Insignificant Inquiries

Compartments

2010-07-30T01:12:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken at my grandmothers 83rd birthday last June. I am in my grandmothers wedding dress and my father is wearing my grandfathers military jacket.

Yesterday I, Elizabeth Ashley Williams, opened a facebook. I know you are all thinking why is this a big deal. I compartmentalize my life. There are many compartments, the Oklahoma compartment, the New Mexico compartment, they O'Charlies compartment, and many many more. i am not sure exactly why it is important for me to separate all of them but I do. I don't really like everyone knowing everything about me or being able to find me for that matter! I have nothing to hide it is not about that. I also feel that if you want to talk to me call me! Its more personal that way. I have put off starting a facebook for a long time. My fears have been eased so far. But we shall see!

Captain Phil

2010-07-13T23:09:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the episode of the Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel where Captain Phil died.
I have watched the show for years it is interesting to see the lives of people like that. He was a good captain and the show will not be the same without him

High in the sky

2010-07-07T22:37:00.004-05:00

This picture was taken last summer. Good friends of mine own a para-sail and dolphin cruise company. Last summer I went ad flighting for them several times. On one of those occasions I asked the captain of the boat to please please not dunk me in the water he was true to his word but a friend of his on a jet ski decided it would be funny to soak me in his wake. Needless to say I was drenched. I was flying with this 13 year old boy who was very very nervous about being so high up in the air. He got quite the shock too! Boys will be boys I guess!

Snap snap!

2010-07-05T22:02:00.003-05:00

I am currently working in a restaurant as a server, (I'm saving up money for school) for those of you who have ever waited tables you know just how difficult people can be. Sunday I had a table of two women. I had just stopped by the table to ask if they were ok and if they needed anything. As I was talking to another table one of the women starts snapping in the air to get my attention. I tried to ignore her as I took the order of the table I was speaking to. She said "hey you, HEY YOU!!!!!!!!! HEY YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I said " One moment please." She replied with "Ok but make it snappy!" I returned to the snappy woman's table and she said " Is this the drink menu for the bar drinks?" With a tiny bit of sarcasm I said " Yes ma'am it says that on the front of the book." She replied with " Uh huh well we want our salads and make it snappy." I honestly do not understand how people can be so rude. Yes I wait tables but no where in that job description does it say " Your personal slave." Yes I work for tips, and those tips are dependent on how satisfied the guest is with my services but that does not make me their slave. That was a tiny rant i feel better now!

On the topic of tips, if you go to a restaurant where you have someone bring you drinks, take your order, bring your food, etc it is your obligation to tip them. They are responsible for you, their tables, and the side work and rolling silver regardless of if you tip them or not. Not only that but they have to do what is called a tip out on their total sales not total tips, total sales. We have to tip out the buss boy, the food runner, the hostess, and the bartender. If no one tipped you you are just giving money away. And with the $2.13 an hour i doubt you would have much to spare.

bp

2010-07-02T22:36:00.002-05:00

As many of you know there is a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The effect on the environment and the economy are immeasurable. I see that effect first hand almost every day. The Gulf Coast towns major industry is tourism. All through out the winter these Gulf Coast towns wait for summer. Summer is the light at the end of the tunnel. If you can make it through the winter you are safe. Many people make enough money in the summer to support them through the winter. Summer time at the gulf is crazy. Traffic is insane you don't plan on going anywhere fast its bumper to bumper for miles. The beach is just as packed. This year is sadly a different story. Our beaches are polluted yes, but the clean up keeps them 90% clean. They are still beautiful, the sands are still white, and waters are still blue-green. No, they were not how they were before the oil spill. But they are mostly clean. Our economy however is not mostly ok. The people are just not here it is as simple as that. Many people here blame bp for all of this. Yes in a way it is their fault. But I believe it is mostly the governments fault for not requiring oil companies to have plans in case things like this happen. For not having more rules and regulations on the oil industry. But instead they are blinded by greed and more consumed by the money they are making than by safety. The clean up seems to be more of a publicity stunt than an actual clean up. But something is better than nothing I suppose.

It's Been Awhile Thats For Sure!

2010-07-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone, actually probably no one since I have not posted in over a year. There have been a lot of changes in my life in the last year. I moved to south Alabama last June to live near the beach. Living near the beach has always been a life long dream of mine. I love it here. As most of you know a lot of things change when you move out of your parents house and on your own. It was a big and scary step for me but I'm glad I did it. I am in the process of saving up enough money to go to school. I'm not sure what for at the moment but I won't need to know all that until I have the basics down.
I'm not sure what else to say but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

May I Put You On Hold? NO!!

2009-01-09T22:36:00.004-06:00

I found this article here

It's the dream of every angry customer — sending a bill to the company that wasted your time. Well, it's finally happened.
Howard Schaffer was having such an awful time with his phone company that he alerted the local media — who ran a column about the debacle. That happens all the time, but what makes this case interesting is that Howard was keeping a record of the time he spent dealing with the phone company (One Communications of Rochester, NY) as well as the expenses that he was racking up while the phone company apologized over and over, but didn't fix the problem.

“I’ve received nine apologies,” Schaffer, whose phone bill is usually around $500 a month, told the Times-Union. As time dragged on, he was forced to have employees use cellphones and to borrow a phone from his landlord. The phone company promised at least $2,000 in credits, but no phone service.

After the column ran and his problem was resolved — Howard tallied up the expenses and sent One Communications a bill. For $5,481.16. And the company agreed to pay it.

You can learn a few things from Mr. Shaffer, who is a PR professional by trade. Follow his example by taking detailed notes of all the time and money you spend dealing with an issue. You might not be able to get a check for your expenses, (unless, perhaps, your story gets published in the newspaper like Mr. Shaffer's did) but it certainly can't hurt.
Hold My Calls. All of them. [Times-Union]
$5,481 check is in the mail after phone snarl [Times-Union] (Tha[Times-Union] (Thanks, Laura!)

I found this rather interesting. $500 a month is a large sum for a phone bill. The article was unclear if he owned some sort of business. Employees were mentioned but no real descriptive details. The other linked articles gave more information.

I have spent countless hours oh hold for many different issues with many different companies. If any one has a problem that needs to be solved over the phone guess who the ask. Me. Not just my parents but grandparents also. I find it comical.

How many people does it take to do a jumping jack

2009-01-06T14:47:00.002-06:00

This made me laugh, and reminded me of my classes. In the comments said that this is the military training the Iraqi police. Watch them. They are all doing something different. It is hilarious!

Five Little Bundles of........What Exactly?

2009-01-04T20:11:00.004-06:00

On Christmas Day Xena delivered five puppies. Four boys and one girl. The boys are brindle and the girl is white. So far their names are Shelbie, Fin, Phoenix, Midas, and Kona. Cute little things, huh!!

Rock Climbing

2008-12-22T11:15:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we went rock climbing in OKC at Rock Town. It was a blast! This is Allisa and I learning how to belay.
Me climbing (these are rock climbing shoes and no I have no idea why there is not grip on them)
Belaying Allisa
At the top and forced to stop.

These rock walls are built on the inside of old grain silos. You can climb the outside as well but it was a bit cold. It was even cold inside the silos. Half way up my hands would get so cold that they would go numb. Not very reassuring when you can not feel the rock you are grabbing!

What Are You Doing!?

2008-12-15T14:38:00.002-06:00

More of my adventurers working in the fitness industry.

The majority of the attendants of my classes are female. Have you ever tried to please twenty women at once? It's not possible! The subject of many comments in my classes are the music choices. There is a limited about of music to play and there is not one CD that pleases all of them. You play one and some people complain you play something to please them and the other group complains! It's impossible. So I play what I like. :D

Some of the workers at my gym can be rather rude. They are under the impression that they are the supreme rulers of the front desk and that everyone must have their okay anyone is hired. The first time I went to clock in one such ruler said to me What are you doing!? I said Clocking in. Why? You do not work here. Yes ma'am I do. Missy hired me as a fitness instructor. Well no one told me! One of the other women said well you are her boss no one had to tell you. I found that rather amusing. She still gives me a hard time when I ask for the keys to the aerobic room.

There are several different types of exercisers: A. The ones that are really there to work out. B The ones that are there to to tell their husbands they worked out and C the ones that are there because someone made them. My morning body sculpt class is filled with mostly B's some A's and C's are thrown in there. The B's do not like to be pushed. but I am a pusher. I know that they are capable of so much more than they do. If they are in my class I am going to make them work. That's my job. During class they hate me but after class they thank me for pushing them making them work harder. Sometimes we all need a little push. You should see the evil looks I get in the middle of class! If looks could kill I would be dead!

I taught a morning step class for my boss a few weeks ago, most of those ladies did not want to be there let alone awake! They asked me for no cardio bursts. I asked them why they said because they did not like them. They they asked for abs so they did not have to do 50 minutes of cardio. I gave them abs alright! They said they would never ask for abs again. (snicker)

That's all folks!

Rocky Balboa

2008-12-04T21:11:00.002-06:00

Here is some of my gym stories.

There is a man that works out at the gym I call Rocky, he is guy who probably lifted a lot in his prime but he is no longer in his prime. He still tries to lift the same amount of weight. I use the word lift lightly. He really just struts around the weight room and grunts. He lifts three times then struts and grunts. When he can he gets as close to the mirror as possible. He is obviously finds himself very attractive. Watching him makes me laugh. Watching most of the men in the weight room is a very funny thing. It is a battle of egos in there. A lot of mirror winking and grunting. Very amusing!

