I’m baaaccckkkkk!!

Wow, cannot believe how long it has been since I last wrote.  So much has happened since we left Stumptown and moved to Honolulu.  I am back to the workplace, working for an old employer from San Diego but here in a paradise, except for the infamous traffic on H-1. Hey, there is not supposed to be traffic in paradise.

So, yup, back to work after a two read semi-retirement.  I truly felt that after leaving Florida and moved to Portland,  I would ever return to the electrical industry, but I did thanks to the wonderful economy our country is experiencing.  There is one difference, though, it is here in Hawaii.

Ah, Hawaii, a bit different I must say.  It is a beautiful place and it does feel like a vacation,mostly on the weekends, but during the week, it is the SOS, just a different address.

I really felt that I needed to get back to writing, I miss the old Geerhead sight and sharing with you all my experiences and opinions, hope that I can get my readers back.

My Geerhead blog back in our Portland days was a wonderful creative experience for me and not only that, I truly believe that it saved my life.  One day I wrote about some physical things that I was experiencing not knowing that it was signs of a stroke. Had it not been for two my favorite people, Debbie S. and Kathy P. both in the medical field, I may have been history. They called me and I went to the hospital emergency.

So, back to life here in Hawaii. We have been here now for almost two years. Cannot believe how the time flies. Rox is starting a business venture, creating jewelry and continuing painting. She now has an URL, OahuRox.com that is currently under construction, she has some of her jewelry for sale at a little boutique called Sugar Cane in Kaimuki, and has completed a commission piece of art for a good friend from San Diego.

One of the things that I miss since being here is close friendships. being a Hauole, it is not an easy thing to make new friends. We have a few people that we love hanging with, Lynn and Allen, Vana and Bob, Kerwin and Roz, but outside of those three, it is not the same as the great friends that we had in Portland, Gainesville and San Diego. But we are grateful for the friends that we have made here thus far.

Another thing that Hawaii has offered us is the experience of the North Shore. When I was younger, in my 20’s, I was a surfer in Florida, always dreaming of one day seeing places like the Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Haleiwa, the great surfing spots, I have now seen them and it has been a treat.  I am now thinking of  buying a surfboard and getting back into it after 40 years, gulp. I will start off in Waikiki with all the other beginners and tourists, should be fun, stay posted.

Well, that should do it for now, will make a point to write often and thank you for coming back to the Geerhead.  love you all and Aloha.

Ever feel like life is overwhelming?

Well, I finally made it back here, so much for trying to do this blog more regularly.  Life just seems to take up a lot of my time, I am sure most of you would agree.

The job is going well, lot more responsibilities but the compensation makes up for that.  I miss all the things I used to do when I lived in Portland, painting and writing.  I loved doing this blog, still do but I need to buck up and just do it.  I do have a little more time when Rox is working and I am home with myself. I will see what I can do and hope that I can get it it again big time.

So, it seems that there was all this talk about the end of the world, back on May 21st.  A volcano began to erupt in Iceland and made it a little interesting but just like every other time someone predicted the end, no go, we are still here.  That same person continues to predict now saying it will be October 21st of this year.  The Mayan calendar ends next year around December 21st.  We shall see.

Beach at Bellows

Life is Hawaii continues to be interesting, another day in Paradise, and I can now say that.  It is indeed beautiful, weather is pretty constant, warm days, wonderful trade winds, evening and early mornings in the upper 60’s.  We try to go to the beach when we can, last weekend we hit Bellows, a beach inside of a Air Force base, closed to the public during the week but open on the weekends.  It is a beautiful stretch nestled in Waimanolo, which has one of the top ten beaches in the US.  The water was clear and some small waves for boogie boarding or body surfing.  The temp if the water was superb.

Rox is working at Sand People, a little boutique store in the Ala Moana Shopping Center but it seems that her heart is not really into it, it is a retail job with her schedule being whacked, for example, she is working today til 3:30 and worked last night til closing, she got home after 10:00 PM, that sucked.  She would love to work at the Apple Store near our home here in Hawaii Kai, it is four miles at the Kohala Mall, someday it will happen.

Healthwise, I just got over some funky bronchitis/cold thing, went to the doctor, yeah, I know, John going to the doctor?  After being convinced that I had to get it checked out so that it would not lead to something like pneumonia.  I was prescribed some antibiotics which I was reluctant to do but since I rarely ever do them, I did them. Rox’s health is good except for her neck issues.  She also went to the doctor, went and had a MRI to find out that she had a pinched nerve, doing physical therapy for that.  After the MRI, the doctor detected a very small cyst on her thyroid, recommended getting an ultrasound.  She is awaiting the doctor’s return for the diagnosis.  Rox is susceptible to cysts, she will be fine.

