"It's quarter to three... there's no one in the place... except you and me"

Sat. 345am. I have been having the WORST insomnia E-VER. Lifelong problem. But, this is the worst... for 3-4 weeks now. 2-3 hrs sleep a night.

Unconscious anxiety. Well, not really, I know what it is. OR, I should say, I know what 3 things "it" is. Time for a therapy appointment.

A Touch of Thailand

A couple of days ago, I FINALLY had the chance to eat at Bangkok Chef on Nuuanu Ave. Thanks to Steph and Deena for the recommendation... eventhough it did take me 2 years to get there.

For a 1/2 hour, I was kind of transported to Bangkok. Not so much the food-- though it was pretty dang good, but more the decor. A true hole in the wall/ garage. The Pad Thai was not bad, but you really can't beat Me Kong (either location) for Pad Thai. The yellow curry was good. I probably ordered the wrong thing. will plan of trying the Eggplant Chicken next visit. Good sized portions and it's plate lunch style. The staff looked at us like we were idiots for asking for menu recommendations. Apparently, I'm the last to eat there? But hey, when the food is good, you can be sassy. I always say you can be a prick as long as you can put your money where your mouth is.

Can't wait to eat there again.

Why is Everyone So Shocked?

Why is everyone so shocked that President and Mrs. Bush are being so gracious to the Obamas? Of course they are. That's ALWAYS been who they are, no matter what has happened. They've always been classy, they've always been proper. They've always done their best. Everybody, Obama's in. George is out. Cut W a break already. Trust me, if you're looking for perfection in a president, you won't find it in Obama, or any president after him. So far, he's insulted Nancy Reagan, most of the speculative picks for his cabinet are Clinton people-- so much for change-- and if you ask me, he looks a bit skiddish right now. Reminds me of that line in Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise realizes the impact of his life-changing, career-suicide "memo"... "It was just a mission statement". But, alas, those little faux pauxs only count if your anyone BUT Barack Obama. Now, THAT is shocking!

Flamingo's Restaurant is a Free Bird

The other week Hawaii said goodbye to another food landmark: Flamingo's Kapiolani. And while the other 1 in the chain is not slated for closure, I think we all know it's inevitable. AND once again, it probably did record business as it was flying off into the sunset. Just like Compadres. These soon-to-be former owners and ex employees have got to be thinking, " Sheesh, kinda late to be coming around now, eh, braddah?" Sad, but true. It's human nature to procrastinate that way.

Anyway, I'll do my own send-off here with a couple of memories. I remember having a late night meal with my good friend Debbie. I have no idea what I ate, because I was SO taken aback by what SHE ate: Bacon and LIVER and onions! Whoa! Lol. The truth is, my disgust was short-lived, because we all had a long and great conversation. One of many after that meal.

I think they had GREAT portuguese sausage. Not all portuguese sausage is created equal. I would go there sometimes for breakfast after my triathlete friend Joy would finish her races. We also had great conversations there, as well.

It's sad to see Flamingo's close. But, they had a great 49 years providing Hawaii's people with great comfort food and great service. That is getting harder and harder to find.

UPDATE: 11/11/08-Flamingo's PCity FOR SALE according to the 11/7/08 issue of the Pacific Business News. Bye Bye to my favorite sandwich: The Patty Melt. Flamingo's had the BEST Patty Melt.

How to Cure Your Work Blahs and Blues

Have lunch. Have lunch with people you enjoy. Have lunch with people you enjoy OUTSIDE of the office. That's the Lunch Club, over there to the right. I've been at my job since 2001. I, like many other people, ate at my desk almost everyday. In 2007, Colleen and Ryan rescued me from my boring-but-pretending-I'm-too-important-to leave-the-office lunch hours. I LOVE my lunch buddies. We can take our minds off of work with a plethora of conversation topics. And of course we talk about how friggin' WONDERFUL work is, too. We celebrate birthday's. We invite people in, while reminding them of the Lunch Club Cone of Silence, and leave them out , cause we're cranky or not in the mood. We think of stupid car rituals. We take turns ganging up on each other. Mostly we laugh, which is the best part. I seriously don't know what I'd do with out my Lunch Club. BTW, Colleen will surely be pissed for posting her pic and Ryan will back me up-- the usual gang-up configuration.

