Fireworks A Bust, Moving, Techno-Toys

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland. Since much of my news these days relates to trying to age gracefully, this series might be called The Geezer Gazette.

7/11//26

 

Aloha Everyone!

 

It was a busy week here. Several good things happened, but a couple of negatives, too.  First, for a pyrotechnophile like me, the fireworks show on July 4th was a huge disappointment. As I mentioned last week, we didn't go down to the shoreline to watch the community fireworks this year.  Instead, we accepted an invitation from a neighbor to attend a get-together for socializing, hot dogs, and to watch the fireworks show from her lanai.  The socializing and the hot dogs were great, but the fireworks viewing was a major bummer.  A huge Monkey Pod tree a few streets down-slope was perfectly positioned to block all but the very highest explosions.  Not only that, we were so far away you could barely hear them.  Nosiree, I want to be close enough to be awed by the size of the fireballs and to feel the booms in my chest.  Next year I'll opt for less socializing and more sensory overload.  I did enjoy watching a YouTube recording of the D.C. fireworks, but it wasn't the same as seeing them in person.

 

On a more positive note, on July 5th we celebrated our 25th anniversary of the the day we moved to Hawai'i, arriving around 9 p.m.  Our realtor had left a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator, and

Yikes!

that's how we celebrated this year, too. The move was an exciting but daunting moment for us, to say the least.  Obviously it worked out pretty well, but we weren't at all certain of a positive outcome at the time.  We were leaving behind close friends, a paid-for house, a familiar, supportive community, and a very predictable life-trajectory. We were instead launching ourselves into an unfamiliar environment where we knew almost nobody, had a new mortgage that looked to us like the national debt, and where the future was an adventure into the unknown.  It was, however, one of those periods in our lives when we felt intensely energized and open to new challenges and experiences, something I don't think we would have encountered the same degree had we stayed in Ohio.  Cheers!

 

On Tuesday I finally had my Subaru's a.c. checked out.  Sure enough, more problems.  Here's the official written diagnosis:  "...found obvious refrigerant leak coming from evaporator cooling pipe connector near vehicle firewall.  Also found low pressure hose from compressor to evaporator has sign of leak on hose crimping."  Parts are ordered and are covered under warranty, but this will mean more waiting until the parts come in and I can get an appointment to have them installed.  To remind you, this car is just a little over two years old and has only 6700 miles on it. Other than the a.c. I do like the car very much, but it's a bit irritating to be wasting this much time on a problem that really shouldn't be happening.

 

On Wednesday I switched our internet service back to Spectrum from our Hawaiian Tel fiber optic service that we've had for the last couple of years.  I was quite happy with the fiber service, but Spectrum made me an offer I couldn't refuse:  internet at more than twice the current speed for half the cost, guaranteed for two years and a third year at an increased price that is still less that what we are paying now.  As you may recall, when we switched to fiber I installed a special network cable (CAT6) that runs from the garage wall where the fiber and coaxial cables enter the house to my router inside the house.  This setup made it very fast and easy to make the switch -- it simply involved unplugging that cable from the fiber "modem" and plugging it into the new (free) coaxial modem.  Done.  This means that going back to fiber would be even easier, because the fiber "modem" (actually called an ONT) is already installed.  The special deal I received is the result of the current intense competition between the two internet providers in our area, which definitely is benefiting the customers. Anyway, the new service is going great right now, and I can use the savings to help pay for the increased health care premiums I was just informed I'll be paying next year (!).  

 

Another technotoy I have enjoyed this week is my new AVR.  The Costco shipping was very fast, and I now have the new unit just about installed.  I still have to tweek the speaker settings a bit, and solve a small glitch in the Blue Tooth connection to my tablet and phone so that I can stream music.  Otherwise everything seems to be working fine again.  I really enjoy setting up things like this -- it forces me to solve problems, use some physical dexterity and coordination, and learn something new.

 

I'll just mention in passing some Geezer Gazette news --I don't want spoil the mostly good vibes so far. I saw my retina doctor on Tuesday, had a shot as expected, and my test results confirmed my subjective impression that there has been no improvement from my Valeda treatments.  Oh well, it was worth a try. 

 

Ok, that's all for the week.  Hang in there.  Ponder the possible relevance to our times of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Emperor's New Clothes."  Carpe Vitam!