Midlife Crisis Hawaii

Here’s one suggested from long time poster jaydee:

If you could go back and and give words of wisdom and counsel to your 17 year-old self, what would you tell him/her?

I would’ve told my 17 year-old self: Take pictures – a lot of pictures because things are always changing and one day, you’ll look back at the pictures and remember those places, those people, and those good times.

I would’ve told myself to take up music – learn to play an instrument – because music can become an extension of your soul.  Music can be an escape – a way to clear your head and release the daily stresses.  Music lives forever.

And I would say to savor each day.  As much as you probably hate high school, you’re going to look back someday and think that those were some of the best times of your life.

And especially, be true to yourself.  Never mind being so self-conscious and worrying about looking cool.  Talk to everyone who is willing to carry on a conversation.  Even the homely looking girl that no one talks to.  You might be surprised at the stories she has to share.

On a lighter note, as jaydee would counsel – buy a ton of stocks in a company called Microsoft. 

So, if you could go back today – what words of wisdom would you tell your 17 year-old self?

* Thanks for the blog topic idea, jaydee!

Headlining the 70′s Nightclub Reunion X (Encore) will be The Kasuals!

Here’s a bio on The Kasuals that I got from Robin Kimura of Greenwood:

“KASUALS” OFFICIAL HAWAII BIO (by Danny Perez)

“Guam and Hawaii’s Own-The Kasuals” was a band formed on Guam by founding members, Frank Mendiola, Danny Perez and Bob Owen, in the summer of 1971, when Frank had just gotten out of the Army after serving honorably in the Vietnam War and Danny had just graduated from high school. The band’s name was derived from two of the top bands on Guam during the 1960s: the “Kaskels”, a band that Danny and his brothers, Joe & Tony Perez had played in; and the “Casuals”, a band that featured Frank Mendiola & Bob Owen.

During their fifteen (15) year run, from 1971 to 1986, Frank and Danny had kept the “Kasuals” musical aspirations alive, recruiting and featuring some of the finest musicians from Guam, the Philippines, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland, including (from 1971 to 1974): Dave (Tabi/Koho) Taitano; Jesse (Te) Leon Guerrero; the late Joe (Bela) Borja; Ray (Dúng) Baza; the late Charles Jackson; Monte Pladevega; Joe (Uncle Tote) Cunningham; Bobby Laigo; and Patrick Palomo. From 1975 (the year the band moved to Hawaii) to 1986, the “Kasuals” line-up included: Jesse Bais; Roger Jereza; Zachary Flores; Pat Palomo; brothers, Mike and Sal Diamore; Victor Maratas (from California); Mark Demello and Jack Martin (both from Hawaii); and Linda Guerrero.

The “Kasuals” were a full-time, hard-working band, and had performed at nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, and concerts in Guam, Saipan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Palau, Chuuk, Pohnpei, the Marshalls, the Hawaiian Islands, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Georgia, Chicago, and Alaska.

From the time they moved from Guam to live and work in Hawaii in 1975, and up to 1986, the “Kasuals” had performed at many venues, such as:

(on Oahu)

• Foxy Lady Disco (Beachcomber Hotel)
  
• Point After (Regency Hotel)
  
• Beef & Grog (the Spencecliff Restaurant on Kalakaua, where the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is now located)
  
• C’est Si Bon (Pagoda Hotel)
  
• Jazz Cellar (Imperial Hawaii Hotel)
  
• Infinity (Sheraton Hotel)
• Hawaiian Hut (Ala Moana Hotel)
  
• Oceania Floating Restaurant
  
• Garden Bar at the Hilton Hawaiian Hotel
  
• Cock’s Roost at the International Marketplace
  
• Canoe House (Ilikai Hotel)
  
• Captain’s Table (Holiday Inn Waikiki)
  
• Hickam AFB Officers’ Club
  
• Waikiki Marina Hotel
  
• Fort Shafter NCO Club
• Black Angus/Stuart Anderson’s Cattle Co. in Pearl City
  

(on the Big Island)

