My Life Here at THD- A Nostalgic Drive Yesterday Afternoon-Thank You, Ralph!

Yesterday, Sunday Afternoon (1-3PM), I signed for The Sunday Driving Adventure- in a Van with 8 other seniors with our capable driver, Ralph.  Most of us used canes or a walker -so the activity was all inside the van. Ralph was an excellent driver. Thank You, Ralph for your excellent service.  I enjoyed the outing very much and I felt good getting out of my gilded cage(my apartment). Too bad we were not able to take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge/San Francisco Bay views since it was a sunny afternoon with no fog and excellent visibility from Grizzly Peak Rd. 

Photo Credit: Andy Turner- View from near Grizzly peak, looking down Strawberry Canyon onto Berkeley and San Francisco Bay. Cal Stadium is visible at the bottom of Strawberry Canyon. Buildings in the foreground, built on the slope, include the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Ralph drove us to Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley Hills, UC Berkeley Campus,  Rose Garden,  UC Stadium Downtown Albany and along Ashby Street with the historic Claremont Hotel.

https://www.claremont-hotel.com/

The drive gave me nostalgia and pleasant memories. It reminded me of our Pinole California Years, Berkeley Football Games and Dinners at the Claremont Hotel celebrating Macrine's birthday and a few other special occasions in our married life when were still residents of Pinole, California.   Allow me  to repost my blog on our Pinole, California years as follows:

 https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2021/07/our-pinole-california-years-for.html

Meanwhile,  Remember that Laughter is the Best Medicine.  See You All in my next posting!

Meal Times Conversations Here at THD- You Can Grow old Biologically But Don't Be Boring

Happy Hour-Every Friday at 3:45 PM- Photo taken July 14, 2023 at the Lobby.

Here's a recent breakfast conversation with my fellow residents here at THD.  Here's a quote from an older resident (P.D.). " You can grow old as times passes by but don't be boring".   So how can one grow older and be not boring. Here's a statement I posted on my FB page recently. 

" If a person leads a healthy lifestyle, moves, has a feasible physical activity and has full mental activity, intellectual abilities DO NOT decrease with age, but only GROW, reaching a peak by the age of 80-90 years. So don't be afraid of old age. Strive to develop intellectually. Learn new crafts, make music, learn to play musical instruments, paint pictures! Dance! Take an interest in life, meet and communicate with friends, make plans for the future, travel as best you can. Don't forget to go to shops, cafes, concerts. Do not lock yourself alone - it is destructive for any person. Live with the thought: all the good things are still ahead of me!",

Here's a must read article if you do not want to be called BORING by others.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2019/05/ten-encouraging-thoughts-in-aging.html

Meanwhile enjoy the following photos, I took just recently on life here at THD. 

Remember : "The day you really live is the day you have touch the lives of others." or

 "You have really lived if you have touched the life of others". 

Personal Notes: This week activity that I enjoyed besides the Happy Hour are:

Exercises and Zumba by Sabrina Monahan, Asian Mahjong, Opera Excerpts yesterday.  

Know Your Fellow Residents here at THD- Norman Nelson -Part 2

Norman Nelson- My coworker at Stauffer Chemicals, Richmond, CA. Early 1980's 

Here's my on-line interview with Norman.

"I grew up in rural Montana. We raised cattle, sheep, and potatoes.  I was susceptible to hay fever and knew that I wasn't going to be involved in ranching as a profession. Eventually, we focused on black Angus cattle. One of my brothers took over running the ranch from my father. After he retired, my nephew took over running the ranch. It is still an active cattle ranch.

Education was valued and my two older brothers  brothers received Master degrees. I was accepted to UC Berkeley and received a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry in 1973. These were formative years, both professionally and personally. These years in Berkeley 1968-1973 were exciting and trying times. 

I took the opportunity to travel for 15 months beginning in Belgium; buying a VW van, traveling to Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Greece and the Greek islands of Corfu and Crete, including the Samaria Gorge.

Next, I traveled to Cairo in January. Then south to Luxor and Aswan. I picked up an overnight boat ride to the Sudan border, then a Train ride to Khartoum across the desert.  In Sudan I found some of the friendliest people in my travels. From Khartoum I traveled by bus and hitchhike to Ethiopia, and then the Kenya border. I spent some great time in Kenya and Tanzania. Highlight of this part of the trip was my climb of Mt. Kilomanjaro.. After some R and R and viewing animals,  national parks and the Kenya coast I flew to Israel and then returned to Greece, picked up my van and headed north to through Yugoslavia to Italy and France. Leaving my van with a friend. I traveled the England and Scotland. This was one of many visits to the island; i.e. I worked for a British company.

