Update on my ankle

In previous blog posts, I mentioned about getting an ankle sprain last month.

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/sprained-ankle.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/recovery-from-ankle-sprain.html

I can now walk without a cane. The ankle doesn't hurt like it did last month, but sometimes, I have to remind myself to slow down just to protect my ankle. 

It's like my mind & most of my body wants to move faster, but my ankle wants to move slower. 

Out of respect for my ankle, I am having to slow down my pace while walking! 

Notes on recent deaths (Hawaii edition)

 

These are some notable people in Hawaii who have recently passed away!

1) Willie Talamoa

Of all the people who have died in Hawaii from the coronavirus, Willie Talamoa probably got the most attention. He was working with the community in various capacities including youth football coach, security in public schools and hospitals and service assistant at a homeless shelter run by the Institute for Human Services (IHS). It was the IHS shelter that had a coronavirus outbreak, which most likely led to Talamoa's death. 

I've met Talamoa before back in high school. He was a few years younger than me.  He was part of the school's football team. Fast forward years later, I did a temp job testing mobile communications at a local hospital, and Talamoa was working security there.  

I've never had a chance to have a real conversation beyond the usual greetings.  I wish I had at least reach out on social media when he was still alive. 

Learn more 

https://www.kitv.com/story/42531113/36yearold-dies-of-covid19-associated-with-ihs-cluster

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/24/hawaii-news/covid-victim-was-beloved-farrington-football-assistant/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/22/year-old-oahu-man-who-died-covid-remembered-always-upbeat-positive/

2.) Raymond Perty (aka Tuxedo Man)

In tropical and sometimes humid Hawaii, most of us would avoid wearing tuxedos unless going to a special function at night.

Raymond Perty wore a tuxedo every day, and it made him stand out from the crowd. He spent a lot of time on the campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, especially in the libraries. I would also see him walking around Manoa valley. 

He was also known for carrying a lot of plastic bags with him. While I was in the past accused of having a plastic bag fetish (all because I opposed a ban on plastic bags being given out at stores), Perty carried a lot of plastic bags with him at all times. People wondered if he was homeless, even though he dressed as if he was working with the symphony. 

Perty has died last month. The cause of death was not publicized. 

Learn more at 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/09/10/editorial/island-voices/column-an-era-ends-with-passing-of-tuxedo-man-raymond-k-petry/

===============

Now, for the next few individuals, they died months ago, but I was too distracted to blog about them until now.

3.) Willie K and Kaulana Pakele

Both are longtime Hawaiian musicians.

Willie K would be the most well-known one since he's a solo artist. He could do all genres of music, from Hawaiian, reggae, rock, Latin, blues, country and even the opera! He could do it all.

He even gained the respect of famous musicians from far away like Willie Nelson and Steve Tyler. 

He had a powerful voice that was sadly cut short recently due to lung cancer. 

----

Kaulana Pakele was a lead singer with two famous Hawaii reggae bands, Ehukai and Manao Company.  With Ehukai, their most popular song was "Molokai Slide". With Manao Company, they already had some hits before Pakele joined in, but the biggest one with them together was “Spread A Little Aloha.”

Pakele died in May from drowning while swimming off the shore of Makaha. 

Learn more at

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/19/hawaii-news/hawaii-music-legend-willie-k-dies-at-age-59-after-2-year-battle-with-cancer/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/05/19/hawaiian-music-legend-willie-k-dies-after-lengthy-battle-lung-cancer-battle/

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/26/breaking-news/kaulana-pakele-lead-singer-of-manao-company-dies-at-47/

This blog is to document my thoughts as I'm living, not when I'm dead

There's controversy over how Herman Cain's twitter account is being used after his death! 

It's being used to comment on things that happened after he died!

And interestingly enough, it has been used to deny the seriousness of the coronavirus, even though Herman Cain has died of the coronavirus! 

