we had some sad news today. our favorite hometown bike shop is closing it's doors. the owner kept it a surprise from everyone, really, until today. so, tomorrow, at 9 am, he is opening the doors to mass chaos and hysteria. everything will be sold at cost. i'm so excited...that if i had to sleep outside on the street, like i did with my friend Julie, in downtown Denver, to get one of the first spots...i would.
you know the drill..the economy. it hits everyone. it's just too bad that it does.
the owner, i know his life will go on. he will be o.k. it's just that running the shop was more expensive than not. he gives freely of his time and knowledge and will continue to do so in the schools and to kids programs.
what a guy.
bye, High Gear....thank you!
i always thought that i'd forget
when you get to be at an age when you've had a few people come and go in your lives, i think that you start to be at a point where you don't "idealize" death. when i was little, i thought i'd remember certain things about someone forever and ever. after time has gone by, and days have passed, you realize...you forget those things.
even with my grandmother, who i was really close to...i only remember a few things. i remember her hugs, holy cow, could that little lady hug. i think if she literally could have shown you how much she loved you through her hugs....she would have. but really, for as much as i was with her, i don't literally remember vividly, a lot of things
i lived with my dog for 17 years. i remember getting him and picking him up for the first time. i remember what his fur was like, but not everything about him, not more than what pictures can show.
but my grandpa, i remember, almost everything. i always said that i would think of so and so every day that i lived...but that was not true...except for my grandpa. he is the one person who i wish i had started my hobby (in my head) of taking pictures of people's hands. he was missing a finger from a farm accident when he was younger. i had never noticed it was gone til i was in my late 20s. i remember what his skin felt like on his arms, i remember his smell, i remember the feel of the hospital bed that i sat on with him holding his hand, talking about what might happen to him...ridiculous now that i think about it...he was 89. i think i made myself remember these things. and now i'm so glad. so so glad.
but most of all, every day that i go to work, i see this, and remember when he climbed it at 80 years old. what a guy
this guy....oh, if you only knew this guy....
Businessman kept Longmont in heart
By Virginia Culver Denver Post Staff Writer
Jimmie Kanemoto never stopped being grateful for the warm way he and other Japanese-Americans were treated in Colorado during World War II.
His response was to give, give, give to the city of Longmont, which was his home for most of his 89 years.
Kanemoto, a vegetable farmer who became a leading businessman in Longmont, died Dec. 5 at Longmont United Hospital.
Colorado was unique in its treatment of more than 7,000 Japanese-Americans who were brought from the West Coast and interned at a relocation camp in southeast Colorado.
Then-Gov. Ralph Carr insisted they be treated with respect - a stand that effectively ended his political career.
Colorado Japanese-Americans weren't interned, but Kanemoto was grateful for Carr's stand, and he always felt well-treated by Longmont residents. Son Ken Kanemoto of Longmont said the family had lived there long enough that they were always accepted.
Jimmie Kanemoto "could not give enough to our community and had a sense of humility that wouldn't stop," said longtime friend Leona Stoecker, a former Longmont mayor.
"Dad just felt so fortunate, and he just wanted to thank the people and the city," Ken Kanemoto said.
He thanked them a lot. He gave hundreds of acres of land, where the city built an elementary school, fire station, school-administration office and greenways. Other land gifts went for a Buddhist temple, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and a park.
In the park, named for the family, stands a five-story pagoda the Kanemotos had constructed. Called the Tower of Compassion, the 60-foot steel, aluminum and cedar tower represents love, empathy, understanding, gratitude and selflessness.
The Rotary, which sponsors the tower, gives annual compassion awards in his name.
Kanemoto was active in scores of organizations, including Rotary, Tri-State Buddhist Church, Governor's Mission to Japan, Japan American Society of Colorado and Longmont Community Hospital.
He was given awards from the cities of Longmont and Boulder, Buddhist Church of America, International Rotary and the Order of the Rising Sun, an award from the emperor of Japan.
Jimmie T. Kanemoto was born in La Salle on May 2, 1917, and moved to Longmont with his family when he was 2.