This morning an older over weight man asked me what he needed to do to get a six pack. People over the age of 30 have a hard time maintaining a six pack. I said well I would recommend cardio first then when you get to the place you need to be then do an hour of abs a day. He said why do I need to do cardio, I said well you need to get rid of whats on top of the six pack to be able to see it. I was trying to be as tactful as possible. He said oh so you think I'm fat. At this point I did not really know what to say. or if there way any right answer. I said I did not say that. He said oh ok and walked off. It made me laugh. People ask the strangest things!

There is your post!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-27T12:06:00.001-06:00

I wish all of you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!

I promise I will give you a good post sometime this week! I promise!

Your Next President is.............

2008-11-03T20:33:00.002-06:00

YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT IS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ME!!!!!!!!!! Ha! Yeah right!

Election day tomorrow! Everybody ready? I know many of my readers are McCain/Palin so obviously you are hoping they will win. I am as well, but I'm not sure they will.

This is just my little reminder to vote tomorrow!

(and a sorry excuse for a post)

Ink

2008-10-31T23:57:00.004-05:00

I found that article on yahoo I found it very interesting. Tattoos are very controversial. After you read the article and some of the comments I enclosed I will state my opinion in the matter.

Cover up tattoos, some employees told

By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY

Cities and school districts across the country are forcing their employees to cover up tattoos if they want to keep their jobs.

The edicts have been issued to maintain a good image, say the communities, and they have been applied to teachers, janitors, firefighters and others.

"We didn't want to offend some people in the community," says Capt. Armando Hogan, spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, where employees were ordered last spring to cover all tattoos while on duty. "I have been on drills and on scene where someone has said, 'I wouldn't want that person working on me,' and we've had to educate the individual who made the comment."

Among the cities:

• Bountiful, Utah, decided in August that new employees must not show any tattoos.

• The Pasco County School Board in Florida has ordered employees to hide "offensive" tattoos.

• In Missouri, the Joplin School Board will vote on a no-visible-tattoo policy this year.

The orders to cover up have been growing as tattoos become more popular, especially tattoos on the face, neck, hands and fingers. Some workers feel the policy is unfair.

"We don't allow discrimination based on skin color, yet we came up with a policy that discriminated against people with color on their skin," says Steve Tufts, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City.

Joplin Schools Superintendent C.J. Huff says students are getting teaching degrees, getting tattoos, and then applying for jobs. "We're saying before you get a tattoo, you have to think about how big it is and where it's located before you think about getting a job in our school district," he says.

The rule in Bountiful was passed after applicants with hard-to-conceal tattoos showed up for interviews for jobs in the police, streets and sanitation departments. City Manager Tom Hardy says city leaders had to decide: "Either we're going to do nothing about it, or we're going to do something about it."

In each community, officials cite the exploding popularity of tattoos.

Bob Baxter, editor in chief of Skin & Ink magazine, agrees with the restrictive policies. Baxter says neck and face tattoos used to appear only on heavily tattooed people who ran out of space.

"What's happening (now) is that a lot of young people figure that the best way to show that 'I'm in the tattoo community' is to get tattoos in very conspicuous places," Baxter says. "I don't think it's a good idea. It's hard to get work."

Comment: (ones I found most interesting)

"I think covering up tattoos (especially on face, neck, arms) is a good idea in the work place. While I don't encourage discrimination against those who choose to get inked (except with idiotic pieces) I do think that the non-inked individuals have a more professional look than their tattooed counterparts. Those who are upset over not getting jobs due to their tattoos obviously didn't think the tat through well enough. I have 6 tattoos (some are decently sized) and, when wearing office clothes or scrubs (as I do at work) nobody would ever know I have tattoos. It's all about being inconspicuous with the placement....

So, if you're stupid enough to tattoo your face, arms, or neck, sorry....you did it to yourself."

"I am a student teacher at the moment, and I have 4 tattoos. I got them where they can be easily hidden, and I thought about my professional future when I got them. I thought to myself, "Will these impede me professionally?" Tattoos are perfectly acceptable in a professional setting as long as they are not seen. I wouldn't want to work with a teacher who decided it would be a good idea to get a full sleeve of tattoos and then decide to work with children. Mine are never seen by my students, nor will they ever."

"

For those of you who have said that people with tattoos are "white trash" or "going to only get jobs at Burger King" etc.....I am 40 years old. I am a Registered Nurse Manager and my income is slightly under 100K. I live in California, and have four tattoos. For all of you who commented on how "nasty" they can be....one does happen to be on the back of my neck. All of them are tasteful, flowers or such, and I have never been asked to leave a job. I have NEVER had a patient ask that I not care for them, or have them think I couldnt care for them because I have a tattoo. I am college educated and actually didnt get my first tattoo until well into my thirties. Personal choice people."

"I have several tats. I work in a nursing home, where I am required to cover them while in scrubs. Most of mine are covered by my clothes, I do have one on my wrist which I have to wear a braclet to cover. While I understand the need for me to cover them because of the generation views, I do not feel it is right to lable people just because they have a tat. I do not see Angelina Jolie having a hard time getting movie roles because she has tats. Nor do I see her getting any pay cuts. People need to look at the ENTIRE nation, not just a few jobs when putting lables on tats. I am willing to bet that a few of the political leaders have tats, that are covered. You can not say that just because someone has a tattoo it means they are in a gang or want to be. People do it for many different reasons. Everyone does it for a reason, some cultures do it as a sign of respect for a passing loved one. Piercings are a good example of this. I have a very good friend who has several piercings, and she is Indian. It is part of her culture. I think that it is something that should be accepted as part of who a person is. I do not see people looking down on someone for putting hair dye in their hair or perming it. Changing ones appearence to what makes them happy should not matter to anyone but that person. This country has developed a serious problem of judging others, when no one has the right to judge anyone."

Read the article on the USA Today page for more of the comments.

Now my opinion:

Many of the comments are very dogmatic towards people with tattoos. One of the comments said that people are not allowed to discriminate against people with different skin color so why should they discriminate against people with tattoos. That is crossing the line. Skin color is something you are born with, It's not something that you choose. NOT that having a different skin color is something that you should be ashamed of. Tattoos are a choice, You choose to have that on your body. I don't like full body tattoos. But I don't think people are freaks because they have them. I do not believe that obscene tattoos should be displayed that is along the lines of public exposure or cursing in front of children some people choose not to be exposed to that, Why force it down their throat. They have made a choice and people should respect that. Just as people with tattoos have made a choice to have them. You want to have a obscene tattoo. Go for it but don't flash it around. Obscene tattoos are like obscene clothing. It is simply in bad taste. Would I hire someone with full body tattoos? Well I don't classify people by that but if they had a tattoo on their forehead that said loser I might have to consider it. ;) I would not allow an employee with a obscene tattoo to display them while they are on duty.

Out With the Old In With the New

2008-10-10T14:42:00.001-05:00

What do you think about the new template. Now be honest! I know there are some people out there who hate purple. I really not a huge purple fan but I think it this template is fun. So vote do you like it or hate it?

Yes or No

2008-10-09T23:14:00.001-05:00

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? Yes
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held an actual snake? Yes
Ever run a red light? Yes
Ever drink and drive? No
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? No
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? No
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? No
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? Yes
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? No
Had a gym membership? Yes
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? No
Been to a strip joint? No
Donated Blood? No
Liked someone you shouldn’t? Yes
Have a tattoo? No
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? No
Caught someone cheating on you? No
Skinny dipped? Yes
Regret any of your ex’s? Yes
Been to a rodeo? Yes
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

Half of those should have a blush after them!

If you want to play feel free to!

Does This Dress Make Me Look Fat?

2008-09-29T14:43:00.004-05:00

Being honest is a tricky thing. Most people say they want honesty but in reality they don't. They want their ears tickled. Last week while shopping a woman in the dressing rooms asked me how she looked in a certain dress. I had a silent battle with myself. Should I be honest with her or tell her what she wants to hear? I said Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear? She looked puzzled for a moment. Then said be honest. With such honesty one must be tactful and never rude. I said No ma'am that is not the most flattering dress for your body type. She asked why and I preceded to tell her why. She challenged me by asking me to fine a dress that would flatter her figure. I found one she bought it and she was happy. But there are many people out there who don't want honesty no matter how much they request it.

The Greatness Of Paul Newman

2008-09-28T16:55:00.002-05:00

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83
Saturday September 27 9:16 AM ET

Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died. He was 83.
Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.
In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."
Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting
He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie"
With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."
Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.
A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."
Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats played by Jackie Gleason and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel directed by Scorsese "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.
He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.
His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)
As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."
But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."
He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen.
In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."
Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gourgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time.
Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics.
In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.
"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.
Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s.
In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict."
In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."
Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend.
He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.
"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.
Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway crushed and covered with ribbons.
"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.
In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.
In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.
He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.
Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.
Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.
Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.
He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.
Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.
He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.
Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."
In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.
"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.
Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

I read this yesterday. It made me sad. Paul Newman was a fantastic actor as well as a great man. Plus I was going to marry him! :( ;)

Breathe!

2008-09-26T19:50:00.004-05:00

Well I am going to try to post every day. Today I had a meeting with my boss. Teaching step is much harder than it looks. It's not like you jump in front of the class and start exercising. My biggest problem is being nervous. When I am nervous I forget to breathe and I forget everything. Listen to the music while you are too nervous to breathe is hard! But that's why I am in training! It's all going really well. I really like it.

