Here it is, Dec 26th, a federal holiday as of last week. The weather today is very uncertain, with wild wind gusts and sudden downpours. The shopping areas are likely all crowded with bargain hunters and gift returners. So not much to do but stay at home and veg! Which in my case, includes updating this blog...
On Christmas Eve, we went to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. I'd bought us tickets even before we knew who was playing. Just thought it would be fun to go to a college bowl game. The matchup ended up Univ of Hawaii (7-6) vs Notre Dame (6-6), and the sportswriters ranked it the 7th most exciting potential game.
Aloha Stadium has 50,000 seats and 8500 parking spots, so we went to a designated satellite lot near us and took a bus. That worked out a lot better than I'd hoped. We got to the stadium about a half hour before kickoff, which gave me time for a bio break and Chris time to get a beer. Then we settled into our seats, which were also more comfortable that I'd hoped, and got to see the national and state anthems sung before kick-off. Of course, I sang along, to the usual furtive over-the-shoulder looks I get when I sing...
Our seats were just nine rows up from the field. If I'm being very generous, I could describe them as the 1-yard line... But we could still see pretty well. Notre Dame got two touchdowns before Hawaii got one. When it was 14-7, I still thought we were looking at a competitive game. But at half time, it was 28-7. Still, I'm an optimist. I watched Frank Reich bring back the Univ of Maryland all those years ago from that 31 point deficit. Things can happen in college ball.
They can. And they did, for Notre Dame. You can read all the details on a sports page. By the middle of the 4th quarter, it was 49-14, and we decided to see if they were loading buses for our satellite lot. Fortunately, they were, and the bus driver had the game on the radio, so we could hear Hawaii get their last touchdown and make the score 49-21. "Boy, it has really cleared out here," said the announcer, and all of us on the bus laughed at that.
OH, the half time show! No football game is complete without that. The half time show started with a nice slow hula danced to "Over the Rainbow", and then the next song had the Tahitian hip-shakin' hula dancers with male fire dancers (what's a Hawaiian event without fire dancers?). They were pushing the musician platform off the field as the players were getting into position for the second half kick off.
Still, it was fun to see a football game live. Notre Dame scored right in front of us, with a receiver catching a ball, and that was pretty neat to see so close up. We had a few sprinkles on us, but otherwise it was great to sit outside in the afternoon and enjoy the moment. We ate pretzels and popcorn and teased the Notre Dame fan sitting next to us, in his ND jersey, his blue-and-gold kukui nut necklace, and shamrock-shaped green sunglasses.
I was thinking of putting us on a whale watching boat today, but the website doesn't guarantee whales until January, so that'll be an event for next month. Besides, the winds don't look promising for spending any time on a boat... So we're just hanging out. Chris is watching the Dirty Jobs marathon on the Discovery Channel, and I'm reading a great book that Chris bought me, and may go read / nap by the pool! Hope your day after Christmas is equally enjoyable.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The weekend before Christmas...
...means football! Somehow we missed yesterday's Ravens-Cowboys game, which is especially a shame since the Cowboys lost, which ALWAYS makes my day.
We're currently watching the Titans-Steelers game and the Titans are ahead 24-14 with 9 minutes to go, but the Steelers are capable of coming back...
Chris was complaining about the commercials and how repetitive they are. I said, "That's part of the point. Repetition. Doesn't this commercial make you want to run out and buy diamonds for me at Kay's Jewelers?"
"No," he replied, "But I do want to go buy you a Bud."
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Race Results!
First, I was afraid that the severe weather we've had lately would cause me to follow up on my evil idea from yesterday - just keep shirt and not actually do the walk... Last night shortly before going to bed for my abbreviated sleep, we were still having monsoon conditions.
But when I got up at 1:30, all was quiet outside, so I put on my walking outfit and took off for Honolulu. It was a very pleasant drive at that time of night! I successfully navigated to the point where the info sheet had said to park, near the zoo.
Except the road was blocked coming from the north. No big deal, I thought, I'll just go around the block and come in from the other side. The other side was blocked, too, so I rolled down my window and shouted questions to the policeman. "We're supposed to park there. The info sheet says so," I said, waving it about.
"I can't let you up that street. That's where the buses pick up."
"I know. That's why the info sheet says to park there."
"I don't have any information on that," says the man in the uniform. "I can't let you up there."
The marathon organizers are getting a letter, I think, as I try to figure out what to do next. Somehow I end up on this side street that has a small parking lot. The sign at the entrance doesn't seem to have any restrictions, so with some misgivings, I park the car, lock it, and walk away wondering if I'll ever see it again. I'm just a short walk from the bus pickup point, though.
It's just after 3am at this point, so there's no line for the bus either. No nice luxurious tourist buses, though, just schoolbuses. As it takes us through the streets of Waikiki, lots of people are walking towards the start line, near the Ala Moana Beach Park and the mall.
The bus drops us in the beach park, nowhere really near the start, so I walk across the grass heading towards the street. Large groups of Japanese people are being led through some stretches and exercises, but it strikes me as a bit early for that.
I already have 20 min of walk time on my pedometer, and now it's about 3:40am. Near the start is a stone wall that's just the right height for me to sit on. I'm dreading the tedium of the next hour and a half.
At this start line are several people holding tall poles with flags that say "Race Day Walk," so that's how I know I'm in the right spot. One of the officials says to those of us sitting on the wall, "Get in line, get in line."
"We're supposed to just stand in line for an hour and a half?" I ask. Well, I don't really ask. There's a strong note of challenge and skepticism in my voice.
"You need to warm up your legs anyway," he says.
"Standing doesn't warm up your legs," I replied.
"I'm just trying to make things easier for everybody," he says, implying that I'm not helping. Well, I'm not standing up for 90 minutes. Walking, no problem. Standing is much harder. But that's the end of our conversation. I pass the time by watching the people coming through our group to line further up for the marathon.
There were a few people in costume. One guy was in a Yoda outfit, complete with light saber and a Christmas hat on his Yoda head. A couple of Japanese girls had grass skirts and coconut bras over their running clothes. Most people were fairly skinny, but a few had some bellies on 'em. Many of the walkers were wearing the shirts they'd given us yesterday.
The wheelchair runners got a police motorcycle escort through the crowd, and we all applauded as they came through. Our area slowly filled up, and the guy tried to get us all to stand up again. I still didn't get the point of that.
Just before five, the opening ceremony began. Someone sang the national anthem. I sang along, the only American voice in the crowd. I didn't think anyone was paying attention, but several people turned around at the end. One Japanese lady said, "nice, nice, nice." The mayor said a few words. The Japanese translator was louder than the other speakers, so our guests heard what was said, but I couldn't make out most of it. Then they set off fireworks, which was a great way to start.
The running crowd looked to be around 31,000 people (that's the highest bib number I saw - though the paper said 23,000 were expected to actually start), and we were close to 6,000. Getting that many runners through the start line (so the chip in their shoe registers their start time) takes a while. The folks holding the flags would take us up a few feet forward at a time. Alas, we didn't merit chips, so it didn't really matter how we crossed the start line, but the officials wanted all the runners through first.
Since I was at the front of the walkers, I pretty quickly was mingling with the last of the runners. The runners are supposed to line up based on their projected finish time, so the slower ones are at the back, and some of them walk the first couple of miles, or walk the whole course.
My main thought at that time was "where are the porty potties along the route." My one comfort stop earlier in the morning had worn off. An Irish bar, bless its heart, was open very early and allowing us to use the facilities. We'll have to go back and eat there sometime...
It was very pretty walking along Honolulu's streets in the dark like that. I was glad to get the chance to see some of the Christmas displays. A lot of the Japanese were stopping to take their pictures with the various displays and formations of lights.
Since we didn't have an official timer, I was using the one on my watch. They had placed kilometer and mile markers along the route, so at 5km, I was pleased to see I'd been on the road about 55 minutes, which included my bathroom break.
But sometime between mile 3 and mile 4, my left hip started to act up, and I shortened my stride to try to make it better. No longer was I passing people, but was one of the ones being passed. I kept telling myself finishing this first one was the goal.
But after mile 4, it was down to a dull ache and I was back into a comfortable rhythm. My right knee, the one with the ruptured ligament, was fine the whole time. It rained off and on, sometimes just a refreshing sprinkle and occasionally a healthy downpour. I'd grabbed a trash bag from the house before taking off and put a hole in it for my head, and had that around my shoulders. Next time, I thought, grab the lawn/leaf size rather than the kitchen size...
Along the way, we passed a couple of water stations where they passed out cups of water. Apparently the custom at these things is to toss the cup on the ground and the volunteers sweep and shovel them up, but it went against the grain to do so! The second cup I got, I just held onto it until I saw a trash can.
Never did see those oatmeal cookies the paper mentioned...
Our walking finish line was just beyond Waikiki, so we could see the ocean for the last half mile or so. There were also people on the sidewalks shouting encouragement. Most of those were Japanese, but there were a few Americans. One lady was holding an umbrella, yelling nice things and offering high fives.
Some felt compelled to yell back, "we're just the walkers," but I figured we're participants in this event, and if she wants to holler for us, fine with me, so I high-fived her as I went by. Another women held a sign, "You're all winners today." All of those were a welcome distraction from the dull pain in my hip.
At last, I could see the finish line! I looked down at my watch and it showed a time of 1:53. I was very pleased to see that, all things considered. When I did the 10K Volksmarches in Germany, seemed like those took 2-2.5 hrs, but we were usually going up and down on uneven terrain, and this had been a flat walk on asphalt. I figure it was more like 1:55 when I finally crossed it. There were lots of photographers there and I tried to give my best finisher smile. I suspect I'll get word there's a website where I can look up my number and buy my picture...
We did actually get a certificate for finishing, and a palmetto-shaped plastic fan. I believe the marathoners get a cert with their name and time, but ours just said, "Finisher." I stood in line for the restroom first and wandered around the park looking at the tents. Most were set up by Japanese companies or clubs, and there were also tents for the marathon finishers, and places to get their "finisher" shirts. I tried to get close to their finish line to cheer on the ones coming in, but it was blocked off. I could see a couple of finishers at the showers just beyond the finish line, and we cheered for them. They were still on their feet, but looked pretty tired.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still had some energy left, which was good since I was going to need it to get to the car and then drive home! I stopped at a little store for a Coke Zero. No more of that water stuff for me! It tasted great.
Other results - the overall and men's winner (from Kenya) finished at 2:14:35. The women's top finisher (Japanese) was 2:32:36. One of the more impressive finishes for me was in the women's 80-84 age division. The winner finished in 4:49:45. And she's 81. She was 1,387 overall.
And Gladys - did she break the record?
Well, it doesn't look like it. According to the race results, she hasn't finished yet, and it's over 9 hrs, 20 minutes. But I hope she finishes and comes back next year...
But when I got up at 1:30, all was quiet outside, so I put on my walking outfit and took off for Honolulu. It was a very pleasant drive at that time of night! I successfully navigated to the point where the info sheet had said to park, near the zoo.
Except the road was blocked coming from the north. No big deal, I thought, I'll just go around the block and come in from the other side. The other side was blocked, too, so I rolled down my window and shouted questions to the policeman. "We're supposed to park there. The info sheet says so," I said, waving it about.
"I can't let you up that street. That's where the buses pick up."
"I know. That's why the info sheet says to park there."
"I don't have any information on that," says the man in the uniform. "I can't let you up there."
The marathon organizers are getting a letter, I think, as I try to figure out what to do next. Somehow I end up on this side street that has a small parking lot. The sign at the entrance doesn't seem to have any restrictions, so with some misgivings, I park the car, lock it, and walk away wondering if I'll ever see it again. I'm just a short walk from the bus pickup point, though.
It's just after 3am at this point, so there's no line for the bus either. No nice luxurious tourist buses, though, just schoolbuses. As it takes us through the streets of Waikiki, lots of people are walking towards the start line, near the Ala Moana Beach Park and the mall.
The bus drops us in the beach park, nowhere really near the start, so I walk across the grass heading towards the street. Large groups of Japanese people are being led through some stretches and exercises, but it strikes me as a bit early for that.
I already have 20 min of walk time on my pedometer, and now it's about 3:40am. Near the start is a stone wall that's just the right height for me to sit on. I'm dreading the tedium of the next hour and a half.
At this start line are several people holding tall poles with flags that say "Race Day Walk," so that's how I know I'm in the right spot. One of the officials says to those of us sitting on the wall, "Get in line, get in line."
"We're supposed to just stand in line for an hour and a half?" I ask. Well, I don't really ask. There's a strong note of challenge and skepticism in my voice.
"You need to warm up your legs anyway," he says.
"Standing doesn't warm up your legs," I replied.
"I'm just trying to make things easier for everybody," he says, implying that I'm not helping. Well, I'm not standing up for 90 minutes. Walking, no problem. Standing is much harder. But that's the end of our conversation. I pass the time by watching the people coming through our group to line further up for the marathon.
There were a few people in costume. One guy was in a Yoda outfit, complete with light saber and a Christmas hat on his Yoda head. A couple of Japanese girls had grass skirts and coconut bras over their running clothes. Most people were fairly skinny, but a few had some bellies on 'em. Many of the walkers were wearing the shirts they'd given us yesterday.
The wheelchair runners got a police motorcycle escort through the crowd, and we all applauded as they came through. Our area slowly filled up, and the guy tried to get us all to stand up again. I still didn't get the point of that.
Just before five, the opening ceremony began. Someone sang the national anthem. I sang along, the only American voice in the crowd. I didn't think anyone was paying attention, but several people turned around at the end. One Japanese lady said, "nice, nice, nice." The mayor said a few words. The Japanese translator was louder than the other speakers, so our guests heard what was said, but I couldn't make out most of it. Then they set off fireworks, which was a great way to start.
The running crowd looked to be around 31,000 people (that's the highest bib number I saw - though the paper said 23,000 were expected to actually start), and we were close to 6,000. Getting that many runners through the start line (so the chip in their shoe registers their start time) takes a while. The folks holding the flags would take us up a few feet forward at a time. Alas, we didn't merit chips, so it didn't really matter how we crossed the start line, but the officials wanted all the runners through first.
Since I was at the front of the walkers, I pretty quickly was mingling with the last of the runners. The runners are supposed to line up based on their projected finish time, so the slower ones are at the back, and some of them walk the first couple of miles, or walk the whole course.
My main thought at that time was "where are the porty potties along the route." My one comfort stop earlier in the morning had worn off. An Irish bar, bless its heart, was open very early and allowing us to use the facilities. We'll have to go back and eat there sometime...
It was very pretty walking along Honolulu's streets in the dark like that. I was glad to get the chance to see some of the Christmas displays. A lot of the Japanese were stopping to take their pictures with the various displays and formations of lights.
Since we didn't have an official timer, I was using the one on my watch. They had placed kilometer and mile markers along the route, so at 5km, I was pleased to see I'd been on the road about 55 minutes, which included my bathroom break.
But sometime between mile 3 and mile 4, my left hip started to act up, and I shortened my stride to try to make it better. No longer was I passing people, but was one of the ones being passed. I kept telling myself finishing this first one was the goal.
But after mile 4, it was down to a dull ache and I was back into a comfortable rhythm. My right knee, the one with the ruptured ligament, was fine the whole time. It rained off and on, sometimes just a refreshing sprinkle and occasionally a healthy downpour. I'd grabbed a trash bag from the house before taking off and put a hole in it for my head, and had that around my shoulders. Next time, I thought, grab the lawn/leaf size rather than the kitchen size...
Along the way, we passed a couple of water stations where they passed out cups of water. Apparently the custom at these things is to toss the cup on the ground and the volunteers sweep and shovel them up, but it went against the grain to do so! The second cup I got, I just held onto it until I saw a trash can.
Never did see those oatmeal cookies the paper mentioned...
Our walking finish line was just beyond Waikiki, so we could see the ocean for the last half mile or so. There were also people on the sidewalks shouting encouragement. Most of those were Japanese, but there were a few Americans. One lady was holding an umbrella, yelling nice things and offering high fives.
Some felt compelled to yell back, "we're just the walkers," but I figured we're participants in this event, and if she wants to holler for us, fine with me, so I high-fived her as I went by. Another women held a sign, "You're all winners today." All of those were a welcome distraction from the dull pain in my hip.
At last, I could see the finish line! I looked down at my watch and it showed a time of 1:53. I was very pleased to see that, all things considered. When I did the 10K Volksmarches in Germany, seemed like those took 2-2.5 hrs, but we were usually going up and down on uneven terrain, and this had been a flat walk on asphalt. I figure it was more like 1:55 when I finally crossed it. There were lots of photographers there and I tried to give my best finisher smile. I suspect I'll get word there's a website where I can look up my number and buy my picture...
