Friday 5 for December 28: Sum

2012 Sucked. And it is getting worst for us and America.


From Scrivener's Friday5 site: 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. Who stands out among people you met in 2012?

No one in particular and even if there was I am not mentioning anyone by name.

2. What new interest did you discover in 2012?

While it has been around for a few years now, in 2012 I became a fan of Hulu.com's free streaming service. I am too cheap to go to Hulu Plus since that requires a monthly bill. It would defeat the purpose of cutting cable TV as I did back in 2011. So today I enjoy subscription free streaming network TV.... Hulu,com. Crackle, various network websites, and old standards, YouTube, Vimeo and UStream. There is enough video content to see online without having to subscribe to expensive cable TV channels that you don't even watch.

3. In what way was 2012 better than 2011?

Actually 2012 was a HUGE disappointment since the rail passed, Caldwell became mayor, the liberal agenda is choking America (Obama won, that is bad news)... so pretty much 2012 sucked. About the best thing that could have happened but didn't was that the world could have ended... but it didn't and I certainly don't expect 2013 to be any better. America is going to hell in a handbasket with liberals running this country crazy and empty. Sad, very sad.

4. What small, symbolic item might serve as a good souvenir for 2012?

The DVD release of Dinesh D'Souza's documentary movie "2016: Obama's America"... folks you gotta watch this because with Obama still in charge I can only see dark, gloomy, EXPENSIVE days ahead for our country. It's already happening... freedom is at risk, traditional values such as marriage are being eroded and the second amendment is in danger of being stripped or at least being trampled on by the Obama administration and liberals. Hold on the your wallets. 2012 sucked and moving forward towards 2013, 14, 15 and 16 won't be any better.

Am I disappointed with 2012? Yes.

Am I optimistic about our future? No... not with Obama and liberals running the nation and Hawaii.

5. Many years from now, what song, when you hear it on the radio, will remind you most of 2012?

About the only thing that cheered me up this year were some of the songs that was released in 2012 that became hits. I am ranking and blogging my 100 favorite songs of 2012 and you can see my commentary here and the list there (which will be published on January 1 or shortly thereafter).



This song was one of my favorites from 2012. Where will it end up on the year end chart? Check this link in a few days.

Friday 5 for December 21 - It's Not the End of the World

Things I’ve been thinking about on the eve of the supposed end of history.

1. What’s something gross you’ve seen or tasted recently?

Seen - stuff in the toilet. Tasted - nothing recently.

2. What movie this holiday season are you most looking forward to?

"A Christmas Story" - the one about Ralphe the kid who wants the Red Ryder BB gun; his Dad's busted leg lamp and ruined turkey dinner... you know which one, the old classic from 1983. They do a marathon on TBS yearly. I'll probably watch it again.

3. What makes one photographer better or worse than any other?

Better - Attitude. Worst - Arrogance or Irresponsibility.

4. What specific, annual part of this season most makes you feel all the positive feelings again?

Some of the better holiday music.

5. What are your thoughts on eggnog?

Not a fan of eggnog.

So much for the end of the world.

Friday 5 for December 14: There's a Theme, Trust Me

A strange one this week from Scrivener's Friday 5 weblog that seems to be disjointed but allows for plenty of pictures. Here we go.



1. How self-conscious do you get when someone’s pointing a camera at you?

I hate having my photo taken, especially in this digital age when you don't have any control of your image and you don't know where that image may end up.

2. What was the last meal you took a photo of?

I take photos of food on a regular basis. The last food item I took a picture of were a box of Hostess Ding Dongs. The last "meal" I took a photo of is posted below. The entire photo stream of food appears in the slideshow below.







3. When were you last bitten or stung by something?

Possibly a few weeks ago by a mosquito.

4. What’s something people miss most when they move away from your area?



1. The beach. 2. The sand. 3. The surf. 4. Warm weather year round. 5. Pretty Girls. 6. sunsets



5. On long day-trips, do you prefer to be the driver or passenger? Why?

I would prefer to be the front seat passenger because I like to take pictures as we go along.

Friday 5 for December 7: Themeless

1. You know those delicatessens that name sandwiches after famous people? What would be the ingredients of the sandwich named after you?

