Cast away

Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in health

Life is relative. When you’re about to get the 11th cast off that you’ve ever had, there’s no sweeter sound than the buzz of the orthopedist’s little round saw.

My son got his cast off today, and graduated to a brace. He’s still on crutches, but he took a big step on the Road to Normal today.

We’re all happy for him.

We pass by the Huntington Memorial Hospital ER every time we visit his orthopedist. I hope it’s a long, long time before I go back there again. But given our history, never say never.

Did my ancestor need to apologize to the Indians?

Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in history, religion

If my kids were to construct a physical family tree to reflect what we know of their ancestors, it would be incredibly lopsided. My husband can barely trace his ancestors back to his great grandparents, whereas I can trace at least one branch of my family tree back to the late 1500’s. One of my more famous ancestors was Everardus Bogardus, who was the second minister of the Reformed Dutch Church in New Amsterdam, which we now know as New York.

So it was with great interest that I read that Rev. Robert Chase from Collegiate Church, which is the current incarnation of the Reformed Dutch Church, Indians for the church’s role in their massacre and displacement. (see the to the right)

“We consumed your resources, dehumanized your people and disregarded your culture, along with your dreams, hopes and great love for this land,” the Rev. Robert Chase told descendants from both sides. “With pain, we the Collegiate Church, remember our part in these events.”

As a center of the new colony, it’s not surprising that the church would have played a role in persecuting the Indians. Still, it was disappointing to envision an ancestor of mine playing such a big role in it. Fortunately, I found an article about Everardus Bogardus that says that he actually was kind to the Indians.

Before arriving in New Amsterdam in 1633, The Dutch minister had served as a ‘ziekentrooster’ (comforter of the sick) on the Guinea coast. While there, he developed a concern for the spiritual condition of Africans that carried over into his dealings with New Amsterdam’s West Africans. In 1636, Bogardus pleaded for a schoolmaster to be sent from Holland. As New Amsterdam’s minister, he routinely married African men and women and baptized their children, and made a great effort to welcome Africans into New Amsterdam’s Reformed Protestant Church.

…

Everardus Bogardus was a controversial figure in more than one way. He was at odds with one of the settlement’s first leaders, Willem Kieft. Bogardus denounced Kieft from his pulpit due to Kieft’s decisions to initiate wars with the local Indians.

I wish I could meet my ancestors. It’d be amazing to see firsthand what their lives were like and why they made the decisions they did.

I found a website dedicated to tracing descendancy to Everardus Bogardus and his wife Anneke. It says there are probably a million people who can claim them as ancestors. I wonder if this is true. If so, it shows that many of us are more related than we ever imagined. The website also puts to rest rumors that Anneke was descended from King William the Silent in Holland. I always wondered how I could descend from someone who was silent. Instead, it turns out she was born in Norway. That adds yet another country to my list of Northern European countries I descend from, so that’s cool.

My new role model: Leigh Ann Tuohy

Posted on 28. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, movies, parenting

I was slightly hesitant to see “The Blind Side” movie with my family. I felt like I already knew the story after having read the 2006 Michael Lewis article, “The Ballad of Big Mike,” in the NY Times Magazine years ago and seeing numerous previews for the movie.

I’m so glad I went. I only knew the framework of the story, but the beauty of it was in the details.

The framework is this: a rich family takes in a homeless African-American teen who has been given the chance to play football at their children’s private school if he gets his grades up. They help him get his act together, and he becomes a football success in high school and college, and has now moved on to the NFL.

I knew that much of the story was driven by the strong, determined mother in the family that takes him in, but I had no idea what a role model she was. Leigh Ann Tuohy’s two dominant characteristics are ones I strive to have: she cares deeply about others, and she’s true to herself. She takes in Michael Oher because she wants to give him a chance to have a decent life after all the struggles he’s had, and she does it despite the racist remarks of some of her fellow Southerners. I also admire her confidence and outspokenness. It takes a special personality to get away with stopping a high school football practice by marching out onto the field and telling the players what to do. I’m too polite, and would never do that. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, actually, but I’m impressed that she knew when it was the right thing to do and succeeded because she already had the respect of the coaches and players and said exactly what needed to be said. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Ann Tuohy beautifully, and showed that despite all her strength, she was also a sensitive person who would retreat to a bedroom or the car when she had to cry.