Learn more at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/08/31/herman-cain-twitter-account/



So this will be my statement for my blog (and all my other social media accounts)

Before I die, I want it to be known that

• This blog (and all my other social media accounts) is only to document on my thoughts when I'm alive 

•  I do NOT consent to any postings on my blog (or any of my other social media accounts) to comment on anything that happens after I am dead!

• After I am dead, the blog (and other social media posts) shall live on only so readers can learn what I thought when I was alive!

• In other words, leave my blogs and social media accounts as is when I die!

=====

Before I die, I want it to be known I don't want this account to be used after my death to comment on things happening...
Posted by Pablo Wegesend on Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Before I die, I want it to be known I don't want this account to be used after my death to comment on things happening after my death! This twitter is only to document on my thought when I'm alivehttps://t.co/QlCQkxPzXE

— Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior (@PabloTheMdTgrWr) September 2, 2020

In memory of Lu-Ann Aguilar

Lu-Ann Aguilar (aka Miss Lu-Ann)  was an Educational Assistant (EA) at Princess Kaiulani Elementary School, one of the schools I spent a lot of time subbing at. 

She shared a classroom with a Special Education teacher Peggy Barretto (aka Miss Peggy) which was their headquarters before they go to different inclusion classrooms to help students who needed extra assistance. 

Miss Lu-Ann also assisted the school's JPO's (Junior Police Officer), which are basically student crossing guards.

When I subbed at the school, it was always a joy whenever I had the chance to talk with Miss Lu-Ann. We would compare notes on what we observed from the students we worked with that day. She had a good sense of humor about situations, but she could also be stern with students who misbehaved. 

-----

I have learned that Miss Lu-Ann passed away on Saturday, August 1st. 

I am not aware about the cause of her death at this time.

recovery from ankle sprain

Last week Wednesday (8/12/2020), I suffered an ankle sprain as noted in my previous blog post that was published the following day

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/sprained-ankle.html

On the first 3 days (August 12-14), I didn't even leave my apartment building. 

On Saturday, August 15, I only left because I had a previously scheduled dentist appointment, and my parents had an appointment with the same dentist the same day. If that wasn't the case, I would've canceled.  My parents had crutches in their car, but I was fine just using my cane.

Sunday, August 16, I just stayed in my building, though I did walk with my cane and my rolling laundry cart to the laundry room. While there, I was talking to a neighbor who was on crutches a few months earlier.

Monday, August 17, was my first walk outside by myself with my cane.

Tuesday/Wednesday (August 18-19), I did a few errands with my cane and while riding the bus.

I could take short walks within my apartment without my cane, but that's just short walks.   I still use my cane as support for outside walks for longer distances.  

Today, I did take another walk outside with my cane. It went well for the most part, but my ankle needed a rest afterward. 

 I was actually planning to not need my cane tomorrow, but I think that will wait.  My next goal is to not need my cane by Monday.

sprained ankle

It all started yesterday. I was planning to go to the YMCA and it was going to be the first time with a face shield I ordered online.  As I was walking from my apartment to the bus stop, my foot landed sideways and I nearly fell.  At that point, I thought it was best to cancel the YMCA plans.

I did walk home and soak my foot in cold water. At that point, I was thinking it will calm down and go back to normal soon.

Afterwards, I sat in front of my computer for a few hours and noticed the pain in my foot was getting worse. 

It was at a point where I didn't even dare walk on that foot.  All the chairs I have in my apartment have wheels and that's the only way I could travel in my home.

I also still had a cane that I had from when I had my first ankle sprain (back in 1998, when I was in aikido class where I landed the wrong way after being thrown by a classmate).

With the foot paint, I couldn't walk myself to a clinic or even the bus stop. So I called 911 for paramedics.

My mind was thinking "I heard people get billed a lot for ambulance rides", "do I have ride with the loud sirens", "would they just stop by, give advice and leave me home?"

