Mon - October 16, 2006

Earthquakes rock. duh.


6.7 and 6.0 magnitude

My second floor bedroom wall is up against the corrugated-metal garage roof, and the incessant drumming from heavy rain at 2:00 AM was so damn LOUD that I gave up trying to sleep. I read for a while, then decided to clean off my dresser and organize some drawers instead. Very strange behavior for me. Gotta admit, I was a little nervous and was just hoping it just wouldn't flood again like it did in April .

Eventually the rain subsided so fell back in bed and enjoyed a really peaceful nap (after all, I had finally cleaned off my dresser and drawers!) . The next time I opened my eyes I was delighted to find that it was almost 7:00, later than I ever get up, and that Rocky Raccoon had actually let me sleep past 5:30 on a Sunday for once! He noticed I was awake, so ran on up to go though his usual morning routine (licked my hands, feet, and especially top of my head) until I had enough and I made him go back to his towels at the foot of the bed.

A couple of minutes later a huge convoy rolled through the yard. Or a plane lost altitude as it flew overhead. Or a crazy-ass tornado circled the house. Or maybe it was just a herd of very lost buffalo.

I sat up, looked at the cat, who was dozing obliviously at the foot of the bed, and called out to him. Only then did he sit up straight and look around, wondering what those very noisy buffalo were doing in our yard. I couldn't wait for him to figure it out, so I ran to the doorway and did what they say to do, though I feared the old house might crumble, bringing me and the door jamb crashing to the ground floor.

The quake hit at 7:08 AM on a Sunday, probably the best day and time possible. It caused very little damage on Oahu, though the island-wide power outage was a real inconvenience, especially for tourists and those low on gas who, for some reason, needed to be on the road. Long lines formed at the few stores and gas stations that were able to remain open, but I couldn't really understand why. It was DAYLIGHT, for goodness sake, the rain had temporarily abated, so why were ice, batteries, water, and beer in such demand and being sold out so quickly?? Sheesh, don't people keep a stash? (yeah, I do, but replace "beer" with "wine".)

The Big Island of Hawaii, where the quakes were nearest, suffered much damage, but, amazingly, reported few injuries and no fatalities. A teeny little four-inch tsunami (tidal wave) was generated.

Oahu regained power slowly and methodically, and I got power back about 11.5 hours later, just as it was getting dark. I was kind of bummed because I had set out candles in most rooms and was prepared to rough it out, at least until the next morning when I had to use my blow dryer and curling iron.

I heard that TV news reports (which I couldn't view) made it seem that a catastrophic disaster had befallen our little islands. Yes, the Big Island of Hawaii sustained a lot of structural and property damage, and roadways were closed and are now in need of repair. But some other islands barely felt anything, and never even lost electrical power. I don't know what CNN and Fox showed, but I can guess. After all, they would only be sent the most dramatic shots to broadcast, and who would want to hear about folks who took advantage of their "down" time catching up on reading, cleaning their houses, brushing their cats, and playing old board games with their kids?

It could have been so much worse. As it was, Mother Nature considerately waited until the sun was up, kids weren't in school, and most people home so could take care of their cats and kids. After the initial surprise and shock, most of us probably were able to reflect, slow down, and appreciate what we have. It would've been hard to not think of other recent disasters. Hawaii definitely can be a paradise.

Posted at 07:26 PM       |

Sun - April 2, 2006

Flooded!


March 31, 2006 was finally our turn

It had been raining for weeks, so when another thunderstorm began, I pretty much ignored it, figuring it wouldn't cause much damage. I only looked outside when I heard my dad, who lives next door, banging things around. Turns out he was wrestling with trash bins that kept floating away. That's him in the picture below, taken from behind my screen door, just before water started to come into my house.

I live upstairs in an old, two-story house. Thank goodness downstairs is mostly used for storage..and shoes. Unfortunately, my car, that was vandalized last month and was just brought back from the body shop the day before, also lives downstairs and got flooded.

After 4.5 hours of sweeping, scooping, and mopping water up, I finally ventured out in my soggy car to get a Shop-Vac. Shoulda done that earlier. Yesterday my father ripped out the living room carpet and threw out the two couches. They were old and only Rocky would miss them. Most of the things in storage are OK, with the exception of some older printers and monitors. My stuff is all upstairs, safe and dry.