We did actually get a certificate for finishing, and a palmetto-shaped plastic fan. I believe the marathoners get a cert with their name and time, but ours just said, "Finisher." I stood in line for the restroom first and wandered around the park looking at the tents. Most were set up by Japanese companies or clubs, and there were also tents for the marathon finishers, and places to get their "finisher" shirts. I tried to get close to their finish line to cheer on the ones coming in, but it was blocked off. I could see a couple of finishers at the showers just beyond the finish line, and we cheered for them. They were still on their feet, but looked pretty tired.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still had some energy left, which was good since I was going to need it to get to the car and then drive home! I stopped at a little store for a Coke Zero. No more of that water stuff for me! It tasted great.
Other results - the overall and men's winner (from Kenya) finished at 2:14:35. The women's top finisher (Japanese) was 2:32:36. One of the more impressive finishes for me was in the women's 80-84 age division. The winner finished in 4:49:45. And she's 81. She was 1,387 overall.
And Gladys - did she break the record?
Well, it doesn't look like it. According to the race results, she hasn't finished yet, and it's over 9 hrs, 20 minutes. But I hope she finishes and comes back next year...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Meet Gladys, my idol..
Tomorrow is the Honolulu Marathon and the 10K race walk. I'm just doing the race walk, but Gladys Burrill is the 90-year-old who inspired me to do that much. Yesterday's local paper had more info on her.
She started doing them just 5 years ago. Now that she's hit 90, she's in a new age bracket and thinks she can beat the record for a 90-year-old woman in a marathon, set in Portland in 1997 at 8:53:08. Her personal best is 8:36, so she definitely has a shot at it. She lives in Oregon most of the year, but has been here training for about 6 weeks, and recently did 20 miles in 6 hours. Her grandson and his wife will do the race with her.
She and her family both mentioned that people try to get their pictures taken with her, which slows her down, so part of her family's job is to try to keep the people away until she finishes. Especially since this could be her record breaking year! The sad part is that her 89-year-old husband passed away just Wednesday night back in Oregon, so she won't get to share the moment with him.
The logistics for the race are a bit daunting for me. The marathoners start off at 4:55, and we walkers at 5:25 (yes, that's in the AM...). Buses run from the parking to the start line between 2-4am. 60-70% of the entrants are from Japan, so hopefully most of them will be staying in hotels near the start and won't be clogging up my parking. I plan to leave home at 2am (oh, it hurts to even put that in writing), which should get me there between 2:30-3:00. (They strongly recommend not to count on catching that last 4am bus...)
So once I'm at the start, I have no clue what there will be to do until 5:25am, except perhaps stand in line for a porta-potty. There will be fireworks before the start, and it will probably be exciting to see the marathoners take off. About 25,000 - 28,000 people will run the race, and there will be about 2,000 of us walkers. Some of the publicity says it's the third largest US marathon. I checked the Marine Corps Marathon, and they say they stop at 30,000 entrants. The NYC Marathon says it had 38,000 last year. Boston had 22,000. So I guess the publicity might even be accurate...
I enjoyed watching the London marathon the last couple of years when we lived in Yorkshire. The non-elite runners often run in costume there. One guy had on a Pink Panther suit, which was probably fine the first mile, but after that, it had to be miserable wearing that thing... People ran in fairy costumes with wings, and some in very little at all (and it's chilly in London for their run...)
Yesterday I went to the expo at the convention center to pick up my souvenir shirt and bib number. I already have that pinned to the shirt I'm wearing tomorrow. (No Pink Panther costume for me - t-shirt and shorts.) I want to have as little as possible to do when I roll out of bed at 1am or so...
I also picked up some other items in a "goody" bag, which was definitely oriented towards the Japanese visitors. Most of the items were primarily written in Japanese with tiny English subtitles, and were mostly offers for tourist attractions I've already seen.
At the finish, they start a concert at 8:45 or so. The elite runners will start finishing around 7am. The wheelchairs usually come in first, then the men around 2:11-2:18, and then the women around 2:25. I expect to finish around 8am (our finish line is the same - we basically do about the first 6 miles of the course). I just hope, since we'll be after the runners, that they leave some water and oatmeal cookies for us along the way.......
The overall winners get some money, and there's also prize money for people born in Hawaii but living elsewhere, and people currently living in Hawaii but born elsewhere and people born and currently living here... And the top 3 in each age category get something, though I don't think it's cash. And every finisher gets a T-shirt and certificate. The awards ceremony starts at 1pm, but I doubt I'll hang around that long. I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap.
And we walkers, well, I guess the shirt I already picked up is it! So I could just stay in bed tomorrow and wear my shirt later. tee hee
But I doubt I'll do that, so stay tuned for a full report tomorrow!
She started doing them just 5 years ago. Now that she's hit 90, she's in a new age bracket and thinks she can beat the record for a 90-year-old woman in a marathon, set in Portland in 1997 at 8:53:08. Her personal best is 8:36, so she definitely has a shot at it. She lives in Oregon most of the year, but has been here training for about 6 weeks, and recently did 20 miles in 6 hours. Her grandson and his wife will do the race with her.
She and her family both mentioned that people try to get their pictures taken with her, which slows her down, so part of her family's job is to try to keep the people away until she finishes. Especially since this could be her record breaking year! The sad part is that her 89-year-old husband passed away just Wednesday night back in Oregon, so she won't get to share the moment with him.
The logistics for the race are a bit daunting for me. The marathoners start off at 4:55, and we walkers at 5:25 (yes, that's in the AM...). Buses run from the parking to the start line between 2-4am. 60-70% of the entrants are from Japan, so hopefully most of them will be staying in hotels near the start and won't be clogging up my parking. I plan to leave home at 2am (oh, it hurts to even put that in writing), which should get me there between 2:30-3:00. (They strongly recommend not to count on catching that last 4am bus...)
So once I'm at the start, I have no clue what there will be to do until 5:25am, except perhaps stand in line for a porta-potty. There will be fireworks before the start, and it will probably be exciting to see the marathoners take off. About 25,000 - 28,000 people will run the race, and there will be about 2,000 of us walkers. Some of the publicity says it's the third largest US marathon. I checked the Marine Corps Marathon, and they say they stop at 30,000 entrants. The NYC Marathon says it had 38,000 last year. Boston had 22,000. So I guess the publicity might even be accurate...
I enjoyed watching the London marathon the last couple of years when we lived in Yorkshire. The non-elite runners often run in costume there. One guy had on a Pink Panther suit, which was probably fine the first mile, but after that, it had to be miserable wearing that thing... People ran in fairy costumes with wings, and some in very little at all (and it's chilly in London for their run...)
Yesterday I went to the expo at the convention center to pick up my souvenir shirt and bib number. I already have that pinned to the shirt I'm wearing tomorrow. (No Pink Panther costume for me - t-shirt and shorts.) I want to have as little as possible to do when I roll out of bed at 1am or so...
I also picked up some other items in a "goody" bag, which was definitely oriented towards the Japanese visitors. Most of the items were primarily written in Japanese with tiny English subtitles, and were mostly offers for tourist attractions I've already seen.
At the finish, they start a concert at 8:45 or so. The elite runners will start finishing around 7am. The wheelchairs usually come in first, then the men around 2:11-2:18, and then the women around 2:25. I expect to finish around 8am (our finish line is the same - we basically do about the first 6 miles of the course). I just hope, since we'll be after the runners, that they leave some water and oatmeal cookies for us along the way.......
The overall winners get some money, and there's also prize money for people born in Hawaii but living elsewhere, and people currently living in Hawaii but born elsewhere and people born and currently living here... And the top 3 in each age category get something, though I don't think it's cash. And every finisher gets a T-shirt and certificate. The awards ceremony starts at 1pm, but I doubt I'll hang around that long. I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap.
And we walkers, well, I guess the shirt I already picked up is it! So I could just stay in bed tomorrow and wear my shirt later. tee hee
But I doubt I'll do that, so stay tuned for a full report tomorrow!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
RAIN
Seems like it's the day for bad weather all the way around. Tonight's news had articles on east coast storms and even snow in New Orleans!
But it was our day, too, even if we didn't make the national news. Last night as we went to bed, a hard, steady rain was falling. When I got up, it was still falling. First thing I did was check the pool, curious if it had rained enough to fill it to the top - yep, sure had. No other rain we've had has made much of an impact. I had some breakfast and did a little to my hair and face and checked the pool and backyard again.
Now, not only was the pool to the brim, but the entire backyard area was under a thin layer of water, which had not been the case just a few minutes before. I got my lunch together and checked the backyard again. More water. I opened our patio doors and looked down. Another inch to go before it would be at the bottom of those doors.
I thought through my calendar and remembered an 0800 that I'd been trying to get set up since late October. Hating to miss that, I left Chris a note and headed out to work.
This is the first time in my adult life that I've had covered parking between door and car, and boy was I grateful for that. Still, the amount of rain on the street was just scary.
The closest way to work that I normally take had a couple of big dips in the roadway that I was certain would be ponds by now, so I took the long way in. The second major left turn I have to make was without its traffic light, but people were being lovely, treating it like a three-way stop and everyone taking turns. They're like that here, most of the time.
I was on the last section of road to work and got completely stopped in traffic, so I picked up my voicemails. The doctor scheduled an appointment for me with a specialist at a time I can't make it. Okey dokey, gotta change that. My new eyeglasses are ready -yippee! The pair I have is literally falling apart.
Two voicemails from work - the second one saying we're closed for the day and not to come in. At the first opportunity, I turn around, but while stuck in traffic, try to call Chris and leave him a message.
On the way home, the road I normally take is flooded, so I head back the long way via the interstate. At one turn, as I'm making a right, it feels like the car won't stop, just like I'm driving on ice. But no, just water, a lot of water.
When I get home, Chris is gone and I see his phone sitting on the kitchen counter getting recharged. Guess he won't be getting my message... The rain has started to let up and the water in the backyard has largely receded, though the pool is still to the very top.
When he does get home, he starts working on pumping out part of the pool, bless his heart. I call the people for the virtual 0800 meeting and let them know why I can't make it... I end up going out to an additional facility we have and viewing the damage there. Then I come home, make some more phone calls, finish my Pearl Harbor book, and take a nap!
I also check the local web sites and follow all the weather drama. Various parts of the island are experiencing severe flooding. Five shelters have opened up for people to go to. About 40 schools have closed. Numerous roads are closed due to flooding and mudslides. About 13,000 people are without power. The state Department of Transportation is asking people not to drive - stay put at home or work.
This is not the tropical weather anyone tells you about...
The news stations also report that the area where we live got between 9 and 11 inches of rain overall last night, at times 3 inches an hour were coming down. We're supposed to get more rain in the next 24 hours, with a flash flood watch still in effect until 4:15pm Friday afternoon.
It's still supposed to be rainy and showery for Sunday, the day of my big 10K moment. But I won't mind walking in a few showers. But the stuff we had today - if it's like this, I'll be here at home...
I understand that the island gets a day like this every year or two. We can expect downpours of 3-4 inches an hour every 22-31 years. So at least we shouldn't have 2-3 more months of this!
Looks like work will be on tomorrow though. Good thing I got that nap in - I can be up early and rarin' to go...
But it was our day, too, even if we didn't make the national news. Last night as we went to bed, a hard, steady rain was falling. When I got up, it was still falling. First thing I did was check the pool, curious if it had rained enough to fill it to the top - yep, sure had. No other rain we've had has made much of an impact. I had some breakfast and did a little to my hair and face and checked the pool and backyard again.
Now, not only was the pool to the brim, but the entire backyard area was under a thin layer of water, which had not been the case just a few minutes before. I got my lunch together and checked the backyard again. More water. I opened our patio doors and looked down. Another inch to go before it would be at the bottom of those doors.
I thought through my calendar and remembered an 0800 that I'd been trying to get set up since late October. Hating to miss that, I left Chris a note and headed out to work.
This is the first time in my adult life that I've had covered parking between door and car, and boy was I grateful for that. Still, the amount of rain on the street was just scary.
The closest way to work that I normally take had a couple of big dips in the roadway that I was certain would be ponds by now, so I took the long way in. The second major left turn I have to make was without its traffic light, but people were being lovely, treating it like a three-way stop and everyone taking turns. They're like that here, most of the time.
I was on the last section of road to work and got completely stopped in traffic, so I picked up my voicemails. The doctor scheduled an appointment for me with a specialist at a time I can't make it. Okey dokey, gotta change that. My new eyeglasses are ready -yippee! The pair I have is literally falling apart.
Two voicemails from work - the second one saying we're closed for the day and not to come in. At the first opportunity, I turn around, but while stuck in traffic, try to call Chris and leave him a message.
On the way home, the road I normally take is flooded, so I head back the long way via the interstate. At one turn, as I'm making a right, it feels like the car won't stop, just like I'm driving on ice. But no, just water, a lot of water.
When I get home, Chris is gone and I see his phone sitting on the kitchen counter getting recharged. Guess he won't be getting my message... The rain has started to let up and the water in the backyard has largely receded, though the pool is still to the very top.
When he does get home, he starts working on pumping out part of the pool, bless his heart. I call the people for the virtual 0800 meeting and let them know why I can't make it... I end up going out to an additional facility we have and viewing the damage there. Then I come home, make some more phone calls, finish my Pearl Harbor book, and take a nap!
I also check the local web sites and follow all the weather drama. Various parts of the island are experiencing severe flooding. Five shelters have opened up for people to go to. About 40 schools have closed. Numerous roads are closed due to flooding and mudslides. About 13,000 people are without power. The state Department of Transportation is asking people not to drive - stay put at home or work.
This is not the tropical weather anyone tells you about...
The news stations also report that the area where we live got between 9 and 11 inches of rain overall last night, at times 3 inches an hour were coming down. We're supposed to get more rain in the next 24 hours, with a flash flood watch still in effect until 4:15pm Friday afternoon.
It's still supposed to be rainy and showery for Sunday, the day of my big 10K moment. But I won't mind walking in a few showers. But the stuff we had today - if it's like this, I'll be here at home...
I understand that the island gets a day like this every year or two. We can expect downpours of 3-4 inches an hour every 22-31 years. So at least we shouldn't have 2-3 more months of this!
Looks like work will be on tomorrow though. Good thing I got that nap in - I can be up early and rarin' to go...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Pearl Harbor Day
I picked up a Friday paper on impulse, and in leafing through it, saw a page about the Pearl Harbor Commemoration today. How perfect, I thought. December 7th on a Sunday! The early hour was a bit daunting. Members of the general public would go by boat to the pier on the Pearl Harbor base, between 6:20 and 7:00am, to have us seated by the 7:30 start. They hold it then since the attack began at 7:55am.
I almost wimped out. I decided to just see if I woke up at 5:30. I woke up at 5:35, so I put on clothes and headed there. I knew from two prior visits to the Pearl Harbor historic sites that no purse would be allowed, so wore my zip off cargo pants and stuff the pockets with money, keys, cell phone, breakfast bar, and my iPod for entertainment. Only 2000 seats were available for the public, so my hopes were dim as I got in the car at 6:00am sharp.
But to my surprise, I didn't even have to park in the overflow lot. I made it in time for boat 4. They gave us these large tickets, abt 8.5x3, that we had to wear. Mine was orange.
I sat and watched a movie I'd downloaded for a few minutes before the start. It had been dark when I left, and dawn was just coming up while I sat there. The clouds were faintly pink. We had a roof, but three sides of the structure were open to the water, and the Arizona memorial was across the water near a small island.
The event began with a Hawaiian blessing, which involved 4 men wearing traditional island clothes blowing conch shells, and then a traditional chanted blessing in Hawaiian.
Next, the USS Chung-Hoon came by in a Pass-in-Review. All the sailors were in their white uniforms standing at attention all around the edge of the deck. One of the Pearl Harbor survivors was brought to the center to give the salute and they all saluted back. This was done as part of the Moment of Silence. It was very moving. I'm getting misty-eyed as I write about it, seeing the gray ship with the white uniforms slowly and respectfully come by, saluting the old gentleman in his Hawaiian shirt.
The ship is named after Rear Admiral Chung-Hoon, a Hawaii native who attended the Naval Academy and was here on the day of the attack.
Then there was an F-14 flyover by the Hawaiian National Guard, in the Missing Man formation. Those planes were loud! It made me wonder how loud it must have been when all those Japanese planes appeared 67 years ago. Next came the presentation of the colors (flags for you non-military types).
A representative from the Japan Religious Committee for World Federation said a prayer for peace, something this group has been doing for the past 27 years.
Then started the speeches. First, Sen Inouye from Hawaii. Then the Lt Governor of Hawaii. Then the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Willard. And next, a historian from the National Park Service who seemed to get genuinely choked up as he introduced the featured speaker, one of the nine remaining crew members from the Doolittle Raid.
That was the main thing that got me out of bed, I think. How many opportunities are there going to be to hear a Doolittle Raider speak? This gentleman was the navigator on the 9th bomber (the Whirling Dervish) to take off that night in April, 1942. There were 80 men who manned the 16 planes; now there are just nine left.
His talk was short and a bit funny. He said they were stationed on the Oregon coast on the day of the attack, and for six weeks afterward, they flew up and down the west coast, expecting more Japanese ships. One time they opened their bomb doors because they thought they'd spotted a submarine, but a sharp-eyed crew member yelled that it was just a whale, so they saved the whale and closed the doors. He was one of two men who were sent to Washington to assemble all the maps the team would need.
