"I enjoy my space..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen

"There are many ways to enjoy one's space, sometimes solitude is a wonderful thing, a meditation so to speak..."

Living in a small town  on a tiny little island in  the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes it hard going anywhere without bumping into people you just don't want to see. Riding a bike makes it worse since you are a sitting duck for all to see from their cars.

Most days, I like to go get a cup of tea or diet coke  at one of my favorite fast food  restaurants. I write, read my mail and stare at walls. I do this because it relaxes me, it is in sorts my way of meditation. There are many ways to enjoy one's space, sometimes solitude is a wonderful thing! 


I am sitting minding my own business, some acquaintance I barely know says hello, cool hello back, he then proceeds to stand by my table and talk for 30 minutes while I drank my  diet coke. I finally had to leave because one lonely person thought because I was sitting alone, I too was lonely, not.


President Obama when asked what he dislikes most about being President, it is living a bubble, he can't go anywhere without secret service all over him, he basically has no personal space.  I am not famous, however in a small town on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere many times I feel like the President although my only secret service is my dog named Obama.

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher

Rogue Wave on Kaua'i" 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesdays)

Guest-blogger Bettejo Dux is one of Kauai's most colorful people, she has lived on the cosmic island of Kaua'i for over 40 years... She is an animal lover, people lover and enjoys life to the fullest. She publishes her own blog column too, you can check it out at ;  http://www.bettejo.wordpress.com .   Besides her blog she recently published and authored the humorous fiction book, "The Scam," check it out at(www.bettejodux.com) or on  http://www.amazon.com/  .com

ROGUE WAVE ON KAUA'I

I've known many married couples who sailed together, many of them, like their marriages, ending up  disasters.This was not the case with Bill and I, except when we raced, but that’s another story.

For the most part – no, always- you could  put Bill and I on a little boat and send us out to sea and we’d come back happier and more in love-than we started out.  Bill was the sailor. A damn good one. A pro. After he died I sailed on high-priced boats with guys who didn't know a jibe from a tack or a spinnaker halyard from a jib sheet.

We always raced when the TransPac was in. They had inter island races and we were almost always the littlest yacht in the fleet. We were also, often, at the head of the fleet, particularly when the winds were light. We could maneuver through the entire fleet dodging beer bottles and cuss words like a wary trout dodged fishing lines. We never beat them- boat to boat- but often got a cup-and more than a cup when we hit the bars.  Morning after hangovers in Lahaina, with all those damn myna's squawking, was a trip all by itself and- like the whalers, I’m sure- breakfast was the hair of the dog.

Bar room brawls were not  uncommon and neither were the pixelated ladies piddling in the bushes or the little kiosk that stood in the middle of the main intersection where cops directed traffic during the day. The height of the walls was perfect. All you could see was a puff of hair and a dainty little stream of perfumed lady water singing out the bottom. My best friend Ginny Rothwell found this handy convenience first. The rest of us followed.

Our favorite trips, though, were long weekends when we’d leave Kukuiula harbor-and head out, without a phone or any other means of communication with the ‘real’world for where-ever the wind would send us, or wherever we wanted to go.  It was one  Christmas morning-early-sunny, bright and blue-while all the world slept, that Bill and I made weigh. We always sailed, in and out, no noisy motor for us. I was on jib. Bill was at helm.

Checking under the sail that morning, there it was: the biggest baddest grandfather rogue I’d ever seen coming straight at us. I turned to tell Bill but he’d already seen it. “Hang on,” he growled and that I did. We drove right through the middle of that thing, water over the spreader,  but we made it out safe to the other side.

I turned  back speechless. Bill had the usual silly grin on his face-rough sailing always tickled his bones. What tickled me, however, was this: Bill smoked a pipe in those days and, while the silly grin lit up his face and the end of the pipe was stuck in his teeth, the bowl of the pipe was on the sole, he’d bitten right through the stem.

Bettejo has a blog of her own you can check out at ; http://www.bettejo.wordpress.com  

www.bettejodux.com

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

http://www.bettejodux.com/






"Republican or Democrat, or maybe neither..." James "Kimo" Rosen

'Politics are like religion, they all think their way is the best and only way..."

Many of my  Republican friends paste anti-Obama propaganda on facebook and other social networking web-sites. A good majority still believing President Obama is not a U.S. citizen and a closet Muslim.