• My Place Disco
• Kea’ahou Beach Hotel
• Kona Surf Hotel in Kona
  
• Naniloa Surf Hotel in Hilo
  

(on Maui)

• Maui Surf Hotel
  
• Kahului Beach Hotel
  

(on Kauai)

• Waialua Beach Hotel
• Kauai Beach Boys Hotel

In 1983, the “Kasuals” recorded an album on Tom Moffatt’s Paradise Records label, with “Songs About Love” and “Ebony Eyes” (and other cuts) making it onto the charts and getting extensive airplay on radio stations in Hawaii and Guam. For their recording endeavors, the “Kasuals” received a Na Hoku Hanohano Award for “Most Promising Artists”.

Some of the highlights of the “Kasuals” musical career includes: being the opening act for the “Elvin Bishop” Concert on Guam; opening for “The Beach Boys” Concert at the Blaisdell Arena; performing at the annual “Brown Bags to Stardom” concerts at the Waikiki Shell; and entering a song at the Hawaii Music Festival, where they performed with the Honolulu Symphony. As well, some of their most memorable performances were the ones where they gave back to the community for charitable causes, such as: playing a concert for “Operation New Life” on Guam in 1975, when they donated their services to entertain and help lift the morale of the thousands of Vietnamese refugees who were housed at Camp Asan after the fall of Saigon. In 1976, they helped to raise funds through their performances to assist the people of Guam with typhoon relief in the aftermath of Supertyphoon Pamela. They also volunteered their time and musical performances to help out at the annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon; the annual Carole Kai Bed Race; and they had also donated their performances to raise funds for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawaii, among others.

All in all, throughout their musical career, the “Kasuals” were all about striving for musical excellence; and fame and fortune had never been their motivation in working on their craft. Up to the present time, most of the former members of the “Kasuals” are still performing and/or recording in one way or another, whether as soloists, duets, or as members of various groups, and they have never let up in the contributions of their musical legacy; and their love of music and the performance arts has not wavered.

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It’s going to be another packed-dance-floor event!  Tickets for the main ballroom are pretty much sold out but there are singles and pairs of tickets available – spread out around the main ballroom.  And there are tickets and tables available in the overflow ballroom (where there is a live feed from the main ballroom and another dance floor).  Call all your friends for a night out, then call Candy to get your tickets!  It’s going to be another all-star line up!

Speaking of The Kasuals – do you remember The Kasuals from the 70′s nightclub scene?  I recall seeing them at C’est Si Bon because I remember seeing on the curtain behind the band “HAFA ADAI”.  And I remember asking “what does ‘hah fah a dye’ mean”.  And I was corrected that it’s pronounced like “Half a Day” and it means “Hello” in Chamorro.

How about that list of clubs that they played.  Do you remember those places?  How many of those places have you been to?  Do you remember other live bands that played the nightclub circuit?

My dear friend, Sandy Ordonez Tsujimura would like to extend an invitation to all of you to come out to Dot’s in Wahiawa on Saturday, April 21 to enjoy the sounds of LS 34.

You’re probably wondering like me, how they came up with a band name like LS 34, right?  Well, I’m going to tell you.  Actually, I’m going to tell you what Sandy shared with me.

How could you not want to support them?  Yeah, Wahiawa is little bit far for us townies – but it’s a nice drive out to the country.  And the air is so clean and crisp in Wahiawa.

I understand that a couple of members of LS 34 used to play with Natural High back in the days of Hula Hut.  Jensen Tamanaha (Kaimuki 1972) was former Natural High band member, as well as Kenneth Uyeno (Farrington 1970) who also sang for a short period for Natural High and also the Lasting Sounds.

In fact, you know what?  Check this site out for more inside scoops on LS 34: LS34.blogspot.com

I know you MLCers enjoy looking at pictures from back in the day, right?  Check out this video produced by JontMedia that I borrowed from their web site.  This video is so MLC!