Of course, I also deeply admire Michael Oher, who survived his difficult childhood by “closing his eyes” when pain and evil swirled around him. Leigh Ann describes him lovingly as “Ferdinand the Bull,” and she’s right. His big body may scare some, but he’s got a big, soft heart within.

It’s too bad that smaller kids in his old neighborhood don’t get the same chance that he did.

The antidote to “Black Friday”

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in non-profits, religion, shopping

I’m burning out on rampant consumerism, and am trying to be more careful about how I spend my money in a tight economy. I found no reason to drag myself out of bed early this morning to join the throngs of people hitting the stores early to take advantage of the latest bargains.

Instead, here’s what I’m excited about: the LCPC Christmas Market. I’ve been helping my church, La Canada Presbyterian Church, with its alternative Christmas market for several years. You’re probably familiar with the concept: instead of buying a physical gift for a relative, teacher, client, etc., you buy something such as a goat, school supplies, tuition, etc. for someone who really needs it in your friend’s honor.

For the past few years, I’ve created a long online list of all the items available, with a PayPal button for each. It wasn’t very elegant, since you’d have to hit “back” every time you added something to your cart if you wanted to purchase something else. But none of the ecommerce packages I’d ever used – Yahoo Stores, GoEMerchant, Volusion, Miva Merchant – were cost and time-effective enough to bother with. This year I finally found the solution I’ve been looking for: BigCommerce. I had a blast creating this year’s online Christmas Market with BigCommerce, and am enjoying using it for other clients. After living through the creation and launch of eToys so many years ago, it’s mind-boggling how quickly and effectively I can now launch an online store.

Please visit the LCPC Christmas Market and put this year’s holiday dollars to good use!

3rd Best Thanksgiving Moment

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in my life

Our third best Thanksgiving moment came when my nephew decided he wanted ramen instead of the more traditional turkey dinner. He also chose an Otter Pop instead of pumpkin pie.

The top two moments were when my brother-in-law said a beautiful grace before the meal began and when we all went around the table and said what we’re thankful for. It’s pretty poignant when people are happy to be alive. We were very grateful to be together.

Pledge to keep kids safe: join SafeHomes on Facebook

Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting, social networking

For years, the Community Prevention Council of La Canada Flintridge has been encouraging area parents to take the following pledge:

“I will not allow minors to consume beer, wine, alcohol, or use illegal drugs in my home or on my property. I will not allow parties or gatherings in my home without proper adult supervision.”

Parents who are willing to agree to that have long been asked to join SafeHomes, an online, password-protected database that allows parents to see which other parents have agreed to the pledge, and therefore to know which homes are more likely to host safe parties and events.

This evening, Community Prevention Council chair Will Moffitt created a . People who join the group agree to abide by the pledge. For those of us who visit Facebook daily, it’ll be much easier to access than the password-protected database, and it’ll make it easy to get in touch with fellow group members.

I hope you’ll join. The more people that join, the more valuable a resource this will be.

Lessons aren’t learned after Orinda teen dies

Posted on 23. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting

Did you know that if there’s underage drinking at your house, you’re liable even if you don’t know about it or aren’t home? And that if the kids paid to attend the party, you’re in even more trouble?

Those were some of the points brought up by Will Moffitt at our September PTSA meeting, and those points are driven home in the lead article in today’s LA Times article, “A teen party, a mysterious death — and a town’s unanswered grief,” about a teen boy in Orinda who died after drinking beer at a party he paid to attend at a home where the parents weren’t present. It’s a very sad story, and could easily happen in our fair city. My heart goes out to everyone involved.

Two points in the article particularly struck me. The first was this paragraph:

Giving underage drinkers immunity from prosecution for calling 911 might encourage them to summon help, Klingman said. Many colleges and at least two states, Colorado and New Jersey, provide immunity as a way to prevent alcohol-related deaths.

I LOVE this idea. Kids see all sorts of dangerous things, but are often afraid to tell because they don’t want to get in trouble or be branded as “tattletales.” Take away the disincentives. If something dangerous is happening, they shouldn’t be afraid to seek help.

The second was this statement by the Orinda Chief of Police:

“Apparently someone dying at a party has not affected their partying,” he said. But he added that some teens do go to parties and abstain. The answer may lie in finding out why, he said.