My father emigrated from Norway, I traveled to Denmark and Sweden and much of Norway. I spent two weeks with my Norwegian relatives.

At this point I returned Amsterdam, sold my van and traveled south to Spain visiting many of the interesting places, from Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Toledo, and Valencia,

At this point the trip is coming to an end, and I return to Paris to get a plane trip back home".

Here's Norman response to my query, why he chose THD for his new Home. 

I wanted to end up close to my one of my sons either Brian (Albany) or Drew (Walnut Creek). I'v considered where Scott (my youngest son) lived, but after looking at a half dozen places in Huntington Beach, I decided that it would not be a good fit. We then focused on the East Bay.  Over two consecutive weekends, Drew and I looked at several places identified by our internet search. 

Our criteria were

• active senior facility, prefer it not be "assisted living"
• good food
• good rapport with those that interviewed us   
• cost 
• clean   
• pleasant surprises, such as the pool and the van service 
  
  
  THD was the last facility we visited. It was obvious that THD met our criteria. We were impressed with the positive interaction we had with Jenny and other residents we encountered.

Norman, it is PLEASURE meeting you again and I always enjoy our meal time conversations. See you again at our Excersize Classes here at THD aside from the Newton's Restaurant.    

Meanwhile, Be Positive and Kept Smiling- It can prolong your stay here at THD. Keep moving and exercise both mind and body. Here's a photo of me and Marsha dancing at the Happy Hour yesterday.

Meeting Norman here at THD reminds me that Indeed This is a Small World and also the lowest point of my career when Stauffer Chemicals fired me after 12 years of service. Here's the link :

 https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2011/08/lowest-and-highest-point-in-my.html

My Life Here at THD-Open Discussion Group- Artificial Intelligence( AI)

Ditas Katague with her Big Boss, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo

Ms. Raimondo is Ditas, my youngest daughter, BIG BOSS.  Ditas is Associate Director for Communications in the Bureau of Census, under the Department of Commerce headed by Raimondo.  

The other day, I attended for the first time the Open Discussion Group Here at THD. Besides current events/news we discussed also Artificial Intelligence- its Risks and Benefits/Governance. 

This reminded me of the recent article I read in FaceBook on what Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Anthony Blinken, the Secretary of State said about AI. 

Here's an excerpt from the article on AI by Raimondo and Blinken as published in Financial Times issue dated July 24, 2023.     

"The US is committed to making AI work for, and designing governance with, developing countries, whose voices are crucial to the global discussion. India will play a critical role, including through the Global Partnership on AI. We are also working on inclusivity for AI through discussions with the UN. We will partner with countries around the world, as well as the private sector and civil society, to advance a key goal of the commitments: creating AI systems that make people’s lives better. Today, we’re on track to meet just 12 per cent of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. AI could change that trajectory by accelerating efforts to deliver clean water and sanitation, eliminate poverty, advance public health and further other development goals". 

For complete details visit an update:

https://iapp.org/news/a/blinken-raimondo-reinforce-us-commitment-to-ai-governance/

Also visit Secretary Raimondo FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/SecRaimondo

Meanwhile, Be Positive and Remember,You have only really lived if you have touched the life of others.

Meal Times Conversations Here at THD-Development of New Drugs- Part 7

One of the Two New Drugs Approved for the Treatment of Early Dementia

One of the topics I have discussed with fellow residents here at THD is about new drugs development and how expensive new drugs are. We also talked about the newly approved drugs for early dementia (Alzheimer's Disease)  which is still controversial, because the data submitted to FDA showed that efficacy is low.  Moreover, the side effects ( swelling of the brain, etc..) could be fatal in some cases. It is also very expensive and only the rich could afford it. We also talked about Parkinson Disease which I had personal knowledge of. We also talked that there are a few residents here with early Parkinson that  are coping very well with the daily living activities.   

Thus, allow me to repost my article on New Drug Development. Having worked for FDA for 12 Years in the Center for New Drugs, Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, the above topic is one of my favorite subject in my writings.  

Here are the Links: The second link is on the Chemistry Requirements that have been my personal involvement during my career at FDA. 

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2021/12/development-of-new-drugs-in-us-update.html

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2022/01/chemistry-manufacturing-and-control-cmc.html

Remember, I wrote this article  several years ago, so the costs ( dollar amounts) is no longer true. With inflation still high, I would guess the amount is probably twice today compared to the time I wrote my article. Any way, do not focus on the  actual dollars involved, but on the actual process from discovery to marketing.  I hope you find the above posting informative.      