The Mel Burger would have a garlic flavored sesame seed bun, 1/2 pound charcoal broiled all beef patty with lettuce, tomato, bell peppers, onion, olives, a light spread of mayonaise, a touch of ketchup, green relish and sprinkled with black pepper and other spices. The buns would also be toasted. The deluxe combo would come with a medium Strawberry Icee and an optional bag of tator tots, potato wedges or onion rings.

2. What’s your favorite part of staying in a hotel?

Having maid service clean up after you mess the place up the night before.

3. What was the last book you read, and how was it?

"How to Write and Self Publish eBooks for Free" by Jessica Cambrook... this is a short read on the basic nuts and bolts of how tow write, publish and market an eBook. I expected a little more on the technical end of what is the best software to use for creating an eBook. But then again this eBook was free from the Apple store so I can't complain too much.

4. What’s something super-unhealthy you’ve recently eaten?

Eating burgers and fries, chocolate candies and more on a regular basis tends to add up to "super-unhealthy".

5. What do you do with all those Christmas cards with photos of friends
and their kids?

Usually they get filed away, but I think this year I will scan them in and put 'em on Flickr and Facebook.

Questions posted from Scrivener's Friday 5 weblog.

Friday 5 for November 30: Tired Car Metaphors

1. What area of your life has lately (and pleasantly) been on cruise control?

Nothing. It's always stop and go for me.

2. Where in your life should you probably hit the brakes?

Eating.

3. Where do you go when you just need a little tune-up?

Home. Big Island of Hawaii.

4. How much junk have you got in the trunk?

Too Much. Want to buy a small collection of old Nintendo NES game cartridges?

5. Where is the needle on your fuel gauge pointing today?

Full @ 92,000 miles.



Answer these questions and more at Scrivener's Friday 5.

Friday 5 for November 23 - Black

OK, yes this is late but I could not pass this one up since it has a great music question / list at the end. So here goes... BLACK!


1. What’s your favorite black article of clothing?

Black Space Invaders T-Shirt.

2. What’s the best black food?

Opihi - raw with Hawaiian rock salt for flavoring. BTW, Opihi are not totally black, but their bodies have black coloring that you can see after you pry them out of the shell.

3. How did you pass the time during your most recent extended blackout (power outage)?

Listen to the radio waiting for news on when the power would be restored and the emergency situation would end. Also went around community and took photos. This was during the October 2006 earthquake.

4. When did you last play blackjack?

Sometime many years ago on my Mac IIsi computer.

5. What are some songs in your iTunes (or other media player) whose titles contain the word black?

I have about 50 tracks in my iTunes library with the word "black" in its title. Among my favorites:

1. Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones
2. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
3. Black Magic Woman - Santana
4. Blackbird - The Beatles
5. Black Sheep Wall - The Innocence Mission
6. Black Friday - Steely Dan
7. Blackout - Breathe Carolina
8. Black & White - Three Dog Night
9. Black Betty - Ramjam
10. Black is Black - Los Bravos
11. Black Magic Woman - Fleetwood Mac
12. Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress) - The Hollies
13. Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
14. Spin the Black Circle - Pearl Jam
15. Black Horse & a Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
16. Black Water - Doobie Brothers
17. Black Sand - Kalapana
18. Back in Black - AC/DC (not in iTunes, LP only)
19. Black - Pearl Jam
20. Black Country Woman - Led Zeppelin
21. Man in Black - Johnny Cash
22. Black or White - Michael Jackson
23. Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood
24. Black Cat - Janet Jackson
25. Baby's in Black - The Beatles

Friday 5 for November 9 - TV Sitcoms

The answers to these questions have nothing to do with TV sitcoms.



1. When was someone or something recently Too Close for Comfort?

This was not very recent, but it did occur in 2004. I was on board an Aloha Airlines flight that had to abort a landing at Honolulu International Airport because another plane was on the runway that we were set to land on.

2. Besides yourself, who’s recently been in Double Trouble?

Mitt Romney, Ben Cayetano, Linda Lingle and Charles Djou all lost the November 6 election. The nation is in double trouble because a lot of people with socialist and communist agendas have taken over.

