While the event itself was on Saturday October 4 from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the fourth lagoon in the Ko Olina resort, it took the entire weekend along with months of intensive planning to make it happen.

I was there the whole time, but completely missed the party. It seemed like people were enjoying the food, beverages and entertainment. Individual community members as well as sponsors and vendors gathered to support the Kapolei Rotary fundraiser as well as have a good time. From the looks of the venue after everybody went home, a good time is what they had. And so did I.

From the perspective of a volunteer, I think the event was a great success. I’d be curious to hear from people who were there about their experience. Comments please?

What I know is that the planning committee came together in record time to bring this fundraiser to fruition. I’m sure it wasn’t perfect. There are always differences of opinion, things that don’t go as planned, or stuff that just plain gets forgotten. But that’s the nature of the beast.

I was quite impressed with the logistics committee who worked doggedly day and night from Thursday to Sunday to put together the tents and tables and stage and the rest of the venue.

It went from this:

To this:

Now that’s what I call amazing.

I’d like to say, “Thank you,” to all who were involved at the Ko Olina Taste at Kapolei. Whether you came to have a good time and eat, spent that past months in intensive planning or volunteered for a while, your contribution made it the fabulous event it was supposed to be.

See you next year.

She was simply walking her district and meeting the constituents and talking story with the families. She was as surprised as I was when we opened the door to see who was there.

Normally I am a bit fussy about people who knock on my door and try to sell me something or want to share their religion. I don’t like telemarketers ringing our phone at dinner time or my credit card company calling to offer me a new line of credit (not lately.) I think they are an imposition on my privacy and I do not pay for a phone line or offer my house as an avenue for them to do business or recruit followers. If I am interested, I will call, google or visit them in person.

But Representative Har’s visit was different. Yes, she wants us to vote for her. By going door to door she is trying to garner support. But that goes with the territory and we are hers. She represents us, and we should know what she is about, as she should know us.

We can go to the talk stories in the school cafeterias and read the leaflets that come in the mail. But this is the most personal example of political canvassing that I can imagine. I get to talk with my representative face to face, at my door. I like that.

I have heard Representative Har speak several times at Kapolei Rotary meetings. i have spoken with her, briefly, at community events and in line at Starbucks. I have always been impressed with her passion and enthusiasm and sincerity. She cares.

I was pleased to hear her speak of her involvement in plans and funding for Barbers Point, Kalaeloa improvements. Something needs to happen soon over there. It is looking sadder and more dilapidated by the day. She also spearheaded a graffiti clean up last year. She’s been an active advocate for our schools, our safety and growth.

She cares about the people and this community and is willing to work tirelessly and passionately for what she believes. And she’s nice. That works for me.

The older girl has some crazy blue thing in mind and my younger one wants to be a white mouse. So off to K-mart we went in search of appropriate accessories to put together their costumes. Imagine our surprise when we found the Halloween section surrounded by Christmas trees. Each girl remarked at separate unrelated moments that it was kind of early for Christmas stuff. “Shouldn’t we enjoy Halloween first?” they suggested. I agreed.

The holiday season gets longer and longer each year.

There are even stores devoted to the round of holidays that assault us October through April. We go from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Valentine’s Day. There’s a smidgen of St. Patrick’s Day and a blast of Easter before we get a break from the commercialism that encourages us to buy, buy, buy and give, give, give to make each celebration more special than the last.

I was pleased when the school our kids go to sent home a notice that parents should not be sending goodie bags for each holiday. They will organize some sort of limited celebration and we should keep our candy at home. Thank goodness. My kids have been bringing home more candy from school than they get while trick or treating. It was way too much. I think they’d be just as happy with a cupcake and a cup of juice in the company of their classmates and teacher.

But I do like the dressing up part of Halloween. I’m not a great costume designer, but I enjoy the spirit of it all. Our search was somewhat unsuccessful at Kmart, so I went to the new Seasonal Store that opened up in the Safeway Shopping Center right next door to Long’s in the space where Payless Shoes used to be.