It’s sad that this hasn’t affected teen partying practices. If it had, at least some good would have come of this tragedy, much like it did when Crescenta Valley high school formed its Prom Plus event after one of their students was shot.

I was particularly intrigued by the second part of his statement, where he thinks the answer to changing the partying culture may be found by figuring out why some teens who attend parties choose to abstain. It’s like studying someone with the HIV virus who doesn’t get AIDS: find out what makes them immune to it, and see if you can replicate it in others.

Has anyone ever tried this? Lately? Here?

Best.Beat Cal.Prank. Ever.

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, sports

I blogged about this three years ago, but I thought I’d show it again: a “Beat Cal” banner hung by Stanford in Tours students from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the Fall of 1983. Read more about it here.

I wasn’t one of the brave souls who hung the banner: I merely took the picture. Still, it was very exciting. And surprisingly, no one got arrested.

New website: Hernandez Schaedel & Associates

Posted on 19. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in work

Over 10 years ago, in a fit of eToys IPO-fueled optimism, my husband quit his big law firm job and formed his own law practice, The Hernandez Law Group. He’s worked very hard over the years to grow the practice, and recently decided to take on two partners: Jack Schaedel & Rob Olson. Don and Rob practice primarily intellectual property, healthcare and business litigation, and Jack primarily practices employment litigation. They have five associates who also help them.

The original Hernandez Law Group site was the second site I ever designed. It was fine at the time, but trends change, and I’ve changed the site a few times since then. The new partnership of Hernandez Schaedel & Olson, LLP required a new website, so I used the occasion to completely update the look. It’s convenient when your wife is a website designer.

The best Red Ribbon Week posters

Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in education, life lessons, parenting

One of my goals this year as PTSA President is to make Red Ribbon Week more meaningful. It’s tough to communicate an anti-drug, anti-drinking message to cynical high school kids, especially when so many of them have already experimented with these substances.

Anne Tryba saved the day. She volunteered to be the Red Ribbon Week Chair about a month before it took place, and not only managed to stage an essay contest that garnered nearly 200 entries, but she created the following four posters. These aren’t of the mere “Just say no” variety. I think they’re very effective at shocking kids to take a second look at the consequences of their decisions.

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Take the flood and mudslide warnings seriously

Posted on 15. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in history, local news

It’s not surprising that I missed Thursday night’s rainstorm; according to the Pasadena Star-News, the storm covered only a few blocks, but it dumped between 1″ – 2″ of rain in about 20 minutes sometime after 11 pm.

It served as a mudslide test run and a warning to people who live in the projected path of the post-fire mudslides. Mud flowed over barriers, and one man wound up with 5′ deep of mud in his backyard. A friend of mine who lives at the top of Palm Drive said the ground under her house shook when the water rushed by in the canyon below her house.

Here are some pictures I found online from the Montrose Flood of 1934. The Pickens Fire in Angeles Forest had burned 7,000 acres that fall, and torrential rains caused 20′ tall walls of water and mud to flow down the mountain. It killed over 100 people, and was memorialized in a Woody Guthrie song you can . Back in 1934, there weren’t the concrete basins to channel floods, and there were many more houses between the mountains and the valley. But still, these pictures are very sobering.

Montrose: In this view, the photographer is standing where Mayfield Ave used to be, looking down toward the intersection of Rosemont and Montrose. The flood had spread out at this point, creating a wide moonscape where houses and streets had been the night before.
Photo and caption: Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

Photo and caption: Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

Foothill Blvd. the morning after the huge flash flood of New Years Eve, 1934 was swept clean by the torrent of the night before. Right here, at the intersection of Foothill and Briggs is where Pickens Canyon crossed under the boulevard. Pickens Canyon was one of the main funnels through which poured tons mud and debris down from the San Gabriel Mountains onto the valley floor during that tragedy. It was at this point on the road that witnesses that night reported seeing a 20 foot high wall of water, rocks and mud blast across Foothill Blvd.
Photo and caption: Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

