Sunday, February 21, 2021
It's Been A While
Well, we are still here...obviously.
Another year past 58 but Hey! Who's counting, right?
Again, the basic premise of 8 yo 58 is that these are the "coherent years" for most of us. The years we can most readily recall events, places, people, and other "stuff" (if you need more clarity on stuff...try a search of George Carlin on the topic). Like, "Eh, you remember wen we was (fill in the blank) with (another fill in the blank) at (you got it)." It is really easy to answer this if it happened from age 8 until 58. But go before that or after and we are (most of us anyway) in trouble!
So...
what you got?
Friday, June 5, 2020
This is what Friday Night Lights have become?
No more phone trees to setup "cruise sesh's"
No more perusing the closet to make sure the selection of shirt matches the slacks matches the sox matches the belt matches the shoes...
No more quick check of the ashtray for loose change to see if get "nuff to buy gas"
Nope.
There is nowhere to go...nothing to do... no one to see...
It's all quiet once the sun goes down.
Once that last person is done with the shaka at the end of Joe Moore's 6 o'clock report, just finish eating and mail it in.
Last one in get the lights, eh?
Friday, March 13, 2020
8 to 58
Do you remember being 8-years old? I do.
3rd grade. Mrs. Kang. Upstairs in the old building next to Fort Gakuen. Sky inning before school and at recess. No time after school because you didn't want to be late for Japanese school and face the ire of the likes of "Bulldog Sensei" or "Dynamite Sensei"
The big event during the school year was the luau...at least 20 pigs in the imu. They all went in the ground in the afternoon after the backhoe brought the lava rocks from where they were stored and the kiawe wood was piled on top of them. The fire burned and the smoke burned your eyes if you stood downwind.
Each pig was wired up to receive its share of hot rocks in the cut out body cavities then the wire cage was shut and the whole thing was lowered in the imu with the backhoe; covered with banana stump then leaves and burlap bags then finally, covered with dirt. Carefully, so no steam could get out.
The vigil lasted all night checking for steam.
Then the payoff came early the next morning when everything got peeled back and the backhoe lifted each wire cage out of the imu and placed its pig in a large wooden tray. Open the cage; dump out the pig; grab a bone and start shredding (try not to sample too much!)
My Mommy helped make the haupia with some other Moms the night the pigs went in the imu. Meanwhile other groups made the lomi salmon and another the poi, etc.
Yep. Can't remember much from 2nd grade but 3rd grade...
3rd grade. Mrs. Kang. Upstairs in the old building next to Fort Gakuen. Sky inning before school and at recess. No time after school because you didn't want to be late for Japanese school and face the ire of the likes of "Bulldog Sensei" or "Dynamite Sensei"
The big event during the school year was the luau...at least 20 pigs in the imu. They all went in the ground in the afternoon after the backhoe brought the lava rocks from where they were stored and the kiawe wood was piled on top of them. The fire burned and the smoke burned your eyes if you stood downwind.
Each pig was wired up to receive its share of hot rocks in the cut out body cavities then the wire cage was shut and the whole thing was lowered in the imu with the backhoe; covered with banana stump then leaves and burlap bags then finally, covered with dirt. Carefully, so no steam could get out.
The vigil lasted all night checking for steam.
Then the payoff came early the next morning when everything got peeled back and the backhoe lifted each wire cage out of the imu and placed its pig in a large wooden tray. Open the cage; dump out the pig; grab a bone and start shredding (try not to sample too much!)
My Mommy helped make the haupia with some other Moms the night the pigs went in the imu. Meanwhile other groups made the lomi salmon and another the poi, etc.
Yep. Can't remember much from 2nd grade but 3rd grade...
Friday, May 12, 2017
We Gotta Fix This
I read this attached to an email I received today from the Grassroots Institute.
It was tough reading this but so worthwhile. I hope it brings the issue to the forefront for you as well.
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, if you live in Hawaii this must be personal to you because all of us know or know of someone like Malia Blom Hill. She is an ex-pat who does work for the Grassroots Institute in Washington, D.C. and penned this:
It's not hard to meet someone who has been to Hawaii. I've had enough conversations about people's honeymoons in Maui to last a lifetime. But you endure it for those rare moments when someone throws you a lifeline: "No, I'm from Pearl City/Lihue/Hilo." And then the inevitable: "We moved out here for my job."
