8 January, 2007
On this day, we set out at an early time, mainly because we had to leave the hotel at 1100 for the checkout time, but in secret, I knew it was because they had found out what sort of dark secret lies within the hearts of man, for the Shadow was now working for them. true, he disguised himself as a mild mannered bell hop, but I knew all too well what brand of WD-40 he was trying to spray into the door hinges. After giving this crazed bell hop a wide berth, we met up for the last time at the Great White Whale, and departed to go and kill time before our night flight. Why were we flying out at night you ask? Good question, I for one think it has something to do with the Earth's gravitational pull, plus the darkness hides the fact that the plane actually is taking off from Wyoming.
We all stopped and ate lunch at the Spaghetti Western Warehouse Company, where I was surprised by the best meal/cheapest one I had had the entire stay on this horrible rock in the center of Wyoming. We watched a strange movie that dealt with working in a museum, which was relevant since someone might have been entertaining an idea of working in a museum at sometime later in their lives. I for one would rather work at a Sears, whistling my nights away as I shine my flashlight at the mannequins, because I've seen that movie where they come to life. As interesting as a living mannequin would be, there's always that fear that the foul beasts could try and kill you and eat your soul with a spork, and we all know that that is not a way to go out. No blazing glory to be found with a spork, unless some sort of chili is involved.
Regardless, we again entered the Great White Whale and departed for the airport. Though it took some time to find the rental place, and strangely is was no where near the airport, we dropped off the Great White Whale. I for one was sad to part with her, for even though she was a mighty honry cuss who would spit rye in your eye and call you a sissy for merely looking at her the wrong way, she did go along with our strange voyage of discovery, even though she proved to not be sea worthy.
The airport was hot and humid, and though food inside was expensive, I had not the insight or the strength to purchase anything. I lucked out this time with a window seat, and as I watched the nightly glow of the islands disappear, the thought process of my mind began to flow.
Obviously we were all running on survival mode now, no longer fueled by the fire of going to a far and distant land and leaving it in a totally different way than that of which we found it. No, on that note we had grossly over-estimated the force that was the Hawaii experience. We were not able to conquer these land masses as if we were some sort of 21st Century Conquistadors, but instead, we left as if we were some sort of weary old man longing for his younger days and a fine bottle of Kentucky Bourbon.
What effect we had on the islands, only time can tell. Some may say that we had little to none, while others would say that the girl at the Polynesian Cultural Center would never be the same after struggling to teach a 24 year old guy how to fold a fish out of coconut leaves. She might loose her way and try to swim to Alaska for some fresh Salmon, only to be devoured by a humpback whale three miles from Juno.
But what can be said is that the Islands had a lasting effect on us. We learned that Dragons eat people's souls on New Years. We learned that fish can be folded from coconut leaves, though the procedure is rather elusive. We learned that a Ford Windstar is not sea worthy, no matter what the commercials show you. Also, we learned that the local waitresses at the Tiki Lounge don't like to be reminded that they live on a third world country in the center of Wyoming.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Of Whales and Sea Legs
7 January, 2007
I awoke at a relatively early time, feeling tired, yet could not sleep any more. It was too late for the Continental breakfast, so I had a can of Green Tea and a Snickers bar, because if you're hungry, why wait? My room mates were droggy from the night before, and for good reason. We had set out on an epic journey to find the mysterious dragon that ate people's souls only six days before, but after much exhaustive searching and several pit stops for refreshment, we decided that this dragon must be located on another island. Perhaps Molokai.
I heard a rapping, a sort of tapping, coming from the door, so I did what any decent American would do; I opened the door, half expecting to see a man half crazed with hunger and eyeing me as if I was a large cheeseburger. Instead, I saw Professor Littlejohn. He asked if we would like to go whale watching, and of course I was game. Sean and Paul were not sure that they could handle the rocking and rolling of the boat, so they declined. Roger was eventually persuaded to go, and we then set out for the harbor.
Once there, we saw the mighty vessel that we would take, and though it's name escapes me, it's probably best, due to legal issues. For the sake of recollection, I will refer to her as Pequod. The journey started out just fine, but soon we were out into the break water and the boat began to rock up and down. Many of the people laughed at first and drank margaritas, or as I refer to them, Large Marge's. I of course knew that this was a bad idea, because once people tried to walk to the bar on the ever shifting deck, they behaved as if they were all ready drunk. This mix of shifting underfoot and booze could only spell their doom.
Before long, the call was made that a large bluberous mammal was spotted at 1 O' Clock, which is just to the right of the starboard bow. All of these now intoxicated pilgrims ran forward to the bow and tried to stand there. I of course went as well, and laughed as these land lovers tried to steady themselves on their two feet. Since my own Father is a career sailor, the sea was in my veins. I easily braced myself against the windscreen and was perfectly fine with the boat pitching up and then crashing back down to into the sea.
The mighty beast came up several times in a massive rolling wave. People tried to take pictures of the mighty bellowing beast, but it was of course too quick for this. It was soon time for the boat to return, so after watching the majesty of the sea born mammal, we made the journey back to port, and after having to spend money in a mall in order to get the parking validated, we arrived back at the Hotel to rally the troops. Indeed, now Paul and Sean joined us, for we were going to tackle the monstrosity known only as Diamond Head.
Though we saw many people of overweight status and people wearing ill equipped foot attire, we began to assume that the climb was easy. Of course, after only a few minutes, we understood that we were totally wrong. The climb became something bordering on Everest, and we encountered many stairs, somewhere near the number of 90. Of course I said that it was impossible to have this many stairs in Wyoming, but there was no time for this theory here. When we reached the top, the view was indeed magnificent, but we were too winded to fully appreciate it before we had to start back down. The journey down was easier, since gravity was now working in our favor. Once we returned to the hotel, we all showered and prepared to go out to dinner at what was claimed to be the best Thai restaurant in all of Hawaii. The food may have fit his description, but the service certainly did not. After we returned, we all began the arduous task of packing, because on the next day, we were set to depart this strange and tropical land.
I awoke at a relatively early time, feeling tired, yet could not sleep any more. It was too late for the Continental breakfast, so I had a can of Green Tea and a Snickers bar, because if you're hungry, why wait? My room mates were droggy from the night before, and for good reason. We had set out on an epic journey to find the mysterious dragon that ate people's souls only six days before, but after much exhaustive searching and several pit stops for refreshment, we decided that this dragon must be located on another island. Perhaps Molokai.
