Score, Homerun,Goal, you name it

Well, with all the good intentions possible, I made plans to get the taxes done earlier this year. I got all the paperwork out and put it on the coffee table. Only to dance around it for two weeks.
It got down to the paperwork and me giving each other stink eye, I swear to it.
I was actually walking wider paths around the table to avoid sitting down and doing it.
I would look at my poor husband and tell him soon, honey.
So Sunday, at the end of the Super Bowl, I did it, I got on the computer and fired her up.
A few hours later, I finally staggered away from the desk with a glazed look, how do they change the rules so quickly each year? But on the brighter side, hubby had fired up the grill and cooked us hamburgers. What a saint.
So now, that huge elephant is out of the room and put away for another year, I hope.

So all in all I had a score, homerun and goal all in one day.

A Sad Week

I haven't been on here for 2 1/2 years, due to a very sad event in our families lives. It affected so many people and was so wrong on so many levels. We are beginning to get our lives back and I will most likely address it again, later.



I have been promising a class mate that I would start writing again, but said it would most likely be things off the wall and from the top of my head. But before I start, I want to acknowledge some losses this past week. One dear friend lost two precious aunts this past week. My own very special aunt was taken suddenly, this leaves a hole that will never be filled. She loved me unconditionally and like a mother should, even thought she had seven sons to fill her days. She always had time for me. I used to spend as much time as possible eat her house while growing up. My cousins were the best. I had fun from the minute I got there. Those memories will always be with me.



Then today we get word that a another classmate lost her mother. No matter how prepared we think we are, it hurts. We know time is creeping up on us and that this will happen more and more often, but it doesn't lessen the pain. My heart goes out to all that lost a dear one. Bless you all.

Get Me Out of Here, BHO Has Landed

OMG, Just when you think Obama couldn't possibly be pushed down your throat anymore than normal by the news media and TV, he lands in my state. For a Week. Seems like a Month.
I was subjected to prelanding info, landing info, after landing info and on it goes.
You turn on the news and the first several minutes is BHO, BHO and more BHO. Friday I was near shooting the TV, but realized in time, it wasn't it's fault. They were speaking of President elect this and President elect that and then, after several minutes of torture, they turned to poor ole President Elect McCain and said and I quote in 20 seconds or less, "And Senator McCain was visiting in Iowa today at the fair," and then proceeded to show him with a pig. End of his TV time.
What...he gets no President Elect title. Fair Media...You tell me.
You can't pick up one of our newspapers without the headlines telling us everything he plans to do while here...oh goody, I can hardly wait.
Let's see, swim, body surf, huge fund raising gala at the Kahala Hilton, we aren't talking cheap here, maybe raising 1 1/2 million give or take a few, local lunches, oh, yeah, maybe visiting the Grandma that raised him, for a couple of token hours, and this was after a few days of his arrival. Nice. A real piece of cake.
I have been subjected to a minute by minute schedule of him. Like I care.
And where is he staying, in Honolulu, oh no, he is staying a very expensive house right on the beach in Kailua. I am not talking cheap here either. The expenditure is only something we could dream about.
Supposedly this was to be a vacation, yeah, right, since when do you take a vacation and then jump on every photo op available?
I have to look long and hard to even find anything on McCain in the paper. Oh it is fun to live in a democratic state.
I just hope the people wake up in time.

A PBS Special "Carrier"

So many of my classmates fathers were in the military and we all seem to have a special place in our hearts for the different branches of the services that I thought this upcoming special might be of an interest to some.
I, myself, hold the US NAVY close to my heart since my dad served in the Navy and was at Pearl Harbor part of the time and now my husband, a Marine, holds a job with the NAVY at that very location. My dad would be very proud indeed.

But it also feels very good to know that so many of my classmates also served their country and to this day are very proud as they should well be. This showed so well when some came over to visit Pearl Harbor we had fun looking up the ships that have such a connection to our families.

Now PBS is showing a 10 part series on the life aboard an Aircraft carrier, The Nimitz, in current times. The film crew had amazing access to the ship and her crew.
They are following several of the crew members, from the lowest job on up. They are delving into their personal lives and how these young people are serving their country.
These crew members came from poor to middle class families and it has actually saved many of them from lives of crime and possible death. It has made wonderful citizens of them. It is wonderful to hear them speak of now having personal pride and goals.
They are showing some of the conflicting feelings they have about this war and how they are handling it. The separations from their families for very long periods is also a subject.
On one of the programs, it shows them coming into Pearl Harbor for a memorial service. If you look closely in the background, you will see my neighborhood, although I am not there waving to them like I normally do.
So, if you can and want to watch, the series starts on April 27, 2008 called "Carrier" on PBS.