How are all my friends doing in other parts of the planet?  I want every one of you to know that you are truly missed and our invitation for a visit by all of you is still on the table.  We would love to see you. It is funny being here, almost like San Diego, a vacation destination for many but a little bit different living and working here.  There are still many places to explore but work just gets in the way.

I heard the other day that our good friend Deb is giving her employment her resignation.  She has worked very hard at her office, seeing a lot of people who are dealing with illnesses, deciding it was time to get out.  I am so happy for you Deb, I do hope that you will become very creative, do some painting or photography, maybe start that blog that we talked about.  I think that you would be great at it as well as all your friends, they would enjoy your life views, I do.

I think that this is a great medium to share with others, you know, writing a blog.  There are a lot of things in life that is important to me and love to share via this.  The first thing that pops up for me now is really a repeat from the past, Gratitude.  I am so grateful for my life to this point.  I got to meet the love of my life, been together nearly 10 years now.  She opened up my horizons by suggesting leaving California back in 2004.  Had I not met her, I feel that I would have still been living in my little condo in Mission Valley in San Diego.

We moved to Florida, got to meet up with long lost friends, you all know who you are, attended my 40th HS Reunion, my first since leaving Florida in 1976.  I was grateful to see my old time HS friends, what a blast, thank you Maria and John for your wonderful hospitality during the Reunion.  Randy, Lisa, Jim, Cindy, Suzanne, Charles, Jeanette, Ed and many more, do not take it personally if you were not mentioned here but you are in my heart.

Winter in Portland

The adventure continued to Portland where we met up with some old friends, met new ones like Mike & Judy and family, the warmness of everyone will always been etched in my heart and to that I am grateful.  Hope to get back there one of these days.

Now here we are in Hawaii, a virtual paradise, great weather, beaches, places that I only dreamed about growing up as a surfer in Florida, you know, like North Shore, Pipeline and Sunset Beach.  Now if we can get social here and meet some new friends, life would be good but it does seem a little bit difficult to make relationships here, it does not flow as well as it did in the other places we’ve lived but Rox and I decided we are going to put ourselves out there.

Gratitude, grateful for the opportunity that OneSource gave me, giving me a job when I needed it the most and in Hawaii, life is good, thank you Bob, thank you Stu, thank you to the management for believing in me.  Lastly, I wish to thank and am totally grateful to USANA and the vision of Dr. Myron Wentz.  I am grateful for my health, thanks to the quality products that has kept me going all these years.  I love life even though at times is seems overwhelming.  I have learned to stop and smell the roses and in our case here, the Plumeria trees, to stop and look at the ocean, breathe in such clean air, life is good.

Ok, time to say Aloha, love one another, do not let life pass you by, enjoy every moment you are given here on this beautiful planet.  See ya.

Wow, so much has happened…

It has been way too long since my last entry, I apologize for not writing sooner but so much has been going on.  As many of you know, I went back into the workforce, working again with OneSource, my old company from San Diego who now have a branch here in Honolulu.  Working a job again has taken me away from writing on a consistent basis, I know, poor excuse, right?  Well, I will see if I can get my old, creative juices going again.

Kaneohe

So, let’s get you caught up with the happenings of the Geers, John, Rox, Chunky Monkey and Sammie.  Well, we were living in Kaneohe, residing in a condo that we rented shortly after arriving here last July.  As the months went by, Rox started getting ill.  We did not know what was going on, thinking at first, it may have been vog, that is like a smog that would come over from the Big Island eruption of Kiluaea, hope I spelled that right.  Well, vog was one thing that stirred up Rox’s allergies and asthma.  She went to the doctor and ended up getting an inhaler and meds.  When there wasn’t any vog, she was still reeling from lethargy, headaches, just feeling funky.  It turned out that anytime she was in our office, on the computer for any length of time, this malaise would come over her. So, she would return to the doctor and it turned out that she was possibly feeling the effects of mold.

We thought that mold could be the culprit so we decided to start looking for another place to live but we were tied to a lease.  I contacted the landlord and he told us that if we left, we would be liable for the remainder of the lease.  I said to him that if there was mold would that be sufficient to leave and he stated that it would.  He contacted a mold inspector and after going though the condo, he determined that there was something going on that could be mold.  The next step would be to do air quality testing but the landlord said that he would allow us to move.  The testing would be costly and then it would mean tearing into the walls , etc.

