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Winter 2011 (Dec-Feb)
Rode helmetless for a couple of weeks after my follow-up visit for my eyebrow tattoo as a test to see if the burning & peeling rashes I frequently get around my nostrils and eyebrows was perhaps due to an allergic reaction to my motorcycle helmet, because the proprietor said her son would experience the same sort of facial problem and that they traced it back to his wearing of a motorcycle helmet. For a couple of weeks I'd still feel signs of outbreak, but they were relatively minor and no outbreaks ever occurred until just prior to last weekend when it blew up again, so I figure it's safe to say that it's not the ''helmet'' I'm alllergic to.
Unmentioned Highlights From Previous Quarter
June 12, 2007 (Tuesday)
Took my newer bicycle out and went to pick up my ''Thomas Dolby'' spectacles this afternoon, after mailing off the copy of James Loewen's book I'd purchased for my mother & depositing several employer's checks along with my Federal and State tax refund checks. I yhen decided to venture on to ''Ala Moana Center'' and peruse the ''food court,'' not really intending to purchase anything anyhow.
On my way back towards Town shortly afterward, there was this heavy ''scraping'' against my front wheel shortly after I had turned onto ''Auahi Street.'' By the time I had stopped to investigate, just shy of reaching the corner of ''Ward Center,'' it had punctured & blown out the tube (which I had refilled to capacity just less than a week ago). It had turned out that the ''brake pad'' had for some reason become dislodged from its housing and was responsible for shredding into the tire and puncturing the tube when I pulled the brake lever. I decided to walk back to the apartment so as not to do any more damage to the tire, which will probably need to be replaced anyway.
22:45, Hawaii Standard Time.
June 25, 2007 (Monday)
Met up with the new resident manager this morning (he had been here for about a week and this was the first time I'd encountered him) to ''register'' my motorcycle and bicycle with him. Later I tried contacting the property representatives again about the overdue notices I'm still receiving, and I was told that both the site manager and the property manager had both been out on ''sick leave'' which explained why no one had ever returned any of my phone calls.
I also upgraded the memory in the G3 with some RAM cards I had salvaged from a couple of G3 Macs (a ''PowerMac'' and an ''iMac'' model identical to mine) that were being set aside for disposal at my place of work (I had no way of knowing what if anything was wrong with the ''iMac,'' but I hope to test it out if it is still there next week). So with the new memory I've managed to bump the RAM on the G3 from 128 to 356 MB -- even so, I'm certain the machine itself is going to die out on me within the next year.
Accomplished absolutely nothing else this day -- slept the entire day away and wound up with another of those headaches.
23:05, Hawaii Standard Time.
June 30 - July 1, 2007 (Saturday-Sunday)
Returned to the worksite hoping to see the ''graphite'' ''iMac'' that had been set aside for a trip to the dump which I had taken an interest in last weekend was still on site. It was, but so also was a one of the later model ''PowerMacs'' pumped with a bus-load of memory (two 512 MB cards). Both were in relatively excellent physical condition (the ''iMac'' had a nasty scratch on its viewing screen, but I had not noticed it the previous weekend, so I am uncertain if it had always been there and I just had not noticed or if I had somehow inadvertently caused the damage myself when I had set it aside). I had forgetten to bring a mouse with me to test the ''iMac,'' and I was without a screen to test the ''PowerMac,'' so I took advantage of some of the 'special' knowledge I have about my workplace which should not be known to me and made use of what I needed to test both units throughout the workshift.
Both units displayed the blinking ''system folder'' error each time they were turned on. The ''PowerMac'' was acting with a considerable degree of tempermentality but would eventually turn itself on and spit out a software restore disc (designated for the ''eMac'') that it was attempting to install/restore from but would repeatedly crash. I figured that since the problem with both seemed to primarily involve a corruption surrounding the 'system folder' I'd take the ''iMac'' home and try to run some diagnostic discs to see if I could clear anything up to workable order... but not before snatching up that ''one & 1/4 Megs'' of memory from the ''PowerMac,'' just in case it wasn't still there when I came in the next day.