They did stop by, asked a bunch of questions, I explained my situation. They said it might not be a good idea to bring me to the hospital due to the increase in coronavirus cases, and that my bones aren't broken.  But they did gave me a cold compress packet to apply to my ankle, and they suggested ice treatment, and for me to call my primary care physician the next day. (note: at that point, it was already 6pm)

I did my own ice treatment (apply ice pack to area for circa 20 minutes) and decided it would be best for me to go to sleep earlier than usual.

This morning, I decided to set a teleconference appointment with my primary care doctor. I told her all of what happened. With the webcam, I showed her my foot and she noticed some redness. She asked if I took any medication (Tylenol, and also oxybutinin which was prescribed for overactive bladder).  She then suggested I that I stay home a couple days, not stand on my feet, do the ice treatments, and take some Motrin (pain medication with anti-inflammatory effects, unlike Tylenol).

I didn't have Motrin, so I decided to finally try one of those delivery services that got popular during the initial coronavirus shutdown. 

Postmates websites wasn't user friendly, so I decided to use Instacart.  I ordered my Motrin, and it got delivered in less than 2 hours. 

Now, I'm just sitting in front of the computer, typing this as I contemplate living the next few days in "house arrest".


I was supposed to go to the dentist in a few days, coincidentally the same day my parents have their appointment.  They promised to pick me up, and they said they had extra crutches. Time will tell if that would work. 

Part of me is miserable I have to suffer this in a year that already gone crazy. I was also supposed to start another temp work assignment in a few weeks.  Part of me is grateful I still have a shelter (for now), have access to medical services and Instacart. I'm also grateful I already had chairs with wheels so I can go around my apartment without walking.   

This is Day 2, only time will tell how fast my recovery will be.

positive work mentors (summer program and library edition)

Back in 2013, I wrote a blog post about the positive teachers I had in my life.
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/positive-teachers.html

Since then, I was thinking of writing a blog post about positive workplace mentors. Along the way, I got distracted by other things and forgot about it.

Now is the time.

This blog post focuses on a summer program mentor and library mentors I had in the past. Mentors in other fields could be mentioned in future blog posts, time permitting!

This blog post doesn't list everyone that made positive contributions to my work success, so please don't take it personally if you are not mentioned in this blog post.  When time permits, I could mention you in future posts. 


===

1.) Vince DeBina

I have to start with the mentor who had the most impact on me.

That would be Vince DeBina, who used to be the Recreational Director at Palama Settlement. He was my supervisor back when I was working with their summer programs back in 2005 & 2006.

For those who are not familiar with Palama Settlement, it is a non-government, non-profit community center serving a low-income area of Honolulu. The surrounding area includes some low-income public housing complexes and really old wooden houses.  Much of the population in the surrounding area are immigrant families, though there are some Native Hawaiians there too!


2005 was a year in which I was figuring out what to do with my life now that I got my bachelor's degree from UH-Mānoa. 

I was hired to work as a substitute teacher with the Department of Education that same year. For the summertime, I applied to work at Palama Settlement.

Vince was the person who interviewed and hired me.

This, even though I had never worked in any summer programs before.

And yes, I was in for a rude awakening.

A rookie assigned to work with a group of very rowdy students. 

Rookie errors? Best believe it!

Situations where I felt overwhelmed? Best believe it!

Situations where I felt some serious self-doubt? Best believe it!

Situations where I didn't know what I was really doing? Best believe it!

I never wanted to be "the mean guy", but once students get out of hand and they needed some discipline, I became "the guy who is always yelling".

Now that was very heart-breaking to me.

To be honest, I never even thought of myself as a "yeller" before this. But then again, I was never in that many leadership roles before this either. 

However, Vince was there to guide me in how to best handle situations. Vince told me that yes I have to be stern, but I also have to be calm.

That took a lot of practice. It's not something you can fix overnight.
I have definitely improved on that over time.

Vince also emphasized that you have to keep the students busy because any downtime is a time when they can get out of control really fast. After all, kids aren't good at staying still. 

I wasn't really good at coming up with new activities, but Vince showed me some games I do with the students while they are waiting for the next activity.