Basic Asian(Hong Kong) Mahjong versus Advanced Level Filipino Mahjong

Playing Mahjong with Ditas and Yuka during my 88th Birthday. 12/20/22, Fair Oaks, CA 

If you have been following my blogs, you probably know I learned how to play Mahjong when I was 5 years old. The mahjong we played at the Katague Household used 16 tiles with and without jokers ( 4), instead of 13 tiles as used in the Hong Kong Style. 

When we started playing as beginners, we play the simple version of completing 5 melds { 3 or 4 of the same tile (pong/kang) }or three consecutive tiles ( Chow) and A PAIR. 

Again, may I emphasize that variations of the game are common depending where you resides in the Philippines.  You can make it complicated by scoring and increasing level of difficulty. 

As we advanced we got bored playing the simple and basic melds and modify the game that a winning hand should have at least one level of degree of difficulty (Fan) or Limits and then we used Jokers. Let me illustrate what I meant by increasing the difficulty of melds ( Scoring) as follows:

Hong Kong Mahjong scoring is based on fan or番. Fan means that certain winning hands can be worth more than others, adding a layer of strategy. I grow up calling it LIMITS. 

Fan are awarded based on the completion of certain criteria, such as the assembly of difficult hands. The payout of each round is then done based on the acquired fan by the winning player. The full list of standard fan and the prerequisite conditions are provided below:

Hong Kong Mahjong Score Sheet

SET	FAN
Pung of Dragon tiles	1
Kong of Dragon tiles	1
Pung or kong of player’s Wind	1
Pung or kong of the Wint of the round	1
Flower or Season of player’s Wind	1
All Flowers or Seasons	2
No Flowers or Seasons	1
Two Dragon pungs or kongs and a pair of another Dragon	4
Full chow hand	1
Full pung hand	3
Hand consisting of only a single suit and Honor tiles	3
Seven pairs	4
Hand consisting of only a single suit	6
Self-drawing the final tile	1
Win with the last tile from the Live Wall	1
Win with the last discard of the game	1
Win by stealing a kong	1
Win through replacement tile from Dead Wall	1

Not in the above List is ESCALERA- Hands that have melds from 1 to 9 of the same suit.

There are also special hands that, when assembled, reward a large amount of fan, up to 64 points, though most require complex requirements to be achieved. Some are instantly forfeit once you reveal tiles through calling, making them extremely rare. 

Depending on the amount of fan obtained by the winning player, the payout will be paid by the losing players. As a rule of thumb, if the winning tile was called from a discard, the discarding player will have to pay double the fan during the payout; if the winning tile was self-drawn, all other players will need to pay double the fan.

The value of a single fan depends on the setting of the Hong Kong Mahjong game, and can range from chips to a specified sum of money. As I previously mentioned Mahjong is a favorite gambling activity in the Philippines besides cockfighting and lotteries. 

Hong Kong Mahjong hands consist of 14 tiles, and are usually 4 sets of three and a single pair. A winning hand worth 5 fan is shown below:

Figure 5. Winning hand worth 5 fan

This hand consists entirely of pungs, awarding 3 fan, and also includes two pungof dragon tiles, awarding 1 fan each. In total, this winning hand is worth 5 fan.

Special Hands

There are hard-to-assemble special hands that award large sums of fan. These are listed below:

Seven Pairs – 16 fan

Figure 6. Seven Pairs and 16 fan

Consists of 7 pairs.

Four Winds – 64 points

Figure 7. Four Winds, 64 points

Consists of 3 pungs of Wind tiles and a random tile, and a pair of the final Wind. Also applies to 4 pungs of Wind tiles and a pair of another tile.

Three Scholars – 64 points

Figure 8. Three Scholars, 64 points

Pung or kong with all 3 Dragon tiles, any set of chow, pung or kung and any pair.

Hidden Treasure – 64 points

Figure 9. Hidden Treasure, 64 points

Consists of 4 pungs and any pair, all concealed.

All Honors – 64 points

Figure 10. All Honors, 64 points

Consists of only Honor tiles.

All Terminals – 64 points

Figure 11. All Terminals, 64 points

Consists of only terminal tiles (ones and nines) and any tile that forms a pair with 2-8. 

Nine Gates – 64 points

Figure 12. Nine Gates, 64 points

Consists of 3 ones, 3 nines and the 2-8 tiles of any suit, followed by any tile of the same suit and any tile that forms a pair. This hand must be concealed.

