3. What’s a good summer movie or a good summer book?
Movie:Jaws - If you haven't seen this classic Steven Spielberg movie see it! You'll think twice before going into the water at the beach. A swimming pool will be safer!
Book: I can't think of any books that are specifically summer related. Except if you like plenty of sand, gigantic worms, a very dystopian society full of conflict in a world where the spice and water are super precious commodities, then I can recommend Frank Herbert's Dune, which is the first of several sprawling books in the series.
4. How is this summer better than last summer?
I don't know about that. Stuff costs more this summer than they did last summer. Have you seen the price of gas? That surely limits summer travel. Air fares are up too. But then I haven't flown since the start of COVID.
5. What special something are you doing this summer?
I'm thinking whether or not I should drive to the other side of the island to go see the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight show in August. I've seen them two times before and the USAF's Thunderbirds three times before. It may be more of the same, but it is always exciting. I just don't relish the though on driving in traffic to and from the event.
"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 musical instruments have you played?
- Played trumpet in middle and high school band.
- Play ukulele... have played since I was around 9... not very good at it.
- Dabbled in piano. Can get by... but not good and I don't have a piano at this time though the electric keyboard I have at my place, I don't know if it works. Belongs to my friend Lisa.
- Dabbled in some percussion type instruments... maracas, tamborine, kalimba
- Mac Plus computer: translated a song I wrote in college to the Mac using a very crude software in 1990. Converted that to mp3 and you can listen to it here.
2. When do you play with your food?
I made pancakes several years ago shaped like some of the Hawaiian islands.
3. What’s your favorite stage play?
I haven't seen many stage plays. That said, back in 2017 I won tickets to see Diamond Head Theater's production of Mamma Mia... I thought it was good and I like the music of ABBA... so that had a lot going for it.
Saw South Pacific and Bye, Bye Birdie as college productions. Loaned the Birdie cast an old camera for a scene with the press in it.
In 1974 when I went to New York City for a few days, we got to see a relatively unknown Broadway musical called GREASE. I still have the souvenir booklet for that. Some of the photos are included at the top of this post. The musical is different from the movie that came after as new songs were added to the film version in 1978.
4. What games do you play on your phone?
I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer since I don't play any of those big games that seem to last forever and asks you for more money. Ugh! However I like simple casual games that I can play for a few minutes, die and then play again later.
I have four functioning cell phones of which only two have official service. The other two are wifi only and are used only at home. The Samsung can still make wifi phone calls but the Alcatel with its very aged Android 2.7 can only do rudimentary internet, play simple games and of course doubles as a music player.
Android Phone #3 Alcatel 960 - Solitaire, Block Puzzle, Mahjong, Tick Tack Toe, Old Mac Plus System 6 games using MiniVMac emulator for Android 2.7 - Stratego, Accordian, Box Em, Brickles, Cairo Shootout, Shufflepuck Cafe, Star Roids, Surgery, Mac Pork Barrell, Mombasa, MacBugs, Wheel 1.0, Stuntcopter, Battleship, Roe, Hangman 5.0, Artillery 1.5, Balloon, Shuttle 88, Tetris
Kai OS Basic Phone - Alcatel Smartflip - There are a ton of games on the Kai OS ecosystem, all simple game apps geared toward basic phones. I have a handful of them including Snake, Mahjong, Tetris-X, Endless Aliens (Galaxian clone), Fart, Fart Pads
Non-Phones:
Apple iOS iPad Mini - Someone gave this to me in 2019. It's a 2012 iPad Mini that has been largely marginalized by Apple with very little app support. I hate Apple for making things obsolete so fast, especially when devices still work.
On my iPad I have the following game apps:
Airplane Fly Hawaii- used to be my favorite game until I conquered all of the levels acquiring every plane they have in the fleet after many successful flights and landings. Sadly the game is no longer supported by the publisher, so there are no updates for any system. I used to run this on my Samsung J7 phone, but since it only has limited space for apps, I deleted that and all other games and just went with core apps that I needed.