We're the Hawaii expats. The ones who bring pancit and haupia to potlucks. Who roll our eyes when we hear about how some trendy chef downtown is making "upscale" spam musubi and poke. And who -- more than anything else -- want to come home again.
According to the Census Bureau, more families than ever before are leaving Hawaii for the mainland. And according to the IRS, most of them are leaving for states with lower tax burdens. (Although, technically, most states have lower tax burdens. And that's before we get into the issue of average salaries.)
There's no mystery about why we leave home. We have to. We can't afford to do otherwise. The cost of living in Hawaii is prohibitive. Not only do you have to contend with high taxes, but there's also the hidden costs, the way that everything -- from milk to filling up your car -- is just a little more expensive.
But there's something else going on, and it's something that should worry Hawaii policymakers a whole lot more that it does. It's the absence of opportunity. No one wants to leave home -- at least, not when your home is a paradise. But young people and families are looking at the employment opportunities and the economic future and saying, "I don't think I can make it here."
And watching Hawaii policy in action doesn't give anyone the feeling that things are getting better. Instead, we see huge spending projects (like Rail), taxes upon taxes, bigger government, more union power, and a complete surrender to the politics of obstruction (e.g. the telescope, GMOs, etc.). It doesn't make you hopeful that things are going to change anytime soon.
So we go where the jobs are, where we can afford a house and a nice life. But we're always on the lookout for those reminders of home. We send each other YouTube videos from Merrie Monarch festivals and try (and fail) to make malasadas and manapua. (Well, maybe that's just me.) And when we run into each other, we always have the following conversation:
"So, do you think you're going back?"
"I want to. Some day. Maybe when we're older and the kids are done with school."
"Yeah. Us too."
The other day, I spent a full hour on YouTube, watching May Day hulas from different high schools and thinking about all the things my kids are missing out on by growing up so far from Hawaii. I thought about the sense of 'ohana, the warmth of the aloha spirit, and the way that the sun looks when it sets over the ocean. I remembered the way that the Honolulu airport always smells of plumerias and airplane fuel, and how you distinguish between dressy and casual slippas.
And then I did what I always do ... and what the thousands of other locals away-from-home do too. I remembered the reasons why I can't move back. Not yet, anyway.
Maybe someday.
It was tough reading this but so worthwhile. I hope it brings the issue to the forefront for you as well.
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, if you live in Hawaii this must be personal to you because all of us know or know of someone like Malia Blom Hill. She is an ex-pat who does work for the Grassroots Institute in Washington, D.C. and penned this:
It's not hard to meet someone who has been to Hawaii. I've had enough conversations about people's honeymoons in Maui to last a lifetime. But you endure it for those rare moments when someone throws you a lifeline: "No, I'm from Pearl City/Lihue/Hilo." And then the inevitable: "We moved out here for my job."
We're the Hawaii expats. The ones who bring pancit and haupia to potlucks. Who roll our eyes when we hear about how some trendy chef downtown is making "upscale" spam musubi and poke. And who -- more than anything else -- want to come home again.
According to the Census Bureau, more families than ever before are leaving Hawaii for the mainland. And according to the IRS, most of them are leaving for states with lower tax burdens. (Although, technically, most states have lower tax burdens. And that's before we get into the issue of average salaries.)
There's no mystery about why we leave home. We have to. We can't afford to do otherwise. The cost of living in Hawaii is prohibitive. Not only do you have to contend with high taxes, but there's also the hidden costs, the way that everything -- from milk to filling up your car -- is just a little more expensive.
But there's something else going on, and it's something that should worry Hawaii policymakers a whole lot more that it does. It's the absence of opportunity. No one wants to leave home -- at least, not when your home is a paradise. But young people and families are looking at the employment opportunities and the economic future and saying, "I don't think I can make it here."
And watching Hawaii policy in action doesn't give anyone the feeling that things are getting better. Instead, we see huge spending projects (like Rail), taxes upon taxes, bigger government, more union power, and a complete surrender to the politics of obstruction (e.g. the telescope, GMOs, etc.). It doesn't make you hopeful that things are going to change anytime soon.
So we go where the jobs are, where we can afford a house and a nice life. But we're always on the lookout for those reminders of home. We send each other YouTube videos from Merrie Monarch festivals and try (and fail) to make malasadas and manapua. (Well, maybe that's just me.) And when we run into each other, we always have the following conversation:
"So, do you think you're going back?"
"I want to. Some day. Maybe when we're older and the kids are done with school."
"Yeah. Us too."