As some of you may know, they were spotted 250 miles closer than they'd hoped to be, so they took off from there. After hitting their Tokyo targets, they barely had enough fuel to make China, but a storm gave them a tailwind that got them there. The Chinese helped them, but at great cost. (Wikipedia estimates the Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese in their efforts to find Doolittle's men. )
The write-up in the program also mentioned that this gentleman, Major Tom Griffin, went on to fly missions in Europe, was shot down, and played a role in "The Great Escape."
After Major Griffin (who got a standing ovation for both his beginning and his end), they presented wreaths for each of the ships damaged that day. Thin metal stands lined the long side of the open pier with a life preserver ring and the name of each ship. First came the representatives from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force.
Then a Pearl Harbor survivor came, flanked by a National Park ranger and a young serviceperson, to lay a wreath by each ship. They tried to match each ship with a survivor, but some ships didn't have crew members remaining who could travel any more. So for those, someone from shore or another ship stood in for them. A couple of them had chairs to sit in, but the others stood through the entire wreath laying.
First, a Navy spokesman read some words about the ship. Then a National Park Ranger read some words about the individual and what he was doing that day. Again, some of these remarks were a little funny. One person tried to go back to sleep after he heard the first set of bombs, but the second round "got his attention." Some of the ships lost just a handful of their crew, four or five. The Oklahoma and the Arizona received the most damage, with the Arizona sinking in 9 minutes, losing 1,177 members of her crew. The Oklahoma sunk more slowly and lost over 429 crew members.
After the wreaths, a Navy Chaplain gave a brief benediction, and then the Marine Corps gave a rifle salute. The last thing was the playing of "Taps." They used two trumpets, one echoing the other. I'd never heard it like that before. My eyes spilled over a bit then.
The survivors and dignitaries were taken by boat over to the Arizona Memorial. Those of us great unwashed wearing our big tickets had to wait about 20 minutes for boats to take us back to the visitor center. I bought a book and came on home.
I've been kind of sad and pensive ever since. What a terrible day that must have been. But I'm glad I got out of bed. For this amateur historian, this was an event worth losing a little sleep for.
I almost wimped out. I decided to just see if I woke up at 5:30. I woke up at 5:35, so I put on clothes and headed there. I knew from two prior visits to the Pearl Harbor historic sites that no purse would be allowed, so wore my zip off cargo pants and stuff the pockets with money, keys, cell phone, breakfast bar, and my iPod for entertainment. Only 2000 seats were available for the public, so my hopes were dim as I got in the car at 6:00am sharp.
But to my surprise, I didn't even have to park in the overflow lot. I made it in time for boat 4. They gave us these large tickets, abt 8.5x3, that we had to wear. Mine was orange.
I sat and watched a movie I'd downloaded for a few minutes before the start. It had been dark when I left, and dawn was just coming up while I sat there. The clouds were faintly pink. We had a roof, but three sides of the structure were open to the water, and the Arizona memorial was across the water near a small island.
The event began with a Hawaiian blessing, which involved 4 men wearing traditional island clothes blowing conch shells, and then a traditional chanted blessing in Hawaiian.
Next, the USS Chung-Hoon came by in a Pass-in-Review. All the sailors were in their white uniforms standing at attention all around the edge of the deck. One of the Pearl Harbor survivors was brought to the center to give the salute and they all saluted back. This was done as part of the Moment of Silence. It was very moving. I'm getting misty-eyed as I write about it, seeing the gray ship with the white uniforms slowly and respectfully come by, saluting the old gentleman in his Hawaiian shirt.
The ship is named after Rear Admiral Chung-Hoon, a Hawaii native who attended the Naval Academy and was here on the day of the attack.
Then there was an F-14 flyover by the Hawaiian National Guard, in the Missing Man formation. Those planes were loud! It made me wonder how loud it must have been when all those Japanese planes appeared 67 years ago. Next came the presentation of the colors (flags for you non-military types).
A representative from the Japan Religious Committee for World Federation said a prayer for peace, something this group has been doing for the past 27 years.
Then started the speeches. First, Sen Inouye from Hawaii. Then the Lt Governor of Hawaii. Then the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Willard. And next, a historian from the National Park Service who seemed to get genuinely choked up as he introduced the featured speaker, one of the nine remaining crew members from the Doolittle Raid.
That was the main thing that got me out of bed, I think. How many opportunities are there going to be to hear a Doolittle Raider speak? This gentleman was the navigator on the 9th bomber (the Whirling Dervish) to take off that night in April, 1942. There were 80 men who manned the 16 planes; now there are just nine left.
His talk was short and a bit funny. He said they were stationed on the Oregon coast on the day of the attack, and for six weeks afterward, they flew up and down the west coast, expecting more Japanese ships. One time they opened their bomb doors because they thought they'd spotted a submarine, but a sharp-eyed crew member yelled that it was just a whale, so they saved the whale and closed the doors. He was one of two men who were sent to Washington to assemble all the maps the team would need.
As some of you may know, they were spotted 250 miles closer than they'd hoped to be, so they took off from there. After hitting their Tokyo targets, they barely had enough fuel to make China, but a storm gave them a tailwind that got them there. The Chinese helped them, but at great cost. (Wikipedia estimates the Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese in their efforts to find Doolittle's men. )
The write-up in the program also mentioned that this gentleman, Major Tom Griffin, went on to fly missions in Europe, was shot down, and played a role in "The Great Escape."
After Major Griffin (who got a standing ovation for both his beginning and his end), they presented wreaths for each of the ships damaged that day. Thin metal stands lined the long side of the open pier with a life preserver ring and the name of each ship. First came the representatives from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force.
Then a Pearl Harbor survivor came, flanked by a National Park ranger and a young serviceperson, to lay a wreath by each ship. They tried to match each ship with a survivor, but some ships didn't have crew members remaining who could travel any more. So for those, someone from shore or another ship stood in for them. A couple of them had chairs to sit in, but the others stood through the entire wreath laying.
First, a Navy spokesman read some words about the ship. Then a National Park Ranger read some words about the individual and what he was doing that day. Again, some of these remarks were a little funny. One person tried to go back to sleep after he heard the first set of bombs, but the second round "got his attention." Some of the ships lost just a handful of their crew, four or five. The Oklahoma and the Arizona received the most damage, with the Arizona sinking in 9 minutes, losing 1,177 members of her crew. The Oklahoma sunk more slowly and lost over 429 crew members.
After the wreaths, a Navy Chaplain gave a brief benediction, and then the Marine Corps gave a rifle salute. The last thing was the playing of "Taps." They used two trumpets, one echoing the other. I'd never heard it like that before. My eyes spilled over a bit then.
The survivors and dignitaries were taken by boat over to the Arizona Memorial. Those of us great unwashed wearing our big tickets had to wait about 20 minutes for boats to take us back to the visitor center. I bought a book and came on home.
I've been kind of sad and pensive ever since. What a terrible day that must have been. But I'm glad I got out of bed. For this amateur historian, this was an event worth losing a little sleep for.
Friday, December 5, 2008
A day off
Friday was a day off, another day of use-or-lose vacation time. I had a routine doctor appointment to review routine new patient blood tests and am happy to report I am a picture of health with cholesterol of 171 and other similar numbers. I don't understand the entire list of items on the results sheet, but I was pretty much smack in the middle of most of 'em.
Of course, the doctor was an hour late, but that seems to be the norm around here. Funny how I never had to wait that long in the three other countries we've lived...
Since it was a day off, I hated to spend the whole thing on chores, so after lunch, I headed up towards the North Shore again to see the big waves those beaches get this time of year. On the way there, I saw a sign for "Wahiawa Botanical Gardens," so impulsively made a right turn.
I was glad I had! These gardens were really nice, well laid-out, nice walking paths, and I explored part of them, enough to know it would be a nice spot to return to. There were mostly a lot of large green plants with a few informational signs, including that there was only one species of palm native to Hawaii, and no, it's not the coconut. I will have to return sometime and explore it more detail.
Then I kept heading up the Kamehameha Highway. I almost stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation to search for possible souvenirs, but the parking lot was too crowded, so just kept heading towards the beaches.
You climb for a few minutes with fairly flat land on either side of the highway, and then you start to descend and you can see mountains on your left with the ocean straight ahead. The sky near the horizon was a pale baby blue, increasing in gradient until it was a bright royal blue overhead. Fluffy white clouds completed the picture. It's a view that makes you want to sing Bali Hai.
I took a right on the bypass that circumvents Haleiwa (historic North Shore town) and kept heading east. The infrastructure up there is pretty minimal, and not many of the beaches have much in the way of parking lots. When I saw an empty spot of dirt, I pulled in, and walked along one beach. There were a lot of waves, but they didn't look like 20, 25 or 30 footers to me. Maybe 10. Dramatic, beautiful, soothing, but not huge.
Next place I found a parking lot was Pupukea Beach Park. There was even a red light to help you get in and out! I walked along that beach for a bit, feeling sand in my toes, and sat down on some volcanic rocks and just watched more waves rise, curl, crash and start all over again.
I drove next past Sunset Beach, where they'd just completed a surfing competition, and were in the process of removing stuff. What exactly, I couldn't tell, but looked like it might have been some kind of temporary bleachers. As famous as Sunset Beach is, that was one place I expected to see a significant parking lot, but no.
I drove past that a bit, stopped one more time, and then headed back. Walking in the sand gave me plenty of time to philosophize on disappearing footprints and so on. But mostly it was just a great time to relax, enjoy the ocean smell and the sound of the waves. Not think too much.
At this point, I was ready for a snack, but no luck. No entrepreneurs selling hot dogs. One stand had tropical fruit, but I wanted something bad for me. My cholesterol could take it.
I pulled in one more place, at the Waimea Beach Park, which has a parking lot and bathrooms, AND they had a stand selling chips and cookies! My kind of place. But no empty spots, so I was saved from myself and kept driving home.
A little after 3pm, I was home again, and went out to sit and read by the pool. We've had a lot of nice days since that beautiful Thanksgiving Day, and it's been a welcome relief from six weeks of mostly cloud and rain in Oct/Nov. We'll have plenty of both in the next couple of months, so I'm treasuring these moments of fluffy cloud and blue sky.
Of course, the doctor was an hour late, but that seems to be the norm around here. Funny how I never had to wait that long in the three other countries we've lived...
Since it was a day off, I hated to spend the whole thing on chores, so after lunch, I headed up towards the North Shore again to see the big waves those beaches get this time of year. On the way there, I saw a sign for "Wahiawa Botanical Gardens," so impulsively made a right turn.
I was glad I had! These gardens were really nice, well laid-out, nice walking paths, and I explored part of them, enough to know it would be a nice spot to return to. There were mostly a lot of large green plants with a few informational signs, including that there was only one species of palm native to Hawaii, and no, it's not the coconut. I will have to return sometime and explore it more detail.
Then I kept heading up the Kamehameha Highway. I almost stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation to search for possible souvenirs, but the parking lot was too crowded, so just kept heading towards the beaches.
You climb for a few minutes with fairly flat land on either side of the highway, and then you start to descend and you can see mountains on your left with the ocean straight ahead. The sky near the horizon was a pale baby blue, increasing in gradient until it was a bright royal blue overhead. Fluffy white clouds completed the picture. It's a view that makes you want to sing Bali Hai.
I took a right on the bypass that circumvents Haleiwa (historic North Shore town) and kept heading east. The infrastructure up there is pretty minimal, and not many of the beaches have much in the way of parking lots. When I saw an empty spot of dirt, I pulled in, and walked along one beach. There were a lot of waves, but they didn't look like 20, 25 or 30 footers to me. Maybe 10. Dramatic, beautiful, soothing, but not huge.
Next place I found a parking lot was Pupukea Beach Park. There was even a red light to help you get in and out! I walked along that beach for a bit, feeling sand in my toes, and sat down on some volcanic rocks and just watched more waves rise, curl, crash and start all over again.
I drove next past Sunset Beach, where they'd just completed a surfing competition, and were in the process of removing stuff. What exactly, I couldn't tell, but looked like it might have been some kind of temporary bleachers. As famous as Sunset Beach is, that was one place I expected to see a significant parking lot, but no.
I drove past that a bit, stopped one more time, and then headed back. Walking in the sand gave me plenty of time to philosophize on disappearing footprints and so on. But mostly it was just a great time to relax, enjoy the ocean smell and the sound of the waves. Not think too much.
At this point, I was ready for a snack, but no luck. No entrepreneurs selling hot dogs. One stand had tropical fruit, but I wanted something bad for me. My cholesterol could take it.
I pulled in one more place, at the Waimea Beach Park, which has a parking lot and bathrooms, AND they had a stand selling chips and cookies! My kind of place. But no empty spots, so I was saved from myself and kept driving home.
A little after 3pm, I was home again, and went out to sit and read by the pool. We've had a lot of nice days since that beautiful Thanksgiving Day, and it's been a welcome relief from six weeks of mostly cloud and rain in Oct/Nov. We'll have plenty of both in the next couple of months, so I'm treasuring these moments of fluffy cloud and blue sky.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Another sleepy Sunday...
First a comment on east coast weather - wow, it's bad out there today, isn't it? At least from watching the rainy football games. Looks like it would be miserable to be in the stands today! We had a lot of rain and cloud yesterday, and it was downright cool. I sat around in a sweater all day. It's very cloudy this afternoon.
On Friday, walking down the steps at the end of the workday, I felt something in my left calf like a rubberband breaking. Needless to say, it hurt. I limped down the rest of that flight of steps and took the elevator the rest of the way, then limped out to the car.
So I'm using that as an excuse to be lazy today. Yesterday, I still took a 43-min walk (at a slower pace), used ice and an ace bandage, and it's a lot better today. But since in general, I don't feel too energetic, I'm just going to laze around on it this afternoon. Might get in pool in a bit and do some exercise there. I've got two weeks until my 10K, and I want to be able to do that.
My fantasy football team is definitely rebounding! I'm on my way to another win today, five in a row. So I should make the fantasy playoffs. I want another T-shirt to go with my 2002 and 2002 championship years!
UT has hired Lane Kiffin, recently fired coach of the Oakland Raiders. Being fired by Al Davis is probably a good job recommendation... Supposedly his dad, current defensive coach of the Bucs, is coming with him. Monte Kiffin is supposed to be one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, but I wonder if he can work at the college level. His players won't have the size or speed (or brains) he's used to. Still, with those names, should make recruiting less shaky. Just nine months til we get to see the result...
Went to see "Australia" last night, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Hugh's been working out. He almost looked as dapper all dressed up as Chris does... hee hee It was nice to see all that Northern Territory scenery again. But I kept being surprised at seeing them, Nicole Kidman especially, all dressed up, often in long sleeves, and no sign of sweat. Just kept thinking how hot she must be. But then Hugh Jackman would come back on screen and I stopped thinking about that...
Normally I decorate for Christmas this weekend after Thanksgiving, but can't really get into it. So maybe next weekend. I'm taking Friday off to use up some of the last of my use-or-leave vacation time.
Might go back up to the North Shore and see the waves - they get big this time of year. They had a major surfing competition up there yesterday (and maybe today). The pictures on the news were impressive. First place I've lived where surfing was covered in the sports broadcast on such a regular basis...
Well, I'll stop rambling for this entry. Hopefully I'll have more of a narrative next time around!
On Friday, walking down the steps at the end of the workday, I felt something in my left calf like a rubberband breaking. Needless to say, it hurt. I limped down the rest of that flight of steps and took the elevator the rest of the way, then limped out to the car.
So I'm using that as an excuse to be lazy today. Yesterday, I still took a 43-min walk (at a slower pace), used ice and an ace bandage, and it's a lot better today. But since in general, I don't feel too energetic, I'm just going to laze around on it this afternoon. Might get in pool in a bit and do some exercise there. I've got two weeks until my 10K, and I want to be able to do that.
My fantasy football team is definitely rebounding! I'm on my way to another win today, five in a row. So I should make the fantasy playoffs. I want another T-shirt to go with my 2002 and 2002 championship years!
UT has hired Lane Kiffin, recently fired coach of the Oakland Raiders. Being fired by Al Davis is probably a good job recommendation... Supposedly his dad, current defensive coach of the Bucs, is coming with him. Monte Kiffin is supposed to be one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, but I wonder if he can work at the college level. His players won't have the size or speed (or brains) he's used to. Still, with those names, should make recruiting less shaky. Just nine months til we get to see the result...
Went to see "Australia" last night, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Hugh's been working out. He almost looked as dapper all dressed up as Chris does... hee hee It was nice to see all that Northern Territory scenery again. But I kept being surprised at seeing them, Nicole Kidman especially, all dressed up, often in long sleeves, and no sign of sweat. Just kept thinking how hot she must be. But then Hugh Jackman would come back on screen and I stopped thinking about that...