When I got the iMac home and turned it on, it started up (in OS X) with absolutely no problem at all, complete with ''password protected'' accounts, unlike how it had behaved earlier. As a result I had suddenly experienced a rush of guilty feeling come over me -- even more so as reloaded the original ''iMac'' installation package. The reinstallation went off without a hitch, so my next step is to go online and update whatever firmware I need before attempting to run the OS X.2 ''Jaguar'' upgrade installation discs. I learned from the system profile that I ''lose out'' on the DVD drive that comes with my original system, but I ''gained'' a ''CD-RW'' drive which the ''Jade Succubus'' lacked, being a CD ''read only'' drive -- I'd rather have the DVD-ROM over the CD-RW since I get the latter in my ''G4'' unit. But if I didn't pay for it and (if) it works, why should I have cause for complaint?
Encouraged by the results of the iMac reload I looked forward to working a similar miracle with the PowerMac, so when I pulled it out of hiding the next day my hope was to withdraw the ''eMac'' install disc still inside then run my installation discs which I had brought from the apartment. Unfortunately on this round it refused to display anything on screen, kept blipping on & off repeatedly, and now refused to eject the trapped disc. Unable to tell if the CPU was still in the circuit board or not (it was not 'plainly' visible), I chalked this one up to a lost cause. The experience with the PowerMac settled my nerves over my reclaimation of the iMac.
''Weekend in Review''
July 2-6, 2007 (Monday-Friday)
Most of the week was spent configuring the new old iMac, finally managing to set-up OS 9 and transfer all personal files, mistakenly duplicating some that had been put there from the other G3 and unwittingly giving myself double sorting work to do rather than sorting everything on the G4 prior to transfer.
During this time I was forced to finally mop my floor (Monday or Tuesday, I cannot recall) after I had left the kitchen sink long enough for it to overflow, then did a minor bit of furniture reshuffling after the mopping was done. I'd also manage to locate the latest hiding spot for those invading bitches (ants) I periodically have to keep dealing with.
Yesterday (Thursday) had me finally purchase replacements for my bicycle front tire, plus my own tire pump (finally) because I've finally decided I've grown tired of trying to hunt down so-called ''service stations'' which either offer the ''service'' at all or any that are relatively close (and DON'T charge a fee).
Yesterday ended with more for me to get myself worked up over and forced to spend more money on. Because of shifting and switching around computer wires in order to get to everything as I needed to get to it, the exposed wires from my modem splice job, which I had left open and bare all this time, had come into contact with each other, killing the power adapter permanently. I fixed the bicycle this morning then rode it out to ''CompUSA'' to see if they stocked a compatible adapter, but after ''Customer Service'' called twice for someone to assist me and still no one bothered to show up after long stretches I decided to ride up to ''Radio Shack'' on ''School Street,'' only to be told that they did not stock the item they thought I would need, so they had me go instead to the Salt Lake location which said they had it. Only I had to go back out there again to send it back because it was not what I needed. (I stopped by the office pick up my paychecks on my first trip out there, having realized that today was also payday, so I had three checks waiting for me there.)
Still not finding what I needed in stock after that second trip out, I decided to improvise, temporarily robbing the shortwave radio & alarm clock combi of the power supply until I can replace the one I lost with something a bit more compatible: thankfully, the temporary arrangement is working well enough for the time being.
''Week in Review''
July 8, 2007 (Sunday)
After finally determining to get back to religious services on a regular basis (since the last time since whenever the heck that was I said the same thing before, which is why I had no intentions on mentioning it this time around), it turns out that only the Korean language congregation was even meeting today, apparently there's a larger convention taking place somewhere I was unaware of. So I returned to the apartment, stopping to pick up a few things at the grocery store along the way not so much because I needed anything. I later went to ''KMart'' to purchase a backpack for my planned bicycle ride to the worksite.
11:40, Hawaii Standard Time.
