ALUM-KNIGHT MADNESS

Every few months or so, I get an alumni newsletter called the Alum-Knight from my high school. It is your typical alumni newsletter with updates on students and their lives and news about faculty and upcoming reunions. It is something that I read religiously and yet abhor at the same time. I would never want something about myself noted as I like to think that by staying incognito, my fellow classmates are left to conjure up the mysterious adventure that is my life. Imagine my surprise when two issues ago, I saw that the news of my engagement was there in print for all alumni to read - and then to notice that they had spelled Adrian's last name wrong. To say I was fuming is an understatement. If you're going to write about me without my permission, AT LEAST spell my fiance's name right. My mom even confronted the lady who edits the newsletter to figure out where she had gotten the information (we finally figured out that she had taken the information from the engagement notice that was printed in my hometown newspaper) - and she even had the audacity to suggest that Adrian's last name had been misspelled in the newspaper (it wasn't). Needless to say, I got over it and decided to email the editor lady myself with our wedding notice. I figured that this way I would make sure she got all the information correct and since she'd already blown my cover, I had nothing to lose. Imagine my surprise (again!) when I got an email from the lady today saying that "somehow she had forgotten to put my wedding notice in the current issue" and that it would go in the July issue. Are you kidding me? This lady is not impressing me. I should have stayed undercover - oh wait, I still am...until July. Yeah, we'll see.

J.A.

I have a new man in my life. His name is J.A. (or, at least, that will be what I call him here in Blogger land). J.A. is my Project READ tutoree. I just met him and I spent the last hour and a half talking with him and getting to know him better. He is an amazing man - he's a husband, a father, an employee, an avid outdoorsman, and now he's a student. Something he probably thought he was long past. He wants to improve his English and reading skills so that he can have more opportunities within his chosen field. He says that he doesn't read at home because when he's not working, he's at home putting an addition on his house - all by himself. He took up skiing because his two daughters were getting to the point where they could leave the bunny hill and he wanted to be able to see them at all times. He didn't take lessons. He says he watched the instructor and went from there. He isn't afraid of challenges and he isn't afraid to ask for help. When I told him that as part of our time together, I wanted to read to him, he said that he'd love to learn more about science and American history. We're going to work on his reading comprehension - he thinks he has a bad memory. He's going to help me with my Spanish. I'm going to help him work on wearing sunscreen on a daily basis. We're going to teach and we're going to learn. Why don't we do this more often? Turn off the iPods and get to know a fellow human being. It's such a powerful experience, and I'm glad mine is beginning. I hope to have wonderful stories of J.A. in the future. Wish us both luck.

MAKE SOME NOISE

Last night, I attended my first NBA game - Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs. Our seats were five rows up from courtside, which was awesome even in a small arena like Oakland's. I loved everything about the whole experience. The vibe in the place, with the Warriors on their winning streak, was untouchable. People on their feet, awesome dunks, better-than-average basketball skills, fun time-out entertainment (and no, I'm not talking about the cheesy Warrior girls). What a game to attend - it went into double overtime and was quite the nail-biter. Unfortunately, the Warriors lost by two points, but I didn't care. I still had too much fun! (Note: I filled in Adrian on the love life of the Spurs' Tony Parker - he dates Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives)...and not five minutes later, there she was on the Jumbotron, sitting at the game with us.)

ITS/IT'S

On Sunday, Adrian and I were wandering around West Portal, a San Francisco neighborhood that prides itself on being a bit posh, a bit eclectic, and we eventually entered a small store. I'm not sure what type of store it was - it was a mishmash of feminine trinkets, cards, and toiletries. It was a store trying very hard to be cool and fashionable. I was near the back when I saw a small sign on a shelf that stated, "Your being monitored by security cameras." And I thought - if your security is as good as your spelling, then I'm sure I would have no problem slipping this bar of soap into my pocket.