It wasn’t bad, but I was not particularly impressed. I found a few things, but they didn’t have anything I haven’t seen at other stores like Kmart or Walmart or Party City. I was thinking that it reminded me of a Price Busters and was surprised to find our purchases packed in a Price Busters bag. I looked it up online to find that they are the same owners, just different names.

I had a little tiff with the sales clerk on the way out. When she gave me the receipt I confirmed that I could return the rainbow afro wig if I did not open the bag. She said that they don’t offer refunds, just exchange for store credit. When I read the return policy posted at the cash register, it did not say this, so I challenged her information. The other clerk explained that because it is a seasonal item they cannot offer refunds. When i mentioned that it is a “SEASONAL store,” he did not look amused. I told him that they should change the sign that is posted and exited the store.

I can pretty much imagine what they said about me after I left.

I really shouldn’t worry about a $3.45 item, but I’m just tired of the retailers making it harder and harder for us to get value for our money. If they want to turn simple family celebrations into commercial extravaganzas, they should at least give us the BEST service and merchandise that they possibly can. This inconvenient return policy does not favor the customer one bit.

I’d like to say, “Welcome to Kapolei,” to one of our newest retail businesses, but I’m not terribly inclined to be too thrilled about their less than gracious entrance into our neighborhood. Maybe I have a better experience come Thanksgiving.

Our last water bill was outrageous. It came on the tail of an inflated electric bill as well. We got slammed last month. We figured out that the electric bill reflected higher rates, not more usage. We’ve been good about turning off lights and not running the air conditioner unnecessarily. But we couldn’t explain the water bill.

It was more than double our highest usage ever. What were we doing wrong?

We called American Home Shield who sent out Action Plumbing and they were no use whatsoever. It was almost impossible to make an appointment. Their plumbers only work Mon-Fri from 8 am to 3 pm. I finally got them to schedule a service call at 3:30 one day and I rushed home from work to meet the plumber. Of course the guy was late and in a BIG hurry to be done. He couldn’t find a problem. He told me that it was probably already fixed and I should just wait for the next bill to see. He said that it couldn’t be the sprinklers eventhough there was a puddle of water in the back yard. The only good thing he did was tell me to call the Board of Water Supply and ask for a bill adjustment.

So I called. I was able to schedule an appointment for somebody to come out and check our meter more carefully. I didn’t have to be home. They took my cell phone number and would call me after the meter reading.

That’s how I met Leroy.

He went out to our house to check our meter and said that he was sorry to inform me that our usage was still outrageously high. When I asked for advice he said that the most common culprit in these situation is the electronic sprinkler system. He went on to suggest that if I would turn it off over the weekend he would return on Monday and check our meter again and call me with the results. This way we could determine if it really was the sprinklers.

I did exactly as he suggested and he did the same. My phone rang on Monday with the news. Without the sprinklers our consumption was completely normal. We have been wasting a TON of water on our lawn. No wonder it’s been so green. I asked him for further advice and he gave me several options. He also told me to keep his number and call if I need any help.

Now that’s what I call service. And I didn’t even have to pay extra for it. Has anybody else out there had similar problems or help?

This was the first triathlon for our younger daughter and she finished with a smile on her face. The older one has been participating for years, but I still get excited every time. I think this is such an incredible opportunity for our children to build skills and confidence and have a good time.

They feel such a sense of accomplishment and wear their t-shirts and medals proudly.

It’s a lot of work to organize, but BOCA Hawaii does a great job every time.

From timing chips to a festive finish line, it’s the real deal for our kids.

A big thank you to the volunteers who come out to make it happen.

There were groups of people on all four corners of the intersection of Farrington Highway and Fort Barrette Road. They were waving signs to support local candidates running for office. Their goal is to get us to vote for that person in the upcoming primary on Saturday, September 20.