The other day, I spent a full hour on YouTube, watching May Day hulas from different high schools and thinking about all the things my kids are missing out on by growing up so far from Hawaii. I thought about the sense of 'ohana, the warmth of the aloha spirit, and the way that the sun looks when it sets over the ocean. I remembered the way that the Honolulu airport always smells of plumerias and airplane fuel, and how you distinguish between dressy and casual slippas.
And then I did what I always do ... and what the thousands of other locals away-from-home do too. I remembered the reasons why I can't move back. Not yet, anyway.
Maybe someday.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
American Airlines Steward Challenges Passenger. "Hit me!"
In no way am I condoning this behavior however, it seems that these events point to a spreading issue of a breaking point that is occurring at the point of contact between the corporations running the airlines and the people that they serve.
Mergers and the resulting reductions in the flight schedules have forced flight crews to constantly deal with overbooked flights, gate-scrambles to off-load and reload passengers, flight delays that daisy-chain down the line and through it all, it creates surly, unhappy passengers who are stuffed into closed metal tubes for hours with the only available face to vent...a flight attendant who has been called in on a day off to fly to another city for another week away from home.
We all booked our flights on websites with images of happy, friendly faces who we just saw laughing and playing on a web ad or the TV and expect that kind of reality when we get to the airport where we face long check-in lines, government agents who probe us and our belongings, stuffy waiting rooms, and over-priced food/drinks...then we board!
Mergers and the resulting reductions in the flight schedules have forced flight crews to constantly deal with overbooked flights, gate-scrambles to off-load and reload passengers, flight delays that daisy-chain down the line and through it all, it creates surly, unhappy passengers who are stuffed into closed metal tubes for hours with the only available face to vent...a flight attendant who has been called in on a day off to fly to another city for another week away from home.
We all booked our flights on websites with images of happy, friendly faces who we just saw laughing and playing on a web ad or the TV and expect that kind of reality when we get to the airport where we face long check-in lines, government agents who probe us and our belongings, stuffy waiting rooms, and over-priced food/drinks...then we board!
Be grateful if you are greeted with a smile when you do get on board and if not, keep in mind that it's not personal...they are just as frustrated as you.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Company party
We had our annual company party on Friday night. It was my department's turn to host the event.
The party ran smoothly for the most part with just a few hiccups during the evening.
Thankfully, people on my staff are usually the ones involved in major parts of the logistics year after year which made many of the party functions able to run in cruise control as much of the nitty-gritty "how-to" stuff was handled nearly by rote.
I heard many favorable comments about the evening from all levels of employees and management about how well the party ran and how enjoyable it was. Most of that was due to, as in many successes, hard work and dedication of a few people who labor out of the limelight.
In the planning meetings I found frustration in the push back I got from senior management to any ideas of doing things "out of the norm." In fact, I had complained privately to some that the planning could be done from a manual with the same procedures done time and again. One after another, my ideas were shot down and seemingly, the event was destined to be much of the same old, same old as many previous parties.
As the evening was concluding I noticed that our company founder, his son, the current company President and the others at the VIP table remained throughout the party. I had thought that at some point because of his advanced age, at least he, and some others, would have called it a night earlier. After greeting him when everything was done he seem very pleased that things had turned out so well and it occurred to me the true purpose of the party and the amount of dedication he has fostered in the organization.
The resistance I was getting was because of an unspoken thing that the party needed to be like others in the past...ones that he had attended and probably enjoyed. The party is always said to be for the employees and to recognize their efforts from the prior year. That is the way he would want to do it himself. Those closest to him "get" that and work to be sure those parts of it is always there...a little entertainment, recognizing employment milestones, the look on their faces when they win big prizes, some money getting spread around and general merriment and satisfaction at being there.
The way he would do it himself. These are things that stick in even the cloudiest of memories and as long as he chooses to attend the parties he deserves to have that sameness in these parties.
The party ran smoothly for the most part with just a few hiccups during the evening.
Thankfully, people on my staff are usually the ones involved in major parts of the logistics year after year which made many of the party functions able to run in cruise control as much of the nitty-gritty "how-to" stuff was handled nearly by rote.
I heard many favorable comments about the evening from all levels of employees and management about how well the party ran and how enjoyable it was. Most of that was due to, as in many successes, hard work and dedication of a few people who labor out of the limelight.
In the planning meetings I found frustration in the push back I got from senior management to any ideas of doing things "out of the norm." In fact, I had complained privately to some that the planning could be done from a manual with the same procedures done time and again. One after another, my ideas were shot down and seemingly, the event was destined to be much of the same old, same old as many previous parties.