And here’s a write up of the original LS band – also borrowed from their web site:

The Lovin’ Sounds
by Wes Nakashima

Playing in the Lovin’ Sounds in High School was a lot fun, but also very hard work. We played every Friday, Saturday and practiced every Sunday. We enjoyed talking story with the other bands we played with. Harold and I liked to dance if we had a chance. Being a paying band, we were very responsible in showing up at the job on time and played very well every weekend. We hardly made any mistakes. There were nights that we played two places in one night.

There were a lot of bands: The Koachmen from Pearl City (Waipahu High School), Calientes and Insights from Roosevelt High School, The Lasting Sounds from Farrington High School, Pinky’s Rose Garden from McKinley High School were some of the bands we played with every weekend. Some of places we played at: High Schools – Punahou, Iolani, St. Louis, Mid-Pac, St. Francis, Kalani, University High, Marynoll, McKinley, Roosevelt, etc. Don’t you think that we were a town band. University of Hawaii – Hemming Way Hall and Klum Gym Waikiki Shell – Guest Band at a Battle of the Bands sponsored by KGMB, Won 1st place at another Battle of the Bands on August 25 and 26 competing with 17 bands. Proms- Farrington High School Junior Prom and St. Anthony High School Senior Prom in Maui.

1970 Lovin’ Sounds Band consist of 7 members:
Ronald Ishikawa – Lead Guitar
Harold Kageura – Rhythm Guitar
George Furukawa – Bass Guitar
Wes Nakashima – Organ
Bryce Freeman – Drums
John Kikuchi – Lead Singer
Ken Uyeno – Lead Singer

Music in the video performed by LS 34
Song Title: Get Together by Jesse Colin Young

There’s more pictures and videos on their web site so do take a moment to check it out.

http://ls34.blogspot.com/

THE LS 34 BAND (L to R):

Eugene Nakabayashi (Pearl City ’74) – guitar, sound
Jensen Tamanaha (Kaimuki ’72) – congas, vocals
Craig Kim (Aiea ’78) – drums
Karl Nishio (Roosevelt ’72) – percussions, guitar, vocals
** Ronald Ishikawa(Waipahu ’70) – lead guitar**
Ken Uyeno(Farrington ’70) – vocals

Happy Easter!

encore |ˈänˌkôr|
noun
a repeated or additional performance of an item at the end of a concert, as called for by an audience.

exclamation
called out by an audience at the end of a concert to request such a performance.

Hey MLCers – Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so if you’re looking for the right present for that someone special – instead of blowing $80 on some flowers that won’t last but a week – I’ve got a tip for you.  Tell your significant other “Let’s go dancing!”.

On March 3rd (Girl’s day), The Beat will be at C’est Si Bon at the Pagoda hotel.  How’s that for a blast from the past!  Remember going to “CSB’s” to catch the Kasuals?

Okay, the Kasuals won’t be playing – but there is a new band in town: Encore

Encore is a band made up of musicians from back in the day.  One of them is Mitchell Fukumoto and I ask Mitch if he could provide us with a little bio of the band.  Here’s Mitch’s take:

ENCORE

Jazz, Funk, Rock, R&B, Hawaiian….Waikiki Stage Shows, Vegas Lounges, Dinner Cruises, Studio session work….

We all bring different backgrounds, history, and genres to the mix and when you combine that with an extremely high level of skill on each instrument…it is not only enjoyable but very musical.

From bands during the Seventies such as Natural High, Asian Blend, Livewire and Reach to playing jazz, funk, and top 40 around town….Encore is not your everyday, slapped-together all star band.

Encore is comprised of Rob Yamamoto (vocals and keyboards), Brian Nakashima (guitar and vocals), Dave Ogata (drums and vocals), Dayton Arima (bass and vocals), and Mitch Fukumoto (keyboards and vocals). With the musicianship in this band, we try to focus on songs that are not covered by other bands such as Love Grows by Edison Lighthouse and Josie by Steely Dan. Keep in mind…these are very difficult songs…but we are able to do justice to these great songs because of the personnel in the band. We will play some numbers that other bands play because we realize people need to hear those songs but we also feel people want to hear these other songs and have not experienced the pleasure of these tunes live.

Good music played well…really as simple as that.

Encore.