Dislocations in more ways than one.

2008-09-25T23:45:00.000-05:00

Well I know I have not been blogging. Yes I'm lazy about it. I am a Fitness Instructor. I was officially hired a week ago. My training is going well. I'm so excited.

On Tuesday I dislocated my shoulder. This is the eighth time it has happened. Being double jointed your ligaments are more flexible than normal people. I think that is part of the reason it has happened so many times. The more it happens the more likely it will to happen again. This time was the worst. It took me 20 minutes to get it back in. The last seven times it has not been out very far and it was much easier to got back in. This time the recovery period is much longer than it has ever been. Want another gross out detail? I felt it go back in I had my hand on it. And! it was out so far that one arm was a hands length longer. Gross huh. I have not been able to use it much. Today it is much better than it was yesterday.

Right Basic

2008-09-08T22:04:00.002-05:00

Where have I been? Well here, just a busy here. The gym I work out at offered me a job as a fitness instructor. I am considering it. I think it would be very fun. While I am considering it I will be an assistant in some of the classes. I have been listening to workout music trying to lean the beats. Teaching the class and keeping time with me music is a lot more complicated than it looks. Each combo is 32 counts. That means the music slightly fades at that 32 count. It is hard to hear that slight fade. Enough boring you with that! What else have I been up to? Busy nothingness .

My Muse

2008-08-26T12:58:00.004-05:00

A rooster I painted today for a shop in Marlow.
This is my Venice painting Lou wanted me to post.

People's muses are different things. I think mine is music. I can't paint with out music or a movie playing. For some reason that gets me in the groove and takes my mind off procrastination. I think writing may be the same way. So today I am trying writing and listening to music. My blogging has been scarce. Thank you all my reader for not deserting me. Maybe writing to music will help.

Becky gave me a topic to write about last week. Why art.

Why art? Well, I have always admired art and the beautiful things that are created. I really did not seek out art it dropped in my lap so to speak. In New Mexico I took a few charcoal classes. When we moved to Oklahoma and met Lou, mom asked if I wanted to take art classes. I of course said yes. My first art projects are terrible. Those are hidden under the bed. (don't tell Lou) Six years later I am still talking Lou's art classes. And love every minutes of it. My painting and drawing has improved. Not as much as I would like but every day you paint you improve. You learn something new, find a better way to do something etc. Art is always a learning process. You can always improve. There is no perfection in art. You may paint something and think this is great! But a few days later you look at it and say oh I need to fix that and that and that. It never ends. Sometimes you just sign it and call it done. I have to restrain myself from going back and fixing my terrible first paintings. Some of them I have painted over. (again don't tell Lou) Why waste a good canvas! Art is a big portion of my life. And I am thankful for Lou's guidance! Thank you Lou!

Protein!

2008-08-22T12:13:00.003-05:00

Well I am sick again! My immune system is weak I suppose. My father has been pouring vitamins down my throat. Yesterday he stopped by the vitamin store and asked what I could take to help me. The vitamin man suggested that I take protein because I work out so much. He said that as much as I work out I can not eat enough protein to make up for it. I work out four days a week for about two hours plus. So on top of taking my vitamins I am also taking protein. The protein stuff is gross. I was a bit against taking the protein because I don't want to build bulk. But it says it is not for building bulk it is supplement only. If I start looking like a Russian weight lifter I will stop taking it.

Posting Alert

2008-08-18T11:09:00.002-05:00

I'm back! I'm not really motivated to blog but, I started this and I am not going to stop on you.
If any of you are curious as to my ailment, It was a mixture of a cold and just feeling bad. But I lived.

I don't have much to blog about. Writing is creating, maybe thats my problem I am just not being creative enough. I have been thinking about writing short stories. I'm not really sure what the subject would be. If you give me a subject I can write about it. I am just short on subjects. And drive for that matter. When I set my mind to things I usually accomplish my goal. Maybe I have not truly set my mind to blogging. Well we will see!

Ehh

2008-08-11T17:15:00.001-05:00

I'm not feeling great. So posting and commenting will be scarce.

Class

2008-08-07T23:33:00.000-05:00

The other day someone said I was classy. What defines class and what makes class. Is it manners? Poise? What about a person makes them classy or not classy? It is more than being stylish. It is poise and manners. Is class defined by the way someone dresses or by the way they conduct themselves? In my opinion it is both. The way you dress reflects your taste. And taste is something that defines you. Some people have good taste some bad. Ones social distinction is not class. However that does not mean that they can or can not have class regardless of their social status. Social status does not form class. The lack of a high social status does not form it either. Class is not something that can be acquired by birth. It is matured and learned just as etiquette is. Class goes hand in hand with etiquette. In my opinion you can not have one with out the other.
Do I find myself classy. No, but I hope to be one day.

Yours In Haste

2008-08-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

Not Good Form

"Sincerely" is formal notes and "Affectionately" in intimate notes are the two adverbs most used in present day, and between these two there is a blank; in English we have no expression to fit sentiment more friendly than the first nor one less intimate than the second.
"Cordially" was coined no doubt to fill this need, but its self-consciousness puts it in the category with "residence" and "retire," and all the other offenses of pretentiousness, and in New York, at least, it is not used by people of taste.
"Warmly yours" is unspeakable.
"Yours in haste" or "hastily yours" is not bad form, but is rather carelessly rude.
"In a tearing hurry" is a termination dear to the boarding school girl;but its truth does not make it any more attractive than the vision of that some young girl rushing into a room with her hat and coat half on, to swoop upon her mother with a peck of a kiss, and with a "-------by, mamma!" whirl out again! Turmoil and flurry may be characteristic of manners of to-day; both are far from the ideal of beautiful manners which should be a assured, as smooth, as controlled as the running of a high-grade automobile. Flea-like motions are no better suited to manners than to motors.
---Etiquette by Emily Post, 1922

Water Play

2008-08-04T13:16:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Allisa and I went scuba diving at LETRA. It was my first experience with a very low visibility dive. You may ask what did you see? Well not a whole lot! Rocks and fish. It was still fun but it sure is not the ocean. Mostly what I saw was this color , this color, and this color. Not this color, this color and this color. Lake diving is a totally different than ocean diving. I have also discovered that fish stalk me! At one point there were 10 of them right behind my head. I think they were behind my head looking at my mask strap. It has a picture of the ocean and ocean fish. They were probably calling all the other fish to come look at the ocean. ;)

I was reading an article in a magazine about diving on the natural springs in Florida. But some of them have Alligators. That made me think. Would I rather dive with alligators and crocodiles or sharks. That is a toughie! I think I would choose sharks. When diving with sharks you are most vulnerable when you are at the surface. I would think, that that with the vicious reptiles you are always vulnerable. Yes with sharks you are too but sharks prefer dead or dying things. And seals are one of their favorite meals. At the surface you are a seal down below you are just another fish. To me the alligators and crocodiles are always on the hunt and would be more likely to take you down in the water. Which would you rather be in the water with?

**Update** 8/04/08 2:39pm
I forgot to tell you about my injuries! Pulling on my wet suit is hard! It always makes my ingers hurt. Yesterday in between the first and second dive I took the top part of my wet suit off. As I was putting it back in for the second dive I scraped off the skin on the top of my middle finger. And my ring finger has a blister on it. And I smashed my pinkie in my tank clamp. I always hurt my fingers when I dive!

Silly Girl

2008-08-02T15:49:00.002-05:00

Sydney is a silly dog. Bull Terriers are know as the clowns of the dog world. Both of mine certainly are!

Exercize Nazi

2008-07-31T23:11:00.002-05:00

You might be addicted to exercise if.........it removes your bad mood.

That is what I learned today. I have been in a bad mood all day. Mostly because of some little things going on. Nothing big just little things that bother me. Should they bother me. No. But they did. Exercise relaxes me. I guess I like to sweat it out. Problems can be sweated. Not all problems. But it does help me to see them more clearly. To relax. The exercise it my time to just do what I like. I like exercise. Odd yes but I do. I have no idea why it relaxes me. But it does. Exercise helps me to get out of ruts. Maybe I should do blog exercises! I sure am in a rut with blogging.

This is a pitiful excuse for a post but it is all I have.

Ocean Photography

2008-07-30T10:45:00.005-05:00

Hope is not strategy, but applying the fundamentals is.

Roughly 15 years ago, as one of my underwater photography seminars ended, a student pulled me aside and said something like "I understand the material you covered, but I really want to be good at underwater photography, so will you please tell me what you really do, you know, the things you don't usually share with others."As an instructor, I felt a little kick in the gut, as if I had been accused of holding back the most valuable information.
That incident caused me to make certain that early on in my in my seminars I get two very important points across to every student. Those points are that to consistently produce pleasing image, you must get a grasp of fundamentals of underwater image making, and the more often you apply those fundamentals, the more likely you are to be pleased with your photographs. in other words, the "secret" information us, do your best to apply the fundamentals, and when you can;t apply them, change something so you can. Don't just shoot and hope that because your mother loves you, a miracle will occur and your images will be great.
Below are five fundamentals concepts. In the two images that accompany this piece, you can see you can see that even though the subjects are different, and that one is wide-angle while the other is macro, the same concepts helped make each shot a winner.

1) Proper exposure and sharply focused subjects are musts. Don't just read about but be sure you learn how F-stops, shutter speed, ISO, strobe power and strobe-to-subject distance work together, to determine exposure. Those concepts are not difficult, but until they are mastered, your composition is usually irrelevant.