Click the image below for a slideshow of my view of the flood. I couldn't go outside to take better pictures because I was trying my damnedest to block the water from coming in the doors! Once it started seeping in, it gained power, pushing away towels, rags, and rugs I used to try to stop the flow.

dad_trashbins2.jpg

I'm very lucky. Nothing of real value was damaged. The first thing I did was scoop up my shoes that were on the floor, and make sure the rest were out of harm's way :) It's mostly the days of clean-up that are a pain. Others weren't as fortunate. It's been raining off-and-on, but mostly on, for about five weeks. Hawaii hasn't been hit like this in decades.

Posted at 12:45 PM       |

Sun - March 26, 2006

RIP, crazy tree


:(



RIP_tree_2006.jpg

It put up with a lot, but the recent downpours were too much for it.

Posted at 12:03 PM       |

Sat - March 25, 2006

Weird Hawaii Weather


Hail and tornadoes


hail.jpg

Hailstone drift in geraniums
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 25, 2006


Horizontally-flying hailstones the size of quarters on the Big Island of Hawaii, tornadoes on the island of Lanai, lots of flooding, landslides, and power outages state-wide. Roads and homes were taken out, and seven lives were lost on Kauai.

Not your typical Hawaii weather.

Posted at 11:14 PM       |

Sat - March 11, 2006

Where are the magazines?



That's what I wondered when I went to my nearest Barnes and Noble for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte* today. And this is what I found out:

B&N_3_pics.jpg

Their magazine display fixtures were wiped out when the car crashed through their plate glass window.

* Our Starbucks coffee shops don't carry the new Cinnamon Dolces. B&N does, but they're sure no Starbucks. I've been there twice, and twice they messed up my order. What's so difficult about no fat, no whip??

Posted at 08:15 PM       |

Sun - October 30, 2005

Happy Halloween


From me and Rocky

Rocky and I don't usually dress up anymore for Halloween, but we do our part.

halloween_collage

Posted at 11:06 PM       |

Sun - August 28, 2005

Safety Information


"This product should not be used on swollen or inflamed areas or skin eruptions. Do not use on unexplained calf pain. Consult a physician. "

Why would one use it on calf pain? And why is it so expensive? Ah, must be the remote control feature ..

Before you think less (or more) of me, I know nothing about this product, just found the link on another blog.

Posted at 08:43 PM       |

Wed - August 3, 2005

When you care enough to send the very best *


..of your cheating heart

The new Secret Lover Collection of greeting cards is exclusively for people having affairs.

Evidently there's a market for these. I'm rolling my eyes and shaking my head too much to think of anything else to say.

* apologies to Hallmark

Posted at 04:29 PM       |

Fri - July 29, 2005

"Female" android unveiled


in Japan, of course

Her appearance can momentarily fool people into thinking that she's human.

I know someone who might be tricked -- it's that Asian female thing that seems to cast a spell on some guys!

female_android

Read the BBC News story .


Posted at 10:09 AM       |

Thu - July 21, 2005

Grommet and tag puzzle


Again, I resorted to cheating :(

I admit it, after not being able to solve the puzzle for 14 years, I had to cheat. Thank goodness for the internet.

Got this puzzle at some education workshop years ago. None of my colleagues were able to solve it, either. Every few years I'd try again (yes, I knew where I'd kept it and periodically took it out, only to be frustrated). After a while, no one remembered what puzzle I was talking about, so I was on my own, and had to introduce it to new people. To no avail.

Don't know quite why I decided to finally search online for the answer after trying to solve it in vain the past few weeks.

OBJECTIVE: Get the darn string out without tearing the tag.

puzzle

Wanna make your own so you can actually try for yourself?

Rocky even lent a hand. Uh, teeth.

rocky_puzzle

After you try for at least 14 years and still haven't solved it without resorting to looking up the solution, you can email me or check it out yourself <-- you cheater!!

PS: If you solve it within the day (without resorting to CHEATING), I officially hate you.

PPS: I think I've gotten dumber. Ohyes. But much better at cheating.



Posted at 09:38 PM       |

Tue - June 28, 2005

Weird school news


It's unlikely she'll lose her job


SELMA, Ind. - A middle school principal who shocked some parents and community members by what they described as suggestively dancing with male students at a talent show will not be fired, a school official said.

Handcuffs and tshirt-tearing was involved, all to the tune of "Macho Man" and "YMCA".

See full article

Posted at 09:21 AM       |

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