His father, Goroku Kanemoto, left Japan and was planning to go to Canada but got off the train in Denver, liked it, rented some farmland in the La Salle area and stayed.
Jimmie Kanemoto graduated from Longmont High School. He married Chiyo Miyasaki in 1944. She died in 1999.
He and his brother, George, had a lifetime partnership, first in a vegetable farm south of Longmont and later in Kane Manufacturing Supply Co., which sold irrigation-equipment products that Jimmie Kanemoto patented.
By Virginia Culver Denver Post Staff Writer
Jimmie Kanemoto never stopped being grateful for the warm way he and other Japanese-Americans were treated in Colorado during World War II.
His response was to give, give, give to the city of Longmont, which was his home for most of his 89 years.
Kanemoto, a vegetable farmer who became a leading businessman in Longmont, died Dec. 5 at Longmont United Hospital.
Colorado was unique in its treatment of more than 7,000 Japanese-Americans who were brought from the West Coast and interned at a relocation camp in southeast Colorado.
Then-Gov. Ralph Carr insisted they be treated with respect - a stand that effectively ended his political career.
Colorado Japanese-Americans weren't interned, but Kanemoto was grateful for Carr's stand, and he always felt well-treated by Longmont residents. Son Ken Kanemoto of Longmont said the family had lived there long enough that they were always accepted.
Jimmie Kanemoto "could not give enough to our community and had a sense of humility that wouldn't stop," said longtime friend Leona Stoecker, a former Longmont mayor.
"Dad just felt so fortunate, and he just wanted to thank the people and the city," Ken Kanemoto said.
He thanked them a lot. He gave hundreds of acres of land, where the city built an elementary school, fire station, school-administration office and greenways. Other land gifts went for a Buddhist temple, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and a park.
In the park, named for the family, stands a five-story pagoda the Kanemotos had constructed. Called the Tower of Compassion, the 60-foot steel, aluminum and cedar tower represents love, empathy, understanding, gratitude and selflessness.
The Rotary, which sponsors the tower, gives annual compassion awards in his name.
Kanemoto was active in scores of organizations, including Rotary, Tri-State Buddhist Church, Governor's Mission to Japan, Japan American Society of Colorado and Longmont Community Hospital.
He was given awards from the cities of Longmont and Boulder, Buddhist Church of America, International Rotary and the Order of the Rising Sun, an award from the emperor of Japan.
Jimmie T. Kanemoto was born in La Salle on May 2, 1917, and moved to Longmont with his family when he was 2.
His father, Goroku Kanemoto, left Japan and was planning to go to Canada but got off the train in Denver, liked it, rented some farmland in the La Salle area and stayed.
Jimmie Kanemoto graduated from Longmont High School. He married Chiyo Miyasaki in 1944. She died in 1999.
He and his brother, George, had a lifetime partnership, first in a vegetable farm south of Longmont and later in Kane Manufacturing Supply Co., which sold irrigation-equipment products that Jimmie Kanemoto patented.
crickets and such
i frequent pet shops every other day. no, i don't stalk the black mollies or the conures, but to keep 4 toads fed and now, a frog, well....it takes some work. what i DO love about the pet store is the fact that i get to see this guy
I LOVE this guy. for many reasons, but the most being that when you walk away, he hangs upside down on his cage, spreads his wings, and "jumps" up and down to get your attention again. I love that he grabs food that is hard, puts it in the water to soften it, then skillfully eats it with his claw holding it up to his beak, looking at me the entire time, as if sooner or later, i'll decide that i want some too.
for the love of..........
animals
i love animals. just about every kind. when t is around them, and you can't seem to find him...he is likely on the floor with them. which makes it mind-blowing to people as to why we don't have them, well, except the toads, that is.
in answer to the "why toads?" question. i really don't have an answer, other than, they are supposed to be easy, they aren't supposed to form attachments (they don't care who is feeding them) and they don't take tons of time and effort. to this end, i also say, is that really a pet?
i had always thought, way back when, that t was the reason why i didn't have a dog right now. it was amazingly liberating to realize that i wouldn't have one, even if i was single. seriously. i have had people argue with me and tell me that of course, i have time to have one, i just would need to cut down on the running, biking, etc. i completely disagree. i would be TAKING a dog to do those things (ha ha, vision of a dog on a bike just popped in my head...don't worry, i know my mind is 5 years old).