My Democratic friends play the same game with Propaganda against Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and the list goes on...So what if Romney has changed his mind over the years on many issues, we all grow older, wiser and change. So what if Newt's been married three times, how  does that affect his intellect or stance on foreign policy?

Politics are like religion, they all think their way is the best and only way. Come November it's time we elect an Independent, Republicans and Democrats have had  more than a chance at this game. With the state of the economy it's time to gamble on real change, a real change is to go totally against the grain.

Imagine if we took all the fundraising monies from all political campaigns and donated that money to help bail out America, imagine if all these self serving narcissists actually cared more about others than seeing their names in big bold print.

The two major political  parties have failed miserably in the past, it's time to re-elect no Democrat or  Republican. Let's have some fun and elect all those independents without corporate wealth behind them. Let's have more fun by re-electing no incumbents, unless of course they donate all their campaign re-election money as a start to fixing a corrupt system.

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

"How do I know if I have dry eyes...?" 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Monday)

Judith Whitehead is back guest-blogging on this awesome Inspirational Monday about dry eyes, a common ailment and what to do to fix the condition, so save a visit to the Opthamologist and read Judy's free advise to dakinetalk readers!  Judy lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the medical profession for over 30 years.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE DRY EYES

DRY eyes are one of the most common eye ailments among the general population. They can cause many symptoms that are annoying to people and will go untreated because the symptoms can give a mixed message to many.

Believe it or not, many peoples’ eyes water constantly which is a common symptom of dry eye. Eyes will water as a response to dryness and irritation. Their tears are not made of good quality and are called reflux tearing. They lack the oily mixture needed to replenish the cornea. There are many ways to treat dry eye starting with tears in a bottle which will re wet the cornea. There are also tear ointments and tear gels that can be used, although they will tend to blur the vision. In extreme cases there is a product on the market called Restasis which when used regularly will restore the balance of the tear film and help the body produce better quality tears. They are a prescription drop and are not used in the same way that a natural tear formula is; they are not meant to replace an over the counter drop that just serves to moisten the eyes. Also each eye has 2 tear ducts called the punctum, that can be plugged both temporarily or permanently in a few minutes in a simple office procedure; that will help keep the tears in the eye and prevent them from going down the drain. In severe cases when someone has a dry mouth and dry skin etc. they may have a condition called Sjogrens Syndrome that is an extreme case of dryness. This is also treated with moisture tears and possibly prescription drops.

A dry eye and dry cornea can cause blurry vision and set up the eye to become more susceptible to eye infections. An eye that is constantly dry can cause permanent damage to the cornea as well.

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

"Honolulu thinking of banning plastic bags, too..! James "Kimo" Rosen

"If they're good enough for my President, they're good enough for me!"
photo courtesy of http://www.savetheplasticbag.com

"The biggest problem is Wal-Mart; the largest retailer on Kaua‘i and the social gathering place of many, sell blue imitation cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles..." (Seriously, check the label.) http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/

 Don't do it, don't be hypocrites, I know, I see it first hand on Kauai, the plastic ban ban was a total hypocrisy,Kauai has reverted back to destroying rain forests with reintroducing paper bags...

 The County of Kaua‘i has a plastic bag ban at grocery, retail stores, and take-out for restaurants. The irony is the stores have reverted back to using paper, the ban was suppose to be to get people to use reusable cloth bags. The ban has failed dramatically because it was never intended for paper to replace plastic thus taking us 100 giants steps backward.

Grocery stores continually run out of paper and when they do have paper bags they take up many times the space of the old plastic bags. People re-used plastic, the paper breaks and is garbage as soon as you take your groceries home and now many people are buying commercial plastic garbage liners during these recessed times when they can least afford it.

The biggest problem is Wal-Mart; the largest retailer on Kaua‘i and the social gathering place of many, sell blue imitation cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles. (Seriously, check the label.) The icing on the cake is these bags are made in China and everyone on the island and many visitors now have hundreds of these blue cloth looking bags made of plastic bottles in China. The ban was to get rid of plastic, but these beautifully designed blue bags that look like cloth are made of plastic.

