"Words, words, words." 'Michael Herr' (Aloha Friday)

Renowned author Michael Herr is back guest-blogging on this awesome Aloha Friday talking about words, words and words,enjoy... Make sure and check out Michael's website at; http://www.michaelherr.com/

ALOHA FRIDAY

November 4

It's Aloha Friday.

"Words, words, words."

I've been intrigued by words ever since I was a keiki, a little kid. Growing up around the time of the Korean War (ooops, police action), I drew hundreds of pictures featuring tanks and planes and bombs and explosions. To complete my drawings I added caption balloons so that the soldiers in my drawings said things like "Ayyyyy!" and "Charge!" and "Die!" Just words to me then.

In elementary school, I can't remember getting less than 100% on any spelling test. I could spell any word. In high school, I padded my English classes by turning in extra-credit writing. Words came easily. In college, I produced more words than ever. Words on Sartre, on Shakespeare, on philosophy and theology and English authors. My best writing during college? The love letters with which I wooed my future wife.

After college, first as a teacher and then as a school administrator, I wrote even more words. Memos and reports and requests for funding and evaluations. But nothing for myself; nothing for my soul.

Now, retired and a writer, I get to play with words again. I get to polish them and piece them together in ways that are so much more interesting to me. And some of my words come together quite nicely.

Once I've written a book, it moves from the front to the back of my mind. So, when I'm working on another book, I have to go back now and then to see what I wrote previously in order to be sure I don't contradict myself. I'm always astonished when I re-read an earlier work at how marvelous some of it is. Not all of it, but language gems pop up now and then within my work. I usually stop reading at that point, look up and in awe say, "Damn, that's good.".

I love words. I love the emails I get from other people who share their wordplay. Here's a couple of examples of the type of wordplay I enjoy:

War does not determine who is right, just who is left.

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal ideas from
many people is research.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit, and the
person who doesn't get it.

The only difference between a rut and a groove is the depth.

My mind works like lightning. One brilliant flash and it's gone.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

And my current favorite word:

Ignoranus: A person who is both stupid and an a-hole.

Much aloha.

check out Michael's website at http://www.michaelherr.com/  buy all six books for only $18

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

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"Drafting old people..." 'Marvin Gross' (liaison for the world wide web)

"Marvin Gross a Financial advisor from the suburbs of Buffalo N.Y. is back guest blogging about bringing back the draft, and drafting old people...."


Drafting men over 60 may not be a bad idea... Read all about it!

 Drafting Guys Over 60
     New Direction for any war: Send Service Vets over 60!

I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists.  You can't be older than 42 to join the military.  They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys.  You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.  For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds.

 Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy. Young guys haven't livedlong enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier.  'My back hurts!  I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are impatient and maybe
letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for awhile..  An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10am . 

 Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell.  Besides, like I said, I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical son-of-a-bitch.  If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where
we put them.  In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys.. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we're used to soft food.  We've also developed an appreciation for guns.  We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.  They could lighten up on the obstacle course however... I've been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any push-ups after completing basic training.  Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too... I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.  An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head. These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.  Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists.

The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons, who know
that their best years are already behind them. 

 HEY!! How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!!
You think MEN have attitudes?? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my God!!! If nothing else, put them on border patrol. They'll have it secured the first night! 

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com  

"Wife's first Hunt..." 'Anonymous'

"The person who sent us this blog will remain anonymous  since we do not want his wife to divorce him..!"

My sweet husband invited me to go hunting with him this year.  I Couldn't believe it...the first time ever!  I never thought he'd be willing to share his 'guy time' with me.  And being the thoughtful man that he is, he even gave me an opening day present.  He calls it 'The First Timers Lucky Hat'.   I'm so fortunate to be married to him.  I have attached a picture of me in my lucky hat. 

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com  

" A lesson in Physics..." 'Marvin Gross'

Marvin Gross a financial advisor from Western N.Y. blogs about the important things in life...

Family is one of the most important things in life, Nobody ever said on their death bed, "I wish I had spent more time in the office," at least I don't think anybody has said that... ;D)

When things in life seem too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

He then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar and shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He again asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions; and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter.

Set your priorities - The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com  

"Love and Loss..." 'Steve Jobs' Shared through the Internet via Chester Lau (Unc)

"Find what you like early in life and don't give up... Imagine being paid for what you love to do..."

Love and Loss
By Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

"I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?

Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.

I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple.It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

        - Mahalo Nui Loa (Thanks) to Chester "Unc" Lau  for sharing this.  Steve Jobs gave this as his second story of his Commencement Address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com

Lawyers and Clergy..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James "Kimo" Rosen self portrait for Halloween, sometimes there is a need for Lawyers and clergy... Can anyone guess what I am in the photo above?


Father Ben of All Saints church in Kapa'a recently blessing our four legged friends!

This blog also appeared as an opinion article in the Kauai Garden Island News;" Everyone needs to make a living." 11-28-11 http://thegardenisland.com/promo/homepage/article_17af734c-1991-11e1-ae51-001cc4c03286.html  


Why do attorneys always say,"answer me with a yes or no, understand?"

However when the shoe is on the other foot and an attorney is asked a simple question, they will usually reply , there is no simple yes or no, let me explain...

Why does the clergy, Rabbi's and Pastors tell their congregants  not to work on the Sabbath or religious holidays?  Because those days are the days the clergy are on stage and if we the people went to work they would be out of work with nobody to preach too and collect tithing's.

I guess everyone needs to make a living I can therefore understand Lawyers and clergy much better especially in these rough economic times.


The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com  

"Love you all..!" 'Chester Lau, aka Unc'

Chester Lau one of dakinetalks most popular guest bloggers is back speaking of the importance of friends... Chester aka Unc, lives on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and is a retired cinematographer....

"Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back..."



  One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning

that sometimes there isn't "anymore."   No more hugs, no more special

moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more

"just one minute."  Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used

up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I

love you."

          So while we have it, it's best  we love it, care for it, fix it when it's

broken and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage.....And old

cars... And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and

aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it,

because we are worth it.

          Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a

sister-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us

happy, no matter what.

          Life is important, like people we know who are special.. And so,

we keep them close!

          I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'!

Then I sent  it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to

send this to all those people who are "keepers" in your life, including

the person who sent it, if you feel that way. Suppose one morning you

never wake up, do all your friends know you love them?

          I was thinking...I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I

wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that

needed rekindling or three words needing to be said.

          Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you

think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those

three little words and a smile can do. And just in case I'm gone tomorrow.

I LOVE YOU!!!

Live today because tomorrow is not promised.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this blog site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Publisher of Dakinetalk the blog, but they could? ;D)

Check out dakinetalk-8 in book form;  The download is free... http://blogger.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBookForFlipbookView.do?bookId=Blog2Print_Blogger_1319148612943_kimorosen_1319148948428&flipbookCode=5521689b6b72d9563e5a9462dc77c3&invitationEmail=jrsensei%40hotmail.com