Friday Feb 5 2016

Simona and the boys are fine.
Simona called me early this morning telling me she will be busy all the day.

Lapo going cheerfully going to school while Chicco will come back from Philly late tonight.

Yesterday evening I went to the house of Hope with Miss Amanda. Over there every body was really friendly and happy to see me.
I snapped a picture of Hope the parrot. He is a very nice bird. He is kept in the office of Mr. Dr. Kilby Sir.

I worked a bit over there copying an invitation to a marriage. It was done using the latest Microsoft Words Version, A feature packed version of the latest release, I believe it is MS 10.

Afterward it was time for me to go back to the apartment.

Over there I cooked turkey cutlet rolled on bread crumbs.

First of all I seared it using a non sticking pan

Afterward I put it in the oven and cooked for 40 minutes.

I cut in it the cooked zucchini I had available. 

I do not like to waste food and whenever I can I am using all I can.

I then made a healthy salad: arugula, tomatoes, avocado, carrot and nuts.

Simple dressing: Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar.

I was cooking and wanted to write to my family.  Also I prepared an accurate grocery list. 

I did not go to my Zumba gym. Instead I remained busy with all these activity at home (THP: Therapeutic Home Program)

I sent a letter to my mom in Italy, written in Italian

I also sent a letter to my wife and kids in La Canada, written in English and block letter.

With Simona we had a moment of laugh. I was telling her I started writing to my kids about Simona going away for a few days. Then half way trough it I realized she had gone nowhere yet rather it was Chicco who went with the school to Philadelphia.

She kidded with me thinking about how Lapo would have felt knowing she had left for a while.

A good thought is the Serenity Prayer: Focus on the things you can change .. this is a better version on the Serenity Prayer.

I have been sent this picture of my high school class in Verona at the Liceo Scientifico Messedaglia

The reunion is for  class of Quinta B.  I recognize a few people  of the picture below: Anna next to Elisa. Giulia my good friend Enzo standing on the left next to the light. 

Cristian sat down next to Enzo. Costanza is on the back. Hard to believe it has been 30 years ago..

I did my usual walk in the park this morning. I enjoying taking an HDR picture of the peaceful park.

A great relaxing view. As usual the green color is really relaxing to watch. It is captured really well by the phone's camera. 

The green color is sampled twice in an imager with standard Bayer color filter.

In imaging the green is a key element on any picture.

Near the Swain Center at the apartment I snapped this picture of  a violet flower.

The flowers are ready. Good job to everybody.

Enjoy the reading

Sincerely

Giuseppe

Thursday Feb 4 Thank you Miss Amanda

I prepared a good chicken Salad yesterday.
I used the chicken drum stick I cooked the other day, Mix it with Avocado, carrots and other healthy veggy. The chicken broth  made some wonderful gelatin.

While I was cooking I prepared a letter  for the boys, added a card that my mom sent me based on a drawing of mine. I sent it all to where I have been living until several years ago in La Canada.

I addressed to Simona the current head of the household.

Finally I went to the gym. I did cycle with Cassie at my right hand side. Extending my legs fully.

Finally I had body pump with Sylvia, a lot of rep and light weight so that to protect my body against further injuries.

At 7pm it was time for me to leave and I was ready to go.
Alex made sure  I was catching on time the van.

Today is a very nice and cold day in Bakersfield

I completed my money management program ($75 for grocery and $24 for outing)

I called Lapo at home and he was all cheerful.

Simona is as always busy with many meeting at Caltech.

Enjoy your day.

Thank you Miss Amanda for assuming the responsibility of  caring for me.

Sincerely

Giuseppe

acceptance and the household head

It is cold yet nice. I had lunch outside as I can not resolve myself to be confined "inside"

I like eating by myself outside even if it is cold right now.

I  do not like the cacophony of this place during anytime nor the  view of  the patients.. each one having his own quirky characteristic and features

So I had lunch outside.

Anyway the head is Simona my wife.
She is the at the head of our household since my injury.

I have been out for several years, in hospitals and many difference rehabilitation places.

Simona had to step up to the plate and to do what had to be done in order to keep things in order.

Originally she also took a leave from Caltech due to the combined load of my injury and our youngest son Lapo being a few months old.