Normally I decorate for Christmas this weekend after Thanksgiving, but can't really get into it. So maybe next weekend. I'm taking Friday off to use up some of the last of my use-or-leave vacation time.
Might go back up to the North Shore and see the waves - they get big this time of year. They had a major surfing competition up there yesterday (and maybe today). The pictures on the news were impressive. First place I've lived where surfing was covered in the sports broadcast on such a regular basis...
Well, I'll stop rambling for this entry. Hopefully I'll have more of a narrative next time around!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving...
I had such a good evening at the concert that I had trouble falling asleep. Couldn't get my mouth to relax. Just kept smiling.
I woke up Thanksgiving Day and turned on the Titans game. Since they were playing Detroit, not a lot of suspense there. Chris also got up and after watching it get to 35-10, decided to take a walk. After it was 47-10, I left, too, and called my sister and mom as I huffed up my first hill.
I'm still exploring the neighborhood, so I walked over to the golf course and back. It's been just a near perfect day, weather-wise, just about 75 degrees with a delicious breeze blowing and a bright blue sky.
It was later in the morning than I normally walk, and I got back around 11:30, so I jumped in the pool! Ahhhh. Er, the water was a little cold, but not too bad.
I've spent most of the day since lounging by the pool, in my cheap chaise lounge from WalMart with my sunshade over it. Supposedly I've been reading, but have to confess there's been a lot of napping. It's just been so incredibly pleasant to feel the sun and the breeze on my skin. Downright hypnotic.
Chris has been making the Thanksgiving dinner. The pie is already done as I write and he's putting the turkey in the oven. We'll eat around normal dinner time.
So while I wait for that, I wanted to put down some of the things I am so very grateful for:
I woke up Thanksgiving Day and turned on the Titans game. Since they were playing Detroit, not a lot of suspense there. Chris also got up and after watching it get to 35-10, decided to take a walk. After it was 47-10, I left, too, and called my sister and mom as I huffed up my first hill.
I'm still exploring the neighborhood, so I walked over to the golf course and back. It's been just a near perfect day, weather-wise, just about 75 degrees with a delicious breeze blowing and a bright blue sky.
It was later in the morning than I normally walk, and I got back around 11:30, so I jumped in the pool! Ahhhh. Er, the water was a little cold, but not too bad.
I've spent most of the day since lounging by the pool, in my cheap chaise lounge from WalMart with my sunshade over it. Supposedly I've been reading, but have to confess there's been a lot of napping. It's just been so incredibly pleasant to feel the sun and the breeze on my skin. Downright hypnotic.
Chris has been making the Thanksgiving dinner. The pie is already done as I write and he's putting the turkey in the oven. We'll eat around normal dinner time.
So while I wait for that, I wanted to put down some of the things I am so very grateful for:
- A wonderful husband who makes me laugh every day. Who puts down the toilet seat and takes out the garbage with no complaining on his part or nagging on mine. Who still opens doors for me.
- The time I've gotten to spend with my mother, sister, and niece, and some of the great things we've gotten to do together, from exploring the children's museum in Huntsville, to having a group pedicure at the Opryland Hotel's spa to our most recent adventure at Dollywood Splash Country!
- Good health!
- A comfortable financial situation.
- Some incredible memories of places all around the world. Christmas markets in Germany. Berlin, Paris, Rome, Venice, Prague, Vienna, Strasbourg, Salzburg, the Swiss Alps, Norway's fjords, New Zealand's south island, Tasmania, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Great Barrier Reef, Malibu, London, Loch Ness, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Tallinn, Helsinki, Munich, Luxembourg, Normandy, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken. Great museums. Incredible art. Balloon rides over the outback. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. Bicycle riding around the Chiemsee. The Bodensee and Mainau Island. All those sweet little German towns from Rottweil (yes, home of the dog breed...) to Meersburg. Coffee plantation on the big island of Hawaii. Whale watching. The little penguins of Phillips Island. Koalas. Kangaroos.
- Good friends all over the world who still want to keep in touch.
- No more APO or customs forms...
Concert report
Last night was our (Honolulu Symphony Chorus) big concert of this fall season with the Symphony Orchestra. We performed Bach's "Magnificat," Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols," and Rutter's "Gloria." It was free to the audience, but I was still afraid we'd have a small crowd. We were at the Blaisdell Concert Hall which probably has about 2100 seats.
So I was very pleasantly surprised to see a pretty full house when we walked onstage! And an enthusiastic one as well. They applauded after every movement of each piece, which you're not supposed to do at a classical concert, and even gave a few whoops for the soloists. A few people talked abt the audience back stage, but hey, I'll take every bit of applause and whoop we can get.
Chris reported to me that the audience even gave a special round to the harp player for her agility in getting her instrument on a little dolly and whisking it efficiently offstage.
On the Bach, I came in during a rest which I haven't done the entire time we've rehearsed it, and then I actually got the last five bars of the piece, which I'd pretty consistently screwed up, so I guess I'm even on that one. We had professional soloists for that piece.
The Youth Opera Chorus and a small chamber choir of our folks (we're about 120+ voices) performed the Britten piece. We were able to hear it backstage, but didn't get to see it, so Chris had to tell me more about that. There were a couple of solo voices from the girls that were really outstanding.
We finished with the Gloria which is a piece with a lot of brass and tympani and lots of different rhythms. It's a lot of fun to sing and I went at it with great gusto. Not sure I always cut off at the right spot - sometimes it's just hard to stop!
The audience gave us several "curtain calls" and all in all, it was a really great experience. Something about it was very magical, standing up there in my black dress and pearls with the orchestra in front of us. This is the first professional chorus I've sung in, and it's been a real experience. After the audition, I wondered if I was out of my league, and who knows, maybe I am, but I've enjoyed it.
The after action report came from Chris. He told me I was the best in my row. Awww. He also said that after we stood up, he couldn't really see me and wanted to know who put the tall people in front. Our director did say to us that she couldn't believe she forgot to ask for people's height on the audition form so that she could take that into consideration when placing us for the concert.
Chris and I both agreed that the Bach was our least favorite of the night. Before this, I've heard of it, and even had a recording of it, but something about it never hit my heart. Most of the time I become very fond of the music I've done after spending so much time rehearsing it, but not this one. I think we pulled it off in a reasonably competent fashion, though. It is a tough piece of music, written for 5 choral parts.
Even though I could hear most of the Britten, Chris filled me in on what they looked like and how many kids were in the Youth Opera Chorus. It was all girls, and I don't know why. On the Gloria, Chris' comment was that he couldn't get into the same Latin word or phrases over and over. "So tell me a story about Gloria. Give me a sentence. Did she bake a cake?" Well, no. Not what this piece was about.
Speaking of food, while I'm relaxing, Chris is cooking our Thanksgiving dinner! More on that in the next entry.
So I was very pleasantly surprised to see a pretty full house when we walked onstage! And an enthusiastic one as well. They applauded after every movement of each piece, which you're not supposed to do at a classical concert, and even gave a few whoops for the soloists. A few people talked abt the audience back stage, but hey, I'll take every bit of applause and whoop we can get.
Chris reported to me that the audience even gave a special round to the harp player for her agility in getting her instrument on a little dolly and whisking it efficiently offstage.
On the Bach, I came in during a rest which I haven't done the entire time we've rehearsed it, and then I actually got the last five bars of the piece, which I'd pretty consistently screwed up, so I guess I'm even on that one. We had professional soloists for that piece.
The Youth Opera Chorus and a small chamber choir of our folks (we're about 120+ voices) performed the Britten piece. We were able to hear it backstage, but didn't get to see it, so Chris had to tell me more about that. There were a couple of solo voices from the girls that were really outstanding.
We finished with the Gloria which is a piece with a lot of brass and tympani and lots of different rhythms. It's a lot of fun to sing and I went at it with great gusto. Not sure I always cut off at the right spot - sometimes it's just hard to stop!
The audience gave us several "curtain calls" and all in all, it was a really great experience. Something about it was very magical, standing up there in my black dress and pearls with the orchestra in front of us. This is the first professional chorus I've sung in, and it's been a real experience. After the audition, I wondered if I was out of my league, and who knows, maybe I am, but I've enjoyed it.
The after action report came from Chris. He told me I was the best in my row. Awww. He also said that after we stood up, he couldn't really see me and wanted to know who put the tall people in front. Our director did say to us that she couldn't believe she forgot to ask for people's height on the audition form so that she could take that into consideration when placing us for the concert.
Chris and I both agreed that the Bach was our least favorite of the night. Before this, I've heard of it, and even had a recording of it, but something about it never hit my heart. Most of the time I become very fond of the music I've done after spending so much time rehearsing it, but not this one. I think we pulled it off in a reasonably competent fashion, though. It is a tough piece of music, written for 5 choral parts.
Even though I could hear most of the Britten, Chris filled me in on what they looked like and how many kids were in the Youth Opera Chorus. It was all girls, and I don't know why. On the Gloria, Chris' comment was that he couldn't get into the same Latin word or phrases over and over. "So tell me a story about Gloria. Give me a sentence. Did she bake a cake?" Well, no. Not what this piece was about.
Speaking of food, while I'm relaxing, Chris is cooking our Thanksgiving dinner! More on that in the next entry.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Contraptions...
It's another Saturday, more college football. I was actually rooting for Vanderbilt in the UT-Vandy game. SOME Tennessee team ought to go to a bowl game. But UT actually won, and I was actually disgruntled.
We were watching the Maryland - Fl State game. I say "we were" because Chris was with me during the first quarter. But once the score got to be 14-0 (Fl State on top), he left. *sigh* I still remember the day Frank Reich brought them back from the biggest deficit in college football. It could happen again!
My title for today's entry, contraptions, has to do with the neti pot that I purchased this week. I've heard about them for years through yoga publications, but was always a bit too squeamish to give one a try. You use it to rinse your sinuses. It looks like a tiny teapot. You put the spout up one nostril, tilt your head sideways until the liquid comes out the other nostril. You do that on each side, and then blow your nose a bit, and your sinuses are rinsed! I used a LOT of kleenex the first time, and needless to say, you perform this over a sink.
My sister had gotten one a while back and swore by it, and certainly the yogis do, so I decided to give it a try. Also supposed to help prevent colds. I've been using it at night to try to minimize snoring, and I seem to be sleeping better. Too soon to really tell. But I figure it can't hurt... It was kinda fun at work to describe it and see the looks on faces of co-workers...
Well, for those of you who found that to be Too Much Information about my latest goings-on, I'll switch to furniture... Some of our items from last week's shopping trip have arrived and it is great to have them! Our new coffee table looks as good as I had hoped, and the bedroom furniture is really perfect. I'll take pictures soon, as soon as the stools arrive and we have things more properly accessorized. Won't take any of the neti pot procedure, though, promise.
AND for those of you enduring the cold weather on the east coast, it is raining here. It has rained ALL DAY. If the temperature were to drop 40 degrees and the wind were to pick up, this could be England all over again! It's just been a wet, soggy, unappealing day.
Time to make dinner. Spaghetti and garlic bread are on tonight's menu...
We were watching the Maryland - Fl State game. I say "we were" because Chris was with me during the first quarter. But once the score got to be 14-0 (Fl State on top), he left. *sigh* I still remember the day Frank Reich brought them back from the biggest deficit in college football. It could happen again!
My title for today's entry, contraptions, has to do with the neti pot that I purchased this week. I've heard about them for years through yoga publications, but was always a bit too squeamish to give one a try. You use it to rinse your sinuses. It looks like a tiny teapot. You put the spout up one nostril, tilt your head sideways until the liquid comes out the other nostril. You do that on each side, and then blow your nose a bit, and your sinuses are rinsed! I used a LOT of kleenex the first time, and needless to say, you perform this over a sink.
My sister had gotten one a while back and swore by it, and certainly the yogis do, so I decided to give it a try. Also supposed to help prevent colds. I've been using it at night to try to minimize snoring, and I seem to be sleeping better. Too soon to really tell. But I figure it can't hurt... It was kinda fun at work to describe it and see the looks on faces of co-workers...
Well, for those of you who found that to be Too Much Information about my latest goings-on, I'll switch to furniture... Some of our items from last week's shopping trip have arrived and it is great to have them! Our new coffee table looks as good as I had hoped, and the bedroom furniture is really perfect. I'll take pictures soon, as soon as the stools arrive and we have things more properly accessorized. Won't take any of the neti pot procedure, though, promise.
AND for those of you enduring the cold weather on the east coast, it is raining here. It has rained ALL DAY. If the temperature were to drop 40 degrees and the wind were to pick up, this could be England all over again! It's just been a wet, soggy, unappealing day.
Time to make dinner. Spaghetti and garlic bread are on tonight's menu...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
"Training" update
I mentioned a few posts ago that I had signed up for the 10K walk portion of the Honolulu marathon, coming up December 14th. Since then, I've been taking some long walks, with 77 minutes yesterday being the longest. I really enjoyed that. Didn't really want to stop, but had to get on with the day.
I took a route today for 62 minutes that I plan to drive with my car to measure. I have a pedometer, but I don't think the distance is accurate. My 77 minute walk was only 4km, according to it, but some 8700 steps. Since I'm walking at a pretty decent rate, over 100 steps a minute, I don't see how that can only be 4km (abt 2.4 miles. I bought this pedometer from amazon.uk while we were in England, which is why it gives me km instead of miles. Even though they use miles there in England, not km....)
I think I could walk 6 miles tomorrow if I had to, but I want to do it with a reasonable amount of comfort and not be overly sore the next day. The Easy Spirit shoes I ordered don't feel as good as the ones I currently have, so I'm going to send those back and look locally where I can try them on. I was pretty bummed. Normally I have such good luck ordering those and it feels like I'm putting pillows on my feet. Plus sending things back through the mail is such a pain.
They're already advertising the Great Aloha Fun Run on President's Day in February, so I registered for that, too. It's 8.15 miles, and they have a walking category. As part of the registration, you estimate your finishing time, and I figured I can finish that in 3 hours, worst case. By registering early, I get an "In training" T-shirt, so couldn't resist that deal...
Then I looked at the finishing times, and they showed the top 3 for the various age groups. In the 80-99 age group, the top female finisher did it in 1:39:17. (In my age group, the top female finisher did it 58:37.) I doubt if I can beat the 80 year old.... *sigh* But the last finisher last year came in at 4 hrs, 18 minutes, and I think I can better that....
I see the doc on Tuesday for a general physical and want to especially discuss the bad knee with him, to see if he thinks surgery is still the best option. If I can squeeze it in between these two events, I should be able to do both...
The main thing is I just want to be more active and the occasional race should help my motivation (not to mention my T-shirt wardrobe). I still want to be that 90-year old woman I saw on TV. "I think I can beat my time..." You go, girl. I'm right behind you... Better yet, maybe a few steps in front...
I took a route today for 62 minutes that I plan to drive with my car to measure. I have a pedometer, but I don't think the distance is accurate. My 77 minute walk was only 4km, according to it, but some 8700 steps. Since I'm walking at a pretty decent rate, over 100 steps a minute, I don't see how that can only be 4km (abt 2.4 miles. I bought this pedometer from amazon.uk while we were in England, which is why it gives me km instead of miles. Even though they use miles there in England, not km....)
I think I could walk 6 miles tomorrow if I had to, but I want to do it with a reasonable amount of comfort and not be overly sore the next day. The Easy Spirit shoes I ordered don't feel as good as the ones I currently have, so I'm going to send those back and look locally where I can try them on. I was pretty bummed. Normally I have such good luck ordering those and it feels like I'm putting pillows on my feet. Plus sending things back through the mail is such a pain.
They're already advertising the Great Aloha Fun Run on President's Day in February, so I registered for that, too. It's 8.15 miles, and they have a walking category. As part of the registration, you estimate your finishing time, and I figured I can finish that in 3 hours, worst case. By registering early, I get an "In training" T-shirt, so couldn't resist that deal...
Then I looked at the finishing times, and they showed the top 3 for the various age groups. In the 80-99 age group, the top female finisher did it in 1:39:17. (In my age group, the top female finisher did it 58:37.) I doubt if I can beat the 80 year old.... *sigh* But the last finisher last year came in at 4 hrs, 18 minutes, and I think I can better that....
I see the doc on Tuesday for a general physical and want to especially discuss the bad knee with him, to see if he thinks surgery is still the best option. If I can squeeze it in between these two events, I should be able to do both...
The main thing is I just want to be more active and the occasional race should help my motivation (not to mention my T-shirt wardrobe). I still want to be that 90-year old woman I saw on TV. "I think I can beat my time..." You go, girl. I'm right behind you... Better yet, maybe a few steps in front...
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Chris goes shopping...
Chris did a fantastic job of putting some finishing touches on the house, such as hanging pictures. The place looked great when I got home on Friday (he'd taken the day off). His labors made him decide it was time to buy stools for our kitchen counter, so we can start eating there.
The same store where I had bought the sofa was having a warehouse sale this weekend, and since I had seen some nice stools in their showroom, suggested we give that a try.
