A Tribute to a Lost One

Mending My Broken Heart

It’s been a year since you got wings,

And rose into the cotton sky.

I know you saw me every day,

In lonely solitude, I’d cry.

The diner meals we used to split,

The warming hugs we often shared,

The silly jokes that made you laugh,

You scratched my back to show you cared.

The empty couch where you once sat,

The dining table has your place.

I see you everywhere I gaze,

The lovely smile upon your face.

You’re always present, ever there,

To help me cope throughout the day.

It’s getting better, not too bad,

The days are blue, no longer grey.

Now I sing the radio songs

No salty tears to blur my sight.

No longer do I reach to touch

You in the early morning light.

I must be healing in my heart,

I’m moving forward with my life.

A better man I am today,

Because I loved you as my wife.

(A 1-year anniversary of passing)

Here We Go Again!

Did you enjoy the musical play and/or 2008 film, Mamma Mia!? Then you will enjoy the 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. I discovered it accidentally while scrolling ahead on the HBO schedule.

A prettier and more mature Sophie is now in charge of her mother Donna’s hotel, planning a grand re-opening after her mother’s passing a year earlier. That’s basically the story setting, but of course, it gets complicated. We know what happened in the original movie, and now we find out what preceded and followed it.

The original characters reprise their roles in present day, and younger actors in flashbacks. And (wild cheers) ... Cher’s in it.

Oh, and those ABBA songs you love and missed in the original movie? Quite a few are performed in this sequel. And that’s good, because let’s face it, ABBA’s music makes the Mamma Mia! play and movie(s) sparkle. I bet you, like me, will be singing along.

For the record, Here We Go Again was a big box office success, bringing in neatly $400 million against a $75 million budget.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is great entertainment with excellent production values, well worth your time, unless you don’t like ABBA.

Three notes: (1) The christening scene is an emotional tear-jerker, (2) thankfully, Pierce Brosnan doesn’t sing any solos, and (3) there is an Easter egg at the end of the closing credits, so listen to the music until you get there, or alternatively fast forward.

Cracker Jack Re-Experience

Cracker Jack was a favorite snack when I was younger. Who can forget the caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts in a box featuring a cartoon Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo on the front?

And the toy prize inside. When I was really young, like in elementary school, the toys consisted of metal cars, rings, and other trinkets. By the time I got to middle school, they had turned to plastic. When I checked into college, they were chiefly soak-and-apply “tattoos.”

Cracker Jack was, and still is, famous. Its name is sung at practically every Major League Baseball game during the seventh-inning stretch, in the iconic baseball anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back”).

Anyway, I recently had a hankering for some of these treats and sought them out at the local supermarket.

Instead of the one-ounce boxes I remember fondly, they were being sold in 8-1/2 ounce bags. So I bought one, because ... well, why not.

I have since come to a few conclusions from my first Cracker Jack experience in at least a dozen years:

(1) It’s too sweet. As I’ve aged, my taste buds have evolved. What the vast majority of people consider “normal sweet” now registers in my mouth as “too sweet.” “Too salty,” for me is “just right.”

(2) There aren’t enough peanuts. In that whole bag, I came across only 11 peanuts, not even a dozen, and yes, I counted them.

(3) The prize inside isn’t even worth mentioning on the box front. It was a peel-off sticker, that I stuck on the side of a tissue box, soon to be relegated to the wastebasket.

I don’t think I’ll be buying Cracker Jack any more. Personally, I like kettle corn these days—crisp, salty, and slightly sweet. Freshly made if possible, or in a small bag.

So root, root, root for the home team, and get me a hotdog and beer while you’re at it.

California Summer Break Breakfasts

A couple of times a year, I make a 2 to 3 week visit to see family in Fremont, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

One of the major highlights of my California trip is to enjoy breakfasts at cafes, diners and restaurants that offer selections not usually found in Hawai’i.

You can get Tex-Mex, ethnic omelets (e.g. Greek, Italian, other European), “California” omelets, various versions of “homemade” hash, and lots and lots of different Benedicts any day of the week.

Unfortunately, one of my favorites (Wake Up America) closed since my last visit in November 2018. It happens. And, I just learned that the owners of Mil’s Diner (Milpitas) will be retiring at the end of the year. Since I’ve started visiting Fremont, about a half-dozen that I often frequented are no longer in operation.

