Visiting my Family in Glenview (December 2003)

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Simon happened to have two weeks of vacation this December, so he figured he would drive to Glenview in his Audi A4, and hang out there for a bit. I figured despite recent craziness with work and being sick, I would take a weekend and fly out there as well so the two of us would be in the Chicago area at the same time.

These pictures were all taken at my dad's church, Grace Chinese Christian Church in Skokie, IL. My dad founded this church when I was a little kid; at that time, it met out of a garage! We then rented what was then Crawford Avenue Baptist Church for services... then the Oakton Community Center in downtown Skokie... and finally my dad led the church to an old office building on appropriately named Church Street, which is where the church is today.

Me with my mother in my dad's office
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A somewhat ironic shot of me sitting in my dad's chair in his pastor's office
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This is when I surprised Simon and my mom chatting in my dad's office...
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...this is a slightly more collected shot
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Me with my mother in my dad's office A somewhat ironic shot of me sitting in my dad's chair in his pastor's office This is when I surprised Simon and my mom chatting in my dad's office... ...this is a slightly more collected shot

Another shot of me with my mother in my dad's office
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Simon and me
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My mom and my dad
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My mom and my dad clowning around for the camera
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Another shot of me with my mother in my dad's office Simon and me My mom and my dad My mom and my dad clowning around for the camera

Simon and my mom
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Simon, my mom, and me in my dad's office
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Candid shot of my mother chatting with a friend
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My mother with a woman from church
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Simon and my mom Simon, my mom, and me in my dad's office Candid shot of my mother chatting with a friend My mother with a woman from church

Simon and my dad playing ping-pong at church
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Simon whacks a forehand return
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My dad waiting for Simon to serve
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Simon posing in between rounds of extreme ping-pong
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Simon and my dad playing ping-pong at church Simon whacks a forehand return My dad waiting for Simon to serve Simon posing in between rounds of extreme ping-pong

Simon, my mom, and me
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A portrait of my mother
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A family portrait
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Simon, my mom, and me A portrait of my mother A family portrait  

Apparently, my dad is a fierce ping-pong player, pretty much undefeated in singles matches at his church (which features the requisite numbers of resident Chinese ping-pong fanatics). Last year I bought him some new rubber for his ping-pong paddle (the HURRICANE-2, used by then world Champion Wang Li-Qin!). I guess this year Simon bought him a new, even snazzier, Titainum-core (!) paddle which obsoletes the HURRICANE-2. Oh well.

Every time I visit the Chicago area in the winter I get reminded of just how darned cold it is there. I think it was my friend Benjy who once commented that he never wanted to live anywhere again where you could die just by going outside. I like the Chicago area a lot—particularly downtown and North Chicago where there's a lot of vibrant life—but I can sympathize with this view! I'm pretty glad to be from the Midwest, though.

Maybe someday my parents will move somewhere warmer... it pretty much depends on where Simon ends up after his residency, I guess.


Andrew Ho (andrew@zeuscat.com)