Since then, I have learned some funny stretches to do when the students are waiting forever for the next activity to set up, or when they are waiting for the bell to ring.
---

Another I learned from Vince was how to best deal with less than ideal co-workers. We had this ex-military guy Jesse who thinks he's everyone's boss. I wrote about him at
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-bullies-of-summer-fun-exposed-to.html


When I mentioned the issue to Vince, he told me "tell him 'thanks for your concern, but ..............'"

In other words, Vince was teaching me how to be diplomatic.

==============

After the summer was over, I went back to being a substitute teacher. Again, this was all new to me. Crazy situations that tested my patience. Situations I never dealt with before. Situations that I witnessed something similar as a kid but now have to take the lead and handle it as an adult.

Sometimes, I would visit Palama Settlement and if Vince was there, I would tell him about the situations I was facing as a substitute teacher in the DOE. Vince himself was a former DOE teacher so he's been there.

For example, there was this bizarre situation where this student claimed to need to use the bathroom so I had to write a bathroom pass. I ask "what is your name", she said, "I forgot what my name is". This went on, then I was so angry at her mind games that I SCREAMED "WHAT IS YOUR NAME? WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" (circa 5-6 times).


You know what Vince told me? "If they don't tell you their name, just don't write the bathroom pass. If they really need to go, they'll tell your their name"

DAMMIT, I wish I thought of that!

I mentioned to Vince that a few times, some of the students wanted to fight me. I told him the situation and I mentioned that I told a few of them to "shut up". Vince told me that "shut up" is a fighting word and it's better to tell them "please be quiet right now". 

It's been years since I last told students to "shut up"

He also mentioned that it's also better to call security in case the situation gets out of hand instead of yelling at the students.

About a year later, I told him that one principal (Brian Mizuguchi, who used to be principal at Central Middle School) claimed that I call for security too much. Vince said, "what's wrong with calling for security?" So now I have to learn new ways to de-escalate situations without needing to yell or calling security. 

So much wisdom was being learned as I talked with Vince. I learned about how to deal with situations where you're under pressure to make instant decisions that can make or break your career.   It was lessons that I didn't get from my family or friends.

Thanks to Vince, I was learning to transition into becoming a mature adult.

Now, being a mature adult doesn't mean being serious 24-7. Vince had a great sense of humor about situations, but it was a mature and appropriate sense of humor. No "locker room jokes" that can get you fired in our industry. Vince knew how to use humor to de-escalate situations instead of escalating situations. 

Vince has since retired from Palama Settlement for a few years already.

But I will always appreciate the great words of wisdom I got from him. He is like a father-figure to me and he will always be appreciated.

2.) Library mentors

Libraries have usually been my favorite places to work at.  Organizing bookshelves is like heaven to me, and many of the workers (with a few exceptions) are the most wonderful people to be around.


The first job I ever had was at the McCully-Moiliili Public Library. I was hired for a temporary position a few months after graduating from high school in 1999. The people who interviewed and hired me was Christel Olsen and Daniel Nitta. They offered simple & clear instructions and I was able to organize the bookshelves with minimal supervision 

My next library job was at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. For the Fall 2000 semester, I was working in the Periodical section under Ellen Solomon. For  Spring & Summer 2001, I was at the Inter-Library Loan department under Pat Ogburn. In both cases, I was working with very nice & approachable supervisors who gave me clear instructions and allowed me to my tasks in peace.

------------------------

My favorite library job of all time was at the Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (LBPH) from 2002 to 2004. My supervisor was Nani Hee. A very sweet person with a great sense of humor and sincere friendliness. I wished all supervisors are like that. 

In that job, I mostly organized the shelves as well as incoming & outgoing mail.  That work was like heaven to me. 

The only reason I left LBPH was my position (part-time student helper) was a low-paying position and I was offered a higher paying Federal Work-Study position at UHM. 

