Sleepers

Guess which monk seal is pregnant. ;) Yes, both are female. Coincidently, that's Rocky on the left. She had a pup in April. AMAZING to think she was just as big a few months ago!

Look closely

Here's the monk seal I nearly missed!

The end for the Advertiser

Big - yet not surprising - publishing news in Hawaii: Honolulu is now a "one newspaper town." It's been talked about for months, but on Sunday, the Honolulu Advertiser produced its last daily newspaper. The Advertiser was bought out by and merged with the Star-Bulletin to create the Star Advertiser, which launched on Monday. Lots of jobs were lost by long-time journalists and technicians, and the Advertiser web site was to be shut down by Monday.
I feel a little bad about poking fun/being critical of some of their recent work, but it got under my skin so I will share it! A few weeks ago the Honolulu Zoo hosted a Hawaiian Endangered Species Celebration, where local groups and environmental advocates were allowed to host a booth and perform public outreach about local endangered species. The Advertiser used archive photos of native African animals residing at the zoo to promote their story on the event both on the front page (pictured) and three additional pictures on the first page of the Island Life section. Who knows, maybe it is worse than I believe, maybe they are stock photos of random, non-native Hawaiian endangered species that don't even reside at the zoo. The supporting text proudly talks about the native Hawaiian species like the nēnē, koholā (humpback whale), and Mauna Loa silversword plant to be featured at the event. But where are their pictures?? Surely they have some dazzling pictures of these species or any of the other 56 endangered animals and 318 endangered plants, whether archived or from talented, local photographers?

San Jose (CA) Kidney Walk

This year's Kidney Walk is tomorrow, Saturday, June 5th, benefiting the National Kidney Foundation. The San Jose event starts at 10:00 AM and walkers will stroll 3 miles through downtown. My brother-in-law, sister, nephew, and niece will be walking. For one more year (hopefully the last, if not second-to-last!) we will be joining them in spirit and cheering them on from across the Pacific. To donate to the Kidney Foundation, click here.

More monk seals at Nimitz Beach

Here's Rocky, another Hawaiian monk seal, resting on Nimitz Beach Saturday afternoon. I like this wider shot as you can make out Honolulu, Waikiki, and Diamond Head toward the East. Rocky has had a good Spring. She was tracked by the local volunteer network to Kauai in April, where she had a pup. She stayed with the pup there for 4-6 weeks, then weaned the pup and is now back on and around Oahu beaches. I've learned that seals tend to come back to the same place to have their pups. Rocky has "pupped" on Kauai in years past, so when she disappeared from Oahu shores (looking really, really big and obviously pregnant) they figured she swam to Kauai when her time was nearing. They were right.
This stretch of beach was pretty quiet, and Rocky probably had a peaceful day with only a little volunteer monitoring. Other times when seals haul out to crowded beaches, they will get more than the ropes to surround them - they will have one or two volunteers working hard to let the seals sleep undisturbed, mostly intercepting humans and dogs who get to close.

Trumpeter Chris Botti in Honolulu

On a Thursday night in early April, I snuck away for an evening to the Blaisdell Concert Hall to see trumpeter Chris Botti. I knew nothing about him except for a vague memory that he had a PBS special in the last few years (although I didn't see it). Artists like this don't happen upon Honolulu regularly, so I made a special effort to get there. The night did not disappoint. Not only did he and his band give an incredible musical performance, he is a talented showman and can work a concert hall with humor and story telling like the best of them. I thought to myself at one point that he's the type of guy who could buy your car off you for below blue book, then turn around and sell it back to you for twice as much as he gave you. I better check my box office receipt...maybe he did!
My description might sound a little like he's a sketchy guy, but that's not the case. He seems genuinely friendly, funny, and appreciative of life's gifts. And, of course, an amazing musician. If his name pops up on your radar in your hometown, support the arts! Run and get yourself a ticket.

My afternoon chasing an Internet star

I spent some time on the beach this afternoon training with HMSRTO volunteers, learning more about monk seals and what volunteers do when looking for seals along the shore, as well as how they handle crowds at the beach while the seals sleep. There were four seals spotted in the White Plains vicinity today, but when I walked the beaches I saw just two. One very exciting siting - at least for me - was to see Kermit, a popular 12 year old, 500+ pound male seal who has been outfitted with a data transmitter for the past three months. On the Monk Seal Mania blog, they regularly post the data maps that are transmitted from that device. For fun on that blog, they call the device the "iKermit." It has provided the scientists and volunteers a ton of really fascinating data. For example, his deepest dive (for food) was 750 ft (an average dive is 150 ft). And when he ventured from Oahu to Kauai last month? Took him 21 hours and he literally swam in a straight line. (How's THAT for an internal GPS system?!) Here he is out in the water off Nimitz Beach earlier today. We followed him from the shore for a quarter of a mile, looking to see if he would haul out again, but he just kept swimming west.

Summer is here!