July 14-15, 2007 (Saturday-Sunday)
Managed to scavenge a few AC adapters from the trashed electronics pile at the worksite Saturday and brought them back to see if any of them would fit and, hopefully, work with my DSL modem enough to get back online sufficiently enough to stay connected. The rating numbers for one of them was virtually identical, save for only a 5 watt input difference, but of course the plug proved to be too big for the modem power port, so I attempted a couple of spice jobs with it, which was successful enough each time to get power fed through it, but for some unknown reason my modem would not fire-up completely (it would go through the initial ''warming up'' process, but would always stop short and freeze up). The other adapter had both the appropriate sized nub as well as a high enough power input/output rating to get the unit restored & operational again, but I worry that the power rating may be ''too much'' for the device, since the rating numbers are considerably higher ((update: I checked the numbers of each unit against each other and it appears, according to the specs, that there is a considerable range of ''leeway'' in its input/output capacities, so I may actually be relatively within a comfortable operational range, and thus far (tonight being Tuesday) everything seems to be functioning decently.))
Sunday those irritating ''space invaders'' (ant bitches) mysteriously appeared & congregated in and around an particular area of my apartment again, and trying to get a fix on their latest hiding place (which I was unable to) they caused me to miss yet another Sunday morning service! (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it!)
''Weekend in Review''
July 17, 2007 (Tuesday)
Made myself get out of the house this afternoon to go take a look at a TV stand/shelf/cabinet a young Asian lady had listed with numerous other items for sale on one of the fliers she was posting about campus Sunday afternoon (which had to be taken down due to not having been ''approved'' by the 'Student Affairs' office). I had called her that night to inquire about it and said I might be interested in it if they had a way to transport it out to me, but she said they did not have a vehicle. I called about it again this morning and was told that it was still available, so I said that I'd like to take a look at it personally to determine if it would be possible to strap it on the rear seat of the motorcycle -- we scheduled a time for around 16:00 (4:00 p.m.). I had also left a message for the man who said he had an extra USB mouse (I had placed an ad last week in Yahoo! Groups' ''FreeCycle'' category asking for a spare mouse for the remaining mouseless ''iMac'') and hoped to collect both items during the same trip. Later in the day during subsequent calls both parties agreed to the 16:00-16:30 time frames.
I secured the Mac mouse first, meeting the guy inside the parking lot of the McDonald's in Kaimuki, and being pleasantly surprised to see that what he was offering was in fact the ''real McCoy'' -- an official ''Apple'' LED tracking light ''Pro Mouse'' -- and I was honestly expecting a ''third party'' device with the traditional ''roller ball.''
When I arrived at the apartment of the young couple moving out of their unit (to move to Thailand after having graduated college) I was not at all optimistic about being able to take the shelving unit with me, because it appeared to be way to large for me to position on the motorcycle. After some time, however, I suggested that we take it down to test if it might be possible to fit on there afterall. To my surprise I was able to successfully position it & strap it down securely and still have plenty of room for seating myself, though I would have to occasionally endure banging the back of my head (helmet) against it. During this time she kept desperately trying to push a white plastic chair on me to take with me despite my protests, so much so that by the time I had agreed to accept it and managed to find an amazing way to secure it onto the back along with the cabinet I was under the impression that she was in such a tizzy to push it off on me that she was going to be including it as part of a set for the same asking price for the shelf itself (seven dollars), but instead she was hoping that I'd take the chair for the three extra dollars she was asking for it as well, so I had to explain to her that I had come only with the seven dollars total which was intended only for the cabinet (as is my habit whenever I decide to carry cash for any preplanned purchases).
Got rid of that delapitated crumbling particle board piece of junk I had holding my reading library and made a few switches in order to make room for the new arrival. Everything looks considerably neater now.
22:55, Hawaii Standard Time.
July 20-22, 2007 (Friday-Sunday)
Friday, those infuriating little space invading bitches finally managed to reveal their latest huddling place (underneath the kitchen floor tiles again), so I put another end to their existence within this particular dwelling unit.
Later on I finally decided to stop putting off registering with ''Real Rhapsody'' (via the Windows PC, since they refuse to make it compatible with my version of Mac OS) because I need to get my soundfiles in quick order now, and because I'm planning on rescrubbing the PC and starting afresh all over again once I get these files formatted & tagged.
Yesterday (Saturday) hit me with another big electronic surprise: another ''iMac'' was being tossed by someone at the jobsite. That was not so much what caught my attention, but that in this instance the person had chosen to discard the complete system -- i.e., the main unit along with the keyboard and optical mouse... and this just less than a week after claiming an extra Mac mouse someone had agreed to part with. The machine & accessories worked beautifully, but the problem with the computer itself seemed to be a problem with the system recognizing the installed CD-RW drive, which could mean just about anything, so I left it behind in favor of the accessories and the 128 MB memory card.
