::Leader Board:: Ahnko Honu Takes The Lead Chapter 23!

I got a lot of my chores done. I didn’t clean out the car, because temps are in the low 90s and that would royally suck. Tomorrow’s high is predicted to be 99. Ew. Car cleaning will have to wait until Monday morning. Thift store drop off can wait too. I have a hamper full of clothes and eight boxes and bags of clothes, books, kitchen stuff, toys, and other odds and ends.

Wouldn't it just figure that the day it got THAT hot was the day my entire family was coming over for dinner? I spent most of the day out on the deck getting things ready (I had to move Kodi's potty pen down to the yard and clean up it's nasty spot and power wash the deck and other stuff like that). I emptied my water bottle seven times (it's an 18 ouncer) and still didn't pee any more than normal. I didn't even feel that sweaty - the water was evaporating straight out of me.
 
Man it's really pouring now. Was gonna try to run into garage to do some cleaning but that's not happening now.

I would love some pouring rain. We've been pretty dry this year so far. No water alerts yet, though.
 
UPS packing is a rip off. I would never use it. For musical instrument boxes, my advice:

1. Go to a musical instrument store. They have tons of boxes and they are just going in the dumpster. They will give you some. This strategy works best if you are a customer.
2. Order boxes from Uline. They have every possible size, they are sturdy, and they have specialized boxes for musical instruments. Cheaper than UPS, although you'll have to order.
3. Buy lots of ukuleles, all the time. Save the boxes they arrived in. This strategy has worked well for me.

Yeah, today I'm going to head over to a music store. Emma's flute needs a tune-up, too, so I'll talk to them about that as well.
 
I see Gary and Damon. The fellow closest to the camera doesn't look happy?

The guy with his arms up is Zach. He's Andrew Kitakis' main man. If you've ever emailed or called The Ukulele Site, chances are that you talked to Zach. Really good guy!
 
These are screenshots from video I was shooting with my phone. Maybe he didn't appreciate that. Or it could just his natural expression? Here is a better one:


6nhJhVzl.jpg


. . . and the guy in black that Damon and I are talking to is Andrew Kitakis. Owner of The Ukulele Site (HMS; Hawaii Music Supply)
 
He'll see the negative stuff, but he'll chalk it up to the politicians or something, because "the people" love him.

Many, many people.
A lot of people.
Fine people.
Many fine people.
Yuge many people.
Bigly many people.
A lot of people he talks to.

The gloves are off as far as I am concerned.
 
Here's the most important thing: All of those diets work for a while. The key is maintaining over a lifetime - if the diet throws in restrictions that you can't live with or that leave you craving something you have to eliminate, then you'll have trouble maintaining. Obviously there are people out there who go vegan and love it and make it a part of their routine lifestyle. But the new eating habit has to become the norm for it to last.

I think it has to become the norm for ME to last.

Yesterday I bought a smoked pork bowl from a vendor called "Guava Smoked" It's what I eat every year at the festival.

They brine the pork and smoke it with guava wood and it is AMAZING. I know I can't have the full meal any more but I bought the smallest portion (bowl) and I had a piece to taste and then brought the rest to Mika and James. I'm good with just a taste and walking away.
 
I think it has to become the norm for ME to last.

Yesterday I bought a smoked pork bowl from a vendor called "Guava Smoked" It's what I eat every year at the festival.

They brine the pork and smoke it with guava wood and it is AMAZING. I know I can't have the full meal any more but I bought the smallest portion (bowl) and I had a piece to taste and then brought the rest to Mika and James. I'm good with just a taste and walking away.

Actually I was really bad the other day. I was starving and Mika had the car so I was walking down Kalakaua Ave. and I went in to McDonalds to get a drink. When I was standing in line there was a homeless guy in front of me counting his change. He ordered a large coffee (every size $1.00) when he turned around and looked at me you could tell by his eyes that he was really young, even though he looked very weathered and severely thin.

I caved because of my hunger and bought a filet of fish and a cheeseburger for the homeless guy. I love filet o' fish sandwiches. At least I used to. I took a bite and it was so salty that I didn't want to eat it even though I was hungry, so I looked up the cheeseburger on my app and it's a bit over my salt limit for a meal. But they gave me a regular burger. Bonus. That was in my wheelhouse for salt. High for a little burger, but less than what I'm allowed for a meal even with the Diet Coke. I even tossed the top bun to cut down on carbs :)

My first McDonalds burger in probably 10 years.