3. What’s Happening?

I just typed a response to these questions and posted them online. Something will happen next, but I'm not telling.

4. Who’s the Boss?

Me, myself and I.

5. What are you most likely to be up to from 9 to 5 tomorrow?

Working on something with my computer.

Thanks for participating, and have a Makin’ It weekend!

Will try. 10-4 over and out.

Friday 5 for November 2: Dreaming

1, If you suddenly received a ton of money and could open up some kind of store or service just for the pleasure of having it (assume it wouldn’t have to be too financially successful!), what would it be? 

 I always wanted to operate either a record store or a radio station.

 

 2. What service or store that no longer exists do you miss most? 

Plenty - Aloha Airlines, Mid Pacific Airlines, Woolworth, Kress Stores, Western Stores, Job Lot, Records Hawaii, The Record Museum, Tower Records, Radio Free Hawaii, Froggies, Hasegawa Store in Honokaa, Hamakua Fountain, Tou Inn, Dairy Queen in Honokaa, and other eating places too numerous to mention.



3. What local business do you think you could make better if you were to take it over? And if you don’t mind sharing, what changes would you make? 

Not exactly local, but at the Don Quijote Stores I'd bring back all of those one dollar items they used to sell that came from Japan.

4. What spot nearby seems to be impossible for businesses to survive in?

Restaurant Row complex near Downtown Honolulu has had a historically high rate of turnover. Many eating places have come and gone there over the last 20 years. There frequently are many vacant spots for people to set up a restaurant, but they remain empty.

Kalama Village Center, a small strip mall located in Hawaii Kai is mostly empty.

5. We’ve all seen stores that combined books and records, beer and laundry, or coffee and whatever. One of my favorite places to get coffee in Honolulu is a cafe and florist, and there is a car garage that’s also a diner in a town nearby. What would be a cool hybrid of two disparate ideas for somewhere you’d like to hang out? 

How about a classy coin laundry, bookstore and internet cafe mixed into one business.

Questions posted Nov. 2 at Scrivener's Friday 5.

Friday 5 for October 19: Vice Squad

From the seedy side of life comes Scrivener's Friday 5 on Vice.

1. What is your history with cigarettes?

I don't smoke. Never have, never will. A total waste of money if not your life. Why would people want to smoke? You're just burning money. Plus tobacco taxes are sky high. What a waste!

2. What is your history with alcoholic drink?

I do not consume any alcoholic drinks. Never have. Never will.

3. What was the worst trouble you got into at school?

Can't remember what it was, but I got hit by the substitute teacher with a yardstick when I was in the third grade. If that happened today, the school system as well as the teacher would face criminal charges, a lawsuit or both.

4. What’s something you got away with in school but shouldn’t have?

Can't think of anything in particular. I was a good student for most of my life. Did not want to get hit with a yardstick again.

5. Who’s your partner in crime?

No one.

Yes, for the most part my life is pretty dull. Next...

Friday 5 for October 12: Wallflower

From Scrivener's Friday 5 blog: "This past week, I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower in anticipation of the film, which I also saw this past week. In its honor, here are five questions inspired by the novel and film."

1. What do you remember about high-school dances?

The first dance I went to my friends and I rolled cookies onto the darkened dance floor and laughed at couples stepping on them.

2. At whose house would you and your friends usually gather after school-related activities?

I pretty much just went home. Did not attend too many dances anyway.

3. Who in your school had a memorable nickname?

The "Lord of the Flies" because he did #2 in class when we were in the 5th grade. This guy also had other names such as "King Fut", throughout his remaining tenure at our small school.

4. What was your high-school cafeteria like?

Utilitarian like most Hawaii public school cafeterias... long, hard benches with integrated fold down seats... low.... loud atmosphere.... but versatile because besides being an eating place, the school held socials there and community groups held and still use it for meetings.

5. Your parents aren’t reading this, so what were some of the crazy (or just memorable) things you or your friends did while driving?

Driving 85+ mph in my cousins' Ford Maverick.

Photo: Honokaa High School (top) + Honokaa Class of 1975 school reunion, 2010 (below):

 

Friday 5 for September 28: Bookish

Scrivener's Friday 5 Questions - Bookish

1. What’s your favorite book you’ve had read to you? I sort of mean read aloud in person, as opposed to read aloud on a recording, but answer it however you want.

When I was a kid my parents used to read many books to us. These included Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, A Fly Went By, The Little House (loved this book about urban sprawl), Little Toot, Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat series (Green Eggs & Ham) of books, Where the Wild Things Are and others. Of course I read them again and again because most of them were fun. I memorized many of those old nursery rhymes.

2. What book (or series of books) would you like to see turned into a film?

OUTCAST Stallion of Hawaii by Harlan Thompson

It's a young adults book that was written back in the 1950s about life on a Big Island of Hawaii ranch that featured characters based on actual people (some of the characters in the book used the actual names) my Mom grew up with on that ranch in the 1930s to the early 1950s. After reading this story, which is about a boy and his renegade horse, I thought that it would make for a good family movie. If I had the financial means I'd secure the rights from the author's estate and try to get the book turned into a film.

The book is out of print.

3. We often complain about movies not being as good as the books upon which they are based, but what’s a movie that was as good as (or better than) its book?

A movie that for me was better than the book is Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 movie version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. I think our sixth-grade English class had the story as a class assignment and after we had laboriously plowed through this book, we were treated to the movie which was playing in our second run movie theater at Honokaa. The movie certainly brought the complexity of Shakespeare’s prose into a much clearer light for me… and of course what guy did not fall in love with Olivia Hussey’s beautiful but tragically doomed Juliet? As I recall this was probably the first “adult” oriented movie that I saw. I was either 11 or 12 at the time this film came out.

I was happy to find the DVD in the $5 bin at WalMart a few years back.

4. Songs often take us back to specific times in our lives, or remind us of specific people. What book does that for you, and what’s the explanation?

A book that takes me back in time like songs? Huh... one that I am disappointed at is a Childcraft reference book (Volume 5 on Technology) that came out in the 1960s. My parents had bought us kids the World Book Encyclopedia (1965 edition) and the Childcraft series of books too (about 14 volumes in the set). The one book that I was fascinated with as a child (I was 8 in 1965) was the volume on Technology. They had so many articles about past, present and future technology.

I was most fascinated with the future technology that was predicted in that book, much of it were supposed to come true before the end of the 20th century. I’d figure by the time I was 30 or so I would be able to live in a glass domed city, glide on cars that floated on a cushion of air (no wheels), use a fixed highway system not for trains, but for your car where some kind of technology was used to glide it on its air cushion at high speed.

Today more than 40 years later I often ask myself where is my flying car, domed city and other fantastic technologies that were presented in that book I read as a child. About the only thing in that book that just about became true was the “picture phone” where we now have that capability in many smart phones, computers and electronic tablets (Facetime, Skype, etc.).

By the way, the World Book Encyclopedia was a fun read for me from when I was 8 to about maybe 15 years of age since it had general articles about all kinds of subjects many of which were richly illustrated and photographed. I used to just sit down and read random articles in each book whenever there wasn’t anything better to do. It was a reference source to go to before we had computers and Google.

Another book that is a place marker in my life Flying Saucers: Serious Business written by radio commentator Frank Edwards. That book scared the heebie jeebies out of me when the author wrote about extraterrestrial visitations to Earth… one incident recounted in the book included something about this couple who spotted a craft with green men coming out of it. It’s been ages since I read this book. Writing about it now makes me want to read it again.

I read Flying Saucers: Serious Business when I was around 10 or 11 years of age.

Edwards did not go too far with his radio career as he was dismissed from his radio show because of his belief in UFOs.

Twenty years later we have Art Bell and his contemporaries on Coast to Coast AM on-air where UFOs and all other sorts of strange things are discussed on radio nightly to this very day.

5. What book do you know well enough to quote from once in a while?

I am not so good at remembering lines or quotes, so I guess for this question see answer #1 on Mother Goose.

Friday 5 for September 21 - Where to Go

Scrivener's Friday 5 for September 21 - Where To Go?