She stayed out of work for a few months until things got better for me then she had to go back.

Right now Simona's shoulders are bearing the biggest loads of our household in beautiful La Canada.
I remember that we original got into a nice house. The house was undergoing remodeling when I got injured naturally nobody's fault just chance.

Simona took the original blue print, got into a reasonable readjustment and got the job completed.

A few things got in between now and then. For instance the roof had to be redone  has that winter had significant rain pouring down.  She had to make it done correctly.. unexpectedly nevertheless she decided to get it done.

If you scroll the bar below you find the Pomander Place mark.

This is the city front shield. 

Simona is always saying that she comes always last after taking care of our kids and of the house duties.


Simona does not have much time to sleep, quite often she works late into the night or she wakes up early in the wee hours of the morning.

She is giving all she has for our household.

As she told me many times, she has accepted the fact that this is the way things for the time being have to be. It has already been a long road for her and for our family.

Nevertheless our kids are enjoying a regular life though.

Chicco is the eldest is 10 years old. Lapo is our youngest and he is 6.5 years.

Chicco is right now in Philadelphia on a school trip.

In Philadelphia the class will be visiting many historical places.

This is an image of the Independence Hall (where the declaration of Independence was  debated and adopted)

A picture  of the Liberty Bell is shown below.

There is also a very interesting museum called the Franklin Institute.

It is an interactive museum for kids.

I remember I read a very interesting book regarding Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

Benjamin was a founding father and a prolific inventor.

Franklin  also pushed the country toward modernization and adoption of many front running technologies he saw while ambassador for the US in France.

I am happy and want to stay out of my normal life for many years to come.

I will never be able to go back to my normal life.. between the normal environment I once cherished 

It is all a blemish memory, all part of an old time that is forgotten and gone forever.

Right now I have been ... to house confinement.

All I have done all I make wasted for nothing.. enjoy the reading..

great having managed to come thus far indeed..

A bit "au de la" would have been best perhaps..

At least to check out whether there is anything beyond...

Sarcastically  yours 

Enjoy your life if you can

Sincerely

Giuseppe Rossi 

Wednesday Feb 3 2015

Yesterday I received new razor heads  that Simona my wife sent me.

I changed it and added a stickers to the razor's base to mark when the heads got changed. It will last  about six month, this is written on the case.

At the apartment I cooked myself a great meal.

Chicken drum stick on  a bed of mixed veggy. First of all I diced carrots, celery, potatoes and onions.

Second I seared the chicken drumsticks on a non sticking pan.

In fact searing the meat keeps the moisture inside.

Finally It was ready to be insert in the oven which had been preheated at 350F.

Lapo was at home last night doing his homework as Chicco our eldest is with the school in Philadelphia.

I took a sephie with my white apron and sent it to the ones who cares about me.

While I was cooking I wrote to my kids and my wife.

It is OK

The usual activities: it is called THP (Therapeutic Home Program) 

It helps controlling and recovering my small movements for my hands.

I booked outing for Personal shopping. Yesterday it was the outing for Target.

At 5:45pm I collected the available  money (about $80) 

At 6:30pm it was the time for loading on the way to Target.

I spent $61.61 stuck to my list, got everything I needed to be well groomed. 

Because Simona took care of the razor heads I  did not buy  it. 

I made sure the change I had was correct down to the last penny.

Yes balancing a budget requires to be able to pay attention to the last cents.

When you do not have a credit card you have to pay attention to the change.

Personal Shopping is a necessary activity of life. Yet I do not like it at all. One way or another it manages to be an unpleasant experience for me.

In particular yesterday experience was very very unpleasant.

It was first of all late. Then we had to wait for everybody else to be done.

For  instance once inside the Target Store Mona stated she was taking as much time as she wanted.

We had to wait for her of course.

Second of all while there  GD had the chance of filling up on Coke drinking.. and more relevant on insulting me with his usual bad Spanish words.. the usual insult JD can came come up with. 

In my personal experience it is very predictable and very unpleasant.

And of course after the very unpleasant and distasteful  experience I duly  filed the following  complaint with CNS.

Farther  paaper work to document to the upper CNS management, Let it me Laree, Vanessa, Cristina or anyone of the upper management.

Standard procedure of course... nothing new 

This papers  is triggering a modification in behaviour and in procedure hopefully.