i leave the house at 6:30am at the latest. i get home, most days, at 6pm. that is absolutely NO WAY for a dog to spend, much less a puppy.
what i did realize though, is that i do not like having animals where there are really no experts on. that you cannot take to a vet if they are not eating, that you think that you are going to come home and find them not living....that is just not fun. i want a pet that there are answers for and that people KNOW about. not one that (gross, i know) eats its skin when it sheds and looks like it is morphing into a gremlin.
don't get me wrong, i love those guys...but i think it's just because that is what we have.
i love animals. just about every kind. when t is around them, and you can't seem to find him...he is likely on the floor with them. which makes it mind-blowing to people as to why we don't have them, well, except the toads, that is.
in answer to the "why toads?" question. i really don't have an answer, other than, they are supposed to be easy, they aren't supposed to form attachments (they don't care who is feeding them) and they don't take tons of time and effort. to this end, i also say, is that really a pet?
i had always thought, way back when, that t was the reason why i didn't have a dog right now. it was amazingly liberating to realize that i wouldn't have one, even if i was single. seriously. i have had people argue with me and tell me that of course, i have time to have one, i just would need to cut down on the running, biking, etc. i completely disagree. i would be TAKING a dog to do those things (ha ha, vision of a dog on a bike just popped in my head...don't worry, i know my mind is 5 years old).
i leave the house at 6:30am at the latest. i get home, most days, at 6pm. that is absolutely NO WAY for a dog to spend, much less a puppy.
what i did realize though, is that i do not like having animals where there are really no experts on. that you cannot take to a vet if they are not eating, that you think that you are going to come home and find them not living....that is just not fun. i want a pet that there are answers for and that people KNOW about. not one that (gross, i know) eats its skin when it sheds and looks like it is morphing into a gremlin.
don't get me wrong, i love those guys...but i think it's just because that is what we have.
"what is it????"
the other day when i was taking pictures of my car and telling t that i was going to post them to the blog, he mentioned a comment in passing that was interesting to me about the nature of blogging. he said, "what is it about blogging that has people so interested? like, why do you like hearing about some person's life that you don't know?"
all i could say, was, "I HAVE NO IDEA, but i LOVE IT!" i love reading about other people...what they do, how they met their mate, what they had for breakfast last tuesday. it doesn't matter how minute the topic...it is all so interesting to me. i did realize, however, that there are very few blogs that i will follow on a daily basis.
i don't know if they have anything in common, i do whittle through...or else i don't think i could hold a full time job.
all i could say, was, "I HAVE NO IDEA, but i LOVE IT!" i love reading about other people...what they do, how they met their mate, what they had for breakfast last tuesday. it doesn't matter how minute the topic...it is all so interesting to me. i did realize, however, that there are very few blogs that i will follow on a daily basis.
i don't know if they have anything in common, i do whittle through...or else i don't think i could hold a full time job.
the sleep cycle...ahhhh
i love a good night's sleep. nothing is better.
i never was really "into" sleep very much. it was a necessary evil, in most cases. i knew that i could do without, and still survive, so i did so....many times.
now, if i am "off", BOY, do i know it. my insides feel all grody and shriveled. i know...nothing like some good exaggeration, but seriously, that is what i feel like. i have been feeling this way for about a couple weeks now and then
today!!!!!! i feel fantastic. ready to go do anything.
oh, there is that pesky back situation. i have now decided that i'm going to go try acupuncture, as well as this machine at the chiropractor's office that is supposed to help it. enough is enough.
i never was really "into" sleep very much. it was a necessary evil, in most cases. i knew that i could do without, and still survive, so i did so....many times.
now, if i am "off", BOY, do i know it. my insides feel all grody and shriveled. i know...nothing like some good exaggeration, but seriously, that is what i feel like. i have been feeling this way for about a couple weeks now and then
today!!!!!! i feel fantastic. ready to go do anything.
oh, there is that pesky back situation. i have now decided that i'm going to go try acupuncture, as well as this machine at the chiropractor's office that is supposed to help it. enough is enough.
