The One About the Phone Curse...

I decided last night to get up at 6am this morning and run the 3 mile distance to work since I start at 730am. Spring has finally arrived and I was eager to see it firsthand while jogging the nearby bike/running trails that looped through the local marshlands. Think I even saw a fox... 20 minutes later, I reached in my front sweatshirt pocket to check the time on my phone. Except it wasn't there. Just my wallet. I immediately stopped running and swore out loud. Unsure of whether I should backtrack for fear of being late to work, I quickly turned around and sprinted back the way I came.

I have a history of bad luck with phones. Each phone has it's own unique twist - stolen at a gym, fallen into the crevice of a friends car, left on a plane - but the end result is the same. In 2010 alone, I lost three phones - two of them were iPhones! I finally settled on a cheap Nokia that lasted a year before giving up on me last month. Taking a leap of faith, I got the iPhone 3Gs and have yielded high returns of utility from Words With Friends among many other apps. However, the dreaded phone curse would not allow this happiness to last. I walked up and down North Temple this morning feeling less and less hopeful. Acceptance finally set in around 7am and I had to head to work.

Still sad about my phone, my friend Vake took me to Panda Buffet for lunch which did nothing to appease my dark mood. Our discussions over facebook gossip, SLC concerts and other nearby restaurants were especially disheartening because I couldn't utilize an app or search the internet. I went to sleep shortly afterwards dreaming of my Guitar Strum ringtone on repeat. Addicted much? Haha. I woke up 4 hours later and used my ipad2 to peruse the Internet. Turns out my Facebook was hacked! A pilot found my phone and updated my status asking me to contact him. Whoa!!! I picked up my phone 15 minutes later and couldn't believe my luck.

Call it Karma or the lifting of the Phone Curse if you will. But major props to Ryan Purvis for reminding me that there are honest and decent individuals in this world. Besides me of course... And I intend to pay it forward. Until then, looking up an app to help brainstorm a great thank you present. Haha.

Tangentially, heading to Hawaii from weds - sun. Hope to see some of you Hawaii friends. Take care!

The One About A Zag...

I spent part of this past weekend in Spokane, Washington attending a childhood friend's graduate commencement from Gonzaga University. I've known Jihye Jean since 1994 when we lived across from each other in BYU Hawaii's student family housing (TVA). As recent immigrants from Korea, Jihye's family was similar to mine as we had also only recently arrived from Samoa.

After pulling into Jihye's garage, I was immediately struck by the very familiar smells of kimchi, soy sauce and frying oil - reminiscent of lazy TVA afternoons sharing these ethnic dishes with the Jeans. Coordinating all of the cooking was Jihye's mom. Similar to a clucking mother hen, Mama Jean busily dictated our chores, culinary techniques and life advice. Not that I cared. She continually fed me manapuas, roti, vegetable jun, and oranges while pumping me for information on Jihye's love life and potential soulmate. You would have spilled too if you were bribed with sweet roll manapuas... haha. All in all, the weekend was jam-packed with non-stop comedy (Caryn and Karess were equally entertaining) while witnessing how far we've come individually.

Congrats G! You are one of the hardest working people I know. As I learned on Saturday, it's the Gon"ZAG"a way. Cue the bagpipes!

This could be your therapist...