As the evening was concluding I noticed that our company founder, his son, the current company President and the others at the VIP table remained throughout the party. I had thought that at some point because of his advanced age, at least he, and some others, would have called it a night earlier. After greeting him when everything was done he seem very pleased that things had turned out so well and it occurred to me the true purpose of the party and the amount of dedication he has fostered in the organization.
The resistance I was getting was because of an unspoken thing that the party needed to be like others in the past...ones that he had attended and probably enjoyed. The party is always said to be for the employees and to recognize their efforts from the prior year. That is the way he would want to do it himself. Those closest to him "get" that and work to be sure those parts of it is always there...a little entertainment, recognizing employment milestones, the look on their faces when they win big prizes, some money getting spread around and general merriment and satisfaction at being there.
The way he would do it himself. These are things that stick in even the cloudiest of memories and as long as he chooses to attend the parties he deserves to have that sameness in these parties.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Happy New Year!
2017 is here...for those who have been under a rock for the past 3 days.
Watched this video this morning.
http://www.chicksontheright.com/if-you-havent-yet-seen-this-amazing-video-on-millennials-stop-what-youre-doing-and-watch-it-immediately/?utm_source=FED&utm_medium=FED&utm_campaign=FED
Thoughts?
Watched this video this morning.
http://www.chicksontheright.com/if-you-havent-yet-seen-this-amazing-video-on-millennials-stop-what-youre-doing-and-watch-it-immediately/?utm_source=FED&utm_medium=FED&utm_campaign=FED
Thoughts?
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Home Sweet Home
September 11, 2016
Ginger spent the weekend at Tails of Hawaii.
When she is there she spends nearly every moment in the play area pacing around looking for an attendant to play with or other dogs. We check on her via their webcam and whenever we do she seems pretty happy to be there.
She gets pretty tired from all the walking around so when I picked her up and brought her home, she had a bath, ate and then...
Ginger spent the weekend at Tails of Hawaii.
When she is there she spends nearly every moment in the play area pacing around looking for an attendant to play with or other dogs. We check on her via their webcam and whenever we do she seems pretty happy to be there.
She gets pretty tired from all the walking around so when I picked her up and brought her home, she had a bath, ate and then...
Cousins!
September 9, 2016
This weekend was our annual weekend with Juliet's cousins and their families.
When the boys were younger (Brent was 2 or 3 when we started) we would spend 4th of July weekend at Camp Erdman for their Family Camp. We eventually had a group of about 20 to 25 people with parents and kids. Those were really fun times.
Recently we have joined the Olipares' at their vacation club weekend at Aulani. (can you say Glamping?) They are fortunate to have access to a 3-bedroom unit at the end of the buildings and it easily fits about a dozen of us overnite and more during the days.
It is a beautiful property.
This year was special because Kimi went to the Disney Character breakfast on Sunday.
We really appreciate them letting us join them.
This weekend was our annual weekend with Juliet's cousins and their families.
When the boys were younger (Brent was 2 or 3 when we started) we would spend 4th of July weekend at Camp Erdman for their Family Camp. We eventually had a group of about 20 to 25 people with parents and kids. Those were really fun times.
Recently we have joined the Olipares' at their vacation club weekend at Aulani. (can you say Glamping?) They are fortunate to have access to a 3-bedroom unit at the end of the buildings and it easily fits about a dozen of us overnite and more during the days.
It is a beautiful property.
This year was special because Kimi went to the Disney Character breakfast on Sunday.
We really appreciate them letting us join them.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Post game Wrap
September 4, 2016
So after the Hawaii-Michigan game it was back to
Where I found some
So after the Hawaii-Michigan game it was back to
Where I found some
And some
And watched
Jump Man
September 3, 2016
Hawaii's game against Michigan was the Wolverines' season opener and this season U of M became the first school selected to wear Nike's new "Jumpman" football uniforms with the Michael Jordan logo instead of the "Swoosh"
To commemorate the new association MJ himself was in the Big House as an Honorary Captain.
Game Day: The Big House
September 3, 2016
Began the day hustling to be sure I was able to secure a Field Pass for the game. Many thanks to Coach Stutz for the offer.
I was only hoping to join the team during their Friday walk-through in the stadium but was overjoyed to receive his offer of a pass for the game itself!
So here I go...