Otherwise the usual suspects - Mahjong, Solitaire, Checkers and 94 Seconds, the latter of which is a timed trivia letter matching game. I used to do that one on my old iPod Touch that has since died (I hate non-removable batteries).
Nintendo DSi - This is one of my favorite gaming devices, not because I am a hardcore gamer. Way back before I owned a cell phone, I used this as a portable internet device. You could access websites with the built in Opera web browser on open wifi networks, including my own at home. Over the years as the web became more secure, the Opera browser which was built in was not supported after Nintendo deprecated the platform around 2016. I bought this device brand new back in 2009. I don't appreciate the short term shelf life of official support.
That all said, the games that I did buy online as well as a handful of cartridge games all work fine to this very day. Plus the thing has a rudimentary camera system, can play music files and supports SD card external storage. It makes a good music player and cheap ass camera with weird and goofy effects that still work via software.
The games I have for this thing range from something called Club Games, which a suite of many, simple games such as checkers, chess, mahjong, bowling, darts and too many card games to remember. Other cartridge games I own include Cats, a Las Vegas suite of games and one of old Atari games. Plus the few titles I did download from Nintendo when the platform was still supported: Stratego, Sudoku, a better Mahjong with good graphics, Absolute Brickbuster, Aura-Aura Climber,Pictobits, and Zelda Four Star edition which is the closest I get to one of those never ending role playing games... ugh.
The nice thing about the Nintendo DSi is that it still works. I can still do some web browsing with it as long as the site is text only... think a lot of old Gopher servers. Heh.
Bottom line is that I am not good in any of the games save for a very few. But they end up as being fun, short-term distractions.
If you have an old, out of commission cell phone just sitting around in a drawer, it is a good idea to put it into a secondary use, such as a games platform or a music player.
5. When did you recently play it by ear?
There have been a few times when I had to "play it by ear"... a few times at my seasonal workplace in the State Capitol comes to mind. Other times when I had to improvise something and wasn't sure if anything would work re: see if that old PC laptop works. Junk like that.
Games on my Nintendo DSi and the Mac emulator on my old 3G Alcatel 960C smartphone.
1. What kiddie song do you still like as a grownup?
As I get older, I like this well known kiddie song less and less for every year that I age... roll the drum please...
1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU - Various Artists: It's probably the most sung and most popular song ever.
2. C is For Cookie - Cookie Monster / Sesame Street*
3. Yellow Submarine - The Beatles (Paul McCartney said it is a children's song)
4. The Hokey Pokey - Various artists first version by Ray Anthony
5. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Time is Here) - The Chipmunks (David Seville)
6. Sing - The Carpenters
7. Jingle Bells - Various artists over the years.
8. The Bunny Hop - Ray Anthony / various artists for kids
9. Itsy Bitsy Spider - Various Artists / Carly Simon
10. Puff the Magic Dragon - Original by Peter, Paul & Mary
I was already too old when Sesame Street with all The Muppets premiered on TV... but I am familiar with the songs since my younger sister and brother watched it. Cookie Monster was and still is my favorite character on that series.
Click on the link below to get a short sample of all the songs on this list, or click on the graphic to listen to the entire list on Spotify.
2. When did a new* song most recently* get you excited?
There's plenty. I keep a blog of my Current Top 20 songs at this link. But for this week only, debuting at #15 on my chart is the kids punk rock band The Linda Lindas and "OH!". It's a shallow but fun song with all the right hooks in my book.
I participate on a message board system where other users publish their weekly charts of current songs. Fun stuff... I've been off and on through the years.
3. What song were you introduced to via television ad or as background in a movie or TV show?
Most influential song introduced to me when I first saw the movie? Of course it has to be STAR WARS, the opening theme by John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. From the time I first heard it back in 1977, I said to myself, this is a GREAT song along with a GREAT score that clearly delineates the difference between good and evil. I mean Darth Vader had his own theme going which carried through the entire series, as well as Princess Leia and the other characters we all learned about in one of the most enduring movie series ever.
Every time that theme starts I can always reflect to when I first saw the original Star Wars back in the day for many times at Honolulu's Cinerama Theater from 1977 to 1978. Movies back then only cost $3.50 to see. Great times!