The start
the start of our weekend consisted of t:
For some loving
that it very much needed, as you can see. yes, the seats are supposed to be right there but they are not. i bought this car a couple years ago, and the poor thing has been sitting in our garage from that time on. well, except for one time. there was this one time, when t had been working on the car the whole day.
he had gotten everything running, just so. i had kind of kept away from the thing, and one day he said, "you should try driving it." i agreed and we took off, well, kind of. oh, by the way, the car didn't have seats in it
we got to the stop sign at the end of the road and we were just sitting there and MY GOD, the car was making a ruckus. "What the hell is THE MATTER with this car?" i yelled over the loud noises it was making. seriously, did this guy think that he knew how to fix a car? he was like, "I don't know, it wasn't doing that before!"
it was then that i looked down and saw that my feet were on BOTH the gas and the brake. um...yeah.
as if that weren't enough, after we had rounded the block and very CLEARLY established that i (should NEVER drive a stick shift) hadn't driven a stick shift in some time. we were hanging out at a stop sign, once again. but this time, the foot was where it needed to be. hey, i thought, i just might be getting the hang of this again. i took off and the car lunged forward, it was as if it had a mind of it's own, except, oh yeah, i was driving it. i hit my back on the back of the car and lo and behold, if you wouldn't know it....i had the steering wheel in my hand, but somehow, the steering column wasn't attached to it anymore. i had yanked the steering wheel off the car.
this is why, in these instances, when t is getting things ready to work on the car....i am doing this.
heading to the gym
i just can't hide it
i'm so excited....
because this weekend, among other things that i will document, i am making this. i LOVE this blog...cannot read enough of it...because i want to make everything. i am drawing the line, however, and not making The Pioneer Woman's newest pita chip recipe. it looks divine, but i think i may go into a sugar coma if i were to do that.
because this weekend, among other things that i will document, i am making this. i LOVE this blog...cannot read enough of it...because i want to make everything. i am drawing the line, however, and not making The Pioneer Woman's newest pita chip recipe. it looks divine, but i think i may go into a sugar coma if i were to do that.
the fickleness of friendships
i think that we are programmed through birth as to what person we are, and there are things that can change i.e., you can become more outgoing and such, but it doesn't change who you are in the realm of who you are as a friend. for years, my mom tried to get me to have more friends. i remember many times, "oh, you should get to know so and so...they seem so nice" little did she know that i couldn't get to know so and so because so and so was too busy getting wasted and doing half the junior class.
so, throughout time, i was a person, who had 4-5 good friends. all the time. it never waivered too much in any situation, except when i got to college and then i had maybe 8-9 good friends that i hung around with (read: that i played quarters with). but never more than that. and always, in that mix, there were the ones that knew the most about me...and they were typically male.
Males have always been easier for me to be around. i don't do the drama thing so well and whether you do it or not, it is there when you are in high school if you are a girl. i hated the idea that while my boyfriend was confusing and weird, that my friends had to be too.
i found a letter from one of my best friends, that i've kept for years, above any others, because she is since gone. she was placing her moral stances on me and telling me that because of decisions that i had made and decisions that she would have made differently, that really, she realized we were different people than each other thought we were (that made sense in my head when i wrote it). she was right and i was wrong and because of that, we couldn't be friends. i'm assuming that eventually, she got over me being the devil, because we were friends after that time and in fact, when her family moved away, she still came to visit. when she died unexpectedly, it wrecked me.
I had a friend in jr. high that was the best. we did everything together and i recently found a picture of her in my photos that said something to effect of, "you were my light out of darkness". Pretty heavy for a 13 year old, i thought. we did a lot together though, and had a lot of fun. when i got to high school, i have no other explaination other than, i also found a friend that was very needy and i started into choir and cheerleading...all this to say, somehow we fell out of that friendship. i'm sure, it has to do with me, but i am very clear on the fact that i didn't just "ditch" this person. i, however, think that she thinks very differently. i found that her mother is a CFO for a big company in another state and she, is a realtor in that same state. i wrote to say hi and wow, how weird it was that our lives were on the same path...once again. i wrote to both the mom, daughter, friend that is in touch with the mom and daughter. nothing. i have learned a lesson.
