Galilean Moons 400 and More Years Later

Last Saturday evening, Paul and I visited Capitola Village after celebrating Jim's 70th birthday at Lee and Judy's and a quick in-and-out purchase of BBQ accessories at Home Depot.

As it was a Memorial Day weekend, the village was hustling and bustling with both locals and out-of-town visitors, with very few parking spaces available. In front of our space by the Esplanade, stood our guy from the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club, demonstrating to interested passersby live images captured by his gigantic telescope. I was ready to walk away, not totally impressed, thinking that I had seen it all before. Paul asked me to stop and have a new look into the telescope. To my true surprise, I saw our Moon accompanied not by Jupiter alone, but its four largest moons, Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto all neatly strung like jewels along the same orbital plane. Collectively they are called the Galilean moons.

 Courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilean_moons

According to the man from ites of Jupiter in 1610, with his improved telescope of 20 times magnifying capability. Unfortunately, his discovery of celestial bodies orbiting something other than Earth, and outspoken support of heliocentrism gave rise not only to an outcry from the Geocentric, or Ptolemaic world view, but also to his ultimate trial and condemnation by the Roman Catholic Inquisition in 1633. He was excommunicated for hundreds of years for his scientific findings, even though 359 years later in 1992 Pope John Paul II declared that Galileo was right, before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

That was the price for Galileo Galilei to speak the truth in 1610. What about now?

Courtesy of http://astronomy.nju.edu.cn/~lixd/GA/AT4/AT411/IMAGES/AACHCTR0.JPG

A Fully Lived Sunday

Probably inspired by another magnificent royal wedding the day before, we had lived one of the fullest Sundays the following day. From the moment I woke up around 10:45 Sunday morning, I was rushed to get ready on an ongoing 15 minutes' deadline. After 12:15 pm when the deadline was finally expired, Paul drove us both to 24 Hour Fitness. As soon as our exercise routine was done, we crossed Soquel Avenue to join the 49th anniversary of Staff of Life Natural Foods party. There were lots of people milling around various demo canopies. Some of them were extremely popular, attracting many faithful spectators with giveaways of their unique shopping bags, large and small. Garden of Life is one of them. Dozens gave away all sorts of gifts by asking people to spin the wheel. A nursery exhibitor from Monterey even provided people with live plants. We were gifted three baby artichoke plants, even though we had no idea how to plant them.

More than half the booths let visitors sample their vegetables, chips and dips, ice creams and Mochi rice cake, health supplements, drinks, and of course, cheeses and wines. While sitting on a curb to enjoy barbecued beef and chicken meatballs, Paul filled out two free raffle tickets for a grand prize of a Weber Grill displayed in the store for many days prior to the party. I was so busy eating that I just caught a glance of our phone number being written down on the slips.

We met a few friends or acquaintances there, including Fran and Lillian, and Grant Wilson. As it was after 3:00 pm, close to Hui's daily calling time, we decided to leave the party, heavily loaded with both free gifts and food. "I will be back," Paul said half-jokingly.

Hui did call once we got home. While chatting, I heard a call coming in. Since I did not know too well how to deal with the function of call waiting, I tried to ignore it. Paul rushed in the room and picked up the call. It turned out that it was from Staff of Life and Paul was the final winner of the Weber Grill, the largest and most lusted-after item at the party. Thus we are qualified as a Weber family, in fact doubly so, as Nick already owns an identical grill at his home.

Once the grill was wheeled into the side-yard under the eves, the Golden State Warriors started earnestly to compete with the Houston Rockets. Perhaps also inspired by the Duke and Duchess, the Warriors won a decisive home game with a score of 126 to 85. Since the day was still young, Paul planted the three artichokes in the front yard, with the roses, accompanied by rabbit and frog ceramic figures for company.

Around 9:30 pm, Paul drove us out to East Cliff to spot the passage of the ISS (International Space Station). The sky was clear and shimmering with stars, three heavenly bodies, the moon, Jupiter and Venus, and a constant stream of airplanes. At exactly 9:47 pm, ISS appeared on the horizon, top of the trees and proceeded to pass directly above our heads. It stayed with us for nearly 7 minutes, until winking out of sight at a distance of over 900 miles. It was amazingly bright and straight on course. For some reason I was happy to be alive.