2) Get close to your subject. Getting close translates to sharper images and richer palette of colors in your images. When you think you are close, get closer.

3) Get low and shoot up. At least consider this approach. An upward angle often adds dramatic appeal and helps you separate your subjects from their background so your subjects stand out in your images.

4) Pay attention to the background. No matter how colorful marine creatures appear to us, in many cases they have evolved to blend into or "break up" in their immediate surroundings and background. Try to compose your images so subjects are separated from their surroundings. With small reef creatures, look for color contrast between subject and background. With bigger animals, try shooting them against blue (or green) water backgrounds, not dark reef or water.

5) When composing your shot, check the edges of your frame for potential problems. Too often unwanted intrusions such as other divers fins or a half of a fish often surprise and disappoint us with we review our pictures. Those surprises weren't seen wen composing the shot because we only concentrate on the center portion of the frame.
Applying these concepts will help you consistently get good result. More insights into the fundamentals will come your way in the future issues.

Article and images are from Dive Training August 2008

She's Back!

2008-07-29T10:47:00.003-05:00

Most of my readers will remember me writing about Sydney.
She has come back to live with us. The Army will not let them keep her. My Baby is back! I was sad they could not keep her. But I am glad she is back. She is so big! She remembered me which made my day. I'm glad she is back.

How Do You Eat Cake?

2008-07-25T23:33:00.003-05:00

Dear Miss Manners:
At home, I am a "dunker." I love to dunk everything (doughnuts, cakes, ect.) in my tea or coffee. It's the way I enjoy my milk and cookies. However, when I am in a restaurant or visiting someone, I "hold back" because I feel it is considered bad manners. Is it?
Gentle Reader:
In admitting that it is, Miss matters is tempted to add a word of consolation, indicating that she knows what fun you must be having at your home and is sorry to keep you from transporting it beyond your door. On second thought, it occurs to her that you wouldn't have nearly as much pleasure from dunking your cookies in your mild at home f you weren't aware that is was naughty.

Dear Miss Manners:
My mother-in-law has awful table manners. Not only does she not use serving forks, but she eats with her fingers, saying the food tastes better, and spits out the "skins", or anything she feels too tough, in a half-chewed wads onto her plate. We are going to visit her soon. Is there some polite way to tell her how unpleasant this is? She does not take criticism at all well.
Gentle Reader:
In the annals of crimes against etiquette, correcting one's elders and correcting other in their own house are not more heinous than expectorating food onto one's plate. Miss Manners suggest you direct your critical feelings toward your children's table manners. Children have no choice about taking criticism. If it will enliven your visit, you may correct then at their grandmother's table for doing the dame thing their grandmother is doing.

Dear Miss Manners:
How do you eat cake?
Gentle Reader:
So that you can have it, too. This is done by cutting a bite-sized piece with the end of the fork and lifting it up to mouth in such a way that crumbs drift down and lodge themselves in the shirtfront. These may be furtively picked up and eaten later.

Oh What To Say?

2008-07-24T12:20:00.004-05:00

I have no idea what to post anymore. I have posted so many Hawaii pictures I am sure you are all tired of those. I don't really have anything to say. So what do I post? I have used pictures as a excuse not to post words. I have words to say, but when it comes to putting them down I freeze. I have so many posts I have started and not finished about a variety of subjects. Ranging from money matters to social matters. I think it all hinges from not being confident in my writing abilities. I tend to ramble and sound like an idiot. Sometimes I think and think about what I write and sometimes I just type and publish. I know the lack if my word posts hinges on my poor writing ability. To improve one must practice. I need to write about everything. I am publicly holding myself accountable for posting words. Improving my writing ability, word usage, vocabulary and grammar. You are all free to correct any errors you see in my posts. My typos are bad! I need to work on that too!

People!

2008-07-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

Peoples cellphone habits amuse me. Last week I was in the grocery store and a man was walking around with his cellphone to his ear, not saying anything for a very long time. He must be talking to a very long winded person! Suddenly his phone rang. He blushed from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. I burst out laughing. I tried not to but it is hard to control.
After that a woman was walking through the store and ever time someone's phone rang she would frantically look at hers. I found that amusing also.

Yesterday I was at Wal-Mart and the checker I choose scrutinized every item and asked what I was going to use it for. I wanted to scream JUST PUT IT IN THE BAG! Finally she was looking at the last item I had. Which was a box of Dr. Peppers. On the box where the cardboard flaps over lap one flap was bent back. She asked me if I wanted another box. The dogs tear up the box after the drinks are gone. I'm really not concerned about having perfect box.

Later at the fitness center I was getting my stuff from my locker. And a woman shoves me out of the way to get her stuff out of the locker that is below mine. I stood my ground and just looked at her. She said Would you get out of the way and let me finish! I did the polite grown up thing and moved aside. She finished her business and left.

Thanks for reading another installment of my life!

Salsa!

2008-07-22T13:48:00.001-05:00

You Are Salsa

You are an extremely outgoing and vivacious person.

You are quite tolerant and open minded. You rather accept people than judge them.

Adventurous and unpredictable, you have the reputation of a daredevil.

Your taste in food leans toward very spicy and exotic dishes.

Whether it's thai food or an extra spicy mexican meal, you're into the hot flavors.

You get along with hot sauce personalities. Everyone else, not so much.

What Condiment Are You?

Pjs and Weddings

2008-07-22T12:19:00.006-05:00

To some, nine o'clock s the morning man sound rather eccentric for a wedding, but to people of the Atlantic Coast it is not a bit more so than an evening hour--less so, if anything because the morning is unconventional anyway and etiquette, never being very strong at that hour, is not defied, but merely left quiescent. If, for any reason, such as taking an early morning train or ship--an early morning wedding might be good suggestion. The bride should, of course, not ear satin and lace; she could wear organdie ( let us hope that nine 0'clock wedding is in summer!), or she cold wear a very simple white crepe de chine. Her attendants could wear the simplest sort of morning dresses with garden hats; the groom a sack suit or flannels. And the breakfast--really breakfast--could consist of scrambled eggs and bacon and toast and coffee--and griddle cakes!
The above is not written in ridicule; the hour would be very "unusual," but simple early morning wedding where every one is dressed in morning clothes, and where breakfast is suggests the first mean of the day--could be perfectly adorable! The evening wedding on the other hand, lays itself open to criticism because it is a function--a function is formal, and the formal is always strictly in the province of that austere and inflexible lawmaker, Etiquette. And Etiquette at this moment says: "Weddings on the Atlantic seaboard are celebrates not later than four-thirty o'clock in the afternoon!"
---Etiquette by Emily Post, 1922

Pjs at a wedding! On my gosh! I would never wear my pjs to a wedding. I look like a homeless person in my pjs. Shorts and a holey tee shirt are not exactly wedding attire. Does that mean morning breath and bed head would also appropriate?

Dole Plantation 3

2008-07-20T23:59:00.001-05:00

I want to paint this. It looks like some where you would sit and drink frilly fruity drinks.

Now before you go any further if you hate hibiscuses or you are already tired of all my hibiscus pictures, please stop now. If you like flowers you will have your fill for the day!

Did you ever know there were so many different kinds of Hibiscuses? Amazing huh!

This is the last segment in my Hawaii posts. :( The Dole Plantation was out list place to visit.

What am I going to post now? My life is pretty boring. I guess I will have to more creative. Use that think inside my cranium! If it has not evaporated!

Stupid Signs.

2008-07-19T11:36:00.002-05:00

This sign was in our hotel room in Honolulu. It made me laugh. Where else is one going to bathe? The tiny sink? The toilet? Where? After reading this sign I got mental images of bathing in the sink. Or trying to. How, may I ask, am I going to fit in a sink no bigger than a volley ball?
That sign made me think about stupid signs and warning labels. I know that companies must put these kinds of warnings to protect themselves. But really do I need a sign telling me I should bathe in the tub?

I found this one in a Google search for stupid signs.

I would rather die of dehydration than drink out of a public toilet! EWWWWWWW!

Are people so stupid they need signs saying not to drink out of the toilet? I would hope not!
My dog does not even drink out of the toilet!

I hope humanity is smart enough not to drink out of toilets. If not we have serious problems.

Dole Plantation 2

2008-07-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

Dole Plantation Maze ! Allisa and I completed it. It took us a little over an hour.
Walking thought the gates as we finished the maze. It was hard! But fun. Dad and my brother did not finish. My brother tried for three hours.

Red Silk Hibiscus

Pineapple
Bird of Paradise

Dole Plantation 1

2008-07-16T23:31:00.003-05:00

Dole Plantation part one. Rainbow tree. I like this tree. It is very colorful.

This was our Dole Plantation garden guide. He made me laugh. He made the tour very entertaining.
The Dole Plantation was our last day in Hawaii. :(
We were there for hours and hours. Our flight did not leave until 10:59pm so we had many hours to kill.

The Warren

2008-07-15T13:15:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Allisa Katharine and I went to the Warren theater in Moore. We went to see the Journey to the Center of the Earth. And yes it was rather silly but we were expecting that. If it had not been in 3D I would not have even gone. But we had fun. We ate at Johnny Carino's which was yummy! Then went to the movie. The is the inside of the theater. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture.
Me in the nerdy 3D glasses
Allisa and Kat in the nerdy 3D glasses.