My second most favorite movie song has got to be THEME FROM JAWS also by John Williams. Lately I thought about taking a big boombox to the beach and playing this song. That would be funny.
The best TV theme song of all time is HAWAII FIVE-0 by Mort Stevens. The Ventures took this song to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. When I was going to high school we played it for school band. It remains a very popular marching and pep song at ball games in Hawaii and elsewhere.
My second favorite TV theme song is THEME FROM MIAMI VICE by Jan Hammer. That record is the last instrumental song to top the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. This was way back in 1985.
Best TV ad song that I remember:
I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing - Coca Cola (1971) - The New Seekers made this a top 20 hit back in 1972.
4. Which song’s opening lyric do you especially love?
When I was a kid the one song that caught me was "Sweet Nothins'" by Brenda Lee and the sexy, spoken word opener.... "Aha Honey... All Right" and then the song starts,"My baby whispers in my ear... ooh Sweet Nothins'"... This song was so gutsy at that time for my childhood ears (released in late 1959).
It went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1960. I love the entire album this. song is on, Brenda Lee. Been loving Brenda Lee's music ever since.
Back when I was in college my room mate and I would always laugh at the beginning of this song: "Sucking wind.. slipping down the back road once again..." The title of the song is "Over the Hill" and it is on singer/guitarist John Stewart's most famous album Bombs Away Dream Babies, which features both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. This album came out in 1978. Nicks and Buckingham were busy after 1977's Rumours working on albums for their friends. These include Not Shy by Walter Egan and French Kiss by former Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist, Bob Welch.
After all of this they re-grouped as Fleetwood Mac to record Tusk. Oh and they were also on tour in 1977, which included a concert at Honolulu's Blaisdell Center that I went to that December.
5. With which five songs would you begin a weekend-themed playlist?
I have hundreds if not thousands of playlists spread out over a number of devices (iPods, Mac computers, 4 Android phones (only one has active service), and Alcatel flip phone (not bad for a $20 MP3 player that can hold 32 gigs of music on a micro SD card... whop your jaws Apple!), various online services (YouTube Music, Spotify, Amazon Prime and 8Tracks.com), and about 100 cassettes that I still have in my home, most all mixed tapes made in the 1980s and 1990s.
So I have a playlist for any mood, any kind of music genre, and era that I want listen to all of the day and night, every week, month and year... oh boy.
That all said, I have no specific list for this weekend.
Here... sample or listen to my Spotify list of this week's Current Top 20 Hits according to Mel... These playlists are mostly rap and hip hop free zone. Enjoy.
It's that time of the year when we choose a random letter from the "nifty Random Letter Sequence Generator". This year I get the letter H.
Questions from the weekly Friday 5 website.
H
1. What’s something in your pantry, beginning with the letter?
Ritter Chocolate Bar with Whole Hazelnuts.
Ritter Whole Hazelnuts Chocolate bar.
2. What’s something in your car, beginning with the letter?
Hoses... A few of them are in the engine compartment of my car. They are necessary for keeping an internal combustion engine cool, flowing and running properly.
3. What’s something you miss, beginning with the letter?
Hair at the top of my head. I am not totally bald, but the top has thinned over the years.
4. What’s a character trait you admire but lack, beginning with the letter?
I probably could strive to be more healthy. 5. What’s a regular inconvenience, beginning with the letter?
Hassles - There are plenty of those in our lives, more so today with COVID-19 rules and regulations. It is a hassle to have to wear a mask almost everywhere in public. It is a hassle to have to deal with automated phone menu systems before you can reach a real person. It is a hassle dealing with customer service, especially bad ones. It is a hassle having to pay tax for stupid stuff like the rail every time you buy something in Hawaii. It is a hassle getting through security lines at the airport, and now more so with COVID-19 screening... which has made me a reluctant flyer to the point that I don't intend to go anywhere anytime soon. It is a hassle to have to find a free parking space in this town. It is a hassle paying bills too. Need I go on with this crap? Probably not.
The following questions are from Scrivener's weekly Friday 5 blog.
