Big Birthday, Lost Passports, Rumbling Volcano

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

5/11/24

 

Aloha All -- 

 

Well, today is Karen's xxth (censored) birthday-- but she's keeping it low-key. She had lunch with a couple of friends yesterday at  the Four Seasons resort up north, and tonight we might have dinner somewhere up north.  However, the weather has turned so yucky that we may put that on hold. A rather big rain system is moving across the state this weekend and part of the positive experience of eating out here in Hawai'i is that you eat truly out -- outside, that is.  But not when it's raining. She was adamant that I not get her a gift, but I couldn't let that happen and got her something simple to wear -- a risky thing to do, but she seems ok with it.  Although the event is low key now she's chosen to return later in the year to southeast Asia  (Thailand and Cambodia) as her way of  celebrating the occasion.  This will be in November. and we've begun planning the trip.  

Karen's driver's license expired this year and the renewal process led to the discovery that our passports are missing.  She wanted to use her passport as proof of ID and citizenship, but couldn't find it in the usual place where we keep them.  We had them when we re-entered the US on our return  from Africa in February.  We landed in San Francisco and spent the night before flying home.  We're sure we put them away and used our driver's licenses when we checked in for our Kona flight the next morning, but now we

Yeah, Those

can't find them anywhere in the house.  We spent a few days looking in every drawer, crack, piece of luggage, clothing, etc. --- everywhere and anywhere they could conceivably (and inconceivably) be -- before concluding that we had to replace them,  This is very puzzling and frustrating because we are usually very, very careful with them and have a set routine when we use them to travel.  Anyway we have bitten the bullet and started the process of getting new ones. This turns out to require filling out a form reporting them missing, which immediately and permanently invalidates them, and then applying for brand-new ones, a process that requires documentation of citizenship and identity in the form of birth certificates, driver's licenses, and an in-person visit to a designated passport acceptance center -- in our case one of our local post offices.  We made an appointment and on Tuesday had our interview, only to find out that our photos weren't acceptable because we had smiled, and I had printed out the online form doubled-sided while the original is on separate pages (!). We made another appointment for the next day, hustled to the passport photo department in Walmart for new photos, and reprinted the applications.  Back again the next day and mine passed inspection, but Karen's didn't because her driver's license is only a temporary one until she gets her permanent card.  Sooooooo, we will hope we can get her application in soon --- our deadline is in July, when we leave for Canada.  It should work out, but I hate the uncertainty. 

My final bit of news is that Kilauea is rumbling again.  For about a week starting April 27th the volcanologists detected magma rising and recharging the summit and an area called the Upper East Rift Zone. Then it seemed to quiet down for a few days, but as of yesterday it is rumbling again.  The two main indicators of unrest are small earthquakes (hundreds of them) and ground inflation of the areas where magma is intruding.  Here's part of the volcanologist assessment from yesterday: "Magma continues to pressurize the system...,activating seismicity along faults in the upper East Rift Zone. At this time, it is not possible to say whether this increase in activity will lead to an intrusion or eruption in the near future or simply continue as seismic unrest at depth. Changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption."  In other words, maybe, maybe not.  However, it is certain that Kilauea will erupt again -- it is a very active volcano and the quiet, vog-free period we've been enjoying is the exception to a fiery past.

 

That's it for this week other than to mention that I'm continuing to enjoy our new car, we got our new license plates,  I played a so-so round of golf on Wednesday, and I received my eyeglasses Thursday.  They definitely help, but aren't quite as helpful as I had hoped.  I'll get another injection next week.  Also coming up will be the installation of our replacement pool solar system and an ultra-sound examination of my aorta  Exciting times!

 

Hope your weather hasn't been as extreme as some people have been experiencing.  Enjoy whatever good weather you get,   Take care, stay sane and remember that there really is a middle ground  -- try not to lose sight of it.....

Car Bonding, 3 Doc Visits, Wheeling & Dealing

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

5/4/24

 

Aloha Everybody -- 

Busy week!!

I spent a fair amount of time "bonding" with my new Subaru.  Loving it so far.  We took a short road trip up north last Sunday, to a Lei Day celebration at the Waikaloa Resort shopping center -- some hula, Hawaiian singing groups, and lunch at a beach-side restaurant, plus a short walk along the shore,  The drive up was on a straight coastal highway, giving me a chance to try out one of the car's nifty features -- adaptive cruise control.  This is like the old style cruise control but it automatically maintains a set distance from the car in front.  It also has a lane-centering option which means that if both are engaged at the same time it is practically self- driving.  No napping, however, because the car has a fit if you take your hands off the wheel or stop looking ahead.  I'm slowly working my way through the gazillion other features and settings.  This car has more computing power than the mainframe IBM at my graduate school university! It is very comfortable and quiet, and even has dual a.c. settings so my wife and I don't have to agree on how cool the air is blowing at us.  Although I'm not super-thrilled with the color, it's ok -- Subaru calls it "Brilliant Bronze,"  which I've changed to "Metallic Poop," depending on the scatological sensitivities of the person I'm describing it to.

