On Friday we took an Underwater Adventure Sail on the Maita’i Catamaran. It was supposed to include snorkeling, but the waves were too high for snorkeling, so we only sailed. I was on antibiotics and already had a sensitive stomach so, unfortunately, as the waves got higher, the nausea increased in intensity until I was riding the plastic bus. As a result, there are only photos and video of the first hour or so of the excursion. The captain did let everyone jump in the water for a few minutes, but I’m not sure how long that lasted as my mind was elsewhere. The kids enjoyed it however, and in the end that is all that mattered. I had already experienced something similar in Aruba. It took a few hours for my stomach to settle down before we could head to Hanauma Bay for some swimming and snorkeling.
We stayed all day Wednesday at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which included the Ali’i Luau and the Horizons Night Show. We didn’t read the tour pamphlet thoroughly which directs you on how to tour the center to make the most of your visit. As a result, we missed visiting some of the islands, such as Fiji and Hawaii. I guess that is why they suggest you spend two days there. Regardless, it was a great experience. We really enjoyed our time there. The Center was probably one of the top highlights of our trip.
On Wednesday we arose early and headed–or tried to head–north to Laie where the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Laie Hawaii Temple are located. One word of advice: DO NOT use Google Maps on Oahu. They will lead you on all kinds of wild goose chases. Just use the tourist maps that are provided around town. You’ll get there in a flash. Needless to say, it took us a lot longer to get to Laie than it should have.
Since the Polynesian Cultural Center does not open until 11:00 a.m., we stopped at the Hawaii Temple first to have a look around. Yes, it looks just like the pictures, but farther away when standing near the Visitor’s Center. It is also quite a small temple, about the size of the average house in our neighborhood… :-). The grounds are absolutely beautiful and very manicured, like all other temples. And the same peaceful spirit was present everywhere we went. Jed told Abby that we were walking through Jesus’ garden. It was very sweet.
It wasn’t crowded yet because the shuttles don’t start arriving until after the Polynesian Cultural Center opens. So we had the grounds all to ourselves. It was very convenient for picture taking. Kind of reminds me of our wedding day :-).
On our first full-day in Hawaii, we spent the morning on Waikiki Beach playing in the sand in front of the pink hotel next to the Sheraton. Our hotel was actually not far from there. We were on Lewers Street, which is right in the midst of all the new shops and restaurants, and just a block away from the beach. It was a great location.
In the afternoon we visited Pearl Harbor. This was after we had to exchange our rental van because the bell chiming wouldn’t stop, even when all of the doors were securely closed (i.e. “slammed”). We couldn’t bear the thought of driving a full week with the constant chiming of a bell. It was very nerve racking.
Shirlee had told us to visit Pearl Harbor in the afternoon, so we dutifully did so. Yes, it wasn’t as crowded. We missed our USS Arizona Monument tour because we were snacking after sauntering through the museum displays. We didn’t know that we should have snacked first, taken the monument tour next, and then looked at the displays inside the museum last. They don’t really give you any directions of how you should visit the site. So we had to wait an extra 30 minutes before taking the monument tour.
However, we enjoyed Pearl Harbor very much. It was a sobering, informative visit. The grounds are beautiful, although the museum seems to be under construction for a new facility. The guides were friendly, and the tourists, who wouldn’t obey the naval personnel’s instructions on the boat, were funny. Maybe they don’t understand English.
After Pearl Harbor we visited Costco (following a suggestion from a guide book) to purchase a week’s worth of food for our tiny kitchen and stayed inside the remaining evening. I think we all went to bed around 8:00 p.m. The time change wore us out.
Tonight while driving I was listening to the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by The Eagles. I’ve listened to it many times since December 1972, but for some reason concentrated a little more on the lyrics tonight. Here they are:
I like the way your sparkling earrings lay
against your skin, it’s so brown
and I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight
with a billion stars all around
(Chorus) ‘Cause I gotta peaceful easy feeling
and I know you won’t let me down
’cause I’m already standing on the ground
And I found out a long time ago
what a woman can do to your soul
Ah, but she can’t take you anyway
You don’t already know how to go
(Chorus)
I get this feeling I may know you
as a lover and a friend
but this voice keeps whispering in my other ear
tells me I may never see you again
(Chorus)
I didn’t think much about the lyrics, until the last verse when he said that something tells him that he may never see [the girl] again. I then thought “Eew! How creepy!” I always thought that he was talking about someone that he knows, perhaps a girlfriend. But he isn’t. He’s talking about some girl that he has just met.
Okay girls, let’s just stop and think. What if some guy you just met gives you a line that he likes how your sparkling earrings lay against your brown skin, and then, probably after some more “light” conversation, asks you to have sex with him in the desert? Would you jump up and down with delight and exclaim “Yes!” Probably not. Like the majority of women, you would tell him to get lost, and then turn to whomever would listen and exclaim “What a creep!”