This seems to be a prime time and spot, just like near the power plant coming east around Kahe point, also on Farrington Highway. These are both places with a lot of traffic as people return home from their busy days of work and school and errands and business. This Kapolei intersection sees people from Makakilo, Ewa Beach, the Villages of Kapolei, Kalaeloa and many other commuters desperate enough to brave the late afternoon congestion so they can shop at Safeway and buy fresh produce.

Another popular place for sign waivers is, once again, on Farrington Highway on the makai side as it turns into H1 East near Hono Kai Hale. I’ve seen many a candidate and his/her supporters stationed there in the early a.m. to catch the morning commuters on their way to town.

Here’s my concern. Is it a traffic hazard? I’d be interested to know if there have been any traffic accidents related to election campaign sign waving. Or am I the only person with a near miss or two as I glance away from the road to check it out?

I know I take a quick look to see the name on the sign and then, depending on my mood or need for speed, check out who is holding the signs to see if there is anybody I know. I’m never sure if I am supposed to wave back or not.

My experience is that as it nears the election date, the sign wavers get a bit more aggressive. They wave with a tad more enthusiasm, emphatically trying to get my attention and, hopefully, my vote.

By November I am tired of seeing them, thankful when the voting is pau. Then I no longer have to pretend I don’t see them or feel compelled to wave aloha to a candidate that I don’t really support. It’s kind of like after New Year’s when the Christmas decorations finally come down. They were exciting at first, heralding the season to come. But their purpose has passed.

I’m looking forward to September 20 and November 4. I am ready to cast my ballot. I encourage everybody to vote.

While it’s too late to register for the primaries, there’s still time before the general election in November. The deadline is October 6.

If you are registerd already you can vote in the primaries early on Mondays through Saturdays until September 18 at Kapolei Hale.

Otherwise, mark your calendars for September 18 and November 4. But if you forget, I’m sure all the sign wavers will remind you.

I know this because she loves to share them. I love mango season. She brings them to me all the time. If I ask for one, I get a bunch. If I ask for a few, I get the whole box with instructions to share them with neighbors and friends. They come dried and pickled and in cookies and bread. She served mango margaritas at a gathering last week.

That’s one of the things that I’ve enjoyed so much about living and working right in the middle of local culture, the general custom of sharing. Fish, fruit, smoked meat, flowers or any other beautiful and delicious creation neighbors and cousins and friends have raised or created or caught. By participating in this custom I have eaten some of the most delicious fresh fish and fruit and vegetables and smelled some of the sweetest flowers I could ever in my life imagine embracing.

But Candy is the most sharingest person I know. She brings baked goods and fresh produce and feeds the masses–or at least me.

That’s why it is so nice to find her and her family and their mangoes on this really cool website: Share Your Table. It is nicely designed and the stories are beautifully written. That’s the button you click to read hers: Stories.

Check out her blog if you get a chance. And there’s recipes too.

But I caught on fairly quickly and soon learned that if somebody said that something was “bad,” that it meant that it was really, really good.

“I can deal with this,” I surmised. I’d been using “hot” and “cool” somewhat interchangeably for years. I’d known people from Boston to say “wicked” as a positive term. Bad easily made sense.

Over time I figured out that my student’s colloquial language had shifted. Bad became passe, old fashioned, not cool. Now things were “Phat.” Once again, this meant really, really good.

I found this term a bit more problematic than “bad.” I could recognize its use, understand its meaning, but I was very uncomfortable saying it myself.

Too close to home. I had spent most of my life worrying about being fat or trying to lose a pound or two. I could not bring myself to discard its negative implications and incorporate it into my daily language. There was no way that phat could be good to me.

Thank goodness that the teens have moved on.

When the term “my bad” surfacd a few years ago I heartily embraced the concept. It totally worked for me. “Please excuse me, I made a mistake,” it said to me.