Happy Birthday, Ryan Ozawa, you slave to technology, you...

GOBAMA!

It's great to see America hopeful and full of pride again. For that, I truly am grateful for President-elect Obama. I wish him the best as he begins to fill some VERY big shoes to back up some VERY big talk. He really may be The Guy that turns America around.

John McCain... take a break already. You have earned it. You are a class act, man.

An Historic Day... Either Way!

First, my condolences to Barack Obama and family on the loss of his grandmother. When my grandma leaves the planet, I'll go crazy. That is tough and devastating. I figured it this way, either way, her "Barry"--as she called him- and the world will be ok, so she felt good about leaving. She doesn't strike me as someone who would dig out unless everything was G.

Back to business. This is the race of a lifetime! It's exciting! It's a nail-biter! It's the polital process at it's best and as it was meant to be! It's historic! An election of 1st's!

"GOBAMA". My parents raised my sister and I to be supporters of the political process. So, I understand Barack Obama's grass roots movement and give him props for it's success. My family was VERY involved in helping Hawaii's 1st female mayor, Eileen Anderson, get elected in the 1970's. My father produced the slide show (yes, actual slides, not powerpoint) that she used at the many, many coffee hours she attended in people's living rooms when she campaigned. My uncle narrated it. We went door-to-door campaigning every weekend. I was 12. To watch what Obama has created and accomplished is nothing short of a miracle.

Sarah Palin. Go ahead and laugh, but she will still be a historic figure. She's no idiot. And she is not afraid of anyone. I like that in people. Her wardrobe? Well, shit, she better look good. Troopergate? Hey, if someone F'd with my sister, I'd do something. I have. I'm not saying she was right, but I understand how she could go there. It's a family thing. We ALL do shit we shouldn't have done. We all make mistakes. And, how people can say she has no experience flies in the face of sound reasoning.

Confession. By the time anyone reads this, I will have already voted for John McCain. Much to the chagrin and disgust of most of my friends, I can't bring myself to vote for Barack Obama. I don't think he's ready. Is Sarah Palin ready? No. But no more unprepared than Barack and for crying out loud, it's John McCain running for president against Barack. Not Sarah Palin. I HATE that "heartbeat" away argument.

Someone recently asked me why I'm a Republican. No fancy answer except that at the end of everyday, I resonate with the values they try to uphold. Hey, I'm not naive. There are many idiots in the Republican party. There are idiots everywhere.

I live in Hawaii were most of the politicians lack critical thinking skills and a command of the english language. I often wonder what the tourists think when they watch our news. Ugh! How embarassing. Irritating. Trust me, the disease of stupidity is indiscriminate.

Having said all of the above, I also welcome the opportunity of showing Haters how to live with a president you don't want. I won't spend the next 4 -8 years spewing venom and hate and sending him shitty energy. Have you ever been around someone that didn't like you? It doesn't feel so good. And if you really tell yourself the truth about that moment, you'll know that it's very difficult to perform well when someone shows their hate and comtempt for you. I have said many, many times that while W was making some huge mistakes, it can't possibly help to have the hateful, angry energy of millions of people directed at him. Common sense, people.

So, if tomorrow morning Barack Obama is our president, I'll be sending him positive energy that he is the BEST president we've ever had. I hope you will do the same if tomorrow John McCain and the 1st-ever female, Sarah Palin, emerge as the next people to lead our country.

Hmmm....on 2nd thought, if Obama does win, I do reserve the right to occasionally say, "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain"

I hope you all went out to vote and be apart of history.