Before going to bed, we chipped away at the middle episode of NSU German History X on Netflix. It was such a waste of life both on the parts of predators and victims. Fascism, in the name of national socialism and the fiction of a pure Aryan breed, is the root of true evil. What a program to end an inspiring day!

After Darkest Hour

Courtesy of electricbento.com.

With Suzette's high recommendation, Paul and I finally watched Darkest Hour (2017). It was such a powerful film that we were speechless for a long time. The impact afterwards was even more dramatic. For some reason, I could not get out of my head the ending quote from Winston Churchill, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

The quote revisited me in the final week for the application of Manager position at Technical Services. I felt a little guiltily and cowardly for not taking any action, for I had been prepared for it for decades, just as Churchill was ready for the role of Prime Minister. After reexamining the local political landscape, and especially after consulting with several great friends/colleagues of mine, I finally reaffirmed my earlier resolution. It is not a world war, with no immediate threat of life and death, but pathetic obstacles on the path of one's professional career. We have to remind ourselves that inaction sometimes can also be an eloquent way of showing courage by resisting the temptation of leading a bureaucratic life. Please remember that Churchill also said that, "Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer. You have only to persevere to save yourselves, and to save all those who rely upon you. You have only to go right on, and at the end of the road, be it short or long, victory and honor will be found."

The above is my thought process after Darkest Hour.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Fateful & Fierce March

Little had I anticipated that March 2018 would be a such a fateful and fierce month, with the loss of two great men in my life: March 2nd witnessed the passing of Robert (Bob) Reedy in his sleep in Dallas, while March 14th saw the death of Stephen Hawking.

To get to know Bob, it was a gradual process. At the beginning, Paul introduced him to me when he was describing his family members. Together with Paul, I was invited to attend his middle daughter's first wedding, which turned out to be an stormy event with eventual divorce and the subsequent departures of two grandmothers.

The following year, Paul and I were married. To congratulate us on our wedding, Bob took us, along with a pair of his younger children, bearing wedding gifts from Texas, to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I was so moved by his sincerity and goodwill. Who, besides my own parents, would come all this way to honor us? Our relationship increased more dramatically after Nick’s arrival in the States in July 1997. He suggested Nick’s name, and painstakingly cultivated an immersive environment for Nick by inviting us to Dallas several summers in a row with the Hamills and the Daltons. That’s one of the reasons Nick could manage his first few years in the States so well, living a normal life, and then establishing his own family in later years.

Bob always struck me as a loving and proud husband, son, father, uncle and friend. I have been impressed with his love for his family by going all out for them, such as making his scrumptious brunches with famous "Bob Eggs" and fruit salads. At he same time, he held his firm standards by encouraging and welcoming the younger generations in their academic achievements and professional careers.

I was aware of physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking in an abstract way, since physics is not my field. Paul recommended him on many occasions, such as his works on the union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, his ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and his life after ALS. It is in the film The Theory of Everything that I grew to know Hawking more concretely. I was touched by his brilliance, perseverance, resilience and, most important of all, his sense of humor, which endeared him to people worldwide.

Unlike many celebrities, he reached out to people with his easygoing smile and speeches. He has made science their good friend, not formidable foe. Unlike some of us depressed from illness, Hawking managed, despite his wheelchair, to live a full and fulfilled life, which requires an iron will! To a great extent, his disabilities made him even more human.

Happy Birthday, Alverda!

Yesterday evening, Paul and I picked up Alverda at her daughter's on the westside.  Unlike our usual birthday dinners with Donna and Pam, who both happened to be unwell, we three were going to have a birthday dinner together at Ristorante Italiano.

On the eve of becoming 88 years old today, Alverda, with the help of a walker and cane, was sharp mentally about her nemesis in Santa Cruz, her forthcoming book on Davenport (part of Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing), and her cruise plans with her niece, after the book. Apparently she was extremely proud of her high achieving daughters, grandsons and a soon to be born great granddaughter.

