Phone Pix 9: Some Stuff

Here's a bunch of stuff that I photographed with my smart phone, everything from locales to signs to deck ornaments to airport scenes.

It's fun doing this with no particular purpose in mind, except as reminders of things I've done and where I've been. Plus, it's fun to share them with you.

Central Pacific Bank, Ward and Queen, Aug. 9, 2013

 

Dairy Queen, Ward Warehouse, Aug. 9, 2013

 

Dr. Carl Yorita Waiting Room, Aug. 12, 2013

 

Shuttle Information, Honolulu Int'l Airport,
Sept. 1, 2013

 

Escalator, McCarran Int'l Airport (LAS)
Sept. 2, 2013

 

St. Germaine Bakery, Sept. 7, 2013

 

Sanoya Ramen, Sept. 9, 2013

 

Son's Fremont Home Back Deck, Sept. 20, 2013

Sage Advice?

Guy Hovis and Ralna English were regulars on The Lawrence Welk Show, which aired on a local Los Angeles station from 1951-1955, then on ABC from 1955-1971, then on national syndication from 1971-1982.

They were paid union scale (everybody on the show was), so they had to play weekend gigs (many out of town) to supplement their income. Working on the TV show Monday through Thursday, then doing extra work on Friday through Sunday, didn't give them much time for rest.

Consequently, they began to look a bit peaked. Lawrence Welk noticed this and when told of their rigorous performance schedule, gave them his sage advice: "You should work less and charge more."

Great anecdote. It reminds me of something my father once said. He’d been working too hard and wanted to cut back on his medical practice. So he raised his office visit prices, thinking that the higher price would discourage new patients from making appointments.

Well, that didn’t work. His practice grew, so Lawrence Welk’s advice, while sensible, sometimes doesn’t work if your “product” is too good to pass up. Sometimes raising your rates is a great way to increase favorable public perception of your work.

Humongous Cake

While visiting my grandson in Fremont, California, I came across one of the biggest (if not the biggest) cakes I've ever seen in my whole life.

It was at the Claim Jumper Restaurant in Pacific Commons, after we had their Sunday brunch.

I mean, check it out. It's their "Chocolate Motherlode Cake," and believe me, it was the MOTHER of all lodes. I don't recall exactly, but I think it was seven layers of pure chocolate. One slice must weigh a whole pound or more, don't you think?

Look at the whole cake. It's looks like a giant Baby Ruth candy bar.

And before you ask, the answer is no, I did not order a slice.

NFL Red Zone

I like football. I like college football, I like NFL football. I have a heavy emotional attachment to college football, particularly the University of Southern California Trojans. I used to have an attachment to the Los Angeles Rams because I went to their games on Sunday until I moved out of Los Angeles.

Consequently, I watch all of USC's games on TV. I do not, however, watch any particular NFL team play on TV. When it comes to the pros, I'm satisfied with watching highlights until the end of the season and then playoffs, when I really start paying attention.

For me, the best thing to do on a Sunday is tune in to NFL Red Zone, a "whip-around" program that shows every touchdown scored during the live games, as they happen (well, most of the time, anyway).

In particular, they cover all plays in the "red zone," the area of the field between an opponent's 20-yard and goal lines.

Sure beats flipping channels and sitting through entire games if you don't have an emotional attachment to a team. It's perfect for people like me who just want to see scoring plays.

I get it as part of a cable sports package and the package cost is well-worth the few dollars a month. Check it out, you might like it too.

Dirty What?

 

Oh my, the things we see if only we'd keep our eyes open.

One day, while parking behind Sanoya Ramen on King Street, I noticed bumper sticker stuck on ... not a bumper, but a pipe. It wasn't hard to notice; the green color stuck out like a sore thumb.

But it was what was written on the sticker that really caught my eye: "Dirty Unko Inc."

The word unko is Japanese for doo-doo, dump, crap, defecation, number two. It's not pronounced like "uncle," It's pronounced "oon koh."

How come I always notice stupid stuff like this? Brain warp? Time warp? Let's do the Time Warp again? Why? Still, I wonder who put the sticker there, and what the motive was, if any.

Inconsiderate Passenger?

 

On the wife's and my most recent flight home from San Jose, one of the first-class passengers did the lazy thing and just shoved his roll-on bag into the overhead bin without even trying to nestle it in.

There it sat, with its top sticking out, until a flight attendant turned it sideways so it would fit.

All I could think of was, what an inconsiderate guy that passenger was. And lazy beyond belief. It's people like him who make it hard on other passengers and flight attendants. Maybe I should have said something, but no ... he was a big bugger.

Discretion is the better part ... and all that stuff.

