Esoteric Bowl

While I was visiting my nearby 7-Eleven convenience store, I happened to notice one of the clerks removing all of the pre-packaged food items from the warmer. Once she had gathered all of the hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, musubis, and other mouth-watering delights, she proceeded to dump them all into the trash. After asking her why everything was being thrown out, she explained that there is a store policy of how long the food items can remain in the warmer. After that period of time expires, everything must be thrown away. What was considered sellable food only moments ago, had suddenly become unsellable trash.

It seems like such a waste to throw out all of that food. Why not mark the price down during the last half-hour? Or better yet, why not give it to a shelter or a helpful organization that provides for the needy? Considering all of the 7-Eleven stores that are virtually on every third street corner, that’s a lot of food being thrown away.

I received a package in the mail that my parents had sent. Inside were many old photographs of family members, as well as a number of photographs of me that were taken throughout my childhood. Kind of neat to look at the old photos. Was I really that young once upon a time? Hard to believe that such a cute kid can grow up to be such an ugly grown up…

Also in the package were my report-cards from grades K through 8. I was surprised that my Mother had saved them for all these past years. Now that I have them in my possession, I really don’t know what to do with them. If I was famous, they might hold some monetary value, but I am not so they don’t. I’ve decided to throw them away, although it is always a little difficult for me to discard such things from the past, even though there is no logical reason to keep them.

Actually, it was fun to see the report cards. I got a good laugh at reading the marks I received and the comments that my teachers had left. Here are some of my favorites:

* Kindergarten - Sometimes becomes playful during nap.
(Ahhh, some things never change)

* Grade 1 - Knows his reading words well.

* Grade 2 - Needs to spend more time with math. As it becomes more difficult, he puts it aside.
(A trait that would follow me)

* Grade 3 - A very nice boy and a good worker.
(Teacher’s Pet!)

* Grade 4 - Academically, a very capable child. Socially, needs to get along with others.
(The trouble-maker emerges)

* Grade 5 - Frequently disruptive.
(I prefer “playful”)

* Grade 6 - During last 2 weeks of school, his attitude improved.
(Hey, at least I finished strong)

* Grade 7 - (Music) Has a very poor attitude. Can not take criticisim of any type.
(There seems to be a pattern here)

* Grade 8 - (English) Playful, pleasant.

For the most part, these are not the kind of comments a parent wants to read, nor the kind of remarks I am particularly proud of. I regret that I didn’t behave as much as I should have in school, and I’m sorry for the grief it must have caused in the classroom and at home. It was never my intention to cause any harm; I was just a kid trying to find my way and probably looking for a little attention. Time passes and people change. Fortunately, I have mellowed through the years; but I’m still playful. Maybe I will keep the report cards afterall. The incriminating evidence might provide a laugh when I’m old and gray.

I haven’t been watching the Winter Olympics. I must confess, I’m really not interested in any of it. I think part of my disinterest in the games has something to do with living in Hawai’i. It’s somewhat difficult for me to relate to games being played on snow and ice.

Although I haven’t been watching the games, I still watch the news and read, so it’s virtually impossible not to hear what has been happening on and off the ice. It appears there has been a lot of controversy surrounding these Olympic games. More than one country has criticized the United States for 1) attempting to win the games at all costs, 2) for having undo influence on determining justice as it sees fit, and 3) for the continued self-centered approach of trying to make the games all about the United States rather than promoting the Olympic Spirit. For the most part, the U.S. doesn’t seem to give these protests much validity, seeing these countries as cry-babies overdosed on sour grapes.

It’s funny how games can sometimes mirror life.

Being a casual football fan for a number of years, I have grown to accept the tremendous hype that is created prior to the kickoff of each Super Bowl. It is just one of those things that one must endure before the game is actually played. I turned on the television Sunday afternoon to watch some of that hype so that I could gain some insight about the teams and players involved in the game. Instead of seeing a pregame show that discussed football, there was some kind of endless patriotic tribute that went far beyond any Super Bowl hype. Even on those rare occasions when the subject of football did come up, it was inevitably tied to and wrapped in the Stars and Stripes.

Now I realize that there is this new love affair with all things red, white, and blue. And certainly there is nothing wrong about expressing love of country. But what does Nancy Reagan and Jimmy Carter reading the Getttysburg Address have to do with the Super Bowl pregame show? What does the reciting of the U.S. Constitution by Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford have to do with football? Are these patriotic productions to be expected at all major sporting events in the future? Will the coming Olympics turn into a nightly force feeding to remind me that everyone is a hero? I’m just as patriotic as the next person, and I am proud to be an American, but isn’t it possible to have a seperation of sport and state?

The rain stopped sometime on Thursday. Today, with skies clear, the Sun decided to pay a visit. I walked over to my favorite place on campus; a bench far off from the crowds, surrounded only by the branches of a giant banyan tree. This banyan is supposed to be a direct desendent from a tree that Buddha once planted. I always enjoy the time I spend there.

Sometimes I will bring along a slice of bread to feed the birds, but today I just sat and enjoyed the surroundings. There was a slight scent of damp soil in the air caused by several days of falling rain. I admired all the fallen leaves, the various shades of colors and patterns they produced. Although the banyan provides considerable shade, the sunshine did manange to pierce it’s way between the branches and warm my face. I closed my eyes and heard the birds chirpping, and wondered if they were disappointed that I had not brought them bread.