We have known Alverda Orlando since May 1996, when I started to substitute for Santa Clara County Library. I was moving from Berkeley to Santa Cruz while Alverda had just retired from Santa Cruz Public Library. Together with two other women, we four started our three-day training workshop. One morning in the parking lot of the Cupertino Library, Paul asked if afterwards, Alverda could give me a lift to Santa Cruz and she said "Yes," which started our unusual commuting and friendship.

During the two decades' time Alverda has been like a grandmother to Nick, and a family friend and mentor to both Paul and me. Together, we have undergone many good times and setbacks, but in the end we are sitting together, enjoying our meat sauce ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs, and ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Alverda. Marching forward to your 90s, since you have just renewed your contract with God.

Lew in Sentinel

An obituary for Lewis Gene Weinstein (1934-2018) was published in Santa Cruz Sentinel today, after his passing on 1/17/2018. It traces his life, such as his childhood, education, independent but private personality, successful career in social work, and final retirement life in Aptos, California.

While reading it, I could not help but think about my life since June 1996 back in Santa Cruz. I remember that Lew was so excited he told Paul that he was going to hike and garden with us. At his guidance, we planted two kinds of gladioli, pink and deep red, along the fence of our residence at 1842. That summer Paul and I were rewarded with many splashes of colors. Later, we dug out some bulbs for our own house at 1887. Surprisingly, one of the transplanted pinks gladioli bloomed last June after more than two decades' dormancy in the ground.

We ended up not hiking one single day together after all. Lew was just retired from his part-time consultation work whereas I had a family to support, by becoming a substitute librarian for both Santa Clara County Library, and San Jose State Library for 1.5 years, and working full time for DIALOG for another 1.5 years, until the company was relocated from Mountain View to North Carolina.

During the chaotic period of job loss, and new job hunting, Lew was with us 100%. He took care of Nick in his Aptos home while Paul and I were in Cary, training new teams. When a duplex became available on our same street, he immediately came and asked us to let Joe and Linda, our realtors, put our names on the top of their list. He also recommended to us his capable loan officer, so as to make Paul and my combined income work for the house loan. With his wise advice, our family savings and support, we got our dream home in August, 1998. It is truly sad to see that Lew, the instrumental friend, is no longer with us.

One of the lessons Lew taught us is be confident, and independent. During my nearly two decades' service at Santa Cruz Public, I have run into many a familiar mortal coil, and bully in the workplace. With justice and law on our side, I have dealt with one difficult situation after another, and manged to speak my own mind and serve the public fairly and equally, which is borne out by my 9 papers and one monograph.

Thank you, Lew! Rest in Peace.

   

Mass for Jim King

Yesterday at 11:00 am, Paul and I met in the library parking lot, and then walked together to Holy Cross Church to attend a Wednesday Mass for our friend, Jim King.

The presiding pastor's sermon zoomed in on one word, JUSTICE, to describe the life and work of James Moore King (July 30, 1943-November 11, 2017). Jim was one of those lawyers who seeks justice in the courtroom, as a way of life, as a whole. His sense of justice was for a vision of peace on earth. That’s what Jim was: thirsty for justice. That’s the way Jim lived his life.

The pastor also pointed out that justice, death, and freedom were a metaphor for human relationship, moving to the life of other people. He emphasized listening, truly listening, and genuinely listening, which enables human relationships. He also stated that Death could also be served as a bond for bringing people together, for there was someone more important for the time being. It was a one on one relationship.

After the mass, the King family invited all guests to a lunch in the Church Hall. The immediate family focused on the quarter century marriage between Jim and Sharon, whereas his long time friend Bernard recalled a series of worthy and mutual causes shared by himself and Jim. Together they won remarkable cases with local governments. To them, winning was not all about money, but the principle.

I did not stay to the end of lunch, due to many office tasks awaiting me. On my walk back, I could not help but recall the first time I saw Jim King one spring Friday evening in 1989. Dr. Vivian Sobchack brought both Jim and Paul to Porter College to see an ongoing art exhibit there. Jim was very witty with his slightly tipsy pink face and sparking eyes, which never dimmed hence. Jim relished reading the local newspaper Santa Cruz Sentinel, and never missed anything. If Paul and I happened to have a piece in it that day, he would invariably make a point that we had been noticed, when we chanced to meet him downtown. We never got to see Jim regularly ever since he sold his house on the West Side, and eventually moved out of Santa Cruz to Arcata.

