Friday 5 for May 8: Someone else’s questions

Haven't done these in almost a year. Just taking a stab at this older one first.

1. If you could go back in time and murder anyone who’s ever lived, who would you choose? You’re not allowed to pick a certain German dictator from the 1940s.

At great risk of altering the timeline continuum, I would consider doing away with Klara Polzi at any time on or before 1888. I would call that a pre-emptive hit. That would prevent the birth of you know who.

2. If you could have any super power, what would you choose — if it has to be something a human can do? For example, you could have super strength (because humans have strength) but you can’t have invisibility or flight (because humans can’t be invisible or fly).

Becoming invisible at will in and out would definitely be my first choice. However since that is not within the realm of this particular question, I would choose to be able to do mental math without the use of a calculating device.

3. What super power do you already have?

Grumbling. I excel at that.

4. Who was your first celebrity crush?

Carly Simon based on that record album I bought by her in 1972 No Secrets. What a great cover and smile -- and good music inside. You're So Vain.

Second one was Susan Dey in the Partridge Family TV show and fake rock group (thanks to The Wrecking Crew studio musicians who were the actual band in addition to the two cast main singers). She became a better actor by the time L.A. Law showed up in the 1980s.

5. Which politicians do you find physically attractive?

Former Alaska Governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin was hot. I think she still is.  Plus she attended school at UH Hilo and HPU for a few semesters long ago.

Friday 5 for October 10: 10/10

 It's Sunday the 12th.  Happy Columbus Day!

Friday 5 for October 10: 10/10

The questions came from Scriveners Friday 5 site.

1. On a scale from 1 to 10, how was your week?

My weeks are generally a middling 5. Not too good, but not too bad.

2. Which of the Biblical 10 commandments are you especially guilty of breaking this week?*

Commandment #3 is most often violated when I'm frustrated. 😯😮😮

3. What do you remember about being 10 years old (or in 10th grade, if you prefer)?

I was 10 years old in 1967. I remember they made a big deal about the release of The Beatles album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band on the radio. The song from that record that first impressed me at that time and remains a favorite to this day is Paul McCartney's "Lovely Rita" which painted an image of a London based meter maid I could fall in love with at that time. She sounded intriguing to my 10 year old mind.

I never got to listen to the entire album as a whole until a few years later. Back in the day most of the Top 40 radio stations played various tracks from the album during the course of their broadcast day. So I did get familiar with most of the songs one track at a time.

That Christmas my sister got a tape player called Sears Hipster. It played short 20 minute tape cassettes called Playtape, that failed in the marketplace about 2 years later. Among the tapes she got was a 4 track partial album of Sgt. Pepper. Her favorite Pepper song was "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite". 

Sadly through the ensuing years the tapes were lost, the player fell into disuse and my sister passed away from cancer in 1972. I did find the player some years later (see photo at the top of this entry).

4. Which 10 things do you like most about October?

In no particular order:

-- 31 Days - I like the longer months.

-- Tax Extension Deadline - Better than April.

-- Columbus Day - It is returning as it should be.

-- "The Monster Mash" by Bobby Boris Pickett. Good old Halloween song.

-- There are two comets that should be visible later this month.

-- I bought a refurbished DSLR camera at a good bargain price from Canon this month.

-- I might break out my LP vinyl recording of  the Orson Wells Mercury Theater 1938 radio play of "War of the Worlds" and give it a spin on the hi-fi. All based on the famous HG Wells book.

-- Will likely watch the best version of "War of the Worlds" on video... 1953 version produced by Paramount pictures.

-- Pumpkin Pie.

-- Thriller by Michael Jackson.

5. Who are 10 people you admire, each for a different reason?

-- My Dad - parent #1 taught me how to drive at age 10 and also be safe and thrifty.

-- My Mom - For her kindness and understanding, keeping our family together through some of the bumps in life, and for her great cooking. She was also a good singer.

-- For friends that will remain un-named for this exercise for the things they have taught me and similar values we share. I guess this should bring the number up to and possibly past ten. This also includes my sister and brother.

-- There are people from history, politics, technology, industry and music that I admire but are too numerous or controversial to mention by name.

 

Friday 5 for October 3: It’s their birthday

Yay! This is three days late. 😀

The questions for the Friday 5 comes from this website.

1. (Eddie Cochran, 1938) What caused your summertime blues this year?

My Canon Powershot G10 camera broke on my second trip to the Big Island of Hawaii... at the airport in Honolulu! I arrived in Hilo and had to buy a less than stellar Kodak digital camera there.

2. (Chubby Checker, 1941) Recently, what caused you to twist yourself?

Can't really think of anything. I try to keep on the straight and narrow. Turning into a pretzel and enduring painful bumps of life is best avoided when at all possible.

3. (Lindsey Buckingham, 1949) This weekend, how will you go your own way?

I'm always going my own way doing whatever it is that I do. Plus I regularly listen to Fleetwood Mac music whenever I can. Rumours is a great record album. Sometimes doing your own thing can make you "Go Insane".

4. (Gwen Stefani, 1969) What part of your personal or professional life these days is B-A-N-A-N-A-S?

Dealing with some of the tech issues involved with helping the non-profit I volunteer for.  Lastest thing is trying to get our domain hosted for free on Gmail. There is a free option, but the thing has lately thrown me into a set-up loop that I can't escape.

5. (Ashlee Simpson, 1984) Which pieces of you are you feeling pretty good about?

