Shinoda Family Pictures

Japanese John Wayne

So this a week ago today my Grandpa Jimmy Shinoda passed away. It was a very sad time for my family but I feel so lucky that I was able to say my goodbyes before he passed unlike some of my other cousins and sibling. Between the time he passed and the funeral I was in charge of creating two poster boards. One board was a timeline of his life through pictures and the other poster had everyone's memories of grandpa Jimmy. I would like to take a moment to share some of the memories people shared.

The first one is mine...
One of the things I loved about Grandpa was his sense of humor and his creativity. Every Christmas and birthday Grandpa would come up with awesome gift wrapping ideas. He never used the typical wrapping paper, ribbon or even scotch tape. Instead he used super glue, packing tape, bubble wrap, warehouse boxes or other miscellaneous things he found. It was always an adventure trying to open up our gifts. I could tell that Grandpa always got a kick out of watching us try as hard as we could to get our presents out of the mess he called wrapping. One of his most memorable gift wrapping ideas was when he put a fifty dollar bill and some change into a little cookie tin and super glued the top on. I think that was his best because I remember trying to open up this small tin for 20 minutes so I could get my money. It wasn't until my dad got out some pliers that we were able to open it. I'm sure that in Grandpa's mind he thought that I had cheated because I didn't technically open the tin by myself.
After many years of Grandpa's gift wrapping I thought that it would be funny if I came up with my own creative wrapping for Grandpa's birthday present. I had bought Grandpa a pair of Rainbow sandals (since he tried on mine and loved them) and thought it would be hilarious to put them in a grocery bag and then put bubble wrap around that. Then for the final touch I wrapped packing tape around the whole thing. I was very proud of myself and I gave Grandpa his present thinking it was soooo funny. But Grandpa showed me that I shouldn't mess with the master because he whipped out his pocket knife and cut a big slit in the side and pulled out the sandals. I'm sure that at that point he was laughing on the inside at me and thinking, "Nice try." This one thing that I loved about Grandpa will definitely be something that I will try to incorporate into my gift giving at Christmas.

The next memory is from my cousin's fiancee Chris...
For the first day in a long time, the world is without Grandpa Jimmy Shinoda, aka Catherine’s Grandfather, James Shinoda.
And that is a damn shame.
So I thought I’d share a story about Grandpa Jimmy that will probably almost make me cry (EDIT: did. That’s twice in one year now) while writing and in subsequent readings of it. It’s not a sad story at all. It’s actually pretty awesome. But usually it’s the awesome stories that make you the saddest, because they remind you of how awesome something was that will never be again.
In 2006, I took my first trip out to meet Catherine’s family in California. I had never been to California, I was totally in to Catherine, and I was about to meet all the people that were important in her life. Needless to say, this was a big trip for me. We had also decided to tie-in a trip to the World Series of Poker so that I could play in a $1000 tournament. I get nervous for that tournament approximately 12 months in advance, so you know, no biggie.
Then I discovered that Catherine’s grandfather would be meeting us in Las Vegas. At this time, I barely knew Catherine’s mom, dad, sister, etc. let alone her grandfather. However, I did know that Grandpa was a big deal, and, like the godfather, if he thought I was cool, others would think that. Or at least that’s how I pictured it in my head.
I was really into this mohawk that I had at the time (photo not found), and the only thing I could think about when I arrived in Vegas was how I was going to make the final table of my tournament, I was going to get on TV, and I was going to have a mohawk while doing. How cool was I going to be?
I totally forgot that Grandpa Jimmy would be showing up at the tournament to meet Catherine, and that by meeting Catherine, I would be meeting him. Shortly after that, I realized that I had a mohawk, I was fairly shabbily dressed, I was playing in a poker tournament with a bunch of really really classy people who alternate between hurling things and obscenities, and I was playing with some of Catherine’s money since she had decided to help back such a classy guy like myself. I was also, of course, wearing shorts so that my tattoos were visible.
If I were Grandpa Jimmy, I probably would have punched me and rescued Catherine.
But he didn’t. He shook my hand and asked if we wanted to get something to eat. I was so wowed by this. Either Catherine had brought a slew of bad boyfriends before Grandpa Jimmy, and he was willing to accept whatever was put in front of him, or he was willing to judge me when he actually knew me.
As it turned out, I really hit the jackpot by meeting Grandpa Jimmy. I told Catherine later that I thought he was like John Wayne, if John Wayne were Japanese. He used to play poker in Vegas before every kid like me thought it was cool. He told me about playing 5 card draw in some of the casinos. Five card draw? Like, with six shooters too or just regular?
He said very little that night, but when he did, I was on the edge of my seat. And he had this walk. I can’t even explain it. I mean, he was John Wayne. That’s all I can say. In my mind, from that day on, I knew John Wayne, and he actually lived in Santa Ana, California, and he was Catherine’s grandfather. This is good.
Luckily for me, I got the chance to go back to Grandpa Jimmy’s house many times. In subsequent meetings, I learned that John Wayne liked to crack jokes, talked more than John Wayne and lots of other people do, and definitely enjoyed playing Spider Solitaire, almost as much as he loved being around his family. And even though Catherine thought my John Wayne assessment was way off, his house was the hub of activity for the whole family. I was definitely not the only one who thought Grandpa was cool.
I only knew Grandpa Jimmy for a few years, so I can imagine what the people who were close to him for a lifetime are feeling right now. I can only say that I have some sliver of understanding as to why you feel the way you do right now. I wish I could have known him longer.
Two things are certain. First, I will never cruise the strip in Vegas without thinking about him and that memorable first meeting. It’s hardly a bad thing to think of John Wayne when you’re in Vegas. And second, I’ll always remember to try to think like Grandpa Jimmy when my daughter or granddaughter brings a boy up for inspection.
I’m so glad he did that for me.