''Weekend in Review''
July 23 - 27, 2007 (Monday-Friday)
This past week went by too quickly for me: it was a busy week and a week of discovery.
In no particular order...
I'd managed to uncover a second (and larger) colony of ants in this apartment after I became bitterly determined to eradicate them after they began getting into my sugar container. I thought they were likely hiding in some crack or crevasse in my mini-refridgerator; it turned out instead that they had set up inside one of the ''iMac'' boxes upon which the refer rested.
Discovering what a trash system ''Windows'' OS really is... at least as far as its handling of audio is concerned. It's always played streamed audio with dog-awful pops and crackles, but it wasn't until I began using an audio recording program similar to Ambrosia's ''WireTap'' that I discovered to my horror that unlike ''Macintosh'' these disruptions are recorded right along with the intended audio.
On the flipside, I learned of another piss-me-off problem in Apple's ''upgraded'' versions of ''iTunes.'' The issue this time (I have several with the 'upgrades') is that anything I save to disc from a ''podcast'' will not play in the ''OS 9'' versions of the media player. I learned this when I was trying to play back my ''Japanese Pod 101'' language instruction downloads only to learn that it couldn't be done. So I had to switch back over into ''OS X'' and rip the actual .mp3 files from the CD-R disc onto the hard drive. (I'm only assuming this was a reasonable remedy, as I have yet to test it).
Speaking of the computers, I also earlier this week did a detailed scrub job on all the Mac keyboards & mouses (or is that ''mice''? -- I still don't know), then assigned which devices I wanted associated with which units and put the remaining ones away as back-ups.
Edited/Updated my ''Amazon.com'' ''So You'd Like To...'' guides, deleting one of them which, because of most of the DVD titles mentioned therein having since been released, became obsolete.
And except for the newer stuff which still has to be reviewed & formatted, I learned that most of my audio files are all pretty much ready to be burned to CD data discs. The newest sound files being the ones I recorded in the ''Windows'' PC, and rather than wasting a blank CD-R and burning them to disc (which I still would have had to learn how to do in PC anyway) I transferred the files into one of my personal webpage directories in PC and downloaded them in the Mac while at the same time doing more editing work on the photos I use as my ''screensaver'' collection.
''Week in Review''
August 4, 2007 (Saturday)
Decided to take the entire day off work after an almost entire previous day's lack of sleep compounded with a bout of digestive problems and later headache which kept me lethargic throughout most of the day & night. Another part of what moved me to make this decision was over the uncertainty of whom I'd be paired up with, since my regular partners are both National Guardsmen and simultaneously attending camp for the next three weeks, and I was really in no mood to find out if I'd be paired up with some semi- or completely incompetent or, worse, if I'd be expected to ''train'' another newbie. Part of the decision also involved a bit of testing a hypothesis with regard to what, if anything, would happen if I'd simply refused to show up to my assignment without any sort of explanation whatsoever, seeing how it is that (so far) the person who opens his mouth ''loses.''
During this debate since late last night I'd spent much time getting to know the relatively recently discovered and considerably more ''liberal'' ''YouTube'' clone, ''veoh.com'' -- where I sucked down a virtual smorgasbord of the ''Planet of the Apes'' animated series and a few other curios. By the time my alarm clock had gone off to the time I had set it for my ''wake-up'' call I had just completed viewing Michael Moore's ''SiCKO,'' which someone had posted online -- and though it was not quite as engaging ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' and not engrossing enough for me to want to own it on DVD it, like ''Fahrenheit,'' made me extremely angry and ashamed at the United States of America and of being an ''American,'' to where I can now uncategorically say (given all the things this country has done and ''stood for'' especially since the ''Neo-Conservatives'' took absolute & unchallenged control) that I ''HATE'' America! (...AND that I want to get out! -- although, granted, I've wanted ''out'' of the U.S. for a very long time already anyway, so that's really nothing new, but the desire to leave it behind has never been out of outright 'hatred' before.)
23:10, Hawaii Standard Time.