At this point I was a little too old to actually say it myself and not look stupid, but I enjoyed hearing it from other people. It was a good combination of the word’s true connotation with the short cut style of slang, clever.

Now that I am over forty, it’s not just the teenagers who seem young anymore. Even the new teachers are a completely different generation, with their own language.

That became quite apparant to me this weekend while talking to some new yearbook advisers at a statewide workshop we held at Searider Productions. On several different occasions, with completely different people, I heard a new expression.

The first time I heard it was this summer from one of the lifeguards at our pool. The word is “Sik,” and it has nothing to do with health. Once again, it means that something is really really good in a very cool way.

If I look back over my almost 20 years of teaching, in almost two decades of dealing with teenagers and their language and their worlds, it has been an amazing journey, for me as well as their slang. I can honestly say that I have changed as much as they.

I’d like to think that each phase of my development as a teacher can be described in a positive light. I started off as a “bad girl,” moved on to being a “phat chic,” and have definitely become a “sik lady.”

Apparently sik is the new good. And it seems like it’s here to stay, for a while.

I got quick and friendly service at the counter and excellent instructions about how to go to the gate which would be at the mainland terminal. Only I was allowed, so my husband and other daughter waited at baggage claim.

Unfortunately the Wiki Wiki Shuttle was not as well organized. I found the boarding area for the shuttle with no problem, thinking that I was happy to have so much time. But the woman at the information desk insisted that I needed to go to a different gate other than the one written on the gate pass I had in my hand which was the same one that Henry had told me about when he called that morning to remind me to pick up my daughter. Actually, he wanted to make sure that I knew I had to be there at least 40 minutes before the plane arrived for me to be allowed to go to the gate.

So I listened to the new lady and got on the bus for gate 28 instead of the original 21. That’s where my problems started. Of course it was the wrong gate and getting back to the boarding station to get on the right shuttle was hard. I ended up walking all the way back,  finally finding the right shuttle.

As the driver was calling the stops, I realized that I was looking for a gate number and he was announcing airlines. I approached him and asked for gate 21 and he said that we had already passed that stop. I suggested that he should say the gate numbers, but it was not well received. He did say I could get off here and walk and so I did. I was worried that my daughter would arrive and I would not be there to greet her.

I managed to get to the gate a few minutes before the plane and was relieved that it actually was the right place. She came off the plane and her escort was very responsible to check my I.D. before I could embrace my child. I appreciate the care they took with her safety.

We walked back to the shuttle which took us back to the inter island terminal so we could retrieve her luggage. That’s when I understood why Henry called to make sure I could be at the gate. This would have been a long haul for the escort and complicated for my daughter.

So, regardless of the confusing ground transportation, I do believe that Hawaiian Airlines took excellent care of my daughter both to and from the mainland this summer and I really appreciate it a lot.

I was walking from Subway to the parking lot and just as I approached my car I heard somebody call from a distance, “Excuse me ma’am.” I wasn’t sure if the voice was addressing me or the woman who was getting into her car right next to mine. We both looked and it appeared that a man was calling me. I did not recognize him so I got into my car.

He came up to me and asked if I could help him. I told him I was in a hurry, but he said that his moped had been stolen. I interrupted him and said that I was not the person to help him. I was thinking that I did not have time to give him a ride. I would not given a strange man a ride anyway. He continued to say that he needed $2.00 for the bus to get to Barber’s Point and I reiterated that I am not the person to help him. I’m not opposed to giving people money to help them out, but he made me nervous.

He ran off somewhat exasperated and I got in my car and left. I couldn’t help but feel bad. I would hate to be the person who should have helped him and not have done it. Unfortunately, these days it’s hard to trust anybody and I just wanted him to go away.

Besides, I rationalized, if that had happened to me I would have called the police and I’m sure they would have helped me figure out a way to get to Barber’s Point. He could have done the same. But it still pulls on me in an uncomfortable way. That’s probably why he picked me.

So, the question is: has this happened to you? what would you have done?