1. Where do you go for a great cup of coffee or tea?

I don't do coffee nor tea, but places that sell these items usually have good breakfast food or at least convenient food. I tend to go to McDonalds' with my coffee drinking buddy because we not only like the low prices for food and beverage there, but they also have free wifi!

2. Where do you go for a great doughnut?

Most doughnuts are great and location does not matter all that much. One thing I have noticed is a spike in prices for your usual doughnuts....  glazed, sugar or chocolate... not good, which could also be good since I should not eat doughnuts with any regularity. For really sweet doughnuts there is Krispy Kreme which I understand is only on the island of Maui. That said I also consider Malasadas as a form of doughnut and the best place to get them is Leonards' Bakery on Oahu or Tex Drive In on the Big Island of Hawaii.

3. Where do you go for a great sandwich?

I have found that Hau Tree Lanai (crab cake sandwich plate shown) in Waikiki have good sandwiches if you want to pay the price not only for the sandwich but also for the beachfront "ambience".... otherwise I mostly settle for a Subway build to order sandwich.

4. Where do you go for a great bowl of soup?

Not much of a soup conneissour, but when I want some I make it from canned or soup mix I get from the supermarket.

5. Where do you go for a great post-midnight snack?

What's open past midnight in Honolulu? Plenty... LikeLike Drive In or Zippy's are open if you want your snack to be a meal... otherwise the old stand-by's such as McDonald's, 7-Eleven, Don Quijote, Safeway and WalMart will do fine. Photo above: Hamburger patty from LikeLike Drive In. That is good with their fried rice side order plate. Mmmmm.

Friday 5 for August 17: Statehood!

Historic photo from the Hawaii State Archives.

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site:

Today is a state holiday in Hawaii, which I am blessed to call home. Fifty-three years ago, the island chain became the fiftieth United State, and while that is a mixed bag I won’t delve into, I won’t complain about a day off! So to honor the fiftieth star on the U.S. flag, here are five questions very loosely inspired by this day.

1. Hawaii’s nickname is the Aloha State. If your neighborhood were to be admitted as the fifty-first state, what would be its nickname?

Koreamoku Town!

2. What do you own fifty of?

Years plus some!

3. What’s the nicest beach you’ve been to?

Lanikai Beach near Kailua, Oahu. It's been years since I been there that I have zero pictures of the place.

4. A pizza with ham and pineapple is often called a Hawaiian pizza (something that annoys many of us who live here and can’t stand that flavor combination). If you live in Hawaii, what should rightfully be called a Hawaiian pizza, and if you live elsewhere, what would go on the pizza named after your area?

Kim Chee, Hamburger and Pepperoni - heh, it probably taste terrible but would go fine at the Koreamoku Town 51st State.

5. What mental and emotional states do you hope to attain this weekend?

Calmness and relaxed mental, emotional and physical states would be the best to attain, though not always easy.

Thanks for participating, and happy Statehood Day, Hawaii! Same to you all.

Friday 5 for August 3: Movie Questions

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site, he asks:

"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!

This week, please answer these questions that are also titles of films I’ve seen. Some of them may not make any sense, but do the best you can! Also: If you try to answer the questions literally, you may find this a boring set. I don’t actually want to know your number, and you don’t really want to share it. So here’s a little challenge to be creative."

Well, I don't think these are very creative, but the answers maybe are music related. Hence the videos.

1. Shall We Dance? ah ah ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive....



2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? He's not in the jailhouse now. Never has and that is good.



3. What’s Up, Doc? Great catch phrase used frequently by Warner Bros. Looney Tunes' character Bugs Bunny.



4. What’s Your Number? 867-5309 - ask for Jenny.



5. Did You Hear About the Morgans? Not really. Never knew anyone by that name.

Out of those movie titles I've only seen one of them. Can you guess which one?

Friday 5 for July 6 - Disposable

From Scrivener's Friday 5 site:

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 webpage!

1. What’s something whose disposable version has replaced its non-disposable version in your regular use?

Plastic bags that I get from the store... I use them to throw my trash away. I don't like the ban on plastic bags. It is cheaper to use the plastic bags you get from the store vs. having to buy regular trash bags.... so yes, I am stocking up on my plastic bags. Damn those environmental wackos.