Well, we looked at Craigslist, Padmapper, etc. looking for a place to live.  We looked at a penthouse right on top of H-1 in Honolulu to a top portion of a house on a waterfront in Kailua.  There was a lot to look at but there was nothing that we saw that had the wow factor.  There were tons of places that would not accept our girls or did not have some of the things that we needed for example, two car spaces, washer and dryer, dishwasher, view, etc.

Hawaii Kai

After spending weeks looking online and spending weekends looking at places, we were wondering if we would ever find a place. One day I saw an ad for a rental in Hawaii Kai and told Rox that we need to go see this place.  Now, Hawaii Kai is just east of Waikiki and has some wonderful shops, restaurants, Costco, beaches, all nearby.  That was a good start.  We made an appointment with the owners, Paul & Gina.  We went to The Commodore, a 15 story high rise about a mile or so from the main highway.  Paul looked familiar, turns out that he is a meteorologist and news anchor for Channel 6, a local tv network.  We walked in the condo and we both said “Wow!”  It is a two bedroom, 2 bath, all upgraded and around 1490 square feet, on the fifth floor of the building.  It had wood floors, granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, washer & dryer, dishwasher, all new appliances, air conditioning included, basic cable included, hot water included, pool, jacuzzis, sauna, gym and even a billiard room.  Rox looked at me and said that this was the one.  We moved in last Wednesday and we are ecstatic to be here.

My drive to work is about the same distance but no hills like my trip each day from and to Kaneohe.  The commute for Rox is less and more manageable.  We have been utilizing the pool that rarely has anyone in it. Rox’s health has improved dramatically.  Life is good again.

Chunky Monkey has full rein of the lanai where she is not pestered by Sammie.  Chunky is blind and occasionally Sammie likes to pounce on her but now she has her little space and is content..  Sammie is getting adjusted to her new surroundings and is now starting to eat again.

We are slowly unpacking but with no sense of urgency, we truly are on Hawaii time, taking it easy.

We have found some favorite places to go for example, Hana Sushi, a conveyor sushi restaurant, great food, reasonable prices.  The Kona Brewing Company, a restaurant/brewery with awesome beer and food.  There are more white folk here in Hawaii Kai, more so than Kaneohe which had more local families.  Now, we hope to make more friends and will continue to see the ones that we made back in Kaneohe like Glenn & Angie and Lynn & Allen.  I do hope that we will get visitors from the mainland and you all know who you are.

Ok, enough for now, I will make an effort to get back into writing and sharing with you many things.  I want to give a shout out to Jenny, get well, grab Patrick and come out to see us for some R & R.  Miss everyone in Portland, San Diego and Gainesville, take care and stay in touch.

Oh, I forgot, we are now living in the hometown of Dog, the Bounty Hunter.

I’m Baaaaaack!!!

God, it seems like an eternity since I last been here.  I guess I had a case of the lazies or just not that inspired these days.  I decided to write today while waiting for a friend to meet me here at the local Starbucks in Kaneohe.  Damn, it feels good to be writing again, now if I can just keep it up.

Kaneohe Bay

We arrived here from Portland last July, taking on a position with my old company from San Diego.  We have settled in Kaneohe, about 15 miles from Honolulu.  It is refreshing to live outside Honolulu, a bustling metropolis filled with people, traffic, stores, and all the rest that is in a large city.  We found ourselves a condo for rent, 3 bedroom, 2 bath located on the bay, complete with a beautiful view from our lanai, Hawaiian for porch or patio.  The commute to work from here is abut 25 minutes and when I leave in the morning, there isn’t much traffic which makes it very nice.  Coming home from work on the H-3, the interstate that was built to go between Kaneohe Bay Marine Corp Base and Pearl Harbor, is breathtaking especially coming out of the tunnel through the Ko’olau Mountains.  It makes the commute very special, beautiful view coming out of the tunnel.

So, I am back into sales, selling electrical equipment to industrial accounts here.  Rox is the Account Executive for Meography here in Hawaii, looking to get some business with institutions, groups and individuals.  It is an exciting time for Mike and Judy’s dream, a website to help people write their story.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, go to http://www.meography.me and get started.  Perfect for a gift or to pass on to your children, the story of who you are, lessons you learned in life, fantastic adventures that you had experienced, everything about your life.

Well, life here on Oahu has been very interesting, to say the least.  We are finding that it isn’t very easy making new friendships here.  Most people have their relationships established and do not seem interested in making new friends.  I must not pigeon hole everyone here, I am sure as time goes by, we will make some new friends but it seemed so much easier in Portland.  Speaking of, hi everyone in Stumptown, miss you guys.  Here, we are the haolies, the white minority. We must build trust with people to be accepted, just feels so strange.  Don’t get me wrong, love being here, just wish that we could make some good friends.  We have met a few folks but it seems that to visit, we always have to initiate getting together.  It would be nice for them to call and say “Hey John & Rox, what to go to a Happy Hour or dinner?”  Doesn’t happen unlike in Portland.