Thirteen Orphans – 64 points

Figure 13. Thirteen Orphans, 64 points

Consists of the terminal tiles of each suit, and every single Honor tile, followed by a tile that forms a pair. This hand must be concealed.

All Kongs – 64 points

Figure 14. All Kongs, 64 points

A full hand consisting of 4 kongs and a pair.

Jade Dragon – 64 points

Figure 15. Jade Dragon, 64 points

Consists of pungs or kongs of Bamboos only and a pung or kong of the Green Dragon tile.

Ruby Dragon – 64 points

Figure 16. Ruby Dragon, 64 points

Consists of pungs or kongs of Characters only and a pung or kong of the Red Dragon tile.

Pearl Dragon – 64 points

Figure 17. Pearl Dragon, 64 points

Consists of pungs or kongs of Dots only and a pung or kong of the White Dragon tile.

Heavenly Hands – 64 points

Achieved when the East Wind dealer wins with the starting hand and draw.

Earthly Hands – 64 points

Achieved when a player wins from the dealer’s first discard.

Strategy

• The key of Hong Kong Mahjong strategy is to think ahead before making any moves. Always check to see if a winning hand is available, and be alert to call out discards that can help.
• Do not focus on the special hands, and instead focus on achieving the base requirement of 1 fan in your winning hand. The first person to call a legal winning had wins regardless of the fan accumulated, and it is perfectly acceptable to win a hand worth 1 fan.
• For people just starting out, keeping hands concealed is recommended. This makes things hard to read by the opponent, and keeps more options open for discards.
• Take note of pungs and kongs, since there are only 4 duplicates of each tile, once a pung or kong is called, the chances of getting one of the called tile becomes significantly unlikely. Strategize around revealed tiles and reorganize your hand to enable other win conditions.

For Details visit:

 https://www.coololdgames.com/tile-games/mahjong/hong-kong/

The Mahjong we play here at THD is the simple/basic Hong Kong Style ( 13 tiles and No Jokers). Once you learn the basic, the game is purely LUCK. Come Join US, every Thursday at 3:45 PM at Churchill's Pub.  No money is involved and we play for FUN!!!

New Observations of My Life Here at THD

Spanish is the Language in the THD Underworld ( Garage), Kitchen, Restaurant and Hallways.  The garage and Kitchen areas and hallways are good places to practice your Spanish. I would guess that 99% of the employees ( Maintenance, landscaping, Cleaning and Kitchen Crews are Spanish Speaking). These are the places that my conversational Spanish knowledge can be improved. 

If you are new to THD, the garage underground the Buildings ( Heritage, Plaza, Fairmount and Liberty) is big and confusing. My first day here at THD, I got lost returning from Newton Restaurant to the Fairmount Building . I forgot to turn Left and went to the garage entrance of the Liberty Building. Since I do not drive, I have not really explored the whole underground Garage. All I know is that near the Garage Exit, is the Cinema.  From my Building to Newton ( for meals, the best way if you have a walker is the Garage, since there are no steps to maneuver). 

If you have no mobility problems and the weather is perfect and if want to see the landscaping in the Court Yard and Fresh Air, I discover 3 ways from my building ( Fairmount) to the Lobby and Newton at the main Heritage Building. Here are the 3 Ways: From Fairmount-Exit from the Gym to the Courtyard then via Yoga Room though the Heritage Hallway and Elevator from First Floor to Garage. The second way is via the Library to the Plaza First Floor and Elevator to Garage. This will lead you directly to the  Entrance of Newton. The last way with nine steps is directly from the courtyard to the Side Door of the main Lobby. This is not recommended if you used a cane or if you have mobility problems. 

The Heritage Building is the biggest building with 4 floors and more than 50 % of the residents claim it as their home. The Plaza is also attached to Newton, so the residents do not have to got out or used the garage for meals.   

Summary: If you have mobility problems: The Heritage or the Plaza are the Buildings for You. 

New Observations: I have breakfast with a new resident couple who moved here last week. I asked them if they are happy and they said: Our daughter commented that she felt that we are in a cruise, since they provide us 3 meals a day and a lot of entertainment and activities. That was my also my first comment when I moved here last June 1.    

I was informed by Karen, Activity Director that a Special Welcome for Newcomers including Me to meet the THD Staff is planned next month. Looking forward to that event.   Here are the highlights of our Activity Schedule for July 24 to the 30th.

For those of us who longer drive, the Sunday Driving Adventure will be our opportunity to get out of our gilded cage. I have signed for the Driving Adventure to Tilden Park this Sunday. Ralph- the Filipino-American who works on the Front Desk on weekends will be our driver, I was told. Here's my Blogger Profile:

https://www.blogger.com/profile/09798269891967237168

Know Your Fellow Residents Here at THD-Dean Elias- Part 1

 This is Part 1 of my new series in my blog-Know your Fellow Residents Here at THD. 

Today's posting features Dean Elias- one of the first co-residents I've met during my first 2 days here at THD.   This was my on-line interview with Dean. I hope after reading his short bio you know what made him tick and why he is a very positive person and fun to be with during meal times.   

"I was born in Seattle in 1934, raised on Mercer Island (in the lake that borders Seattle), to HS in Seattle, whence I fled East to Cornell University (thanks to a Rockefeller fellowship), thence to Harvard, and on. . . ultimately earning a doctorate at Columbia.

I got married to father my son Kirk (now a track coach at UN Reno), and created a family ultimately with four children (yup, 4) -- my youngest Uma a professional singer whose home is in Melbourne, Australia, who will perform at THD in late October.  My older daughter Beth and partner Dan live in a lovely 50 acre plot of wild land in north central WI, my younger son Erik is now situated in Santa Cruz, whence he and wife Robin live in a lovely home with a view of (guess what?)

 

My first professional role was with The War on Poverty: I "organized" modestly incomed communities largely in the South to enable them to advocate for themselves with the powers that be, then migrated to higher education (my last role was as a professor at Saint Mary's College in Moraga).  My first role at SMC was Dean of The School of Extended Education -- organizing residents in communities around the Bay Area to receive a BA education focused on advocacy for the residents with "the powers that be". . .

 

While engaged in higher education, I went "on the road" -- to China, guided by my Chinese friend Yongming Tang (who'll visit me at THD this Fall), where I walked (a small portion of) The Great Wall; to India, to immerse in a classical spiritual community; to Italy with my kids, to indulge in the culture, explore the countryside, eat and drink the fabulous Italian cuisine.  Soon, I hope to be off to visit my 4 kids while I am sufficiently mobile -- from a politically red region of WI, to Reno, to Santa Cruz, to Melbourne, Australia (there'll be more stories to tell).

So, why did I choose THD for my residence?  When I decided that it was time to seek a senior living community, I decided to be a careful shopper, and visited a dozen options around the Bay Area -- from San Jose, to Oakland, to Lafayette, to Pleasant Hill, to Walnut Creek, and on. THD was in the middle in terms of cost, and simply felt more familial -- I later discovered that it is the only one I visited that is family-owned, not corporate-owned, and Jenny was a delightfully warm and helpful greeter.  The decision was an easy one". 

Visit Dean LinkedIn site for additional information. 

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-elias-1461243/

Personal Note: I have a similar "modus operandi"/experience in my search for a senior living facility. Location was important, but the amenity that clinched the deal for me was the 8'x8'x34' patio for my 2 cats Batman & Robin. After Jenny S. showed Dodie ( my oldest son) and I the patio/apartment, tears of joy exudes from my face indicating that my search for a new home has finally ended.  So far I am very happy with my past 2 months residency here at THD.  

My 2 Faithful Apartment mates- B & R- two neutered males- short-haired American Domestic breed cats.  

https://www.blogger.com/profile/09798269891967237168

Surprise of the WeeK: The stigmatized jello is one of the offerings at yesterday Champagne Brunch here at THD. Thank you THD Management for listening to some minor suggestions from your clients. If you read my blogs you will remember that a few residents and I have discussed jello during our conversations while cooling off when Black Outs was occurring in the Fairmount and Liberty Buildings last week.   

Some of My Collectibles That Survived My Downsizing Recently

If you are following my blog, you probably know of my recent moved from a 4BR 3B single home in Fair Oaks(suburb of Sacramento) to a 2BR 2B Apartment here in Walnut Creek (THD). 

With this move I have to give up ( donate/give, trash/dumpster or sell) numerous of my Personal Collections that I have accumulated during my 62 years of residence in the US. I was not able to bring my piano, A lighted Curio Cabinet and some of its contents as well as a 3 Piece China Cabinet with my bone and Fine China collection and several other collectibles that Macrine and I had collected from our travels in Europe, the Carribean and the Far East during our younger years.

But as my grand daughter says, Lolo ( Grandpa) those items had served their purpose and its time to part with it. I agree. With joy and hopes for my new home, I was able to bring with me some of my most treasured knick-knacks/collectibles home here at THD. 

Here are some photos:

Meanwhile, Keep smiling and project Positive Vibes to all your Friends and Co-residents here at THD.  Remember : "The day you really live is the day you have touch the lives of others." or "You have really lived if you have touched the life of others".