During the lunch, his younger stepson talked about his initial sternness as a stepfather. Such sternness was apparently transformed into a gentle reminder whenever he saw Nick, "Stay with school, as long as you can."
 

A Time for Everything: Pauli Is One-Month-Old

      1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
      2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
      3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
      4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
      5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to
         shun embracing.
      6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
      7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
      8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
      9 What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?   
     10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

 Looking back at our life in last two months' time, we cannot help feeling how truly Ecclesiastes 3 has reflected what we have gone through recently. On 15 December 2017, we celebrated the wedding of Wendy and Peter; on 20 December, we greeted the birth of Pauli. On 15 January 2018 we mourned the passing of Lew.

It is a busy time quickened by the fast pace of digital age. We need to slow down, taste and live every moment thoroughly. Or everything will go like a blurring blink.

Wendy Is Married

Yesterday evening, our niece was married at Il Buco, an Italian restaurant at #47 Bond Street. Paul and I were expressly invited to this rustic and intimate wedding held in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, the heart of New York City. Needless to say, it is one of the most special weddings for us.


At a long table, 28 of us were treated with numerous courses of Italian delicacies consisting of a great variety of wines, cheeses, olives, seafood, meats, pastas, fruits, and vegetables. In addition, we were greeted with a pronounced friendly atmosphere: the 85-year-old Grandma shared her artistic and professional career with younger generations, friends/schoolmates encouraged each other, aunts supported their nephews and nieces, and cousins spoke about their own academic experiences and tips.

Both Wendy and Peter, the bride and bridegroom, have been well-loved and tendely-nurtured since the day they were born. Like everyone else, both of them have gone through their own life lessons and setbacks. What sets their story apart is their unquestioned family love and dedication. Despite different family backgrounds and cultures, they have finally tied the knot and begun to build their new life based on the same value system, i.e., love for education and challenge for the unknown. With two forces combined, they are now stronger and more resourceful to overcome one obstacle after another. Cousin Nick is a living example.

Halloween Night at Jack O’ Lantern Blaze

We celebrated our 2017 Halloween night at Jack O’ Lantern Blaze. It was a clear but cold evening, with an all but full moon in the sky. After visiting Mom at 8:50 pm, we went on 9A, and chose the exit for Harmon Station. We had to stop hard well before the exit, for there was a longest line of vehicles ever seen, waiting for the right turn to go to the blaze. Five minutes’ motionless wait later, Paul decidedly pulled our car out of the waiting queue, and raced to the next exit. He used the local route and ShopRite parking lot to be not only on time, but five minutes earlier than our 8:30 entrance time.

Once inside, we were delighted to greet our old friends of the Headless Horseman, dragon, mushrooms and sunflowers. There was an endless throng of visitors, many of whom were dressed in Halloween costumes, such as a family of skunks, owls, or fully decked female Michael Jacksons. As if echoing to the public desire’s to return to animals, the blaze featured and introduced variously carved nocturnals, such as bats, opossums, and rats carved out of pumpkins, in addition to long standing animals like cats, snakes, spiders, dinosaurs, or favorite world of the dead, e.g., Washington Irving and other early settlers, tombstones, ghosts, vampires and zombies. 

We were also treated with a series of new programs like a moving train of circus animals. According to one of the posters, Westchester County is the earliest place to start circus animals in America, with an elephant as its first actor. The Statue of Liberty is another new addition, raising visitors pride as well as patriotism to be an American, especially on the very day of lower-Manhattan’s terrorist attack. 

One greeter told us that 10,000 pumpkins were used for the blaze. Several companies were contracted to work on the project since the month of May. We were so delighted to learn that the blaze’s group of four pumpkin carvings won USA 2016 special post stamps. 

The feast of pumpkins made us forget both time and ourselves. It was closing time, past 10:00pm. We left the blaze, with an almost full chip on Paul’s camera.