I went on the fly-fly

I’m still happy. That’s really all you need to know for now.

…I flew home for the first time in years as opposed to the usual drive. I was partly tired of driving and didn’t want to put any more miles on my car than I had too. Plus, I’ve never flown JetBlue or out of Long Beach.

So on the plane ride up, I was able to experience all that JetBlue had to offer. The DirecTV was pretty cool, but I enjoyed the XM radio more. I just wished it had comedy channels.

The first night was pretty simple. My father stayed with us in San Leandro and we went to dinner.

The next day I drove my father back to the farm and my sister followed an hour or so later. From there we took our dad into town for a doctor’s appointment. We got lunch and picked up his medication then drove him back home. He said he wanted to stay home just to take care of the plants.

That night, I attended my first Giants game at AT&T Park. My brother-in-law suggested we bike ride to the game, sort of. We rode to the BART station – about two to three miles away from their house – then rode to the stadium. Now, I spent some of the time looking around sightseeing while he was jamming to the stadium. So I had to catch him. I had a good time and, of course, the Giants won. And yes, I would do that again.

The next morning my sister and I drove back to the valley to attend a swim meet in Oakdale where my niece and nephew from Turlock were competing in.

Before that, we stopped off and picked up my dad. Then we went Tracy and visit my mother. We brought her some fresh flowers and cleaned up the older ones.

After the swim meet – where I saw my niece and nephew win a couple of their heats – we went to Turlock for dinner then went back to the Bay Area. The next day I flew home and went straight to work.

So now my sister in San Leandro is now asking me: When are you coming back?

… While I was in Northern California, I was near my K-8 school. Coincidentally, it was at the same time they were closing down the school.

Since 1972, Delta Island was a school that served a wide area of students. Before it opened, there were many smaller schools. My older sisters attended such a school. Then Delta Island opened and all the students from the smaller school funneled to there.

My family was a big part of that school. It’s where all my siblings and I received their eighth grade diploma. And, of course, I was the last family member to attend that school in 1992.

One of my sisters asked me why I made such a big deal about it (I started an alumni page on Facebook). In a way, she was right; I really didn’t care much about that school. However, no matter what I thought about that school, I knew it served a purpose.

Now that it is closed, all the migrant parents will have to send their children further away for their education. They’ll have to hope as well that their child or children don’t get sick because it will be a further drive into town to pick them up.

When I heard about the school closing, I thought about what if I was still attending school. What would have my parents done?

I think about that and wonder how parents of the former Delta Island are going to deal with it.

… For those of you that have yet to check out “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” you need to do so.

I think his cold opening to begin his reign as host was perfectly suited for him; from the premise to the music selection. I’ve caught all the replays on hulu and like what I see so far. I plan on attending a taping sometime this summer, if I can ever get my hands on some tickets.