Our oldest one came home with a preschool diploma in the backpack yesterday. It's official! He'll be a kindergartner in a few months. Until then, we're in full Summer mode now that school is out. I made pancakes this morning and will probably bake banana bread with Robbie later in the afternoon. We'll finish the day with a pool run. This summer I will be putting my years of teaching swim lessons to use - on my own kids. Robbie is still a little hesitant about the water, while Cub has real potential.
Pictured here is a bucket of sidewalk chalk. His teacher says Robbie's writing is a bit behind, so this is another one of the things we'll be working on during the long, hot days ahead. Remind me again, why did I object to kids returning to school in early August? ;)

A gift from the parking gods

On Saturday morning, the parking gods conspired to give me a message: George Clooney is still on the island, at least for another week.
The semester is over now, and that means no more Saturday classes this summer. What's one to do with her Saturdays free? Well, last Saturday I went to the annual Honolulu Book and Music Festival, downtown on the grounds of Honolulu Hale. There was one scheduled speaker who interested me: Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants, the book optioned into the movie that is filming here now with Clooney cast as lead.
I was running late and had to get to the bank. After the bank, I realized I was going to cut it very, very close if I was going to see the session. I went for it. Pulling off the freeway, I passed a public parking garage I thought would be open. Not so. My last shot would be street parking closer to the venue. I turned onto S. King Street and sized up the scene. The expected crowd was there and it wasn't looking good for me. But one block over, hallelujah! A spot on the street appeared. I got to the "Author's Tent" in time to hear there was one more week of filming and George is still here. Somewhere. He has been super low-key. I thought he might be staying at the Kahala, but normally if someone is there for a while, word leaks. So I think he's renting a private residence. And that friends, is purely a guess.
The author was joined in the Author's tent by Jim Burke, a producer on the film and partner in a production company with Alexander Payne, the movie's screen writer and director. The author and producer took questions from the small crowd for 45 minutes, talking of writing, optioning rights, developing a screenplay, scouting local scenes, working with local extras and local production crews...and George Clooney. For the record, I was there but asked no questions. And no, I was NOT the near-rabid fan who asked about George's whereabouts at least three times! I did admire her pluck though.

17!

That's the number of Furlough Fridays Hawaii public schools reached on Friday. The last one for the year...and only because there is one Friday left on the school calendar. Robbie's school breaks for summer recess on May 26. It's so bizarre to me that they get out so early. In CA as a kid, schools always got out the second week of June. Robbie does go back earlier than we ever did - August 2 this year, if I'm reading the kindergarten schedule right. Just one more thing I'll never understand - why they get out early in Spring yet have to be in rooms without air conditioning during the most hot and humid month of the year. Baffling!
During the school show on Thursday, one of the older grades performed/lip synced a furlough protest song! In years past, I didn't stick around very long after Robbie's group performed. Cub was much younger, and the day was usually really hot. But Thursday was nice and we were enjoying Cub running around in a shaded corner near the cafeteria, so I kind of just went with it. When the furlough song came on, Noel and I both looked at each other with raised eyebrows. I think the crowd got pretty quiet, too. But the kids got the biggest ovation at the end, so those in attendance appreciated it.
Here's a picture from one side of the lawn. A group is performing a hula in front of the Royal court at the other end of the field. In the foreground, there is a group wearing paper plant hats, waiting for their turn to hit the stage. Another paper plate craft! Robbie comes home with a lot of objects crafted out of paper plates. I'll have to share pictures of some of my favorites soon, but for now, enjoy the one I bestow the title of "Most Original Paper Plate Craft I've Seen Yet."

Mother's Day - take two

Tomorrow we’ll be heading out of the house early to catch Robbie’s school’s annual May Day pageant. It’s a big, well-coordinated affair on the large lawn outside the front entrance (they have been rehearsing for over a month!). Per tradition, they have the older elementary kids representing a Royal Hawaiian court (King, Queen, etc.), as well as “representatives” from the major Hawaiian islands. After the parade of dignitaries, each grade does a song or dance. Family and friends flock to the school to enjoy the show and it gets pretty crowded around that lawn. For the past two years, the preschoolers have performed the Hukilau, but they’ve switched it up this year and will be singing The Rainbow Song. Each year I plan to post the video or more pictures of the show, but at the last minute I decide not to because I’m not comfortable posting other kids’ pictures to the Web without parental knowledge or consent (even when they are so gosh-darned cute!). So I’ll make no promises this year, as I have in the past.
Robbie will be entering kindergarten next year. His current teachers are extremely generous and thoughtful and they will be a hard act to follow, but we are looking forward to the change and seeing our "medium size boy" grow (his words, he insists he's not a big boy yet). Here is the Mother’s Day letter and picture they had Robbie draw and sign for me, one of the many thoughtful things that they do throughout the year. I'm in his favorite red! I was joking before when I said that the “mistake” in the picture could be Cub. I know exactly who is pictured next to Noel and I, and I couldn’t agree more. Kids are so smart.