I also use paper plates, plastic forks, paper cups, paper towels, and of course the old standard toilet paper! Whoever heard of non-disposable toilet paper????

2. What disposable item do you almost never use because you greatly prefer the non-disposable version? 

Cameras! 

3. If they could somehow create a disposable version of something that (as far as you know) is currently not available in that format, what would you like to see? 

Train. 

4. What disposable item do you feel the most guilty about using? 

Nothing. If it has been created to be disposable, then disposable it is....
You toss it and move on to the next thing. I have no problem with that.

5. What disposables do you tend to use more than the usual amount before discarding? 

Occasionally when I buy bottled water I tend to keep the bottle around, refill it with regular water and use that again... and again. I rarely buy bottled water. Tap water is good enough where I live. Plus I hate the bottle tax!

Friday 5 for May 11: Travel

From Scrivener's Friday 5 - Travel

 

1. If you could get on a plane tomorrow, where would you go for a week? Where would you go for a month?

 

 A week? - I would go to the Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo to Honokaa and places nearby. Fact is I will be there later this month.

 A month? - Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo to Honokaa and places nearby. I will be there again later this summer, fall and winter.

 2. Where do you want most to return to?

 

Big Island of Hawaii - Hilo, Honokaa, Waimea, Volcanoes National Park - Do I like the Big Island of Hawaii? Yes I do. My favorite place.

3. What was your most memorable meal or drink while traveling? 

I don't do any alcoholic beverages at all - so if it came to drinks.... well... soft drinks will do or simply water.



For most people who have lived or visited Honolulu (where I live), the most breathtaking view is from the top of Diamond Head crater looking out west to the rest of Honolulu. For me I like the view from the top of Tantalus since it is easier to get there (drive vs. hike) and grab the view shown above. Of course anything from the air is always breathtaking.... see photo below:

 

 In my travels - I almost never travel out of state. I live in "paradise" even thought taxes are high and the cost of living is very expensive.... That being said, here are some favorite images:

 

Volcanoes National Park on the Big island of Hawaii - Crater Rim Drive above. Below lehua blossoms.

 

 Hilo in the Keaukaha area:





Hilo near Rainbow Falls:



 The town of Honokaa, though I would not call it "breathtaking":



The island of Kauai:





I would also say a trip to Hana on the island of Maui and the sunrise at the top of Haleakala also on the island of Maui would be among my photos here... alas those were taken a long time ago with a 35mm SLR camera and I have never gotten around to scan them in. Perhaps a return trip to Maui is in store. The last time I went to that island was in late 2007 and I was only there for about an hour!


5. What’s the most touristy thing you’ve done? 

Went on a two week tour with a bunch of other tourists to the East and West Coast of the continental United States... this was a very long time ago when there were no cell phones, no digital cameras, no Macintosh computers, no internet, almost nothing that we take for granted today... but yes we had jet airplanes, cars, ships and trains. Hence I don't have any decent photos of that tour. I rarely travel out of state.

Someday perhaps a short cruise would be nice or another trip to the U.S. mainland may be in store.

All of the photos provided in this entry were taken by me.

Friday 5 for May 4: Take Out

Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.


1. What was the last thing you took out of your microwave oven?


Reheated chicken wings.


2. What was the last thing you took out of the washing machine?


Clothes


3. What was the last thing you took out of the trunk of your automobile?


Myself and my camera stuff


4. What was the last thing you took out of your mouth?


Spoon


5. What was the last thing you took out of an envelope?


A bill was the last thing I took out of an envelope. Fact is most of the things I get in the mail are either BILLS or junk commercial mails. Paper mail is next to obsolete.

Friday 5 for April 13: National Library Week

Shown above: The Hawaii State Public Library, main branch in Honolulu.

1. What were the libraries at your elementary and high school like?

Small and quaint... at least that is what I remember from more than 40 years ago.

2. What’s interesting about your nearest community library?

I live closest to the main branch of the State Library (shown above). I guess what makes that library interesting is that it is in an old, probably historic building in the Capitol District of downtown Honolulu.