August 9, 2007 (Thursday)
They finally got around to presenting me with a new lease this morning -- only until the remainder of the current lease period, however. It shaved off about $50 from what they were attempting to commit me to prior to my disputing it and resubmitting it unsigned, but it's still a $20 increase from what I've been paying up to the present.
Now that this irritation is (mostly) out of the way I can focus more on re-evaluating my work situation and possible relocation considerations. The first part is more immediate and will be more thought-involved, since I am still off schedule until I decide to go back in to the office and file a personal report explaining my absence last week, which will be compounded by my continued interest to volunteer as a foreign exchange student aide later this month. The present plan is to continue working with this company until the next full lease cycle is (hopefully) re-approved, at which time I will give extremely serious thought & consideration to dropping this current company I work for like a hot coal and delve deeper into the prospect of effecting another relocation move.
23:00, Hawaii Standard Time.
August 14, 2007 (Tuesday)
Got around to presenting my employers with a report regarding my no-show, which finally got me out of the apartment after a full week and a half of video marathoning on ''veoh'' and ''YouTube'' (eating up most of the ''Sliders'' series peppered with a good dose of the ''Spawn'' animated series, and the BBC ''The Tripods'' series) before shifting my main focus on reviewing & tweaking my still raw/unedited sound files. The trip was probably not even necessary, because I learned when I got there that they had already put me back on my regular schedule, which probably tells me that whomever they had replaced me with these last couple of cycles must have urked-up super big-time and pushed them to take ''drastic'' action (which would be absolutely no surprise to me, considering that my own extended absence coincided with the absence of the regularly scheduled co-workers I'm usually partnered with, who were/are currently on leave to attend their National Guard obligations.
The hard winds today (undoubtedly connected with the hurricane presently sweeping past the Islands) kept me riding with caution & recognizing speed limits, but assholes still have to find some way to use inclement weather conditions to transform into extreme pricks -- I would've killed this one jizzface in his humongous pick-up who thought it was a good idea to blare his horn behind someone trying to control 400 pounds of ''two-wheeled'' attitude in an open & unprotected environment all because their impatient ass riding in the lap of luxury and security felt that such a person in front of them was moving ''too slow'' for them on the Nimitz-to-Dillingham'' off-ramp (I hope these bastards get introduced to five and six dollars per gallon gasoline very soon!).
22:25, Hawaii Standard Time.
August 19, 2007 (Saturday)
The office called me yesterday morning before my alarm went off to wake me for work to ask me if I'd be interested in working this week on the island of Kaua'i, beginning this evening. I informed them it would not be likely since I could not see myself shelling out the expenses for airfare and inter-island flights. But a rather astute co-worker they had me partnered with yesterday wondered how much the job would pay (a question and potential condition I had failed to consider), so I called back with that very question. When I informed the office that at the quoted rate I would still most likely be working ''at a loss,'' they clarified that airfare and lodging expenses would indeed be covered by them and that I would only need be responsible for my own meals. When this was explained to me I gave it deeper consideration and decided to go with it, although I must have been off my nut for accepting under the following conditions: I start this evening, my flight leaves early in the afternoon and, most stressfully, I will be working eight straight days... half of which will consist of back-to-back 14-hour work days! This also comes on top of the fact that school will be starting back up next week and I'm still serious about volunteering at the Community College -- regarding which I'd just sent off an update email to Fujikawa-sensei (the Japanese language instructor).
I'm worried that I'll be terribly tired going in, since after some quick ''pau hana'' shopping for some snacks (and not finding anything I'd actually gone in for) I decided to give the apartment a fair scrubbing in between sorting which items to pack to take along for the long short trip, and I've still not found time to rest, let alone sleep any. Adding to this is the fact that my feet are still somewhat sore from last night, so that's weighing heavily on me as well.
And the dumb fishtards at the office are still 'batting a thousand,' as after all day yesterday coaxing & cajoling me and laying out my work schedule & travel itineraries, etc., dimbob at the office this morning calls me a little over an hour and a half ago to ask me if I was en route to KCC. Yep... NO ONE from the office had bothered to readjust my schedule accordingly to reflect any of this information.