Diamond Head Lighthouse

I love lighthouses! Who doesn't? They're a mix of our nautical history, architecture, coastlines, and fun. And at one time immensely practical. All things that appeal to me. They are not so much needed anymore in most areas, but they will indeed live on due to dedicated people who preserve and take care of them. There are only a small number on Oahu and I think I've seen two (I wrote about one in one of my earliest posts). The Diamond Head Lighthouse has actually been on a US postal stamp, yet I still didn't know it's exact location. While hiking Diamond Head with my Mom a few weekends ago, there it was! Clear as day, wedged between the surf breaks and the crater. I knew that wherever it was, the lighthouse was actually on private property, and that didn't make much sense until I viewed it from the rim of the crater. Now it will make sense to you, too.
Classes are nearly over for me. The last two weeks or so I've been more or less in a hole. My programming class reared it's tough head and kicked me while I was down. I threw in the towel on the final assignment yesterday - already 5 days overdue - and submitted garbage in hopes of getting a few points for trying. (I should also acknowledge a great instructor who doesn't give up on her students and is very patient and understanding!) Now just a final test to go this week. I will no longer jokingly say, "Wish me luck!" I really need it. ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's my gift from Robbie, made in class this week and brought home in the backpack. A painted "treasure chest" craft box, adorned with foam cut-out stickers. Inside the box was a folded note, also in the picture. It says, "Happy Mother's Day" with his signature on one side, and on the other he attempted to draw me and Noel, and possibly someone else. Cub, perhaps? When asked, he said the unidentifiable object was a mistake. Ouch! Red remains one of his top color choices (he's still a big fan of the bird house we painted last year). Robbie is quite fond of this box and tends to forget it's actually mine. :)
Like last year, the annual list of the most popular baby names in the country were announced late last week. Thanks in part to the Twilight phenomenon, Jacob holds steady at the top for boys. A disturbing trend..."Cullen" is making it's way into the charts as a boy's name. (I'm told that this is Twilight's Edward's last name.) Seriously? Naming your dog or ferret that - OK. But your child??

Another house guest

I couldn't sleep on Friday night (a real rarity for me) and went down to the couch in the very early morning and started watching some Tivo'd programs. I think it was at least an hour later when I noticed this fellow on the ceiling near the door. This time of year a lot of these moths hang out near the front lights - outside of course - so I'm used to them. But I don't like them inside! My attempt to bat him out an open door with a broom failed and he ended up in the kitchen on the blinds. To give you an idea of his size, those blind slats are 3 - 4 inches wide. He later flew over to the ceiling above the TV, and remained there for the next 24 hours. He moved on to the upstairs guest bedroom on Sunday, where I was finally able to catch him and release him outside. Robbie took note of my technique to trap him (combination of Tupperware container and paper towels) so maybe he can help me next time. ;)

Monk Seal Count Recap

On the Saturday of the monk seal count, I ended up being assigned the KoOlina zone. I'd never heard of any seals hanging out there, but I was told that every once in a while they spotted one. So, remembering that all of Oahu's coastline was to be surveyed and happy that I could do my part, I cheerfully took the assignment and hit the...rocks. Yep, KoOlina is an area of man-made coves and most of the natural coastline is rocky. Very rocky! The odds were stacked against me that I'd see anything I could report, but I got a great workout climbing on and around the rocks. You couldn't help but admire the views, either. I kept wondering if it would be more efficient to check out the area via kayak. Maybe I'll try to team up with somebody to do that next time.
Of all the Leeward areas, there was only one report of a seal that morning, on the lava rocks near a beach in an area known as "Tracks." It wasn't too far from KoOlina, and I was itching to get a picture with the camera gear I had with me, so I ended up driving out there and looking for the already-counted seal myself. I even struck out with that.

Diamond Head views

My Mom has been visiting this past week. We've been busy (and that means I haven't been studying much) and we're having fun. Yesterday morning headed east and walked/hiked up to the top of the Diamond Head crater. A short walk, a bit challenging but worth it. It feels great at the top! Next time she's here we'll do the Koko Head crater or Ka'ena Point on the western tip. Or both! So much to do, so little time.
The picture posted shows Kapiolani Park and the Waikiki hotels and coastline.

I -heart- Pano!

I was in Waikiki Thursday evening attending a training session for the Monk Seal Count coming up on Saturday. I arrived late and missed most of the brief presentation, but still they deemed me OK to continue. I walked away with two T-shirts: one free, official-looking volunteer shirt, and another "fundraiser shirt" for $15 with the 2009 - 2010 count logo. I'm awaiting an email with my "zone" assignment. For the purpose of the count, Oahu's entire coastline (starting with Kaena Point's North Shore access and working clockwise around to the West side) is divided into 20 more or less equal distances; I think they will be able to honor my request for a Leeward zone.
Had enough time to wander the East end of Waikiki for a few minutes at sunset. Here's the moment, captured with Pano (click the image to see a bigger picture in your browser). The Pano makers recently pushed out an update and they did a good job with the major overhaul. You might not think by looking at it, but the sky merge is pretty accurate. This time of year the sunsets are better on the Leeward side, and from Waikiki you get a partial view due to obstruction from the mountains, as seen here. The Waikiki beachfront hotels are in the middle of the picture, on the right is a private event (dinner and music) on the grounds of the Waikiki Aquarium. They hosted the training session, too, but on the other side of the building in their classroom.