I heard a rapping, a sort of tapping, coming from the door, so I did what any decent American would do; I opened the door, half expecting to see a man half crazed with hunger and eyeing me as if I was a large cheeseburger. Instead, I saw Professor Littlejohn. He asked if we would like to go whale watching, and of course I was game. Sean and Paul were not sure that they could handle the rocking and rolling of the boat, so they declined. Roger was eventually persuaded to go, and we then set out for the harbor.
Once there, we saw the mighty vessel that we would take, and though it's name escapes me, it's probably best, due to legal issues. For the sake of recollection, I will refer to her as Pequod. The journey started out just fine, but soon we were out into the break water and the boat began to rock up and down. Many of the people laughed at first and drank margaritas, or as I refer to them, Large Marge's. I of course knew that this was a bad idea, because once people tried to walk to the bar on the ever shifting deck, they behaved as if they were all ready drunk. This mix of shifting underfoot and booze could only spell their doom.
Before long, the call was made that a large bluberous mammal was spotted at 1 O' Clock, which is just to the right of the starboard bow. All of these now intoxicated pilgrims ran forward to the bow and tried to stand there. I of course went as well, and laughed as these land lovers tried to steady themselves on their two feet. Since my own Father is a career sailor, the sea was in my veins. I easily braced myself against the windscreen and was perfectly fine with the boat pitching up and then crashing back down to into the sea.
The mighty beast came up several times in a massive rolling wave. People tried to take pictures of the mighty bellowing beast, but it was of course too quick for this. It was soon time for the boat to return, so after watching the majesty of the sea born mammal, we made the journey back to port, and after having to spend money in a mall in order to get the parking validated, we arrived back at the Hotel to rally the troops. Indeed, now Paul and Sean joined us, for we were going to tackle the monstrosity known only as Diamond Head.
Though we saw many people of overweight status and people wearing ill equipped foot attire, we began to assume that the climb was easy. Of course, after only a few minutes, we understood that we were totally wrong. The climb became something bordering on Everest, and we encountered many stairs, somewhere near the number of 90. Of course I said that it was impossible to have this many stairs in Wyoming, but there was no time for this theory here. When we reached the top, the view was indeed magnificent, but we were too winded to fully appreciate it before we had to start back down. The journey down was easier, since gravity was now working in our favor. Once we returned to the hotel, we all showered and prepared to go out to dinner at what was claimed to be the best Thai restaurant in all of Hawaii. The food may have fit his description, but the service certainly did not. After we returned, we all began the arduous task of packing, because on the next day, we were set to depart this strange and tropical land.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Of fleas and pigskin
6 January, 2007
Today was to be the day that everyone kept speaking of. No, not the rythmic cerimonial ritual of old, but the day for the International Marketplace that was in the parking lot of the Aloha Stadium, better known for hosting the Pro Bowl the week after the Superbowl.
The great White Whale was surely dieing to her harpoon wounds, but we struggled along and made it to the parking lot. From there, we were chartered only with our return time, and were set loose to run amuck in the capitalist depravity that this nation is so fond of.
I remember looking at three booths, and nearly every one after that was nearly identical. While my compatriots purchased shirts of T for friends back home, I did not. Mainly because I never liked doing that, and secondly, I no longer had the room in my minimalist suitcase, which was more like a miniature duffle bag. The only thing that I purchased while here were malasadas, a type of Portugese donut. While I ate these, I remember commenting about how many of the shirts of T had marijuana leaves on them, which was quite ironic considering if anyone were to wear one of these they would instantly be targets for the police, or fuzz as some refer to them as.
As I continued to walk around, I bought some shaved ice with banana flavor, which was quite refreshing. After this, I decided to head back to the Great White Whale, and rendevoused with the other members. Many of them had purchased items of some what questionable usefullness, but who was I to point out their foolishness, I had bought more malasadas and was enjoying them.
We quickly made our way back to the hotel in order to go to a local restaurant to watch the Professional Football game. This restaurant was called Lulu's, and after ordering the Magnum P.I. burger, which was enjoyable since it came with bacon, and having the classiest of beverages, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, we watched the game between Dallas and the Seahawks. Now this was quite the situation. Seeing as how I hark from the Houston area, I've never cared for Dallas; something to do with their strange engineering techniques or their lack of wanting to cover a hole in the roof, I'm not sure which. But seeing as how the Professor was rooting for Dallas, and since I didn't care for the Seahawks either, I merely watched the game and laughed at the divided restaurant cheer and jeer for their chosen team.
I remember several bouts of bad noise, and after a botched field goal attempt by Romo, the game was over. I remembered that i had to do some laundry, so I walked back to hotel among the strange street performers. After seeing these strange bastards for a week, and after wondering if the Copper Cowboy was indeed made of copper, I threw a penny at his face in hopes that it would some how fuse with the rest of his copper parts. But, the penny merely bounced off, proving that he indeed was not made of copper. However, I will say this about the strange cowboy, the penny bouncing off of his face didn't phase him in the least, and for that, I tip my proverbial hat to him.
The laundry room was full, so instead of doing laundry, I went back to the room and again watched the comedic exploits of Dog the Bounty Hunter. The next day was to be one of our last free days, and we still had no real plans for what was going to happen. Indeed, it would be an epic journey of discovery just to find out what we would do the next day.
Today was to be the day that everyone kept speaking of. No, not the rythmic cerimonial ritual of old, but the day for the International Marketplace that was in the parking lot of the Aloha Stadium, better known for hosting the Pro Bowl the week after the Superbowl.
The great White Whale was surely dieing to her harpoon wounds, but we struggled along and made it to the parking lot. From there, we were chartered only with our return time, and were set loose to run amuck in the capitalist depravity that this nation is so fond of.
I remember looking at three booths, and nearly every one after that was nearly identical. While my compatriots purchased shirts of T for friends back home, I did not. Mainly because I never liked doing that, and secondly, I no longer had the room in my minimalist suitcase, which was more like a miniature duffle bag. The only thing that I purchased while here were malasadas, a type of Portugese donut. While I ate these, I remember commenting about how many of the shirts of T had marijuana leaves on them, which was quite ironic considering if anyone were to wear one of these they would instantly be targets for the police, or fuzz as some refer to them as.