Now I've got to get out of here and swipe some small change from the ATM for whatever 'incidental expenses' I may encounter and finish my last speck of packing so I can be outside at the bus stop no later than 12 noon so that I'll have enough time to catch my 13:40 flight outta here. I also gotta call my mother and let her know what's up.
07:50, Hawaii Standard Time.
August 27, 2007 (Monday)
Just got back from Kaua'i about an hour ago. Surprisingly, for being gone for only such a short period my apartment was almost completely unrecognizable.
Although my time on Kaua'i was taken up mostly by work, I did get to explore just a little bit and learn my way around Lihue (with great difficulty) during my stay. The most notable things I'd learned about the town was that their highway signs are probably the only ones in the U.S. that use dual distance measurements -- displaying both miles and kilometers. I was also impressed that Lihue was simultaneously both larger and smaller than I had expected (the town is indeed very small though very confusingly laid out, but is surprisingly also home to some of the major retailers such as the various megamarts as well as a considerably sizable shopping mall). But, of course, the things that left the biggest impressions on me were the feral chickens which are everywhere (and I literally mean ''everywhere'') which (the males, at least) are irritatingly obnoxious at ''all'' hours of the day and night, and what simply has to be the highest concentration of grossly overweight people (male and female; child and adult) of anyplace in the United States!
Specific Dates Breakdown:
Picked up at the airport by the Island operation's manager who had first driven me past the motel where I would be staying (a roach trap called ''Tip Top'' which according to many has a very good and highly popular cafe) then shown directions to the event site (''Vidinha Stadium'') then showed me around some of the main streets throughout town before dropping me off at the motel to get myself established and rested up a bit before going to the jobsite. Prior to drop-off I was given the key to the company truck for use back and forth to & from the jobsite ... I didn't dare tell anyone that my driver's license only authorizes me to operate two-wheeled vehicles.
KAUA'I : Day Two
After work I drove around town searching for ideas on where I could go to get lunch or dinner later on, got very few ideas... and got very lost. Part of my getting lost led me to the access road to Wailua Falls and I followed the road the entire distance to the overlook and was impressed with the spectacular though largely restricted site; I took a short venture beyond a breach in the fenced-off area and got a brief peek at the collection pool prior to the fall's edge before driving back down the mountain road, still finding nothing but closed restaurants, then finding my way back to the motel. On my way back to work later in the evening I could not come up with any ideas for where I could get a local or ''plate lunch'' type of meal, so I settled for ordering a pan pizza (along with a ''tourist guide'' magazine) from ''Pizza Hut'' along with a 2-litre ginger ale and some snack crackers I'd first purchased at the independent supermarket in the same general area.
KAUA'I : Day Three
After work I decided to check out ''Kukui Grove'' Shopping Center before returning to the motel. I had ended up oversleeping due to having.improperly set the alarm to the room-supplied alarm clock & radio (the field supervisor who was supposed to pick up the truck from the jobsite had to stop by the motel to wake me up). En route to the job site I first stopped off at ''KFC'' just because it was close by and I still had no real ideas on where to get a quick meal for the day, then went searching for the jobsite again and got lost again. Before heading out I called the main O'ahu office to check-in -- apparently no one had informed them that I was running late by about two hours, so I decided to take advantage of the information blackout and dress-up my late arrival as having only been by half-an-hour, only to figure out later that I had actually inadvertently credited myself an extra hour-and-a-half, totally unintentional... but left uncorrected.
KAUA'I : Day Four
During a follow-up check on my job duties, the field supervisor who had awaken me earlier pointed out to me that the thing I had forever believed to be a small thin sleek and shiny black worm was in fact a long-established very tiny species of snake (I was only able to confirm this when I observed its monitoring tongue flickering). After work I decided to check out ''Harbor Mall,'' a quaint little tourist trappy type of center.
KAUA'I : Day Five
Got breakfast at the ''hot bar'' at ''Star Market'' at ''Kukui Grove'' after work, then somehow got very lost again after leaving the property, thinking I was heading back in the direction of the motel, then believing I was ''looping'' back around in the direction of ''Harbor Mall'' via ''Nawiliwili Road,'' but instead found myself heading miles out in the direction of ''Koloa'' town via ''Kaumuali'i Highway'' before I doubled back and cluelessly a ''long way'' back road 'scenic route' back into the main areas of Lihue town!