Madam Pele is a Fickle Lady

For months now we have been watching the goings on of Madam Pele and her lava flow.
About a week or so ago, she didn't disappoint us...again. The lava started flowing and flow she did. Right through the old Royal Gardens Housing area she had all but wiped out several years ago. With her flow she took many houses and left two troopers, out of dozens, left to guard their homes.
She was belching out a river that was 1000 feet wide in some places. She was moving faster than was predicted on reaching the ocean again.
Arriving several days early, she was putting on quite a show for everyone. She was in the papers, she was on the news, she made national attention.
People were arriving by the thousands.
Vacationers were changing their plans. The Big Island was scrambling to
make a new viewing area, as the danger is high around the flow, fumes and air. Within a few hours, all was accomplished. Finally a new viewing area for all to enjoy.
And enjoy they did, for less than two days and then the lava stopped.
Yep, she just put on the brakes like like there was no tomorrow. No one knows what happened. It has never stopped this suddenly before. They suspect some lava tubes and underground tunnels, but for now the show is over.
Madam Pele is letting everyone know just who is in charge. Yes, she is a fickle lady.

A TRULY TEARFUL MOMENT

Tonight on our local news they had a story about 4 young men that were going to be in the graduating class of 1943 at Farrington High School. But when the war broke out instead of graduating, they joined the US military. They were in the famous 442nd Japanese-American unit that served in Germany.
So this weekend they had a graduation ceremony for all four young men.
Yes, after all these years, they finally got their diplomas.
They are in their mid 80's now and very spry. One said he had a Law Degree from Yale but this new diploma meant more to him than anything he had ever received.
They were all covered to their chins with leis, as is the custom here, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was an island emotional moment to be sure. In this day and age it is nice to be part of a military family and to be able to share wonderful stories like this.
I guess, it is never too late.
So gentlemen, I salute you.
Sometimes things are done, just because it is the right thing to do.

Coca Cola in Italy

One evening while dining out with my husband in Rome, we came upon this wonderful little family run restaurant and decided to go in.
What an evening. The waiters from all over the restaurant came to entertain us. They were funny and very giving. They all said we love Americanos and they showed it.
While taking our time and going over an extensive menu I saw Coca cola, that's what they call it there, never just coke.
I used to be one of the most loyal coca cola drinkers there ever was, but I lost so much respect for the company, when in the 80's they tried to change the recipe and when that didn't work, they told us, "hey, we have gone back to the original recipe." Yeah, right," it never tasted the same to me.
For years, I saved a can that said sugar as one of the ingredients.
So for whatever reason, I ordered one out of the blue that night. I took a big drink and I swear I thought I heard snap, crackle and pop coming from my throat. My eyes watered and I gasped. My husband looked at me with concern and asked what was wrong. I said, "I am not sure, but I think this is the original coke, back when it was made with sugar and not corn syrup. Back when it was a great drink.
The old coke used to be such a high, you could feel it and it was good.
I tried to read the ingredients and called our friendly waiter over, could you tell me this word please, I asked. It is sugar he says, while making his brow work overtime. Why? I asked him, " this isn't corn syrup is it?" And he looked almost indignent, no no no, we don't use that here, we use real sugar.
A few years ago I stopped buying coke altogether except for a special occasion when we would have guests that would want it.
"Why", you ask, well, if you believe it or not, corn syrup tricks our brain into wanting more. It is an appetite stimulant.
If you look at all the ingredients in our food nowadays, there it is over and over. And Americans have become a population with dangerous health concerns. Just look at the kids nowadays. More food and less exercise than we always had.
Doubt me....go off any kind of a soda for one month. Diet and regular, drink only unsugared tea, water, tomato juice and small amounts of other juice.
Then go buy a six pack of regular coke and drink just one a day. I bet you, your appetite will florish.
I tried this a few months back with just the small cans. One six pack and I drank one a day. That week, I could have eaten a horse.
When I went off, my appetite went back to normal.
The same for diets drinks, the ingredients do the same thing to you.
American has been tricked into believing diet drinks are good for you. Not so, a large portion of the people that drink them have a problem with weight, but drinking diet drinks has not helped in losing weight one bit.
I was one of those people. You are not drinking the calories, but your appetite has flourished.
Also, using any kind of a fake sugar will exacerbate problems you might have with pain. And many other medical problems such as IBS.
Since being diagnosed with Fibro, I had to become re-educated for my survival. I was doing all the wrong things to be healthy.
Since going off of fake sugars, my arthritis has improved and I now can actually pick up items without dropping them.
I have had to investigate and study health issues and find the correct answers to help myself.
I jokingly told my husband one night that I think stimulating bad health in Americans is because they don't want us to live long enough to collect our social security.
Another thing we found funny in Italy was, when you ordered water, they always asked, "gas or no gas." It cracked me up.
I am a no gas by the way.
Like I had written earlier, you have to look long and hard to find an overweight person in Italy. When they start to age some and can't get around as well, you will find a few with a few pounds extra, but not like here. They eat big, they eat well, and drink wine daily. They don't have alot of junk foods in their stores and they walk, boy, do they walk.
After 16 days there and eating like they do. And walking like they do, we didn't gain a pound. Their meals are so big that some days, we only ate two because we were still full from the previous meal.
They eat lots of fruit and veggies and have pasta everyday, sometimes two or three times, bread at every meal. Their servings aren't as big as we would dish out though.
They had meat, their Tuscan beef is amazing. Their appetizers are not fried like ours. They eat cheese and meat alot.
They don't have preservatives and hormones in their food normally.
Overall, I think they do have it right.
Their farmers markets are incredible, I wish I had the opportunity to shop in them daily. Their vegetables look incredible.
We went to a fish market and what a treat that was.
I think a way of living says it all.