As I continued to walk around, I bought some shaved ice with banana flavor, which was quite refreshing. After this, I decided to head back to the Great White Whale, and rendevoused with the other members. Many of them had purchased items of some what questionable usefullness, but who was I to point out their foolishness, I had bought more malasadas and was enjoying them.
We quickly made our way back to the hotel in order to go to a local restaurant to watch the Professional Football game. This restaurant was called Lulu's, and after ordering the Magnum P.I. burger, which was enjoyable since it came with bacon, and having the classiest of beverages, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, we watched the game between Dallas and the Seahawks. Now this was quite the situation. Seeing as how I hark from the Houston area, I've never cared for Dallas; something to do with their strange engineering techniques or their lack of wanting to cover a hole in the roof, I'm not sure which. But seeing as how the Professor was rooting for Dallas, and since I didn't care for the Seahawks either, I merely watched the game and laughed at the divided restaurant cheer and jeer for their chosen team.
I remember several bouts of bad noise, and after a botched field goal attempt by Romo, the game was over. I remembered that i had to do some laundry, so I walked back to hotel among the strange street performers. After seeing these strange bastards for a week, and after wondering if the Copper Cowboy was indeed made of copper, I threw a penny at his face in hopes that it would some how fuse with the rest of his copper parts. But, the penny merely bounced off, proving that he indeed was not made of copper. However, I will say this about the strange cowboy, the penny bouncing off of his face didn't phase him in the least, and for that, I tip my proverbial hat to him.
The laundry room was full, so instead of doing laundry, I went back to the room and again watched the comedic exploits of Dog the Bounty Hunter. The next day was to be one of our last free days, and we still had no real plans for what was going to happen. Indeed, it would be an epic journey of discovery just to find out what we would do the next day.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
"Forget it Jake; it's Chinatown"
5 January, 2007
As I sit here, writing these memoirs, I come to a sort of mental block. Yes, it could be due to the cold on this frightful day, but it could be that the itinerary and the actual events no longer coincide. For you see, the itinerary says that we met at 0900 and discussed Confucianism and the Chinese impact on Hawaii, but I have no recollection of it. The only memory that I can conjure up is one of a strange tasting cream filled muffin that was supposedly filled with Green Tea. From what I can remember of that, I think that Green Tea should stay in the liquid form. If anything else was going on around me, I must not have been conscious to it, after all, we were all starting to become wired into survival mode. Whatever was discussed at this meeting, and whatever random strange and posibly damning comment that I may have made is now lost to the breeze. There may have been a strange movie dealing with the Chinese during the Communist takeover and what not, but my mind was in no mood for this. What I do remember was our departing for the infamous spot where Jake Gittes lost that special part of him: Chinatown.
I remember many things, like once trying to hang a clock in my bathroom when I slipped on the wet procelin and hit my head on the sink, and when I came to I had a vision, a picture in my head. But a flux capacitor would do me no good in this recolection of what we did on this day. We were all pretty hungry, so instead of wandering through Chinatown, we went straight to the restuarant.
The tables were large and had the lazy susans of acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom fame. I sat at a table of my peers (in age, I have no peers when it comes to my level of sanity, at least those who are not currently living in a rubber room) and we looked over the menu. At first I was confused, because I was informed that we would be eating authentic Chinese dishes, not the kind that any average joe could get at a fast wok down by river. But when I looked at the menu, the majority of the dishes in the Queen's English were the normal "Chinese" dishes. After pndering what I would get, I ended up getting the same thing I always get at a strange Chinese place; Kung Pao Chicken. I would have prefered that the Professors order for us, but such was not to be the case on this day.
When the selected dishes arrived, I had no intention of sharing my meal, after all, that's why I ordered it. However, Roger asked if he could try it, so I spun it along the lazy dame towards him. We must have had about 8 or 9 people at our table, and by the time my dish returned, it was nearly picked clean by the others. Since I'm not one to sit back and not seek revenge, I began to eat other people's dishes; not because I was hungry mind you, but for sweet revenge! Ol' Paulie had an issue with the chopsticks, and since this place had no other utensils, he simply gave up and later ate his rice at the Hotel.
After we ate, we were set loose to run amuck in Chinatown. We went into several shops that sold dried fruits and even the elusive deer penis, which I'm told can help in hair rejuvenation. We were warned by a strange homeless person with only 1 tooth to not walk in a certain direction, so after we assured her that we would not go that way, we began to walk in the direction that she indicated. She had said that we would be stabbed, but after walking until we ran out of streets, and not being stabbed, we began to walk back. When the time came for our rendevous, we met up at the Great White Whale and headed back for the hotel.
Once we were there, Dr. Littlejohn asked if we were wanting to go to the Punchbowl and later to go hiking on another expedition into Dinosaur land. Of course we jumped at the oportunity. The Punchbowl was quite interesting, seeing as how it was a now defunct crater of a volcano used as a cemetary. As strange as it was, we took many pictures of the area and then went off to find the ever elusive and cunning Velociraptor.
This trail was quite muddy and narrow, and after nearly slipping a baker's dozen times, we turned back and returned to the hotel. From there, we all began to take it easy, and several of the guys, including myself, went out and marveled at the level of randomness that appears on a Friday night in Hawaii.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 14
1. The movie portrays the traditional Chinese moral values by showing the hardships that Fugui has to go through. From his gambling problems all the way to his having to adapt to living in Communism, through hard work he is able to produce enough to allow his family to survive, and he is able to build a place for him among the communists.
2. The Chinese philosophy of life is one that the person must continue to live, no matter what happens.
3. The philosophy of life is that a person must live virtuously and will be rewarded as such.
4. I think that it is related to the yin/yang in the way that there is both good and bad choices that can be made.
5. It is seen through the movie in the ways that Fugui gambles everything away and then looses his wife, but then she comes back once he starts to make an honest living. He is spared during the civil war because he gives entertainment through hard work to the communist troops. Even after his son is killed, since he chooses the better path of not seeking vengeance, he is rewarded with a better paying job.
Prompt 15
1. Chinatown, and all other ethnic neighborhoods, were originally established so the immigrants could band together and share something in common together. They stand out because they are an autonomous cultural body that has its own culture that differs from that around it. In Chinatown, there were many people of Asian decent, shopping for items that they can not find among the more “popular” stores.