In addition to Encore, Funkshun will also be providing some funky dance music.  Can’t go wrong with Funkshun as they’ve developed quite a HUGE following of MLCers around town.  I just love their extended version of “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel“.  Reminds me of the Hula Hut days with Natural High.

Speaking of Natural High, it wouldn’t surprise me if Roy Yonashiro makes an appearance and performs a number or two.  In fact, with Rob Yamamoto AND Roy Yonashiro there, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a small kine Natural High reunion.  No promises though. 

Tickets are $40 pre-sale and includes HEAVY pupus.  Translated for us MLCers: Dinner!

And being that it will be on Girl’s Day, the event is themed “Ladies Night“.  So that means that the first drink for all the girls is FREE!

So guys, surprise your girl with a pair of tickets to The Beat for her Valentine’s Day present.

What’s that?  You girls are saying that your “old man” is living up to his moniker and isn’t interested in going?  K-den, since it’s going to be on Girl’s Day – that automatically entitles you to a “pass”.  Gather all your friends together and make it a Girls Night Out!  Tell them about the “automatic pass” thing since it’s Girl’s Day – you know, in case their old man gives them a hard time.

btw, the last Beat was held on the Halloween weekend and was appropriately titled “Disguise”.  We had a great time.  Wanna see?  Check it out: The Beat – Disguise

Here’s your chance to relive the old “clubbing” days.  Just let me know if you’re interested and I can hook you up with tickets.  And if you have a group of people planning to go, I can get a table reserved for your group.

Oh, one more thing.  No need worry about “uji” guys coming around for ask you to dance.  Nowadays, no need wait for someone to ask you for dance.  You like dance – just get on the dance floor and cut loose.

Remember, We old – We no care.

* Thanks for the Encore bio, Mitch!

Today we have a Guest Blogger: Our very own JindoMaster808.  I’ve been keeping in touch with JM808 via Facebook after we parted ways from the break up of The Honolulu Advertiser and I saw that he had picked up an old passion – playing music.  I wouldn’t call it a Midlife Crisis – but rather a passion that he’s put aside for more important things in life – like family, career, health, etc.

And now, like many of us MLCers – we’re finding more time for ourselves as our children have grown up and our careers are more stable.  In other words, we got our lives back to do the things we loved – like JindoMaster808′s love for playing music.  So I asked him if he’d be willing to share his story with us – which he graciously has done.  So without further ado, I present to you:

JindoMaster’s Magical Musical Rediscovery

I sit here writing and reflecting upon tonight’s rehearsal with the Honolulu Community Concert Band.  We’re preparing for a big concert next week and we’ve been covering a lot of material during rehearsals.  I’ve only played with this band since January 2011.  I didn’t know what to expect back then.  Fortunately I’ve fit in with the group and I’ve made many new friends in the band.  Best of all, I’m having a blast performing in a band once again.

The story of how I came to this point in my musical experience started in the early 70’s.  During my first concert band class at Moanalua Intermediate School, I decided to choose clarinet as my instrument.  I guess my dad thought it was a good fit for me.  Playing a musical instrument gave me great joy and a sense that of accomplishment.  I continued playing at Moanalua High School where I also played saxophone and piano.  At the start of my senior year, I even entertained the idea of majoring in music.  However once I started attending UH, I decided to pursue a career in Management Information Systems.  Due to the time commitment with my studies, I stopped playing in my freshman year.

Fast forward 35 years to June 2010.  As many of you fellow MLC’ers know, I worked at The Honolulu Advertiser with Rodney.  During that month, hundreds of us were laid off due to the sale of The Advertiser.  At first I found it enjoyable to not have the pressures of the job.  But after a few months I only received a few invitations to interview for jobs.  Things got quite boring and very depressing.

Then one day, while surfing YouTube, I discovered a young Japanese saxophonist named Kaori Kobayashi.  I was impressed at how this demure young lady could play the saxophone so well.  It started me thinking… I used to play, I wonder if I could eventually play like that.