now, being an adult. i've learned that i need my friends to be my rocks. i very literally have very few friends that are in state, and even they are busy with little ones and do not have time to have the friendships that we once had. it is so strange to me to get together with them once a year, if that, and to "catch up" in a half hour. things will always come up, and inevidably, your friendship will be pushed aside, because, naturally, in the scheme of things, between spouse, kids, and friends, well....friends seem to end up on the short end of the stick.
i understand why and i understand that there is a pecking order and i also understand that at times, i have done this as well. which is why i think that as we get older, our friendships should be even more treasured in a way. not something to squabble over if this person did things differently than you would have. but more taken as individuals... and individuals living their lives the way that they live them...not how you would.
so, throughout time, i was a person, who had 4-5 good friends. all the time. it never waivered too much in any situation, except when i got to college and then i had maybe 8-9 good friends that i hung around with (read: that i played quarters with). but never more than that. and always, in that mix, there were the ones that knew the most about me...and they were typically male.
Males have always been easier for me to be around. i don't do the drama thing so well and whether you do it or not, it is there when you are in high school if you are a girl. i hated the idea that while my boyfriend was confusing and weird, that my friends had to be too.
i found a letter from one of my best friends, that i've kept for years, above any others, because she is since gone. she was placing her moral stances on me and telling me that because of decisions that i had made and decisions that she would have made differently, that really, she realized we were different people than each other thought we were (that made sense in my head when i wrote it). she was right and i was wrong and because of that, we couldn't be friends. i'm assuming that eventually, she got over me being the devil, because we were friends after that time and in fact, when her family moved away, she still came to visit. when she died unexpectedly, it wrecked me.
I had a friend in jr. high that was the best. we did everything together and i recently found a picture of her in my photos that said something to effect of, "you were my light out of darkness". Pretty heavy for a 13 year old, i thought. we did a lot together though, and had a lot of fun. when i got to high school, i have no other explaination other than, i also found a friend that was very needy and i started into choir and cheerleading...all this to say, somehow we fell out of that friendship. i'm sure, it has to do with me, but i am very clear on the fact that i didn't just "ditch" this person. i, however, think that she thinks very differently. i found that her mother is a CFO for a big company in another state and she, is a realtor in that same state. i wrote to say hi and wow, how weird it was that our lives were on the same path...once again. i wrote to both the mom, daughter, friend that is in touch with the mom and daughter. nothing. i have learned a lesson.
now, being an adult. i've learned that i need my friends to be my rocks. i very literally have very few friends that are in state, and even they are busy with little ones and do not have time to have the friendships that we once had. it is so strange to me to get together with them once a year, if that, and to "catch up" in a half hour. things will always come up, and inevidably, your friendship will be pushed aside, because, naturally, in the scheme of things, between spouse, kids, and friends, well....friends seem to end up on the short end of the stick.
i understand why and i understand that there is a pecking order and i also understand that at times, i have done this as well. which is why i think that as we get older, our friendships should be even more treasured in a way. not something to squabble over if this person did things differently than you would have. but more taken as individuals... and individuals living their lives the way that they live them...not how you would.
how awesome is my husband? let me tell you
i have been wanting a bike. like really badly. it was almost a way to prove something to myself.
i was in a really bad bike accident when i was little. not just like i got a scrape, but i was thrown across traffic into oncoming traffic, had run into my mom, caused her to break her nose, and don't remember anything but realizing that there was something terribly wrong with my bike, then being picked up by a big, gigantic black man and being taken to the hosptial. i have had such guilt about this and such fear since then, that i never got on a bike again.
my ex had me buy a mountain bike, which he then, full on knowing the story, had me descend down some "expert" trails and yelled at me the whole way until i did it.
so, since that time, i got rid of the mountain bike.
i really wanted to start training for triathlons, maybe even do one. we'll see...