Shortly after Midnight on New Years Day of 1934, a sudden cloudburst in the San Gabriels sent a wall of water, mud and rocks crashing down Pickens Canyon. When it reached the American Legion Hall at Fairway and Rosemont, it punched through the back wall and filled the building, killing 12 local residents that had taken refuge there from the deluge. Here the Legion Hall, at what had been the intersection of Rosemont and Fairway, can be seen after the disaster, seemingly intact. In reality a portion of the back wall is gone and the interior is filled with debris. Rosemont has become a rockstrewn gully. Dirt stains on the walls of the building attest to the height of the mud flow.
Photo and caption: Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

The combination of late summer hillside fires, followed by a rainy winter has historically doomed foothill communities to mudslides. In 1933, November wildfires in the San Gabriels, chased up with a couple of weeks of heavy rain in late December, and topped off with a cloudburst on New Years Eve, caused massive mudslides in CV just after midnight. Scores of people died and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed. This is the view on New Years Day 1934 looking up Verdugo Road from Glencoe Way, looking toward Ocean View. A couple of feet of mud has obliterated the roadway, burying the car in the foreground past its axles. The line of telephone poles marks the center median of Verdugo Road.
Photo and caption: Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

“Precious” lessons

Posted on 14. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in movies

I wish that the movie “Precious” wasn’t based on a book (“Push” by Sapphire) that was based on real-life people. It would be so much more palatable if the story could be dismissed as total fiction, because as Wikipedia describes it,

In 1987, obese, illiterate 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) lives in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem with her dysfunctional family; she has been impregnated twice by her father, Carl, and suffers constant physical and mental abuse from her unemployed mother, Mary (Mo’Nique). The family resides in a Section 8 tenement and subsists on welfare. After a visit from her high school principal, Mrs. Lichtenstein (Nealla Gordon), Precious is invited to an alternative school where she hopes that her life can change direction.

I feel so fortunate, not just for the material comfort I enjoy, but even more for the loving relationships I have. Precious’ situation is interwoven with the poverty that she suffers, but her biggest problem is with her parents, who constantly abuse her. Other people root so hard for her, because they care, and they see a spark that could ignite into a more positive future. But whatever Precious does, her mother figuratively and literally kicks her down, and life circumstances pull the rug out from under her.

I’m glad I saw the movie. I grow when I see how others live, and I gain empathy when I understand what they might be going through. I also appreciate what I’ve been blessed with, and want to give my own family and friends an extra-big hug. Now to figure out how to give people like Precious the same hug. It’s an age-old problem, but one we should never give up on.

My new friend, Goldie

Posted on 12. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

If you saw a stray dog with a collar walking up the street, what would you do?

Last week I was meeting with some clients when the doorbell rang. A man was standing at my door with my little dog in his arms. Unbeknownst to me, Ricky (pictured to the right) had dug under the fence and run down the street and into this man’s yard. Thankfully, Ricky’s very friendly and non-threatening, so the man felt comfortable picking him up. Ricky has no idea how dangerous the traffic on our street is, so I’m very grateful to the man for bringing him home.

I had the opportunity to pay the favor forward a few days ago. I was in a different part of town when I saw a medium-sized dog trotting up the street. I parked the car and called the dog over. I figured that if it came to me on its own, it was probably a friendly dog. I was right: she came over and willingly hopped into my car. (see the pictures to the right) When I checked her collar, I found out her name was Goldie and that she lived two blocks away, so I drove her home. No one was there, so I called the number on her tag. The man who answered said that I could find a tether in the backyard, so I retrieved it and used it as a leash to guide her home.

It only took a few extra minutes to help Goldie out, but I still feel good about helping her and her owner. I hope that the next time my dog gets out, someone does the same.

Doesn’t she look happy? I think she was hoping we’d go on more of an adventure.

I love how she has one ear up and one ear down.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ invades our home

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting, politics, videos

Yesterday I braved the line at Gamestop to pick up the copy of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ that I’d reserved for my son. I’m not completely comfortable with this purchase: it’s rated “M” and is completely violent. But the graphics are amazing, and at 16, my son’s not much younger than many of our real-life soldiers. Besides, he has a broken leg and all his friends got the game too, so he’d wind up playing anyway.

Here’s the trailer for Modern Warfare 2 to give you an idea of how amazing this game is. It’s eerily realistic. The most disturbing scenes I’ve witnessed so far involve battles inside the White House and in a leafy suburb called “Arcadia.” It reminds me a lot of “24.”