Waikiki Aquarium

2008-07-13T18:50:00.001-05:00

This is for Lou she said I had to write my name in the sand. The Waikiki Aquarium
Stingrays

Humuhumu-Nukunuku-Apua'a is fish that is in the center of the picture. The one with back brown and yellow stripes. The Humuhumu-Nukunuku-Apua'a is the Hawaiian state fish. What a name! I know! In the Wikipedia article it says that the Humu has the longest name in the in the English language. The fish in the left hand corner swimming towards me is the fish that stalked me while snorkeling, the goat eye fish.
Octopus

A boat at the Honolulu wharf.

Pearl Harbor I

2008-07-11T23:04:00.005-05:00

Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona
The Sailor yelled at me for taking his picture.
USS Bowfin
Two Pearl Harbor survivors.

Why I Don't Take Drugs (even the pharmaceutical kind)

2008-07-10T15:21:00.003-05:00

Prepare yourself for a long tale of my sleepless nights. If it sounds a bit whiny, thats because it is.

I have had a cold for a little bit over a week. The cold has turned into a cough, a long nagging cough. A cough that for the past 3 night has kept me up all night. The first night I was up until 5:00 finally being very desperate I took 4 tablespoons of cough medicine. I had already tried the regular dosage and it did not even touch the cough. The next night it kept me up until 4:30. Finally I sipped a little cough medicine at a time. You are now thinking she is a cough medicine druggie! To tell the truth I hate the stuff but I like sleep!And coughing so hard you are gagging is not fun! Last night I tried the cough medicine with codeine in it. During the day I took a half dosage so that I would not in a comma the whole day. My father recommended taking the full dosage before I went to bed. I did that and it had adverse affects on me! It relaxed me yes. But only my body. I was lying there incapacitated. It took so much energy just to move my arms. They felt weak and heavy. But my brain was racing. It was like a rolodex spinning and spinning around. It was kind of humorous here my body was just laying there barely able to move and my mind was furiously thinking about what I am not sure. To put the cherry on the sundae it made my whole body itch. Not rash itch it felt like when you sit on your foot and it goes to sleep, that feeling after the pins and needles, the tingling. That is how my whole body felt. I did not get to sleep until 6am but woke up at 8:30. Fully refreshed. I think I was still under the influence. At about noon I crashed and slept until 3. Now I have a cough medicine hangover. Powerful stuff! At least it stopped my cough!

From Diamond Head

2008-07-09T14:24:00.004-05:00

These are pictures that I took while hiking up Diamond Head and on top of Diamond Head.

When we arrived in Honolulu and finally reached our hotel Dad did not want to drive to Diamond so we took the bus. What we did not know was that you had to walk a mile from where the bus drops you off to where you can actually begin your hike up Diamond Head.

This is a lovely lighthouse that I saw while climbing Diamond head. Sorry for the poor photo quality.
View of the city.
Honolulu

Honolulu and WakikiHonolulu is a gorgeous city. Architecture and the Ocean.

Waikiki

2008-07-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

The view from our hotel room
Same room Different window

Waikiki Beach
My feet in the water
My feet in the sand

Diamond Head from Waikiki
Waikiki Beach is beautiful. On the Big Island we did not see large expanses for sand. The beaches have more rocks. Big black lava rock. But Waikiki was a long beautiful white sand beach

Mauna Kea

2008-07-06T01:19:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken flying from Hilo to Honolulu. We did not see the mountains while staying on the Big Island. The vog from the volcano covered them. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world . It starts at the ocean floor. Mauna Kea is not taller than Mt. Everest in land heights. But height starting from the ocean floor it is. There is much debate about that matter.
Mauna Kea
You can see the observatory on the top of it. All the street lights on the Big Island are yellow. It cut out some of the light so that the astronomers. The yellow lights make color turn black and white. I found that interesting.
Mauna Kea is the mountain in the fore ground and Mauna Loa is behind it.

Next will come Honolulu!

Japanese Botanical Gardens

2008-07-05T20:51:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite picture I took in the gardens.

I don't have lot to say about this. It was across from Coconut Island in Hilo.

It Rained On My Parade!

2008-07-05T16:56:00.002-05:00

Well my plans for the forth fizzled! I had plans to go up to Bricktown, go tow a baseball game and see the fireworks afterward. But I just had to get sick. So I stayed home. I figured sitting in the hot sun for hours would not do my cold any good! So I spent my forth doing absolutely nothing.

On a side note posting will be light until I am better. Commenting will be too.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T00:00:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th Everyone!

It's A Dogs World

2008-07-03T20:59:00.001-05:00

Here is a little break from Hawaii. As you will soon find out from these pictures that my dogs are spoiled . But if you are going to have a dog you might as well love it. Right? Chandler is hiding.
Sleeping on my parents bed.
Xena being silly
Xena under my desk. For some unexplained reason she love to sleep under my desk. She also likes to unplug my computer! Which really annoys me.

Since I am talking about dogs I will rant about something. I may offend some of my readers but you do come here for my opinions so please bear with me.
I can't stand it when people dress up their dog or cat and say that the poor animal enjoys it. I am not talking about play dressing it up. I am talking about dog wardrobes, turtle necks, polo shirts, and sunglasses. Dogs don't need a wardrobe. They have a thing called FUR that keeps them warm. I will admit that some dogs may need a coat if they live in cold weather with short hair. But a wardrobe! Come on! I get a magazine that has any thing from dog pj's to evening dresses. It makes me laugh. But I feel sorry for any dog that had to wear pj's!

Coconut Island

2008-07-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

I thought this was a cool truck.
Here is the bridge to Coconut Island
Coconut Island
View of Hilo from Coconut Island

Hilo Farmers Market

2008-07-01T22:56:00.005-05:00

The Hilo Farmers Market.I thought these guys were funny.

Look at that fruit!
Yum yum!
I loved the farmers market. You can buy fruits and veggies to cooked food.
A man sold salsa that was AMAZING! Another man sold hummus yum! I loved the farmers market. I wish we had one like it here.

The Flag

2008-06-29T21:56:00.006-05:00

I took this looking through the top of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
This was borrowed.

In honor of the 4th here is some flag etiquette. If you would like more I will post more I think Ms. Post has a whole chapter on it!

There are rules and customs connected with out flag that all of us should know and follow to show our respect for our country and our patriotism.
It is proper to fly the flag every day in the year between sunrise and sunset, although customarily it is not flown in inclement weather unless there is a particular occasion that requires its display. It may also be displayed at night as part of a patriotic display.
On Memorial Day, May 30 (or whatever day it is legally observed), the flag is displayed at half staff until noon and then at full staff thereafter until sunset. Flag Day is June--14 the day when we especially celebrate this emblem by displaying the flag. Many of us display the flag on other national holidays too.
There are certain clean-cut situations in which the flag should never be used--for example, as decoration on a portion of a costume or athletic uniform, as embroidery on cushions, scarves, handkerchiefs, or applied to paper napkins or boxes. Of course it should never be used as a covering for articles on a speaker's table, or so placed that objects may be put on or over it.
When a statue or monument is unveiled, the flag should never be used as a covering for the object to be displayed. It is unlawful to use the flag in a registered trademark that comprises "the flag, coat of arms, or other insignia of the United States or any simulation thereof." It goes without saying that national emblems is never displayed in connection with advertising or any kind. When festoons rosettes, or other draperies as desired bunting of blue (uppermost), white, and red should be used, but never the flag itself. -------Etiquette by Emily Post © 1922

Memes and Sunsets

2008-06-27T20:50:00.004-05:00

Beautiful Okie sunset.
This is my workspace. I finally posted it! The blue rectangle hanging on the expo board is my Hawaiian fish card. The wood box keeps all my "important" papers. On my printer: drawing pencils, pigment to make paint, my glass of water, and my phone. On the desk: My iPod and some DVDs Wives and Daughters and Persuasion. The painting on the wall is one of Lou's the orange one is one of mine.

Big Blue and Beautiful

2008-06-27T10:33:00.001-05:00

More beautiful blue ocean and black lava rock.

This was a pier on the Hilo side. I thought it was pretty cool!

By the Sea By the Glorious Sea!

2008-06-26T00:12:00.003-05:00

Isn't the water beautiful! The different blues in it. The blue and white slamming against the black rugged rock. This is the Hilo side of the Big Island the Kona side has the "sand" beaches. Don't think Waikiki type of beach. It has small pockets of sand beaches with their fair share of huge lava rocks. One place we dove we hiked into the dive site with all our gear on. To give you an idea how dang heavy the gear is: Your tank weighs about 15 pounds and I had 14 pounds in weight to neutralize my buoyancy. That sounds like a lot I know but keep in mind that one floats in salt water. Carrying 29 pounds on your back while climbing over HUGE boulders is hard work! I did not have athletic shoes on either. I have my dive boots on. Which are basically neoprene slippers with a rubber sole. Not hiking shoes. When we went to the dive shop we rented the dive equipment from we asked about other sites in the area. The guy told us about one but said it was tricky to get to it. I said more tricky that Hanalua Bay? He said No, Wow YOU hiked in there with that huge tank! Wow! Then his friend said I told you that we should not give them the bigger tanks, they did not need them. I was thankful we did not have the bigger tanks too! I don't know if we would have made it in there!

Waimau Vally

2008-06-25T13:44:00.005-05:00

Update: 06-25-2008 11:24pm Here is the road Buck. It is not a good picture though. It was foggy as you can see.

