RIP, Uncle Ding

I lost my good family friend, Isidro Villasis, today ;-( Unfortunately, his chemo & radiation therapies didn’t prolong his life after he was diagnosed w/a brain tumor in July 2010. His late wife, “Auntie Tori,” also passed away from the same w/o those treatments 11yrs ago this mo.
Endearingly called “Uncle Ding,” he was tight w/my dad. They played tennis together & were active in the Filipino community in my hometown, Abilene, TX. As a matter o’ fact, Uncle Ding helped found & name our local P’noy assoc, the United States-Philippines Friendship Organization; he added the friendship part. Uncle Ding also was strongly involved in his Seventh Day Adventist Church.
My favorite thing about Uncle Ding was his sense o’ humor, & my fondest memory o’ him was when we emceed Melissa’s debut (P’nay’s milestone: her 18th birthday – somewhat similar to a Hispanic girl’s quinceañera 4yrs ago this mo. We cracked jokes during the delay in the party, & he pointed out that some folks ran on “Filipino time.” Uncle Ding had allowed Melissa & her mom to live w/him while treating them like family.
This good man touched so many lives, & we miss him dearly. Now he shall join our maker & his wife + his dearly departed be♥ed in Heaven.
RIP, Uncle Ding ~*~ We ♥ You

Buffy

Missing Dog
$100 Cash Reward
BUFFY the Beagle
Please notify me if you know of her whereabouts.
Thank you!
Rob Soliz‘s dog was last seen by his parents @ their house on Fri, 1/7/2011. Her fam thinks that she was probably taken b/c she hasn’t returned, & we can’t find her. They live on Shary Road near Bannworth Park/Sharyland FD & Sharyland HS in Mission, TX, where we looked, + I also posted flyers w/the top into around the neighborhood, humane society, & vet hospital.
Buffy the Beagle was born & raised in Germany, where Rob adopted her during his USAF service there. She’s turning 8 on March 15th + has white on her face, chest, stomach, limbs, face, & the tip o’ her tail; brown on her head, ears, & bottom; black on her back. As she’s on the big side o’ her breed, I believe that she weighs about 35lbs, más o menos.
Once she comes home safe & sound, I’ll pay who brings her back $100 cash. Meanwhile, your prayers that she turns up alive & well are appreciated. ¡Muchas gracias!

Newbie

This wk, I started my 3rd teaching job to add to my curriculum vitae: speech instructor @ Texas State Technical College Harlingen – where I happen to be taking my leadership doctoral courses through Our Lady of the Lake University! I’m eager to establish myself here yet will miss being a communication lecturer @ Texas A&M University-Kingsville…
Differences, aside from the obvious (i.e., College vs. University), that I found to be interesting, include:
* there are all male faculty, mostly Baby Boomer Generation & tenured w/terminal degrees in my dept @ TAMUK, while there are all female BBG, minimal w/terminal degree in my dept @ TSTC, w/many faculty overall in my parents’ generation
* our working days & times only included our classes & office hrs @ TAMUK, while we work 8-5 Mon-Fri @ TSTC; therefore, due to my extra full day + night courseload @ TSTC, I can’t maintain my TAMUK schedule
Similarities that I appreciate include:
* traditional campus living (i.e., buildings, police, residence halls)
* student involvement (i.e., Student Govt Assoc)
* school spirit
Either way, I’m enriching my experience in different higher ed institutions & have my work cut out or me…

Pace or Race

Out w/the old & in w/the new… But 1 thing’s consistent: it’s a fun run! I signed up to run a 3K on New Year’s Eve & a 5K on New Year’s Day.
Well, so I thought. This so-called 3K was a <a href="racewalk, ever heard of it? Basically, I was up against Navy seamen, international-, national-, & statewide-ranked champs, & other vet walkers! Yeah, these contenders definitely could outwalk my run…
However, this certainly was a more profound experience that humbled me in more ways than 1: I learned a lesson that swallowing my pride is acceptable because I’m no better than anyone else, & sometimes there are rules to follow that can’t be bent – such as the knees, literally… As a runner, I try to go the distance & build up my endurance, but I could always improve on speed, & just because I ♥ to run, it doesn’t mean that walkers out there are slower than yours truly. Although I was far from fast & close to last, I still received a trophy for placing in my age group (still 24-29) for the 5K, so yay for the day, cheer for the year!
My question in using these events as a metaphor for life is: Do you cruise or rush through (something my classmate/colleague Jaime pointed out to me), & do you take baby steps or giant leaps?