“Wubie crushed my wand — no magic show for him!”
— Lucy’s response after she waved her ‘magic wand’ (stick with a ribbon) in front of Wubie one too many times (he destroyed it).

We went to the SJ Obon with friends recently and had loads of fun, especially Lucy…she got to dance in her first Bon Odori.

Lucy went to her first Obon fest way back in 2008, when she was still a baby. Grandmommy had suggested we go, she had cut out a clipping from the newspaper for us, and urged us to go that very day (it was a Sunday and we had been visiting her in the hospital). We went and had a lovely time. Shortly thereafter Grandmommy got out of the hospital, so we all went together to the Palo Alto Obon fest. That was about a month before she passed away in September, and it was our last big outing together.

The Obon festival is held to remember ancestors and loved ones who are gone…so it seems appropriate that we keep going in memory of Grandmommy. (Posts from last year’s visits here and here.) If she were still here, she would surely be dancing with us!

“Nice hairdo, Daddy!”
— Lucy smiling (after I’d made an effort to look less unkempt). When I asked if she was making fun of me, she said without hesitation: “Yes!”

Last weekend we met some good friends at the San Jose Obon Festival.

Lucy’s been to a few Obons in her time (she’s 3 and a half, ya know) so she’s an old pro now. (She even has her own yukata.)

In addition to seeing the sites, playing games, having her parents chase her to and fro, and chowing down, Lucy participated in her first Bon Odori dance. She was very excited about it.

The San Jose Bon Odori was huge, with hundreds of people. Lucy had a blast attempting to duplicate the movements of all the dancers. I think she did an admirable job, though her concentration may have wavered a bit in parts.

Pics:

The kid will be busting her yukata out again this weekend for another festival. Actually, I think she also has a birthday party to attend, so her dance card will be full for the next couple of days. I’ll make sure to bring along my trusty camcorder.

Video:

SJ Obon Festival from Mike C on Vimeo.

“Let’s do it again, she said.”
— Lucy acting as her own narrator

Birthday Party from Mike C on Vimeo.

Last month we brought Lucy to a really fun birthday party. There were lots of kids, a bouncy house, balloons, toys, a piñata, and cupcakes. Needless to say, the whole experience got a hearty thumbs up from the kid. This is a video from the party.

Year 4 (Part 1) from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s the latest episode of our “Life with Lucy” series, where I post a video collage of pics and video snippets from the last six months. (A picture collage can be found here.) Previous “Life with Lucy” installments:

1. Year One: 2007 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
2. Year Two: 2008 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
3. Year Three: 2009 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)

All pics and short videos used in this collage were taken between January 1 and June 30, 2010. Noteworthy happenings from the last half year:

• January: Lucy’s third birthday
• February: Valentine’s Day, My big garage clean-up project
• March: Grass Valley visit in the snow
• April: Meeting BJ Penn, Easter
• May: Lucy’s first ballet, last Lost episode
• June: Father’s Day, Michelle’s wedding, a new nephew

Music used:

• “Maggie May” from Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart
• “Life’s Lonesome Road” from A-Town Blues by Wayne Hancock
• “Let’s Stay Together” from Let’s Stay Together by Al Green

I remember playing Pac-Man all the time with two friends, Kevin and John, way back when. I still even recall the day Kevin visited me flush with excitement because he’d actually witnessed a player who knew the correct patterns needed to advance far beyond the Pac-Man levels that had continually stumped us.

Kevin had actually drawn “maps” with the correct patterns for each stage while watching the Pac-Man guru (is that dedication or what?) We were stoked when we tried using the maps during our next Pac-Man session and realized they actually worked (though it was still quite challenging—any small miscue or hesitation during gameplay and the whole pattern was useless.)

The game’s supposed to remain on Google through the weekend. However, even when it’s gone you’ll still be able to play it by just grabbing the game from Google Gadgets. If that’s too much of a hassle, you can play Pac-Man right here!:

Pretty cool, eh? I just wish I could remember Kevin’s maps. But hey, at least there’s no need to scrounge up any quarters!

I met some friends for lunch and a movie yesterday. I enjoyed the movie, “Kick-Ass”, which featured Nic Cage doing an awesome channeling of Adam West.  Anyway, since we were meeting at the theater and I’d been trying to fit more exercise into my daily activities, I elected to walk to the theater, a distance of about four miles, and take some pics along the way.

In the above pics you’ll see a cat (though he’s pretty well hidden), geese, sheep, railroad tracks, trees, the park, etc.. I’ve kept them in chronological order, in the order in which I encountered them on my walk to the theater. (I bummed a ride back home after the movie.)

It was a really fun walk, topped off by a good movie and great time with some dear friends.

Year 3 (Part 1) from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s the latest installment of our “Year X” series, where I try to post a collage/video based on a specific six months of time. The previous installments:

1. Year One: 2007 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
2. Year Two: 2008 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)

The pictures and short videos used in this nine minute epic were taken from January through June, 2009. Notable events:

• Jan: Our trip to Hawaii, Lucy turning two
• Feb: Visiting family in SF
• Mar: Planting a tree for Lucy’s Gma Susan
• Apr: Visiting Gpa Tom and Gma Karen, Easter at Gma Vita’s
• May: Painting, planting flowers with Auntie Laura
• Jun: Lucy’s garden, getting-together with good friends

Music used:

• “Beautiful Day” from All That You Can’t Leave Behind by U2
• “You Say You Don’t Love Me” from A Different Kind of Tension by the Buzzcocks
• “Hello, Goodbye” from Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles

Baseball Game from Mike C on Vimeo.

I went to a MLB game last night, my first Giants game since the early 90’s. It was neat to finally see Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T park. Jill and I used to go to games in the days of Will Clark, Robby Thompson and Brett Butler, players long since retired, so it was good to get caught up a bit.

My friend Keith came up w/ the great (and free) tickets (thanks, Keith!) He’s been a regular attendee for years, so he got a chuckle at some of my clueless comments:

“They show instant replays on the scoreboard? Cool!”

“You don’t have to make a constant, conscious effort to make sure your hat doesn’t get blown off your head and out of the stadium? (I lost a favorite cap at Candlestick by forgetting this once) Cool!”

“The relief guys warm up right there on the sidelines? Cool!”

“They come to your seat and take food orders? Really Cool!” (Now, that’s what I call progress!)

Despite the Giants basically rolling over and playing dead the entire night, I had a good time. The place had a great atmosphere and was much more family-friendly than I remembered—even with all the Dodger blue in the crowd.

Music:

• “Summer Song” from The Extremist by Joe Satriani

I found a neat tool online, The Squirrelizer, that lets users make their own Squirrel Crasher pics. Check it out if you find yourself thinking your photographs need that little something extra.

A Birthday Party from Mike C on Vimeo.

Gpa Tom came to visit yesterday. We then all went to a birthday party for some friends in Morgan Hill. It was their son’s very first birthday, a very notable occasion.

Lucy was very excited, especially when she saw the park, grass, balloons, and all the people. She even got a lady bug (her favorite kind!) painted on her arm. The bug looked great (until Lucy rubbed her eye, smearing her ladybug and making herself look like an extra from A Clockwork Orange in the same motion).

Camera Used: Creative Vado HD. Soundtrack:

• “Corrine Corrina’” from Country Music’s Two Guitar Greats and “Free Little Bird” from Country Guitar Thunder by Merle Travis and Joe Maphis