Here it is February 12th, winter time, it is pouring rain at this moment and the temps in the 70’s.  I speak to the mainland on a daily basis at my job, people telling me that it is freezing, snowing, raining, terrible weather and I balk to tell them that the sun is shining and approaching 80 degrees.  It was nice to experience four seasons back in Oregon, it was truly an enjoyable experience.

Tonight, Stuart and Rosie, two Aricans here on the island invited Rox and I to a wine tasting and potluck this evening, should be a fun time.  I have established a couple relationships with Aricans, meditating occasionally on Sundays.  Stuart did his 40 day training in Gainesville, Florida where I did mine, great talking old times.  He and Rosie live in the Manoa Valley way above Honolulu, living a sustainable life, garden, chickens and the rest.  He is currently working on a project regarding global warming, soon to return to Thailand for more work.

Rox continues to paint, looking for places to show her art.  I need to get off my butt and paint, I have not done one thing since arriving here.  I have ideas but I must get into action, maybe today, since it is a rainy day, we’ll see.  We love to paint, Rox, God love her, is always inspired.  Work seems to stifle my creativity, look hw long it took me to come back here and write.  I loved doing these blogs but I guess I had a lot more time on my hands back in Portland.

Well. I feel better having done this.  If you are reading this, thank you for coming by, it is greatly appreciated.  I think I am ready to write my story now on Meography, I have a good idea where to start, will let you know how it goes.

Love you all, live life to your fullest, live each moment in joy.  Congratulations Egypt, feel the freedom, live the freedom, you all deserve it.  Bye for now, Aloha.

As 2010 comes to a close…

Can you believe it, another year coming to a close.  It is a good time to take a look back at 2010, all the good things and all the not so good things.

"Portland" by John Geer

As far as my life this past year, it was very interesting to the point of not knowing what was going to happen.  The economy was piss poor, for us anyway, not so for the fat cats.  As you well know, we were living in Portland, Oregon, our second year there.  We were not working but Rox and I had become artists, first time for me but she has been creative for quite a while.  The drawback was we were not producing much of an income and living off my IRA.

This past year, we were hoping to be involved with Meography in Portland but the process took just a bit longer than hoped and we were literally two months away from living on the street.  An opportunity came to us that resulted in living on Oahu and I working for my old company, the timing could not have been any better.

As far as Meography, it is now up and running, Rox is now the account executive here in Hawaii.  If you have not visited Meography’s website, take a moment and check it out, we believe in our hearts that this will bring families ever closer, you will see what I mean.  http://www.meography.me

2010 has been rough in some areas, having to leave Portland which we loved, leaving behind such great friends such as Mike, Judy, AJ, Patrik, Twila and a host of others, please don’t feel offended if I did not mention your name here but you know who you are. We left behind so many wonderful memories and looking to make some new ones here in Hawaii in the new year.  We will be striving to make Meography a success here and know that it is a product of our times especially in the world of social networking.  Facebook, MySpace and a host of others is fun but Meography will change the way we look at our friends, families, places we’ve been and a whole lot more.  When you have completed your writings, you can publish a book to share with your loved ones.

In 2010, we were able to display our art in Portland at various locations throughout the city.  That to me was an experience since I felt that for most of my life, I did not have much creativity.  I know that we all have it except mine was locked deep inside due to work which wasn’t much of a creative outlet.  Again, I wish to thank Mike and Judy for their constant push to continue painting, I will never forget that.

One of the more stressful times in 2010 was when we moved here, we had to subject our two girls (Chunky and Sammie) to the state quarantine for a long two months.  It was as stressful to us as it was for them but they are with us now and happy about

Chunky in Solitary (2010)

that.

2010 was also a year of reunions.  I flew back to San Diego and revisited with old friends and colleagues, there were so many people that we had left behind when our adventure took us to Florida, that was the most difficult time but old relationships in Florida were rekindled.  It was wonderful to visit my old workplace, OneSource, which I did a few times in the week that I was there and who would have thunk at that time that I would be working for them again.  You just never know the path that your life takes you, do you?

So, we have been in Kaneohe since July and we truly love our surroundings, the trips to North Shore have been surreal because I could remember dreaming about that place when I was a teenage surfer.  The only drawback so far is how it isn’t very easy to

North Shore (Pipeline)

establish friendships here, in Portland it was no problem.  I guess we are looked at as foreigners and a trust has to be built in order to join their circles.  Maybe in the new year, we will develop new friendships.

