Blackout!

This is one of those posts that should be lumped under, “Lucky you don’t live Hawaii” (a play on the local series “Lucky you live Hawaii” which highlights fun events around town, or just celebrates life in and around the islands). I’m home this morning doing random chores and the like and wanted the Giants / Cubs game on my computer in the background. I logged into mlb.tv using Noel’s paid subscription to watch. Think again! Blackout restriction? Whaaat?
The text reads, “We’re sorry. We have determined that you are located inside one of the applicable Club’s home television territories and are therefore blacked out of watching the game you selected.” We are 5,000+ miles away from any MLB team. Our local cable broadcasts Angels and Dodgers games. Noel has been frustrated with this in the past and I think the blackout applies to ALL West coast teams from Seattle to San Diego. Why does MLB do this? Are they just mean?

Rainbow over Waikiki

We've had a busy few days. We spent Father's Day in Waikiki at the Aquarium and later at dinner. Yesterday we were back in Waikiki for the day as I dropped off the boys with their Grandma while I went to an interview. Later in the afternoon we hit the beach for a little late-day play in the strong waves. Robbie had a blast; Cub just wanted to nap. Light rain showers came and went a few times, which created a thin rainbow over Diamond Head. More rain today so far this morning. That's OK. I've got plenty of chores to catch up on.

An evening on the other side of Oahu

Had a nice micro-night out while the boys were with their grandparents last night. After dropping them off in Waikiki I drove out to Hanauma Bay for a presentation by Dr. Alex Karamanlidis, Greek wildlife biologist with MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (www.mom.gr/), a group working to help save the Mediterranean Monk Seal. With a smaller population than the Hawaiian Monk Seal, the Mediterranean Seal is more critically endangered. (There were once three thriving populations of Monk Seals around the world. The Caribbean Monk Seal is extinct. Sadly, the last seal of that species was spotted in 1952.)
Dr. Alex is in Hawaii learning and working alongside scientists and biologists working with the Hawaiian Monk Seal populations, one area in particular is DNA and genetic research (I think. I wasn’t taking notes, and my memory is always shaky when I don’t have a pen in hand). He shared history of the seal, some fascinating stories and videos of present-day seals, and other interesting notes about their organization in Greece.
So what does that have to do with the chocolate, froufrou marshmallows pictured? I’d been busy most of the afternoon and skipped dinner. Heading home through Hawaii Kai, I decided to stop over at Whole Foods and treat myself to a few light items from the buffet bar. I also picked up the marshmallows because I’ve wanted to try them out after multiple segments about artisan marshmallows on the Food Channel, etc. My verdict? Not exciting. Fun for a while, but even with my sweet tooth, I would probably pass on them next time. I had two and felt kind of sick to my stomach almost immediately, to tell you the truth. They are heavily dusted with cocoa powder while the inside is a much lighter brown. I’ll have to figure out a way to use up the rest as I don’t think the boys will go for them.

Green barrel days

Today is my mom's birthday. While we aren't with her celebrating on the West coast, I will be thinking of her later today during a very Mom-like activity: filling the green barrel. A year or two back, our community received green barrels for green waste (finally!). Sadly, I can count on one hand how many times I've actually filled it and left it curbside. One of those days will be today. When the early evening comes around and it's cooler, I'll hit the backyard for a fun game I call, "Did we plant that or is it a weed?" In the picture above, I *think* the green shrub-like plants are weeds. So don't laugh, it's a tricky game! The picture is poor; I think those *plants* look kind of nice and fit cleanly at the base of the tree. I might grant them a stay in the side yard until the next green barrel day in two weeks.
I've mentioned many times I did not inherit my Mom's green thumb. I strongly believe you can overcome this type of genetic deficiency with a little hard work, but so far, I clearly have not worked hard enough.

The escape artist

I woke up Monday morning to find an empty cone at my bedside and a cone-free and very content dog under the bed. I felt sorry for Cal Sunday night and left the cone loose. Too loose! He wiggled out of it and low-crawled under the bed during the night. That can't be good for his surgically repaired knee! The cone has been tighter at night the rest of this week.
Luckily for Cal (and my conscience), he's pretty good about scratching and licking his stitches. When I'm in the room with him, I try to leave the cone off so he gets a break. But when unattended, the cone must go on. We didn't crate him this week per post-procedure instructions. Instead we contained him in the kitchen with a baby gate with a little room to move. My heart sinks when I think we may be doing the wrong thing.

Summertime

I'm giving the title of "Summer Mixed Media" to this work. Robbie made me a flower using rocks and sidewalk chalk on the concrete a few days ago.
Summer is in full swing; warm afternoons and longer days have arrived. We spend a few hours a day in the front yard on our rusting fleet of bikes and big wheels that Robbie has nearly outgrown. We got Robbie a larger bike without training wheels last summer but we don't have enough safe space in the front to ride it. For now, they seem to be happy working with what we have.