This valley was beautiful the pictures scarcely do it justice.
The road into the valley is too steep to drive down into unless you have four wheel drive.
In the first picture a road is cut into that mountain. Zig zagging all the way up.

The black sand beach is it largest in the world. Amazing huh?

It was a gorgeous. I was said that we did not go down into the valley. What you hike down you have to hike up ya know!

I'm Tired!

2008-06-24T23:51:00.004-05:00

I have not slept well lately and getting up early. I need to post words but my brain is a bit fuzzy. I would post pictures but that takes too long!

Akaka Falls

2008-06-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

Orchids Out the Wazoo

2008-06-22T20:08:00.000-05:00

More orchids! But this is the last of them. There is tons more Hawaii pictures left though.

It looks like I doctored this picture. But I didn't. Sometimes I crop them but that is usually all.

Corn, Corn, Corn, and MORE CORN! Part 2

2008-06-22T14:49:00.001-05:00

Today is a repeat of yesterday. Wish me luck on keeping my fingers!

Corn, Corn, Corn, and MORE CORN!

2008-06-21T15:21:00.002-05:00

This year my father planted seven one hundred foot rows of corn.

Guess what! They are ready. So today I have shucked, washed, and cut corn off the cob.
Lots of corn, I have cut about 200 ears off the cob and there is tons left to go! There are two wheelbarrows of unshucked corn left. Busy Busy!

psssssssst...... I don't even really like corn! I never eat it. When you have it 2 times a week for 2 years it gets a little old.

Blue Planet

2008-06-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

My poor readers have been clamoring for a real post. I hope this is works.

Today I was thinking about my love for the ocean. I had, mind you, only been to the ocean two times before Hawaii. But I love it. Everything about it. It's moods it's creatures it's depths. The ocean is a realm that very few see. The creatures in it are alien to most. It is an undiscovered land. It holds great beauty and also great danger. But my love for it still grows. The beauty attracts me, the danger intrigues me.

Lou has been writing about her love for the mountains. I am a mountain girl born and raised. But my true love is the ocean. I love the salt spray on my face as I am standing in the bow of the ship. I love the cool refreshing waters, and the beautiful creatures that live in them. My love for it is a new and undiscovered love. It may fade with time but it will never die.

My first boat experience was not a pleasant one as you all know. But the second was was amazing. I rode on the bow of the boat with the salt spray in my face. Saw the many colors of the water. Watched as the coral passed under foot. That is a very unique experience. You feel free, you can let everything go and just enjoy it. Swimming with the dolphins and manta rays was an amazing experience. Scuba diving is amazing as well. I love it. I would scuba dive anywhere. Swimming pools, lakes, anywhere where there is water. I love that too. To put it simply I am a water person. I love to be on or in the water.

Oh how I need a yacht! Or a beach house. ;)

Orchids 3

2008-06-18T15:52:00.004-05:00

The variety of orchids is amazing! The color, the shape!

What Have I Been Up To?

2008-06-17T23:48:00.003-05:00

Here are the scary orchids for Lou. The look like they need a caption.

Here is a little update for all of you. I have been so busy! Chores mostly. Slave labor. Work, work, work! When I think what have I been doing I come up empty. But I've been busy! Right now I am tired but I needed to post.

When I started blogging I told myself I would post everyday or at least five times a week. My readers come here to read. I need to provide them something to read. Something of substance. I have not always provided you that. You can tell when I am lazy because you just get pictures and not words. Many people are great with words. Describing things. I'm not. It is something I need to work on.

I have also be a lazy blog reader. Everything with settle down soon I hope. I will try to be better

Orchids 2

2008-06-15T23:08:00.001-05:00

Orchids

2008-06-14T22:51:00.005-05:00

Here are some of the orchids in the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens.
There will be several parts to the this series.

Five Golden Meme

2008-06-13T11:45:00.003-05:00

The rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
Being a diligent student. Deciding which way I wanted to take my life.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1)Clean my room
2)Go to crop
3)Weed the garden
4)Do laundry
5)Post something of substance

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1) Dill pickles and potato chips
2) fresh pineapple
3) Seven layer dip
4) Cheese
5) Just about any dip ( I love appetizer type foods)

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1) Travel the world and see every place on my list
2) Then go back and do it again
3) Buy a yacht and live on it. Go scuba diving every day.
4) Live somewhere where there is nice ocean (not Texas ocean)
5) Go shopping at Tiffany's

What are five of your bad habits?
1) Lazy
2) Procrastinator
3) Eating junk food
4) Wasting time
5) Messy

What are five places where you have lived?
1) Angel Fire, NM
2) Duncan, OK
3) Velma, OK
4) Kona, HI ( Does not count I know but I have not lived in very many places)
5) This one has yet to be decided.

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1) Casher at a tee shirt shop
2) Bull Terrier breeder
3) Construction helper
4) Artist
5) Slave labor

I tag anyone who wants to play.

Little Trifles

2008-06-11T14:25:00.001-05:00

A tiny pineapple. I am not sure it is edible.

Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens

Well Doggone It!

2008-06-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

Things I learned living in Oklahoma.

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in Oklahoma.

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in Oklahoma, plus a couple no one's seen before.

4. If it grows , it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

5. "Onced" and "Twiced" and "Acrosst" are words.

6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.

7. 'Jaw-P?' means 'Did ya'll go to the bathroom'

8. People actually grow and eat okra.

9. 'fixinto' is one word.

10. There is no such thing as 'lunch'. There is only dinner and then there is supper.

11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar

12. Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'

13. The word 'jeet' is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

14. You don't have to ear a watch, because it does not matter what time it is, you work until it is done or it's too dark to see.

15. You don't PUSH buttons, You MASH EM.

16. 'No. jew?' is a common response to the question 'Did you bring any beer.'

17. You measure distance in minutes.

18. You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

19. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

20. You know what a 'DAWG' is.

21. You carry jumper cables in your car --- for you OWN car.

22. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Head Country, Tabasco and Ketchup.

23. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and motorsports.

24. You think the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

25. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a bit warm'

26. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

27. ...Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past time know as "goin' to Wal-Martin' "or "off to Wally World"

28. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as a good chili weather.

29. Fried catfish is the other white mean.

30. We don't need no dang driver's ed. If our mama says we can drive then we can...besides that, we've been driving since the age of 8.

31. You understand these jokes and forward them to your Oklahoma friends and those who just wish they were from Oklahoma

Wonderful Bouquet

2008-06-08T21:25:00.004-05:00

The Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens

I'm sorry I have been such a bad blogger lately. My internet has been sooooooo slow! I know excuses excuses.

Let Me Introduce You To...

2008-06-07T11:20:00.002-05:00

You must never introduce people to each other in public places unless you are certain beyond a doubt that the introduction will be agreeable to both. You cannot commit a greater social blunder than to introduce, to a person of position, some one she does not care to know, especially on shipboard, in hotels, or in other very small, rather public, communities where people are so closely thrown together that is correspondingly to avoid undesirable acquaintances who have been given the wedge of an introduction.
People in good society rarely ask to be introduced to each other, but if there is a good reason for knowing some one, they often introduce themselves; for instance, Mary Smith says:
"Mrs. Jones, aren't you a friend of my mother's? I am Mrs. Titherington Smith's daughter." Mrs. Jones says: "Why , my child, I am so glad you spoke to me. Your mother and I have known each other since we were children!"
Or, an elder lady ask: Aren't you Mary Smith? I have known your mother since I was you age." Or a young woman says: Aren't you Mrs. Worldly?" Mrs. Worldly, looking rather freezingly polite says "Yes" and waits. And the stranger continues, I think my sister Millicent Manners is a friend of yours." Mrs. Worldly as one unbends. "Oh, yes, indeed, I am devoted to Millicent! And you must be---?"
"I'm Alice."
"Oh, of course, Millicent has often talked of you, and of your lovely voice. I want to hear you sing some time."
Theses self-introductions, however, must never presumingly be made. It would be in very bad taste for Alice to introduce herself to Mrs. Worldly if her sister knew her only slightly. ---Etiquette By Emily Post 1922©

I have been a lazy blogger. I have not even read blogs! I will catch up.

Flers

2008-06-03T23:16:00.002-05:00

****************************WARNING*************************************

If you find plant and flower pictures boring stay away from my blog for the next few days.

Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens. What a mouth full!
Ginger, I think it looks like blown glass.

Funky tree
More ginger

I don't remember what all the plant names are. If you want to know, Google it.

Hilo

2008-06-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

The Hilo side of the Big Island. It is beautiful. Very tropical. I had more pictures planned for todays post but the dial-up is wearing on a person! This is a sea wall to break the tide.
The town of Hilo

Did They Just Ask Me That?!

2008-06-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

Dear Miss Manners:

I react to questions about my daughter-in-law and son from people who ask, "Well, any babies?" or "Are you going to be a grandmother?" ect., by glaring at them and saying, " I don't ask them such questions." Certainly it is not my business, nor anyone else's, but even so, perhaps I have blown this up more than is necessary. Is there a polite response?

Gentle Reader:

One can hardly exaggerate the rudeness of inquiring into the contents of someone else's womb. Sooner or later, these people will get a burst of tears for an answer, from some couple unable to conceive a child. Miss Manners considers your answer, or a cool "I have no idea," civil enough, under the circumstances. Short of producing those tears, the couple may answer when or why questions about babies ("When are you going to have children?" Why don't you have children yet?" or "Why aren't you going to have children?") with a frosty look and a firm, "One never knows, does one?" Miss Manners does not approve of rude answers, even to rude questions, and rough but honest answers, such as "Why should we burden ourselves?" are as bad. Do-you questions ("Do you have any children?") are legitimate and should be answered legitimately. (That is, one only had to admit to legitimate children.)