So, here we are, Friday, New Years Eve, looking back at the old year, the good, the bad and the ugly?  I can truly say that there was no ugly this past year, it has all been part of our adventure and what a wild ride it has been.

2011 is going to be a phenomenal year, clean off the old karma of the past and enter this new year will open eyes and open heart.  We will go in looking to help others, be a service to humanity in any way that we can.  It is time for us as human beings to begin to recognize that we are all the same in spirit, we need to love one another, love life to its fullest.  What a better time to start than now, end this year on a good note and carry it into the new one.

Again, take a look at Meography, it is a way to share who you are, your life experiences and your dreams to pass on to your children, grandchildren and friends.  Do it now before it is too late.  I would have done everything I could to know more about my mom, dad, grandparents, my half brother Kevin, aunts, uncles from my past that I know very little about.  You can create a book that may include living family members, as collaborators, so that their memories will never die.

Yep. 2011, it is going to be a fantastic year, live your dream and have a  Happy New Year everyone and thank you for all your support.

Dreams do come true…Ask Mike

Mike and Judy

Back in 2008, right around the time of the Presidential debates, Rox and I were invited to a party of Mike & Judy’s.  We had just moved to Portland in September and only knew of a couple people here.  We were in the process of looking for furniture since we sold almost everything in Florida before the move.

We responded to an ad on Craigslist for a butcher block table, where we met Carrie.  We found that we had some things in common and when we were about to leave, she had mentioned that some friends of hers were having a debate party, she would see if it was ok to come.

Well, the party was in full swing and we met Mike and Judy, we hit it off right away.  They were such the social people that we love to socialize with and since that night we became great friends.  We met his daughter, Jen and husband Pat, we also met his son Gary, who was on leave from the Air Force soon to be deployed to Turkey.  We became part of their family, we were so happy to be part of it.

As time went by, Mike started sharing his dreams with us.  One of those dreams was to have a grandchild.  Well, Jen and Pat were not in that space yet, Gary was in Turkey serving in the military, will that happen?  Gary did meet a woman in Turkey named Gokcen, he asked her to marry him, had a huge family wedding in Turkey and moved back to the states, specifically Olympia, Washington, a 3 hour drive from Portland.  Mike was in heaven already seeing his son marry such a lovely woman.

Olivia and Grandpa

Fast forward, Olivia came into the world, a beautiful child and a dream granddaughter.  We were ecstatic when we heard the news that Gokcen was pregnant and sad that we were not back in Portland to share the wonderful moment of her birth.

Mike and Judy are embracing being grandparents and Mike had one of his dreams come true.  Mike has had concerns with his health and often wondered if he would be around to see that dream fulfilled.  Mike, dreams do come true, don’t they?

One of Mike’s other dreams was to start this business that he had in mind for years now, Meography.  He spoke of a way for others to share their lives to pass on to family.  I began to understand what he wanted to do.  Have you ever wished that you would have known more about your mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins?  I know I thought about it, not knowing much about my father before he passed when I was 13.  I knew very little of how my grandparents had met, the trials and tribulations that they went through during the Great Depression, their lives in general.

Mike told us that what he wanted to do was have a way to record a person’s life online and then publish a book to pass down to their kids, grandkids, etc.  It definitely clicked for me and at the time it was in its infant stage.  The process began, we had gathered at times with a group and came up with questions to help the person jingle their memories, ended up about 2000 in all.  Next was to find someone to be able to put his dream onto the net.

As of this week, his dream of Meography has come to fruition.  The site is up and please, see for yourself, this would be a fantastic way to know more about your loved ones, family, friends, co-workers, etc.  There are so many things that can be done utilizing this wonderful process whether it is to learn about family, write a screenplay, a travel log, a retirement gift for a boss, you decide.  Visit http://www.meography.me

Mike, Rox and I are so happy that you have seen your dreams come true, you have taught us that whatever you believe, you will achieve.  We are looking forward to working with you to help others get to know who they are, where they came from and share people, places and thoughts with their loved ones and others.  What a gift to the world and I really see that this will be a welcome site to the world of social media.  I cannot wait to get started and write my story.

Ok, remember everyone, we all have dreams, make your dreams come true, it can happen, it happened for Mike and Judy, We wish much success to Meography, it is all based from the heart.

Want to know more about your loved ones? Think Meography.  Peace out! Oh, one more thing, please share with us any thoughts about this, we are open to all comments and suggestions.

So much to do, so little time…

I don’t know about you but we need more time for everything that needs to be done in a day, don’t you think?  Ah, to be back to those days like in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s before the advent of computers, fax machines, high speed internet, etc. where the days were long.