Be that as it may, every now and then I discover a new one.

Here we go, my most recent mouth-watering, drool-inducing California breakfasts (in Fremont, unless otherwise noted):

Bill’s Cafe

California Benedict (bacon, avocado, tomatoes,
green peppers)

Black Bear Diner

Prime Rib Scramble Special (red and green bell peppers,
purple onions, Monterey Jack cheese)

Cabrillo Park Cafe

Carnitas Omelet with Tortillas, plus side of fruit

Classic 50’s Diner

Huevos Rancheros with potatoes and chili beans

Country Way, The

Eggs Benedict Special with Avocado

Denny's Mission Boulevard

Supreme Sizzlin’ Skillet (eggs, sausage, spinach, bell peppers,
onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, red-skinned potatoes,
cheddar cheese)

Dina’s Family Restaurant

Greek Omelet (bell peppers, onions, tomato, olives,
oregano, garlic, feta cheese)

iHOP, Milpitas

Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity Pancakes (peaches),
plus side of 4 link sausages

Jack’s Restaurant and Bar, Newark

Elena’s Omelette (spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions,
tomato, feta cheese), plus side of sausages

Spinach Artichoke Benedict

Mil’s Diner, Milpitas

Country Fried Steak and Eggs

Panera Bread

Ham, Over-Easy Egg, Cheese & Roasted Tomato
Breakfast Sandwich, plus bear claw (missing two toes)

Scrambl’z Almaden, San Jose

Sicilian Frittata Special (pepperoni, spinach, bell peppers,
marinara sauce, shaved parmesan), side of grits

Funny Pregnancy Q & A

I saw these on Facebook a while back and nearly fell down laughing. You may already have seen them there (or even elsewhere).

But just in case you haven’t, here are some often-asked pregnancy questions with appropriate (albeit irreverent) responses.

Should I have a baby after 35?

No … 35 children is enough.

I’m two months pregnant. When will my baby move?

With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Our baby was born last week. When will my wife feel and act normal again?

When the kids are in college.

What’s the most reliable method to determine a baby’s sex?

Childbirth.

I was told it’s not pain I’ll feel during labor, but pressure. Is this right?

Yes. Just like a tornado might be called an “air current.”

Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?

Not unless the word “alimony” means anything to you.

Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?

Yes. Pregnancy.

Do I have to have a baby shower?

Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly.

My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that she’s sometimes borderline irrational.

So … what’s your question?

Where Hawaii Ranks 50

It may be expensive to live in Hawaii, and our driving situation sucks, but all in all, people who live here still fare well.

Highest Overall Well-Being (Gallup, 2019)

1. HAWAII (64.6 well-being index score)
2. Wyoming (64.2)
3. Alaska (63.9)
4. Montana (63.5)
5. (Tie) Utah and Colorado (63.4 each)

Worst States with Failing Infrastructure (24/7 Wall St., 2017) 

1. HAWAII
2. Rhode Island
3. West Virginia 
4. Connecticut
5. Pennsylvania 

Angriest Drivers in the Nation (insuranceQuotes, 2017) 

1. HAWAII (5,872 Instagram posts about road rage)
2. California (3,506)
3. New York (2,200)
4. New Jersey (2,129)
5. Nevada (2,004)

States with Least Miserable Winters (Thrillist Travel, 2017)

1. HAWAII
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Florida

Healthiest States in the Nation (United Health Foundation, 2017)

1. Massachusetts
2. HAWAII
3. Vermont
4. Utah
5. Connecticut

Helpful Adjective Order

I don’t remember where I saw this, probably on Facebook, but it was interesting—something about a young J.R.R. Tolkien being taught a valuable grammatical lesson by his mother, Mabel Tolkien.

To wit: Adjectives in English modifying a noun absolutely must abide by a certain order: 

1. Opinion
2. Size
3. Age
4. Shape
5. Color
6. Origin
7. Material
8. Purpose
9. NOUN

Example: “Cute little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife.” Mess with the word order and you sound ridiculous.

All of us English speakers use that list, but usually can’t write it out off the top of our heads.

Back to young Tolkien. When he was 7, he wrote “green great dragon.” But because size comes before color, he was incorrect. According to mother Mabel, it should have been “great green dragon.”