KAUA'I : Day Six
I was told that because my schedule no longer required me to work overnights I would likewise no longer have use of the truck: instead, I would be picked-up and dropped-off to & from both locations. The Hawaii Inter-island Ferry Service, which I had just a couple of days ago learned would finally be going into operation in less than a week was castrated by a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling of a case supposedly brought about by groups like ''Greenpeace'' and the ''Sierra Club'' regarding their lack of having conducted an ''environmental impact study'' and is being ''greeted'' with all sorts of protests -- I say ''supposedly'' because I am of the very strongest suspicion that all these protestations are being egged on (directly and subversively) by the airline and rental car industries in this state... I have absolutely NO proof of this whatsoever, but even childlike logic gives crystal clear indication that this is what's making the launch of this much needed service and alternative so extremely difficult to get off the ground! (So ''IF'' ''Greenpeace'' and ''Sierra Club'' are at all involved in this protest and shutdown, it is my gut-felt opinion that it was somehow triggered by an INFILTRATION of entities representative of the airline and car rental interests!)
KAUA'I : Day Seven
Went out to do some laundry this morning, prior to doing a sorry-assed 'lunch buffet' at ''Pizza Hut,'' stopping off at the Kaua'i operations office en route to ask about returning the truck key (which I did not have with me at the time), whereupon I was told to hold onto it and that I would again be using the truck on Saturday and Sunday to take me to the work site from the motel but that I would still need to be picked up at the end of the workshift at midnight and 11:00 p.m. respectively. After I did lunch I went to the public library, reactivated my library card (which I had let expire over six years ago) and made use of their computer terminals to check/compose email, but I had gotten onto the system just mere minutes after they had installed a new user access system which was behaving somewhat erratically.
KAUA'I : Day Eight
Picked up dinner at a little Korean eatery on the main strip and decided to kau-kau at ''Kalapaki Beach,'' only to discover that I had to pay for parking there, so I pulled out and drove up a short ways into ''Nawailwili Park,'' where I found a spot on the seawall which so happened to be in an area where a group of at least four sea turtles were frolicking about along the rockline. When pau I wanted to ride further up the pier to check out the SuperFerry which was docked at port (I had only discovered that this was the loading port by sheer accident), but when I looked at the time I saw that I was already late for work by a couple of minutes, so I checked in with the main office en route and arrived on site about ten minutes later, losing some time due to finding out where I could be directed to park.
KAUA'I : Day Nine
The truck was not on site this afternoon as I had expected... I had wanted to go to ''Star Market'' to get a ginger ale and something to eat either from there or someplace else but was turning into a press for time. When I called to ask the local operations manager about it he said he'd come pick me up about a half-hour to check-in time to give me enough time to grab something to eat, but he showed up with only five minutes to spare and we arrived just two or three minutes late. Since I didn't have time to stop off anywhere he gave me $20 to purchase something to eat on site at the County Fair, but being the greedy little miser that I am I settled for the last pack of crackers I had and the root beer someone had left or overlooked in the drink machine across from the motel to sustain me throughout the workshift and I pocketed the twenty. During this last day of the Fair I decided to take some of my break time to scout the booths out and enter a few prize drawings -- I also got to handle ''Apple's ''iPhone'' but found that I wasn't really all that impressed with it, not in the hyped-up ''groupie'' sense of the word (it was actually much smaller than I had imagined it to be).
10:15, Hawaii Standard Time.
KAUA'I : Day One
(August 18, Saturday)
(August 19, Sunday)
(August 20, Monday)
(August 21, Tuesday)
(August 22, Wednesday)
(August 23, Thursday)
(August 24, Friday)
(August 25, Saturday)
(August 26, Sunday)
Winter 2006 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2007 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2007 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2007 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2007 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2008 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2008 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2008 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2008 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2009 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2009 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2009 (Sep-Nov) /
Summer 2010 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2010 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2010 (Dec-Feb) /
Spring 2011 (Mar-May) /
Summer 2011 (Jun-Aug) /
Autumn 2011 (Sep-Nov) /
Winter 2011 (Dec-Feb)
