Shit Breaks

Have you ever noticed that in the times when you really need your stuff to just work...nothing mind blowing, just keep functioning per spec... that it all starts to break?

Yes, I know that things break in transport, things break under stress and things break randomly when they get old. STILL...it seems like they break all at once and just when I really want for them to just work.

About a week after we moved my computer hard drive crashed. I had backed up a bunch of stuff, but not everything. Total bummer and MANY hours of re-creating my Quicken records. I am still in denial about tax stuff. I'm keeping the old, broken hard drive on the shelf as if it will one day miraculously heal itself and start dancing around, singing.

A while back Mark won a really great treadmill. After the move I re-assembled it and set it up in the garage with visions of running while looking out on the pour rain...and, yet, not having to be in the pouring rain. I tested it, getting my heart rate into target range for half an hour or so and left it feeling rather proud of myself. The next day Mark went to run on it and it wouldn't budge. All the displays light up but the rollers just don't move. No amount of tinkering has brought it back to life.

I think I've mentioned the Subaru's problems in past posts. It was a very weird problem involving oil lines breaking (no clue as to why) and only three of four cylinders firing. This was the most inconvenient and expensive of the "breaks" but did have the silver lining of moving up the purchase of our super-fab Tacoma.

I broke, too. My neck and shoulder muscles tightened up (again...no clue why) and limited mobility and sleep for about a month. A few massage sessions and hot tub soaks later and I'm back normal...or at least functioning per spec. ;)

Now it's the fridge. Total melt down. It was actually warmer inside the fridge than in the kitchen! I have never before had my frozen stash of Costco chicken thaw all at once. What a pain in the ass. It definitely could have been worse. [I repeat this like a mantra.]
First saving grace: Mom is staying at a cottage with a functioning fridge. I was unable to deal with throwing away all that chicken. Even at Costco prices it just added up to too much. I cooked it all and froze it at the cottage where my mom is.
Second: Some small piece of my memory survived the move and reminded me that Linda had mentioned something about an extended service plan. I sorted through the stack of papers generously left for us and wa-la...there it was...a service plan good through November. A call to Sears confirmed it. [Thank you, Linda!!!] Okay, so we live in the middle of the woods and Sears techs only come up once a week. A week's wait is better than spending the dough on a whole new fridge, so I schedule the appointment. The lady on the phone confirms that the visit and the fix should be free. Now that's in my price range.
Third saving grace: We are planning on having a little fridge in the studio so guests can have a little kitchen...and Mark can have cold beverages close at hand. So, like the truck the purchase got moved up a bit. During the wait for the Sears tech we have a mini fridge. Definitely not the capacity we are used to, but lets us have milk for morning cereal.

I would really like for nothing else to break for a bit.

Shock and Awe

Saturday night Bandit was convinced that George W. was launching a "shock and awe" campaign on Volcano Village. No amount of explaining or cajoling would convince him that the endless noise and bright flashes of light was merely a thunder and lighting storm...a big one, but just a storm all the same. Bandit checked every square inch of our house to find the "intruder", barked and growl ferociously to scare the offending presence, and periodically leapt onto the bed to alert us to the danger.

Fun night. ;)

Hugging, petting, sweet-talking were all useless.
Finally, Mark found the answer -- play. So, play it was...at 4 a.m. It worked for Bandit, but did result in slightly tired people.

We had another demonstration of nature's power Saturday afternoon. It was amazing. This time we were awake and prepared to entertain our pup through the storm. It rained 0.7 inches in less than an hour. That's a lot of water! The gutters were over flowing (mental note to clean them more often) and the sound in the studio was deafening (insulation still needed).

After the deluge the skies cleared and it was bright and sunny the rest of the day. Amazing.

Mother Knows Best

Thank GOD I don't have a mother who says this...Or even thinks it, as far as I can tell. ;)

Mom has come to visit. True to form she has been up for adventures that most mothers (and many of the general population, for that matter) would either frown upon or cringe from.

We've gone hiking along trails that have steam vents from the lava below, in weather conditions that were WET and WINDY and wandering off down unknown trails in the middle of nowhere.



Along the way I've been able to share many of the jewels of this fabulous island.

We found coconuts to split open (harder than it seems in the movies) along a stretch of pristine and rugged coast,
viewed the amazing cliffs of Waipio Valley where Hawaiian royalty used to live and where of the land is still used to farm taro,
watched endangered green sea turtles swimming at the sacred Pu`uhonua o Honaunau, and
experienced the over-the-top-Disneyland-like Hilton Waikoloa Resort.








Most of our adventures have been either near Volcano Village or Hilo. We did, however, take a great three-day trip over to the "dry side". We visited the resort area of Waikoloa, Ali'i Drive in Kailua Kona, and kayaked and snorkeled in Kealakekua Bay.

We are having a great time. Mom is a trouper. Bandit is thrilled to have his grandma around to spoil him.

You Passed!

Isn't that a great phrase to hear?

I took the written test to get my Hawaii drivers license yesterday.
I took the approach that I have taken so many other times in test-taking. I read the summary at the end of the book and decided that since I am fairly bright and drive reasonably well I should be fine. I drove down to Hilo full of confidence.

Of course, there's that special DMV factor (not that it's called the DMV in Hawaii, but you get the picture). There is a lot of standing in line. The differentiator in Hawaii seems to be that when you reach a person they are actually nice and friendly. A contrast to many of the Oakland DMV employees.

They need a social security card. Mine disappeared about 15 years ago when someone decided that they should own all my possessions being stored in my car. A trip to the social security office earns me a "verification letter" that the DMV folks accept. The "man" knows I exist.

After some vision checking its time for the written test. My confidence evaporates as I look at the questions on the page. You need to get 24 of the 30 right to pass. Seems like a reasonable standard. Even a bit low. But...what is the name of the signs indicating some action required by the driver? Okay, now I think they are getting picky. Why do they care if I know the name of the sign grouping as long as I do what the signs say? Sigh. Now I can get only five more wrong...

Like some sort of sick joke, after you complete the test you have to go stand in line again. Anxiety heightens as I watch other people completing the test with seemingly no effort. The guy in front of me in line gets his test results and goes over to have his picture taken. I wonder if he knew the name of the signs indicating some action required by the driver.

Finally, I get to the window. The nice lady grades the test right there in front of me. I cross my fingers.....

Two wrong. Big relief. I may not know what that damn sign grouping is called, but generally I am not a public hazard.

I get my photo taken and leave with the prize: one genuine Hawaii drivers license.


By the way...they are called regulatory signs. ;)