Dilbert and the Ambition Defect

Dilbert wrote a funny blog that made me laugh, maybe because people comment on the way my Dad works so hard, and Dad will say that he is not a workaholic, but has an extreme fear of failure. This is funny coming from someone who is so very amazing.

Potato Cannon Continued....

Isaiah built the potato cannon, but it just needs the spark plug,some hair spray, and he will be ready to defend our family against marauding...French Fries? If you are using a potato as a weapon, who would your enemy be?

Kava Kava Kava Kava

Here on the Big Island is a lovely little cafe,Bay Front Coffee Kava & Tea Co. We went last night because my friend Jen was the featured artist. Jen did a wonderful job. I had some Alii Kava, which is Kava made with fresh coconut juice instead of filtered water.

The last few times I have sampled Kava, I have tried to describe how this drink makes me feel. The first time I drank Kava(at a birthday party) I could not get over the taste, and had no more than maybe a half cup.It reminded me of carrots and dirt with water. It really did nothing except make my mouth numb. Since then, I usually would have a nice iced coffee when I would visit the cafe. For the most part I only eat things that taste good.

Recently I have been trying Dave's Kava at Bay Front, last night being my 3rd try. The Alii is my favorite, and after a pint, or about 2 shells, the best I could describe the Kava experience is to compare it to when I used to run and get the runner's high, only with Kava, I don't feel tired, just relaxed, and I have this really strong urge to grin. It took away a headache on one occasion, and on another a neck ache went away.

Young people who rock

Found this lovely girl on CNN.com. She was abandoned by her parents in Russia when she was only eight years old. Her name is Tanya Poteet. She is 18 years old now and lives with her adopted family in St. Louis. When she was in the orphanage, she received a gift from Operation Christmas Child. Now she volunteers for OCC and just got back from Quito, Ecuador delivering shoe box gifts to kids in orphanages there.To check out the full story click here. The video interview is here.
I am so encouraged when I hear about young people who are passionate about things that really matter.

Joe Cocker needs a little help from his friends....and Fred.

I found this on woulda coulda shoulda who found it on Verbatim. Kids, this is why you should just say no to drugs.

War in Bosnia

Lejla Allison is my sister. I hope to meet her some day here on earth.

My ranting and raving letter to the editor

A letter I wrote to the editor was featured in the Hawaii Tribune Herald last Saturday.
Why do you care so much about the Strawberry Guava you might ask? Why does it seem as though Sunny thinks the world as we know it will end with the introduction of this new bug. I mean geeeze, what difference will one more bug make right?

Unfortunately, I can't really answer that question very well. It may have something to do with the family drama that I mentioned. I was thinking about all the more important things in my life as I sat in the County Council meeting regarding the guava and the invasive bug. As I spent hours waiting to testify at the public hearing, listening to one boring scientist after another blab on and on about how evil the Strawberry Guava is, I wondered if I had indeed lost it. There are things in my life right now that I wish would change, but I have no control over, and this guava crisis is something I can rant and rave about publicly with out fear of family backlash. Here is the letter:

Why are we spending tax dollars to eradicate a food source on the Big Island?
I was born on Oahu, but grew up in Puna. As a girl, I spent many hours after school in the forest, climbing trees, hiking, and collecting fruit. Instead of eating candy or cookies, I would eat guava. My mother made jam, jelly, chutney, and even spaghetti sauce out of Waiawi. I have prepared Waiawi for breakfast in the morning, baked in the oven with butter and brown sugar. My children eat Waiawi, and as an islander, I know that Hawaiians, and many other people of diverse ancestry eat Waiawi too.

We all know that there is a food crisis going on in the world, so why are we wasting money trying to get rid of a food source? Close your eyes for a moment and think about how thousands of children die each day of starvation while the State of Hawaii wastes time and our tax dollars coming up with ways to destroy a food source.
There are many things wrong with that picture. Maybe those scientists who study the invasive insect could instead, cook up some Waiawi spaghetti sauce to add to our island food bank? Could the U.S Forest Service instead of releasing insects to damage a tree that provides food, fuel, and building materials, maybe smoke pig with Waiawi wood instead, and add it to our island food bank? Maybe the Forest Service and the Big Island Invasive Species Council could partner with the Housing Department and use the wood to build houses for our homeless people here in Hawaii?

Each year on our island we have flooding problems, and if the Waiawi is eradicated, will our flooding problems be worse? Forests with Waiawi use 27 percent more water than forests without Waiawi. Could this be because Waiawi most commonly grows in forests where there is more rainfall? This could also mean the Waiawi is saving our flood zones from property damage, crop damage, and road closures. If the Waiawi is missing, will we have 27 percent more flooding? Furthermore, without Waiawi, the forests might have more puddles which will produce more disease carrying mosquitoes.