You know who JRR Tolkien was, don’t you? He wrote the iconic fantasy geeks, “The Hobbit,” and “Lord of the Rings,” on which the Blockbuster movies were based.

Mother knows best. Yes she does. Now go back to what you were doing before I rudely interrupted.

Hilo Days: Was the Gangster’s Car Real?

A memory imprinted indelibly in my mind is when I paid a dime to see notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone’s car. I wrote about it in my long-gone blog, Hilo Days. But I did keep the post on file. Enjoy!

Al Capone’s Car

At least once a year, the E.K. Fernandez Carnival would come to town for a couple of weeks.

It situated all over the place, but generally near the present Hilo Civic Auditorium, or at St. Joseph's School, about a half-mile away from Obachan's house.

Invariably, it rained. One of Dad's favorite saying was that whenever E.K. Fernandez comes to town, it was going to rain. Come to think of it, I heard that a lot in those days. I believed it too, until I realized that no matter who came to town, it was going to rain. Hilo simply was the rain capital of the world.

One year, Obachan told me that Al Capone's (she pronounced it "Capo-nay's") gangster car was going to be displayed at the carnival. I think it was Walter J. and I who walked to St. Joseph's, and paid our dime to see the historic car.

It was an old '30s sedan, with bullet-proof windows. The man showed us where the bullets had bounced off the windows, leaving little marks.

We gasped at the bullet holes in the fenders. We gasped at the little holes where Al Capone's tommy guns stuck out. We gasped at everything.

The car was probably fake.

Idyllic Song Lyrics

Back in, oh I guess it was 1966, when our little group was putting together a folk-singing trio, I dabbled in a bit of song writing. I didn’t get very far, but I did manage to complete one that we ended up performing at the South Pasadena (CA) Music Festival a couple of years later.

We completed the song to a grand ovation, then launched into our rousing encore number, If I Had a Hammer. Visit my song with me ...

The Beauty of My Land

Waving wheat in fields of gold,

Mighty rivers, truths untold.

On the hillside, look below and see

The beauty of my land.

Oh, come and take my hand,

Come and see her majesty so grand.

Fortunately, I had committed that first verse to memory. There were a few more, a requirement for public performance. Unfortunately, I had typed them out on my portable typewriter and saved in a file folder when the wife and I returned to Hawaii in 1972.

(It’s tragic that we had no personal desktops, laptops, tablets, iPads, or mobile phones with digital storage in those days. They were still many decades away.)

The song turned into “wayward socks,” you know the ones that enter a washing machine and/or dryer, never to be seen again. Despite my recent intensive search in all possible places the lyric sheet might have been hiding, it’s disappeared.

Perhaps someday, I’ll have the energy and inclination to complete the song with new lyrics.

Acquired Accents

It’s a matter of life, we all take on the local accent of the area where we grew up or lived in for a substantial period of time.

Where we went to college, for example. Or where we relocated for our longtime employment.

Well, let me tell you, I recently unintentionally acquired some language inflection (accent) changes from—get this—television series on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.

During my recent Facebook break, I watched 78 episodes (6 seasons), of “Justified,” set in Harlan County, Kentucky. After the first season, I noticed a Southern inflection in my speech. As might be expected, it intensified as the series progressed.

Even in mah wrahting, I stahted using “y’all,” “yondah,” “precious” and “bless” moah than ah used tah . And when ah rehd thangs, ah mentahly sounded lack a true Suthnah.

Any thoughts of growing out of it were dashed when I started binge-watching “The Closer” (7 seasons, 109 episodes), whose principal character moved from Atlanta to become Deputy Chief of LAPD’s Priority Murder Squad.

And she has one helluva Southern accent.

I had the same experience when I binged on a few British detective drama series (e.g., “Midsomer Murders,” 20 seasons, 122 episodes; “Broadchurch,” 3 seasons, 24 episodes).

Result? A bit of an English ahccent. I stahted dropping my “r’s,” saying “Jawj” when I meant “George.” It made me wahnt t’open a can-a beah. I started wokking the flaw.

I guess the English and Southern accents have become permanent parts of my language now. And maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

Thankfully, I don’t speak pidgin English with a Hawaii accent anymore. Got rid-a DAT buggah when I relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-‘60s.