Prompt 16
1. The Chinese restaurant was a unique experience; however, the table that I sat at did not fully get to experience the uniqueness of the atmosphere because everyone ordered the typical Chinese food that can be had at any Chinese restaurant in America. The appetizers came first and were on a rather large plate and were shared among everyone at the table. The utensils used were chopsticks, which was unusual to many at the table, but not to me since I come from a household where they are used on a normal basis.
Prompt 17
1. As a person who is a mix of two different cultures, I can understand the torn identity of trying to identify with one of the backgrounds. While they may not describe themselves as Asian since they do not speak the language, they are still not considered “white” because they obviously don’t look like it.
As I sit here, writing these memoirs, I come to a sort of mental block. Yes, it could be due to the cold on this frightful day, but it could be that the itinerary and the actual events no longer coincide. For you see, the itinerary says that we met at 0900 and discussed Confucianism and the Chinese impact on Hawaii, but I have no recollection of it. The only memory that I can conjure up is one of a strange tasting cream filled muffin that was supposedly filled with Green Tea. From what I can remember of that, I think that Green Tea should stay in the liquid form. If anything else was going on around me, I must not have been conscious to it, after all, we were all starting to become wired into survival mode. Whatever was discussed at this meeting, and whatever random strange and posibly damning comment that I may have made is now lost to the breeze. There may have been a strange movie dealing with the Chinese during the Communist takeover and what not, but my mind was in no mood for this. What I do remember was our departing for the infamous spot where Jake Gittes lost that special part of him: Chinatown.
I remember many things, like once trying to hang a clock in my bathroom when I slipped on the wet procelin and hit my head on the sink, and when I came to I had a vision, a picture in my head. But a flux capacitor would do me no good in this recolection of what we did on this day. We were all pretty hungry, so instead of wandering through Chinatown, we went straight to the restuarant.
The tables were large and had the lazy susans of acclaimed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom fame. I sat at a table of my peers (in age, I have no peers when it comes to my level of sanity, at least those who are not currently living in a rubber room) and we looked over the menu. At first I was confused, because I was informed that we would be eating authentic Chinese dishes, not the kind that any average joe could get at a fast wok down by river. But when I looked at the menu, the majority of the dishes in the Queen's English were the normal "Chinese" dishes. After pndering what I would get, I ended up getting the same thing I always get at a strange Chinese place; Kung Pao Chicken. I would have prefered that the Professors order for us, but such was not to be the case on this day.
When the selected dishes arrived, I had no intention of sharing my meal, after all, that's why I ordered it. However, Roger asked if he could try it, so I spun it along the lazy dame towards him. We must have had about 8 or 9 people at our table, and by the time my dish returned, it was nearly picked clean by the others. Since I'm not one to sit back and not seek revenge, I began to eat other people's dishes; not because I was hungry mind you, but for sweet revenge! Ol' Paulie had an issue with the chopsticks, and since this place had no other utensils, he simply gave up and later ate his rice at the Hotel.
After we ate, we were set loose to run amuck in Chinatown. We went into several shops that sold dried fruits and even the elusive deer penis, which I'm told can help in hair rejuvenation. We were warned by a strange homeless person with only 1 tooth to not walk in a certain direction, so after we assured her that we would not go that way, we began to walk in the direction that she indicated. She had said that we would be stabbed, but after walking until we ran out of streets, and not being stabbed, we began to walk back. When the time came for our rendevous, we met up at the Great White Whale and headed back for the hotel.
Once we were there, Dr. Littlejohn asked if we were wanting to go to the Punchbowl and later to go hiking on another expedition into Dinosaur land. Of course we jumped at the oportunity. The Punchbowl was quite interesting, seeing as how it was a now defunct crater of a volcano used as a cemetary. As strange as it was, we took many pictures of the area and then went off to find the ever elusive and cunning Velociraptor.
This trail was quite muddy and narrow, and after nearly slipping a baker's dozen times, we turned back and returned to the hotel. From there, we all began to take it easy, and several of the guys, including myself, went out and marveled at the level of randomness that appears on a Friday night in Hawaii.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 14
1. The movie portrays the traditional Chinese moral values by showing the hardships that Fugui has to go through. From his gambling problems all the way to his having to adapt to living in Communism, through hard work he is able to produce enough to allow his family to survive, and he is able to build a place for him among the communists.
2. The Chinese philosophy of life is one that the person must continue to live, no matter what happens.
3. The philosophy of life is that a person must live virtuously and will be rewarded as such.
4. I think that it is related to the yin/yang in the way that there is both good and bad choices that can be made.
5. It is seen through the movie in the ways that Fugui gambles everything away and then looses his wife, but then she comes back once he starts to make an honest living. He is spared during the civil war because he gives entertainment through hard work to the communist troops. Even after his son is killed, since he chooses the better path of not seeking vengeance, he is rewarded with a better paying job.
Prompt 15
1. Chinatown, and all other ethnic neighborhoods, were originally established so the immigrants could band together and share something in common together. They stand out because they are an autonomous cultural body that has its own culture that differs from that around it. In Chinatown, there were many people of Asian decent, shopping for items that they can not find among the more “popular” stores.
Prompt 16
1. The Chinese restaurant was a unique experience; however, the table that I sat at did not fully get to experience the uniqueness of the atmosphere because everyone ordered the typical Chinese food that can be had at any Chinese restaurant in America. The appetizers came first and were on a rather large plate and were shared among everyone at the table. The utensils used were chopsticks, which was unusual to many at the table, but not to me since I come from a household where they are used on a normal basis.
Prompt 17
1. As a person who is a mix of two different cultures, I can understand the torn identity of trying to identify with one of the backgrounds. While they may not describe themselves as Asian since they do not speak the language, they are still not considered “white” because they obviously don’t look like it.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Buy War Bonds! Help Stop the Nazi War-Machine!
4 January, 2007
Again we had to awaken at the unholy hour of 8 in the A.M., and after being berated for not wanting any toast, we all clumsily made our way into the conference room. There we watched one of Capra's superb Propaganda films, poignantly called Prelude to War. This film did a fantastic job of portraying the axis powers as being totally evil, and would even go so far as to steal candy from an unassuming baby. How true this was man may never know, because babies have no place on the battlefield.