Dear Miss Manners:
A woman I met at a party asked me to guess her age. I thought we was about forty, even though she was wearing a satin disco dress and carrying a pocketbook shaped like a heart, and I said so. Well, it turns out she's thirty-three and is always being asked for proof that she's of legal drinking age, so I was supposed to guess she was a teenager. I felt trapped by the whole thing. What should I have done?

Gentle Reader:
You were trapped, so you might as well have gone along with the silly game. Why didn't you demand to see her teeth before answering?

Lava!!!!!!!!

2008-05-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

towards those who still want to This is one month old lava. The lava came over a residential area. Many people's land was destroyed. The state still makes them pay taxes on the land but refuses to let the occupy it for several years. Many people surrender their land to the state. Others live there without electricity and city water. The state used to prohibit this but is has become more lenient occupy their land, but still do not allow them to have city utilities.

The lava over the road.

This is the piece of lava rock I brought home. There is a superstition about the goddess of the volcano in Hawaii. Her name is Pele. ( pronounced paylay) If you take anything that is hers (lava rock, black sand, ect. ) You will be cursed until you send it back. People have sent back shoes because the walked on the lava rock with them! I am not afraid of superstitions. It is not against the law to take a piece of lava rock. When the rocks are sent back they are thrown behind the park rangers garage. Not returned to the park, thrown behind a garage.
There are wild chickens every where in Hawaii
By day. The lava is goes into the water causing the steam. Sorry for the quality of the next pictures. The zoom of my camera is not telephoto and is was dark. No tripod.
By Night

Think Before You Speak

2008-05-30T12:03:00.001-05:00

"A FEW MAXIMS FOR THOSE WHO TALK TOO MUCH-- AND EAISLY!"

"The faults of commission are far more serious than those of omission; regrets are seldom for what you left unsaid.
The chatterer reveals every corner of his shallow mind; one who keeps silent can not have his depth plumbed.
Don't pretend to know more than you do. To say you have read a book and then seemingly to understand nothing of what you have read, proves you a half-wit. Only the very small mind hesitates to say " I don't know."
Above all, stop and think what you are saying! This is really the first, last and only rule. If you 'stop' you can't chatter or expound or flounder ceaselessly, and if you think, you will find a topic and a manner of presenting your topic so that you neighbor will be interested rather than long-suffering.
Remember also that the sympathetic (not apathetic) listener is the delight of delights. The person who looks glad to see you, who is seemingly eager for your news, or enthralled with your conversation; who looks at you with a kindling of the face, and gives you spontaneous and undivided attention, is that one to whom the palm for the art of conversation would undoubtedly be awarded. "
--Etiquette By Emily Post, 1922 ©

Mac Nuts!

2008-05-30T00:12:00.001-05:00

Rainbow falls.

Mauna Loa! Macadamia nuts! Chocolate covered Mac nuts!

Some of the packaging equipment.
Getting the Mac nuts ready to be chocolate covered.

Volcano

2008-05-28T19:22:00.000-05:00

This is the Volcano portion of your Hawaii tour. In Volcano we did not see the lava flow that comes later. This is the Thurston lava tube. Sorry from the photo quality of this one.
This hardened lava. At the air port when we flew into Kona this was all we saw. Black rock for miles. I thought, this is Hawaii? Hum.
The Vog. Yes Vog, volcano fog.

This is a crater that blew up a few months ago.
In the 1930' this was a lava lake. The line outside the park to see it was 12 miles long.

The Land Down Below

2008-05-27T05:32:00.001-05:00

These pictures are from my third dive. This dive was great. I saw so many things I had not seen. Scale coral

Urchin. I thought it was different because of the white. It must have been an old urchin. ;)

South Point

2008-05-26T19:10:00.001-05:00

Allisa and I at Kealakekua Bay
Black sands beachI thought this was fun. The sand is so dark!
It looks like coffee grounds
South Point: This is a hole in the ground that you could see the ocean though. People were jumping off the cliff and swimming though and climbing back up though this hole.

The coast line at South Point.South Point. The farthest point south in the US.
This picture is for everyone who thinks the wind never stops where you live. All the trees leaned in South Point.

About ME MEME

2008-05-24T18:14:00.002-05:00

Buck tagged me. So here goes!

The rules of the meme. Answer these question with a picture or other graphic.
No words!

1)What is your current relationship status?

2)What is your current mood?

3)What is your favorite band/singer?

4)What is your favorite movie?

5)What kind of pets do you have?
6)Where do you live?

7)Where do you work?

8)Who do you look like?

9)What do you drive?

10)What did you do on Saturday?

11)What did you do on Sunday?

12)What is your favorite network TV show?

13)Describe yourself:

14) What is your favorite candy?
I hope all of those make sense! If not feel free to ask.

I tag Perfection, Sea-Gal, Diva, and Jay.
To the people tagged. You do not have to play if you do not want to.

Perfection, This is right up your alley!

I Still Occupy This Space

2008-05-24T12:47:00.004-05:00

I will try to get the MEME up later today.

My brain is fuzzy today. I am waiting for someone to ask if anyone occupies my body. Right now I am not sure that someone does!

Be back......well sometime.

Swimming With the Dolphins

2008-05-22T20:22:00.001-05:00

We went on a swimming with the dolphins tour through Sunlight on Water. They were very informative about the dolphins and swimming with them. It was a great tour. Swimming with wild dolphins is not like swimming with the dolphins at Sea World. You can not touch the wild dolphins. When you touch a dolphin you remove a protective layer that keeps the from adsorbing bacteria through their skin. When you touch them you spread your bacteria to them. The tame dolphins that are touched and handled need antibiotic shots to keep them alive. If they are touched and petted by 20 different people a day they must have 20 antibiotic shots. I was pretty close when I got this shot. I free dove down about 15 feet. Free diving is diving without a scuba unit. I was swimming with them and remembered that it might be beneficial the go up for air since Martina had already gone up twice. I did not know I could hold my breath that long! I was having so much fun I forgot I need to breath.
This is the videographer Martina. She was a lot of fun. She moved to Hawaii from Germany. We made fast friends. She let me ride in the bow of the boat. And got me very close the the dolphins. I love boats (when I take my sea sickness medicine) , the ocean and the creatures in it. ( well maybe not the one that eat you!)

The water here was at least 100 feet deep. I was on the surface when I took this picture. I wanted a picture of the pod.

Swimming with the dolphins was very neat. Something I would do again in a heartbeat. I loved it.

That night we did the Manta Ray night snorkel. I took some neat video but my internet is too slow to post it. Jesse volunteered to put it up for me. You will see that later. It was AWESOME! I can't wait until you see the video!

Eye Candy Hawaii Style

2008-05-21T22:53:00.003-05:00

A little eye candy for you to brighten your day.

Sadly I did not see one good sunset while in Hawaii. You may be thinking what about this one? Well it was not quite as colorful as this in person. For some reason my camera brought out the color. The pictures look go though! Sorry for the quality of this one. The slow shutter speeds and all.

Plumeria. The trees are beautiful. Everything in Hawaii blooms. I took a ridicules amount of flower pictures.

Health update: Today I am a little better. The fever is gone finally and the aches have ceased. The sore throat still persists.

Snorkeling

2008-05-21T06:22:00.000-05:00

Day 4
We went snorkeling many times in Hawaii. The fish are beautiful and the colors, shapes, and sizes vary so much. Enjoy!
This fish followed me around. Every time I looked there it was. We snorkeled there three times, and each time it followed me. It has gargantuan eyes and they were always looking at me. Like big goat eyes. It was a little weird
Urchins
Sea Turtle

Same sea turtle. The sea turtle followed me around too. Occasionally he would brush against my legs. I had to squelched the freak out instinct. Pencil urchin.
Don't ask me what kind of fish this is, I don't know.

There Is More Than One?!

2008-05-20T22:40:00.002-05:00

I think my readers need a real post. I have not posted anything of substance in a long time.

I rented the Three Faces Of Eve from Netflix last week. If you have not seen it, I suggest that you do. It is about a woman with multiple personality disorder. It is based on a true story.

The concept of multiple personality disorder baffles me. I don't really see how it is possible. There are many things in psychiatry that I do not agree with. And this is one. I have never seen MPD first hand. So I can not say that it does not exist. But it still confuses me. How can two personalities occupy one body? In The Three Faces Of Eve the personalities are so different. There are only two at the beginning of the movie but later, another emerges. THREE! In ONE body. How is that possible? How can three "different" people occupy one body? The mind is one unit. Not several different units. You personality is controlled by your mind. One mind one personality. Right? I am in NO way well versed on MPD as you can tell by my bafflement of it. But the whole concept of it seems to ridicules to imagine. What I can not get past is the one mind one personality theory I mentioned above. From what I have read, the cause of the breaking of the personality into personalities, is a childhood trauma. A childhood trauma can cause many adverse affects that carry on into adulthood. But how can it cause a "break" of one person into two? After that one "break" several more can occur.