So this morning, we set out in the Fit, figuring we could put a couple of stools in there. Just at the point where we were supposed to make the left hand turn down the road, we see cars parked all over on both sides. But being in the shopping mood that we were, we kept going closer towards the warehouse and a helpful guy wearing a store T-shirt waved us into a parking lot.
As we got out of the car, we followed a line of people walking towards a warehouse. There was also a line of vehicles, apparently waiting to pick up. This didn't look good, but we kept walking.
When we got to the entrance, we went inside, to find a mob of people just standing there clogging up the front space, all waiting to pay. There were no organized queues, just people everywhere. Big people, fat people, skinny people, old people, young'uns, babies in strollers, and most looked confused and a bit put out.
I said to Chris, "I'd rather pay full price than put up this apocalyptic movie scene." He agreed completely, so we left. On the way out, as we pushed our way upstream, we saw two perfect counter stools, for $99.
But no way were we waiting in that. On the way out, the same helpful guy made us stop and wait to allow some folks to turn left. I muttered, "I guess he knows we didn't buy anything."
Even so, we were still in a furniture buying mood, so we headed out for the actual showroom. BestBuy was on the way, so we stopped there first to buy Chris' mom's Christmas present, one of those digital frames. As I'm typing, he's putting pictures on it for her (they don't have a computer or ever read the internet, so unless one of you tells, the gift secret is safe...)
Then we went to the showroom and walked around. We found a sale section, found a stool that we liked, but when we measured it, it was going to be too tall, so we found another one, also on sale. The salesman said he could give us new ones for the same price, so we took that deal. We looked around for a coffee table, and found a rectangular glass table with chrome legs and a wavy edge, and arranged for them all to be delivered in about 10 days.
While we were hanging out at the counter waiting for the paperwork, we heard someone else talking about the warehouse sale and that people were waiting in line two hours just to pay.
By then, it was lunchtime, so we went to Arby's. Good ol' Arby's. Then we went to HomeWorld, also nearby, to look for bedroom furniture. We have our lovely sleighbed, but Chris is still using an upside down cardboard china crate as his bedside table, so we wanted some things that would coordinate well with our bed.
We found a nice media armoire, so we can stick the TV in that, and we found bedside tables. We're a little nervous about how well the color will match, but at least those items will match each other even if the bed is a little different.
And, we found another coffee table. I'd had my eye on that table before. It was also glass-topped with a beveled edge, round, and had a really pretty light colored stone base. It will look great with our beige leather sofa and travertine marble tile floor. I could tell when Chris saw it, that he had a reaction to it, but couldn't tell if it was good or bad. He shrugged. "I like this one better. I've always liked round tables."
I liked it better, too, and it was a little cheaper than the other one. "I'll just call the other store and cancel the other table."
"No, no, don't do that. We've already paid for it."
"But it's not like they're on the way to the house with it."
But Chris shook his head and we went off to find a salesman to buy the bedroom stuff. Then I said, "we're buying a coffee table, too." Chris got a Look on his face, and I said, "You don't have to call them; I'll do it. We're going to have to live with it every day so it might as well be something we both like the best."
We finished our shopping afternoon by buying gas at Costco, now down to $2.40 a gallon here. "Normal" gas stations are around 2.87. (My mom tells me it's down to $1.88 there in Tennessee.) So, yes, we waiting in line 15 minutes to save about $5. But at least we were sitting comfortably in our car and not in a crush of strange people...
Once we got home, I called the other store and canceled the coffee table. "Did they yell at you?" Chris asked. And no, the guy was very polite. I'm sure we're not the first people to call and change our minds...
It was a lot of fun buying our stuff together and I hope we like it when it gets here! In a couple of weeks, when the furniture is delivered, I'll post more pictures.
Er, and in the meanwhile, is anyone out there using the pseudonym "Helen Doyle"? A lovely gift arrived from the "Slate Lady" and the only clue we have is the shipping label, which had my name and "gift from Helen Doyle" in parentheses. There's no card inside.
Oh, and another reason it's a good Saturday is Tennessee has an off week. So at least they can't lose!
The same store where I had bought the sofa was having a warehouse sale this weekend, and since I had seen some nice stools in their showroom, suggested we give that a try.
So this morning, we set out in the Fit, figuring we could put a couple of stools in there. Just at the point where we were supposed to make the left hand turn down the road, we see cars parked all over on both sides. But being in the shopping mood that we were, we kept going closer towards the warehouse and a helpful guy wearing a store T-shirt waved us into a parking lot.
As we got out of the car, we followed a line of people walking towards a warehouse. There was also a line of vehicles, apparently waiting to pick up. This didn't look good, but we kept walking.
When we got to the entrance, we went inside, to find a mob of people just standing there clogging up the front space, all waiting to pay. There were no organized queues, just people everywhere. Big people, fat people, skinny people, old people, young'uns, babies in strollers, and most looked confused and a bit put out.
I said to Chris, "I'd rather pay full price than put up this apocalyptic movie scene." He agreed completely, so we left. On the way out, as we pushed our way upstream, we saw two perfect counter stools, for $99.
But no way were we waiting in that. On the way out, the same helpful guy made us stop and wait to allow some folks to turn left. I muttered, "I guess he knows we didn't buy anything."
Even so, we were still in a furniture buying mood, so we headed out for the actual showroom. BestBuy was on the way, so we stopped there first to buy Chris' mom's Christmas present, one of those digital frames. As I'm typing, he's putting pictures on it for her (they don't have a computer or ever read the internet, so unless one of you tells, the gift secret is safe...)
Then we went to the showroom and walked around. We found a sale section, found a stool that we liked, but when we measured it, it was going to be too tall, so we found another one, also on sale. The salesman said he could give us new ones for the same price, so we took that deal. We looked around for a coffee table, and found a rectangular glass table with chrome legs and a wavy edge, and arranged for them all to be delivered in about 10 days.
While we were hanging out at the counter waiting for the paperwork, we heard someone else talking about the warehouse sale and that people were waiting in line two hours just to pay.
By then, it was lunchtime, so we went to Arby's. Good ol' Arby's. Then we went to HomeWorld, also nearby, to look for bedroom furniture. We have our lovely sleighbed, but Chris is still using an upside down cardboard china crate as his bedside table, so we wanted some things that would coordinate well with our bed.
We found a nice media armoire, so we can stick the TV in that, and we found bedside tables. We're a little nervous about how well the color will match, but at least those items will match each other even if the bed is a little different.
And, we found another coffee table. I'd had my eye on that table before. It was also glass-topped with a beveled edge, round, and had a really pretty light colored stone base. It will look great with our beige leather sofa and travertine marble tile floor. I could tell when Chris saw it, that he had a reaction to it, but couldn't tell if it was good or bad. He shrugged. "I like this one better. I've always liked round tables."
I liked it better, too, and it was a little cheaper than the other one. "I'll just call the other store and cancel the other table."
"No, no, don't do that. We've already paid for it."
"But it's not like they're on the way to the house with it."
But Chris shook his head and we went off to find a salesman to buy the bedroom stuff. Then I said, "we're buying a coffee table, too." Chris got a Look on his face, and I said, "You don't have to call them; I'll do it. We're going to have to live with it every day so it might as well be something we both like the best."
We finished our shopping afternoon by buying gas at Costco, now down to $2.40 a gallon here. "Normal" gas stations are around 2.87. (My mom tells me it's down to $1.88 there in Tennessee.) So, yes, we waiting in line 15 minutes to save about $5. But at least we were sitting comfortably in our car and not in a crush of strange people...
Once we got home, I called the other store and canceled the coffee table. "Did they yell at you?" Chris asked. And no, the guy was very polite. I'm sure we're not the first people to call and change our minds...
It was a lot of fun buying our stuff together and I hope we like it when it gets here! In a couple of weeks, when the furniture is delivered, I'll post more pictures.
Er, and in the meanwhile, is anyone out there using the pseudonym "Helen Doyle"? A lovely gift arrived from the "Slate Lady" and the only clue we have is the shipping label, which had my name and "gift from Helen Doyle" in parentheses. There's no card inside.
Oh, and another reason it's a good Saturday is Tennessee has an off week. So at least they can't lose!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Shopping adventure
Today is day 4 out of 5 that I have off in a row, the most time off since I started work in late July! Today was a shopping day, since I figured the stores were more likely to be crowded tomorrow.
I went to Pearlridge Center, the odd uptown / downtown place with the small monorail and the confusing layout. First stop, Macy's. They were having a sale and I had a Macy's credit card... I found some good buys on the Jones New York brand, and I was desperately in need of new clothes. Now that I no longer have a real fall / winter season, my summery stuff has been getting awful tired.
I noticed a bright pink jacket that I liked but was still full price, more than the three items I'd picked out all combined. I mentioned that to the sales lady as I paid, that I would just wait for it to go on sale.
"Oh, I can't take the risk," she said, laughing. "I'm one of those small size people and our small sizes just fly out the store. If I wait for things to go on sale, it's too late. They're all gone. I'm just so tiny. Too many of our island ladies are my size."
I was thinking, oh, good thing I'm a heifer and can wait for sales. But I just nodded and smiled, keeping myself amused with what her face would look like if I had actually said that... Yes, little skinny miss, go ahead and insult the paying customer...
Next stop, Arby's. They do a mean roast beef. I don't usually like roast beef because it's often tough and stringy, but never at Arby's. We had coupons in the paper for Moolattes at Dairy Queen, but there's no DQ at this mall. I could go for a Moolatte. My mom introduced me to those. Mmmm, mmmm. (Gotta keep my figure up so I can buy those big sizes when they go on sale... tee hee tee hee)
After lunch, I went to Borders and bought a couple of books and magazines. Then I left Pearlridge altogether and headed towards the Sports Authority, also running Veteran's Day sales. I bought an aqua-fitness kit there with a buoyancy belt, dumbbells and webbed gloves so I can do resistance exercise more easily in the pool, and I also bought a long sleeved wetsuit shirt.
I often feel chilly in the pool these days from the waist up, so I thought this shirt would help me use the pool all year round. And it worked. That thing is HOT before you get in the water, and then it's fine. So I topped off my shopping with thirty minutes of flailing about in the pool with my new toys. I've felt pleasantly tired ever since.
So one day left before work begins again on Wednesday. Looking forward to what the day will bring!
I went to Pearlridge Center, the odd uptown / downtown place with the small monorail and the confusing layout. First stop, Macy's. They were having a sale and I had a Macy's credit card... I found some good buys on the Jones New York brand, and I was desperately in need of new clothes. Now that I no longer have a real fall / winter season, my summery stuff has been getting awful tired.
I noticed a bright pink jacket that I liked but was still full price, more than the three items I'd picked out all combined. I mentioned that to the sales lady as I paid, that I would just wait for it to go on sale.
"Oh, I can't take the risk," she said, laughing. "I'm one of those small size people and our small sizes just fly out the store. If I wait for things to go on sale, it's too late. They're all gone. I'm just so tiny. Too many of our island ladies are my size."
I was thinking, oh, good thing I'm a heifer and can wait for sales. But I just nodded and smiled, keeping myself amused with what her face would look like if I had actually said that... Yes, little skinny miss, go ahead and insult the paying customer...
Next stop, Arby's. They do a mean roast beef. I don't usually like roast beef because it's often tough and stringy, but never at Arby's. We had coupons in the paper for Moolattes at Dairy Queen, but there's no DQ at this mall. I could go for a Moolatte. My mom introduced me to those. Mmmm, mmmm. (Gotta keep my figure up so I can buy those big sizes when they go on sale... tee hee tee hee)
After lunch, I went to Borders and bought a couple of books and magazines. Then I left Pearlridge altogether and headed towards the Sports Authority, also running Veteran's Day sales. I bought an aqua-fitness kit there with a buoyancy belt, dumbbells and webbed gloves so I can do resistance exercise more easily in the pool, and I also bought a long sleeved wetsuit shirt.
I often feel chilly in the pool these days from the waist up, so I thought this shirt would help me use the pool all year round. And it worked. That thing is HOT before you get in the water, and then it's fine. So I topped off my shopping with thirty minutes of flailing about in the pool with my new toys. I've felt pleasantly tired ever since.
So one day left before work begins again on Wednesday. Looking forward to what the day will bring!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
How to Make Your Spouse Laugh...
I asked Chris today if he'd like to do a 10K walk with me. I figured I already knew that answer, but thought it never hurts to ask.
It wasn't quite a laugh, more of a small snort, then a yawn and "It's too hot around here."
"Well, actually, it starts at 5:30 in the morning."
Sneer. "I'm definitely not doing that."
On the news the other night, I saw an interview with a 90-year-old woman who will enter the Honolulu Marathon for the 5th time this year. "I'm sure I can better my time," she said. Intrigued, since I didn't realize Honolulu had a marathon, I looked up the web site. The latest top 10 seem to be dominated by Russians, Kenyans, and Japanese, but sure enough, there's a marathon here every December.
AND there's a 10K walk as part of it! So I have officially registered for that. I wanted to try some 5Ks, since that's just 3 miles. But I did 10K Volksmarches in Germany (okay, that was 8 years ago, when I didn't have a bad right knee and a bad left foot), so I'm hoping doing 6 miles in 35 days will be do-able without being overly painful. I have already ordered new Level 3 shoes from Easy Spirit, my favorite brand!
In 2006, 28,637 people entered and 24,575 finished. There's no qualifying time; if you pay your money and show up, you can run. The top male finisher was from Kenya and finished in 2:13:42; the top female was a Russian finishing at 2:27:19. One man and one woman competed in the 90-94 age group and both finished. 4,888 people did the walk. The marathon starts at 5:00am, and they start us walkers at 5:25am. I figure I'll finish the walk at about the same time the elite runners finish the whole marathon course...
The main thing is that I hope it will be motivating to get me out and moving!
It wasn't quite a laugh, more of a small snort, then a yawn and "It's too hot around here."
"Well, actually, it starts at 5:30 in the morning."
Sneer. "I'm definitely not doing that."
On the news the other night, I saw an interview with a 90-year-old woman who will enter the Honolulu Marathon for the 5th time this year. "I'm sure I can better my time," she said. Intrigued, since I didn't realize Honolulu had a marathon, I looked up the web site. The latest top 10 seem to be dominated by Russians, Kenyans, and Japanese, but sure enough, there's a marathon here every December.
AND there's a 10K walk as part of it! So I have officially registered for that. I wanted to try some 5Ks, since that's just 3 miles. But I did 10K Volksmarches in Germany (okay, that was 8 years ago, when I didn't have a bad right knee and a bad left foot), so I'm hoping doing 6 miles in 35 days will be do-able without being overly painful. I have already ordered new Level 3 shoes from Easy Spirit, my favorite brand!
In 2006, 28,637 people entered and 24,575 finished. There's no qualifying time; if you pay your money and show up, you can run. The top male finisher was from Kenya and finished in 2:13:42; the top female was a Russian finishing at 2:27:19. One man and one woman competed in the 90-94 age group and both finished. 4,888 people did the walk. The marathon starts at 5:00am, and they start us walkers at 5:25am. I figure I'll finish the walk at about the same time the elite runners finish the whole marathon course...
The main thing is that I hope it will be motivating to get me out and moving!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
More Saturday football... And new neighbors...
I am watching the LSU-Alabama game. Not sure who I'm rooting for. Don't like either team much, but figured it would be a good game, and so far at the half 14-14, it has been. The Tennessee-Wyoming game wasn't broadcast here (no surprise) so I had to go on the internet to see that my hapless Vols lost 13-7, the Homecoming game no less. I'm also wondering what I did all those years overseas with no football on Saturday television. I think I walked into town and did some shopping, which was probably a healthier lifestyle than hanging on the sofa eating snacks...
Along with football games come commercials. At first I made the naive assumption that if we got the commercial, we had the associated product here on the island. For example, I suffer through those stupid Sonic commercials with the nerdy couple eating their food in their car, dive bombing their biscuits into gravy and so on. But it did make me miss tater tots. So I look up Sonic on the internet and go to their store locator, to discover "there is not a Sonic within 1,000 miles of your location." Yeah, no kidding, since 1,000 miles in every direction is pretty much ocean... Or smaller islands than ours...
Our new neighbors are a pair of birds who have decided to nest in the eaves of our roof right over the front door. At first, I noticed several sticks and leaves all over our small front step and thought it odd that the wind had blown them all right there. Then I noticed two birds flying away every time I opened the front door. They've likely been happily nest building away all day while we're at work.
They're tiny little things, and they fly away to the neighbor's roof (the guy with the dogs). I tried to get a better look at them but they're small and fast. I always wanted to have a bird house that birds would live in, and I love seeing birds in the backyard, but I really don't want them in our roof. I also feel bad for them that they feel they have to fly out every time the door opens, especially if they're sitting on eggs (and I don't know if they are yet, but I assume that's their plan...). I'm so used to thinking of nests as a spring time event, but it is still getting into the 80's here every day, so I guess spring doesn't have the same meaning.
(Oh, no, the nerdy Sonic couple were just on. Ugh.)
So I guess for now we'll let the birds do their thing, and as soon as it appears their family is grown and gone, we'll find a way to block that hole, and next time I see a cute little birdhouse, I will buy one.
Still 14-14 for this game. Florida plays Vandy here in a bit and I will be rooting for the Commodores!
Along with football games come commercials. At first I made the naive assumption that if we got the commercial, we had the associated product here on the island. For example, I suffer through those stupid Sonic commercials with the nerdy couple eating their food in their car, dive bombing their biscuits into gravy and so on. But it did make me miss tater tots. So I look up Sonic on the internet and go to their store locator, to discover "there is not a Sonic within 1,000 miles of your location." Yeah, no kidding, since 1,000 miles in every direction is pretty much ocean... Or smaller islands than ours...
Our new neighbors are a pair of birds who have decided to nest in the eaves of our roof right over the front door. At first, I noticed several sticks and leaves all over our small front step and thought it odd that the wind had blown them all right there. Then I noticed two birds flying away every time I opened the front door. They've likely been happily nest building away all day while we're at work.
They're tiny little things, and they fly away to the neighbor's roof (the guy with the dogs). I tried to get a better look at them but they're small and fast. I always wanted to have a bird house that birds would live in, and I love seeing birds in the backyard, but I really don't want them in our roof. I also feel bad for them that they feel they have to fly out every time the door opens, especially if they're sitting on eggs (and I don't know if they are yet, but I assume that's their plan...). I'm so used to thinking of nests as a spring time event, but it is still getting into the 80's here every day, so I guess spring doesn't have the same meaning.
(Oh, no, the nerdy Sonic couple were just on. Ugh.)
So I guess for now we'll let the birds do their thing, and as soon as it appears their family is grown and gone, we'll find a way to block that hole, and next time I see a cute little birdhouse, I will buy one.
Still 14-14 for this game. Florida plays Vandy here in a bit and I will be rooting for the Commodores!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Jigsaw puzzle...
I am taking a long weekend from work, partly to use some of my use-or-lose vacation time. So I'm taking off today and Monday and with the Tuesday federal holiday, that means five days of giddy freedom.
I wanted to really make a last push to get the house in better shape, so purchased a computer desk. I like putting things together, so I am actually looking forward to this project. It's like doing a more practical jigsaw puzzle. I found the one I wanted at OfficeMax and it was on sale, too!
I was proud of myself first for figuring out how to get the carton to fit in my Honda Fit. I had to resort to the owner's manual, but managed to get the back seats nice and flat. I loved one comment in the owner's manual "Do not put anything heavy on the backseats while in the folded down position." Uh, and why do they think we need to put the seats in the folded down position?
So far I have counted out all the pieces and matched them to the parts list. Since I've got four pages of parts list (23 altogether), I've also labeled them with little post-its. Now I think it may be time for lunch...
12:04 (burp) Lunch was a havarti and turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread from Safeway's deli. Now, must get back in there. Next step, remove the existing makeshift desk that Chris cleverly constructed.
12:35 I have gotten the frame together and it will stand up on its own. I consider this a
momentous enough event for another picture. So far, so good. Not all the holes are a completely perfect match but no major problems either.
1:01 So far, no bad words have been spoken. I had a bad moment attaching the rear stabilizer, a cross-piece with four screws, and of course the last one wouldn't fit. I eventually had to unscrew two of the others and select another one to be the "last". Why that worked, not exactly sure, but it did.
1:22 I noticed what appeared to be a mismatch in the keyboard shelf support pieces, and sure enough, that definitely appears to be the case. I am going to try something creative before I call the help line...
1:41 My creative bit doesn't work. I call the help line and tell them I think the holes are drilled on the wrong side. They take address and will send replacement part.
I can't let go, though, and try again. I try the DIY'ers favorite technique - force it in... Doesn't work...
Resort to reviewing the instructions again. Sure enough, catch a subtlety in the picture that I missed before. Or rejected, because it didn't make sense to me. I take the sub-assembly apart and try again.
2:22 I have figured it out. Call the help line back - cancel that part...
2:40 Tighten everything up and put in glass shelves. Voila! Still cleanup to do but my thumbs are sore from pushing the allen wrench. The pool is beckoning... My evil twin tries to convince me that this is enough stretching and bending and no yoga is necessary today....
3:19 Cleanup is complete. Well, more or less. Still need to get carton to recycling and wash sheet I used, but hey, enough is enough. It's warm and sunny and there's water to go jump in!
I wanted to really make a last push to get the house in better shape, so purchased a computer desk. I like putting things together, so I am actually looking forward to this project. It's like doing a more practical jigsaw puzzle. I found the one I wanted at OfficeMax and it was on sale, too!
I was proud of myself first for figuring out how to get the carton to fit in my Honda Fit. I had to resort to the owner's manual, but managed to get the back seats nice and flat. I loved one comment in the owner's manual "Do not put anything heavy on the backseats while in the folded down position." Uh, and why do they think we need to put the seats in the folded down position?
So far I have counted out all the pieces and matched them to the parts list. Since I've got four pages of parts list (23 altogether), I've also labeled them with little post-its. Now I think it may be time for lunch...
12:04 (burp) Lunch was a havarti and turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread from Safeway's deli. Now, must get back in there. Next step, remove the existing makeshift desk that Chris cleverly constructed.
12:35 I have gotten the frame together and it will stand up on its own. I consider this a
momentous enough event for another picture. So far, so good. Not all the holes are a completely perfect match but no major problems either.1:01 So far, no bad words have been spoken. I had a bad moment attaching the rear stabilizer, a cross-piece with four screws, and of course the last one wouldn't fit. I eventually had to unscrew two of the others and select another one to be the "last". Why that worked, not exactly sure, but it did.
1:22 I noticed what appeared to be a mismatch in the keyboard shelf support pieces, and sure enough, that definitely appears to be the case. I am going to try something creative before I call the help line...
1:41 My creative bit doesn't work. I call the help line and tell them I think the holes are drilled on the wrong side. They take address and will send replacement part.
I can't let go, though, and try again. I try the DIY'ers favorite technique - force it in... Doesn't work...
Resort to reviewing the instructions again. Sure enough, catch a subtlety in the picture that I missed before. Or rejected, because it didn't make sense to me. I take the sub-assembly apart and try again.
2:22 I have figured it out. Call the help line back - cancel that part...
2:40 Tighten everything up and put in glass shelves. Voila! Still cleanup to do but my thumbs are sore from pushing the allen wrench. The pool is beckoning... My evil twin tries to convince me that this is enough stretching and bending and no yoga is necessary today....
3:19 Cleanup is complete. Well, more or less. Still need to get carton to recycling and wash sheet I used, but hey, enough is enough. It's warm and sunny and there's water to go jump in!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Night!
I had a routine doctor appointment this morning, so worked late to make up for that. I got home around 6:50. The California polls are supposedly open until 11pm, which is 9pm here, so I didn't expect to see definitive election results until then. I was glad I turned on the TV so that I was able to see Obama's acceptance speech!
I always wished I could have seen MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech in person. I'm so glad that I got to hear Obama's speech live. This is really a defining, historic moment, and I am so proud to be an American. I have to admit that he made me misty-eyed. Though I laughed when he promised his girls a puppy. Obama looks like a St. Bernard or golden retriever kind of guy. I predict a big dog in the White House... No more Scottish terriers...
He's just a few weeks older than I am, and I marvel at that. Could have been President Eva! ha!
Locally, it looks like Mayor Mufi has been re-elected. Rail, the big question, seems to be leading "yes" by 5 points.
My heart is so full of many good things - just don't have the words to express it.
I always wished I could have seen MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech in person. I'm so glad that I got to hear Obama's speech live. This is really a defining, historic moment, and I am so proud to be an American. I have to admit that he made me misty-eyed. Though I laughed when he promised his girls a puppy. Obama looks like a St. Bernard or golden retriever kind of guy. I predict a big dog in the White House... No more Scottish terriers...
He's just a few weeks older than I am, and I marvel at that. Could have been President Eva! ha!
Locally, it looks like Mayor Mufi has been re-elected. Rail, the big question, seems to be leading "yes" by 5 points.
My heart is so full of many good things - just don't have the words to express it.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunny Sunday in November
I am marveling a bit that here is November 2nd, and I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Of course, this was standard wear in Alice this time of year, but we were in the southern hemisphere then, well into spring and headed towards summer. This is northern hemisphere and it's fall.
Chris and I checked out the weather in Baltimore to see how it looked for his business trip there this week. Highs in the 60's; lows in the 40's. That sounds warm-ish for November there, but he was glad he didn't have to take a coat.
It is nice to have a largely sunny day, though it's been sprinkling on and off. But it has been sunnier than it's been for much of the last two weeks. I'm hoping to jump in the pool a little later. I like to wait until after 3pm, when the water's had a chance to warm up and the UV rays aren't as intense.
I'm enjoying a day of football, watching the Titans win and Dallas lose. I've always hated Dallas. It's always a happy day when they struggle. Speaking of struggles, watching Tennessee play South Carolina yesterday was terribly painful. The Titans game got a little heart stopping as they had to pull it out in overtime. And it appears that my fantasy team, the Honolulu Hornets, will have a comfortable win this week, though overall my record, at 4-5, is barely better than UT's.
The craft fair yesterday was much bigger and better than I'd expected. I was going mostly just to have an excuse to take a walk. There was stuff all over the place! Booths were set up outside along the edge of the school grounds, creating a trail to the gym area where there were inside booths.
There were some nice Hawaiian crafts such as cutting boards made of local wood and beautiful door wreaths made out of shells. One lady was selling locally made soap which had a loofah inside, so I had to buy one of those. The guy next to her was selling locally made dog biscuits, so I bought a small bag which I plan to sneak thru the fence... I also bought a sun shade for my lounge chair so I can sit outside by the pool without a hat. Tried it out yesterday and it worked well.
People were also selling gift baskets, baby clothes and accessories, Christmas ornaments, beautiful local photographs and a really spicy-smelling dip that a lot of people were trying but almost ran me out of the room. There were also a couple of food booths including one with some good smelling sausages, but it was too early (9:30am) for me to eat a sausage.
I walked around it a couple of times, but it was just getting too crowded to move, and I had spent enough money, so I came on home. There's another craft fair coming to the nearby high school in a couple of weeks, so I now have high expectations for that! And I will definitely bring more cash.
We're still doing things to get the place more liveable, but it gets better every week. We could still use several major pieces of furniture, and we need to get rid of a couple of big items that we no longer have a use for. In addition to the pool man, we've hired a lawn service that comes every two weeks to mow the grass and take care of all the various plants we have.
We may have to hire a housekeeping service as well, since cleaning that stupid whirlpool tub we have may be the end of me. The sides are deep, and I'm short, so it's hard just to reach the bottom with my hand while I'm on my knees beside it. And those stupid jet openings are just mold / mildew magnets. I've never been a huge bath person anyway, and with the outside spa, I'm not at all inclined to use this thing.
The first time I cleaned it, I said to myself "never doing this again," and got on the internet and searched how to clean a bathtub. I found several people rhapsodizing over Mr. Clean Eraser. I bought one and that definitely makes the job easier. But it's still a job, and I still hate those jet openings.
Well, Dallas is still losing 35-14, with 2:30 to go, so I'll sign off with that happy note.
Chris and I checked out the weather in Baltimore to see how it looked for his business trip there this week. Highs in the 60's; lows in the 40's. That sounds warm-ish for November there, but he was glad he didn't have to take a coat.
It is nice to have a largely sunny day, though it's been sprinkling on and off. But it has been sunnier than it's been for much of the last two weeks. I'm hoping to jump in the pool a little later. I like to wait until after 3pm, when the water's had a chance to warm up and the UV rays aren't as intense.
I'm enjoying a day of football, watching the Titans win and Dallas lose. I've always hated Dallas. It's always a happy day when they struggle. Speaking of struggles, watching Tennessee play South Carolina yesterday was terribly painful. The Titans game got a little heart stopping as they had to pull it out in overtime. And it appears that my fantasy team, the Honolulu Hornets, will have a comfortable win this week, though overall my record, at 4-5, is barely better than UT's.
The craft fair yesterday was much bigger and better than I'd expected. I was going mostly just to have an excuse to take a walk. There was stuff all over the place! Booths were set up outside along the edge of the school grounds, creating a trail to the gym area where there were inside booths.
There were some nice Hawaiian crafts such as cutting boards made of local wood and beautiful door wreaths made out of shells. One lady was selling locally made soap which had a loofah inside, so I had to buy one of those. The guy next to her was selling locally made dog biscuits, so I bought a small bag which I plan to sneak thru the fence... I also bought a sun shade for my lounge chair so I can sit outside by the pool without a hat. Tried it out yesterday and it worked well.
People were also selling gift baskets, baby clothes and accessories, Christmas ornaments, beautiful local photographs and a really spicy-smelling dip that a lot of people were trying but almost ran me out of the room. There were also a couple of food booths including one with some good smelling sausages, but it was too early (9:30am) for me to eat a sausage.
I walked around it a couple of times, but it was just getting too crowded to move, and I had spent enough money, so I came on home. There's another craft fair coming to the nearby high school in a couple of weeks, so I now have high expectations for that! And I will definitely bring more cash.
We're still doing things to get the place more liveable, but it gets better every week. We could still use several major pieces of furniture, and we need to get rid of a couple of big items that we no longer have a use for. In addition to the pool man, we've hired a lawn service that comes every two weeks to mow the grass and take care of all the various plants we have.
We may have to hire a housekeeping service as well, since cleaning that stupid whirlpool tub we have may be the end of me. The sides are deep, and I'm short, so it's hard just to reach the bottom with my hand while I'm on my knees beside it. And those stupid jet openings are just mold / mildew magnets. I've never been a huge bath person anyway, and with the outside spa, I'm not at all inclined to use this thing.
The first time I cleaned it, I said to myself "never doing this again," and got on the internet and searched how to clean a bathtub. I found several people rhapsodizing over Mr. Clean Eraser. I bought one and that definitely makes the job easier. But it's still a job, and I still hate those jet openings.
Well, Dallas is still losing 35-14, with 2:30 to go, so I'll sign off with that happy note.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Saturday morning...
It's a lovely Saturday morning here and I'm planning to walk up to a nearby elementary school for a craft fair a little bit later today. Get shopping and exercise all in one! Try not to think about Tennessee football!
In the meanwhile, I'm thinking evil thoughts about our next door neighbor, the one with the sled dog team. It's not even 8am, and he's up trimming his little scraggly lawn. First, he went after a bush with a chain saw. Hasn't this yahoo heard of big pruning shears? Now he's attacking the rest of his yard with a gas-powered weed wacker. I feel positive he's violating the covenants (no noisy outside work until 8:00), though I think he does become legal in 4 minutes.
Last night his five dogs were barking and howling. Huskies seem to like to howl! It sounds kind of cute when they do it, but it was getting loud. So after several minutes of that, I went outside. They had all climbed up on this pile of trash he has out there, and I think some of the trick-or-treaters walking behind the back fence had gotten their attention.
As soon as I came into view, their ears perked up and their tails started wagging, and they looked SO cute. Then they all jumped down to come see me at the fence. I talked to them and petted their noses, and they were quiet after that.
It just breaks out hearts, though. They're so sweet and cute and responsive to people and we NEVER see him (or anyone) interact with them. By and large, they're good dogs. They don't bark endlessy and aimlessly like some of the critters nearby. It's just every now and then they get a little loud and they quiet right down.
Chris has just reported that the guy now has his lawn mower out. WHAT FOR? He has no lawn! "He has a few high clumps," said Chris. Those are WEEDS! I think I even hear him around the back. How does the mower deal with all the dog poop he never picks up?
And now Chris is telling me that I should be more understanding, guy probably doesn't have a lot of money, doing his best to keep his property up, and that's why he raises dogs for meat... ??????
Regardless of Chris's funny comments (ha ha honey), rest assured that if either of us gets wind of any harm to those pups, we'll be calling the humane society, the policy, Animal Planet, the Dog Whisperer, the Iditarod, you name it. They seem happy and though they're thin, they don't look unhealthy. But Aunt Eva is keeping her eye out... And her hand over the fence, petting them from time to time.
I hear a husky howl - guess they don't like the lawn mower noise either....
In the meanwhile, I'm thinking evil thoughts about our next door neighbor, the one with the sled dog team. It's not even 8am, and he's up trimming his little scraggly lawn. First, he went after a bush with a chain saw. Hasn't this yahoo heard of big pruning shears? Now he's attacking the rest of his yard with a gas-powered weed wacker. I feel positive he's violating the covenants (no noisy outside work until 8:00), though I think he does become legal in 4 minutes.
Last night his five dogs were barking and howling. Huskies seem to like to howl! It sounds kind of cute when they do it, but it was getting loud. So after several minutes of that, I went outside. They had all climbed up on this pile of trash he has out there, and I think some of the trick-or-treaters walking behind the back fence had gotten their attention.
As soon as I came into view, their ears perked up and their tails started wagging, and they looked SO cute. Then they all jumped down to come see me at the fence. I talked to them and petted their noses, and they were quiet after that.
It just breaks out hearts, though. They're so sweet and cute and responsive to people and we NEVER see him (or anyone) interact with them. By and large, they're good dogs. They don't bark endlessy and aimlessly like some of the critters nearby. It's just every now and then they get a little loud and they quiet right down.
Chris has just reported that the guy now has his lawn mower out. WHAT FOR? He has no lawn! "He has a few high clumps," said Chris. Those are WEEDS! I think I even hear him around the back. How does the mower deal with all the dog poop he never picks up?
And now Chris is telling me that I should be more understanding, guy probably doesn't have a lot of money, doing his best to keep his property up, and that's why he raises dogs for meat... ??????
Regardless of Chris's funny comments (ha ha honey), rest assured that if either of us gets wind of any harm to those pups, we'll be calling the humane society, the policy, Animal Planet, the Dog Whisperer, the Iditarod, you name it. They seem happy and though they're thin, they don't look unhealthy. But Aunt Eva is keeping her eye out... And her hand over the fence, petting them from time to time.
I hear a husky howl - guess they don't like the lawn mower noise either....
Saturday, October 25, 2008
North Shore Outing
Yesterday on my day off I wandered up to Oahu's North Shore. It's just about a 20-min drive from where we live, and I could feel my heart lift, lighten, and start to dance as I began to see the mountains and ocean. Also, it was wonderful to see so much blue sky. Our part of the island has been very cloudy lately and I was hungry for some sunshine.
The North Shore is famous for its winter surf, but it's too early for the really big 20-30 foot waves yet. It's also a world away from Waikiki. Some folks call it the "real Hawaii." Don't know about that myself. They're both fun places to go experience, just very, very different in character.
The North Shore doesn't have much in the way of infrastructure. All the roads are two-lane, no shoulder. If there's an accident, traffic can literally be held up for eight hours. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of building codes, either! Houses that look like shacks can sit next to multi-million dollar homes. There's no major shopping up there, such as a Walmart.
It's very rural and very relaxing. Even many of the famous beaches don't really have parking lots --people just pull over to the side of the road in a clump.
I started out my day by heading to Waimea Valley. It's an area of ancient Hawaiian tradition and religion, but also an important botanical garden. Its recent history has been a bit tumultuous and recently it's been transferred to a public/private ownership plan to preserve its best qualities.
To me, it sounded pretty, so off I went. The gardens were very pretty, but mostly consisting of lots of different green plants. I'm not sure if it's the time of year and not much is in bloom, or if that's just the way this place is... I remember from other trips here that there's actually not a lot of color to indigenous Hawaiian plants, due to the lack of predators and pollinators, since the islands are so isolated.
But it was still interesting; in some cases, I was seeing huge versions of plants I associate with just being little potted house plants. Had NO idea a philodendron could get that big. There was also a hibiscus garden that showed the evolution of that plant, and there were some blooms there. But still, there were also plants I would have never guessed were part of that family.
One attraction I was looking forward to was the waterfall at the end of the valley. I'd call it more of a waterin' hole than a waterfall. It was pretty, but more of a trickle over a hill than a waterfall on that particular day. I was surprised to see changing rooms so you could get into your swimsuit; didn't realize they encouraged that kind of participation! It was an unusually humid day, and if I'd brought a suit, I would have jumped in.
I walked back and bought some turtle-themed items at the gift shop. I made a restroom stop before leaving and haven't seen my face that red in a long time! The humidity and warm morning had taken a toll.
Then I drove back towards the two towns of Haleiwa and Waialua. I stopped at a place in Waialua and bought the dark chocolate they make there, eating it as I drove along. My next stopping point, if I could find it again, was going to be a beach where they go kite surfing.
The kites dancing around in the air helped me see that I was in the right spot. I missed the entrance to the parking lot, so just went in the one-way exit instead. It's the North Shore; people do that there... No rules, dude...
I walked down to the beach with my camera, but couldn't really get a good picture, so just enjoyed the moment. I watched one woman walk down the beach holding her kite which was already airborne, surfboard under her arm. She made it look so easy as she walked into the water, turned the surfboard at a 30-45 degree angle, stuck her feet on it, and just let the kite pull her up and off. They go so fast. It's really neat to watch. I had fun just watching them and the waves. It was really therpeutic.
Our real estate agent showed us that beach when we were house hunting, and it wasn't any more occupied that day. But it's rocky and very windy, and not a great place to really just chill and enjoy the ocean, so the kite surfers pretty much have it to themselves.
Also nearby is the Dillingham air field, for small planes, gliders, parasailers and parachuters. As I was driving by, several tandem parasailers were coming in to land, so I pulled over to watch. That looked like a lot of fun, too. "Maybe a Christmas present idea," I thought to myself. As I pulled away, though, I saw a cross by the side of the road with flowers around it, so, er, maybe not such a good idea...
I enjoyed poking around on the two-lane roads coming home in all the sunshine. It was really a gorgeous day, and I felt so relaxed and mellow. Definitely going to have to do that again, but maybe bring a suit and stop at the beach for a bit next time.
The North Shore is famous for its winter surf, but it's too early for the really big 20-30 foot waves yet. It's also a world away from Waikiki. Some folks call it the "real Hawaii." Don't know about that myself. They're both fun places to go experience, just very, very different in character.
The North Shore doesn't have much in the way of infrastructure. All the roads are two-lane, no shoulder. If there's an accident, traffic can literally be held up for eight hours. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of building codes, either! Houses that look like shacks can sit next to multi-million dollar homes. There's no major shopping up there, such as a Walmart.
It's very rural and very relaxing. Even many of the famous beaches don't really have parking lots --people just pull over to the side of the road in a clump.
I started out my day by heading to Waimea Valley. It's an area of ancient Hawaiian tradition and religion, but also an important botanical garden. Its recent history has been a bit tumultuous and recently it's been transferred to a public/private ownership plan to preserve its best qualities.
To me, it sounded pretty, so off I went. The gardens were very pretty, but mostly consisting of lots of different green plants. I'm not sure if it's the time of year and not much is in bloom, or if that's just the way this place is... I remember from other trips here that there's actually not a lot of color to indigenous Hawaiian plants, due to the lack of predators and pollinators, since the islands are so isolated.
But it was still interesting; in some cases, I was seeing huge versions of plants I associate with just being little potted house plants. Had NO idea a philodendron could get that big. There was also a hibiscus garden that showed the evolution of that plant, and there were some blooms there. But still, there were also plants I would have never guessed were part of that family.
One attraction I was looking forward to was the waterfall at the end of the valley. I'd call it more of a waterin' hole than a waterfall. It was pretty, but more of a trickle over a hill than a waterfall on that particular day. I was surprised to see changing rooms so you could get into your swimsuit; didn't realize they encouraged that kind of participation! It was an unusually humid day, and if I'd brought a suit, I would have jumped in.
I walked back and bought some turtle-themed items at the gift shop. I made a restroom stop before leaving and haven't seen my face that red in a long time! The humidity and warm morning had taken a toll.
Then I drove back towards the two towns of Haleiwa and Waialua. I stopped at a place in Waialua and bought the dark chocolate they make there, eating it as I drove along. My next stopping point, if I could find it again, was going to be a beach where they go kite surfing.
The kites dancing around in the air helped me see that I was in the right spot. I missed the entrance to the parking lot, so just went in the one-way exit instead. It's the North Shore; people do that there... No rules, dude...
I walked down to the beach with my camera, but couldn't really get a good picture, so just enjoyed the moment. I watched one woman walk down the beach holding her kite which was already airborne, surfboard under her arm. She made it look so easy as she walked into the water, turned the surfboard at a 30-45 degree angle, stuck her feet on it, and just let the kite pull her up and off. They go so fast. It's really neat to watch. I had fun just watching them and the waves. It was really therpeutic.
Our real estate agent showed us that beach when we were house hunting, and it wasn't any more occupied that day. But it's rocky and very windy, and not a great place to really just chill and enjoy the ocean, so the kite surfers pretty much have it to themselves.
Also nearby is the Dillingham air field, for small planes, gliders, parasailers and parachuters. As I was driving by, several tandem parasailers were coming in to land, so I pulled over to watch. That looked like a lot of fun, too. "Maybe a Christmas present idea," I thought to myself. As I pulled away, though, I saw a cross by the side of the road with flowers around it, so, er, maybe not such a good idea...
I enjoyed poking around on the two-lane roads coming home in all the sunshine. It was really a gorgeous day, and I felt so relaxed and mellow. Definitely going to have to do that again, but maybe bring a suit and stop at the beach for a bit next time.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A few random Thursday thoughts
I'm taking tomorrow off to use what's called use-or-lose vacation time. Even though I don't want to lose time off, I feel uneasy about being off work - so much to do!
I plan to wander around the avant garde North Shore tomorrow. Perhaps I'll get a tattoo...
One of the things they do here strikes me as a bit odd as electioneering and campaigning goes. Supporters stand on the sides of the streets and highways holding "Vote for Joe" signs and waving at traffic in the early mornings. I don't see them in the afternoons.
The past two mornings, the supporters for the two mayoral candidates have been out at one of the major intersections I have to drive through. As I sat in the left turn lane this morning, the supporter for Anne Kobayashi made a lot of efforts to get my attention. I was not in the mood to wave and whoop, and besides, I'M voting for Mayor Mufi, the incumbent. I somehow resisted the temptation to roll down the window and yell that since she struck me as the type to hit me with the sign...
Well, I need to plan my outing! More later...
I plan to wander around the avant garde North Shore tomorrow. Perhaps I'll get a tattoo...
One of the things they do here strikes me as a bit odd as electioneering and campaigning goes. Supporters stand on the sides of the streets and highways holding "Vote for Joe" signs and waving at traffic in the early mornings. I don't see them in the afternoons.
The past two mornings, the supporters for the two mayoral candidates have been out at one of the major intersections I have to drive through. As I sat in the left turn lane this morning, the supporter for Anne Kobayashi made a lot of efforts to get my attention. I was not in the mood to wave and whoop, and besides, I'M voting for Mayor Mufi, the incumbent. I somehow resisted the temptation to roll down the window and yell that since she struck me as the type to hit me with the sign...
Well, I need to plan my outing! More later...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Brrr! Fall is in the air!
Yes, fall is in the air here in Hawaii. First, it's starting raining a lot more. Today is another day with a lot of dark gray cloud cover instead of the white fluffy clouds and blue sky that I'm more used to. We're not using our ceiling fans much these days and I've got all the patio doors shut, too. I might even have to put on a sweater!
We got our first full monthly electric bill, so I called Mama to compare those costs as well. "Ours was five eighty five," I said. "Five dollars and eighty five cents?" asked my mother. Mama's so cute. "No, five hundred eighty five dollars."
"My goodness!" she said, using that strong language again. So she starts poking thru her records, looking for her old bills. The highest she could find was $95 for July.
"What do you have your thermostat set at?" she asked.
"We don't have air conditioning. We don't have a thermostat."
"Oh."
Our pool pump is the culprit for a big part of our costs. But still, my office mate said his electric bill was $270 last month, and his 3-bedroom place is half the square footage of our house. So even with our pool pump, we're not completely off the bell curve.
I jumped on the electric company's site and did an energy survey, and we're doing all the right things. So just one more part of the price of living in paradise.
Speaking of prices, I needed eggs this week. They had cheaper ones, but I decided to support local farmers, and bought the local dozen for $4.29. But as I put them in my cart, I thought "wait a minute." Why are the local chickens charging me $4.29 when I can buy mainland eggs for $2.94? But I bought the local ones anyway.
I'm trying to take my own cloth bags to the stores here. Discovered one store gives me .03 cents credit per bag I bring in, and the other gives me .05 for using my own bag. Whoo hoo! I can put that towards the electric bill...
Well, UT won a football game yesterday, 34-3, probably saving Phil Fulmer's job. Vandy lost to Georgia, but they're still in good shape. The Titans are winning so far today. My fantasy team is doing abysmally, but I've gotten used to that this year. It's still fun. Winning is more fun, though...
We're still making progress on the house, a little bit every week. I took a lot of stuff to Goodwill yesterday, pillows, old bedspreads, shoes, purses, CDs and DVDs. There's an attendant there who made comments on all my stuff. He wanted to know why I was getting rid of the DVD's and CD's. I told him I had the music on my iPod and didn't want the CDs any more. When I brought out all the bags of bedding, he said, "you're really cleaning out." Oh, for an un-attended Goodwill drop point...
Some of this stuff, I don't know how it made it out of Australia. But once it got to England and was in our flat there with its 25 steps up to the front door, it pretty much stayed there. However, here, it's easy to get rid of extra stuff, so I'm trying to do that, have more room for Hawaii souvenirs!
Next time - more on the curtains (might even manage some pix) and more on the symphony chorus!
We got our first full monthly electric bill, so I called Mama to compare those costs as well. "Ours was five eighty five," I said. "Five dollars and eighty five cents?" asked my mother. Mama's so cute. "No, five hundred eighty five dollars."
"My goodness!" she said, using that strong language again. So she starts poking thru her records, looking for her old bills. The highest she could find was $95 for July.
"What do you have your thermostat set at?" she asked.
"We don't have air conditioning. We don't have a thermostat."
"Oh."
Our pool pump is the culprit for a big part of our costs. But still, my office mate said his electric bill was $270 last month, and his 3-bedroom place is half the square footage of our house. So even with our pool pump, we're not completely off the bell curve.
I jumped on the electric company's site and did an energy survey, and we're doing all the right things. So just one more part of the price of living in paradise.
Speaking of prices, I needed eggs this week. They had cheaper ones, but I decided to support local farmers, and bought the local dozen for $4.29. But as I put them in my cart, I thought "wait a minute." Why are the local chickens charging me $4.29 when I can buy mainland eggs for $2.94? But I bought the local ones anyway.
I'm trying to take my own cloth bags to the stores here. Discovered one store gives me .03 cents credit per bag I bring in, and the other gives me .05 for using my own bag. Whoo hoo! I can put that towards the electric bill...
Well, UT won a football game yesterday, 34-3, probably saving Phil Fulmer's job. Vandy lost to Georgia, but they're still in good shape. The Titans are winning so far today. My fantasy team is doing abysmally, but I've gotten used to that this year. It's still fun. Winning is more fun, though...
We're still making progress on the house, a little bit every week. I took a lot of stuff to Goodwill yesterday, pillows, old bedspreads, shoes, purses, CDs and DVDs. There's an attendant there who made comments on all my stuff. He wanted to know why I was getting rid of the DVD's and CD's. I told him I had the music on my iPod and didn't want the CDs any more. When I brought out all the bags of bedding, he said, "you're really cleaning out." Oh, for an un-attended Goodwill drop point...
Some of this stuff, I don't know how it made it out of Australia. But once it got to England and was in our flat there with its 25 steps up to the front door, it pretty much stayed there. However, here, it's easy to get rid of extra stuff, so I'm trying to do that, have more room for Hawaii souvenirs!
Next time - more on the curtains (might even manage some pix) and more on the symphony chorus!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Domestic Happenings
First, a new picture of the pool and the new ugly, but imminently useful, chaise lounge. I have enjoyed both very much this weekend.
I have also purchased a "floor buddy", which looks a bit like a cloth hot pad. Mine is in the shape of a turtle and has a flip-flop-like thong top to it. The bottom is terry cloth. It's designed to help you wipe up water or spills on the floor using your foot. Very handy... Some of you might find one in your Xmas package...
By the way, whatever made wood floors so popular... Ours are very pretty, but the bottom of my white socks makes me wince. No more on that...
I bought Cooking Light's "5 ingredient 15 minute" cookbook recently and have had very good luck with that. In England, the stores were great with packaging main dishes already seasoned that just needed to be popped in the oven. I don't think I cooked a "normal" meal the whole two years we were there.
Alas, those days are gone. But this cookbook helps greatly with the gap. Not only does it have recipes for main dishes, but it also suggests side dishes, and sometimes a bread or dessert. Chris asked "why all the cooking?", and I told him it was easy. Everything's right there for me. I don't have to figure out what put with what.
Now, the book does mislead a bit... Some of the recipes definitely have more than 5 ingredients. And I can't really do any of them in 15 minutes, but I can do most in less than 30. Some dishes have been better than others, but none have been bad.
Tonight, I put diced chicken and salsa in a skillet and heated that up, while boiling wagon wheel pasta. When the pasta was ready, I put the chicken/salsa mixture over the wagon wheels and then topped it with Monterey Jack cheese. Chris went back for seconds.
I opened up a pita bread and put it in the oven to crisp it (never would have thought of that on my own). Dessert was blueberries and strawberries topped with a mixture of vanilla yogurt and honey. Chris wasn't too fond of the yogurt mixture, but I thought it was pretty good.
I also made a balsamic-and-honey sauce for chicken with a broccoli-couscous mixture. Another dish was similar to the wagon wheel pasta, where I used elbow macaroni, ground turkey, diced tomatoes, corn, and taco seasoning. Another winner.