I did feel guilty because I bought the burger for the homeless guy, so I got back in line and bought a cheeseburger happy meal with an extra order of nuggets and gave it to him on my way out. I wanted to talk to him and hear his story but he was really smelly and I don't think I could have listened to him without gagging. It was that bad.

So yeah I cheat. But I do it mindfully :)
 
I need a fishing mentor around here. I love the idea of fishing, I've had fun doing it. But I really don't know much and would love to go with someone who knows what they're doing and can show me the ropes.


Learn how to tie a Palomar knot. Pretty much the most versatile knot for fishing.

Go to a mom and pop place that sells equipment and tell them you want to get into ::blank:: type of fishing and listen to what they have to say about equipment and what you need. You don't need the top of the line but you don't want to buy crap stuff either. Kind of like ukulele.

You can also research whatever type of fishing you want to do online and that will start you out. It can be a nickel and dime money suck especially if you go into a Bass Pro Shops or a Cabellas. Those places are hit and miss for help depending on the type of fishing the guy working does. A deep sea guy usually knows very little about trout or bass and the equipment and needs are vastly different.

When I started out, I bought for bass fishing because to me that was the most fun. My first rig was ridiculously expensive and pro quality because that's what the salesman said I needed. Do your research on the internet so you know the prices between lower quality "combo" equipment (basically a rod and reel sold together) and top of the line "Pro" equipment. Your area is famous for steelhead. You can get away with a longish (stiff) rod that can double for bass. (That's not red letter worthy Sukie).

You should go talk to people, look it up online and then post your findings here and Kenvin and/or I could probably guide you on purchases. It would be more fun to drive up to your area and fish but I don't think I could do that for a while.
 
I would love some pouring rain. We've been pretty dry this year so far. No water alerts yet, though.

We have been pretty dry. The storms approach the west side of Chicago then split and go north and south of us. Chicago new talks about their north and southwest areas having near record rainfall for the last two months. I don't have the numbers but I would guess we've gotten maybe two inches in the last two months. Usually any rainfall here is about 1/4 inch or less at a time.
 
Learn how to tie a Palomar knot. Pretty much the most versatile knot for fishing.

Go to a mom and pop place that sells equipment and tell them you want to get into ::blank:: type of fishing and listen to what they have to say about equipment and what you need. You don't need the top of the line but you don't want to buy crap stuff either. Kind of like ukulele.

You can also research whatever type of fishing you want to do online and that will start you out. It can be a nickel and dime money suck especially if you go into a Bass Pro Shops or a Cabellas. Those places are hit and miss for help depending on the type of fishing the guy working does. A deep sea guy usually knows very little about trout or bass and the equipment and needs are vastly different.

When I started out, I bought for bass fishing because to me that was the most fun. My first rig was ridiculously expensive and pro quality because that's what the salesman said I needed. Do your research on the internet so you know the prices between lower quality "combo" equipment (basically a rod and reel sold together) and top of the line "Pro" equipment. Your area is famous for steelhead. You can get away with a longish (stiff) rod that can double for bass. (That's not red letter worthy Sukie).

You should go talk to people, look it up online and then post your findings here and Kenvin and/or I could probably guide you on purchases. It would be more fun to drive up to your area and fish but I don't think I could do that for a while.

Mike's method might be more enjoyable.
 
I took it to the UPS store. They didn't have a box that would fit. They went ahead and quoted me the price to ship to you. $96. I said crap no - just sell me a box I can cut down. $10. For a cardboard box. Crap. I went to Office Depot and got two boxes (for yours and for the mainland I sold) - yours wouldn't fit. It's a ukulele, dammit - how difficult can it be to find a box that will fit without getting me slapped hard with oversize charges!
Every time I need to ship a Uke I just go by my local Uke store and she gives me a box. There’s gotta be a music store in your area.
 
Last edited:
We have been pretty dry. The storms approach the west side of Chicago then split and go north and south of us. Chicago new talks about their north and southwest areas having near record rainfall for the last two months. I don't have the numbers but I would guess we've gotten maybe two inches in the last two months. Usually any rainfall here is about 1/4 inch or less at a time.

A couple of minutes after posting this Shirley says what is that thunder? I say it sounds like thunder, but looking out the north window I see blue sky. So I go to the south side of the house. Oh, there's the dark clouds passing to our south. Straight up, blue sky.
 
Top Bottom