Has anyone thought of how ugly the Big Island will be with all the damaged and dying Waiawi everywhere? We must think of the residents first who will no longer have beautiful hedges and natural privacy screens, instead, there will be shriveled brown Waiawi that will no longer provide fruit. I live in Hawaiian Paradise Park, and will not enjoy seeing its natural beauty further damaged. I met a man in Hawaiian Paradise Park who shapes his Waiawi nicely with a hedge trimmer, around the edge of his property. His neighbors were picking the lovely fruit from the Waiawi that were near the road while we talked. We can’t be sure about every outcome from the release of this invasive Brazilian scale insect, but we can be sure that it will make our island ugly. Who will pay for the property damage when our landscaping is ruined? Will tourists want to come back when they see the ugly damaged foliage along our roads, highways, and valleys?
Has anyone forgotten that we the people of Hawaii still rely on tourism as one of our main sources of income in our economy? People come to Hawaii because it is a beautiful paradise.

The Waiawi has been a food source on the islands for animals and humans for almost 200 years. In the light of the world food crisis, and the many benefits the Strawberry Guava provides in Hawaii, I think we should not waste anymore time and tax dollars to eradicate it. Destroy those invasive insects that are being tested at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarantine Facility before they are accidentally released. Don’t even bring invasive insects to our islands to test. Let us instead find ways to use the Strawberry Guava to benefit the people of Hawaii.

Bananas

Here in Hawaii we have a delicious variety of banana called Apple Banana. You have not tasted a banana till you have tasted the Apple Banana.
Actually, in the last two weeks I have been "going bananas" because of a family drama going on right now. It is actually pretty serious and involves my dear grandparents.
Whenever a personal family drama happens in my life, for some reason the normal every day things that are usually no problem(or even fun), feel like mountains to climb. Band practice, homeschooling,OCC,cooking,cleaning,Tae Kwon Do,grocery shopping,bills,real estate, seem way too difficult. I want to clone myself, and make my clone take care of all the responsibilities, and I will go snorkel all day,sleep, and eat bananas.

What is truth?

"The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth."
Psalm 145:18
"and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:32
Truth is not relative. A wise man once said that only the dishonest fear the truth.

More Fashion

Here is America Ferrera at the ALMA Awards. She looks so good in this dress, and I love the shoes.

Le Fashion Le Style

This is Lake Bell again. I just love the whole outfit she is wearing. I think she is the next Sienna Miller. I don't know much about Lake Bell, but I have been noticing that I like her style as much as Sienna's.

Photobooth conversation

"Ok now, Isaiah sit on my lap, and Kealani you sit on Isaiah's lap." "Maybe we should do two normal photos, and one silly one at the end." "Kealani, don't lean back, you won't be in the picture." "Ok, get ready the next one is the silly one." "giggle"

Potato Cannon

So we went to my parent's church picnic where there was a pie eating contest,food,a water slide,an egg toss,bingo,sling shot water balloon games, and to Isaiah's delight there was a potato cannon.
Isaiah was not the only 12 year old there, but he was the first 12 year old to appear when the man with the green Jeep arrived with the potato cannon. Notice in the picture there is a boy smiling next to the men with the cannon.That would be Isaiah. About 10 min. later there were about 30 kids crowded around the potato cannon man.
Isaiah is now saving his money to buy all the materials to build one.

Those silly humans

We thought Speckle and Goompy had been molting again, but boy were we wrong! Isaiah found two large piles of eggs behind the shed yesterday. Nicely hidden from us in soft quiet nests. Unfortunately many were rotten, and two even exploded when Isaiah tried to move them. Poor Isaiah. I heard them pop from inside the house. Fortunately 14 of the eggs were still good. Thanks girls.
Time to make some pound cake.

Ode to the Compost Worm

You live in darkness moist and dirty,
eating things that are not perty.Compost worm.
Mango peels, and moldy bread, coffee grounds, and a carrot end,
anything rotten is your friend.Compost worm.
You like to sleep upon some poop, and there are maggots in your soup.Compost worm.
Dirt and filth, slime and germ, these are all delicious to the compost worm

It was a lovely night...

This weekend we had a few friends and family over. I forgot to take a picture of the rest of the food, but you can see here the steak and fresh pineapple(from my yard) with red onion on rosemary skewers.There was purple sweet potato salad, cornbread with chili peppers, Bar-B-Q chicken, mango salsa,guacamole with cilantro and red onion,organic blue corn chips,grilled artichoke, and blueberries.Mmmmmm. Thanks to Jen Woodruff we had some lovely music, to eat by.Thanks to Michelle and Jeff, we had a super cute baby to take pictures of and admire.When it got dark I lit candles and we sipped wine. Y.B. and Sarah made waffles which went well with the blueberries.
The kids were in the pool most of the time, unless they were eating. It was a lovely night.

Fruity fruity goodness

We have been eating mangoes for breakfast almost every morning for over a week. I think my next perfume will be mango, I love the smell of them so much. I would keep one on my pillow at night if I could. Changed things up a bit by having papaya for breakfast with yogurt in the middle this morning. The mango tree at the office is still giving us delicious mangoes. I saw a recipe for mango salsa in the newspaper yesterday that I want to try now. I will let everyone know if it is good.

A friend gave us some avocados. Avocados are one of my top favorite foods.
I like avos plain, and even on toast instead of butter. I have a good guacamole recipe I should post. My friend Noelle makes chocolate frosting using avocado, and it is so very good. Here is a recipe for avocado mango salad I found at epicurious, and I have all the ingredients for it.Yum.

We also have the lovely Abiu, thanks to my parent's abundant tree. I keep them in the refrigerator, because oh, they are so good cold.