Sather Gate
Cloyne Court, Episode 29
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.

A creative memoir about Cloyne Court in Berkeley, California in the late 1970s
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“Well, Derek, it’s about time somebody showed up. I told Casey not to wait until the last minute, but he always does. I can’t wait until the next house election.”

I imagined the Machiavellian plots churning in her head. “Ok, what do I have to do?” I asked.

“Help me hand out these flyers advertising the co-op system to people passing by. Oh, Casey may have told you the work shift is two hours of credit, but you can’t leave until all the flyers have been handed out.”

I looked at the stacks of flyers and counted four quires of paper, two hundred sheets, to hand out. I would have to hand out one hundred sheets an hour to finish in two hours, a daunting task. From experience of walking here at lunchtime, I calculated if I handed out 1.6 flyers every second, it could be done.

I grabbed a handful, stood in the middle of the bridge and held out flyers to students walking in both directions. People refused to take them. Most avoided eye contact and pushed through the crowd ignoring me. Those who did take a flyer, scowled. No one actually wanted a flyer. Why should they? Dozens of groups were handing out scores of flyers.

After fifteen minutes of limited success, I realized that I had become the same hawker who had annoyed me daily when I was commuting to Berkeley. I didn’t want to be there irritating people. A group of fraternity boys walked toward me. I held a flyer in front of them.

“Shove it up your ass,” said one.

“Live at Cloyne Court?” said the other. “Who would want to live in an anarchist hellhole like that?”

I watched other students walk past. Some were walking in pairs, talking and smiling. Most were walking alone heaving heavy book packs and displaying determined looks on their faces as they hurried to their next destination. I saw a young man sauntering slowly along the path.

I held out a flyer. “Hey, looking for a place to live on campus? Want to meet other students?”

He took the flyer and looked at it suspiciously. “You know, you’re the first person who’s spoken to me in a week.”

“You’re commuting to school, right?” I asked. “San Francisco. Taking BART daily?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

Because I had seen the look on his face before, on mine. He was lonely.

“Check it out, OK?” I said. He walked off still reading the flyer. For a moment, I felt a moral quiver. I had done a random act of kindness by talking to him. I’d like to think because of that one moment, the guy moved into the co-ops, graduated with honors and is now a millionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur[1] with a company employing thousands of people.

Then, like receiving the key to a Cryptex, I discovered I had learned an important lesson. I didn’t learn it in the classroom from some bigheaded, highly credentialed egomaniacal, Nobel Prize winning professor, but standing under Sather Gate in the hot sun.

To persuade people to do something, even as simple as take a flyer from your hands, you have to look at them, size them up and determine what their self-interest is. Their motivation can be fear, hunger, money or status. Whatever it is, people will do what you want if they believe it is in their self-interest. For that one student, it was conversation. He wanted someone to talk too.

I sized up the students walking in my direction and talked to them based on my assumptions. My presumptions may have been wrong, but the method was working.

If they were laughing and talking and seemed social, I said, “Want to live in a fun place?” Of course they did. They took a flyer.

If they looked poor and shabbily dressed, even by college student standards, I held out a flyer and asked, “Need a cheap place to live?” They took a flyer.

A group of engineering students walked toward me. They were dressed like the stereotype, short-sleeved shirts with pocket protectors, thick eyeglasses, poor grooming and a disheveled appearance. “Want student housing a block from Cory Hall (the engineering building)?” They took a flyer.

After less than an hour, I had handed out two-thirds of the stack.

Another group of men wearing fraternity T-shirts walked toward the gate. My first encounter with the frat rats had been a failure. Here was my second chance to prove the validity of my newly learned lesson. I thought intensely about what to say as they approached.

“Want to live in a house where men and women shower together and sunbathe nude in the backyard?” I said. The men looked at me as if I was crazy, but everyone took a flyer. “Single rooms and only one roommate?” They stopped in their tracks and waited to hear more. I had discovered their sore spot. These new pledges probably lived in a room with four or five other guys. Space and privacy was at a minimum.

“The food’s not bad either,” I said.

The men asked some questions, and I answered as honestly as I could. I looked over at Betty Sue. She had a dour look on her face. I guessed she was not pleased with my tactics.

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[1] Like Gordon Moore, founder of Intel, who lived at Cloyne Court in the 1960s. He gave money to the USCA for Cloyne’s restoration work in the mid-1980s.

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Guest Article from Deb Hamilton-What to do with your Weiner at the Gym

Today's guest article is from Deb Hamilton. It is a piece of writing I enjoyed very much. I hope it makes you smile and enjoy the humorous side of Deb. Deb is a middle-aged woman married to a trophy husband, a guy she just calls “Scotch.” Deb has three young adult children, three dogs, one cat, 137 pet peeves, and a fish named Goldengate. Deb loves to travel to funky places that require a passport and plenty of antidiarrheals. A “woman of a certain age,” she’ll readily tell you what she thinks or what you should think. Or maybe just tell you off. You’ll get used to it.

FAQ: What To Do With Your Weiner At The House Gym

Semi-nude photos of Representative Anthony Weiner taken at the House Gym on Capitol Hill have been recently, um, uncovered. This has caused the staff here at the gym to reconsider some of our guidelines. Many people don't know what to do with their Weiner while they're working out. These FAQs should help clear up any confusion and help you appropriately handle your Weiner:

1. Can I just leave my Weiner at home? No. Some Weiners get lonely if you don't take them out enough. They might chew the sofa or get on Twitter without you. Always take your Weiner wherever you go.