House guest

This feathered fellow showed up in our backyard on Monday morning. At first I thought he was hanging out to harass/hunt the backyard geckos (yes! they're back! I've seen a few along the fences), but he didn't do much of anything. He also looked a bit odd to me with the perma-ruffle feathers. Maybe he's sick? If so, he's come to the right place. We're a sick house here, Robbie was sick Monday and Cub caught it a day later. He sure is an odd visitor. He let me get really close with the iPhone for a picture, and isn't all that worried about the dogs. Even after Cal sort of charged him. Cal was by my side as I took this picture, and he got antsy and barked at the bird, even lunged for him a little. Scared me more than the bird!

Monk Seal Mania!

I stumbled onto a very cool, Hawai'i blog a few months back by clicking the "Next Blog" link from my own site. It's the daily Hawaiian Monk Seal tallies from a group of volunteers who work closely with NOAA officials. They hit the local beaches every day and record and photograph which monk seals they see, whether hauled out on the sand and natural jetties or swimming near the shore. I've become a big fan and check for updates frequently. They're a passionate, dedicated group of people and I hope to soon be one of them! There is an island-wide, bi-annual Hawaiian Monk Seal Count on Oahu in a few weeks, and I've signed up to help on the Leeward side.
Here's the group's mission statement: "We maintain and train volunteers to assist federal, state, and non-governmental organizations in responding to Hawaiian Monk Seal "haul-outs", pupping events, and injuries. Anything we can do to assist in the recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal!"
Please check them out here: http://www.hmsrto.org/
Here's the site I found that started it all: http://monksealmania.blogspot.com/
And here's a sister-blog from a blogger who shares his sitings and photos with the Monk Seal Mania site: http://northshoremonks.blogspot.com/
The picture alongside this post is from last month on Kauai. We stayed at a property on Poipu Beach and were lucky to see one, sometimes two, monk seals hauled out on the beach each day. It's an iPhone pic and not very close, but you can still make out a patch on his back. I think at one point he/she had a transmitter attached.

This is way more complicated than it looks...

I spent most of the morning working on my latest homework assignment. We've entered into the world of Java applets, and our instructor wanted us to create a drawing of "an object that makes sense," using programming methods (opposed to "just spare shapes and colors" thrown around the screen). So, here's my object, a train engine. That sort of makes sense. A very simple structure, yet took hours for me to code. Don't worry, this is not the new career path I'm taking! But I will be looking into more classes with the digital arts - possibly photos and drawing for fun. All I could think as I repeatedly opened and closed my browser to check my compiled updates was, "This could have been knocked out in minutes in Illustrator!" :) Our final assignment for the semester is due next week. We have to design and implement a virtual slot machine. Bet on...me!

Adventures with local produce

Lately I've been trying to hit the local farmer's market every week, or at least every other week. I've now found a vendor that consistently brings locally grown romaine lettuce and broccoli in addition to all the other great fruits and veggies, so I find myself there more regularly and even earlier in the morning to ensure I get those before they're gone. (Here "locally grown" means statewide...markets allow produce from farms and growers on the other islands, just not the Mainland.) The same vendor also puts out Okinawan sweet potatoes. They're purple and naturally super-sweet. So far I just make roasted sweet potato fries whenever I pick them up. I thought hard about making a purple sweet potato mash for Thanksgiving last year instead of the traditional type, but opted for tradition for reasons I don't remember now. :) Maybe this year.
I'm on the fence whether or not to eat the skins. Food nutrition lore says skins are good, but when they puff up and separate slightly from the "meat" during roasting, it makes it easy to eat around them. Last night I roasted the potatoes shown here (the potato cut open is about the size of an extra large lemon) and overcooked them about 5-10 minutes. A little tougher than they should have been but still yummy!

Prince Kuhio Day beach run

Hawai'i observed Prince Kuhio on Friday. I had some time off, too, so I hit the beach. Sort of. Packed a camera (yep, a real one!) and went to the White Plains area. Walked up and down a bit, found a monk seal resting in a remote/uncrowded area and took a few pictures. I wouldn't know it until late last night when I was uploading the pictures, but the camera ISO was set to 1600 - left over from a previous indoor shoot at the Waikiki Aquarium. Oops. Oh well, that's why I'm not a pro. No monk seal shots to post today, but I vow to try again!
I was also messing around with the Pano iPhone app and took the beach shot here. You can't tell from the image, but less than a quarter of a mile from this spot, hundreds of people were at White Plains Beach at this exact time. This open stretch of beach was definitely more my style.

What to do...where?