I love Chris' Japanese John Wayne reference! The last memory I wanted to put up was one of Joseph's...

Grandpa ate everything except for duck feet because it was too chewy. One night while on a business trip in Dallas Debbie, Bambi, Grandpa and I were eating at a Chinese restaurant with the family from Lin's. I am not a fan of seafood and with my luck I was not in control of my meal choices. For dinner we would be eating family style and one person decided what we were going to eat, which was mostly seafood. I turned down many dishes that were passed to me and I felt bad because I was a guest. One of the last dishes brought out was duck feet boiled and dipped in a very light almost tasteless vinegar sauce. I was offered one and I saw Grandpa take one so I said to myself, "If Grandpa has one then it is probably somewhat edible." So I took one.
Shortly after I took a duck foot Grandpa said that he couldn't eat it because it was too chewy so I was running solo in the game of Fear Factor. I was amoured with only chopsticks so I knew that I couldn't cut it into little pieces. The only way to eat it was to put the whole thing in my mouth. I was able to eat other gross things or 2 years in the Philippines but this was the worst thing I have ever eaten. There was no taste but the texture was so bad that just writing this still makes my stomach churn. As I broke down the cartilage broke but was incased by strong rubbery skin and I was forced to swallow it whole. As I chewed my eyes watered and I looked over at Grandpa. He was watching me with great enjoyment while I was about to puke. After dinner I asked him why he didn't eat the duck feet and he said, "I would never eat duck feet. It's gross." I was puking up all that night. I was sharing a room with Grandpa and he would wake up, eat a piece of hard candy and watch me go back and forth to the bathroom. Everytime he would look at me for the next couple of days he would smile and start chuckling. That was the last time I tried matching his food consumption.

Diamond Club

On Friday night it was Mormon Night at the Angel's game and so of course we went with our friends Scott and Melinda. We were orignially going to sit with the season ticket holders in the outfield which are really good seats. Then when we were on our way to the game a couple who use to be in our ward called and said that they had four extra tickets to the game that night. Once we figured out where their tickets were somewhere along the bottom of the stadium we accepted the tickets. When we were coming in we realized that our friends were sitting the Diamond Club which is this exclusive area behind home plate on the bottom of the stadium. We were super excited to get to go there. It was a bad game but it was really fun to get to sit down there. They had a fancy restaruant and in-seat service. There were waiters to come and take your order and bring you food and drinks. But of course everything was super expensive. The whole experience was fun and a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Wild Animal Park

Last Monday Joseph, Jesse (Joseph's brother), Heather (Jesse's wife), Aprilon and I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Joseph and I both have not been to the Wild Animal Park since we were like 5 years old. So we were really excited to go. If you haven't been to the Wild Animal Park I suggest you go because it is really awesome to get to see a bunch of animals roaming around together in one huge place in the park.
When we went we got there when it opened and headed straight for the tram which is the main attraction there. We were on the first tram of the day and it was very cool. All the animals were out because it was still cool outside. We saw so many animals like antelope, giraffes, cheetahs, wildebeests, zebras, tigers, condors, rhinos and many more! On the tram ride we saw baby animals being nursed by their mothers which was really cool. Everyone had a lot of fun even though it was like 100 degrees out there. Here is a great picture of Aprilon...he's holding a lorikeet.