I then pictured in my head Ron Burgundy from Anchorman using that pick-up line and subsequent request… because it’s such a 70’s song! All I can say is that I am so glad that I was in elementary school during that era and didn’t have to deal with creepy 70’s guys as a young woman.
A few days ago we, being my friends and I, went on a hike to a nearby cave and filmed our experience. We like to call it our Cloverfield wanna-be movie. So I was documenting a lot of the trip. I now know why the camera in Cloverfield is so shaky. It’s hard to hold a camera still and hike, let alone walk, at the same time. Jordan and Kurtis decided that they were going to spelunking into this thing. I didn’t find the idea very smart, though I did go inside a small crawl-space to get some footage of the inside…
The price of food is on the rise. As a story and charts from the Wall Street Journal show, rice (prices up a whopping 134 percent), wheat, corn, and soy are all above a 60 percent increase over the last 52 weeks.
Cargill, a large international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services, saw a Chevron-like return in their last quarter with $1.03B in revenue. When I read the CEO’s comments in the WSJ, I couldn’t help but ask myself if large corporate farms control supply driving prices to their favor. While he says that they’re “doing an exceptional job,” my thought is this is an answer to shareholders, not the rest of the world who require the commodities Cargill, ADM, and others provide.
Cargill’s chairman and CEO, Greg Page, said earlier this month [April 2008] that “the dimensions of change in global agriculture are striking” and that the Minneapolis company is doing “an exceptional job measuring and assessing price risk.” He said world grain stocks are at their lowest level in 35 years. (emphasis added)
I’m amazed at how far behind we are in coming to a solution of our own energy crisis. As Americans, we are the most energy sucking people on the planet–far outpacing any other group.
“According to the Department of Energy’s most recent data on greenhouse gas emissions, in 2006 the U.S. emitted 5.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, or just under 20 tons per capita.”
WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB120934459094348617.html
While we probably think of our cars first, a real issue is our homes. The “always on” appliances and devices that are taking power even when we “don’t” use them.
“You can forget refrigerators, microwaves, clothes dryers and flat screen TVs. Even a house tricked out with all the latest high-efficiency EnergyStar appliances and compact fluorescent lights won’t come close. The same daunting energy math applies to the industrial, commercial and transportation sectors as well. The clear implication is that we shall have to replace virtually the entire fossil fuel electricity infrastructure over the next four decades with CO2-free sources – a multitrillion dollar proposition, if it can be done at all.”
WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB120934459094348617.html
Are cars are truly a big issue. But the proposed targets for 2050 are going to take huge changes.
“Right now our cars and trucks consume about 180 billion gallons of motor fuel. To meet the 2050 target, we shall have to limit consumption of gasoline to about 31 billion gallons, unless a genuine carbon-neutral liquid fuel can be produced. (Ethanol isn’t it.) To show how unrealistic this is, if the entire nation drove nothing but Toyota Priuses in 2050, we’d still overshoot the transportation emissions target by 40%.”
WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB120934459094348617.html
I’ve really got to take a deep look into what is happening in the entrepreneurial community to see if there is an opportunity for a marketing person.
Our family took our 2008 Spring Break in Oahu, Hawaii. We had a blast in Paradise. Everything was colorful and beautiful. The time change made it easier to awake earlier (although now it’s even harder to get to bed early). There were many things to do for free. All the people were friendly. The weather was consistent from day to day, something that was not lost on Triumph the Insult Dog. Bridget commented that it was the best vacation that she has ever been on. I must say, it might be difficult to select a different vacation destination next year. Click Here, or on the picture below, to view our vacation photo collection on flickr.
The Animated C02 Map video is from an article on Dot Earth, a blog of the New York Times. The Vulcan Project has done research over several years of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. They have animated the emissions at various times throughout the day. They have a video on You Tube that shows their research work. It’s pretty cool and gives you an idea of how much emissions are produced in high population areas. Click Here to view the article and watch the video.
Bridget just finished a long three months of play practices and, finally, play performances of Robin Hood. She was chosen to be a Merry Maid, part of Maid Marion’s entourage. All the girls were very serious about their costumes and, most importantly, their hair and make-up.
Bridget found that the sponge curlers worked the best for the curls that she wanted. She totally reminds me of my mom when it comes to hair and make-up…genetics are strong in that area! She wanted to wear curlers in her hair all day at school (other girls did). I guess it’s cool to do that these days. Can you imagine doing that when I was in school (1970’s and early 1980’s)? We would have been mocked for the rest of our lives…literally the “rest of our lives.”