I was tipped-off to the following story from a few Facebook posts: Union City (my California hometown) was featured in Sunset magazine. Really? Was it the April 1 edition?
No, it turns out. No joke! The fine - and normally a bit high-brow - editors at the lifestyle magazine determined our humble city wedged in the southern half of Alameda County was worthy of a high-praising shout-out! Unfortunately for Union City (or is that unfortunately for Fremont??), it turns out they lost their bearings and were actually in Fremont most of the time. OK, yes, we have a BART station, yes, we have good ethnic food, and yes, parts of the Alameda Creek Trail do run through Union City. Just not the parts they write mostly about, nor the picture they included with the story. If you were to follow their directions to the trail from the BART station, you would actually pass a sign on the bridge that says, "Welcome to Fremont." And don't get me started about how they throw Garin Park (Hayward) into the mix of a leisurely day on a bike. I'm confused.
But don't let my pet peeves with Sunset's fact checkers keep you from seeking out the trail and Coyote Hills Park. Just last December, Robbie and I walked along it one afternoon during our Christmas holiday (memento above, Fremont hills in the background). We didn't have to go very far, one of the trail heads is at the end of the block. I spent many a Saturday morning with my bike on that trail after college, sometimes biking with my Dad. Before the days of Facebook, ran into a high school friend and reconnected. And when Noel was in Iraq and I was pregnant with Robbie, I walked the dogs there nearly every morning. So, by all means, if you're in the area this Spring, hit the trail and make your own memories! You won't be disappointed - and you won't care that you might not be in Union City.

More fun with the camera roll

So Robbie is not the only budding photographer in the family! Back on Kauai, Cousin Johnny at some point took this one on his Mom's iPhone...she found it later and sent it to me. I tweaked the original in Mill Colour (Noir again), then created the old school labels with a fun and cheap app, Pocket Labeler. This is totally an app for the 30- and 40- something and above crowd. Will anyone younger remember those retro labels? A great flashback. And all for $.99 cents.

What a week!

Around this time last Friday we were getting out the door and leaving for the airport, and it seems as if we've been on that pace since we returned Monday. My rockstar, super software-selling sister earned a well-deserved trip to Kauai for a corporate event. Family from California were all heading out (plus good friends who just happened to be vacationing there at the same time), so I jumped in and took the boys over. Celebrated a bunch of birthdays, and overall had fun in a condo near Poipu Beach. Funny thing about having fun and being blessed with such great friends and family - the good times make the days pass too quickly. Monday afternoon found the three of us back at home. I did feel pretty bad that family had one more long leg to get back to California. I figured I had unpacked and finished my laundry just as they were deplaning in the Bay Area.
On Sunday morning we treated the boys to the Kauai Plantation Railway train ride. It was our second time on the train; the pics here are from last November. It's a nice ride through a former plantation turned orchard and luau grounds. They make a scheduled stop outside a fenced area where pigs and a few other animals roam. Yes, it's a bit weird. I remember someone asking during our first go-around about the pigs becoming a luau centerpiece. They quietly admitted that they do allow hunters to come in when the population is a wee bit overcrowded. But to tell you the truth, I can't remember if they're actually served at the luau or not.
The rest of the week had me studying (catching up on assignments and homework for my programming class) along with sitting at the satellite City Hall one morning, again cramming for another test. I'm now officially a licensed Hawai'i state driver! Add a birthday to that mix and you can understand why I'm looking forward to slowing way down this weekend.

Self-portrait in Noir

I had to passcode-protect my iPhone from the boys after Robbie deleted all of my Notes. (I will spare you the story of when I found that out!) So this might be the last self-portrait from our budding artist on my phone for a while. I found the original pic a few weeks ago and thought that maybe someday I could do something with it, so it was spared from the trash can. I picked up another free iPhone app for photo processing (Mill Colour) and tweaked the portrait with the "Noir" pre-sets. I'm really glad I saved the image now. :)

"Pineapple Fields" birthday photo

"Koi Pond at Dole" birthday photo

Birthday photos

Last Friday we celebrated Robbie's 5th birthday. We tried to make it a two-train day with the Pineapple Express at the Dole Plantation followed by the monorail at the mall before dinner, but the monorail was down for repairs. Good thing we hit the Dole Plantation first! Robbie was quite upset he couldn't ride the monorail. Or maybe we should have done Dole last? Oh well.

While at Dole, we let Robbie loose with one of our digital cameras. Here are a few of my favorites from his "camera roll." All shots here were taken by him and grabbed right off the card with no post-processing or cropping. His first lesson basically covered the shutter button (camera set on program), using the zoom lens, and a little about checking the image on the LCD screen. It was a lot of fun for us; I hope he enjoyed his birthday as well!

Winter Olympics in review

The 2010 Winter Olympics are pau. It's been a week; has enough time passed that I can make fun of the hats worn by Canadian athletes on the medal podium without folks getting too upset? "Own the Podium" they did by winning the most gold. But really, were those tri-color conehead knits caps an after thought?
There is one thing I don't miss. How glad are you, like me, that we don't have to suffer through any more Marriage Ref commercials!! Here's one of my favorite athlete quotes, from a medalist in freestyle skiing. "I know that a lot of people go through a lot of things in their life, and I just want them to realize they can overcome anything," Peterson said. "There's light at the end of the tunnel and mine was silver and I love it."
And this was my favorite Olympic-related quote on Twitter, from comedian Mo Rocca: "I want Scott Hamilton to be my life coach. He's one of the great positive forces ... in the world."
And did I hear it right when they said the 4-man bobsled sleigh called the "Night Train" weighs 500 lbs? Now that has got to be one heck of an oversize baggage fee!
Sochi (Russia) in 2014. Who's in?

Don't fall for it!

