Happy Thanksgiving

The couple who own the house I am staying in invited me and my other housemates to their house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Only two of us went - me and Kenny - and we had a marvelous time.

The menu was what I am used to from the mainland - turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.  The only thing especially Hawaiian was some roasted taro and a lilikoi cheesecake.

I am not eating meat anymore so I ate nothing but sides and dessert - yummay!

I met a lot of new people.  The people of Hilo are pretty awesome.

Good food, good company - I'm thankful.

Long day

I woke at 4:00am today and couldn't go back to sleep.  By 4:00pm I couldn't function anymore.  After several mistakes at work I just started crying at the register.

The other cashiers empathized with me.  One of my co-workers talked about how stressed she used to get at a job she had at a pineapple factory.  She said she used to dream about being smothered by an avalanche of pineapples.

Noah and Josh

I had a lovely day with Noah and Josh.  They came to house I live in for the first time today.  We had lunch, played Bananagrams, and chilled with the new books we got at the library book sale.

Occupy Hilo

Yesterday Leah and I went to the Merrill Lynch offices in Hilo to join others who were supporting the folks occupying Wall Street.

There was a pretty good turnout even though it rained almost all morning.  The police counted 124 people standing in front of Merrill Lynch.

After standing on the street with signs about a quarter of the group walked to a bandstand in downtown Hilo.

As we walked, a lot of people didn't seem to know what to make of us.  A few people honked their horns or waved.  Hilo is a lot different than Baltimore in that respect - Baltimorians usually have an opinion and don't hesitate to share it.

Once we got to the bandstand, we listened to people talk about their thoughts and opinions about bank fraud, the Federal Reserve Board, war, the US post office, health care, college costs, sustainability on the Big Island, and Hawaiian sovereignty.

Overall everyone was excited about OWS and glad that we could be one of the many communities that supported the folks in New York.

Sunday...

Almost everyone has a Sunday routine.  Some go to church then head to a breakfast buffet after.  Some spend the morning in bed with the Sunday paper and a cup of coffee.  (Perhaps chillin' in your pajamas with a warm beverage makes the stories of revolution, climate change, financial upheaval, etc. easier to take.)


Of course for mothers it may just be an extra day to get the laundry done.

My routine for years was to get up, get dressed, and get my breakfast - oatmeal with raisins and black tea - prepared in time for Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.  Nothing could be better.  I really miss Charles Osgood's soothing voice, it just makes me feel that everything is good in the world.  Nancy Giles was one of my favorite commentators - so funny and smart.  The many artistic interpretations of the sun filled me with warmth.

The hostels that I've been staying don't have television - which is cool but obviously I need to find a new routine.

Today I bought a Sunday paper and a cup of Kona coffee.  I'll try it out -see if it is routine worthy.

Available on DVD

Great gift idea.  Just sayin...

Oh Richard!

Well, I am free from the cast!  No more extra weight to sling around and no more itching!  I had to wash my arm four times at the doctor's office to remove the icky dead skin.

My arm is weak, as I had been warned it would be, so I am wearing a brace.  It is lightweight, I can remove it to shower and it is stylish to boot.  I have to wear it for 3 weeks, after that I may need physical therapy.  We shall see.

I have still been taking it easy because I am still healing and I definitely do not want to give myself any setbacks.  These last three months of inactivity have been tough.  I am ready to move forward.

 

During my recovery I have read a lot of books - right now I am reading Richard Chamberlain's memoir Shattered Love.  You probably remember this handsome actor from the mini-series Shogun and The Thornbirds. 

Shogun was my favorite - I was riveted to the screen.  In his memoir he talks about how desperately he wanted to play the role of British sailor John Blackthorn and that originally a movie studio had planned to make it with Robert Redford.  The studio dropped the movie idea because the book was too long.  When it was decided that Shogun would be made into a mini-series, British actors Sean Connery and Albert Finney were offered the role but they declined.  Finally, after several meetings with Shogun's author James Clavell, Richard got the part.

Can you imagine Shogun without Richard Chamberlain?  Well, if they were to do a remake who would you suggest for Chamberlain's part?  Hmmmm.