The reason I am bringing this up is because I go to work each day, come home, chill, read emails, walk, do stuff around the house, eat dinner and before you know it, it is almost time to go to bed.  I miss those days back in Portland where I had time to paint, write my blog, hang with friends but we had the time because I was unemployed.

So, here I am, just got home from work and thought I would write.

Living in Honolulu during this holiday season just doesn’t feel the same.  I am missing friends, putting up a tree, a tree that we actually found and cut, decorate the house, fire in the fireplace, warm stew cooking in the kitchen and maybe a little snow falling.  That was so sweet in the Northwest, it really felt like Christmas.  But the most important part of the holidays, friends, I do miss that.  We are finding it a bit difficult thus far establishing good friends.  Something that was so easy in the places that we have lived, San Diego, Gainesville and Portland, is a not quite as easy here.  I guess relationships  here have been made particularly in the Hawaiian communities, there is also a lot of transition with others,, like the military, and it seems that it takes just a bit longer to make friends.  We have been here now almost 6 months, Christmas is upon us and I am feeling a bit melancholy.

Menehune Mac's

Change subject, Rox and I have hung up some of our art in a pop up store at the mall, of all places.  Susan, the manager of a store here in Kaneohe at the Windward Mall has allowed us to hang some of our art through the holidays.  The name of the store is Menehune Mac, a gourmet Hawaiian boutique that has chocolates, clothing, jewelry, food items, all from local artisans.  Menehune Mac is the oldest Hawaiian chocolate company on the islands, first founded in 1939.

Our art at Menehune Mac's

Yesterday, we went to the Farmers Market at the Mall and popped in on Susan, a diminutive woman with a huge smile and ever so friendly.  We spoke to her about the store, the art, the market and purchased from her, like we do every week, some salad greens that is grown hydroponically near Haleiwa, North Shore.  It is exceptional.  She also turned us on to some samplings of the sugar free dark chocolate with macadamia nuts or Kona coffee, it was truly exceptional.

We will miss her and the store when she closes down after the holidays. We will make a point to visit her main store/warehouse when we get that dark chocolate fix.

Fast forward, it is now Saturday, Dec. 11th, and we are two weeks until Christmas, hard to believe.  Rox and I have done a little shopping thus far but I still have to get her a birthday present which is now six days away.  I have no idea what to get her but will need to get away and start hunting for something.

Today we will be going to a birthday party of Stuart Scott, a long time Arican who has just turned 62, another rat.  What I mean is that he was born in the Year of the Rat in Chinese horoscope, like myself.  He had done a 40 Day Intensive of Arica in Gainesville, Florida back in the mid 70’s.  I had done mt training there as well back in 1974.  It had been a long time since we had seen each other and it should be a fun gathering.  He and his wife live way up the hill from Waikiki, in one of the valleys.  I had been up to their home to do a meditation when he was away in Thailand.  Stuart does a lot with climate change works.

Well, I will bid you adieu for now.  I will attempt to post more often when the time allows, I may have to take my laptop to work and write during my lunch time or at least on Saturdays when I do have a small block of time in the mornings.  I hope this day finds you well and thank you again for coming by.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that…

Good morning World, glad to see another day, grateful in fact.  Woke up to the sound of rain, and the roosters out there.  Well, I would like to start off with a tattoo, a mini Tattoo You, one of my favorite blog entries that I started in Portland.  It is truly amazing how that art form has taken off, isn’t it?  When we were in Portland, we have seen a multitude of people with tats and piercings.  Here on Oahu, there is also so many people, including women, sporting some beautiful artwork.

Leah's tattoo

Rox and I went to the Farmers Market here in Kaneohe which takes place at our local mall called Windward Mall.  Every Wednesday from 3:00 to 8:00 PM, the local farmers along with florists, bakers, even a guy that sells 10 lobster tails for $20 is there.  We went upstairs and there was a kiosk that was owned by Great Harvest Bakery selling wonderful breads, scones, etc. It was there that we met Leah, handing out samples.  I had noticed her tattoo on her arm, asked her if she would mind if I took a picture and post it, she had no problem with that.  The artwork was done by Lindsey W. from a studio in Baker City, Oregon.  Too funny, here we are in Hawaii and she had a tattoo done in Oregon, at a place called Shifty’s Skateboards and Tattoos.

Her tattoo was a combination of floral art along with tribal art, a wonderful combination of hard and soft.  Thank you Leah for allowing me to take the picture and we will see you again at the Farmers Market.

Can you believe that we are approaching Christmas once again?  Now we are being bombarded by the media with ads, sales, and all the hoopla.  And what is it with these people who feel that they need to camp out 1 or 2 days before the doors open at Target, Best Buy, etc.?  Stores are now opening at 4:00 AM and some even at midnight.  How crazy is that?

