December 16, 2003

Where Have I Been???

Yeah... I have been a bum and not been writing but I have been Soooooo busy that its hard to stop thinking at night. I also have to update the blog on stuff that has happened in the news.

First my friend Monica was here and it was fantastic and all went well. We went to see the Volcano one day then to Honomu then to Hawi (pronounced Ha Vee)It was all very fun. It rained quite a bit but Monica didn't mind in fact she said that she was sort of looking forward to being here and having it rain torrential, she wasn't disappointed on that score...The volcano was taking a holiday and so no lava flows to see. Just as well, the girl walked my legs off!!!I loved every minute of it.

After we spent a couple of days doing the East side of the island we went to the west side and stayed at the Royal Kona Resort. This is the place where the timeshare people that Woody works for houses guests and has a huge recruiting station. It was lovely. We had a nice room that had a partial ocean view and I was able to lay by the pool and feel ocean spray as the high waves rolled up Monica and I had a wonderful dinner there and a leisurely breakfast, while watching the waves. She had accidentally come in on a United flight to the Kona Airport, so we needed to get her back there and she didn't fly out till 4:30 so we spent the whole day relaxing.

Our first full day we were there (to back track) we went to the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park. This "City of Refuge" is a living link to the pre Christian Hawaii. There are areas where traditional crafts like canoe building and lauhala weaving are done. Also there is a burial temple there where the "i'wi" or remains of "Ali'i" Hawaiian nobility are interred. Its a fascinating place. I don't know that Monica was as impressed with it as we are. It amazes me as the terms of refuge are so similar to the Biblical "Cities of Refuge" found in the Old Testament...I am a firm believer that the Proto Polynesians ' ancestors came from the Middle East. There is so much evidence to support that. I really enjoy going there to see it.

Prior to going to Pu'uhonua O Honuanua, We stopped at the Coffee Shack restaurant. Woody and I love this place, so I just had to take Monica to see the stunning views of Kealakekua Bay. You can click on the link above, and look for the link that shows that photo. Its one of the most stunning views on the Big Island.

Once Monica had flown home (sniff) then I had to get to work on the store in ernest. Well to be honest with you nothing much has happened. In fact my holiday sales have been lousy. I barely made the quota for my November sales and December is only at "normal" No Big tide of shoppers here. Its crushing. I feel very defeated yet I know that there must be a way to improve the situation. Our ads are out and that may help us out.

I am also looking to move as soon as I can. I may have a space to move to, I am waiting to see if I can have the space. Its about a block away and HUGE! Nearly 1000 sq ft. with a kitchenette and bathroom two parking spaces and a inner room that could be used as a "safe" room or vault. I could do all sorts of things with the added space, like add a bench Jeweler eventually. So we shall see how things go. I called the owner, a nice older gent in Honolulu, who said that I would be perfect but another person spoke first and if they don't want it, he would be happy to rent to me. So we shall see how the thing turns out. I must keep a sharp eye here.

The situation here at the "Cunningham Resort for Lowlife" has had many days of hair pulling frustration. But I think that the Lez girls have moved giving us all a reason to thank the Good Lord for His intervention, and we have a couple in the back unit above us that really care about the noise and what not. So we may have good neighbors above. But as always there is a new wrinkle.

Just behind us is a small storage room. A Hare Krishna man has it and he stores his supplies that he sells at the Farmers Market in there. Recently I have seen him there with a ton of incense and candles and smelly stuff like that. Well, now we can smell it through the walls. Its gross. So one more reason to get out of here. I run the air at full blast all the time to keep the stench under control. Now, we were promised that we could have that room. I don't know that we will get it. Even if we do it will have to painted to get the stink out. Smells like a mortuary, embalming fluids Yuck!!!

I have not spoke to my Mother in nearly two weeks. The last time that I talked to her she was not too happy about the chain of events that have taken place since she moved into Bel Tooren. I knew that it would be a big change for her. I had some idea that Mom was not aware that her life wouldn't be the same. I knew that it was going to be a drastic change. Its a hospital, and they run it like a military camp. Everything is regimented. She feels that she is a prisoner there and that she cannot go when or where she wants and doesn't understand why. She has her scooter so she need not try to walk and so wont fall off. Well, I know that she has taken falls off it and that she was examined by the staff doctor and that likely he decided that she should always have an escort when she wanders about. To get an escort from the home is 22.00 per hour. People from the church have been very helpful but I know that after a while that will get tiresome so who knows? I am not in much of a position to do much about it. I have been trying to call her and there is no answer on he phone. I am concerned but not sure what is wrong with the phone. Will send a fax or call the home in the am if I don't hear from her.

Woody just came back. He is getting laid off at Fairfield. They want him to go to the Kona Side for commission only. It sucks. He would have to pay 100.00 a day for lodging/food and no guarantee that things would go very well. Frankly, because he has unemployment, he'd need to make more than his earnings for it to be worth while. Also i think that things are going to break here for him job wise here. He's had a lot more opportunities than he's had in a while. So no need to go to Kona unless he can rent a apartment there cheap with a friend even of it was a female friend.

So soon it will be the worst or the best. I don't know what the future holds I can only pray that things work out. I believe that they will and that God will watch out for us. He has before and I know that he will now.

News flash. The Lawyers for Brayden Mohica Cummings, the non Hawaiian boy that was accepted at Kamehameha School on Oahu, then told that he wasn't Hawaiian enough settled with the school. Cummings will get to stay in the school until he graduates or some how fails to make the grade. The news from the court was that Cummings is adopted and the Mother feels that he should get all of the preferences that her natural born kids get. True but since the Kam school uses race as a deciding factor on who get in, he has no Hawaiian blood so he's not Hawaiian...Get it. Well since this isn't going to go to trial we wont ever know how the law looks at this. I think that it would have been interesting.