Coconut M&Ms! I saw this new-to-me candy flavor in the market and sadly, I fell for the marketing and packaging. Very cool, very tropical, and like all things M&M, fun if you're in the right mood. I threw two small bags into my basket right before check-out and headed home. I opened a bag while watching the Vancouver Opening Ceremonies and immediately regretted it. I should have known better. They left me feeling lousy and then bummed that I had wasted a treat to myself! Before I ate them, I inspected the food label, and the word coconut isn't even listed. Closest thing? Yep, you guessed it. "Artificial flavor." I can't figure out why I went on to eat them anyway. I think what upset me the most was that after looking at that big coconut split in half and a ring of white coconut inside, I figured that the candy would have a white coconut ring, too, but with regular "plain" chocolate inside. Wrong! It's just a slightly larger than standard M&M with a chocolate center infused with artificial flavor. Fail! I'm only saving you a dollar in the grand scheme of things, but avoid them if you can.

"Whole orange" quick bread

Foodies, I'm back! Second week in a row I've baked something out of the Wednesday food section. Years ago on the Food Network, I watched a baker put an entire orange, peel and all, into a food processor and blend into muffin batter. I'd never tried it, but it was memorable. So this week the food editor had a story about using an orange in quick bread. She casually wrote that she had an orange she needed to use up, and coincidentally, so did I. Time to try it! I bake banana bread about once a week - a product of having two boys who leave various partially-eaten bananas around daily. I started putting together the orange bread and Robbie got excited (he likes to help with the banana bread). I tried to explain that it was "orange" bread and not banana bread, and he understood. Sort of. When it came out of the oven, he exclaimed, "That's not orange bread. That's brown bread!" Not sure if I'll make it again anytime soon. High in sugar and heavy, plus it took over an hour to bake thoroughly. That's much too long to have the oven on around here for a snack.

Black Pearl sailing Hawaiian waters

More shipping news - Hot on the heels of the Queen Victoria coming to town, early last week the Black Pearl sailed into Kalaeloa Harbor. What is the Black Pearl? Well, if you have to ask, you're not a tween! (And I'm guessing that's most of my readers, so I'll explain...) It was announced last month that the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise (#4, again for the non-tweens) will be filmed on and around Hawaii this summer. Johnny Depp is on board (pun intended) for the film, but other stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly have abandoned ship. It was reported that the boat was heading to the West Oahu harbor (immediately next to the dock where Noel used to take TheBoat ferry downtown) for multiple reasons, one of which is that the harbor is "a secured facility." Umm, close but not really. I guess they mean secured so you can't board it yourself. One morning I pulled right up into the parking lot where I used to wait for Noel and walked around taking pictures. While doing that, another car cruised up, an actual tween hopped out of the passenger seat, snapped a few pictures, too, and then got back in the car and drove off with his mom.
The boat is not ready for it's close-up. It is here early to get spruced up and camera-primed. It sailed from California under it's real name, Sunset, registered out of Long Beach. And it is not a true reproduction of a 17th-century warship either, the masts are all for show and sailed here via a pretty strong engine. But if you want to believe, I can't stop you here.
In more local movie news, if Pirates doesn't doesn't get your heart beating, maybe this will! In other words, GEORGE CLOONEY ALERT! GEORGE CLOONEY ALERT! It has also been announced that Sir George (yep, that's an honor bestowed by me) is coming this Spring to shoot a new film in and around Honolulu with Alexander Payne, director of Sideways. More news to come from me on this one!! I'll be in make-up on, hair down, camera fully charged mode for the next few months and on the look out.

Strike a pose

More fun with Photo Booth! Robbie loves the iPhone and this is one of his favorite apps, too. Last night he made us laugh as he triggered the shutter, turned the phone around so he could shoot himself, and proceeded to make deliberate, unique poses for all four shots. So funny! And the results weren't so bad, either.

Happy New Year!

Last week, the Advertiser's food section ran an article on almond cookies. They're a local favorite here, especially around this time as many folks bake batches for their Chinese New Year celebrations. They looked easy and fun, so I made some. They're OK; although I did get the thumbs-up from Noel, if I were to make them again, I'd try a few tweaks. First, they call for a tablespoon of almond extract (for a relatively small number of cookies). I had the cheap, imitation stuff, and too much of it is not a good thing. I think the flavor would be better with almond paste and a hint of extract. Just my humble opinion. ;) Also, they're too biscuit-y for me. Way too crunchy. I like a softer cookie, so I'd do a little experimenting there, too. But for festive, they get high marks. If only I had a small tiger stencil. Instead of a simple red dot of food coloring, I would have liked to go all out with an image on top. Maybe next year.

Love Love LOVE!

Love the Olympics, of course. What else could I be talking about? ;) The Winter Olympics have started and the all-out media blitz is in full effect. Enjoying the view from my couch and not in Vancouver but fun nonetheless. Downhill alpine ski races have been delayed so as I compose this they're running something called "Nordic Combined." Can't waste too much time though with the broadcast today, lots of things to do around the house, plus a few lectures and assignments to catch up on. Remember I said I was getting the hang of school and attending a class on cable? Well, I had a reality check this week - missed two quiz deadlines. Luckily I have a window to make them up thanks to a very generous instructor. Back to the books now.