The footage of the dance is not the best. I probably should have stood to the side of the gym when taking it. And I really can’t wait for the “official” DVD by Impressive Video since we just barely received our Nutcracker DVD from “December.” The play will be long forgotten by July.
Update: At around 1:35 a.m., an alarm went off in the street below our hotel room in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii. It was very loud. Brad and I immediately awoke from a dream state. The alarm lasted for about 10 minutes. I even went into the room where the children were sleeping and looked out the window. Not one of them awoke the entire time, even 15-year-old Dallen. They slept through the entire ruckus.
This news story is very disturbing for parents. I am going to do a fire alarm test while my children are sleeping. If they do not wake up, I will be looking for voice alarms. We leave the older ones to babysit Abby at least once a week, and sometimes don’t return home until after midnight when “everyone” has been asleep for a few hours.
Funny. I’ve seen pictures of my Dad wearing the same looking hat in 1963-64 on his mission to the New England States. I’ve even run across a few more skinny ties recently.
Reminds me of another David Bowie song, Fashion.
There’s a brand new dance but I don’t know its name
That people from bad homes do again and again
It’s big and it’s bland full of tension and fear
They do it over there but we don’t do it here
Fashion! Turn to the left
Fashion! Turn to the right
Oooh, fashion!
We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town
Beep-beep
Beep-beep
Listen to me - don’t listen to me
Talk to me - don’t talk to me
Dance with me - don’t dance with me, no
Beep-beep
Remember when I was so hyped up over the future of biodiesel? Well, lately my exuberance has been waning as I have been reading and hearing about the environmental consequences of growing crops for biofuels. After reading this week’s cover article in Time magazine called “The Clean Energy Myth,” my excitement over biofuels has all but disappeared.
Following are some quotes from the article (by all means, read the entire article here):
“The grain it takes to fill an SUV with ethanol could feed a person for a year. Harvests are being plucked to fuel our cars instead of ourselves.”
“The basic problem with most biofuels is amazingly simple, given that researchers have ignored it until now: using land to grow fuel leads to the destruction of forests, wetlands and grasslands that store enormous amounts of carbon.”
“Indonesia has bulldozed and burned so much wilderness to grow palm oil trees for biodiesel that its ranking among the world’s top carbon emitters has surged from 21st to third…”
“Deforestation accounts for 20% of all current carbon emissions.”
Jed participated in his first track meet yesterday at Lone Peak High School against Willowcreek Junior High. He participated in the 100 Meter race, and the Long Jump. He did a great job, especially since it was soooo cold. Brrr.
Grandpa Graff, Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin, and the Babcock family joined us on Sunday evening for some Easter Egg Hunting, dinner, lounging, and nonsense in the backyard. Enjoy.
I took Abby and Bridget to the city Easter Egg Hunt. It was supposed to start at 11:00 a.m. We arrived at about 10:50, and took our place in a section with around 50 children waiting for the signal. This was just one area, by the way. There were many others with just as many children. Some of the older children (who I’m sure were older than age 10, the limit) started rushing a few minutes after we arrived. This caused everyone else in the park to rush. If you didn’t rush, you missed out. So we rushed too.
It was a frenzy! If you were just showing up, you had no chance to get even one egg. After it was all over, I was talking with some friends and looked at my watch. It was 11:03. The hunt was supposed to start at 11:00 and we were done by 11:03. Crazy. The parent comments around me as we traversed the park were pretty funny. Needless to say, I think that there were a lot of “private” Easter Egg Hunts afterwards. But what do you expect in a city whose median age was 18 in the 2000 census…I can’t imagine what it is today.
Bridget sacrificed her reputation to do a dance number with Abby at this year’s Primary in Excellence. They performed the Wiggerly Woo. Abby wouldn’t practice days before the event, so I was worried that she wouldn’t participate. But she didn’t seem to mind performing in front of a large group. Abby did a great job.
Bridget was then put upon one more time when she “had” to sing a number with the Activity Day Girls. The things we have to put up with in this life! Honestly!
Jed has been in the beginning orchestra class at Mountain Ridge all year. He is part of the 1st Violins group.
This is their spring concert. The group is progressing and showing improvement from the beginning of the year. You can’t see Jed, he is in the very back. But you can catch a glimpse of him walking off the stage at the end of their performance.
I told Jed that if he continues with violin and orchestra through junior high, then I will buy him a brand new violin to play in high school. He seemed pleased with the deal.
Tonight while driving I was listening to the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by The Eagles. I’ve listened to it many times since December 1972, but for some reason concentrated a little more on the lyrics tonight. Here they are:
Remember when I was so hyped up over the future of biodiesel? Well, lately my exuberance has been waning as I have been reading and hearing about the environmental consequences of growing crops for biofuels. After reading this week’s cover article in Time magazine called “The Clean Energy Myth,” my excitement over biofuels has all but disappeared.