This was also a busy medical week with a visit to three (!) doctors in two days.  Over the weekend it seemed to me that my eye that had the recent vein occlusion  (left) was actually getting worse, not better. I got an appointment for the very next day.  Despite my subjective assessment, the exam showed that everything is progressing ok.  My acuity actually improved in both eyes compared to two weeks ago, though only by a smidge.  The scan showed no negative changes.  My doctor reminded  me that the gunk would clear out very slowly and that some of my acuity and brightness issues might be helped by a temporary pair of prescription lenses.  I saw an Optometrist the next day and wow, what an improvement when he adjusted the dials just right..  It turns out that my left eye has developed a slight astigmatism that is adding to the blurriness at all distances.  I've got a pair of cheap glasses ordered that should help a lot.  The Optometrist concurred that my left eye will eventually be correctable to 20/20 or close -- definitely good news.

On the same day as my emergency eye exam, I saw my internist for my routine 6-month checkup.  All is as good as can be expected, given the progression of my emphysema, but he did order an ultra-sound of my chest to check out some aortic calcification that showed up on my last CT.  My cholesterol numbers are very good, so this is just to check out if the calcification has progressed and exactly how bad it might be.  Oh what fun!

The final source of busyness this week was selling our old CRV,  I posted an ad on FB Marketplace and within hours got many inquiries.  I set up appointments for a few people to see the car, but before they

Yippee!

took place my pool guy offered to buy it and gave me a deposit,  Unfortunately he couldn't come up with the rest of the cash and we agreed to cancel the deal the next day.  Within two hours of indicating on Marketplace that it was available again I sold it to a guy for full price who gave me a hefty cash deposit of $2k, with the rest to come on Friday, the next day. With that much at stake for him,  it seemed like a done deal  -- I had $2k and still had the car, so there was no risk for me. Yup, as agreed we met yesterday evening after he got off work and he gave me the rest of the price in cash.  I'll deposit it this morning on our Saturday rounds.  Although this process was intense, it only took 4 days.  Also, the paperwork that I had initially found a daunting prospect turned out to be minor, thanks to online advice and tips from a neighbor who sold a car last year.  All in all, I have to conclude that the dealer who low balled me actually did me a very lucrative favor.  Anyway, it's all over and I hope not to have to do it again for a long time. My career in used car sales has come to an end!

 

Ok, I sure hope next week is a bit calmer.  There are a couple of sagas involving lost or stolen passports and a rumbling volcano that I haven't regaled you with yet.  I'll hold off until next missive.

Take care.  Enjoy your spring!

Escape From Mordor, Career In Used Car Sales ?

Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/27/24

 

Aloha Folks -- 

Well, I did it!  On Monday I bought a new Subaru Outback.  But it wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't pleasant, and I really hope to not go through this again.  As you recall, last week I was trying to decide between the Outback and a Honda CRV.  On Saturday I went back to the Honda dealer to take another drive in the CRV., and if it felt good I was going to buy a blue model that I had looked at before. Turns out Saturdays are NOT a good day for car shopping because people who work use that day to look at cars.  The place was jammed, and even though I had texted my salesperson in advance, he was with other customers.  He was willing to get somebody to go with me for another test drive, but he informed me the blue car was already sold to a buyer over in Hilo, and it was on its way to the dealer there.  That meant there wasn't another one in that color on the island, and I'd have to wait weeks before another one was available.  Other colors just didn't interest me, so I left, somewhat disgusted that my shopping efforts had led to nothing.  On the way home, though, I thought I might stop one more time at the Subaru dealer and take another drive in the Outback, as well as see what colors were available.