Did I ever tell you about...

...a little event we like to call "the pineapple miracle." At the end of the Pineapple Express train ride at the Dole Plantation, they wait for you with a take-out container full of diced pineapple on toothpicks. Each rider gets a piece as you get off the train. As you can probably imagine, our little group of train riders is the last to leave the train. One day as we were once again bringing up the rear, the attendant wanted to get rid of the rest of the pineapple she had on her - maybe 5 pieces for our group of 3. Cub wasn't interested, and I thought for sure Robbie would pass, but to my surprise, he grabbed a toothpick and plopped a piece in his mouth. And he liked it! And asked for more!! Hence the miracle. Now he will eat pineapple semi-regularly, as will Cub (yippee!) when I dice it up and put it out on the table for them. Anyone know where we can find a Broccoli Train?

In the center area between attractions at the Dole Plantation, they plant and harvest countless pineapple varieties from around the world. Pictured here is our favorite, the "pink pineapple" (our name, not the name on the garden marker). I forget where this one is from, but the blooms are beautiful. Robbie noticed my interest in it when I was taking pictures last fall, and looked for it again when we went back recently. None were in bloom, which bummed us a bit, but we'll keep looking during future trips.

More fun with iPhone Apps

I hit the beach this morning with a beach chair, my new beach umbrella, a good book, and my phone, of course. It sounds really relaxing to be on the beach reading, but I find it hard to concentrate. So between pages, I would get restless and start taking pictures. One of my new favorite apps? Photo Booth Classic Plus. This one wasn't free, but cheap and fun. Takes four pictures in any interval you set and drops them into a single image (photo booth "strip" format). No option to retake; it's four and out. The good news is that you're not wasting either money or photo paper with do-overs. Love it!

Queen Victoria sailing in Hawaiian waters this week

Yesterday the luxury cruise ship, the Queen Victoria, pulled into Honolulu Harbor and docked alongside the Aloha Tower Marketplace for the day. Normally I'm not interested in the comings and goings of cruise ships, except this one held a very important person: My brother! What brother, you ask? My Lucian brother, of course. :)

There are three now-grown boys in the family that took me in while in St. Lucia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The middle brother is a professional musician who performs on cruise ships. (Thanks to Facebook, we've reconnected.) The last time he was in Hawaii? A year or two ago, before I signed up with FB. He said he spent the day at "a mall" with some friends. Doh!

When he emailed late last month to say he was coming this way, I got very, very excited! Woo-hoo! I'll be able to see him! But sadly, no reunion in the cards for us. He's relatively new on the QV and had to attend mandatory training on board the ship, all day. I couldn't not go down to the harbor, even if it just meant walking around the ship and taking a look. I suppose we could have tried to arrange a time for him to be on deck so we could at least wave at each other, but I didn't know logistically what would work. He didn't expect to be in Hawaii when he signed on, here's to hoping he comes again. Soon!

I also hope he arrives in better weather. Not really knowing what he would want to do, I made a mental list of activities - all outdoors - that might show him a side of Oahu he wouldn't get from his normal view from the ship. Hiking Diamond Head was at the top of my list. Turns out we had one of the wettest days in years here. Rain and dark clouds until late afternoon. I didn't have a Plan B.

Fun with iPhone apps

Who doesn't love free iPhone apps?!? There are a couple of different versions of a photo editor in the App Store that transforms your cell phone pictures into a look-alike of the now-iconic Obama campaign poster. I found a free version last night - the "Hope Camera." It's a bit limited - yes, free so this is not a complaint - but very easy and you can still have fun. I have a good shot of Cub that I thought would work, but the editing makes his eyes look funny. I went to my backup plan and tweaked pictures of our dogs next. Brady is in this one. Looks like she's wearing a doggy coat! Sadly, it's just the way the app made her, umm, folds look. The app allows some adjusting of the color levels and appearance, as well as provides a utility for you to enter a different word at the bottom of the image. Otherwise not very complicated. And free!

The dog didn't eat my homework...

...but he did eat my reading assignment! School is going well and I'm adjusting to deadlines (again!), homework, and submitting assignments and taking quizzes online. I leave my textbooks and class materials laying about so they're in reach when I have a few minutes. I've got to be careful, though. Papers end up on the floor and are consumed by the dogs. Sometimes the dogs are more trouble than the boys!

Elton live!

A few Saturdays ago, Noel and I went to watch Elton John live and in concert. Right here on Oahu! Can't tell you how excited I was...and can't tell you how not excited Noel was. I've been a huge fan for years. Mostly his old stuff, some of his new. (My cat is named Elton. I swear a future dog will be named Levon...) Noel is still wondering after all these years with me what the fuss is all about. But he bravely came along, and I think he enjoyed it, but not as much as I did.
Elton was onstage (for three hours!) most of the evening with just his piano; about a third of the evening he was joined by percussionist and long-time friend and collaborator Ray Cooper. And that's it! I think he sounds great. Can still handle all of his material and play one amazing piano. He doesn't have his original range but pretty darn close to an untrained ear (and to think that his first albums came out nearly 40 years ago). Noel got hungry and headed out for snacks about an hour in and missed some of the songs that he knows best. I couldn't sing along to "Hold me closer Tony Danza" to cheer him up. The rest of the evening included some of Elton's early, great work, including songs from the Madman Across the Water album, which Elton said remains one of his best -- and personal favorite.
One surprise note to the evening? Kanye West in the house. Near the end of the show, Elton acknowledged his friends and extended family there with him that week, and Kanye was among the VIPs in the first row.