That how it started again.  I was hooked.  I purchased a used student model Yamaha alto saxophone on eBay.  I started taking lessons.  Finally I had something to do while I was unemployed, something that I really enjoyed.  I was so obsessed that, during my morning walks around Windward Mall with the retired folks, I’d be moving my fingers to the most recent sax exercises that my teacher assigned to me.

But something was still missing.  What fun is playing music if there’s no venue to play at?  So I asked my teacher about performing with bands.  He mentioned the Honolulu Community Band and also the Thursday Night Jazz Band.  To make a long story short, I made a few calls and I now play with both bands.

Which brings me to today.  I am fortunate to be employed now and I still make time to practice and attend rehearsals and concerts.  I recently purchased a used clarinet, too.  Playing music again gives me great joy.  When I play, I forget the stresses of work.  Depending on the music, performing transports me to a different world – the old west, an Irish countryside, the Far East.  When I play with the Jazz Band, I’m transported to the 40′s playing those big band hits.  Best of all, I like being with my new friends who are as passionate as I am to make wonderful music and to entertain the audiences that we perform for.

If there’s one regret I have, it’s that I didn’t start playing again sooner.  My parting words to you, dear MLC readers, is to seize the opportunity to do what you’ve always wanted to do.  Don’t put it off because that opportunity may not come again.

* * * * *

Note:  JindoMaster will be performing with the Honolulu Community Concert Band in a joint concert with Omiya Community Band at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Pearl City Cultural Center.  He will also perform with a saxophone quartet on KZOO radio at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, January 24 to promote the concert.

For more information, check out:

Honolulu Community Concert Band: http://hcband.org

Thursday Night Jazz Band: http://thursdaynightband.org

Kaori Kobayashi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvfVazkUq50

Thanks JindoMaster808!

Thanks to Robin D. for posting this on Facebook:

The Green Thing

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days.”

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.”

She was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person.

Remember: Don’t make old People mad.

We don’t like being old in the first place, so it doesn’t take much to piss us off.

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Thanks for this gem, Robin!

What else can you add to the list?  For example; Back then, we didn’t have cushioned turf around our playground equipment.  We had dirt.

Ever had one of those vacations?  Planning on a fun time, but it turns out to be The Trip From Hell.

Sometimes it’s just getting to the destination.  Sometimes it can be destination itself.  Or as in fellow Honolulu Advertiser blogger Cat Toth’s case, it was getting to the vacation AND coming home.  Here’s her story that I “borrowed” (Thanks Cat!) from Cat’s The Cat Dish blog:

******************************************************************************************************

Flying has never bothered me.

I don’t get claustrophobic on airplanes. I don’t mind waiting in airport gates. And I actually like the food they serve — that you now pay for — on board.

But after this weekend in Las Vegas, I officially loathe flying.

Here’s what went wrong:

1. The flight from Honolulu to Las Vegas via Los Angeles was booked. So airlines agents were checking check-in bags at the gate and deciding whether they were too big to fit on board. (This should have been done earlier, say, at check-in.)

2. I was asked to switch seats twice. I wound up getting a worse seat than I already had. Good thing the women on both sides of me were pleasant company.

3. The flight crew on our flight on Continental Airlines were completely hateful. They didn’t smile, they snapped at passengers, one rolled the cart into people’s feet and yelled at them. I thought I was getting punk’d.

4. Our plane had to turn around due to mechanical problems involving something the word “auxiliary.” We spent three hours in the air — and returned back to Honolulu. Our flight didn’t leave for another hour. In all, it took us 11 hours to get to Los Angeles.

5. When we got to LAX, the Continental crew didn’t have any information for us regarding the connecting flights we missed. They directed us to the airlines of our connecting flights to figure it out. (I felt badly for a couple heading home to Europe after their honeymoon in Hawaii.) We waited another hour to find out what flight we had been rebooked on — only to find out all four of us had been rebooked on different flights, including one departing the next day.

6. Amazingly, even though the booking agent said ALL OF THE FLIGHTS WERE FULL — repeatedly — we got seats on the 4:10 p.m. flight out of LA to Vegas. All in a row. All in the bulkhead aisle. And when we were on board, the flight attendant said there were 12 more open seats. Full, huh?