Once on the field it was time to bring along two favorite teams with me - Go 'Cats! Mountie Up!
The Home Sideline and luxury boxes.
The boys were ready.
It's Motown
Afternoon. September 2, 2016
After lunch we headed to the little house that birthed Motown Records.
It was humbling to hear about the performers who grew up in the surrounding neighborhoods and were gathered in this little unassuming house to produce music that changed the world.
After lunch we headed to the little house that birthed Motown Records.
It was humbling to hear about the performers who grew up in the surrounding neighborhoods and were gathered in this little unassuming house to produce music that changed the world.
The rules do not allow any cameras inside so...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE1TLOp6oCk
Seeing Detroit In the Morning
September 2, 2016
Early breakfast at the Volt Restaurant/Lounge in the Marriott. (Interesting that this hotel only has one bar/restaurant that is run by the hotel.) Then we loaded up in our buses for our tour of Detroit.
First stop was the Ford Piquette Plant which was Henry Ford's first manufacturing facility. This is where the Models A thru T were developed and produced.
Early breakfast at the Volt Restaurant/Lounge in the Marriott. (Interesting that this hotel only has one bar/restaurant that is run by the hotel.) Then we loaded up in our buses for our tour of Detroit.
First stop was the Ford Piquette Plant which was Henry Ford's first manufacturing facility. This is where the Models A thru T were developed and produced.
We made a few other stops before lunch including Comerica Park where the Tigers play.
By and large, the city is kind of depressing as you pass closed factories and largely vacant neighborhoods. That said, there is a major redevelopment happening in the area around Comerica with the owner of the Red Wings building a large, new stadium and a lot of infrastructure and housing development in the area. I found out that the same people own both the Tigers and the Red Wings - the Little Caesar family. Pizza! Pizza!
I hope they are successful in revitalizing the area and the city in general. We stopped at several old office buildings that showed how magnificent the architecture was in the town's heyday and it would be a shame if those fell to the same kind of destruction that you read about in many other instances because of economic strife.
Touchdown: Detroit
Apologies for the late posts but traveling made up-to-date posting difficult.
I will post the date of the photos.
September 1, 2016
Flew in to Detroit from Las Vegas in the afternoon.
This was taken as we were over the shore of Lake Michigan. Detroit was still about an hour away. I was surprised by how much farm land there is in Michigan. Nearly all the land from the coast until we passed the suburbs of Detroit consisted of small farms.
As I was riding in the cab to my hotel I spied this...the Hawaii charter plane at DTW.
I joined the Panda Travel group at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. It's a premier hotel in the expansive complex that is GM World HQ. This is the view from my 16th floor room. It was mostly the opposing skyscraper in the Ren Cen but you could see some of the town and water.
I met up with fellow Tsaikos, M/M A-house and we decided to head to nearby Greek Town where she wanted to try Five Guys. Mmmmm...no argument from me.
After that, it was rest up for a day of sightseeing.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
On the rolling hills...of Vegas
It's Game Week of UH versus Michigan and I am en route to Detroit with a 1-day layover in Vegas.
Reading about the progress of Hurricane Madeline in Hawaii and I'm glad that it is reportedly on a rapid decline in strength.
Hoping for equally favorable reports about Hurricane Lester as it approaches Hawaii this weekend.
Also hoping for some good fortune today in the casino!
More to come...
Reading about the progress of Hurricane Madeline in Hawaii and I'm glad that it is reportedly on a rapid decline in strength.
Hoping for equally favorable reports about Hurricane Lester as it approaches Hawaii this weekend.
Also hoping for some good fortune today in the casino!
More to come...
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Get Chance!
It's an old skool island expression, actually an expression with two sides...
Perhaps more often stated is the negative version..."No mo chance!"
Loudly stated when confronted by those who question the loyalty of a sports fan, this phrase reflects an obstinate view that all is lost, there is no doubt that we are outmatched, outclassed, out of our wits and otherwise should be left out on the curb for collection.
OTOH, "Eh, get chance!" represents the hope of "punchers" everywhere that given just the right circumstances, confluence of fortune, and general "dog luck" a victory (or series of them) is within grasp.
Over the past several years, and in particular the past two seasons I freely admit to have been in the former camp. Dutifully, attending home games quickly became more of an obligation than entertainment. (Eh, we already bought the season tickets...might as well go!) Weeks became weaks and then weakers as the UH football program sank deeper into its morass.