Just like the Honda dealer, the Subaru place was busy, and a substitute salesperson went with me for a drive.  I was very impressed with the car again, and it turned out there was a bronze color that was kind of interesting.  I decided that if the price was right I'd make a commitment right then and there,  Unfortunately my original guy was still in the middle of concluding a sale and wasn't available for negotiations.  I left word I'd be back Monday and that I was very interested. On Monday he was *again* with another customer, so I negotiated with a substitute.  Very quickly we came to agreement on the

She's a Beauty, Eh?

bottom line and I agreed to the deal.  However, I said I was curious what the trade-in value of my old car might be, a reasonable straight-forward question that I thought might lead to a quick answer after an inspection of my car,  WRONG.  For the nexr two hours it was like I was swimming in molasses. First, I provided a lot of specific information about the car and the sales rep did a Car Fax assessment,  Then he and a mechanic took it for a drive.  So far this was a reasonable process that didn't take very long.  Then the Manager got involved and the three of them talked among themselves for at least 20 minutes, then they disappeared.  Finally the salesperson returned with a low-ball, almost insulting offer that I immediately refused,  He countered a smidge, then I countered with the addition of some accessories to the deal.  The sales guy disappeared for another 15 minutes to confer with the Manager and returned with another low-ball offer.  It was becoming clear that the "good deal" I had gotten for the original bottom line was being intentionally erased by the trade-in offer.  I decided to sell the car myself rather than be taken advantage of like that.  've done some research on selling a car here in Hawai'i and in a day or two I'll advertise it online.  Never thought I'd be a used car salesman at this stage of my life!  I'll let you know how it goes.

We picked up the new car yesterday, but there were some hiccups even in doing that -- including an extra trip to the dealer in the morning for them to verify the final check, adding the car to our current insurance at the last minute, and giving us the wrong key. These were things that could have and should have been avoided if the dealer was more organized,  GRRRR. 

Quickly, in other news:  blood test results looked very good, Wednesday's golf game was pleasantly almost competent, and my dental exam on Thursday was "excellent," in the words of my dentist.  These were pleasant counterbalances to my adventures in Mordor.

Ok, off to market and the beach.  Take care and stay calm.

Eye Shots, Golf Shots, Blood Draws & Test Drives

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/20/24

 

Aloha Guys--

 

This week was "interesting" in several respects.  For one thing, even though we had three consecutive days of clouds and rain, we also had days of complete sunshine and warmer weather.  The pool got warm enough that we didn't need to cover it for a couple of nights -- the first time in months.  However, yesterday we went back to the yuk pattern with clouds and rain starting by noon.

Also interesting was the visit to my eye doctor on Tuesday.There is almost no sign of the vein occlusion in the left eye, as determined by the tomographic scans (like CT's without radiation).  My acuity went from 20/60 a month ago to 20/40, which agrees with my subjective experience of slow improvement.  I just wish it would speed up.  My doctor is still optimistic about my eventual recovery, and wasn't disturbed by its slow pace.  Even though the retina itself has nearly healed, it will still take time for the original edema to clear out of the eye.  In the meantime I'll still have reduced acuity, particularly in bright conditions because light is being scattered by the old edema fluid. Anyway, as we had planned, I got a shot of Vabysmo and next month I'll have another.  It is a great relief to know there is now additional medication in my eyeball that is doing its magic.

 

Also in medical news, on Thursday I had my routine 6-month blood draw in advance of seeing my internist next week.  The results will be interesting because  they will indicate if there was any effect of going completely off my meds for a while during the Ethiopian trip.  (You may remember that I stopped taking pills, drinking coffee, and drinking alcohol to cope with my near constant nausea.)

Gorgeous George

Speaking of shots, on Wednesday we played golf and I did "way mo' betta," even getting two pars and three bogies.  Since I had to take far fewer strokes, I had the energy to complete 16 holes this time. We might have tried the last two holes as well, but it was starting to rain.  Maybe next time.  We saw a number of peacocks again, and even saw the white one. For some reason there were far more males than females, perhaps because the hens are nesting.  

My car shopping continued this week with a return visit to the Subaru dealer.  I test drove the Forester and also the Outback.  Both were very nice and equivalent to the Honda CRV,  I decided that the Forester just doesn't have the styling I'm looking for and so the decision is now between the CRV and the Outback.  The Subaru is a bit larger but has less headroom, and may have a teensy edge in terms of styling.  I'm not thrilled with either brand's colors, though, and still think my old car is more attractive than either of the new ones.  The Subaru and Honda are pretty close in terms of price, once I factor in accessories and dealer smoke and mirrors, so price probably won't be the deciding factor.  I may take another drive in each one to see if that tilts the scales, but right now I'm on a decision teeter-totter. I'm sure most people would have just gotten on with it by now, but I've never been known to make quick decisions,  Hopefully this will be over in another week.

Ok.  Enough for now.  Enjoy your spring and try not to get overwhelmed by the dire condition of humanity....

 

Back To Bogie-Land, Car Shopping

 [Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/13/24

 

Aloha Everybody --

 

Hope you enjoyed the eclipse.  It was a non-event here for two reasons,   First, it was only a partial eclipse, unlike the total one that much of the midwest and northeast were treated to (assuming cloud cover didn't screw up the show).  Second, it occurred here very early in the morning, and the sun hadn't yet cleared the top of the mountain (i.e., volcano) to our east. Anyway, there were plenty of news stories and photos online, so we experienced it vicariously. 