7. Though the airlines inconvenienced us and, in most cases, made us wait at the airport for hours, we were not compensated at all. In fact, the airlines kept saying, “It’s not our responsibility.” It was driving me crazy. We didn’t even get food vouchers for airport grub.

8. While checking in online for my return flight on United Airlines, I found that I was now rebooked — without my knowledge — on a later flight to LA. I would miss my connecting flight, too, which would bring me home more than four hours after my scheduled arrival. I spent another hour or so yelling at United Airlines customer service reps — including a supervisor — about getting on the plane, on the flight, and in the seat I had booked (and paid for) on July 1. How was I kicked off the plane and rebooked on a later flight? I had reserved a seat two months ago. It was ludicrous.

9. After being told for 45 minutes that there was ABSOLUTELY NO SPACE ON THE FLIGHT, it had been oversold, there was NO WAY I would get on it — I miraculously got back on the supposedly sold-out flight, though in a different seat, and was able to get home on time.

10. Our other friend wasn’t so lucky. I dropped her off at the airport at 4:45 a.m. for her 6 a.m. flight to Honolulu via San Francisco, which got postponed to almost noon. She didn’t get home until later Sunday night when she was supposed to arrive in Honolulu before lunchtime.

It’s hard to believe all this happened during one vacation — but it did.

The sad part is that I’ve lost faith in airlines. Not only are their planes unsafe — both times, the delays were caused by mechanical problems — but the customer service reps flat-out lie to you. How could a flight be completely sold out — but then I get a seat? It just doesn’t make sense.

How can you trust a company that’s 1) unsafe and 2) lies? You can’t.

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Wow.  At least it looked like Cat and company had a fun time while they were in Vegas (see all the fun they were having on The Cat Dish blog).

Luckily we’ve never had problems getting to and from our destinations.  ** knock on wood **

But I remember losing a night of “playing” in Vegas during one trip.  We were out shopping during the day as we always do, then towards the afternoon I started getting a headache.  Although my stomach was empty, I decided to take the 2 extra-strength, expired, Excederin anyway.  I had to weigh out the options: either my head hurts or my empty stomach burns.  I went with the empty stomach burn.

But I got gypped because although my stomach was on fire, my head was still pounding.

So when we got back to the hotel, I took a nap – which usually helps.  But not in this case.  I woke up with not just the lingering headache but now I felt nauseous.  So Paula suggested that we go down to the Market Street Cafe and get something to eat.  That should help my stomach from burning and maybe help the headache too.  But while standing in line, I couldn’t take it anymore and had to retreat back to the room.  And that was it.  I was done for the night.

The next day I woke up hungry and without the headache.  And I had an extra day’s allowance to gamble with – so I had some catching up to do! 

Later I read that dehydration can cause headaches – or too much caffeine.  So now I make sure I drink a lot of water and watch my coffee intake on vacations.  And carry fresh aspirin.

How about you?  What kind of Trip From Hell stories do you have?  Catching a cold while on vacation maybe?  Getting a room that haunted?  Airplane delays?  Car break-ins?  * Losing the shirt off your back in Vegas doesn’t count…

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Hey MLCers~  Big Halloween party coming up.  And how’s this for a MLC venue – C’est Si Bon.  Let me know if you’re interested in picking up tickets.  We’ll be there!

SuziQ emailed me this one.  See if it strikes up some MLC memories.

WE ARE AWESOME !!!

OUR Lives are LIVING PROOF !!!


To Those of Us Born
1925 – 1970:

At the end
Of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno. If you don’t read anything else,

Please

Read what he
Said.

