It’s tough being black

Scenic Hawaii.

If President Obama looked white instead of black, would there be any questions about his birthplace?  I think not.  I find it infuriating that so-called birthers in Arizona are threatening to keep Obama off the ballot if Hawaii does not provide them with a certified copy of his birth certificate.  A year ago, Obama did furnish his long-form birth certificate, but birthers have rejected it as a computerized forgery.

Good lord, when will this foolishness end?  It is racism that keeps the controversy alive.  As I said, if Obama resembled his Caucasian mother rather than his African father, there would be no question about his birthplace.  People would accept him at face value.

It’s tough being black, isn’t it?

P.S.  Hawaii agreed to and did provide Arizona with Obama’s certified birth certificate yesterday.

Dealing with David’s allergy

Statue of King Kamehameha the Great.

Poor David.  Every morning, he has to take Allegra-D-12 for his clogged sinus, and every night before bed, he has to apply a nose strip to increase his airflow.  I think he has an allergy.  We replaced our air conditioner last week, because the old one contained black mold.  Since that hasn’t eased his problem, I think we should replace the carpet in the bedroom.  It’s more than 20 years old, having been installed by the previous owner before we bought the house in 1991.

Not only does carpeting contain dust, dirt and mites, but the baseboards are loaded with grime, also.  It is so difficult to move the king size bed, the triple dresser, 2 night stands, and 4 drawer filing cabinet to get to the baseboards on an annual basis.  Imagine:  those baseboards have not been cleaned since we moved in.  Ugh!

We have decided to purchase inexpensive carpeting, because we intend to keep changing it every 10 years or so.  Yes, tile or laminate would be preferable to carpet, but there is a dip where the concrete was poured when the bedroom was extended.  Rigid materials will not bend at the dip.  Adding cement will not do because of the way the sliding glass doors are situated.

Wish there were a permanent solution to our flooring problem, but this is the best we can do.  Meanwhile, David should discuss his allergy with his internist.  Maybe, he needs to take Claritin.

Who cooks and cleans?

Scenic Hawaii (TV channel 1000).

Because I was so out of it when I was sick, I think David realizes how much housework I did when I was well.  This is because he and Lisa had to pick up the slack – tasks like doing the dishes and laundry, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, taking the trash out, watering the plants, etc., etc.

Now that I am well, I have resumed my duties.  HOWEVER, I am now insisting that David do the vacuuming once a week, since the landscapers have taken over the lawn mowing and other yard work.  Don’t you think that’s fair?  Why should I do all of the housework?  Vacuuming once a week won’t kill him.  Fortunately, David agrees.

On another note, I am happy we have so many great eateries around us.  Over the weekend, we like to order take-out meals from Koa House (omelets and pancakes), Soon’s Kalbi (Korean food), and Champa Thai (Thai food) to name a few.  I must admit that I get tired of my own cooking, despite having access to cookbooks lining my book shelves.

Who does the housework in your home?  Do you like to eat out, too?

First Skype ever

This was my very first Skype video chat with Julia and Maria.  Mahalo, Kay, for giving me the link.  David downloaded it and we were on our way to a fun 30-minute session with our 4 year old granddaughter.  She is so adorable.

I asked her a zillion questions and she answered them shyly – all the while fidgeting and swaying in her seat.  More than once, Maria had to tell Julia to face the computer screen and speak directly to me.  I think that eventually, Julia will calm down and sit quietly.  Yesterday, she was just too excited to sit still, because it was her first Skype chat, too.

We had to end the session when the time for my haircut at Macy’s approached.  Yes, folks, I drove my car for the FIRST time since my surgery on May 3rd and experienced absolutely no problems whatsoever.  Yay!  I am finally cured!  Halleluia!

P.S.  Here’s the link to Skype, which is FREE:

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/

Rich or healthy?

Peacock at the Honolulu Zoo.

This is what I read in Mage’s blog yesterday:  If you had to choose, would you rather be rich or healthy?

I think it’s a loaded question, because it implies two things:

1)      You are rich but sick, or

2)      You are healthy but poor.

After giving it some thought, I decided I’d rather be rich.  At the present time, neither David nor I is in perfect health, but we do have quite a bit of money to pay our medical bills (which are high despite insurance).

We can buy such things as 2 computers as well as a set of 4 telephones to place all over the house.

We can help our kids through their financial crises.

We can vacation at exotic resorts around the world.

Yes, I would choose to be rich.  How about you?

Two year old artist

When was the last time you drew or painted something on paper or canvas?  It’s been centuries since I produced art.  How about you?

I just love to watch my 4 and 2 year old grandkids expressing themselves that way, free of all constraints.  I never correct or judge their work.  Too often, people will scold their children by saying, “That doesn’t look like a dog.”

The other day, I asked my grandson, “Do you want paper?  How many?”  He said, “Two,” so I gave him two sheets of paper and a bag of crayons.  These are the results:

When he finished, he said, “This is a map and this is a map,” pointing to his masterpieces.

Maps?  Who knew?  Lol.

Here’s a photo of my adorable grandson, dressed to stroll through the swap meet (flea market) at Aloha Stadium with his Aunty Lisa on Wednesday.  And on Thursday, she took him to Ala Moana Beach to frolic in the sand and water.  Wish I could have joined them, but I am sun-sensitive due to medication and can’t be outdoors for too long even with sunscreen lotion.

Relaxing at home

Lisa couldn’t resist taking a photo of the three of us relaxing on the sofa yesterday:  David watched a basketball game on TV, Rylan read his book, and I read my Kindle.

David (who recently had carpel tunnel surgery on his other hand) smooched his 2 year old grandson.

This photo of my granddaughter, Julia, was taken in February when she was 4 years old.  She will graduate from preschool in June and then attend kindergarten in August.  Isn’t she cute?

This weekend, I intend to download Skype on my laptop, which has a built-in camera and microphone, so that I can video-chat with Julia.  Though she lives just 8 miles away, I hardly ever see her and want to bridge the gap between us.   It will be fun to converse with her.  Strangers no more, honey!

If you would like to Skype with your loved ones, here is the link:

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/

A wonder of technology, it’s FREE.

Hearty Mexican Casserole

I made this wonderful Mexican casserole last night.  Hubby, daughter, and I loved it.  You can find the recipe here:

http://thesouthernladycooks.com/2012/01/21/hearty-mexican-casserole/

I chose not to make the cornbread topping, but simply sprinkled shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top of the casserole after it was cooked.  I didn’t broil the cheese, either.

Tip: To prevent flatulence, always rinse the black beans in a colander first.

You will love the aroma and flavor of this entrée.

Cheers!

Fun with the surgeon

David and I pose in front of Aloha Stadium prior to the UH vs. Fresno State football game in 2007.

Yesterday, I had my final visit with the handsome surgeon, who operated on my umbilical hernia.  All is well:  the redness is gone and my navel is healing.  I am to continue to take Augmentin (antibiotic) as prescribed.  (I have had no side-effects, by the way, despite NOT consuming yogurt or probiotics.)  I asked him why the navel was so hard.  He said that when the internal inflammation subsides, the area will soften.  The mesh patch was implanted deep, not close to the surface.

Anyway, we ended up chatting about football.  At 6 feet 4 inches tall, he was a starting quarterback at Kahuku High School (Hawaii) and a non-starting tight end at BYU (Utah).  Current UH head coach Norm Chow was his offensive coordinator at BYU, where he coached for 24 years.

When I asked the surgeon why Norm Chow had been fired by the Tennessee Titans, he said that the owner and Norm disagreed on whom to draft as quarterback.  Norm wanted Matt Leinart (QB at USC whom Norm had coached), but the owner wanted Vince Young.  Because of this disagreement, the owner and Norm parted ways.  Of course, we all know what a stupid mistake it was to draft Vince Young, who didn’t amount to a hill of beans with the Titans.

I had fun conversing with this 55 year old surgeon.  He said that though he voted for Obama in the last election, he intends to vote for Romney this year.  *Sigh*  I won’t hold that against him!  Lol.

David’s first manicure

At an office party a few weeks ago, my husband’s boss happened to sit next to him and glance at his hands.  ”David,” he announced, “you need a manicure!”  True, David’s fingernails were so long his nails curled upwards, and his cuticles looked ragged. When he came home and relayed what was said, I told David that we should go to the nail salon together.  And that’s what we did yesterday.  We each saw a different technician.

Here is the result of David’s manicure:

Note how osteoarthritis has ravaged some of his fingers.  Also note that his nails no longer curl upwards.  However, his technician did a lousy job on his cuticles.  His fingers probably were not soaked in warm water long enough.  Bottom line: David was very disappointed.  He has decided NOT to show off his nails to his boss.  Lol.

I advised hubby to hire Jenny, the technician who does my pedicure, next time.  She is excellent and detail-oriented.  Look at the pedicure she gave me.  Don’t you just love the peachy polish?  The label on the bottle calls it “Bare to Dare.”

Jenny deftly removed my ingrown nails without causing the toes to bleed.  Need I say more?  She is simply wonderful.  I think she will do a fine job on David’s manicure.  But, now, I have to convince him that it is worth the time and money.  The way to do that is to remind him of what his boss said a few weeks ago:  “David, you need a manicure!”