To cure MPD the personalities must merge together again. How can they make one again? Something that has been broken into several parts can not be merged again to make one. (With the exception of super glue but I don't think super glue will work on the the psyche)

This post is rhetorical. I do not expect an answer to any of the questions but if you can provide one please feel free!

Look Out Below!

2008-05-20T18:01:00.000-05:00

One of the highlights of the trip! This was day 4, I think, in Hawaii. These guys likes having their picture taken.

The one below is a pose. I was snapping pictures and he said "Here take one more of me." Then he posed.
As you can see this one was a pose too.
Not a pose they were really working this time.
Yet another pose. We were on the third floor and that palm tree was right outside our balcony. Pretty cool huh! When he was climbing up the tree he was being macho and doing it without the rope. His buddy told him , in a language I did not understand, to put his rope on,
This is the mess that they made. The pool had debris in it as well.

Doesn't that look fun! I wanted to try. I took 42 pictures of those guys. I was fascinated. I think what they do it SO cool! There were about five guys doing the palm tree pruning. The two posted posed for me. They were quite funny!

Yuck!

2008-05-19T18:23:00.001-05:00

I don't feel well today. I am sick. Yuck! The posting may be light.

COFFEE!

2008-05-18T05:39:00.000-05:00

Coffee Tree
Flower on the coffee tree

Coffee fruitBags of green coffee ready to be roasted
Coffee roaster

We toured the Mountain Thunder Kona coffee plantation. Kona coffee is very good. It is smooth is has no bitter taste. I really liked it. It is very interesting how coffee is grown and processed. It starts in a state that is called cherry. It is in the fruit state. The fruit is removed and the beans are dried. After the beans are dried another layer of husk is removed. The beans are graded on size and color. They are also inspected for defects. A computer grades them into 6 categories: Peaberry*, Extra Fancy, Fancy, Number 1, Prime, and defective. (* read the peaberry link if coffee interests you) The whole process is very interesting to me. YMMV though.

Sick Diver Down!

2008-05-17T17:35:00.001-05:00

The second Hawaii dayAllisa and I. I am on the right. My snorkel and mask are really blue green. The deeper you go you lose color pigments.
This was such an interesting thing. I am not sure what it is. The dive leader handed it to me.
This is the dive leader.
The is sand it looks like rock. I thought it was interesting.

These are pictures from my first Hawaii dive. It was a boat dive. The seas were ROUGH that day. I got sea sick. It was terrible. On the way to the dive site I started to feel nauseated. I kept telling myself that I was not sea sick just a little nervous. I have never gotten sea sick before. The nausea increased with each roll of the waves. I became very sick when the boat stopped at our dive site. I never threw up but I had to work VERY hard not to. Woman who lead our dive told me to get in the water and I would feel better. She was right. But when I did the giant stride into the water I freaked out. This was my first big dive, and my first ocean dive. When I jumped in my mask flooded, I started hyperventilating. I think being sick added to my anxiety. I swam to the front of the boat as instructed and grabbed the anchor rope. The boat was moving up and down up and down. This made me even more sick. Allisa was also very nervous. When she swam around to the front of the boat she said I can't do this. Calming her down calmed me down. Later we were talking about the dive and she did not even know I was freaking out. And I was let me tell ya! But I soon calmed down once my face was in the water and the nausea left. Allisa soon calmed down too. Being in the water did not make me sick as long as my face was in the water. As soon as my head broke the surface and the fury of the waves pounded me and tossed me around like a rag doll I became instantly ill. It was miserable. I enjoyed the diving but I dreaded returning to the surface. Allisa returned to the boat when her air supply demanded it. I do not consume as much air as she does so I stayed down longer with the head diver. As soon as my head broke the surface to return to the boat I was ill. Getting on the boat was very difficult. I was so sick I was shaking. I was concentrating so hard on not throwing up that doing anything was difficult. On the boat ride to our next dive site I sat in the middle of the boat and stared at the shore line. The other people on the boat were eating, talking and laughing. The offered me food and tried to talk to me. They probably thought I was very rude. I could not talk let alone eat! Allisa said I was green. It is not easy being green! Hehehe! The second dive went well. I love diving. I kept my face in the water until I had to climb back on the boat. That helped so much. The sun was not out on our dive day. That makes to colors dull. Other than the dull colors and rough seas the dive was a good dive.

Repeats

2008-05-16T15:38:00.003-05:00

This is a continuation of day one in Hawaii. The uploading process is SO slow with dial-up. Blogger is also giving me a hard time about loading the pictures! My patience is wearing thin. I know I know I need faster internet. Don't go there today.

Just about five minutes ago my father cut his head open. It is bad. He is on the was to urgent med as I type. My mother is taking him. I will post more later.

Update: 4/16/2008 7:00 pm. My father is doing well. He has eight staples on top of his head.
He was driving tee post into the ground and the driver slipped off and hit the top of his head. cutting it open. He walked in to the yard holding his head and blood was streaming down his face. Yeah, I know. You don't even have to say it. Thankfully he had no pain. I guess there are not many nerves on top of your head.

I handle blood well. What I don't handle well is seeing someone I love in pain and or hurt.

I am very thankful that my father is ok with no permanent damage.

Place Holder

2008-05-16T13:13:00.004-05:00

This is a place holder. It is going to take HOURS to upload the photos I have for todays post. Thank you for you patience!

The photo was taken in Kona Hawaii. I like the sunglasses. I did not buy them though. I don't think I have the guts the wear them! LOL!

Round and Round We Go

2008-05-14T18:50:00.003-05:00

The flight from Honolulu to OKC was mostly uneventful. I will share more on that later. I will try to blog the Hawaii trip chronologically.

Day one in Hawaii:

Keahou. There are large ethnic food sections. I like grocery stores. Not super Wal-Marts. HereDay one in Hawaii consisted of a little site seeing, resting, and errands. Familiarizing ourselves with the grocery stores, restaurants ect. I was most impressed with the KTA grocery store in in The Middle-of-Nowhere we do not have good grocery stores just a super wally world, and NO ethnic food sections. We lack further in restaurants. But I won't go into that. This is a sad post. I am tired that is a huge part of it. Hopefully the narration of day two is more interesting!

I did not take many pictures the first day. But here are two flower pictures I took.

Oddities In The Airport.

2008-05-13T01:59:00.005-05:00

Since I have time now I will start in my vacation catch up posts early.

We woke up at 4:30am to make the dive to OKC to catch our 8:30am flight. Since I was in four airports in one day I will give you a run down on all of them. OKC was a nice, new, and clean airport. The employees were efficient. The airport was uncrowded and quite. The flight planes went without a hitch. Thankfully! Phoenix was another story. It was loud, crowded, and quite interesting if you were people watching. The employees of the Phoenix airport were not kind and efficient. They were rude and abrupt. The airport was so crowded that there was not even enough room it stand in the vicinity of our gate. It was unorganized. Very unorganized. Thankfully the layover there was short. Just enough time to grab a sandwich and board the plane. Honolulu airport was interesting as well. The inter island planes are located in a very old and rundown portion of the airport. I am talking no air conditioning and AstroTurf. The flights we were boarding were in a slightly nicer portion of the airport. Kona airport was all outside. Everything was located in what looked like big grass huts. It was different. It went along with the theme of the island.
We arrived at the condo at about 5:45 pm. That is 11:45pm on the mainland. (central time) I was TIRED the went we reached the condo. But I had to see the beach and put my feet in the ocean. We went to bed at about 9 pm. Early for me! I woke up at 5 am I could not believe my watch. I was fully awake. Then the time difference came to mind. It is odd thinking it is a different time at home. It was nice though. We got an early start. To be continued..........

Sorry for the boring post. The next ones will hopefully be better.
Our flight leaves at 10:55pm in the 13 of May. We will arrive in OKC at 1:00 pm in the 14th. My next post will be from my computer and you get pictures!!!!!!!!!!!! I took at least a thousand. Are you ready?

Well What Have I Missesd!?

2008-05-12T00:36:00.005-05:00

I am having so much fun. I am ready to go home not matter how much fun I am having.bed! I miss my dog! I miss my bed. I miss HOME! I do not have time for a long blog now! You will have to wait a little longer!

And I'm Off!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-27T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I am leaving for Hawaii! I am not talking Lou's laptop so there may be no blogging. But if I get an opportunity to I will.
The people that asked for post cards will get them!

I told you that today would be a good post. But I am at a lost on what to post about!
I start many posts but never publish them. One was about credit card usage. Another was about Feminine men and masculine women. There many more. I am not sure why I do not publish them. I think it has to do with the random way I write. The topics change quickly. I guess my mind rapid fires in many different directions. Some completely unrelated directions. My thought pattern is random. I think I random fire in conversation too. I try not to. Not everyone can read my mind! If you read something I write and can not make sense out of it please say so! Being properly understood is a huge part of being a good writer.

I need to plan my posts more. I usually sit down at the computer and open my create blog page and type. I do not collect my thoughts. I do not outline my point. I just jump in with both feet. That does not make a good writer. Writing takes planning and consideration. I have read back over some of my past posts and thought what was I trying to say?

I am also a terrible proof reader of my own work. Other peoples I can pick out the most minute mistakes. I overlook huge mistakes in my own writing. I skim my writing that is part of the problem.

I am striving to be a better writer. To have an extensive vocabulary. To use words correctly. ( to spell them correctly as well) To use proper grammar. To make the topic of my work evident. To be easily understood. Readers and not hunters. They want to be told what they are reading. about.

I will see all of you in two weeks. You may hear from me sooner!