2. Does my Weiner have to pay a separate entrance fee? Please see the wall chart posted by the main desk. Only Weiners that are shorter than the height of Nancy Pelosi's outstretched arm can get in for free.

3. Who is obligated to watch my Weiner while I work out? Anyone may watch your Weiner at any time but the staff here at the House Gym cannot be held liable for any physical, emotional, or psychological damage caused by your errant Weiner. It is best to keep your Weiner close at hand. Unruly Weiners cannot be allowed on the premises.

4. My Weiner has needs; who is responsible to meet these needs during my workout routine? Please ensure that your Weiner is content prior to arriving at the gym. Exceptions cannot be made for sick Weiners, for Weiners following Kosher dietary laws, or for Weiners allergic to nuts.

5. Does my Weiner need to have a separate towel? Staff members are not permitted to make this determination. If you feel comfortable sharing a towel with your Weiner, this is allowable. Please be advised, however, that some Weiners require the use of two towels.

6. What should I do if my Weiner gets tired before I do? This is a sensitive issue for some of our clients. You may want to discuss this with your family doctor, after sending her photos of your Weiner.

7. Could my Weiner feel shy in the shower area? Yes. Just assure your Weiner that it is normal to have these feelings.

8. What if my Weiner doesn't feel shy enough in the shower area? Some Weiner behaviors just have to be ignored. Try not to make any sudden moves or draw undue attention to your Weiner.

9. How much time should I give it if my Weiner is having a hard time following the House Gym rules? Members who have Weiners continually breaking the rules should resign themselves to the fact that this might not be the place for their Weiner. Accordingly, they should secure alternate arrangements as soon as it is feasible.

Please visit Deb Hamilton blog at http://debutopia.blogspot.com

Guest Article from Michelle Dragoo-Five Tips in Battling Depression

Today's guest article is from Michelle Dragoo. She is one of my favorite authors in the ViwesHound community. Michelle Dragoo is a retired Air Force Master Sgt, who currently resides in St. Charles Illinois. Wife, Mother, and graduate student at Florida Tech University. She currently works at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL as the Supervisor of Anatomic Pathology. Writing has always been her passion.

Finding peace, after years of depression.

Since I can remember, I have suffered from some sort of depression. Be it severe, or just the blues, I often battled with simple things like getting out of bed, playing with my kids, paying attention to my husband, or just enjoying day to day life. I wish I could pinpoint the start of the symptoms, if nothing more than to better understand the disease of depression. As quoted from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, depression is defined as:

“Feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer.”

Many things can lead to depression, such as major life changes, divorce, certain medical conditions as well as chemical changes in the brain. I lost my uncle to suicide when I was just 15, and remember trying to understand what it was he felt during his last days. Now, as an adult I understand completely, but have battled with trying to find my peace in life so I can battle this disease.

I have been on various medications, therapy, you name it. I’ve tried it all. But until last year I never could truly find my “place” in life. Often times, it takes hitting rock bottom to be able to pull yourself out of that never ending spiral of sadness. I hit my rock bottom when my career in the Air Force was nearing its end. I thought I had no meaning in life, and separated myself from my family, friends, and even my children. Most days would be spent going to work completely exhausted after a night of fighting insomnia, only to end the day laying on the couch with my eyes closed. Eyes closed to the world, my children, more so my life. I suffered weekly migraines, had various other health issues, and felt like I was on a one way road downhill.

I realized one day, when I was at my lowest that I could lose my family. They didn’t want to be near me, and admittedly I didn’t want to even be around myself. I just wanted to close my eyes, and feel sorry for myself. It was then, I KNEW I needed to find peace, and let go of the past. What was it in life I enjoyed? Sadly I forgot, but was determined to find IT again. So for me, personally, I re-evaluated my life, and what it was I needed to pull myself out of that deep dark hole.

1. Work is work

Not everyone can do what they love, but you can put your passion, heart, and soul into what you do to make it the very best product you can be proud of. After the eight hour day, walk away and open the front door of your house and find JOY.

2. Recall your passions in life

Mine are writing, reading, music, cooking, my kids, and being outdoors. I had forgotten these things for so many years. So I picked up my pen, dusted off my whisk, and began dancing in the kitchen with my kids while we all laughed until tears filled our eyes.

3. Don’t regret the past—learn from it and move forward

Move forward always. Learn from the past, but don’t hang on to past hurts, mistakes, or even failures. We are all human and are entitled to hurt every now and then. If you need to, cry, let it out, and move FORWARD.

4. Remove the negative aspects from your life

Be it negative people, situations, or things that simply bring you down-avoid them! Often times we get in the mode of wallowing in self misery. This does nothing good for our health, or for our family and friends. If someone constantly brings you down, simply step away. If you have a job you hate, look for another one! If you feel down on yourself, go back to school, start working out, or find an outlet to build yourself back UP.

5. Don’t forget you!

We all get caught up in daily life, and forget to take time for ourselves. Even if it means going for a 30 min run a couple of times a week, or playing your music a tad louder than you should so you can sing along and not feel embarrassed. DO IT. Find your peace, be it in nature, exercise, or hobbies. Never forget to take care of you!

Since doing these things, and committing myself to ultimate peace no matter how hard the journey, I can honestly say I have never been happier. Is my life perfect? Of course not. But I take each life situation, and do my best to digest it in a healthy manner vs. feeling sorry for myself.

And ultimately, when I am feeling stressed, a bit low, or just not myself, I grab one of my kids, and we dance like rock stars in the kitchen. Or I’ll send my husband a text just to remind him I love him…there are so many things we can do to bring ourselves out of depression, but it’s our choice.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/