I am familiar with the first 4 singers mentioned in these questions. Never paid much attention to the much younger Ashlee Simpson. I guess I am old and well,  old people like myself have all kinds of minor aches and pains which generally does not make me feel "pretty good".

Friday 5 for September 26: 52.6641°N 8.6288°W

 

Photo: The Limerick Museum in Limerick, Ireland supposedly at coordinates 52.6641°N 8.6288°W.  (Wikipedia)

Friday 5 for September 26: 
52.6641°N  8.6288°W

Welcome to this week’s Friday 5 Answers. These questions come from the Friday 5 website which this links to.

1. What is your water flask like? 

I have several of them, but I hardly use them. I usually drink my water out of a bottle or pitcher poured into a glass or cup.

2. When did you last hold a mic?

This past week I was looking for missing microphones among my collection of electronic stuff. May need them to record some videos later this month. I found a big one that I used to plug into my Radio Shack Mixer, but the 1/4 plugs are too big for the small jack on my camera. I know I have a couple of smaller mics around.

3. Of whom are you jealous?

No one. I am satisfied with who I am.

4. For what are you zealous?

I don't get too enthusiastic about anything. Most things cost way too much money and I tend to avoid them as much as possible. Nope, can't think of anything that excites me enough to be "zealous".

5. And when might you go on a hike?

I've always wanted to do a photowalk up at Lyon Arboretum or on the other side of the island at Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden. Never been to Lyon and the last time I went to Hoomaluhia was way back in the 1980s. At my age challenging hikes are off the table, though I did a few way back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Gravity can be cruel to hikers. 

 

Friday 5 for September 19: Mononymously yours

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

1. What’s your favorite Elvis song?

I have a lot favorite Elvis songs, but if I go according to my list of songs for every year since my birth, then my go to Elvis track is "Jailhouse Rock". The songs catches the essence of early rock n roll, and Elvis was at his peak in his early years.

Top 5 Elvis songs (revised September 2025)

1. Jailhouse Rock
2. Blue Suede Shoes
3. I Gotta Know
4. Ku'uipo
5. It's Now of Never 

2. When did you last wear something Pink?

I'm a guy and I don't wear any Pink. If I did it probably is very long ago and I don't remember it.

3. What’s the most intereSting thing you learned last week?

Charlie Kirk made contingency plans for his succession long before he was brutally shot and killed.  His organization Turning Point USA will continue and his message will spread. News of his death was a total Sting for me. So young. He could have been elected President of the U.S. as early as the mid 2030s.

4. When did you last treat someone awFlea (or when were you last treated awFlea)?

It was a while back, but the people at the UPS store had gawd awful service at the Makaloa Street location. I vow never to go back there ever. Now if I need to deal with UPS I go to the Downtown location.AFLEA.... hmmm...

5. Which notable people do you Cher a name or birthday with?

If I told you this I would have to reveal my birthday which I prefer to keep confidential.  However I will say one of the cast members of the old ABC TV series China Beach has the same birthday as me.

• ELVIS - Jailhouse Rock
• PINK - Get The Party Started
• STING - Fields of Gold
• FLEA - Give It Away, Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• CHER - Half Breed

I don't know if we had to figure something out with these words. So I just matched it up with my favorite songs by these people.

Friday 5 for July 25: Scattergories, part 15! - The Letter F

 

Scattergories Part 15: The Letter F

1. What’s a great summer food?

Definitely NOT FRUITCAKE.... Overall most Fruits, but defying the letter F, most likely for me it is WATERMELON or Banana. I'm not a fan of Figs, and they don't ring "summer" to me. Sorry F.

2. What item not usually bequeathed in a will, would you like to pass along to someone when you die?

Since I haven't died and my parents did not bequeath specific items, I would have to say FURNITURE for this one... and I don't have much... mostly cheap Walmart furniture. I also have a FAN, and maybe if I dug through my closet, perhaps there is a rotting FRUITCAKE... though that is unlikely.

3. What’s an admirable quality in a book but not in a person?

A lot of fiction liberally use the word FUCK in their narratives, but generally it is not a good thing for a person to say. I don't think the word is admirable, but I do notice it a lot. That said a good FINALE to a good story is admirable, while a FINALE in a person's life usually means death.

4. What’s a good food to add to other foods?

FRENCH FRIES go good with hamburgers, sandwiches and cheap Fish and Chips. And then again many varieties of FISH are great. Plus chopped raw FISH goes well with Sushi and other dishes.

5. What could make your day better right now?

FINISHING it off on a good note!

Yep, this one was late... it's Wednesday and I could not pass up Scattergories. Thanks Scrivener.

Friday 5 for July 11: In the can

 

Friday 5 for July 11: In the can

I don't eat too many cannned foods as I prefer most food fresh. Canned foods come in handy once in a while for convenience or an emergency. That said:

1. What was the most recent meat product you consumed from a can?

Recently this year it was either a can of tuna, sardines or salmon.

2. What was the most recent vegetable product you consumed from a can?

It's been ages ago, but I think it was a can of peas and carrots.

3. What was the most recent fruit product you consumed from a can?

The last time I ate canned fruit was last year. It was a small can of Del Monte Fruit Cocktail. I've also had canned pineapple slices.

4. What was the most recent beverage you consumed from a can?

1 can of LaCroix Orange Sparkling Water at Foodland Farms just the other day with my lunch bento. 

5. What are you approaching this week with a can-do attitude?

Nothing. Lately most of the tasks I have to do is either expensive, stressful or both.

As is every week, the questions come from Scrivener's Friday 5 page.