And since we live so close to several take-out restaurants and the Safeway which is open 24 hours, it's virtually risk-free cooking. If dinner doesn't work out, help is just across the street...
I'll close with another shot of the pool. I did have one of me on the chaise lounge, but there was just too much large white leg. Not a good picture to go along with a posting largely about food....
Next posting - we get even more domestic and hang curtains...
I have also purchased a "floor buddy", which looks a bit like a cloth hot pad. Mine is in the shape of a turtle and has a flip-flop-like thong top to it. The bottom is terry cloth. It's designed to help you wipe up water or spills on the floor using your foot. Very handy... Some of you might find one in your Xmas package...
By the way, whatever made wood floors so popular... Ours are very pretty, but the bottom of my white socks makes me wince. No more on that...
I bought Cooking Light's "5 ingredient 15 minute" cookbook recently and have had very good luck with that. In England, the stores were great with packaging main dishes already seasoned that just needed to be popped in the oven. I don't think I cooked a "normal" meal the whole two years we were there.
Alas, those days are gone. But this cookbook helps greatly with the gap. Not only does it have recipes for main dishes, but it also suggests side dishes, and sometimes a bread or dessert. Chris asked "why all the cooking?", and I told him it was easy. Everything's right there for me. I don't have to figure out what put with what.
Now, the book does mislead a bit... Some of the recipes definitely have more than 5 ingredients. And I can't really do any of them in 15 minutes, but I can do most in less than 30. Some dishes have been better than others, but none have been bad.
Tonight, I put diced chicken and salsa in a skillet and heated that up, while boiling wagon wheel pasta. When the pasta was ready, I put the chicken/salsa mixture over the wagon wheels and then topped it with Monterey Jack cheese. Chris went back for seconds.
I opened up a pita bread and put it in the oven to crisp it (never would have thought of that on my own). Dessert was blueberries and strawberries topped with a mixture of vanilla yogurt and honey. Chris wasn't too fond of the yogurt mixture, but I thought it was pretty good.
I also made a balsamic-and-honey sauce for chicken with a broccoli-couscous mixture. Another dish was similar to the wagon wheel pasta, where I used elbow macaroni, ground turkey, diced tomatoes, corn, and taco seasoning. Another winner.
And since we live so close to several take-out restaurants and the Safeway which is open 24 hours, it's virtually risk-free cooking. If dinner doesn't work out, help is just across the street...
I'll close with another shot of the pool. I did have one of me on the chaise lounge, but there was just too much large white leg. Not a good picture to go along with a posting largely about food....
Next posting - we get even more domestic and hang curtains...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Celebrating Columbus Day
I've already satisfied a couple of quests of my own (like Columbus), and fortunately didn't have to travel that far to do so.
I had looked for a nice chaise lounge for the poolside and finally gave up and decided to just get something cheap that could be easily folded away. Our pool deck area is so lovely the way it is, and I was afraid a large piece of furniture would just mar the tranquility. So I looked at Kmart, Home Depot, but finally found the perfect thing at Walmart (where else). It's cheap, plastic, ugly, but looks great with a towel on it and fits nicely in one of our outdoor closets. I bought two.
Yesterday afternoon after a hard day of shopping (took Friday off), I enjoy my new chaise lounge by the pool, reading a book and drifting in and out of naps. I jumped in the pool first to cool off and then just lounged. It was lovely.
I fulfilled another quest by buying a Vera Bradley purse with some birthday money from a cousin (thanks, Jo Ann!). And I finally found Crazy Mike's furniture.
We still need several pieces of furniture to make the place more liveable, and there aren't a lot of choices on the island. I found a pretty bedside table last week, but not for $599. And since we'd need two, I'm definitely not spending $1200 just for two little tables. So while poking around on the internet, I found Crazy Mike's website.
Finding Crazy Mike's storefront, though, was another story. The address is a major street that I travel on often, and I vaguely remembered seeing a truck with "Crazy Mike's" on the side. On my way back from the fancy Ala Moana mall (where the Vera Bradley store is), I crawled along, sticking to the right, looking for the truck.
I finally saw not one Crazy Mike truck but two, so pulled into a side street and into the parking lot. The entrance was tucked away in a corner, with lots of furniture piled around it. Signs indicated the showroom was upstairs.
It was what I expected from a discount furniture showroom with stuff everywhere. But there was a little cohesion to their stuff and I found where the bedroom furniture was. Mike had several options for a chest of drawers and nightstand, but I didn't think any of them would look good with our sleigh bed. I could hear a man and little boy goofing around in the main part of the showroom as I left the bedroom area.
I thought they were customers, but apparently he was some kind of salesman (perhaps even Mike himself) since he started in the furniture salesman bit. "What are you looking for," and when I said, "just poking around," he started to guess what I was looking for.
A note on furniture salespeople - I find them creepy. I've gone into several stores here, and there's usually one manning the door. They welcome me to the store and ask what I'm looking for. I do my usual "just looking around." Then they follow me for a few steps, and often ask another question, and I give them no eye contact and another "Just poking around."
Then they follow me, in a surveillance kind of way. Every time I look around, they're somewhere nearby. But they'll seem to be polishing a table or something. I wonder if this is part of the application for furniture salesmen. Do they stick applicants on the street and have them tail somebody for twenty minutes? Then they'll hire them? I feel like sticking a wig in my purse and putting it on around a corner, just to shake 'em.
Anyway, Crazy Mike's salesman was no more subtle than Crazy Mike's ads. He seemed irritated at my "just poking around" comments, yelling things after me. "They custom fit these sofas if you want a sofa." Besides, the fact that he was babysitting a 2-year-old boy who was literally bouncing off the sofas didn't exactly make me want to deal with him either.
So, yes, I found Crazy Mike's and can now mark it off my list as a place for furniture. I will close for the moment to watch the agonies of UT football since the UT-Georgia came has just begun, but stay tuned for more Columbus Day weekend happenings and some pictures...
I had looked for a nice chaise lounge for the poolside and finally gave up and decided to just get something cheap that could be easily folded away. Our pool deck area is so lovely the way it is, and I was afraid a large piece of furniture would just mar the tranquility. So I looked at Kmart, Home Depot, but finally found the perfect thing at Walmart (where else). It's cheap, plastic, ugly, but looks great with a towel on it and fits nicely in one of our outdoor closets. I bought two.
Yesterday afternoon after a hard day of shopping (took Friday off), I enjoy my new chaise lounge by the pool, reading a book and drifting in and out of naps. I jumped in the pool first to cool off and then just lounged. It was lovely.
I fulfilled another quest by buying a Vera Bradley purse with some birthday money from a cousin (thanks, Jo Ann!). And I finally found Crazy Mike's furniture.
We still need several pieces of furniture to make the place more liveable, and there aren't a lot of choices on the island. I found a pretty bedside table last week, but not for $599. And since we'd need two, I'm definitely not spending $1200 just for two little tables. So while poking around on the internet, I found Crazy Mike's website.
Finding Crazy Mike's storefront, though, was another story. The address is a major street that I travel on often, and I vaguely remembered seeing a truck with "Crazy Mike's" on the side. On my way back from the fancy Ala Moana mall (where the Vera Bradley store is), I crawled along, sticking to the right, looking for the truck.
I finally saw not one Crazy Mike truck but two, so pulled into a side street and into the parking lot. The entrance was tucked away in a corner, with lots of furniture piled around it. Signs indicated the showroom was upstairs.
It was what I expected from a discount furniture showroom with stuff everywhere. But there was a little cohesion to their stuff and I found where the bedroom furniture was. Mike had several options for a chest of drawers and nightstand, but I didn't think any of them would look good with our sleigh bed. I could hear a man and little boy goofing around in the main part of the showroom as I left the bedroom area.
I thought they were customers, but apparently he was some kind of salesman (perhaps even Mike himself) since he started in the furniture salesman bit. "What are you looking for," and when I said, "just poking around," he started to guess what I was looking for.
A note on furniture salespeople - I find them creepy. I've gone into several stores here, and there's usually one manning the door. They welcome me to the store and ask what I'm looking for. I do my usual "just looking around." Then they follow me for a few steps, and often ask another question, and I give them no eye contact and another "Just poking around."
Then they follow me, in a surveillance kind of way. Every time I look around, they're somewhere nearby. But they'll seem to be polishing a table or something. I wonder if this is part of the application for furniture salesmen. Do they stick applicants on the street and have them tail somebody for twenty minutes? Then they'll hire them? I feel like sticking a wig in my purse and putting it on around a corner, just to shake 'em.
Anyway, Crazy Mike's salesman was no more subtle than Crazy Mike's ads. He seemed irritated at my "just poking around" comments, yelling things after me. "They custom fit these sofas if you want a sofa." Besides, the fact that he was babysitting a 2-year-old boy who was literally bouncing off the sofas didn't exactly make me want to deal with him either.
So, yes, I found Crazy Mike's and can now mark it off my list as a place for furniture. I will close for the moment to watch the agonies of UT football since the UT-Georgia came has just begun, but stay tuned for more Columbus Day weekend happenings and some pictures...
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Election thougths and news on the 'hood
If you're looking for balanced coverage on the candidates that actually discusses and contrasts their views and policies, as opposed to what Sara Palin's wardrobe says about her (yes, I found an article like that on some American news site... *sigh*) , try www.economist.com. They have a lengthy briefing on the American election that I found very useful.
Now for some more info on the general neighborhood where we live. We are in the middle of Oahu. We’re surrounded by lush mountain views, though in places we can also look down to the Pearl Harbor area and see some ocean. In off-peak traffic, Waikiki is abt 45 minutes away. If we drive about 10 minutes north, we can start to see the North Shore coastline, and in 20 minutes we can be at those beaches. (In case those facts are of interest for any prospective visitors…)
We’re also about 12 minutes from work, and just 1.5 miles away from the Town Center shopping area. We’ve got a lot of convenience right nearby, and it’s not a bad trip to go do something more fun. And there’s so much beauty around us. There are a couple of places on the way to work that are just breathtakingly gorgeous with mountains and trees. It’s a nice way to start the day.
Our particular neighborhood was built in the mid-70’s, so most of the houses are 30-35 years old. Ours has been added onto over the years and completely remodeled in the last year, so it looks like a new house. We have almost 2300 square feet, but the houses were originally built with about 1100. Most are one-story, though some people have remodeled and added a second floor or a garage.
Most of us in this neighborhood have carports instead of garages, and most of them seem full of cars! With living here being so expensive, and with Hawaiian family tradition, a lot of people seem to live in one house! And they all seem to have a car. We have a different one parked in front of our house every night. Sometimes it’s a white Mercedes. Today it was a blue Lexus.
The age and condition of some of the houses made me a little nervous about our neighborhood the first time I saw it, but the nice cars were reassuring that we weren’t moving into a dicey area. Still, we’re one of the few houses that only has two cars in its parking area. Many have three or four crammed into the carport. And of course most people seem to have a big fancy pickup, too, another way in which we are behind the neighbors…
One of our next door neighbors has one of the worst looking houses. The one redeeming factor is the cute family of dogs that they have, though we never see anyone pay attention to the dogs, besides me. I hang over the fence and say “hello” to them. There’s a mom, dad and 3 half-grown pups. They’re sweethearts and rarely bark, but the owner doesn’t keep up after them. Dog poop is everywhere all over the back yard, and the grass is almost non-existent.
The neighbor doesn’t have much in the way of grass in the front yard, either, but the other Saturday he was up at 8:30 with a weed whacker. We couldn’t figure out why he was disturbing our morning… They also have an old Toyota truck parked on the street that never moves, complete with blocks under the back wheels.
We don’t have central a/c in our house, which is fairly common for Hawaii (also a fact any prospective visitors may want to note…). It can get warm in the afternoon, but there's always a breeze and the mornings and evenings are very pleasant.
But the one thing about living with your windows open all the time – you hear everything that goes on! We know when our neighbor goes to work every morning. Early. Another neighbor likes to party and has a friend or relative with a really, really annoying laugh.
And of course there’s the pool when you need to cool off! I was swimming at night a few days ago, and still can’t quite believe we have this wonderful pool. Even when we’re not in it, it’s great to just sit here and enjoy looking at it.
But all our houses are close together, so I probably won’t be doing any skinny dipping. There are usually fences between each house, but they’re not really high. We have a back fence, too, that hides us from the main road, but people can see over it.
We live right across the street from a small strip shopping center. It has a Safeway, a Longs Drugs, several takeout places, a nail salon (Chris often comments on the number of nail salons in Hawaii), and the Palace Buffet Korean BBQ (which mars our view of the mountains. *sigh*) But I’m lovin’ the convenience of having those things so close by!
I walked up to the Town Center for grins to see how long that took on foot, and I was there in a leisurely 27 minutes. There’s a larger grocery store there, a WalMart, several sitdown restaurants including Chilis and Ruby Tuesdays, and lots of small shops, several banks, and several doctors. The main bus pickup point is also there, and I might try that sometime to get to the big fancy mall, to see how that is instead of fighting the traffic myself.
And for those of you who look forward to my weekend football report, UT won, Vanderbilt is a historic 5-0, the Titans are also 5-0 and as I write, Dallas is beating up on Cincinnati.
Now for some more info on the general neighborhood where we live. We are in the middle of Oahu. We’re surrounded by lush mountain views, though in places we can also look down to the Pearl Harbor area and see some ocean. In off-peak traffic, Waikiki is abt 45 minutes away. If we drive about 10 minutes north, we can start to see the North Shore coastline, and in 20 minutes we can be at those beaches. (In case those facts are of interest for any prospective visitors…)
We’re also about 12 minutes from work, and just 1.5 miles away from the Town Center shopping area. We’ve got a lot of convenience right nearby, and it’s not a bad trip to go do something more fun. And there’s so much beauty around us. There are a couple of places on the way to work that are just breathtakingly gorgeous with mountains and trees. It’s a nice way to start the day.Our particular neighborhood was built in the mid-70’s, so most of the houses are 30-35 years old. Ours has been added onto over the years and completely remodeled in the last year, so it looks like a new house. We have almost 2300 square feet, but the houses were originally built with about 1100. Most are one-story, though some people have remodeled and added a second floor or a garage.
Most of us in this neighborhood have carports instead of garages, and most of them seem full of cars! With living here being so expensive, and with Hawaiian family tradition, a lot of people seem to live in one house! And they all seem to have a car. We have a different one parked in front of our house every night. Sometimes it’s a white Mercedes. Today it was a blue Lexus.
The age and condition of some of the houses made me a little nervous about our neighborhood the first time I saw it, but the nice cars were reassuring that we weren’t moving into a dicey area. Still, we’re one of the few houses that only has two cars in its parking area. Many have three or four crammed into the carport. And of course most people seem to have a big fancy pickup, too, another way in which we are behind the neighbors…One of our next door neighbors has one of the worst looking houses. The one redeeming factor is the cute family of dogs that they have, though we never see anyone pay attention to the dogs, besides me. I hang over the fence and say “hello” to them. There’s a mom, dad and 3 half-grown pups. They’re sweethearts and rarely bark, but the owner doesn’t keep up after them. Dog poop is everywhere all over the back yard, and the grass is almost non-existent.
The neighbor doesn’t have much in the way of grass in the front yard, either, but the other Saturday he was up at 8:30 with a weed whacker. We couldn’t figure out why he was disturbing our morning… They also have an old Toyota truck parked on the street that never moves, complete with blocks under the back wheels.
We don’t have central a/c in our house, which is fairly common for Hawaii (also a fact any prospective visitors may want to note…). It can get warm in the afternoon, but there's always a breeze and the mornings and evenings are very pleasant.
But the one thing about living with your windows open all the time – you hear everything that goes on! We know when our neighbor goes to work every morning. Early. Another neighbor likes to party and has a friend or relative with a really, really annoying laugh.
And of course there’s the pool when you need to cool off! I was swimming at night a few days ago, and still can’t quite believe we have this wonderful pool. Even when we’re not in it, it’s great to just sit here and enjoy looking at it.
But all our houses are close together, so I probably won’t be doing any skinny dipping. There are usually fences between each house, but they’re not really high. We have a back fence, too, that hides us from the main road, but people can see over it.
We live right across the street from a small strip shopping center. It has a Safeway, a Longs Drugs, several takeout places, a nail salon (Chris often comments on the number of nail salons in Hawaii), and the Palace Buffet Korean BBQ (which mars our view of the mountains. *sigh*) But I’m lovin’ the convenience of having those things so close by!
I walked up to the Town Center for grins to see how long that took on foot, and I was there in a leisurely 27 minutes. There’s a larger grocery store there, a WalMart, several sitdown restaurants including Chilis and Ruby Tuesdays, and lots of small shops, several banks, and several doctors. The main bus pickup point is also there, and I might try that sometime to get to the big fancy mall, to see how that is instead of fighting the traffic myself.And for those of you who look forward to my weekend football report, UT won, Vanderbilt is a historic 5-0, the Titans are also 5-0 and as I write, Dallas is beating up on Cincinnati.
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