Esoteric Bowl

I was clicking through the channels and then paused when I saw Oprah. I don’t watch Oprah very often, but every now and then it’s fun to see what’s going on with Girlfriend.

So anyway the show had already begun, but it doesn’t take long for me to understand that Oprah and Dr. Mehmet Oz are discussing the digestive system and poop. Nine times out ten if I come across a television show where the topic is poop, I’m changing the channel. But when Oprah discusses poop it becomes riveting television, and I’ll tell you why.

You know how Oprah kind of has that self-righteous air about her? Don’t get me wrong, Oprah is cool and she does wonderful things and everyone loves Oprah. But Oprah does have a certain way of letting everyone know who is Oprah and who is not; you know what I mean? But we let Oprah slide on her self-righteousness because that’s part of her appeal, and besides, we know it’s not easy being Oprah. So anyway, it’s because of Oprah’s self-righteousness that I now can’t change the channel, because with a discussion on poop I just know at some point during the show Oprah is going to blurt out that her poop don’t stink.

Each time Dr. Oz mentions poop, Oprah gets a poop-eating grin on her face and loudly declares with her fist in the air, “Were making television history!” Obviously Oprah doesn’t watch much television. Not only can the occasional discussion of poop be found on television, but for a while Comedy Central had an animated talking poop in a Santa hat.

So Dr. Oz is pointing out that signs to whether your digestion is working properly and if you’re eating healthy can be found by relying on your senses in the bathroom. Oprah then shares that she thought that she was the only one that looked at her poop. Dr. Oz adds that the ideal poop should have an S shape, and Oprah quickly interrupts to let everyone know that her poop is always S shaped. As if we would think anything less from Oprah.

Then two women from the audience are invited on stage to discuss their own individual poops. Susan, a busy working mother of three says that she struggles with constipation, sometimes only going once every five days. Oprah remains silent, but the camera focuses on her as she looks towards the audience and gives that Oprah expression that is part astonishment and part I’m glad that I’m not you look. Everyone laughs. Then Maureen, a mother of four says that she suffers from diarrhea, hemorrhoids and constipation, and her poop often comes out like marbles. Oprah makes a puzzled look and repeats “Marbles?” a number of times. Everyone laughs. Then as if Maureen hasn’t been mocked and embarrassed enough, Oprah proceeds to go into song with the melody from Tiny Bubbles, singing “Tiny Marbles”.

Why four Saturday thoughts? Because I don’t have five.

I recently bought three bell peppers. To be honest, I had no plan whatsoever in how I was going to use a green, a red, and a yellow bell pepper when I bought them, but their colors were beautifully irresistible.

Last night I sliced the peppers and stir-fried them with some grilled chicken. Then I added some sweet-n-sour sauce into the mix and poured it on rice. It looked and tasted good.

Speaking of food; is it just me, or does the Food Network’s Chef Giada De Laurentiis look a little like an older version of Natalie Portman?

Rochelle: She’s from North Carolina. She’s a Country Singer/Song writer with a background in Gospel music. She’s a talented rising star. And now here’s the kicker; she’s a relative! Go figure. Please stop by and listen to a sampling of Rochelle’s music and share some kind words of support.

And finally, for some reason my blogroll has been out of commission for about a week now. Fortunately I have the comments to gain access to many of the blog reads. If you haven’t commented in a while, leave something here and be sure to leave your site address so that I can favorite your site.

And just like that; it’s over. After being together for almost four years, we’ve gone our separate ways. I suppose that I always knew that it would come to this, but in the back of my mind I wanted to believe that somehow things would work out between us.

I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to write about the breakup, but surely there are some readers out there that have gone through similar experiences and can understand.

I’m not ashamed to say she was my first. But as good as things were between us in those first few years, there were recurring problems in the last year that we couldn’t overcome. Oh sure, we could have held on longer and made each other miserable, but what’s the purpose in that?

And so it goes; my computer and I have parted ways. And yet, as sad as such breakups are, I consider myself fortunate that a new computer has come into my life. The two of us hooked up rather magically and she has made the breakup all the more bearable. While there will always be a special place in my heart for my first computer, I don’t mind saying that the new computer is smoother and sexier and with many more options. And she laughs at all my jokes.

It was a hot summer weekend day and the family loaded up in the car and drove to the commissary to buy groceries. I’m guessing that I was around four years of age at the time, but I already knew that a trip to the commissary would involve a lot of waiting. My parents went into the store while my brothers and I sat in the car.

On occasion my brothers and I would get out of the car to help women push their carts and unload groceries into their car, and sometimes we were given some loose change for our effort. But mainly we just sat in the car and waited. The commissary was always packed with people, and sometimes the wait would be well over an hour before my parents emerged from the store.

After all the groceries were put in the car and we were on our way home, Mom would always give us a something to nibble on. On this one particular day, I was given a red Tootsie Pop. I liked Tootsie Pops, but the combination of the heat and humidity and the driving and the candy made me feel woozy and sick to my stomach.