I saw a news piece where they were promoting buying from your local small businesses.  I remember doing that living in Portland, so many small businesses need our help to stay alive unlike all the huge chains which will get enough business from all the crazies camping out in front of their stores.  Buy Local if you can, they need our help to keep their doors open.

Since moving to Hawaii, it has been a little bit difficult in meeting new friends.  I have been a bit nostalgic about Portland these past few days.  I made a few calls lately to friends in Portland as well as Florida to see how everyone was doing.  It was around this time last year we were going to Estacada, Oregon to the Xmas tree farms to pick out our tree;  We went with Mike, Judy, Gary, Gokcen, Jen and Pat, had a wonderful time.  The weather was cool, the people were in the Xmas spirit, I miss that this year.  Living here on Oahu, it seems a little different.  Kind of hard to get into the spirit when the temperature is 80 degrees, sunny, a tad humid and the Xmas trees are being sold upwards above $100 each.  Of course, the stores are decorated, the sales are on and Black Friday has come and gone.

Rox had applied for a job at the Apple Store here, went to a talent seminar, got called in for a second interview and received an email on Thanksgiving that she did not get the position.  She would have been great working there, she is constantly selling Apple products to people on her own.  This was here dream job, she was so excited about it that there was no way that she would not get the position.  Well, somebody screwed up not hiring her, everyone who knows her knows that she has a wonderful personality, retail experience and knowledge of Apple products.  Mike said it right “That’s idiotic!”

I told her that the universe has something else in mind for her but this was a tough nut for her to swallow.  Sure enough, we heard from Mike the next day about an opportunity for her which I think can be very lucrative, she is looking forward to working with Mike, Judy, Gary and Jen with Meography, stay tuned.

North Shore

Well, today is the last day of our Thanksgiving holiday, will probably do some researching with Rox, maybe hit the beach if it clears up and definitely watch the Charger game against the Colts this afternoon.  My Gators lost a heartbreaker yesterday against Florida State Seminoles, badly.  Oh well, without Tebow, they are lacking in the excitement department.  I can still root for Oregon though.  They are number 1 in the standings, exciting to watch.

Have a wonderful day, be grateful for all things in your life, no matter how simple.  Life is to be lived to the fullest, God is in all things, enjoy, stop and smell the roses or if you are here on the island, the plumeria.  See you again soon.

Tattoo You, Hawaii Edition

Hello everyone, I’m back.  It’s been a while and I hope I remember how to do this, just kidding.

Jenai of Kaneohe Bakery

Well, Rox and I were out running errands when we decided to pull into the Kaneohe Bakery in town.  We walked in and were greeted by Jenai behind the counter.  I was perusing all the wonderful pastries, pies, breads when I had noticed one of her arms.  She had a wonderful tattoo of a scene from the movie Nightmare before Christmas by Tim Burton.  It was a wonderful piece of art that she chose to have on her arm.

I looked at her other arm and she had words from a Beatles song, Across the Universe.  That also

Nightmare before Christmas

was a fantastic tattoo.  I told Jenai that I had written a few pieces in Portland showing people’s tats and writing about them.  I showed her some of the pictures that I took of Tara G. and Susan H. from Portland, she really liked what she saw.

I asked her if she would mind if I took some photos and write a piece and she approved.  So, here in this edition of Tattoo You is Jenai and her tats.  The art was created by Jenn from 808-Tattoo here in our little sleepy village of Kaneohe, 15 miles outside of Honolulu and you can visit their website http//www.808tattoo.com , check it out.  Be sure to double click on the pics, they will expand for more appreciation of her tattoos.

Across the Universe

More of Nightmare before Xmas

So, here is a couple more shots of Jenai  and another edition of Tattoo You, first installment from Hawaii.  Please stay tuned as I go around the island checking out the wide array of body art to share with all of you.  I thought Portland had a ton of people into this art but Oahu sure has its share.

I am open to anyone who reads my blog to send me pics of your tats to share with the world.  I will gladly post them but be sure to tell me who the artist was and from which studio they work.

Back to the present.  I have some news to share with everyone.  My lovely wife Rox, has applied to work at the Apple Store here on Oahu.  They have three of them here, Waikiki, Kahala Mall and Ala Moana Mall.  The one in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian, would be wonderful, it is not as hectic as the others but it appears that when she gets the position, it will be at the Kahala Mall, near Koko Head.  I am saying my prayers that she gets the position, she now has the knowledge of many Apple products and I think that she has the personality to do well for them.  Today, she had her 2nd interview, she will know by Friday.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Turkey Day, enjoy the company of your family and friends, be thankful for all that you have in your life.  I know that I am eternally grateful for so many things including my health, job opportunity, my little girls, Chunky and Sammie and most of all, so grateful to have Rox in my life.