After watching the movie, which made us all want to go out and buy war bonds and grow victory gardens, we rallied at the Great White Whale, which was what I began to call the van since it took on a fishy smell. I think that this was primarily due to our attempts to see if she was sea worthy, but alas she only filled with sand and the interior became damp, so the test was aborted. Once we were all in the van, we set out for Pearl Harbor.
Once there, Roger performed a feat that no man should do in his life; he parallel parked a minivan. Across the street was the Mecca for all historians, Military and American alike; the USS Arizona Memorial.
There was a museum which explains the events that led up to the surprise attack, and then there was an informative movie showcasing the attack that happened on December 7th, 1941. The movie was quite moving, and it showed that the ship still leaks oil, even to this day. Once the movie was over, they opened the doors and burned our retinas. We then proceeded to embark upon a ferry, which was crewed by several of the Navy's finest, decked out in their white Tropical gear. The ride was swift and pleasant, even though several people did not agree with the waves.
Once we were safely tied to the dock and the gangway was lowered, we set foot on the awe-inspiring memorial. The feeling of being aboard such a historic site brought a hush to the crowd, and the mood was quite somber. There I saw several of the "black tears" bubble up to the surface, which was a ghostly reminder that the ship was still nearly complete under the salty brine of time.
When we left the memorial, the mood was still quite somber, so we headed back to the hotel. We were supposed to have a program lunch, but it was decided that we could all go and find our own meals and then be reimbursed later. We went to the Planet Hollywood and ate while a menacing figure of Arnold Schwarzenegger stood with half of his face missing, revealing the true cyborg that he is. After we ate our meal, we left and met back up with the professor at the hotel, and then embarked on yet another epic journey, this time to hike from the Nauuanu Pali Lookout on a trail that was once a highway.
We marched through the jungle for some time, and after hearing the mating cry of the Dilophosaurus, we made our way back to the van. After this strange event, we took the rest of the day to recuperate, and relax.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 11
1. John Dower called the Pacific War a race war because that was what it boiled down to. Propaganda from the US showed the Japanese as being buck-toothed squinty eyed short people with glasses so thick it seemed ridiculous that they could see anything. Since all of America at the time was run by the “white” race, all Oriental people were seen as possibly being enemies, so they were interned and kept under strict surveillance.
2. The USS Arizona Memorial was a somber experience that is a constant reminder of what can happen when someone threatens the freedom of the United States. It should remain constantly there to remind future generations of what sort of war World War II was, and not the sort that we see in movies.
3. People of all ages and from many different countries visit the memorial. Of the people that I saw, I would guess their ages ranged from 80 to teenagers. The people seemed to hark from all over, and many of them were Japanese.
4. I believe the people were visiting the memorial because they wanted to see the lasting memory of what had made America enter the Second World War. Some of them may have been visiting to pay their respects to those that lost their lives on that day, and others may have been coming to see the site that sparked the war that claimed a loved one.
5. The stories that were not told at the site were obviously the many different battles that had taken place once we entered the war. For that, the site would have to be enormous.
Again we had to awaken at the unholy hour of 8 in the A.M., and after being berated for not wanting any toast, we all clumsily made our way into the conference room. There we watched one of Capra's superb Propaganda films, poignantly called Prelude to War. This film did a fantastic job of portraying the axis powers as being totally evil, and would even go so far as to steal candy from an unassuming baby. How true this was man may never know, because babies have no place on the battlefield.
After watching the movie, which made us all want to go out and buy war bonds and grow victory gardens, we rallied at the Great White Whale, which was what I began to call the van since it took on a fishy smell. I think that this was primarily due to our attempts to see if she was sea worthy, but alas she only filled with sand and the interior became damp, so the test was aborted. Once we were all in the van, we set out for Pearl Harbor.
Once there, Roger performed a feat that no man should do in his life; he parallel parked a minivan. Across the street was the Mecca for all historians, Military and American alike; the USS Arizona Memorial.
There was a museum which explains the events that led up to the surprise attack, and then there was an informative movie showcasing the attack that happened on December 7th, 1941. The movie was quite moving, and it showed that the ship still leaks oil, even to this day. Once the movie was over, they opened the doors and burned our retinas. We then proceeded to embark upon a ferry, which was crewed by several of the Navy's finest, decked out in their white Tropical gear. The ride was swift and pleasant, even though several people did not agree with the waves.
Once we were safely tied to the dock and the gangway was lowered, we set foot on the awe-inspiring memorial. The feeling of being aboard such a historic site brought a hush to the crowd, and the mood was quite somber. There I saw several of the "black tears" bubble up to the surface, which was a ghostly reminder that the ship was still nearly complete under the salty brine of time.
When we left the memorial, the mood was still quite somber, so we headed back to the hotel. We were supposed to have a program lunch, but it was decided that we could all go and find our own meals and then be reimbursed later. We went to the Planet Hollywood and ate while a menacing figure of Arnold Schwarzenegger stood with half of his face missing, revealing the true cyborg that he is. After we ate our meal, we left and met back up with the professor at the hotel, and then embarked on yet another epic journey, this time to hike from the Nauuanu Pali Lookout on a trail that was once a highway.
We marched through the jungle for some time, and after hearing the mating cry of the Dilophosaurus, we made our way back to the van. After this strange event, we took the rest of the day to recuperate, and relax.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 11
1. John Dower called the Pacific War a race war because that was what it boiled down to. Propaganda from the US showed the Japanese as being buck-toothed squinty eyed short people with glasses so thick it seemed ridiculous that they could see anything. Since all of America at the time was run by the “white” race, all Oriental people were seen as possibly being enemies, so they were interned and kept under strict surveillance.
2. The USS Arizona Memorial was a somber experience that is a constant reminder of what can happen when someone threatens the freedom of the United States. It should remain constantly there to remind future generations of what sort of war World War II was, and not the sort that we see in movies.
3. People of all ages and from many different countries visit the memorial. Of the people that I saw, I would guess their ages ranged from 80 to teenagers. The people seemed to hark from all over, and many of them were Japanese.
4. I believe the people were visiting the memorial because they wanted to see the lasting memory of what had made America enter the Second World War. Some of them may have been visiting to pay their respects to those that lost their lives on that day, and others may have been coming to see the site that sparked the war that claimed a loved one.
5. The stories that were not told at the site were obviously the many different battles that had taken place once we entered the war. For that, the site would have to be enormous.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto
3 January, 2007
We were blessed with a reprieve on this day, because class started at the more decent hour of 0900. When we all stumbled into the conference room, we began to drink the coffee and eat the ice cubes that were so graciously supplied by the hotel staff, and then proceeded to begin the lecture of the day. Today's topic was the Japanese.
After hearing several lectures, we we're informed that today was movie day, and we were ecstatic, like a bunch of little children when they see what the Fatman left them under the tree. Of course we did not know that we were going to be watching a strange movie made in the dreaded decade known as the 80's. Of course we were all (well, I say all, though Roger can have an asterisk next to his name on this one) born in the 80's, but that only proves that the decade was not all bad.
The movie was some strange incarnation of a Japanese family living life, a sort of precursor to the Mad Real World. The movie was strange and laced with arsenic, and the strange climax was something bordering on Biblical in it's proportions. Once this was over, the family all went to sleep due to one of the children either leaving the stove on, or passing tremendous gas, I'm really not sure which it was.
After the movie, we were all feeling fatigued, so we were loosed out into the streets and foraged for our lunch. Once this was done, we returned to meet up for another field trip. This time we were going to see a Shinto temple and a masterful recreation of the Byodo-in temple in the conveniently named Valley of Temples.
The Shinto temple itself was quite interesting, and enjoyed by many since they handed out Saki, enjoyed by everyone who was willing to accept the free booze. I for one, being of an open mind to other cultures, gladly accepted the free liquid refreshment, and then gathered with the others. While waiting for everyone to regroup, we saw a sight that was indeed shocking, and was nearly a crime against humility. Indeed, what we saw was some sort of transgender street-walker out selling whatever it had. Which was quite strange considering it was 1:30 in the P.M., and families and such were out. But then again, there's no rest for the wicked.
We then proceeded to drive deep into the savage heart of Oahu and found the Valley of Temples. There we saw the beautiful sight that was the Byodo-in Temple and the serene sight was indeed a marvel. After examining the massive gold encrusted wooden Bhudda and the large bell, we again left the area, but not before feeding the imprisoned fish like creatures.
Once back at the hotel, we watched another movie, this one about a family in the early 90's and the Nagasaki bombing. The movie was interesting, especially the strange green swamp creature that appeared halfway through the movie. My hypothesis is that the creature was some sort of mutant created by the radiation from the bomb. Or, it could have been one of the children wearing leaves on his face, but I'll let you decide.
Again, class was early in the morning, so we watched more Dog the Bounty hunter before the ravages of sleep took over.
Prompt Amswers:
Prompt 9
1. The movie The Family Game portrays the Japanese family as being an odd unit that reacts to one another in a strange fashion. The purpose of the movie was to show the awkwardness in the in the old customs as compared to the modernization of the Japanese culture. Getting an education was shown to be one of the more important things to do in an adolescent’s life. It appears that one must go to the best schools to become higher placed in society.
2. Throughout the movie, there seem to be many interpersonal strategies that are going on, mainly between the family unit. One such was between the wife and husband.
3. The purpose of the young wife was to show the social taboos of their culture, and to show how strange the family unit was behaving.
4. The end of the film was meant to show that the structure of life that the movie was mocking should die.
Prompt 10
1. It would appear that the Japanese do not like to bring up Nagasaki around Americans because it would make the American feel uncomfortable about the bombing. In the movie, the people act as if the subject should not be talked about among their American relative because it might make him want to stay distant from them.
2. The views among the Japanese were drastically different among the generations. The oldest remembered the bombing but keep it to themselves, the middle generation seems to want to forget it, and the younger generation believes that it was a travesty. What I find interesting is that several Japanese people I know do not know anything about what the Japanese army did during the war, namely the attack of Nanking, so the Japanese people’s view of the war might not be filled with everything that happened, therefore they do not have a complete understanding of why things were done.
3. It is possible that they feel that Pearl Harbor was just another attack in a long war.
Prompt 12
1. Japanese aesthetic sensibilities are inseparable from their religious ones because they are one in the same.
2. This was observed at the many different sites that we visited, but considering that every place we saw was a Japanese temple, it is hard to say that there was a separate view of Japanese aesthetics in their civilian buildings and their religious ones.
3. There are many differences between the Japanese and Christian ideas, mainly because the Japanese ideas are syncratic with other religions, but the Christian views are very much so a standard, and do not allow for adaptation.
Prompt 13
1. I think that the poem is going for some sort of Zen-like statement, much like “what is the sound of one hand clapping?”
2. I think that the double meaning is that the boy is pure of evil thoughts and corruption.
3. I guess they are representative because they show a duality of nature, and are meant to make the mind think instead of just easily giving away the meaning.
We were blessed with a reprieve on this day, because class started at the more decent hour of 0900. When we all stumbled into the conference room, we began to drink the coffee and eat the ice cubes that were so graciously supplied by the hotel staff, and then proceeded to begin the lecture of the day. Today's topic was the Japanese.
After hearing several lectures, we we're informed that today was movie day, and we were ecstatic, like a bunch of little children when they see what the Fatman left them under the tree. Of course we did not know that we were going to be watching a strange movie made in the dreaded decade known as the 80's. Of course we were all (well, I say all, though Roger can have an asterisk next to his name on this one) born in the 80's, but that only proves that the decade was not all bad.
The movie was some strange incarnation of a Japanese family living life, a sort of precursor to the Mad Real World. The movie was strange and laced with arsenic, and the strange climax was something bordering on Biblical in it's proportions. Once this was over, the family all went to sleep due to one of the children either leaving the stove on, or passing tremendous gas, I'm really not sure which it was.
After the movie, we were all feeling fatigued, so we were loosed out into the streets and foraged for our lunch. Once this was done, we returned to meet up for another field trip. This time we were going to see a Shinto temple and a masterful recreation of the Byodo-in temple in the conveniently named Valley of Temples.