At time indeed it is making its effect.

Today it is a cold and nice day indeed. Look at the beautiful picture of the park below. The juxtaposition of the blue/white sky with the green grass. 

I also had the first part of my money management done today. It is the day for receipt of grocery shopping and outing. The former is a bit higher than expected  being at $86.45  while the latter is right on spot at $24.00. Regarding the outing I only spend movie outing,  a snack at the movie while 

 The  remaining money ($5.45) I gave it in charity at St. Philips the Apostle church so that I always balance the outing money. 

These are my simple and regular outing expenses.

Enjoy the reading.

Sincerely

Giuseppe

Tuesday Feb 2 2016

I started distributing the S. Valentine cards my mom sent me from Italy.

I made the drawing, took a picture then sent it to her. She did her magic and sent me back these cards,

I gave a card to Miss Amanda today, another one is on  Miss Jolanta's desk. She is my Case Manager.
I will keep a card for Simona.

My mom says she is doing well in Verona. She keeps a simple and regular living over there. A few trusted friends,  conferences, museums  and a lot of similar art activity she enjoys a lot.

She is doing well.  a When my brother Francesco is in town she spend time with him and his wife.

My brother is often on travel visiting customers. This is is job.

Chicco did left on a school trip to Philadelphia. His trip is going well. Simona mentioned that the president of her school sent an SMS updating the parents about the trip.

Yesterday's activities of mine are as following.

I cooked zucchini in the oven.

Lapo was fine and was going to Taekwondo by himself as Chicco is out-of-town.

Yesterday evening I went to the gym.

I had Yoga with Lilli. "Think good thought and be kind to each other"

Afterward I had cycle with Lolita. It is a stationary bike that mimic the experience of using a real life bike. The instructor's is making sure to plan a route along which the resistance of the bike is changed.

It is a good cardio for me. I adjusted my seat so that I could extended fully my legs.

At 7pm I was ready to go. I stretched my calves, my quad and my front legs.

I greeted thee gym personnel, kidded a lot with Andrew. He drives a big yellow street bike.

And finally I was ready to go.

After the gym I was feeling energized. Lisa came to pick me up.

I went back to the apartment, the usual shut down procedure: shower, evening meds and a banana for the potassium to replenish mu body.

While at the gym Cassie approached me and greeted me as " Hi Joseph" 

I appreciate her kind gesture.

When I called home Lapo was about to go to bed and he was having some  couph. Simona mentioned it is nothing major. 

My good breakfast today is the following: I resumed eating Oatmeal.

The view of the park today is astounding. Look at the sky and the white clouds.

The green of the lawn is really creating a peaceful view 

At the center I read the whole newspaper, then had a quick Meditation session.

Finally I had lunch. A healthy and simple vegetable soup, a separate container for Orzo pasta.

Broccoli flowers and Kiwi.

A healthy lunch.

I talked to my mom in Italy. They get have been celebrating the  Carnival. In two days in Italy is Fat Tuesday. My mom mentioned she already had some Carnival sweet pastry known as Crostoli

Monday Feb 1 post lunch

I had a good light lunch, vegetable broth with Orzo and a pear.

It is all good.
Simona called me letting me know that Chicco has left this morning.

She took  Chicco at school very early and from there he went with his class to the airport.

She obviously brought Lapo with her as well.

 Once they were back she got  a hot chocolate for the both of them and took Lapo to Elementary  School.

She then proceeded to go to Caltech.

She is fine and very glad to be as strong as ever.

After lunch I did some the stretch for my eyes that Tami recommended me to do.
Following a pen around the four corners in a  diamond fashion.

Trying to keep my head steady following my OT exercise.


My injury affected my motor control in the fact that my cerebellum got off its normal functionality.


This picture is from the web at the following link.

The  cerebellum contains about 50% of the neurons in the brain and it account for about 10% of its volume,

It modifies the brain waves that are initiated on the brain and helps making all the motion more accurate and smooth.

The cerebellum helps controlling the balance and making adjustment to maintain the correct posture.

Patients that suffered cerebellum damage have problem controlling their equilibrium and often devise strategies to modify their posture.

This is the reason why in the past I had back pain. At time my back is soar and suffers from pain.

I now understand that it is due to my posture.