3. What is the longest you’ve had an overdue library book? 

Not a book but somewhere in a closet I probably have an overdue issue of "Mechanix Illustrated" magazine from 1969.

4. Among people you know who aren’t already librarians, who would make a good librarian?

Perhaps you or anyone who likes reading, has patience to keep things neatly filed and a good sense of customer service.

5. Who is your favorite librarian?

The ones I knew from kid time have probably died. Sad.

Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 website.

Friday 5 for March 30: Handle

Again... a day late and probably a dollar short.



1. How well do you handle the sight of blood?

It's somewhat tolerable.

2. How well do you handle bumpy plane rides?

I think about plane crash statistics when this happens and remind myself flying is safer than driving your own car. Of course it depends on the severity of the turbulence.

On another note read this speculative story about deadly air turbulence.

3. How well do you handle spicy food?

Tolerable.

4. How well do you handle (or think you could handle) yourself in fisticuffs?

My natural instinct is to flee from a situation. Luckily it hasn't happened since maybe 2nd grade.

5. How well do you handle a chef’s knife?

I'm not a culinary expert, but I would presume I could cut something with it.

Friday 5 for March 9: String

A day late and probably a dollar short, but hey... this is from Scrivener's Friday 5 weblog:



1. What’s a film that always tugs at your heartstrings?

It's a toss-up between "Forrest Gump" and "My Girl".

2. How long would it take you to come up with a six-inch length of string if someone needed it right now?

About 2 minutes... I have several feet of string in my large medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

3. What are your thoughts on string cheese?

None because I never heard of it.

4. Among people you know, who’s the best guitar-player?

Personally? No one that comes to mind...

In the rock world... well Jimi Hendrix. Lindsey Buckingham. Eric Clapton.

5. What memories do you have of Silly String?

Colorful stringy mess.

Friday 5 for Februray 24: Anniversaries

1. What significant anniversary will you be celebrating sometime this year?

The usual birthdays, anniversaries of my father's death, anniversary of my sister's death years ago... Nothing much to celebrate to tell you the truth.

2. In your life, what is today the one-month anniversary of?



A month ago I posted these old family photos to my Flickr account. See them here.

3. What is today the one-week anniversary of?

I had shoyu chicken with rice, broccoli and carrots that I bought from the Thai plate lunch place on Bishop Street, Downtown Honolulu. See photo below:



4. Sometimes the traditional wedding anniversary gifts seem a bit staid. If you had your way, what would be the right gift themes for the five years’ worth of wedding anniversaries?

A five year old car!

5. Among your friends, who’s been married the longest?

My friends in Hilo who have been married since at least 1982.... my cousins in Kona who have been married since at least 1978. Not mentioning any names or posting photos.

Questions from Scriverner's Friday 5.

Friday 5 for February 17 - Green

My favorite shade of green usually has a dead president on it. Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 weblog.

1. What’s your favorite green article of clothing? 

I have a green shirt.

2. What could you do with a little bit of extra spending green this weekend?

Buy stuff I don't have but want... like maybe a new wide angle lens for my camera.

3. In what way are you conservative of natural resources?

I reuse my plastic bags to dump trash in. The whole green movement thing is a crock of shit.

4. When did you last shoot some pool?

Never.

5. Of whom are you envious lately?

No one.

Friday 5 for January 27 - Storage

A week late but hey, no Friday 5 for this week is posted yet.

1. What are your favorite storage containers like?

Sterilite Show Offs exactly like the one shown above with different colored covers. They're great for storing stuff like CDs, DVDs, small objects, etc.

2. What seems to require more time and energy to store than it’s worth?

I'm kind of a pack rat. Everything has some kind of value... though my floor seems to be a storage area for stuff with nowhere to go.

3. What unusual container are you storing something in?

Long cylindrical cookie can with a rubberized eyeball in it.

4. What packaged product has a container you really like?



Apple products such as the iPod Touch and iPhone. Nicely packaged. Even their computers are nicely packaged.

Ask me about product containers I hate -- I have two words for you: Blister Pack.

5. If you suddenly had some new storage space in your home, what would likely go there?

Most of the stuff I have on the floor (see #2 above).