October 02, 2003

The Mad House

I haven't decided who is crazier, the people (?) who live in the flop house that is located behind us in this building that houses the store, or me who decided last year that I could over come the difficulties and make use of the cheap rent here. Not to mention the fact that it is nearly impossible for anyone to find a store front so close to the Bayfront, which is the main shopping area for the visiting tourists. I pay 275.00 a month for 200 sq ft. Walk out my door and look to the left and Hilo bay is a short walk away. Look to the right and you can see the lower slopes of Mauna Kea. Its a pretty sight. I have had fun making this little spot my own, and the store is doing well. Its the nut cases that drive me crazy, both the bonafide crazy and the locals ie people of mixed Hawaiian ancestry that as so slow that when you talk to them they nod but then do nothing about what you said. We had a local chick todaywho didn't get why we didn't want her to not leave her bike in front of our door...Literally you couldn't walk out the door as it blocked the way, and why we didn't want her leaning on the front window, not looking in, but with her butt to us. She got all crazy when Woody talked to her I finally got the camera took pics of the scene which pissed her off more, then in my " drill instructor" voice told her to "Move It!" She cussed threatened and screamed at us all the way down the block. Too bad I didn't have a tape recorder.
The land lord has told us to let him know about this stuff and we do. They kick people out of here a lot but there is a waiting list for this luxury resort,called the Cunningham, 8 by 10 foot rooms where you share a bath down the hall, no kitchen or anything. What do the landlords get for this palace? 400.00 a month. Sort of unbelievable to me.
ICE, or Crystal Meth amphetamine, is the drug of choice here and in all of the islands. Its a dirty little secret that there is a lot of talk about but no one seems to be doing much about it. It costs a ton of money to rehab a ICE head, and its a highly unsuccessful proposition. One try and your hooked a few weeks at it and you don't care about anything else. There are people here who have lots a lifetime of work, family (which is everything here the Ohana concept) for ICE. Reports of relatives that came looking for family members that they'd not heard from in a while to find babies that have died of starvation in their cribs, starving kids and filth like you cant imagine the parents are ICE heads and they don't care about anything but where they are going to get the money to buy their next hit. They get the cash from stealing out of tourist cars and easy to rob houses... People here are so trusting that they don't lock up... It is said that 1 out of ever 20 people here on the Big Island under the age of 40 is hooked on ICE. To look at Hilo, you might agree. At least at downtown, which is where we are.
The denizens of the Cunningham, I think a lot of them are rehabs. Or Drunks. Woody just went across the street to try to talk to a couple that beat on each other. It really hard. I wish hed just call the police... But like he says they don't do anything about it they just let stuff go. No place in the jail for wife beaters, they say... No room. Too much other stuff to punish... Ugh.
And so it goes.
The Super just came in to talk to us about Miss Bike...Seems she is pretty bent out of shape...Im bent out of shape for her obtuseness and for Woody trying to have to explain everything to everyone... Ugh.. Defend your territory and shut up is my motto.

Got to run to the post office so later gators yah