The Shinto temple itself was quite interesting, and enjoyed by many since they handed out Saki, enjoyed by everyone who was willing to accept the free booze. I for one, being of an open mind to other cultures, gladly accepted the free liquid refreshment, and then gathered with the others. While waiting for everyone to regroup, we saw a sight that was indeed shocking, and was nearly a crime against humility. Indeed, what we saw was some sort of transgender street-walker out selling whatever it had. Which was quite strange considering it was 1:30 in the P.M., and families and such were out. But then again, there's no rest for the wicked.
We then proceeded to drive deep into the savage heart of Oahu and found the Valley of Temples. There we saw the beautiful sight that was the Byodo-in Temple and the serene sight was indeed a marvel. After examining the massive gold encrusted wooden Bhudda and the large bell, we again left the area, but not before feeding the imprisoned fish like creatures.
Once back at the hotel, we watched another movie, this one about a family in the early 90's and the Nagasaki bombing. The movie was interesting, especially the strange green swamp creature that appeared halfway through the movie. My hypothesis is that the creature was some sort of mutant created by the radiation from the bomb. Or, it could have been one of the children wearing leaves on his face, but I'll let you decide.
Again, class was early in the morning, so we watched more Dog the Bounty hunter before the ravages of sleep took over.
Prompt Amswers:
Prompt 9
1. The movie The Family Game portrays the Japanese family as being an odd unit that reacts to one another in a strange fashion. The purpose of the movie was to show the awkwardness in the in the old customs as compared to the modernization of the Japanese culture. Getting an education was shown to be one of the more important things to do in an adolescent’s life. It appears that one must go to the best schools to become higher placed in society.
2. Throughout the movie, there seem to be many interpersonal strategies that are going on, mainly between the family unit. One such was between the wife and husband.
3. The purpose of the young wife was to show the social taboos of their culture, and to show how strange the family unit was behaving.
4. The end of the film was meant to show that the structure of life that the movie was mocking should die.
Prompt 10
1. It would appear that the Japanese do not like to bring up Nagasaki around Americans because it would make the American feel uncomfortable about the bombing. In the movie, the people act as if the subject should not be talked about among their American relative because it might make him want to stay distant from them.
2. The views among the Japanese were drastically different among the generations. The oldest remembered the bombing but keep it to themselves, the middle generation seems to want to forget it, and the younger generation believes that it was a travesty. What I find interesting is that several Japanese people I know do not know anything about what the Japanese army did during the war, namely the attack of Nanking, so the Japanese people’s view of the war might not be filled with everything that happened, therefore they do not have a complete understanding of why things were done.
3. It is possible that they feel that Pearl Harbor was just another attack in a long war.
Prompt 12
1. Japanese aesthetic sensibilities are inseparable from their religious ones because they are one in the same.
2. This was observed at the many different sites that we visited, but considering that every place we saw was a Japanese temple, it is hard to say that there was a separate view of Japanese aesthetics in their civilian buildings and their religious ones.
3. There are many differences between the Japanese and Christian ideas, mainly because the Japanese ideas are syncratic with other religions, but the Christian views are very much so a standard, and do not allow for adaptation.
Prompt 13
1. I think that the poem is going for some sort of Zen-like statement, much like “what is the sound of one hand clapping?”
2. I think that the double meaning is that the boy is pure of evil thoughts and corruption.
3. I guess they are representative because they show a duality of nature, and are meant to make the mind think instead of just easily giving away the meaning.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Tasty Waves
2 January, 2007
Class was early in the morning again, and though no one wanted to be awake at that hour, we fought through and persevered. The lecture today was quite interesting, as it dealt with the first white man to see the Hawaiian islands, and also the first white man to pass on a deadly disease to the Hawaiian islands; quite a feat indeed.
After the lecture we proceeded to stumble down the street in true American fashion, gawking at the tourists and inquiring whether they traded in their currency for Sand Dollars, which obviously is the currency they use on the islands. After eating in the rotund food court, we returned to embark on an Epic Journey to the very depths of human depravity, or as some called it, the Northern side of the island.
The first stop was the Dole Plantation, an obvious lingering reminder of American captialism at it's finest. Pineapples stretch far as the eye could see, and tourists were busy buying these odd plants as if they were about to go out of style. I knew that if the pineapple industry had lasted as long as it did, then obviously the industry had a backup plan in case some freakish blight that only affected pineapples came and damaged the crop for that year. There was a maze, but the idea of paying to get lost in one was not inviting, at least not at the moment. What was interesting was the large fish like creatures that the kept inprisoned in a pool, fighting over the strange scraps that the gawking people threw at them. Naturally I could see the oppresion working here, but I was not about to try and bring the system down, so I threw some of the strange pellets and moved on. Once we left here, we moved North again, or at least I think it was North, the Great Van of Destiny didn't have a compass. Our destination was the Mecca of surfing: North Shore.
The traffic was incredible, but then again, since the road was only two lanes, it was expected. We eventually arrived at a place called Sunset beach, where we witnessed waves that would make a rabid dog wet itself. After marveling over these churning waters, those who wanted to watch remained, while others traveled to a nature park called Waimea Falls.
The park was something straight out of a Micheal Chricton novel, with towering rain forest like trees and plants that could devour a man at a moments notice. Deep in the depths of this rain forest, we discovered the waterfall, which was much as the name implied, a waterfall. After many pictures and swatting large mosquitos, we moved on and gathered the others in a large fishing net. Once we were all back together, we were going to go and eat at a seafood restuarant on the beach, but the seas were rough and the catch was lousy so we skipped the meal and went back to the hotel.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 7
1. James Cook was a Captain of the Royal navy who mapped out nearly the entire Pacific region, and did so accurately. Through his three voyages, he disproved the myth about a great southern continent, and the possibility of a north-west passage.
2. Cook was the first European that discovered the Hawaiian Islands. It was on these islands that Cook would meet his demise.
3. Gary was a native that they found at the Cook monument. When they found him, they thought that he was defiling it with graffiti. Gary was really cleaning the graffiti off. Both Gary and the New England clergymen felt that Cook’s men spread syphilis and objectified the women. Horowitz’s point in telling the story was to show both sides of the Cook mythos and his impact on the island culture.
4. Sahlin’s main point of argument was that the Hawaiians actually did think that Cook was a god, and Cook played along. Obeyesekere’s main point of argument was that the natives were far too smart to think that a white foriegned tongue man could be a Polynesian god, and the historical thoughts of this are only an after effect due to western Imperialism.