Then came the change(s) that most wanted to see happen and in comes Nick Rolovich and his coaching staff. With memories of past glory being pushed to the forefront by his "we can be great again" mantra many fans were buoyed as the team went through Spring football and Fall camp.
Having attended a spring practice and the Spring Fling thing I was not totally sold on the whole "greatest turnaround season" thing of a past coaching turnover episode. The difference this time was that the outgoing regime seemed to not have had the recruiting acumen to spot, nor the desire to actively recruit football talent. In other words, and as no slight on the players that were on board, the cupboard was bare. Pile on that as Rolo would relate the returning players were psychologically beaten as "Chow Time" came to a close.
But given the time he and his staff has had since taking up residence in the Quarry, I began to see the things that Rolo was doing to get the buy-in from the returnees and I got a sense of the hope that he was selling to the newcomers.
Much of it could be seen on the TV from the Sydney Cup yesterday. A group of Tsaikos gathered at my home to watch and I could sense everyone's apprehension prior to game time about what to expect this season.
Perhaps more often stated is the negative version..."No mo chance!"
Loudly stated when confronted by those who question the loyalty of a sports fan, this phrase reflects an obstinate view that all is lost, there is no doubt that we are outmatched, outclassed, out of our wits and otherwise should be left out on the curb for collection.
OTOH, "Eh, get chance!" represents the hope of "punchers" everywhere that given just the right circumstances, confluence of fortune, and general "dog luck" a victory (or series of them) is within grasp.
Over the past several years, and in particular the past two seasons I freely admit to have been in the former camp. Dutifully, attending home games quickly became more of an obligation than entertainment. (Eh, we already bought the season tickets...might as well go!) Weeks became weaks and then weakers as the UH football program sank deeper into its morass.
Then came the change(s) that most wanted to see happen and in comes Nick Rolovich and his coaching staff. With memories of past glory being pushed to the forefront by his "we can be great again" mantra many fans were buoyed as the team went through Spring football and Fall camp.
Having attended a spring practice and the Spring Fling thing I was not totally sold on the whole "greatest turnaround season" thing of a past coaching turnover episode. The difference this time was that the outgoing regime seemed to not have had the recruiting acumen to spot, nor the desire to actively recruit football talent. In other words, and as no slight on the players that were on board, the cupboard was bare. Pile on that as Rolo would relate the returning players were psychologically beaten as "Chow Time" came to a close.
But given the time he and his staff has had since taking up residence in the Quarry, I began to see the things that Rolo was doing to get the buy-in from the returnees and I got a sense of the hope that he was selling to the newcomers.
Much of it could be seen on the TV from the Sydney Cup yesterday. A group of Tsaikos gathered at my home to watch and I could sense everyone's apprehension prior to game time about what to expect this season.
- how bad was it going to be?
- will the defense be any better?
- could the offense be any worse?
No one was saying these things but I'm sure most were thinking them.
With the attempted onside kick to open up the game came immediate interest because it was a signal that things were NOT gonna be the same. A quick score by Cal and I did not sense from anyone that "oh no, here we go again" feeling. And it was a good thing...a quick TD for Hawaii and the Rolo Era seems to be on its way along with the feeling that...
EH, GET CHANCE!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Back to the Future?
A lot of things that Doc Brown might have imagined in "Back to the Future" seemed to have come true in some form. Fans of the movie noted that the date set in the DeLorean for Doc's first jump to the future came to be last month.
What also came to be in October was the anticipated end of the Norm Chow Era of UH Football. Last night's 58-7 drubbing by Air Force is widely seen as the last straw that will force AD Dave Matlin to take some immediate action to change the direction of the program. The official attendance of over 15,000 is a head-scratcher unless they counted many of the service members in attendance twice. Turning that trend around quickly would be vital for the newly-minted head of the department as he establishes his mark on UH Athletics history.
Looking at the situation from his view and the first thing you notice is that there is no bye-week that will allow for any chance of easing a new Head Coach into an already tough situation. Any mid-season shake-up is a challenge but doing it in a game week is even more unenviable. Doing it in a week when the team is on the road falls into "wishing my worst enemy" territory. With an eye to trying to push out as many tickets as possible after the upcoming UNLV game when Hawaii returns for its final 3-game homestand, I am sure Matlin still has ghost and goblins leftover in his head with images of mausoleum-like settings in Aloha Stadium.
