Windy and homeless

Image from Hawaii News Now.

This week, it’s been windy and blustery, though the temperatures have been mild, 66F – 76F. This means it’s not ideal beach weather. The wind kicks up the sand, resulting in a stinging assault on your skin, eyes, and scalp. Not good to lie on the beach to get a sun tan at this time. Further, the waves are choppy, so don’t expect smooth sailing. This weather is expected to continue into next week.

Yet, Hawaii is still beautiful, when there are moments of glorious sunshine. This is why tourists come here during the winter. It sure beats the blizzards on the mainland.

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Image from Hawaii News Now.

And it’s ideal weather for the homeless, who don’t have to experience those blizzards. There are many homeless people in Hawaii. You can see them along the roads and the beaches. It’s such a shame that they have no toilet or sink where they live, so they relieve themselves on the sidewalk. The police are supposed to patrol the area, but they look the other way. Which is just as well, because being homeless should not be a crime.

What can be done for the homeless? Why do so many mayors try to grapple with this issue, but wind up doing nothing? Homelessness is pervasive and insidious. So sad, but what can be done?

And yet, it’s better to be homeless in Hawaii than somewhere on the mainland.

Image from the New York Times.

Laughter is the best medicine

I am feeling much better today. After my ordeal of the past 2 weeks, I am back to my old self again. I no longer feel cross eyed, and my double vision has disappeared. So has my excruciating headache. It was a spontaneous recovery. I have canceled my appointment with Dr. Kortvelesy, a neuro ophthalmologist at Straub Medical Center.

One thing I have gained from all this is the power of laughter. Laughter can cure a myriad of ailments including headaches and double vision. A few days ago, I began thinking funny thoughts and laughed and laughed until I felt free and happy. Laughter is the best medicine.

Another thing: “To thy own self be true.” Accept yourself as you are, and hopefully other people will accept you, too.

I am so glad I have David to help me. He has been by my side during 42 years of marriage, and I can still count on him. He is incredibly patient and mellow. He is my best friend.

So, cheer up, everybody! Life goes on, and so does Gigi-Hawaii.

This is a shot of beautiful Hawaii:

Image from National Geographic.

Medical Update: My Eyes

Pali Momi Medical Center

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On Wednesday, I saw my eye doctor, Dr. Bender, at Straub Clinic. Dr. Bender told me that I definitely have double vision, and my eyes are not aligned properly. She used various prisms over my right eye to see if they helped correct my double vision. One prism did help, so maybe what I need are better eye glasses. She is referring me to Dr. Kortvelesy, a medical doctor specializing in neuro ophthalmology at Straub Medical Center. He will determine which prism will work best for my double vision.

I am so glad I don’t have macular degeneration or glaucoma, both of which cause blindness.

She also gave me an eye patch to help alleviate my unsteadiness when walking in the yard and patio.

Then, she sent me to the emergency room at Pali Momi Medical Center to test for a stroke, since I’d had a weeklong headache, which has gone away with Advil.

I underwent an EKG, CT scan, and an MRI, as well as blood tests.

Results: There is no bleeding in my brain. I did not have a stroke. I don’t have brain cancer.

There is a microadenoma on my Pituitary Gland. This microadenoma consists of a small benign tumor, which could affect my side vision if it gets big enough. At this point, surgery is not necessary or recommended.

My EKG was slightly abnormal, so I need to address it with Dr. Ricalde, my personal care physician.

There isn’t much I can do right now but sit back and wait for Dr. Kortvelesy to prescribe eye glasses to correct my double vision.

Life is short, live it

David and I in October 2022.

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I am 77 years old, and David is 73. He’ll be 74 in March. We have been married for 42 years.

Though neither of us is in perfect health, we have managed to avoid contracting cancer, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, renal disease, and dementia. We are not blind or deaf.

However, I definitely have a problem with double vision. I see 2 images of the same object. It started Friday morning. I have an appointment with my eye doctor today at 10:00 AM at Straub. I’ll keep you apprised.

Yesterday, I deposited $50K in a CD, which will earn $2,648 in interest. That’s what I like: Money earning money.

After opening the CD, we went next door to a Thai restaurant, called “Pad Thai Restaurant.” This is a restaurant we had never tried before. It’s small and plain, but the service is fast, efficient, and responsive. And the food is delicious.

Pad Thai Restaurant in Salt Lake Shopping Center:

Here we are:

Thai Crispy Noodles:

Long Rice Shrimp Salad:

Evil Jungle Beef Curry and Brown Rice:

Dessert was Mango and Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk:

What a wonderful meal! It was the best!

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I found these mottos on Facebook. So sweet and reassuring:

Opera: “The Elixir of Love”

We were supposed to attend Donizetti’s opera, “The Elixir of Love,” on Sunday at the Blaisdell. It’s a fun romantic comedy, which debuted in 1832 and never gets old even during our modern 21st century. I couldn’t go, because my headache still bothers me, and I am now experiencing double vision and pain in my right eye. I am typing this with one eye closed.

Basically this is the plot: A peasant is dejected when the beautiful landlady spurns his love for her. He buys a love potion from a traveling medicine man to improve his chances of winning her. He drinks the potion, consisting of cheap wine, but it doesn’t work. He buys a second bottle of the potion, hoping for better results. Meanwhile, his uncle dies and leaves the peasant a fortune. Other women hear about this and flirt with him. The landlady notices these women and falls in love with him, too. They eventually get married, and the traveling medicine man brags about his potent elixir of love.

Yes, kind of corny, but funny nonetheless. At least, this opera isn’t a tragedy, where the hero dies at the end. I like happy endings, don’t you?