I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable with this game: The Week has a summary of views that question the timing of the release and a few scenes in the game. After all the hype, it would have been difficult to change the release date, and there probably wouldn’t have ever been a perfect date. As for the airport scene the article mentions, my son says the game warns players that it’s disturbing and gives them a few chances to skip it.

I used to think that violent video games would have more of an effect on a person’s propensity for violence, but I definitely don’t see that happening with my son. I don’t think he’s violent at all, and my biggest concern with him playing this is that he could be doing other more productive things, like reading SAT study guides or classic works of literature.

I wonder if Modern Warfare 2 will encourage anyone to sign up for the military? If so, they might want to take a look at The Onion’s preview of Modern Warfare 3. It portrays a different side of military life, where soldiers repair trucks and fight boredom, depression, and poor cell phone signals, and anxiously await care packages from home.

War stinks for everyone. I’m so grateful for the men and women who have served our country, and dream of a day when they can all come home safely.

What I learned when my son broke his leg

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in health, life lessons, my life, parenting, social networking, sports

It’s been tough to keep up with my goal of daily blog posting lately. Clients, volunteer positions, and a child applying to college have taken a higher priority. As if that wasn’t enough, this past Friday night my son fractured his tibia and dislocated his kneecap in a high school football game. He had surgery the next day, and we spent two nights in the hospital. Since then, I’ve been his personal nurse, helping him move his whole-leg cast when he gets up or down from a sitting or sleeping position, refilling his water bottle, and making him caprese sandwiches.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned this week:

• Every hospital patient needs an advocate. My son entered the emergency room in utter pain, and after 10 minutes of waiting we were told it would be another 20 minutes before a triage nurse would see him. It was only when I whipped out my purse supply of Tylenol and with tears in my eyes asked how much to give him that they finally talked to him. Likewise, after his surgery, the nurses who attended to him were very kind, but needed reminding that 40 minutes before they’d promised more pain medication or help with something important. I’m glad I was there for him.
• Keep your situation in perspective. I felt and feel awful for my son, but his situation could be far worse. I said lots of prayers for people in the hospital that were in worse shape than my son.
• You can’t wash your hands too much. I treated every surface in that hospital as if it was coated with the plague. Time will tell if I was successful in avoiding illness, but I’m glad I was careful.
• Hospital food can be good. The food at our hospital cafeteria was excellent and cheap. I should eat lunch there with friends. Except for my previous point about hospital germs.
• When you need to go rescue your child who’s broken a bone, if possible, take an extra two minutes and bring: magazines, water bottles, a phone charger, a jacket, and socks. You’ll be so glad you did when you’re at the hospital overnight or for hours on end. (This was my son’s 4th bone break, so I learned this awhile ago.)
• Guard your time at the hospital and afterwards. It was good that everyone didn’t visit the hospital, since each visit was both exhilarating and tiring, and at one point I told some people that instead of talking on the phone and bothering my son, that it would be better to text. I also made sure to turn both our phones off at night.
• You never know when your child will play his last game. I didn’t attend Friday night’s game; my daughter had come home sick that afternoon, so I chose to stay home with her. My husband and I actually looked at each other and said, “There’s no way he’ll get hurt, right? He’s the kicker.” Hahaha. In retrospect, it’s just as well I wasn’t there, as it would have been torture to watch him lie on the field for so long with no power to do anything. But after 12 years of organized sports, this may wind up being the last game he plays in until he plays intramurals in college.
• Aerobeds are amazing. I’m sleeping on one next to my son’s bed in case he needs to get up in the middle of the night or needs more pain medication. I’m sleeping like a log on that thing. Note: this is just true for the actual Aerobed brand. I haven’t been so happy with other air mattresses.
• I can mention this one since my son won’t read this: if your child is asleep next to you and it’s dark and you’re bored, copy cell phone numbers of their closest friends onto your cell phone. You never know when you’ll need them.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I posted on Facebook that I was looking for a bed tray my son could use to eat his meals and do homework, two showed up on my doorstep the next morning. Ditto for needing some concrete blocks to keep the dog in. One of my Facebook friends was going to the hardware store anyway, so she saved me a trip that would take me away from my son. And the food people have brought us has saved many nights of frozen pizza. And my son appreciates the cards and gifts people have brought.
• I live in a great community. People care, and back it up with action. I’m very, very, very fortunate to live here and have such wonderful friends.  :)