Very well stated,
Mr. Leno.
~~~~~~~~~
TO ALL THE
KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930s, ’40s, ’50s,
’60s and ’70s!!

First, we survived
Being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank
While they were
Pregnant.

They took aspirin,
Ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then, after that
Trauma, we were
Put to sleep
On our tummies
In baby cribs
Covered
With bright colored
Lead-based paints.

We had no
Childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets,
And, when we
Rode our bikes,
We had baseball
Caps,
Not helmets, on
Our heads.

As infants and
Children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts,
No air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes..

Riding in the
Back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one
Soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes,
White bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And we weren’t overweight..
WHY?

Because we were
Always outside playing…that’s why!

We would leave
Home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights
Came on.
No one was
Able to reach us all day.
– And, we were
OKAY.

We would spend
Hours building
Our go-carts out
Of scraps
And then ride
Them down the hill,
Only to find
Out we forgot the brakes.. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned
To solve the problem..

We did not
Have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were
No video games,
No 150 channels on cable,
No video movies
Or DVDs,
No surround-sound or
CDs,
No cell phones,
No personal computers,
No Internet and
No chat rooms.



WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went
Outside and found them!

We fell out
Of trees, got cut,
Broke bones and
Teeth,
And there were
No lawsuits
From those accidents.

We would get
Spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand,
And no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms,
And mud pies
Made from dirt,
And
The worms did
Not live in us forever.



We were given
BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses,made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and

- although we were
Told it would happen – we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes
Or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.

Little League had
Tryouts
And not everyone
Made the team.
Those who didn’t
Had to learn
To deal with
Disappointment.
Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing
Us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have
Produced some of the best risk-takers,
Problem solvers, and
Inventors ever.

The past 50
To 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas..

We had freedom,
Failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are
one of those born
between 1925-1970, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want
to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers
and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are
at it, forward it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes
you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it ?
~~~~~~~
The quote of the month byJay Leno:

“With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”

Pretty cool, eh?

I was just thinking about something similar to this the other night.  I remember when I used to walk over to the DeRamis’ house on the other side of the block, open the gate and let myself in.  Then I’d walk straight to their back lanai, sit myself down and play with their dog, Loa.  When I was done, I’d simply let myself out and go home.
I remember this one time when I was petting Loa, Mrs. DeRamis opened the kitchen door and said to me “I thought I heard someone out there”.  Then smiled at me and went back to doing whatever it was that she was doing.

And that’s how it was back then.  No one worried that a stranger might be trying to burglarize your house.  If there were noises outside, it was just the neighborhood kids playing.  Life was so innocent then.

In keeping with this week’s theme of naming characters, volleymom2 came up with 10 of her favorite cartoon characters.  Can you name them?  And the cartoon too!

Here’s volleymom2′s 10 cartoon characters:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7 – One of volleymom2′s favorites

#8

#9

#10

And here’s my 10 picks:

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

#20

Bonus:

Good luck!  See if you can name the main characters as well as the name of the cartoon.

What other MLC cartoons do you remember?

Today we have another guest blogger: Volleymom2!

Volleymom2 emailed me with a MLC topic suggestion and in explaining it to me, I asked her if she’d like to do a guest blog entry – as it was already half written in her email to me.  See folks, it’s that easy!

So, without further ado – here’s Volleymom2′s MLC guest entry:

*****************************************************************************************

I was having lunch at K Mart the other day and found myself starring at 9 gumball/ toy vending machines.

It’s been a long time since I have looked at one of those machines and I started to think back of the good old days when haumoni (grandma) or dad gave me 25 cents to spend on anything that I wanted.  You guessed it- straight to the gumball/ toy vending machine.

I was always hoping to get the blue gumball, not only for its taste but it also turned my tongue blue!  I would also look for my favorite gumball machine- the spiral!  I was fascinated as the gumball spiraled to the door of my waiting hands.

Remember those giant jawbreakers?  It was fun getting to the center of the jawbreaker just to get to the “gum”!

But I also spent my quarter on toy vending machines.  Why?  There was always something that I wanted- rings!  I’d wear them on all my fingers.  The batman rings were my favorite!  However, I did have my share of disappointment when I received a little book or sticker.

What do you remember about gumball/toy vending machines?  Were you one of those gumball junkies?  Did you have a favorite machine and/or toy that you wanted?  Or was it just the surprise of getting “something”?

Thanks for giving me a break Volleymom2!  Great topic!