I returned to LBPH during the summer of 2014 doing an independent research project as a student enrolled in UHM's Library & Information Science (LIS) program. She was then doing the library's radio reading service which provides news radio services for eligible patrons. 

learn more at
https://f50b11d0-8144-4b73-aa56-1defbe26de98.filesusr.com/ugd/c8d67a_423100c258d2412f97a3bb90c6ee4396.docx?dn=LBPH%20Radio%20Reading%20Services.docx

Fast forward to February 2020, and Nani Hee was given the Excellence in Service (EIS) award from the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH). I was at the ceremony, which took place at the Hawaii State Library.  She definitely deserved the award.

I did talk to Nani Hee at the ceremony. She was now the only LBPH staff member from my era that is still there.  Definitely a lot of institutional knowledge after all those years. 

Now that I think about it, it was a great thing that the ceremony took place in February because a month later, everything was shut down due to the coronavirus crisis. 


-------------

Speaking of the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH), we have the Executive Director Nainoa Mau.

Don't let the Executive Director title intimidate you, Nainoa Mau is a very down-to-earth person who will address all your concerns with a friendly smile.

I first volunteered with FLH in the summer of 2013 for its annual booksale at McKinley High School. I've been at every booksale there and at Washington Middle School since then.  At all those booksales, Nainoa Mau is constantly bombarded with questions, but I never see him feel overwhelmed there. 

Starting in 2017, FLH opened its mini-bookstore Books@Mark's in downtown. I usually assisted on First Fridays every month until the coronavirus crisis. Sometimes, Nainoa Mau would drop by, but even when he's not around, I could text him and he would respond. 

In everything I do there, Nainoa Mau has been very patient in giving me instructions, advice, and encouragement. When errors happened, he has been able to help me correct them.  I wish every supervisor was like this. 

Thanks to Nainoa Mau and the rest of the staff & volunteers, FLH is like family to me.  It's been very sad that much of their activity has been shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis.  However, they plan to move their warehouse to a more convenient location soon, so I might see them more often in the near future. 

======

People usually think of libraries as a place where books are stored. However, there are other types of libraries as well. One of them is the Image Library, where analog slides and other visual materials are stored for use by its constituents. At the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, the Art & Art History department had its own Image Library for which I did an internship during the Fall 2015 semester. Within that semester, the Image Library changed its name to the Visual Resource Center (VRC). 

For the internship, I did a digitization project, where I prepared a group of analog slides (taken by a now-retired art history professor) to be digitized on the UHM's Museum's flicker page.

Learn more at that project at
 https://pwegesen.wixsite.com/pablowegesendlis/lis-690-fall-2015-projects

I chose to do an internship at the VRC due to a classmate's positive review of his experience there. The internship supervisor there was Kanako Iwase.  She was very patient in training me to do many technical things that I've never done before. I learned to use new (and old) equipment and software. She helped with troubleshooting whatever issues occur along the way. When things go smoothly, I can do my work independently without excessive interference. And most importantly, the slower pace of that work environment was heaven to me. 

She since moved on to another location, so I don't even know if the VRC is still being used. But whatever happened, VRC will always have a special place in my heart.

======

The last mentor I will mention for now is Wayde Oshiro.

He was an assigned mentor when I applied for a mentorship program with the Hawaii Library Association (HLA) in 2018. At the time, I was still struggling to find a full-time library position, and I wanted to remain updated with what's going on in the library world. 

I was assigned to Mr. Oshiro, who was working at Leeward Community College (LCC), a location that is convenient for those who live on the western half of the island, but I live in the eastern half of the island, so scheduling a visit took a while. But once that visit was scheduled, it was magical. Oshiro gave me a tour of LCC's library, had me observed a library instructional session (where a librarian taught a class how to search library databases) and a special presentation by guest speakers. We then talked individually about the past & future of libraries.

In the fall of 2019, I met up with Mr. Oshiro and I talked about my adventures working at a public middle school library. He did ask about visiting there and I was considering inviting him to a career day presentation. However, too many distractions come to my mind, and I later left that middle school library I was working at. 


Right now, I'm hoping for even more great work mentors to come my way in the future!