February 2005 Archives

Hunter S. Thompson

My homage to the work, life and death of writer Hunter S. Thompson, a frequent visitor to Hawaii.

Growing up in Costco

Costco opened on Maui around my freshmen year in High School not but a few yards away from K-mart, which had opened a few years before. This area in Maui had become a bargain hunter's dreamland. I remember the thrill I got when I first entered through the huge doors. They weren't kidding, this really was a warehouse! Boxes of M&M's, 12 packs of Crest Toothpaste, scores of classical music cd's (no pun intended), and lines of Chicken Soup for the soul book. This was wonderful quality time between me and my mom, at least in my head. After all, my mom couldn't deny buying me Cocopuffs cereal at such at bargain! Our ride back to Lahaina with our overstuffed trunk was pleasant because I couldn't help thinking as soon I'd get home I'd make me several sandwiches with about 5 pieces of ham and several layers of cheese, after all who would notice I took so much?

Morning News in Italy

The morning news here start later than the ones in Hawaii....so while I'm going about my business in the house, I keep my ears open for the cooking/food segment besides the usual news stuff and weather report. Imagine my surprise

Puppy Love

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about the loves of my life. For the most part, I’ve been blessed to cross paths with a number of unique individuals. There was a time when I could remember all the names and faces of those that I was intimate with. Then somewhere along the way some of the names became fuzzy, but still I could recall the faces. Now I can’t remember all the names or the faces, but there are some that I will never forget.

Filipinos

I had heard about Filipinos through another blog, so when I spied this cookie in an unlikely section of the supermarket (someone had second thoughts and left it in the soap section?), I couldn't resist the impulse to buy it. The cookies are manufactured in Spain, but the idea of a cookie being named after an ethnic group cracks me up

Liz Sladen Double

Anyone ever seen re-runs of the hokey British TV series "Dr. Who" from the 1970s? If so, you will probably remember actress Liz Sladen who played a character named Sarah Jane. Well, I lived with an exact double of Liz on Maui around the same time the series became popular on the BBC.

My first Hostess Bar

What is a hostess bar you might be asking?  It's a place where you go and have a drink and pretty girls go and sit next to you and keep you company IF you buy them an overpriced drink.  You have to keep purchasing these drinks for them otherwise they will leave you (it's almost like putting quarters into a meter)

Out of the System

I've had it with the incompetant substitute. I've had it with the parents who can't teach their little monsters how to get along with others. I've had it with the bureaucracy and the rigidity and the uniformity. I'm home-schooling my kids. And before you tell me that home-schooled kids are freaks, I'm going to tell you: I know, but I'd rather raise a brilliant freak than a poorly-educated prom queen. I can count on one hand the number of things she'll miss out on by not going to school. Read on...