13 hours at the beach

So Joseph and I spent 13 hours at the beach last Saturday. Some of you may be asking yourselves why and here is the answer....

Joseph and I thought it would be fun to have a bonfire and cook hotdogs and s'mores. So we invited some of our friends to join us. In California this is an extremely popular thing to do during the summer so if you want a beach pit then you better be at the beach before 9am. So we did. Joseph and I spent the whole day at the beach together. It was a great day! It was sunny and warm with a slight breeze. The water was cool and refreshing. Around dinner time all our friends showed up for s'mores and a bonfire. By the time Joseph and I left we had been at the beach for 13 hours. Joseph was burnt in many places one his back where he could not reach to reapply his sunbock. I didn't get burnt at all! It was amazing!

Here are some pictures we took of the kids...

There's Lizzie (our niece) and Don (Joseph's older brother) playing in the waves. Here's Bella (niece) finding shells in the sand.

Here's Donny (nephew) and I hanging out on the blanket.Here's Donny (obviously a different Donny) eating a blueberry. He's so adorable.

And here is the teepee that Joseph build from broken down pallets (compliments of Shinoda's).

Honorary Citzens

Joseph's friend from the Philippines is here! Aprilon is from the Philippines but has been living in Hawaii for the past three years. He has just finished his Bachelor's at BYU Hawaii and is trying to stay here for an extra year to work and gain experience in his field. Joseph decided to take him to Disneyland last Thursday. So we bought his ticket online which was great because then they didn't have to go to the box office. So I dropped them off at 8am when Disneyland opens on my way to work. Then later I met up with them at 6pm. Joseph ran Aprilon all over Disneyland and California Adventure. They had practically done everything by the time I got there. I went on Big Thunder Mountain with them but that's pretty much the only ride I went on. When I got there Joseph and I decided that we needed to get Aprilon a button that said 1st Visit. So we went to City Hall and got Aprilon a button but then the cast memeber asked if Joseph and I were showing him around and we replied, "Yes." After that response the cast member said that we needed special buttons too and our buttons said Honorary Citzen. Joseph and I felt very cool sporting our buttons. Later we watched the fireworks while we ate dinner and we were very disappointed when Tinkerbell and Dumbo did not come out during the fireworks due to a strong wind. Joseph and I had talked up Tinkerbell and Dumbo flying across the sky on this little wire and then they never showed up during the firework show. Then right after the fireworks we went straight to the lake for Fantasmic which was great because Joseph and I have not seen that show since we were like 7 years-old. On our way home we all came to the conclusion that we had a very successful day, we were all extremely tired and ready for bed.

24 Hours

So last Tuesday I was up for almost 24 hours. It was not a great day. I woke up at 5:30am because I had Jury Duty in Santa Ana. This was my second time being summoned but my first time having to go to the courthouse. So after orientation they called people up for the trials that will take like 2-3 months. But right after that they called up the first group to the courtroom which I was in. When you are inside the courtroom you CANNOT do ANYTHING! No texting, reading, or computer. You just have to sit there and listen. I sat there all day until 5pm. I was never called up to the jury box or anything! I even had a bunch of stories and excuses to say so I wouldn't be put onto the jury. Well at least they cannot summon me for another 12 months.

Later I went to sit in line for Harry Potter with Erin and our friend Michelle. First of all I didn't really want to go see Harry Potter at midnight because I had Jury Duty but Erin convinced me to go with her. Go thing she did because after waiting in line for 6 hours Erin and I found out that our friends, Leola and Michelle, had tickets to the 12:05am showing and not the 12:01am showing like us. We were so bummed when we found this out. Overall though sitting in line with Michelle and Erin was fun. We played Harry Potter clue, spoke with English accents and read aloud Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Here is Michelle and I playing Harry Potter clue. It's a nice alternative to regular clue.

Here is Erin reading aloud in line.

Sister Picture

Overall the movie was good. There were some disappointing parts but it was funny and it got the main points of the series across.