Aloha and Mahalo…Happy Thanksgiving everyone, see you again soon.

Jen & Pat

P.S.  Please take a moment and say a little prayer for a dear friend and daughter of a wonderful friend, Jen.  She is in the hospital with complications after having surgery.  I pray for her speedy recovery and get well real soon. We love you.

Another day in the life…

On my walk this morning

I woke up today and decided to start off by taking my walk.  I got dressed and kissed Rox on the cheek, she was still sleeping, and I set off to a beautiful day.  I walked outside and immediately felt the gentle breeze hitting my face, the coolness in the air.  Well, coolness here is about 75 degrees.

I was thinking to myself that this all felt so good, it had been a little bit rainy on this side of the island the past couple of days and to feel the sun, the morning breeze was just so sweet. I have this route that I normally take that runs through the complex where we live, down to Kamehameha Highway, the main drag here in Kaneohe, over to Haiku Road, winding down towards the entrance of the condos.  I am not sure how far the walk is but I walk at a brisk pace, more so today because it just felt so good.

Jumping back to  this past Friday afternoon, I was at work when I received a call from Rox.  She asked me what I was doing and responding that I was working when she said ” I was rear ended”.  The last time that I heard that was back in San Diego around 2003, I was at work and got that call from her.  She was sitting at a traffic light when this guy talking on a cell phone plowed into a truck behind her, pushing the truck into the rear of Rox’s Jeep Cherokee.  She called me and told me what happened and asked if I could come to where she was, of course I did.

I got to the scene and she was not there, they took her to the hospital to make sure she was ok, she was very shook up.  Fast forward to last Friday.  I had an uneasy feeling but, as it turned out, she was calling from home.  She was able to get home but she was a bit shook up.  I left work and on the way I called her chiropractor and asked if I could bring her in.  I picked her up and took her to see him.  He made quite a few adjustments and she felt better.

It turned out that a Japanese tourist in a rental car, a small Chevy compact, had just bumped in to her.  Rox, being shook up, took all the information that she could gather, wrote it down and that was that.  It happened at a traffic light next to a police station and not one policeman came to assist.  But all is well, very little damage to the car, scratched rear bumper, just rattled nerves for Rox.  She goes back for another adjustment tomorrow, Monday.

Today, we went to a part of the island that we have not visited, a town called Waianae to visit an artist named Gary Reed, who

Artists show in Waianae

were heard about from a couple that we met last week, Glen and Angie.  Glen is a chiropractor and he also is a very good underwater photographer, told us about Gary and the event that he puts together at his sprawling property that is attended by a couple of local artists.  We wanted to go to see if we could start connecting with people in the local art scene.  There was food, live Hawaiian music, beer and wine and some beautiful arts and crafts.

Today was really a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves very much.  When we got home, Rox went into her studio to paint, she was inspired today.  I am needing to get myself into the space to get back to painting.  I have been thinking of what I would like to do next and can’t wait.  Normally, when I paint, it is on a flat surface.  When we were in Portland, all my paintings were done on the dining room  table.  I do not have that luxury here, so I will have to figure something out.  I might have to just work on the living room floor, should be interesting.

I would love to see our art displayed somewhere here on Oahu, we will pursue avenues, maybe coffee shops, First Friday in Chinatown, we will see.

On the H-3 heading home

Going back to that heavenly breeze from this morning, it has returned.  I am sitting next to our lanai and the breeze is coming in, it is heavenly.  I want to mention that when we had the rains the last couple of days, there were waterfalls all along the Ko’olau Mountains near the H-3 highway when we exit the tunnel coming home from Honolulu.  It was very magical, along with rainbows.

I love living here, it is a beautiful place but I do miss all our friends.  Miss Portland but am happy to say that at this little place near our home, I had mentioned it before in a previous blog, a place called Haliewa Jo’s. where they serve Black Butte dark beer from Deschutes Brewery from Portland.  It gives me a chance to reminisce about our time in Stumptown, sharing Black Butte with Mike and Judy.

Well, that’s it for today, hope that wasn’t too boring for you but I will work on coming up with some good stuff, promise.  Remember to enjoy wherever you are, it is all good.  All the places that we have lived in the last ten years have all been fantastic, San Diego, Gainesville, Portland and now here in tiny Kaneohe.  Love where you are, enjoy it, love your friends, love your life.

Aloha!!!