If an announcement is made that Norm Chow is relieved as Head Coach this afternoon there would be about 144 hours until the team kicks off against the Rebels in Sam Boyd Stadium. With 5-hours of flight time from the nearest mainland airport, travel time to get to that airport, time to wrap up any issues, and even a little time to pack some basics, the earliest someone would be in Manoa is probably midday Monday. Once on the ground that person would have less than 72 hours to evaluate his personnel; watch game film of the opponent; formulate a game plan; meet with his staff (assuming the entire Chow staff remains) to announce the plan and his system; setup a practice plan; conduct 3 home practices where he introduces an offensive and defensive and special teams system, scheme, and methodology to the team; coordinate a trip for 100 people that is 2600+ miles away; then finally, coach a CFB game in a venue that he may or may not have ever seen before. (BTW, I use the male form of the pronoun because it is virtually impossible that a female would fill the position)
If there is such a person that could or would take all that on be aware that he was probably sitting by the phone in the middle of the season waiting for ANY opportunity. That doesn't seem to be the kind of hire any AD would be willing to make at any stage of his tenure. So go ahead and rule out anyone from the mainland coming in this week to take the job.
That would leave someone who is already in Hawaii. Does Matlin turn things over to the OC who promised 70 TD's and hasn't produced anything much more than being shutout in 4 of the seven games so far this season? (Last night's lone TD came from the Special Teams). How about the DC who would be wearing the "Interim" label for the 3rd time? Wait...you mean he has been on 2 other staffs that ended up having its Head Coach dismissed in the midst of the season? Not a strong resume.
Who then?
Apparently, there is a guy who has been seen on the practice field in the next valley over from Manoa all season. June Jones has been sort of an unpaid consultant to his long-time running mates, Cal and Ron Lee during St. Louis' ILH season up through and including last week's playoff win over 5-time champion Punahou.
The man who formulated the greatest turnaround in NCAA history in 1999 seems poised to be thrust into the role yet again. He already knows the landscape in the Quarry and has probably been following the "progress" of the team for at least this and the previous season. His "system" probably doesn't even need to be run thru the printing office since his "playbook" is in his head. The players, and most notably the QB's, should be fairly familiar with parts of the system already. (What D1 QB is not familiar with the Choice route?) And if not, there's gotta be hours and hours of game film somewhere in the football offices.
And did I mention he's already done a big turnaround before? The last soldout game I recall is the UDub game before the Sugar Bowl. If the new AD is concerned about attendance, Jones' name can certainly pique some interest and probably some ticket sales (and fewer season-ticket holder no-shows) People love him or hate him but either way they will turn out to see if they were right.
Hopefully, someone is already digging up the 1999-2006 game tapes and maybe even Netflix copy of "Back to the Future."
It's been a while
I haven't posted anything here since the beginning of the year but decided to "re-activate my membership" mostly due to the current failings of the UH football program.
Last night was truly a horrific Halloween debacle that saw me walking out of a FOOTBALL GAME in the 2nd quarter! Being one of those who would admittedly pull over to the side of the road to watch a bunch of school kids play a game of two-handed touch, I would never have imagined that the level of play of a CFB game would be so bad that I would readily get up and walk out of Aloha Stadium before the teams actually left the field to head into the locker rooms for halftime.
Granted, it was Halloween and my new granddaughter's first one at that, so the plan going in was to watch half the game and head back home for trick or treating; see what her Mom had put together for her 1st costume; and host the in-laws from out of town for dinner. But I thought that I would be a reluctant participant in that plan. However, after watching UH punt it after 1 first down to open the game and then Air Force take the ball at their 10-yard line and march at will for a touchdown, reconsidering that stance seemed to be a good idea. The next 24 points only served to reaffirm the notion. (I was already walking through the gates when "Wild Blue Yonder" was being played by the PACAF band to celebrate the late field goal that made it 34-0 at the half)
At least the Halloween celebrations turned out to be fun but whenever the game came to mind it wasn't hard to imagine that the next time I get to see a Hawaii victory the most popular comment might be, "It's been a while."
Last night was truly a horrific Halloween debacle that saw me walking out of a FOOTBALL GAME in the 2nd quarter! Being one of those who would admittedly pull over to the side of the road to watch a bunch of school kids play a game of two-handed touch, I would never have imagined that the level of play of a CFB game would be so bad that I would readily get up and walk out of Aloha Stadium before the teams actually left the field to head into the locker rooms for halftime.