1. What’s something in which you took first place?
I was the first in line almost every day in third grade along with classmate Terry Brink in a boy - girl, alphabetical order by last name, daily line-up scheme we had going then. It was always nice to be first out of class and the first to lunch! Then one day the teacher decided to line us up from Z to A.... ugh!
Other than that I used to win music trivia contests on our old top 40 radio station in Hilo, HI. KPUA 970 AM. That was back in the early 1970s.
2. What’s something at which you’d like a second chance?
Can't think of a book that I read where there was a fifth story in the series. I generally avoid long serialized novels which seem to be more prevalent today than before. I like books with a beginning, middle and end, and after it ends... that's it. The End! No more sequels.
The album Ring by The Connells is probably one of my all time favorites from the 1990s. It contains the hit "74 - 75" which was big in Europe but barely registered in the U.S. The group is from North Carolina.
I was always aware of "Time for Me To Fly", but in the greater scheme of things I never truly got into REO Speedwagon except for the Hi Infidelity album. And yes, side 1 is stellar while side 2 is like... ok... there has to be something on the other side of the LP. Heh.
1. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done with electricity?
Back in the 1990s I connected the wrong power adapter to a portable CD player that someone gave me. Duh. I guess the voltage did not match. The moment I plugged it in and turned on the player, a sickening puff of light white smoke emerged and the player was promptly fried. Oh well.
2. How did you last pass the time when your residence was without power for at least a few hours?
Since I live 8 floors up I either just stay at home until the power comes back on, read a book if it is not dark or if it is, look for batteries and turn on my flashlights. Then I listen to the radio. Oh, and I use my landline phone to see if other people have power who also have landline phones. Most of the time the outage is in one small area which means other people do have electricity. Whatever. 3. Around how many AA and AAA batteries do you have on standby?
I have 4 sets of rechargeable AA & AAA lithium batteries that I use mainly for cameras and gear that require them. I sometimes swap into other devices such as a portable radio. I also have dozens of spare alkaline batteries around just to be prepared for like a power outage of something. I have to be able to at least play a radio and use a camera during an outage situation. I also have cameras and other devices that use proprietary batteries and some devices with built in batteries, that I generally despise since it is the manufacturer's way of forcing obsolescence on consumers... don't get me started on built in batteries. I generally hate them because they are not easily replaceable. A crime when I open my drawer and look at my 6 older iPods that I can't use as portable devices unless plugged into a power outlet. I mean the devices work just as fine as they did when I first bought them... but because the built in batteries don't hold a charge I feel that I was cheated by Apple. That is why in recent years my enthusiasm for Apple is not as great as it used to be.
4. How do you feel about lightning?
Film it! I try.... I like it... and thunder... it's something different.
5. When did you last dance the Electric Slide, and if you’ve never done it, what’s the closest you’ve come to dancing the Electric Slide?
Heaven's no. I suck at dancing and as a former school dance DJ I played the song only once in 1994, more than a decade after I did my last school dance, this time at a party at a church function on the Big Island. That was the last time I did a public DJ stint.
I do have a digital copy of the song in my iTunes library and is played about as many times (rarely) as the "Macarena". Heh.
I haven't seen any Spiderman movie since Spiderman 3 with Toby Maguire in the lead role from 2007. Questions from Scrivener's Friday 5 blog.
1. What’s the crime like in your neighborhood?
July 2017 HPD report to Ala Moana Neighborhood Board #11:
- Honolulu Police Department (HPD) – A sergeant reported the following:
• June 2017/May 2017 Statistics – There were 14/24 motor vehicle thefts, 11/7 burglaries, 169/158 thefts, 33/34 UEMVs (unauthorized entry into motor vehicles), 16/24 assaults, 3/5 sexual assaults, 1/0 graffiti incidents, and 13/21 drug offenses. Total calls for service were 5,754/6,177.
• Business Security Tips – Tips included installing a video security system, having address numbers visible from the street, and knowing the neighbors to watch out for each other.