The setting of this production was a sugar cane plantation in Hawaii. The characters wore Aloha attire (muumuus for the women and Aloha shirts for the men). It was translated from Italian and sung in English.

Italian opera with a local twist.

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Today is a holiday, and the clinics are closed. I plan to call for an appointment tomorrow.

The party that didn’t happen

Rainbow over Oahu (where I live).

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Today is Friday, and I was supposed to host a lunch today for my 2 sisters, Sylvia and Nedra. However, I canceled it, because it is supposed to rain hard, making visibility on the road very poor.

Further, I haven’t been feeling well. I have had a splitting headache all week. So, bottom line, no party with my 2 sisters. I don’t know when I’ll reschedule, as more rain is in the forecast.

I am glad I got Nolie over here on Monday to clean my yard before the rain started pouring. We are expected to have another week of this moisture. But I shouldn’t complain, as we experienced a drought last year. We do need rain.

I’ll end this post now. My headache is getting to me.

Positive update

You might recall that David fell and gashed his right knee. He is fine now, but the carpet was badly stained with blood:

We hired Abbey Carpet to replace that section (2 feet x 4 feet). Abbey did a great job:

We stored the extra remnant in our shed for future use.

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In other news, I bought a new orchid plant from Home Depot. I LOVE the pink flowers:

There’s always a reason to be positive and upbeat.

Movie: “One Chance”

“One Chance” is a true story, based on the life of English tenor, Paul Potts (age 52), who achieved stardom after winning the inaugural season of “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2007. It stars James Corden as Paul Potts with Potts singing.

Paul Potts had a tough life. He was bullied and beaten by his classmates in school. He collapsed while singing on stage and was rushed to the hospital to have his appendix as well as a tumor from his thyroid removed. He also ended up in the hospital after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Yes, he had a very tough life.

He always loved to sing. He decided to study voice in Venice, Italy. While in Venice, he was chosen to audition before the great Pavarotti, the world famous Italian tenor. He practiced night and day. However, when he finally got on stage, he had stage fright and choked up. Pavarotti flatly told him he should forget about singing, because he lacked the ability to capture the audience’s heart.

Paul was devastated. He returned to England, and then he convinced his girlfriend to marry him. He even sang a song at their wedding. He did not sing again for years. He worked hard as a store manager, but the bills kept mounting.

Suddenly, he decided to enter “Britain’s Got Talent.” He managed to snag an audition. Backstage, his wife told him, “Pavarotti is an ass.” He went on stage and sang “Nessun Dorma,” an aria from Puccini’s opera, “Turandot.” He captured the hearts of the judges and the audience. He won! Screw Pavarotti.

After winning this competition, he sang for the Queen of England and went on to record CDs and perform around the world.

Paul Potts’ net worth is now $12.5 million. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

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These are photos of scenes I took from my TV.

Beaten up by his classmates:

In the hospital to remove his appendix and thyroid tumor:

In the hospital with broken bones after his bicycle collided with a car:

On stage in Venice, frightened:

Pavarotti told him to forget about singing, because he could not capture the audience’s heart:

Singing to Julie-Ann at their wedding:

Singing on “Britain’s Got Talent”:

He captured the hearts of the Judges (Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan) and the audience. He won the grand prize. Screw Pavarotti:

Back in Venice with his wife, coming full circle since his devastating audition with Pavarotti:

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Great show, starring James Corden (with Paul Potts singing).

What I like about it is that it is a true story. All Paul Potts needed was One Chance to prove he could become a star.

We saw “One Chance” on Tubi, which shows movies for free (with commercials). It was released in 2013.

Definitely worth watching!

To renew or not to renew?

Our 2022 Hyundai Tucson SUV.

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Last month, I renewed my driver’s license. The new one is good for 4 years, and I’ll be 81 when it expires. At that point in 2027, I’ll have to decide whether or not to renew it again.

Dealing with old age is not fun. Sure you can say that age is just a number and that it’s not how old you are, but how you feel that matters. Well, folks, I’m here to tell you that I “feel” old, and I am “only” 77.

Already, my reflexes are not the best. I tend to lose my composure on the freeway with all those cars whizzing by.

I have not driven since 2021. No point in driving and winding up with a broken leg or worse, a broken neck.

All things considered, I think it’s best that I not renew my license when I turn 81 in 2027. I shall apply for a State ID, instead.

If David is unavailable, then I’ll take the taxi or HandiVan or rely on Maria.

Hopefully, I’ll arrive at the Pearly Gates in one piece when I finally die.

Jeanie’s beautiful painting

I recently purchased a watercolor painting of a medieval English cottage with flowers in front from blogger Jeanie of Michigan (“Marmelade Gypsy”). It’s beautiful:

I have it sitting on top of my wine glass cabinet next to my front door, where people can see it when they enter and exit my home:

This painting has an interesting backstory. This is what Jeanie had to say about it:

“This was done from one of my photographs taken on Arlington Row in Bibury, a charming village in the Cotswolds, England. Here is the original photo. I was part of a day bus tour and we didn’t get to explore the entire town — I know I must return, for it is charming. It’s said that Henry Ford wanted to transplant the original Arlington Row to his Greenfield Village museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Fortunately, they declined (he built his own Cotswold town there!).”

The cottages were originally built in the 1300s but became cottages for the weavers in the seventeenth century. It has been in several films including “Bridget Jones’ Diary.”

Jeanie’s photo:

You can see more photos of her tour in her post:

https://themarmeladegypsy.blogspot.com/2019/03/england-more-from-cotswolds.html

And you can view her blog by clicking on her name on my blogroll.

Thanks so much, Jeanie. I shall treasure your beautiful painting forever.

This is Jeanie with her favorite cat, Marmelade Gypsy: