Night Thoughts of a Field Linguist

"What is Remembered, Lives"*

Kevin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:34:29 -1000

I've been in San Francisco for the past several days with my Reclaiming friends.

On Saturday night with 1000 other people, I danced the Spiral Dance.

The Wheel of the Year has turned again.

Tonight I joined a procession of people at the Dia de los Muertos celebration in the Mission.

Both of these events brought back many memories of my life in San Francisco and my friends who have passed through the veil into the Summerland, the Isle of Apples, where their spirits dwell, along with the spirits of the unborn.

Impressions and photos of both of the events will be coming. Below is a column I wrote on World AIDS day two years ago that is apropos now.

There are two days a year I set aside to remember those who have passed between the veil and are on "the other side:" Samhain (All Hallows, 31 October) and December 1, World Aids Day. I also honor Veteran's Day - though I have a problem with war, most of the young men served their country in spite of inept politicians who have never served a day like US soldiers have. It's not their fault that they were killed fighting a meaningless battle staged by idiots.

Oh, the waste of young men and women in wars generally, but especially the one the US is involved in now...I am so lucky I've lived to at least 52.

The passage of time has dulled the excruciating pain I experienced when I've lost my friends. The pain has been replaced with fond memories.

As the years go on, I remember these special friends:

Greg Antepenko - Greg and I were best friends for a decade (the 80's).

Greg and Kevin, 1984

There were several times we considered becoming boyfriends, because we both loved each other a lot in our own ways and we had very similar temperaments, but we decided to continue with a friendship that seemed to work. Greg worked part time as a gardener for Melvin Belli, the flamboyant attorney in San Francisco. Belli's office was near the Transamerica Pyramid, and he had plants in window boxes and on the roof. I remember visiting Greg on the roof of the Belli building (circa 1985).

Here's the Belli Building at 722/728 Montgomery, San Francisco:

I usually brought some snacky food. We'd smoke a doob, kick back on his break, look at the San Francisco skyline, and figure out how to make Mel's place more fabulous. I'd end up helping Greg water, plant, and sweep. Belli himself was a real character - pity I never had my picture taken with him, but in those days, all one had was film and taking pictures was much more "of a thing" than it is now. Belli had his office on the street behind a big glass window, so pedestrians could watch him work. I remember that he had a very busy office - chock full of as, we say in Hawaii, "stuffs and junks" - pictures of celebrities all over his walls, little statues, and so much crap on his desk I wondered just how he wrote briefs there. Belli represented a diverse clientele - Wikipedia says that Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mae West, Sirhan Sirhan, and Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker (!) were among them. He always appeared to me as a rather large toad sitting on a mushroom with a large rake, pulling in the dough. When I saw him at work, I was reminded of his guest role in the original Stark Trek series as "Gorgan the Friendly Angel."

Here's a picture of Anna, Greg and I in November 1988 at the Aids Memorial Quilt display in Washington, DC. The three of us were "Quilt workers" dressed in white. Our job was to help people find panels of their loved ones, and hand out tissues and hankies to people. It was the first time I had ever done so much grief-counseling in one place in two afternoons. It had been a heckuva day, so we retired to a nearby tree on the Mall to relax (watch my back, youse guys!):

Greg lived in Rio Nido on the Russian River in his younger days (circa 1979-1982). I'd drive up there every weekend to hang out, and we'd go out to the Rainbow Cattle Company for cocktails and smarmytalk.

Oh, the days when I was more carefree and 25 years old... Thanks for the memories, Greg! I hope you are resting comfortably and making wherever you are more fabulous. To his credit, Greg was an instigator who likely increased awareness of teaching your doctor about AIDS in San Francisco. AIDS/HIV was a whole different world back in the 80's. There were people that wanted to isolate people with AIDS/HIV - people were treated very poorly back then. Fortunately, it has changed somewhat, but there are still many instances of HIV/AIDS discrimination in our society.

Tomas 1986

Tomas Colon-Batis. "Every tingle time (sic)" I think about Tomas, I cannot help but smile. What a happy-go-lucky spirit this guy was. He was Puerto-Rican/Cuban mix, and would think nothing of dropping $250 on a shirt, living on Bell System telephone operator's salary. No matter that he might not have enough to make the rent that month, but at least he would look fabulous when he was evicted. Hw spoke perfect unaccented English, but could easy slip into almost any Spanish dialect (Cuban, Argentinian, Castilian) you could name, hence the "tingle time" above. He was a regular at our dinner table, where the wine flowed freely. He partied, he played, and eventually met his Mr. Wonderful (David, an EMT physician who drove a MB with the license plate NSPIKR) David was his dream come true who domesticated him, festooned him with jewels, a car, and a mansion in Hillsborough, south of San Francisco, and swept him away from his San Francisco family to be a Pensinsula spouse. Tomas' last days were filled with opulence and beauty - and boy, was his mom proud that he scored a doctor! I remember you, Tomas.

Keith Bishop. Aah, Keith. One of the sexiest men I have ever met. We were both members of the California Eagles Motorcycle Club. He drove one of those really LARGE Honda Goldwings. Keith was such a gentleman...

Keith near the Fire, Finnon Lake Calfornia, 1986 (?)

Tim Pacy. He was my ex-partner's best friend, a good friend of mine as well. Tim was partly responsible for our eventual relocation to Hawaii. Tim deserves so much more blog time than I can give at the moment. (Note to self).

Tim and Tomas, 1984 (?)

I miss you all terribly.

*"What is remembered, lives" is a beautiful refrain from one of my favorite Samhain litanies written by Starhawk of the Reclaiming Collective. This song is traditionally sung on Samhain before we take a trance journey to the Isle of Apples, where the souls of the dead go to be reborn...

The Gates
Starhawk

These are the gates of youth and age
These are gates of now and then
These are gates of memory
And desire

Pass through them, slip between the worlds beyond time
Outside the boundaries of your human life

Pass through them, to dance the spiral
The journey of renewal

You warriors! Here your battles are over
You workers! Here your tasks are done
You who are hurt! Here find healing
You who are weary! Here find rest
You who are old! Here you will grow young again
For this is the land of youth, the shining land, the isle of apples

Here is all that ever was, none are forgotten
Nothing lasts forever
All that has passed comes around again
For here, What is remembered lives
What is remembered lives

This beautiful song was published on Reclaiming's "Let it Begin Now" CD available at Serpentine Music.

Dewey's Story

Kevin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:28:55 -1000

A black cat dropped into my life over a year ago, and he's had such an impact on my life I haven't gotten around to blogging about him yet.

I first met him hanging around the parking lot of the community college where I work in January 2008. My campus is bucolic - perfect for a cat, as there are many hidey holes, lots of vegetation, flat and hilly terrain, and plenty of critters to play with and prey on.

But This Cat really liked people. I would come up the steps of the library, walk to my car, and The Cat would run over and greet me as if I was a very familiar friend - his question mark tail, hanging lazily in the air.

Not to say that he didn't make friends with my colleagues (many of whom are catfolks too).

They even named him - "Dewey" - after Melvyl Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, a library classification scheme. Dewey is a boy. Had he been a girl, it's very likely he would have picked up the name Elsie ("LC") for Library of Congress Classification system - that's the one most academic libraries use and the one my library uses. I know, saddling a mysterious cat with a reference to a classification system of knowledge...well, I'm sure there are cats out there with names more sublime and ridiculous...

But Dewey's story was a mystery. My campus has two feral cat colonies, and he looked like he didn't below to either. Though he was a bit thin, his coat was ok, and he was just too friendly to be a Feral Kampus Kitty. Over several weeks, he would show up just before sunset, and we'd hang out in the parking lot behind the library. I started bringing him snacks, and I opened up my car to him. Before long, he was hanging out in my car as we both listened to the BBC news on NPR. It was dinnertime in Hawaii, and Dewey and I were hearing about tomorrow already.

I was getting home later and later, and F was curious to know what was up. F loves cats too, and we talked about having one come and live with us (because you know that no home is really complete without a cat, or dog, or bird - that's the way I grew up) but the biggest problem: What to do when we travel? If you get hung up on questions like these, you'll probably never get what you want.

Dewey and I met during in winter. Winter in Hawaii is absolutely glorious in that it is windy, and rainy, and cool. I felt bad leaving Dewey at night, but my campus has plenty of buildings on pillar and post where he could find shelter, and the temperature never dropped below 60. I made sure he had a tummy full of food before I left.

One very windy night I worked until about 8PM - a little later than the time Dewey and I would meet. I climbed the stairs from the library entrance and walked to my car. I heard a strange, disembodied meow coming from....where?

I walked back and forth around the parking lot, and the meowing got stronger and then more faint...for 5 minutes I walked around, and around, and around, only to discover that Dewey...

was in the parking lot storm drain!

I fished out a flashlight from my car, beamed the light through the grate, and saw a very unhappy cat staring up at me.

We have a crackerjack security team at KCC. I called Wayne, who came over with a large crowbar. We lifted the grate up, and I climbed down to get a very relieved Dewey. Dewey was so anxious to get out of there that he helped himself out using the climbing rungs!

Of course, this made it more imperative that I make a decision about bringing him home with me. There were a few other pieces to the puzzle that needed solving.

Dewey and I hung out from Monday to Friday - I went to find him on Saturday, but he wasn't around. Sunday--same thing. F actually began to put the pieces together - he suspected that he was somebody's cat who came to KCC during the week when people were around. Ok. made sense. KCC is surrounded by the neighborhoods of Kaimuki and Kahala

But whose cat was he? Time to find out.

My boss loaned me her cat carrier, and I took Dewey in to see if he was chipped - he was, and the veterinarian would call the owner and tell him/her about me.

An hour later, I got a call from a woman named Heather. I told her that I had really fallen for Dewey.

I popped the question whether I could take Dewey home, and to my joy she said yes! Dewey was one of six who was hand-fed as a baby (his mother was killed by the next door neighbor), so he's extraordinarily bonded with people.

It seems that Dewey has a half-brother at her house - right across the street from KCC - that didn't like him. Dewey was exiled to roam outside because of this, but would return to his home for food. Heather was grateful that he was going to a good home, and, if for some reason it didn't work out at home, I could bring him back. I couldn't believe my good luck that day!

I have much more to say about this cat, and will add more information later...

pics to come!

Dewey loves to be vacuumed (!), and loves boxes:

May Day 2009

Kevin — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:36:13 -1000

I took advantage of a cheap airfare and took a couple of days off to hang out in the Bay Area.

As luck would have it, my airfare coincided with Mayday, or Beltane as it's called in some circles.

The Wheel of the Year has two opposites: Beltane, the beginning of summer, and Samhain, or All Hallow's Eve, the beginning of winter.

Beltane/Mayday is a day filled with eager greetings to warm weather, flowering trees, and young love.

The Berkeley Morris dance up the sun every May 1 at Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. This year, I got to attend - and it's been a long time since I've enjoyed the Berkeley Morris.

Follow the image link below to see a slide show of that beautiful morning.

2009 Berkeley Morris on Beltane Morn

Swamp Romp 2009

Kevin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:41:58 -1000

I was the official photographer for this year's Swamp Romp at Kane'ohe Marine Base here on O'ahu.

There were 3 teams of Swamp Pigs this year.

Follow this link to see the slide show.

Swamp Romp 2009

Honolulu rallys for Marriage Equality

Kevin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:37:11 -1000

A nice turnout of Honolulu's concerned citizens for marriage equality this morning:

Hawaii is where the fight for marriage equality began.

More pictures of today's rally:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmroddy

Obama is from Hawaii, Obama is from Chicago?

Kevin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:46:49 -1000

More silliness - claims from both Hawaii and Chicago that Obama is "ours."

Well, now that he won the Presidency, he belongs to the nation and the world.

Still, I suspect there are very few Illinois residents that are good at this:

Sandy's Beach where he surfed is NOTORIOUS for more broken bones and neck injuries than any other beach in Hawaii. You have to know what you're doing to surf here well.

And you can't learn it in a weekend's visit. Meaning simply to acquire the form he has in the above picture takes lots of practice.

Yes, the President surfs! Not on one of those fiberglass boards neither.

He surfs the old-fashioned way, just like the Hawaiians did and still do.

With the body alone.

Go Obama!

Obama in the rain

Kevin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:04:06 -1000

What a campaign so far, eh?

I'm very impressed with Barack Obama - but it was this rally that really brought it home for me:

Obama in the rain. Other photos are here.

A story in a local newspaper here (sorry, but both of them have such awful Web sites I'm having trouble finding it and providing it for you here) recounted the argument that Obama is really from Illinois now and not from Hawaii. What the article implied is that Obama's roots are firmly planted in Illinois and that he has somehow forgotten his Hawaiian origins. He enjoys mainland foods, baseball and basketball teams, etc. Some Chicagoans (along with our very unpopular Governor here in Hawaii) were trying to downplay his Island roots.

This guy comes from HAWAII. You know why? Only people from Hawaii will stand in the rain and talk to people. It rains here a lot. Obama was to have said "Let me just begin by saying that a little bit of rain never hurt anybody." Bra-VO, Mr. Obama! McCain rallying nearby canceled his appearance because of the weather.

I guess the "tough guys" can't handle the rain.

Good luck Mr. Obama!

Go Obama!

Kevin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:56:09 -1000

There's more than one way to clean a cat!

Kevin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:20:17 -1000

He LIKES it...he really LIKES it!

Interpreting for Obama

Kevin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:36:38 -1000

Barack Obama came home two weeks ago for some rest and relaxation before the you-know-what.

My KCC colleague and teacher Jan Fried was there to interpret for him:

Maybe that will be me interpreting for him someday!

An illuminating moment

Kevin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:27:31 -1000

I had a very exciting moment in my American Sign Language 202 class two weeks ago.

As most of you know, ASL's word order is very different from English. Some deaf people are educated in environments where sign language is signed according to English syntax (SEE - Signed Exact English).

My instructor Linda had a WONDERFUL way of explaining how word order works. For you linguists out there, ASL follows a Topic-Comment arrangement, meaning the most salient topic of the sentence is signed first, and everything else follows.

Linda wrote a sentence on the board and called a student up to sign it. The student SEE'ed it. Linda then asked - "What would be the first thing you would draw to describe this sentence?" The student thought for a moment, looked at some of us in the class, and suddenly, the lights came on. "well, of course, for sentence one, December 21!" For the second sentence, "Gallaudet University" and then, for me at least, the third sentence was the charm - omigod - the MOON!!! You mean, it's that easy to determine the topic of the sentence?!?! Now, I don't want to give ASL the short shrift here, because like any spoken language, syntax can get complex. But for the most part, if you want to know the word order of an ASL sentence, ask yourself, "How would I draw the sentence?"

Here are the sentences..

1. The first day of winter is December 21.
ASL: December 21 - winter - first day

2. The founder of Gallaudet University was hearing.
ASL: Gallaudet University - founder-male- hearing

3. Armstrong is the first man who walked on the moon.
ASL: moon - walk on - first man - Armstrong.

4. An elephant's pregnancy lasts two years.
ASL: elephant - pregnancy - two years long

5. The next sign language class will be cancelled.
ASL: class sign language next (will) cancel

6. The tap water in your area is polluted.
ASL: your area water-tap polluted

7. Elvis Presley had two daughters.
ASL: #E-L-V-I-S P-R-E-S-L-E-Y have daughter-two
ASL: daughter two have #E-L-V-I-S P-R-E-S-L-E-Y

8. It's alright to drink tap water in Mexico.
ASL: Mexico water-tap drink ok

9. It's worthwhile to attend the workshop.
ASL: workshop go-to worthwhile

10. It's alright to complain to your boss.
ASL: Complain to boss - ok.

11. If you wait two weeks to buy your airline ticket, the fare will go up.
ASL: airline ticket if two weeks wait - price - increase

12. If you install a Japanese motor in an American car, you will damage the car.
ASL: car American, engine Japanese install- car damage will

13. Putting a needle over a flame will sterilize the needle.
ASL: if flame under needle put - sterilize will

14. First Hawaiian Bank is open on Saturday.
ASL: Bank First Hawaiian open Saturday

15. The name Wickstrum is Swedish.
ASL: family name #W-I-C-K-S-T-R-U-M Swedish name

16. The play has an interpreter for deaf people.
ASL: play has interpreter people deaf come

17. Deafness runs in the Johannson family.
ASL: family name #J-O-H-A-N-N-S-O-N deaf generations back-to-forward

Learning a signed language

Kevin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:01:10 -1000

My thoughts on this topic have been percolating for a long time - it's time to share them.

As some of you know, I've been spending the better part of my summer learning American Sign Language.

The Community College where I work has an Interpreting Program to prepare people to work as sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign interpreters in K-12 and university classrooms, courtrooms, doctor's offices, and other settings. One setting that particularly intrigues me is the hot and rapidly expanding video relay service (VRS). More on that later.

As someone who has been fascinated by human language since I was a little kid, earned two degrees in Linguistics, and managed to learn two languages in which I can order more than a cup of coffee and tell you my uncle has a red pencilbox, learning a signed language has been quite an experience. i

First, put aside any notion that you believe a signed language is primitive, gesture-driven, and it's not a "real" language. Sure, it employs the use of some gestures, but the language is governed by complex linguistic rules like all other languages, encoding grammatical information in movement and position of hands, and in the face (more on this later as well).

Simply put, ASL is a complex language, just like Arabic, Chinese, English, Tamil.

As you might suspect, learning a visual language when one has only learned spoken languages...well, your eyes are really put to the test, ears be damned. Of course, you can blink while someone is signing, and not miss much, but if you turn your head or look down for a couple of seconds to rummage through your book bag for a pencil, what that person said is gone.

I went to a sign language conference in Long Beach in May. Some sessions were signed only, while others were voiced. I spent one day in signed sessions exclusively, and I was exhausted afterwards. Though I had only had maybe six months in a signed classroom environment 5 hours a week, and a couple of Deaf Starbucks, I could follow maybe 60 percent of the presentations, and the presenters likely used a simpler ASL register to reach the wide range of people in the room. One session was on ASL idioms, while the other was on numbers in ASL. But maintaining an unbroken visual connection with a signer for hours was a new experience and a skill that I'm going to have to develop. Like a muscle, right? Keep on exercising it until it's strong.

My ASL class is a lot of fun, and the teacher is wonderful. But it took some time before all of the students in my class followed a very simple rule - turn your voice off in a signed environment, especially if you want to learn to sign. Don't murmur each word the teacher signs. It breaks the concentration of the other students, and it's irritating. Don't carry on conversations with other students and interpret for them - let them stumble and puzzle over signs they don't understand. It's a deaf culture thing - it's rude to voice in the presence of a deaf person when there's no interpreter (Think about it - don't you feel strange or maybe even uncomfortable if you're in a group or classroom setting and someone you know begins to speak to another in a language you don't understand?) That's rude, isn't it? And two, it's really disruptive to the processing of visual information to hear and block out spoken word processing. It's difficult to concentrate on processing signs if you have to process spoken words too. That was a problem in the first summer session. I lost my cool with another student and barked at him that he should NOT have taken a cell phone call in class - he took advantage of the teacher. He would have never done that in a hearing teacher's class. That is what really bugged me - his lack of manners and rudeness. But he's better. The teacher is much more strict these days and occasionally "gives him the hairy eyeball" if she notices his lips moving while facing another student in class. The class is better now.

Once I have gained more experience in signing I'm sure I will be able to handle being in a voiced environment. In fact, I'm going to have to develop the skill of being in both the hearing and deaf worlds at the same time if I want to become an interpreter.

A good Maying to you all and a Bountiful Beltane!

Kevin — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:57:11 -1000

Unite and Unite,
and let us all unite,
For Summer's a-comin' today
And whither we are going we all will unite
In the merry morning of May

Women:

I warn you, young men,
Every one,
For Summer's a-comin' today
To go to the Greenwood and fetch you May home
In the merry morning of May

Men:
O rise up, Our Queen
All in your gown of silk,
For Summer's a-comin' today
And all your body under's as white as any milk
In the merry morning of May

Women:

O rise up, Our King,
And joy you betide
For summer's a-comin' today
And bright is the Bride that sits by Your side
In the merry morning of May

All:

Now fare you well
We bid you all good cheer
For Summer's a-comin' today
and whither we are going we all will unite
in the merry morning of May

I awakened to this song in my head this morning, and thought of the Berkeley Morris dancing up the Sun in the wee hours of this morning at Berkeley's Tilden Park.

I thought of my friends from two years ago who joined me in a Maypole Dance in Honolulu's Kapi'olani Park. Kelly was the May King - don't you love her cloak billowing in the breeze?

I also think of Anna Applegate, the May Queen of Kapi'olani, when we danced together around the pole and posed for this picture:

As I remember, it was very windy that day, and keeping the May Pole (a 30 foot freshly cut bamboo stalk) stationary was quite a feat:

A picture our Maypole revelers as we tied the pole and weaved our upcoming summer dreams into it:

Afterwards, the cameraman caught me in a happy moment before sunset:

And in a more pensive moment:

But we did it - we ushered in the traditional first day of summer on the windy Sunday afternoon of April 30, 2006.

2009 in Tilden Park, Berkeley!

Thank you, cameraman Frank, for the great photos!

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Kevin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:38:33 -1000

Too funny!

Lava on the Big Island

Kevin — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:34:38 -1000

Readers near and far--

You may have heard about a spike in Kilauea Volcano's activity in the past month or so.

Though I live in Honolulu, I have a house in the Puna District of the Big Island in Leilani Estates, and underlined in green on the PDF map below.

This USGS/County of Hawaii pdf shows the current breakout (in yellow). Though it doesn't look like much, if our brisk tradewinds stop, many people could be affected by the hydrogen sulfide, choking ash, and much worse - not so much lava inundation, but other serious problems.

Once you load the map into your browser, you can blow it up to view things more closely.

Stay tuned.

Another Cat Brain Map

Kevin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:53:24 -1000

Aaah, another attempt to map the fascinating, secretive brain of the feline...

I love this stuff.

(Originally published in MS Magazine, Vol 3, no.1, July/August 1992)

Pandora bows to the meme...and I'll just nod my head.

Kevin — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:40:34 -1000

My friend Macha NightMare just tagged me with a this meme.

Here are the rules:

The meme:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book TO page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Here was MY result:

"Pumaia keeps back one favorite pig which he has vowed shall die a natural death. Kuali'i sends messengers to demand this last hog, but Pumaia kills each messenger until none are left. Finally, Kuali'i catches, binds, and kills Pumaia and throws his bones into the pit with others."

From Martha Beckwith's "Hawaiian Mythology" University of Hawaii Press, 1970. (It's very dangerous to tag a librarian sitting at a reference desk!)

I hereby tag Michael C, Adam, Eric, Pam, and Victoria.

See memes from Anne, Cosette, Pandora, and Chas. Oh, and Moonroot too.

Deaf Chinese Dance Troupe

Kevin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:42:16 -1000

Amazing story! Unfortunately, it's not captioned for the deaf or hard-of-hearing. It's a visual masterpiece nevertheless.

Swamp Romp 2008

Kevin — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:44:58 -1000

The Kane'ohe Marine Base here on O'ahu sponsors the Swamp Romp, an annual run in the mud obstacle course. This year 300 teams of 6 persons each ran the course on Saturday February 23, 7am.

I can't run, of course - darn total hip replacements. Frank was filling in for a fellow who came down with the flu two days before the race. Since six people make up the team, if one can't make it, the rest cannot run.

I didn't want Frank to go alone, so I tagged along and took pictures. Little did I know that I was to become the team photographer for the Swamp Pigs and Piglets that comprised four teams.

Photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmroddy/

Go to Sets ----> Swamp Romp 2008 to see an organized set of photos. I'm still fidgeting with the raw photos on the site - you're welcome to view those two.

Below is perhaps my favorite picture of all - of Allen, this year's organizer of runners:

Good going, guys!

Hey! Turn out the lights...a cat's tryin' to get some SLEEP here!

Kevin — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:49:42 -1000

Meet Dewey the cat.

Mean Little Kitty

Kevin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:47:00 -1000

I found this video over at my friend Geo's site. It's captioned for the hearing-impaired. It's one of the few rap songs I can tolerate because the topic is...CATS!

Superbowl Advertising reaches out to the Deaf community

Kevin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:42:24 -1000

I never thought I would feature a Super Bowl commercial here on my Web site, but this one is too remarkable to pass up. Based on an old familiar joke in the Deaf community.

Enjoy.

The Winter Solstice

Kevin — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:35:51 -1000

Saturday, December 22, 2007 0108 EST (0608 UT), marked the Winter Solstice. Here is the photo as the solstice sun set in front of my house in Honolulu at 1758 Hawaii Standard Time.

Keep warm on this darkest night of the year.

Kitten serenade

Kevin — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 14:29:00 -1000

My friend Brian plays his mandolin to a very appreciative feline friend...

Artworx Interview with CJ Jones (Part 1)

Kevin — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:05:16 -1000

Keep your eyes on this guy!

and Part 2:

Winter in Honolulu

Kevin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:50:53 -1000

I love winter, period.

It's my favorite season, with autumn a close second.

Never cared for spring or summer much. I grew up in very hot and humid summer climes (Nebraska and Georgia) and welcomed autumn and winter each year and breaks from the heat.

That's probably why I enjoyed San Francisco so much - there's not much of a Summer there.

These are shots taken from the front steps of my house in Honolulu - that's Waikiki on the left, and downtown on the right. Beyond the skyscrapers is the ocean.

I'll admit, I do live in a beautiful place - the clouds, ocean, and mountain are beautiful vistas. One can be sitting or standing almost anywhere outside and see breathtaking views. In the above photo, a storm over Honolulu...

The storm grows nearer....until it overtakes us, and envelops the neighborhood in a cloud...

We've been having a wet and windy winter so far. For the past three weeks or so, we've had some big storms move through. We recently planted a hedge of mock orange that is getting well-watered. The blooms are popping up all over the plants, and dey smell nice!

One more example - I believe this photo is representative of morning trade showers - taken right above the house:

A variation on Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans

Kevin — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:07:39 -1000

My friend Geo now demonstrates some odd soda drinks produced by the Jones company and the Seattle Seahawks...

His facial expressions are priceless. Way to go, Geo! You are the intrepid one!

I'll stick to Talking Rain, thx!

k-bai.

The "P" word

Kevin — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:17:02 -1000

This particular topic has been churning in my head for many months, likely years.

It's the word that many people (often visitors) use in a sentence to describe Hawaii, as in

"Hawaii is P-r-d-s-."

Every time I hear that, I shudder. I compare it to when people call San Francisco "Francisco" without the "anc" - I can't even write THAT down, it's so objectionable to me (it rhymes with a particular type of vegetable shortening, if you need help on this one). I've always advised, "If you don't want to say the entire two words, just call SF "the City."

The "P" word is too loaded, misused and overused - it also has too many religious overtones.

But why is Hawaii considered a P-------?

Is it the weather? The beaches? The mountains? The tropical fruit? Is an average 75-degree sandy, palm-tree jungle the epitome of what everyone envisions as the ideal place to live on this planet, or the mythical place to "live" when one dies?

I'm strange. I like cold weather. In the words of Rhoda Morgenstern from the old Mary Tyler Moore show "I moved to Minneaspolis because I figured I'd keep better." Uh-huh.

The newly landed gentry ("new island residents") use the P word a lot in conversations, as do quite a few of the state's 6 million visitors each year. When they find out I'm a resident, they get this moony look on their faces and ask "What's it like to live in P--------?"

I try to be nice. Yes, I really try, because they are sincere and honest with this question, no matter how distasteful I find it. These folks often hail from places I'd love to visit and maybe live for a year or two - London, Amsterdam, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis. Places where you can find plenty of P examples.

I explain to them gently. "Paradise" (arrgh, I've written it!) to me anyway, is not a specific place on the planet, but rather a state of mind. I believe that San Francisco is ideal in many ways. One could call it a paradise too. I loved living there, and wouldn't mind living there again. I think Boston is a really neat place. There's so much going on there. Lots to do in New York City too."

Calling one place a "paradise" in an insult to the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets of in the rest of the world. As if Hawaii is any better than other places.

No, it's not.

"Paradise" is where you are the happiest at this moment of your life right now. Needs change as you get older. Your priorities change. Tastes change. What you want from life now is probably radically different than what you wanted 5 years ago, 15 years ago. People who live in rural areas may relocate to cities. People who live in cities may relocate to rural areas. I lived on the Big Island for 10 years, and saw this a lot. Parts of your life slow down, while other parts speed up.

Here's a quick "What I like, and what I don't like" about O'ahu:

Nine things I love about O'ahu.

1. the guy I'm involved with lives here
2. an eclectic circle of friends
3. clean water
4. clean air
5. access to fresh healthy food
6. my colleagues at work
7. the view from our house
8. a very enviable commute
9 an 8-minute walk to a beautiful ridge behind our house where I can walk for hours in the jungle

Eight things I don't like about O'ahu:

1. the drivers
2. the noise - geez, this is a NOISY place!
3. road conditions - for a city this size, the roads are deplorable
4. the lack of true cultural and ethnic diversity (few Jews, South Americans, Eastern Europeans, North Africans, African Americans, Indians)
5. provincial local cultural attitudes about sexuality
6. American Idol participants, the Lost TV show being filmed here, and Dog Chapman are considered the best Hawaii has to offer, because they're always being talked about in local newspapers, speaking of which
7. there are no good local newspapers here
8. and no good radio or TV stations (excluding Hawaii Public Radio/National Public Radio and KTUH (the University of Hawaii radio station)

So there you have it.

But you choose what you want out of life - no one place offers everything.

So you enjoy the positives, and deal with the negatives.

Paradise is in your mind.

Oh Happy Happy Day!!

Kevin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:00:00 -1000

For those who have considered suicide...put down the agents of self-destruction and get some help, because

You NEVER know what each new day will bring.

I live on an island with much bounty and a fair degree of cultural famine.

I accompanied my friend D to a party in Manoa Valley a few days ago.

I knew no one. There were some musical folks there, and we sang and danced a bit.

And to my astonishment, one of the revelers whipped out...

I kid you NOT...

A Roland V-Accordion!

OMG! These honeys have every single possible accordion tuning known to man available to the player! The latest from Roland, maker of my Juno-G synth. The V-7 has french musette, zydeco, Cajun, Slovenian, Tex-Mex, Polka, Irish, French Canadian...and you can even create your own tunings. I LOVE a nice wet musette!

From the Roland site...

"Because it doesn’t depend on moving parts for sound generation, the V-Accordion is always in tune, and both keyboards can be transposed to play across a wide range of octaves. For sound output, the V-Accordions can plug directly into a sound system, recording device, or plug in a pair of headphones for silent practice. These amazing new instruments must be squeezed to be believed."

These are expensive pieces of technology, but worth every penny.

I'm a weird guy. I'd love to be able to play my accordion at 0400 in da am, but it wouldn't make my partner all that happy (or the neighbors). F is mostly amused by my accordion, though he can't resist making jokes about it all the time. But to be able to play in the morning...mit der headphonen on...

Anyway, this guy plays all my favorites. I'm sitting on the floor, looking up at him like an enthralled 5-year old as his fingers literally tickles the keys. Good accordion players make it look so easy.

They he says "Do you want to play it?"

Gulp. "Uh....SURE!" I said, and I strapped it on. It's about the same weight as my 120 bass Hohner, but the feel of the bass keys (the little black rounded ones) is decidedly different. Less valve like, although Roland has added valve sounds to mimic an acoustic accordion. Neat.

I played for awhile to get a feel for the instrument. There are like, 3 accordion players on this island, and I've met them all. One I ran across playing in a restaurant, another somewhere in Aloha Tower at Oktoberfest, and now this fellow.

I asked him - "Do you teach?" And he said "Yes."

Whee! I just so happen to love an instrument that few people play here, and noone teaches. I never expected that this party would introduce me to a potential accordion teacher. I had just about given up.

Life is good.

Monday Musing

Kevin — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:40:32 -1000

For eleven months of the year, I'm a good boy.

I only drink two percent milk in my coffee.

But for the Holidays, I pull out all the stops.

And drink half-n-half.

I recently went to the new Safeway store on Kapahulu Avenue. It's the biggest Safeway in the state. It's also pretty expensive. But it's the only supermarket I've ever seen with tiki torches lit at night.

I shop around in Honolulu - Foodland, Times Supermarket, Star Market occasionally.

But I was jonesing for some half and half, so I ducked in at the Safeway. The parking lot is pretty busy with traffic - guys backing up their too-big trucks in tiny spaces so they don't have to back out of the space when leaving, women walking out to their cars with cell phones in hand, making that all-too-important call to...whomever.

The new Safeway has a KILLER VIEW of Diamond Head from the rooftop parking lot which I'll share soon.

I ran as fast as my little feet could carry me to the dairy section where I viewed the object of my desire:

Fat-free half-and-half.

Hmmm.

I rubbed my eyes, thinking this was a dream.

And I looked again.

And the same damn product was on the shelf.

Aaaargh.

There were no other half-and-half products to be had.

But, I just couldn't buy this stuff.

If not fat, what was the substitute?

Also, it was a full-size container, not the 'shorty' type I prefer.

Sigh. Off to Foodland 'round the corner...