Jellyfish kid craft

Another fun art project came home in the backpack last week. A jellyfish! The kids poured pink hand sanitizer gel, glitter, and plastic beads into a plastic sandwich bag, then cut out and taped a construction paper jellyfish around the bag edges. Accordian folded "legs" were attached at the bottom to complete the, um, authentic look. Lean in and the smell of the floral scented hand sanitizer is pretty strong--transports you to a Bath & Body Works shop. Might not be so pleasant for some, but I don't mind so much.
It's a bit of a darkish day here, with vog continuing to cover Oahu and a little rain predicted. But you never know. Monday started out this way and we ended the day at the playground in sunshine.

My other favorite outtake

This picture makes me smile, so I'm going to revisit our holiday photo card shoot today. The cards are done, mailed, received...the boys, while not perfect pics, at least look cute, so I need to get over it and move on. But not before sharing this final outtake. It looks like I'm torturing him (and/or he's throwing a tantrum), but in fact, it's one of those situations where I think we were trying to get Cub to walk along normally (while Noel shoots) and then he suddenly decides he wants to be untethered. He lifts his feet out from under himself and nearly falls over in an effort to go free. I'm there holding on, while Noel is still shooting. And thus the picture, uncropped straight from the memory card. For friends with babies who will be at this stage in a year or two, just remember to have patience and laugh. For friends beyond this stage, look back fondly. Enjoy!

Adventures with Piggy the Pink

Cub received a moose and a pig (stuffed animals) for Xmas. He didn't care for them much, but Robbie took to them quickly. Robbie started playing with them and before you knew it, Piggy the Pink was coming with us on all travels, big and small. I could write this blog from Piggy's perspective and we would have endless fodder. Here's Piggy above, taken at the Dole Plantation shortly before we boarded the Pineapple Train. A Furlough Friday treat last week with Noel's sister, visiting from the East Coast.

Train Museum

We originally planned to head to Tahoe for a few days after Christmas, but instead opted for a day trip from the Bay Area to go to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Our little train lover was in heaven! As we first entered the main exhibit hall, he said over and over, "This is so beautiful!" I thought so, too. A very nice facility with fantastic exhibits and tons of information to soak up. Historic train engines and cars are placed inside the building on the bottom floor, while the top floor exhibits focus on toys and models, along with a few more full-size cars to walk around. Robbie darted around the place with so much enthusiasm, at one point I turned to my Mom and said that maybe I should pin my cell phone number to his jacket in case he wanders off.
Here's Robbie outside the building, along the Sacramento waterfront. Interesting photography request noted in the museum map: No tripod photography! Whaaat? Although I wasn't carrying one, I also wasn't carrying a camera that shoots well in dim light, so my best photos of the day were from outside.

Accepted!

Yesterday morning found me sitting in the car in the parking lot of the local CC, reviewing practice tests for the Compass placement exam. Completed the math portion in December, now onto the English. Which I didn't study near as much and hoped I could just wing it. I pulled out some paperwork and noticed that a new student orientation was scheduled that morning. I checked the clock...and it was starting at that moment. So I took that for a sign that I should go and found the lecture hall. They were passing out these badge holders while we waited to check in. Whoa! It's been a while since I've received such useful swag. :) A session that was originally billed as a three hour event was thankfully over in 40 minutes and off I went to take my test at the testing lab. Registered this morning after a small snafu and I start next week. (Who would have guessed that when you have a problem with online records, you don't go to the Admissions & Records office. Silly me! You go to the counselling center!) And in the modern education era, only fitting that one class is on a Saturday and another is broadcast twice a week on a local cable channel.

Holiday Card Outtake 2009

We all but gave up on a family portrait this year. I can't speak for Noel, but I didn't feel like being photographed this time around. It's so hard! How does everyone else do it?? But we wanted to send something out (even if it will end up being a "Happy New Year" card!). So this morning we headed out to Ko'Olina with the boys and tried to get a shot we could use. Still working on it! We'll keep these cute shirts on, pack a camera or two, and head to a playground this afternoon. Cross your fingers for us that I can send these out soon. :)

Happy 2010!

Did any of you have a lunch on New Year's Day that looked anything like mine here? I don't believe in resolutions (they're a joke) but I do need to detox from a week of starting each day with cake, cookies, and candies. Back home now and made myself fresh hummus, julienned baby carrots, then sat down to enjoy a few minutes of the Rose Bowl. We started watching The Hangover with HD On-demand, but realized there were too many f-bombs with the kids playing with their new toys in the same room. Paused it and finished it later.