5. Horowitz describes the final events of February 14, 1779 as they happened, using the journals and memoirs of those who survived. He also spots several ironies, those being that Cook often warned his men to not use violence against the natives even though he went out with ten marines to retrieve a small boat, Cook was a Quaker yet he died with a musket in his hands, he was killed with an iron spike that he had commissioned the locals to make, and the fact that he was killed on an island not known for their war-like tendencies.
Prompt 8
1. The sugar industry began around 1852.
2. Sugar and Pineapple led to increased immigration because labor was needed to work on the plantations.
3. Workers who came to Hawaii were from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Korea. Workers lived in horrible conditions and worked for 12 hours or more a day.
4. Sanford Dole’s father was a missionary.
5. Sanford Dole advocated the political ideas of democracy and not the monarchial system that Hawaii had.
6. The Bayonet Constitution was a document that stripped the king of his power, limited the power of the locals and gave more control to whites.
7. Lorrin Thurston was a lawyer who helped convert Hawaii from a monarchy to a democratic territory of the USA.
8. The Committee of Safety was a group of business men who overthrew Lili’uokalani in 1893.
9. Sanford Dole became President of the Republic of Hawaii in 1894.
10. Hawaii was annexed in 1898 by President McKinley.
11. Sanford Dole was the governor of the Territory after it was annexed.
12. James Dole was Sanford Dole’s cousin.
13. James Dole bought the island of Lana’i and converted it into a pineapple plantation.
14. The relationship between the missions, business, and the Americanization of Hawaii was a strange one. Where the missions wanted the Hawaiians to have equal treatment, the businesses could care less about the locals as long as the labor produced their goods.
Class was early in the morning again, and though no one wanted to be awake at that hour, we fought through and persevered. The lecture today was quite interesting, as it dealt with the first white man to see the Hawaiian islands, and also the first white man to pass on a deadly disease to the Hawaiian islands; quite a feat indeed.
After the lecture we proceeded to stumble down the street in true American fashion, gawking at the tourists and inquiring whether they traded in their currency for Sand Dollars, which obviously is the currency they use on the islands. After eating in the rotund food court, we returned to embark on an Epic Journey to the very depths of human depravity, or as some called it, the Northern side of the island.
The first stop was the Dole Plantation, an obvious lingering reminder of American captialism at it's finest. Pineapples stretch far as the eye could see, and tourists were busy buying these odd plants as if they were about to go out of style. I knew that if the pineapple industry had lasted as long as it did, then obviously the industry had a backup plan in case some freakish blight that only affected pineapples came and damaged the crop for that year. There was a maze, but the idea of paying to get lost in one was not inviting, at least not at the moment. What was interesting was the large fish like creatures that the kept inprisoned in a pool, fighting over the strange scraps that the gawking people threw at them. Naturally I could see the oppresion working here, but I was not about to try and bring the system down, so I threw some of the strange pellets and moved on. Once we left here, we moved North again, or at least I think it was North, the Great Van of Destiny didn't have a compass. Our destination was the Mecca of surfing: North Shore.
The traffic was incredible, but then again, since the road was only two lanes, it was expected. We eventually arrived at a place called Sunset beach, where we witnessed waves that would make a rabid dog wet itself. After marveling over these churning waters, those who wanted to watch remained, while others traveled to a nature park called Waimea Falls.
The park was something straight out of a Micheal Chricton novel, with towering rain forest like trees and plants that could devour a man at a moments notice. Deep in the depths of this rain forest, we discovered the waterfall, which was much as the name implied, a waterfall. After many pictures and swatting large mosquitos, we moved on and gathered the others in a large fishing net. Once we were all back together, we were going to go and eat at a seafood restuarant on the beach, but the seas were rough and the catch was lousy so we skipped the meal and went back to the hotel.
Prompt Answers:
Prompt 7
1. James Cook was a Captain of the Royal navy who mapped out nearly the entire Pacific region, and did so accurately. Through his three voyages, he disproved the myth about a great southern continent, and the possibility of a north-west passage.
2. Cook was the first European that discovered the Hawaiian Islands. It was on these islands that Cook would meet his demise.
3. Gary was a native that they found at the Cook monument. When they found him, they thought that he was defiling it with graffiti. Gary was really cleaning the graffiti off. Both Gary and the New England clergymen felt that Cook’s men spread syphilis and objectified the women. Horowitz’s point in telling the story was to show both sides of the Cook mythos and his impact on the island culture.
4. Sahlin’s main point of argument was that the Hawaiians actually did think that Cook was a god, and Cook played along. Obeyesekere’s main point of argument was that the natives were far too smart to think that a white foriegned tongue man could be a Polynesian god, and the historical thoughts of this are only an after effect due to western Imperialism.
5. Horowitz describes the final events of February 14, 1779 as they happened, using the journals and memoirs of those who survived. He also spots several ironies, those being that Cook often warned his men to not use violence against the natives even though he went out with ten marines to retrieve a small boat, Cook was a Quaker yet he died with a musket in his hands, he was killed with an iron spike that he had commissioned the locals to make, and the fact that he was killed on an island not known for their war-like tendencies.
Prompt 8
1. The sugar industry began around 1852.
2. Sugar and Pineapple led to increased immigration because labor was needed to work on the plantations.
3. Workers who came to Hawaii were from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Korea. Workers lived in horrible conditions and worked for 12 hours or more a day.
4. Sanford Dole’s father was a missionary.
5. Sanford Dole advocated the political ideas of democracy and not the monarchial system that Hawaii had.
6. The Bayonet Constitution was a document that stripped the king of his power, limited the power of the locals and gave more control to whites.
7. Lorrin Thurston was a lawyer who helped convert Hawaii from a monarchy to a democratic territory of the USA.
8. The Committee of Safety was a group of business men who overthrew Lili’uokalani in 1893.
9. Sanford Dole became President of the Republic of Hawaii in 1894.
10. Hawaii was annexed in 1898 by President McKinley.
11. Sanford Dole was the governor of the Territory after it was annexed.
12. James Dole was Sanford Dole’s cousin.
13. James Dole bought the island of Lana’i and converted it into a pineapple plantation.
14. The relationship between the missions, business, and the Americanization of Hawaii was a strange one. Where the missions wanted the Hawaiians to have equal treatment, the businesses could care less about the locals as long as the labor produced their goods.
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