I  found that sleeping without a pillow makes my back feeling better. I keep my back straight and carry only light weight on my back pack. I am using it on both shoulders. It is fine that way.
Enjoy the reading,

Sincerely

Monday Feb 1 2016

The park this morning is beautiful and relaxing. The green of the grass goes well with blue of the sky.

Our roots are strong and are able to endure any kind of weather.

Simona has the strongest roots ever. She is the tallest of all.

Today Chicco left on a school trip and he went to Philadelphia. I will be there for a whole week.

Simona took him to school very early and from there the whole class went to the airport at LAX.

Chicco is well and ready for his  trip to Philly. Historical town: liberty bell, declaration of independence  etc.

Lapo our youngest will  adjust to Chicco's absence. He has his activities set for the week: Taekwondo, Piano, homework, tennis .. he is well organized.

As usual I had a very fulfilling weekend.

Last Sunday I went to church as S. Philips the Apostle.

At Church I met Cassie with her grand ma.

She approached me and greeted me saying " Hi Joseph."

I believe it is a  kind gesture of her.

Over the weekend we had a lot of rain. I used the rain boots Simona sent me.

After church I had a light lunch.
I  took the boot with me to the gym where I changed into my gym shoes.

At the gym I met Andrew and he greeted me warmly.
He is a good friend of Starla. 


At  the gym I did 4 miles on the stair master in 46 minutes.

I took my weight. It is 182.8 lb

The Stair master is the perfect tool for me and for improving my walking abilities.

I remember I used to run a lot before .., And I am determined to get back to it.

Simona's smile follows me everywhere., 

last Saturday morning I  took care of of the apartment cleaning duties.

I washed everything: changed my bedding,  took care of all my sport attire, washed my bathrobe and my towels as well as my apron for cooking.

I am keeping all my clothes and my personal items as cleaning as possible.

went to to grocery shopping at Trader's Joe.

I had a lot of fun as usual. I picked up all healthy food. I focused on my list. 

This time I did not purchase anything but one that was not on my list.

I greeted Jamie and enjoyed my shopping.

I got stickers, recycle bags and  a lot of fun.

I managed to limit my bill at   $86.45 

Again with Jamie say "Deuce".

Jamie is always happy to see me over there. She is happy. We talked about each other families.

We talked about Chicco's school trip to Philly.

I also managed to buy the coffee powder for my cuccuma coffee maker.

I normally take a coffee with my morning breakfast not much.

The flowers below are for Simona my wife. I snapped these picture near the Swain Center.

After Grocery Shopping I went to Jesus's office. He is  my IPC.

Next Tuesday I really needs to go to Personal Shopping tomorrow at 5:45pm

I am going  at Walmart no more than once a month, as I prefer going to the gym instead.

Her is the list I provided to Jesus.

During my day I cooked. I prepared a vegetable broth.  I diced all the veggies in bowls.

I used lentils as well.

I made a healthy vegetable soup. 

While the soup was cooking I spent time writing to my family.. it is called THP Therapeutic Home Program)

As usually in block letter and English as my eldest son Chicco reads English only.

I am typically writing to my family: To Chicco, to our youngest Lapo and to Simona.

Lapo does not reads my letters yet. When he will be a bit older he has a lot to read.

Chicco is 10 while Lapo is 6.5 years old.

Different ages, different interests.

Here is my vegetable broth.

 I cooked separately the Orzo Pasta so that it does not get soggy with the broth.

In the afternoon I went to see a movie I enjoyed a lot.

The move title is "The finest hours" : a story of courage, determination and strength.

As usual I met Inez at my right hand side. She is always happy to see me at the Maya Theater.

At the movie I had dibs and ice tea. No soda nor juice for me, only water or tea.

Here is the poster for the movie" The finest hours"

In the movie the female lead character  strongly believes that Bernie her loved one will do whatever it takes to come back alive to her.. And in fact it is so.

She is as strong as my Wife Simona.

Last Friday I went to the gym and enjoyed my Zumba with Caroline.

She is the lad at my right hand side with the hat. In between me and Caroline you see Zira. 

Next to me is Rachael. Next to Rachael at the left hand side is Salve.

All people of the community that are patiently taking pictures with me.

This is a "deuces picture"