Who Knew #3

Sierra Club Hikes
Early on, I heard SC is a great way to meet people, according to the landlord's girlfriend (it's how they met); and the Club has had some attractive hikes. They meet just down the street! Hmm, Sandy Beach cleanup coming up isn't as attractive as "A great hike through a valley with lush vegetation and a dozen stream crossings. Lunch and a swim at a superb swimming hole" would have been. Who knew?

White Merlot
Good grief, a wine I've never heard of! Fuller body than rose or white zinfandel, a very satisfying hot-day wine. Who knew?

Vanity Fair
A wonderful magazine to read with a glass of White Merlot. Dream along with the high fashion ads for handbags and shoes, but get down to earth with pithy information and meaty articles. My favorite in the March issue is Michael Wolff's on the writers' strike. History of scriptwriting in Hollywood and all the issues. Riveting. And VF's blogs! To die for! Glad I know now.

Setting Sun
I, unexpectedly, really groove on the setting sun which comes into the French doors onto the corner of the couch where I sit in the late afternoon. The sunset is the pale yellow of the bougainvillea I love, the pale yellow sunset I first discovered and fell in love with in Saipan. Now, I love sunset, even though it is way too early! Who knew it was pale yellow here, too! (Um, Kay, you never noticed what?)

A New Word
Bivocational. Usually for pastors with another job, I think this should be common for folks who do two different things as double-main jobs. What a great word to drop at a party . . . "What do you do?" "Well, actually, I'm bivocational." Bet the conversation would take off!

McDonald's Coffee Price for Seniors
Coffee is 63 cents for seniors (half price) at McDonald's. Always thought theirs was good coffee but haven't tested it here. Thinking of Starbuck's prices, wow, Mickey D's is a steal deal! Who knew?

Who Knew? #2

Medicare on the Bus
To get the half-price Senior Discount on the bus, one must show one's Medicare card (yes, the one with the social security number on it!). Guess who paid full fare?

iGoogle is Way Cool
What's my favorite feature? My Paris WebCam? My Twitter map for the primaries and caucuses? How To of the Day? YouTube Recent Features? My To Do list? Or...

Behind Every Great Chef There's a Mom
Well, some of us know there's always a Mom in there somewhere. . . . check out chefs' Moms (by Christopher Styler, who also did The Desperate Housewives Cookbook: Juicy Dishes and Saucy Bits. (Alibris says: "From Bree's ber-gourmet repasts to Susan's what's-a-spatula simple suppers, and from Lynette's meals in a hurry to Edie's food for seduction and Gabrielle's epicurean delights, 125 recipes inspired by the Ladies of Wisteria Lane. Color photos throughout.")

Why
did I buy an apron (because I forgot mine)
with a pocket yet!--only to never wear it,
leading to multiple sessions with
Stain Remover? What's with me
and aprons anyway?







Jimmy Buffet's Waikiki 'Margaritaville'
There's to be a new Margaritaville, in Honolulu, before Christmas this year. Toasts all around! One can then spend an afternoon buying a cute bathing suit at Macy's and round off the day upstairs at Jimmy's.

No Walking on Campus
A security blocked my way this morning to tell me no walking on campus! Crimps my style for sure. The alternatives are not very attractive, but I could always masquerade as someone with business on campus (in the land of flip-flops, my running shoes and sox would inevitably give me away, though!).

Who Knew? #1

Zen Habits Fail with Lawmakers
Zen Habits is brilliant, and Amy Brown seemed to be using them for her road repair bill:

"[Amy] Brown, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Hawai'i Manoa, had gotten lawmakers to introduce a bill that would require the state Department of Transportation to set aside a percentage of the state highway fund each year for road repairs and maintenance. The department would also have to identify the 10 most critical highway repairs each year and then commit to do the work, and do the same with 10 critical repair projects in resort areas." Derrick DePledge in Honolulu Advertiser

But Hawaiian lawmakers found lots of (silly) reasons why it just won't work here -- "too restrictive" and "mixing state/county responsibility" -- so it's back to life-with-potholes.

The Devil Does Honolulu
A New Yorker cartoon is here.

A DASH of Aloha, the Cookbook
"Healthy Hawai'i Cuisine and Lifestyle," being autographed all over Honolulu for the next month!

Swim Suit Doubles as HeavyHands
Jantzen's TrimSwim suits trim and tuck and hold and mold, and to do that they have 4-way-knit-with-tummy-panel lining that weighs half a ton and takes two days to dry! Anything for a fashionable silhouette, though, huh.

Fresh Tofu To Be Had
Fresh tofu in a Japanese shop, made Tues, Thurs, Sat. Got the curry tofu dip, too (out of garlic). The soft tofu, perfect with green onion and tofu soup (cost of tofu soup 10 cents--so good, and I could never make it with all 5 ingredients!). What a discovery -- I pass that store constantly in Manoa Marketplace since it is in front of Safeway. The woman there automatically speaks Japanese and all the customers were, too. The taste of the tofu = divine!