Rambling

Hawaiian seascape.

I baked chocolate brownies and had a few bites shortly after they came out of the oven.  There’s nothing like warm brownies with cold milk.  Yummy.

Then I settled down to watch the Heat beat the Spurs in overtime.  Yay!  That game was a nail biter.  I’ll be rooting for the Heat in game 7.  Will they repeat as NBA Champions?  Fingers crossed!

Of course, I am cheering for the Heat, because I’ll be visiting their city (Miami) in August.  My travel agent emailed that she had reconfirmed a king size bed and a non-smoking room at the Hilton in Miami and Washington, DC for us.  We are looking forward to a splendid time.

Our 33^rd wedding anniversary is coming up.  No definite plans so far, but we will probably dine out somewhere.

At restaurants, lately, I have been giving David half of my glass of champagne after drinking the top half.  I used to enjoy champagne a lot, but now seem to have lost my enthusiasm for it.  Next time, I’ll order a cocktail, perhaps a tropical Mai Tai or a Strawberry Daiquiri.

Do you like alcohol?  What’s your favorite drink, other than water?

A bad case of nerves

Hawaiian seascape.

By now, you must have heard of Miss Utah’s flubbed answer to the interview portion of the Miss USA pageant.  Hers was an answer that made absolutely no sense, and it has been repeated over the media extensively.

Poor Miss Utah.  How embarrassed she must feel.

This episode brought to mind the two spelling  bees my elder daughter, Maria, flunked as a young student.

At the first spelling bee, she could not pass the first round, because she spelled POUND as POND.  She walked off stage, so humiliated that her eyes were brimming with tears.

At the second spelling bee, she again flunked the first round by spelling THROW as THOW.  Duh.

This child was an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society.  Her spelling mistakes were due to a bad case of nerves.

The point of this story is not to poke fun at Maria, but to state that boo boos like these don’t mean you are doomed to a lifetime of failure.  Maria is now a board-certified, tenured high school math teacher and the chairman of the math department in Honolulu.

So, take heart, Miss Utah.  Your botched answer isn’t the end of the world.  I’ll bet you will go on to bigger and better things and be the success you have always wanted to be.  Good luck and best wishes!

“I won’t kiss you, if you smoke.”

Hawaiian dawn.

When I began dating David back in 1977 and then got engaged to him in 1979, the one thing I hated about him was his cigarette smoking.  It made me nauseous to the point of feeling dizzy and queezy.

How did I get him to quit?  Well, I simply told him that I would not kiss him unless he did.

Guess what? That was enough motivation for him to stop smoking.  He quit cold turkey by sucking on cough drops and now hates the mere odor of tobacco on other people’s hair, breath, and clothing.

Wow!  Where there is a will, there’s a way.  If he can do it, anyone can.

I used to attend dinner parties where the hostess smoked.  She thought that by lighting up in the balcony of her apartment, she was doing us a favor.  However, the breeze blew the smoke right back into the dining room.  Ugh.  I no longer dine at her home.

Why do people smoke in the first place?  Glamour?  Stress?  Peer pressure?

Whatever the reason, do stop.  It won’t be easy, but if David could do it, so can you.

Father’s Day at Hoku’s

We celebrated Father’s Day a day early, because it was less expensive to do so.  Hoku’s is quite a classy restaurant, ensconced in a very ritzy resort hotel, The Kahala, in Honolulu.

Our waitress’ name was India, and her mother’s name was also India.  David informed her that we had spent two weeks in northern India last November.  When she asked us if it was depressing there, we emphatically said, “No. We saw the best that India has to offer.”

David, India, and me.

We were served bread with aioli, a shrimp amuse bouche, and a glass of champagne.

David’s main entrée was Colorado rack of lamb with the chef’s version of eggplant parmagiana.  David liked it because it was “something different.”

My entree was onaga (fish), which sat on top of kale, which sat on top of coconut risotto, and a passion fruit sauce circled the dish.  I was really impressed with the tenderness and moistness of the onaga.  Delicious!  It was also less expensive than the lamb.

For dessert, David ordered the molten chocolate cake with ice cream and berries.  He liked it.

I ordered the triple ice cream with berries.  Very refreshing, I must say.

This meal was not a great way to lose weight, but, you know what?  Who cares!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Plants, pets, and inclement weather

Remember when I asked if anyone could identify this plant?  Well, nobody could.

Here’s a close up of the flowers.  I hope this helps.

My cousins have moved into a condominium and have hired someone to water their plants when they travel.  I wish I could do the same, but am leery of thieves.  Maria can’t do this chore, because she has to pick up her son from preschool after work.  And Lisa will be on the mainland, attending graduate school.

Ah, well, I guess we will simply have to discard dead plants and buy new ones when we return from our trip.  It’s a good thing we don’t have pets to feed, because that would be another hassle we don’t need.

What I really dread is inclement weather.  Will our flights to and from the East coast be delayed or canceled due to a storm or hurricane?  I should hope not, but you never know.

We have been lucky so far.  Have you?

What to do to feel mellow

Flo’s beautiful gift:  A woven basket, which contained lox and bagels and now contains paper napkins.  Mahalo, Flo!

David has been going to work this week despite the status quo.  We’ll see what his doctor says next Wednesday.  David has a lot to discuss with him, such as his job, his health, and his wife.  Nuff said.

I googled Bead It as well as Bead Gallery for their classes, and have chosen Bead Gallery in Kalihi.  The basic wiring class is expensive ($60), but I would be tutored privately for one hour.  Hmmm.  Let me ponder this for a while. I need to be in the creative mood for this to happen.

There will be a one week hiatus next week and there will be no hula class.  A new six week session starts the following week.  Yes, I have registered for Beginners Hula Kupuna for a second time.  I simply adore my teacher, because she is very kind, never scolds us, and actually relaxes me.  I enter the room feeling on edge and leave an hour later feeling mellow. I just love Hawaiian music and hula.

What do you need to do to feel mellow?

Views of our backyard

That’s the giant monstera growing in the upper right corner of our backyard.

Here’s a close-up.

On the opposite side of the backyard is this plant with pink blossoms.  Does anyone know the name of this plant?

Crotons outside Maria’s former bedroom.

Ti leaves and Boston ferns outside our family room.

The previous owner of our house grew a papaya tree, a lemon tree, and a plumeria tree – all of which we chopped down because of disease and decay.  They have not been replaced.

She also left behind numerous orchids, which turned yellow and perished.

I wish I were a better gardener, but I lack the energy for such hard work. Maybe, when we get rich, we’ll hire a landscaper.  Lol.

How about you?  Do you like to grow things?

Poll: “What’s your pet peeve?”

This is a photo of my patio:  Red, white, and blue.

The “Midweek” newspaper had an amusing poll.  Their reporter asked five random people about “what you really can’t stand.”  Here are the results (with each person’s job):

1)      Sales:  “Negative attitudes.”

2)      Assistant Manager:  “Lazy people.”

3)      Promotions Coordinator:  “Cold weather.”

4)      Retail Area Manager:  “Rude people.”

5)      Sales:  “I have a lot of pet peeves, but the number 1 is when people whistle to music.”

As for me, my pet peeve is:  “People who are chronically late.”

Hey, gentle reader, what’s yours?

Embarking on a new hobby

These are beaded necklaces that my friend Flo made a while ago.  They were stored in a box along with loose beads, wires, and tools that she had loaned me for my use.  I think these gorgeous necklaces are much too nice to be hidden in a box indefinitely, so I shall return them to her.

Great job, Flo!  I am so impressed by your artistic talent.

I have not started bead classes yet, but I intend to request course catalogs from Bead It in Kaimuki and from Bead Gallery in Kalihi.  Flo attended the latter, whereas my hula classmate Mary attended the former.  The technique being taught will determine which school I will attend.

I am so excited to be embarking on a new hobby.  I look forward to learning new things, stimulating my mind, and making new friends.

Lunch with Flo and Raymond

We invited our friends, Flo and Raymond, to our home for lunch and had a wonderful time with them.

This is Flo, standing next to her beautiful oil painting, which I purchased.

From left to right:  David, Flo and Raymond.

Simple lunch, consisting of baked chicken with peaches, steamed jasmine-brown rice, mixed vegetables, and three kinds of olives (black, Greek, and pimento stuffed olives).  Dessert was mango sorbet.  Beverage was sparkling apple cider.

Along with other oil painters, Flo will be exhibiting six of her paintings at Honolulu Hale Courtyard from July 1 – 19, 2013.  The art show is being presented by the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts.

A meet and greet the artists reception will be held on July 2 from 5 – 7 pm.  Please join them.

Dear Flo:  Thanks so much for all of the goodies you brought.  Much appreciated.  See you on July 2.