 

The big event for me this week was getting back to golf after almost four months off.  We were joined by

Toll Collector

our usual golf partner, plus a visitor who was on the Wednesday cruise ship in port.  I was wary of having a fourth person in the group at first, but it worked out ok.  He was a friendly guy from Mexico City who  was consistently a notch better than us but not intimidatingly so.  Anyway, I did a solid "meh," with some decent shots and one bogie to go along with a lot of really lousy shots as well.  We invented a new Kona-Lago scorecard entry ---"AB," for "A Bunch."  With all the rain we've been getting the course was in great shape.  We didn't get any rain and it was pleasantly overcast most of the time.  We saw

I Need a Crowbar

quite a few Peacocks and also 13 Nenes.  Interestingly, the Nenes were in one flock, which is rare.  This might be because they are about to leave for the season and they take off as a group.  Unlike Canadian geese, they don't migrate far  -- just to another part of the island.  We made it through 12 holes before pooping out. Not bad for a first outing.  We'll try again next week.

 

It was a good thing we played on Wednesday because Thursday afternoon and all day yesterday were rainy and  cool. We opted not work out in the pool those days and instead went to the gym yesterday, just like a pair of mainlanders.

I'm considering getting a new SUV to replace my 2007 Honda CRV.  I bought the 2007 used after I totaled  my Honda Pilot about 12 years ago. It's been a great car and has no major issues at the moment, but it now has 60k miles and lacks nearly all of the safety features of the newer models.  After doing a lot research online and using Consumers Reports' latest evaluations, I've narrowed my choices to the new Honda CRV and the Subaru Forrester.  Last week I visited the Kona dealers for each brand to get a quick in-person look.  Walking onto each lot gave me the same feeling I bet Frodo had when he entered Mordor -- impending doom and abject helplessness and loss of control.  I didn't talk price at that time, I just focused on the physical features of the cars.  On Thursday I went back to the Honda dealer to get a very close look and to take a test drive. This went well.  But when I asked about the bottom line price I found I was in a land where nothing is what it seems, and the window sticker numbers are like my golf score -- illusory and lower than reality.  I'll go through this again with the Subaru dealer of course, but it remains to be seen whether I'll get a number I can compare to the Honda deal.  Yuk!!!!  I'll let you know, perhaps next week.

 

Off to something more pleasant -- market and breakfast picnic, though this morning we may get rained out. Take care, stay safe & sane......

Happy Hula, Muscles, Travel Plans

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

4/6/24

 

Aloha Ohana --

 

We're continuing in our damp/cool weather pattern and it's getting a bit old.  Imagine, brilliant sunshine in the morning, temperature barely a chilly 75d, followed by clouds and at least a sprinkle in the afternoon, topping out at only 80-82 degrees!  I'm sure your early spring weather is much better, right?  Oh, and the pool is a mere 84d these days.  Oh, how we suffer!!

 

This weekend is our annual Merrie Monarch hula festival, which is the World Series/Super Bowl/World

Miss Aloha Hula Competition

Cup equivalent of hula.  "Merrie Monarch" is the nickname of King David Kalakaua who ruled Hawaii in the late 1800's.  Hula was banned for many years under the influence of Christian missionaries, until Kalakaua openly supported it and promoted it as a unique expression of Hawaiian culture. The event is held in Hilo and has become a VERY big deal.  Tickets are severely restricted and hard to come by, in case you were thinking of zipping over to attend. Every minute of the competition is televised on local tv, and YouTube undoubtedly has videos of past performances in case you're interested.  You'll be amazed, I guarantee.

After a couple of rained-out attempts, we finally got in some time at Makalei putting, driving, and chipping.  Amazingly, we both could still hit the ball most of the time and a few shots were actually pretty good.  This was around noon on Monday, and we celebrated afterward with a burger and a beer at one of our favorite seaside restaurants in town.  We've contacted our golf partner and we are planning for a return to the course for next Wednesday, with Thursday as a rain backup.  We're doubtful we will be able to get in a complete round either because of exhaustion or rain, but it will still be great to be back to the game.  Recall that we play by "Kona-Lago" rules, in which aspirational score-keeping is allowed and rewarded.  

 

Continuing this week's physical emphasis, yesterday we went to the gym for a fairly vigorous workout. Note, that's TWO visits in seven days, plus whacking golf balls.  As usual, however, we immediately counteracted the benefits of this exercise by going for fried chicken, creamy coleslaw, and French fries after our workout. We might call it our "grunt & gorge" routine.