At four years of age, I didn’t know about such things as car sickness or understand how the heat could make one feel woozy. Instead, I held the red Tootsie Pop responsible. What followed from there was my own personal Pavlovian conditioning for the color red. Strange that I had no problem with Tootsie Pops, but I always avoided the red ones. From that point on I never cared for color red. For the longest time the color red would evoke the familiar feeling that I experienced that hot summer day.

It wasn’t until years later when I began to appreciate the color red. The deep red of a sports car looked cool. Dramatic shades of red lipstick and nail polish had a way of catching the eye the way other colors couldn’t compare. A woman wearing a red dress always had its own particular sway. Yes, red was good. Still, on occasion the shade of red can take me back to that hot summer day, but the woozy feelings for the color are no longer present.

Tourism is booming in the islands. Hawai’i welcomed a record 3.6 million visitors in the first half of the year, on pace to break 7 million visitors for the first time ever. I know of six individuals from online that have already visited this year or have plans to visit in the coming weeks and months. Melanie will be sipping mai tais and soon have her toes in the sand in just a few days.

Every now and then I’ll receive an email from someone planning to visit the islands. The individuals are always excited about their trip and ask if I can recommed some fun things for them to do during their stay. I never know how to answer that. What one person might consider fun, another person might consider boring. With that said, here are a few suggested rules to follow to enjoy your visit and some noteworthy sites to see.

Rule #1: Get Out of Waikiki I’ve always felt a little sorry for some of the visitors that come to O’ahu. Some people save all their lives so that one day they can make the trip and then once they get here they never leave Waikiki and they sit in McDonald’s eating lunch. Nothing wrong with Waikiki; some of the best fine dining experiences can be found in Waikiki, along with many shops, excellent hotels, and of course Waikiki Beach. My suggestion is to spend your days outside of Waikiki, and save your evenings to enjoy the nightlife in Waikiki.

Rule #2: Everyday Adventure Each day that you’re in the islands promise yourself some adventure. Do something that you can’t do back home that will give you an experience you can tell your friends about for years to come. There are a number of helicopter tours available, surf lessons, submarine rides, deep sea fishing charters, scuba diving, and on and on. If you’re looking for this kind of adventure, be sure to ask the concierge at the hotel; they generally know which companies are the best and they’ll be happy to set something up for you.

Of course, not everyone is in to such dramatic adventures. That’s okay. Renting a car and driving around the island can certainly be just as fun. Going to a luau can be an adventure. Tasting some of the local cuisine each day can be a delightful adventure. Even finding a different beach to lounge on each day can be a fun adventure.

Rule #3: When in Rome, Do as the Romans In Hawai’i the uniform of the day is shorts, t-shirts and tank tops, and rubber slippers or sandals. Hats and sunglasses are encouraged and sunscreen is highly recommended.

A Few Noteworthy Sites:
Ala Moana Center
Aloha Tower Marketplace
Arizona Memorial
Bishop Museum
Byodo-In Temple
Chinatown
Diamond Head Crater
Dole Plantation Maze
Foster Botanical Garden
Hanauma Bay
‘Iolani Palace
Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
Matsumoto’s
Nuuanu Pali Lookout
Polynesian Cultural Center
Tantalus Lookout

* Save a little money with Hawaii eCoupons. Discounts on car rentals, food, activities, leis, and much more.

Have a great Aloha Friday!

So there I was without internet access. I won’t say that I was experiencing withdrawal pains, but I was really missing the computer. I was literally sitting in the dark and bored out of my mind, and any underlying feelings of loneliness that I might have had were suddenly highlighted.

Over time my reliance on the computer has grown, but it wasn’t until this recent disconnect that I began to understand just how much I rely on it. Like so many others, I use the computer for so many different things. It has become my primary reference in gathering information, a creative outlet, a photo album, my source for news and music, a shopping tool, my communication of choice, and a number of other uses. It’s somewhat startling to think that one piece of technology can provide so much to my life, especially when it was only a handful of years ago when I first began using the computer.

The recent disconnect got me thinking about my life in the “olden days” before computers. These thoughts led me to thoughts about the younger generation, a generation that has always had computer access. I suppose there’s a small amount of prestige that comes with age that allows one to say I was around before something was invented, but mostly it’s just a reminder of how old one is getting and how the world continues to change. While I’m glad that I lived in a time before the internet and personal computers, I’m also glad to be reconnected and out of the darkness.

Due to a recent loss of internet connection, I’m unable to post at this time. My service provider says that they will send a tech out to the house to examine the modem and the connection on the 16th of this month. Until then, I’m absent without computer.

At this very moment I’m writing this post at a Kinko’s. They charge .40 cents per minute, so I want to keep this as short as possible.

Hoping that everyone is doing well and having a great summer.

See you soon (fingers crossed).