Don Quijote – Ammons reported that a resident e-mailed him about loud noise and possible criminal activities at the laundry mat. HPD is aware of the situation and he will follow up with the Third (3rd) Watch. 2. If you could have attended one of those high schools with a specific academic focus, such as performing arts, studio arts, sustainability, science and technology, international languages and diplomacy, or some option you thought of yourself, which would you have chosen when you were thirteen?
Business and Technology - unfortunately they did not teach much of that in the government school system back in the day.... though I hear it may be worst now....
3. What was memorable about a party you remember from high school?
After our senior year dance we stayed at the hotel in Kona. We had some crazy party in the room and I remember calling one of our goofy teachers in the middle of the night (like 2AM in the morning) asking if his refrigerator was running. We were also jumping from bed to bed, playing loud music on the cassette player, eating and throwing chicken bones off the balcony of our 4th floor room or something. It was a long time ago. We were still stupid kids.
4. Which of your older relatives is (or was) the handsomest or prettiest?
My cousin Dorian was Miss Aloha Hawaii in 1972 and was first runner up in the Miss Hawaii pageant. Her talent was dancing the hula to the 1960s novelty song "Puka Puka Pants" that was recorded by JoAnn Campbell. She is a few years older than me.
5. What was homecoming like at your high school? How did you feel about it?
Homecoming was a big thing in small town Honokaa where only one government school serviced the entire area consisting of Honokaa, Waimea, Kukuihaele, Kapulena and Paauilo. Homecoming week consisted of something happening on campus daily for 5 days that led to the big football game of the season. We had like pep rallies, movies, intramurals and one year a gigantic water balloon fight. We also had a bonfire the night before the game and also a parade. Highlight for each class was to build a float and have it parade through town following the 2 bands from the community... the Honokaa County Band and the Honokaa High School Band. I was in the band. And then the big football game which as far as I can remember, our school always lost until 1973 and 1974, in which both years Honokaa was the Big Island Insterscholastic League (BIIF) champions. Honokaa's Class of 1975 which I was part seemed to win several of those parade float trophies or whatever as well as the pep rally stuff... probably because for our small school, we had one of the bigger classes at the time.
When the school turned 100 years old there was a large homecoming parade of a sort where a lot of the older classes showed up for still a special celebration. Some photos from that are shown below.
Honokaa town is laid out in such a way that it was always good to have a parade go through it.
The July 2000 Honokaa School Millennium Parade. Photos by Mel.
3. What’s an item in your desk whose name begins with the letter?
Radio!
4. What’s something, whose name begins with the letter, that you find frightening?
ROACHES! The Big B-52 ones that walk upside down on the ceiling and fly toward you when you try to kill them. Yuck!
5. If you had to get a tattoo on your upper arm, what’s something whose name begins with the letter that you could live with?
I'm not a tattoo kind of a guy but if I got one showcasing the letter R, I guess it would combine a Rolls Royce with a Rose... then you got a Rose Royce... oh that was a disco group from 1976.
"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.
3. What seven words describe the last in-person conversation you had?
Helpful, hopeful apologetic rebuilding a lasting friendship.
4. How would you make an acrostic of the letters in SUMMER to describe your hopes for the summer?
Standing, waiting for the sunrise; Understanding that clouds may block the sun. My camera and I, we'll patiently wait; Momentarily the sun peaks from behind... Eureka! I press the shutter, take the shot. Ready for the next image of summer to pop.
-- by Me! :) 5. What three rhyming words describe your most recent vacation?
"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 link us from your website!" (?????)
1. How skilled are you with a chef’s knife?
I can adequately cut my vegetables, fruit, and proteins for lunch and dinner. That's it. What the heck is a "chef's knife"? I just use the cheap knife I got from Walmart.
2. How skilled are you with chopsticks?
I am a disgrace to my partial Asian heritage. I am all thumbs with chopsticks. No coordination. I can't even play it on the piano! 3. How skilled are you with a hammer?
I can pound a nail in 90% of the time without bending it or hitting my fingers. I am an expert in destroying things with a hammer... where's that old PC laptop?
4. How skilled are you with a corkscrew?
I don't drink alcoholic beverages so given that some of these things come with corks, the question does not apply to me since I do not use one.