Granted, it was Halloween and my new granddaughter's first one at that, so the plan going in was to watch half the game and head back home for trick or treating; see what her Mom had put together for her 1st costume; and host the in-laws from out of town for dinner. But I thought that I would be a reluctant participant in that plan. However, after watching UH punt it after 1 first down to open the game and then Air Force take the ball at their 10-yard line and march at will for a touchdown, reconsidering that stance seemed to be a good idea. The next 24 points only served to reaffirm the notion. (I was already walking through the gates when "Wild Blue Yonder" was being played by the PACAF band to celebrate the late field goal that made it 34-0 at the half)
At least the Halloween celebrations turned out to be fun but whenever the game came to mind it wasn't hard to imagine that the next time I get to see a Hawaii victory the most popular comment might be, "It's been a while."
Friday, January 16, 2015
Scoped Up!
Months of bothersome pain has probably come to an end today with the arthroscopic surgery that was done on my left knee this morning.
I checked into Pali Momi a little before 8am.
Kudos to the entire staff at Pali Momi for their helpfulness and professionalism. Pre-op was very efficiently handled by Leia. I thought that I was fairly calm but when she first checked my BP was on the plus side of 180 over 90! I received visits from Dr. Tanaka-the anesthesiologist and Dr. Vernoy-the surgeon who were both very reassuring and I noticed that the BP had dropped down quite a bit as I waited.
About 9:25 I was wheeled to the OR. A few moments later I was told to take a deep brea....zzzzz. (That's my recollection of the surgery)
I woke up outside the OR and was shortly wheeled back to the pre-op area. Reyna and Wanda were attending to me and were very helpful and cheerful. I could peek outside my recovery cubicle to see that nearly all the other cubicles were occupied and the entire area was buzzing with activity. I asked Reyna if this was a particularly busy morning and she said it was fairly normal although they do get busier right after the holidays. I suppose a lot of patients hold off on doing surgery over the holidays if it is possible. In my case, my surgeon was away for the month of December and I may have been part of the "catch-up" for him because I was told that he had four other surgeries this morning in addition to mine!
Juliet was already waiting by the time I was out of the ER and they brought her in from the waiting room shortly after I was moved to the cubicle. Check-out was smooth as was the ride home.
So far, so good! I was sent home with crutches and painkillers but haven't been needing to use either. Not much pain like I was experiencing pre-surgery (lateral movement) and I reported to Dr. Vernoy that all was good when he called at about 2:30. He said that the surgery went as expected regarding the meniscus tear removal. He also found some scar tissue around the knee cap that was removed and did see some more arthritis. He also removed the cartilage on the outside of the knee cap that he said should retard more arthritic progression in the future.
I am looking forward to getting back out for my walks soon and no more pain!
Scope down. Full speed ahead!
I checked into Pali Momi a little before 8am.
Kudos to the entire staff at Pali Momi for their helpfulness and professionalism. Pre-op was very efficiently handled by Leia. I thought that I was fairly calm but when she first checked my BP was on the plus side of 180 over 90! I received visits from Dr. Tanaka-the anesthesiologist and Dr. Vernoy-the surgeon who were both very reassuring and I noticed that the BP had dropped down quite a bit as I waited.
About 9:25 I was wheeled to the OR. A few moments later I was told to take a deep brea....zzzzz. (That's my recollection of the surgery)
I woke up outside the OR and was shortly wheeled back to the pre-op area. Reyna and Wanda were attending to me and were very helpful and cheerful. I could peek outside my recovery cubicle to see that nearly all the other cubicles were occupied and the entire area was buzzing with activity. I asked Reyna if this was a particularly busy morning and she said it was fairly normal although they do get busier right after the holidays. I suppose a lot of patients hold off on doing surgery over the holidays if it is possible. In my case, my surgeon was away for the month of December and I may have been part of the "catch-up" for him because I was told that he had four other surgeries this morning in addition to mine!
Juliet was already waiting by the time I was out of the ER and they brought her in from the waiting room shortly after I was moved to the cubicle. Check-out was smooth as was the ride home.
So far, so good! I was sent home with crutches and painkillers but haven't been needing to use either. Not much pain like I was experiencing pre-surgery (lateral movement) and I reported to Dr. Vernoy that all was good when he called at about 2:30. He said that the surgery went as expected regarding the meniscus tear removal. He also found some scar tissue around the knee cap that was removed and did see some more arthritis. He also removed the cartilage on the outside of the knee cap that he said should retard more arthritic progression in the future.
I am looking forward to getting back out for my walks soon and no more pain!
Scope down. Full speed ahead!
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