Now that we've recovered from our Ethiopia challenge, we have plans for several upcoming trips that we're kind of excited about.  One is my bucket-list birthday trip and another is Karen's (we both turn xx this year).  Mine will be in July, when we'll fly to Vancouver for a few days before taking the overnight train through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper, then traveling by car to Banff and Calgary.  I reserved the train months ago in order to book the first-class version with our own cabin and dining-car meals. From Calgary we will fly to Utah and spend about a week around Moab visiting some the National Parks there that we haven't explored before, including the highly touted Arches with its fantastic stone formations,  Should be quite a complement to the lush Canadian Rockies.  

 

Karen's bucket list trip will be delayed until November to optimize the destination weather conditions.  She chose to return to one of our favorite parts of the world, Southeast Asia.  The plan is to start on one of the southern islands of Thailand for about a week, most likely the island of Phi Phi.  Though Thailand may sound exotic, we will hardly be roughing it.  We know this because we've been to this area several times in the past and it has beautiful resort hotels, terrific snorkeling, delicious food, inexpensive massages (!) and wonderful local people. The other half of the trip will be in Cambodia, a country we have visited but only for a short time as part of a group tour to neighboring Vietnam.  This time we'll return on our own and travel at our own pace by pre-arranging a "tour for the two of us," which will allow us to fine-tune the itinerary to our personal interests. As you recall, this is our preferred way of traveling, and it will avoid many of the problems we encountered in Ethiopia.  We also have a couple of shorter domestic trips in the works, but I'll fill you in on those later.

Ok, off to market and breakfast picnic.  Enjoy your early spring.  As I recall it can be quite nice for a few minutes.......

Smoking Crossover, Golf"ish", Pool Proposal

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

3/30/24

 

Aloha Everybody --

 

Our fun guests left Tuesday evening and it has seemed awfully quiet since then.  Of course, we've kept busy with house and  personal projects, but we kind of miss being on the tourist circuit.  Our visit to the volcano area, which we haven't seen ourselves in quite a while, was interesting as always even though Pele is taking a deep snooze at the moment.  The rest of the trip around the island was likewise interesting, though it is quite a drive, far more than most tourists expect,

 

On Monday I passed a very significant personal milestone. It was my 30th anniversary of quitting smoking! As promised by the anti-smoking campaigns, my appetite returned, my sense of smell increased,

NastyHorribleYuck

I never got sick again, my hair grew back, my hangnails disappeared, I was able to bench-press 600 pounds, I became immensely popular, smart, and rich.  Well, maybe not all those, but after a year or two I definitely felt better, and my risk of lung cancer has declined almost to that of a non-smoker.  Of course, no one mentioned emphysema..... This year's anniversary is more significant than usual, because it marks the crossover point from years smoked to years not-smoked,  Believe it or not, I smoked a total of 40 years, starting when I was ten years old!  It's been 30 years since I quit, and 30 added to my 10 years of childhood innocence makes 40 smoke-free years,   Each day from now on will add to my smoke-free time and a celebratory excess over the smoking total.  Note, however, that I am likely to die before I can claim more consecutive smokeless than smoking years.  Sheesh.  Youth is definitely wasted on the young!

 

My recovery from my newest retina vein occlusion continues to be frustratingly slow.  I'm eager to get another shot, scheduled for 2 weeks from Tuesday. If it seems to be getting worse I may have to make an earlier appointment, even though that would mean being treated by someone other than my regular doc.

On Thursday we managed to get back to the gym for a light workout, followed by an antidote of salt and cholesterol at Taco Bell. Sure wish the stuff that is bad for you didn't taste so good!   We attempted to go to the driving range at Makalei on Friday but got rained out.  We may try again tomorrow or Monday.  I'd sure like to get back to whacking that little ball, though I'm pretty sure I won't be able to see where it goes with my current eye problems.

We got a proposal for replacing the pool solar heating system this week, and even though it is a bit more than we expected, we are likely to go ahead with it.  The work will include adding two more panels to the system.  This adds to the cost, of course, but it will also bump up the system's heating capacity.  The project will also include replacing all the old valves and gauges that control and monitor the system, something that might preempt problems in the future.  Now the next question will be how long we will have to wait before the work actually gets done.  Things tend to move a bit slowly here in near-paradise.

Ok, that's it for the week.  Off to market and picnic.  Hope you are well and in good enough shape to handle the upcoming election campaign! If not, now is the time to buy some good earplugs and blinders...body armor and a helmet might be a good idea, too, just in case rhetoric becomes reality.