but anyway, my wonderful husband, bought me this beautiful specimen of a bike to help me accomplish all of this. i can't tell you how much i love it, or how much i love the fact that he knew i would like the purple on the bike, or how much i would love the white handlebars and seat, and the fact that he thought about things like how long i would have the bike and how good of a bike i would need and what would be best for me. this guy.....i tell ya
laughing my head off
i have just spend the past 10 minutes, laughing at some of these. some of them...a bit much for my taste, but some of them...very good humor
when things are off
there is a person that comes into my life when things are off. i consider him to be my "little reminder" of what should not be. it is strange though. he pops up in my life, not only when there is chaos, but also when things are just a tinge off. you know, everyone has those days...when something is just not quite right.
fortunately for me, unfortunately for him, it seems to be an ever-growing reminder of what was, and each time it happens, it grows more and more clear....how very creepy he is. how i would never, even if single, go back to that. how very arrogant people can be, even though they are spouting how "self-acutalized" they are.
i'm so glad to be where i am, it is always nice to go back and look at your life and say, "wow, i really could have made a bad choice there...but instead...here i am"
fortunately for me, unfortunately for him, it seems to be an ever-growing reminder of what was, and each time it happens, it grows more and more clear....how very creepy he is. how i would never, even if single, go back to that. how very arrogant people can be, even though they are spouting how "self-acutalized" they are.
i'm so glad to be where i am, it is always nice to go back and look at your life and say, "wow, i really could have made a bad choice there...but instead...here i am"
the bake-off
this weekend was going to consist of relaxing. and that was it.
instead, it turned into one where i:
1.worked
2. drove 45 minutes to do said work, and then consequently the 45 minutes home
3. made homemade bagels. they turned out nothing like the pictures looked and instead of tasting like well, bagels... they taste like round bread with a hole in it.
4. made meatballs with mashed potatoes and corn from here. now, i have been reading this blog forever. never made anything from it though. until this weekend. and i will say, that after this weekend, i will be making many, many more things from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. i would post a picture, but after two nights in a row, it is all gone. it looked just like the picture she has on her website too, just so you know. oh, and it was one of those meals where you take a bite and go, "oh my god, this is SO good" and then you take another bite and keep repeating that SAME thing. It was that good
5. baked 7 dozen or so cookies. i made chocolate chip and thumbprint cookies. thumbprint cookies to me, are the epitome of feeling like a kid again. they are good
6. cleaned
7. got the sprinkler system working
8. caught 2 frogs and a toad. we let the toad go, since our biggest one, may have thought he was a snack, but we kept the two frogs.
9. watched Keeping up with the Kardashians where they gave chris a monkey.
instead, it turned into one where i:
1.worked
2. drove 45 minutes to do said work, and then consequently the 45 minutes home
3. made homemade bagels. they turned out nothing like the pictures looked and instead of tasting like well, bagels... they taste like round bread with a hole in it.
4. made meatballs with mashed potatoes and corn from here. now, i have been reading this blog forever. never made anything from it though. until this weekend. and i will say, that after this weekend, i will be making many, many more things from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. i would post a picture, but after two nights in a row, it is all gone. it looked just like the picture she has on her website too, just so you know. oh, and it was one of those meals where you take a bite and go, "oh my god, this is SO good" and then you take another bite and keep repeating that SAME thing. It was that good
5. baked 7 dozen or so cookies. i made chocolate chip and thumbprint cookies. thumbprint cookies to me, are the epitome of feeling like a kid again. they are good
6. cleaned
7. got the sprinkler system working
8. caught 2 frogs and a toad. we let the toad go, since our biggest one, may have thought he was a snack, but we kept the two frogs.
9. watched Keeping up with the Kardashians where they gave chris a monkey.
i'm alive, part 200
why do i get the feeling that a lot of my posts are named this? anyway...i did it. only 13.1 miles, but trust me, i think it felt like 26.2. i would have posted sooner, but i didn't realize that my limbs would be swollen for days afterwards.
if it looks as if i were dying throughout any pictures. i was. i'm o.k. with that.
i'm recovering just fine thank you and have had myself humbled beyond belief because i just found out that on "the biggest loser" tonight, they are running a full marathon.
i don't care. i'm still proud of myself. my herniated disc and i, did fantastic, i thought.
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