April 05, 2015
Happy opening day of baseball everyone! GO CUBS GO!
Sadly, Our beloved Iowa Energy lost last night, and the season ended. It was bring your dog to the game night, Vinny loved it. I got to meet Jed Kaplan, the managing partner of the Energy and a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies during a meet and greet with him and GM Chris Makris. We look forward to a full season next year as season ticket holders and hopefully seeing the Energy back in the playoffs. There was a booth there at the game sponsored by a Filipino-American group. It was nice to talk to them and share experiences. They took a group picture with me... of Course, I demanded, "Isa Pa".
Started working again last week and it feels good to be earning a paycheck. Saw lots of familiar smiling faces. I signed up for the gym and will start working out... or at least using the showers after I use the stairs.
If there is one thing I learned through repetition during my tenure in the Philippines, it was patience. Not everything goes as planned. I was conditioned int he United States for things to go my way. We live in that go go go society. now now now. It is not that was on the islands. Traffic is slow and the pace of life is pedantic. Maybe it's an attitude thing, but I saw very few aftermaths of accidents there. 3 maybe the whole time. I saw 4 or 5 in Des Moines on Friday alone. Drivers in Manila yield. Drivers in the US, like to have road rage at times. Patience is key to survival.
Patience paid off for me twice lately. Recently I got a car that was new to me. We sold our cars before leaving. So, time to buy. My car is a 1998 Honda Accord Ive named Big Pogi. Suzy is leasing a new Fusion. Big Pogi needed some axle work and as part of the condition to buy, tom's Auto agreed to fix. That is appreciated. While leaving with new axles-- I wanted to stop at a Dunkin Donuts for coffee. I sat in the drive thru for 3-4 minutes... felt like 10. No response to take my order. I still wanted coffee-- so I left there and headed to Ankeny to their DD.
I got to the window and ordered a coffee and a Croissant donut. Unfortunately...the manager explained they were out of those... so I ordered a jelly donut... OUT OF THOSE TOO. Oh "Hay naku". I say-- oh that is okay -- and I look for something else. SO he then surprises me with (in a Bosnian accent), "You know what...You have been so nice. I make you fresh donut." And with my coffee was a hot, fresh donut with frosting just oozing. It was glorious. So being patient and smiling through that PAID OFF!
The next day, Suzy sent me on an errand. She needed gift cards from restaurants, I went to Panera and Starbucks and finally Subway. In Subway, they struggled with trying to ring them up... Cue the Keystone cops music or Benny Hill Theme. It was 3 people just trying to get it to work. I just smiled. I had nowhere else to be. It was okay. So after waiting and getting my proper gift cards, the attendant thanked me. I smiled and said, no worries. She then said, "No one is ever this patient, can I get you a cookie?" Wow a cookie! Being patient pays off! She actually gave me a couple fresh cookies for my "troubles".
So, thank you Philippines. Sometimes one just has to take a deep breath. Live life. realize life is short and not worth it... on that note-- a sad request. An acquaintance and facebook friend of mine, Noel Sherod (Noel James), who I have known almost 30 years... has apparently been missing since Thursday. Hopefully sheis found safe. Prayers to her and her famil on this Sunday.
Happy Easter, everyone. Take care of yourselves.
Chuck