Idiotic App Gamers

I can't believe some of the complaints I just read on the app-download site for a game app called Big Fish Casino. People are complaining because they can't seem to be able to win on the app's games.

One person said she had bought a "couple of hundred dollars" worth of chips when the free ones they supplied ran out. And then, she carped, the company had the nerve to "steal" the gold she bought by not letting her win.

Another player said he spent more than $900 on gold coins (virtual coins, mind you) with the same result – he lost them all.

Geez Louise ... How can people be so stupid? Do they not have any self-control? If you like playing the game, just reduce the wager drastically so you can play longer and for crissakes, don't buy any credits when they offer them to you. Just say "No" and delete the friggin' game.

We live in a world of free will, but that doesn't mean you gotta be stupid about it and end up blaming the game company for your losses. You've only joined the ranks of those who smoke and blame the tobacco companies for your addiction.

I play iPad games and once bought 200,000 credits for $20. Never did it again, because I figured out how I could get more just by being patient and better managing the amount I "wagered" each time.

And, my one-time $20 "splurge" sure doesn't compare to the female's $200, not to mention the guy's $900. Stupid is, as stupid does.

Fall Produce Displays

I love it when Fall rolls around and the supermarkets begin displaying traditional Fall veggies in their aisles.

We encountered some beautiful displays during one of our sojourns to Safeway in Fremont in late September. So I share with you:

 

 

 

 

Doesn't it make you feel like turning on the kitchen light and start cooking?

San Jose to Honolulu First-Class Flight

As usual, I checked in online for our Hawaiian Airlines return flight from San Jose to Honolulu, in hopes of being able to secure a first-class upgrade to first-class.

I like doing it this way. Although you take a chance that the first-cabin will be filled, if you can secure seats, they are cheaper than buying a first-class round-trip ticket from the start. Plus you only pay the reduced price one-way.

And as usual, I have observations:

No First-Class Lounge: Hawaiian Airlines doesn't have a first-class lounge at Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport, and its first-class passengers do not have privileges at The Club at SJC, as they do at The Club at LAS in McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Rats. They really should do something about that. Maybe we should fly into Oakland International Airport from now on?

Why the Delay? Our flight had a scheduled 41-minute delay. Once we were in the air, the captain explained over the PA. Many flights came into San Jose late last night, resulting in landing backups.

The Transportation Safety Agency requires flight crews to get a certain amount of sleep, so crews must remain at their hotel accommodations for at least a specified amount of time before heading for the airport. Our crew arrived a little earlier due to good traffic conditions, so the actual delay was about 25 minutes.

What? No Female Flight Attendants? When the crew arrived, I didn't see any women in the bunch. So I thought there would be no wahine attendants on board. As it turned out, they must have arrived separately. So now I wonder, was there a boys' bus and a girls' bus?

And why did I notice that? I think I've turned into a dirty old man since retirement.

First-Class Meal: As usual, we ordered different appetizers and entrees so we could taste everything. The wife had the Mesclun Greens with Bay Shrimp appetizer and the Stir Fry Tofu entree; I had the Chopped Chicken Lettuce Wraps and the Soud Vide Short Ribs entree.

Mesclun Greens with Bay Shrimp

 

Chopped Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

Stir Fry Tofu

 

Soud Vide Short Ribs

The meals were excellent, especially mine. The chicken wrap was mighty good, albeit a bit spicy (too hot for the wife), that resulted in a pleasant burn in the mouth and throat that went away after a few minutes. And the short ribs, oh my, one of the better airplane meals I've had. What looked like a bread pudding topped with beef turned out to be all short rib meat.

When we finished half of our appetizers, we switched plates. With the entrees, we just swiped tastes from each other's plates.

Lemon Cheesecake with
Macadamia Nuts

Dessert was a light and creamy lemon cheesecake with hidden macadamia nut bits, along with a spot of hot green tea. Beats the chicken or pasta in economy by a long shot.

Hot Towel: That was the hottest, wettest hot towel ever given to me near the end of a flight. Hoowee, that was hot and drippy!

Tiny Little Critters

If you've been reading my blog posts, you know that I have this fascination with tiny little critters that can be found in backyards if you just keep your eyes open. Of course, you have to accept that you're going to get thorn scratches and maybe even insect bites.

On an early excursion into the back terrace deck of my son's new home in Fremont, California, I did a mini-teeny safari.

Didn't find a heck of a lot this time, but I did see a leaf hopper on a fence post and a whole bunch of little spiders in the hedges.

The spiders, especially, fascinated me. Their webs were actually like sheets of white on the hedge, with a little funnel leading into the plant where the spiders lay in wait.

All I can say is, that leaf hopper had better not hop around in the hedges, or it's going to end up as spider lunch.