Many of the grocery stores on Kauai have to rent additional container trucks just to store paper bags since paper takes up to 100 times the space of plastic. (Just imagine  100 paper bags stacked high verses 100 plastic bags stacked high.)
Therefore if a plastic ban is enacted in Honolulu please also ban paper.

 Paper is actually more polluting than paper, read the study at www.savetheplasticbag.com.

The Honolulu Star-advertiser published an edited version of this opinion article on 03-05-12, here it is; http://staradvertiser.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Kauai has a plastic-bag ban at grocery, retail stores and takeout for restaurants. The irony is the stores have reverted back to using paper bags, while the ban was supposed to get people to use reusable cloth bags. The ban has failed dramatically, taking us 100 giant steps backward.

Grocery stores continually run out of paper bags. When they do have them, they take up many times the space of the old plastic bags. People re-used plastic. The paper ones break and become garbage as soon as you take your groceries home. Now many people are buying commercial plastic garbage liners during these recessionary times when they can least afford it.

Walmart, the largest retailer on Kauai and the social gathering place of many, sells blue cloth looking bags made out of used plastic bottles. The ban was to get rid of plastic, but these beautifully designed blue bags are made of plastic.

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

MASH?, comes to the Garden Island...! 'James "Kimo" Rosen

A Mash like unit consisting of Navy and air force reservists comes to the cosmic island of Kauai, no Radar, Hawk-eye or Hot-lips, just great caring men and woman practicing dental, eye care and general medical for free. No requirement, you can drive a Mercedes or an island beater, nobody denied!   Mahalo Nui Loa Uncle, Sam that is...

Tropic care Kaua'i, the name given to our local MASH like unit...
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/free-care-starts-tuesday/article_0e9de666-6118-11e1-ad4a-0019bb2963f4.html

Mash,  not only a popular TV series of the 1970's has come to practice dental, eye care and  general medical on our cosmic hamlet of an  island. Not quite Mash but close enough, consisting of Navy and Air Force reservists..."MASH" only consists or Army.

MASH actually stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and the military's  Average MASH unit will have: Nine doctors, 29 nurses and some 159 other soldiers which in all make up a typical MASH unit. The Unit on Kauai is not actually a MASH unit, but similar in many ways.

I stopped at All Saints church in Kapa'a town and was greeted with Aloha by many in the Mash  like unit practicing  there. No pre-qualifying for medical care, whether your a millionaire or on welfare, whether you drive a Mercedes or peddle a bicycle, nobody is refused care!

I was impressed with the bed-side etiquette shown, all involved from the helpers, nurses and doctors all seemed to care and answer all questions with smiles and a caring attitude. Healing begins with a positive attitude.

 I am thankful for the eyeglasses and eye exam performed by the visiting MASH-like unit called Tropic Care Hawaii... Radar Hawk-eye and Hot-lips may have not been there, however I saw the dedication and team-worked performed by this group and was beyond impressed. No Cash, go see the men and woman who make up "Tropic Care" MASH like unit.
 Mahalo Nui Loa Uncle, Sam that is...

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.

"Split personality..?" 'Michael Herr' (Aloha Friday)

 Renowned author Michael Herr is back guest blogging on this awesome Aloha Friday about the battle of split personalities...
Michael is happily retired and pursuing his dreams of writing and publishing books, he currently lives in Walnut Creek California.  (Michael is pictured above with his latest book,"The old Queen and the Maui Maiden." To purchase this book or any of Michael's 6 other novella's go to; http://www.michaelherr.com

ALOHA FRIDAY

March 2, 2012

It's Aloha Friday.

Split personality? Let me check with my other persona.

Aloha folks.

At times I'm sure I have a split personality. You know, part of me likes something, but another part of me doesn't. Part of me wants something, but another part of me says "No". Actually the part of me that says "No" most often is my rational, smart-thinking, wise self. The part of me that wants something, well that's my fun-loving impractical side.

Example: I really would like to eat a quart of Rocky Road ice cream, says my impractical fun-loving side (which is located at times like that in my abdominal region). No way, says my rational self. You just spent a half-hour on the treadmill. If you eat that ice cream you'll have just wasted that half hour. But, says my ice cream-loving side, that half-hour on the treadmill helped me burn enough calories so that I can indulge in that ice cream without worrying about the consequences. Seems my impractical fun-loving side knows how to argue too.

But it's not my fault that I have this split personality. Just check out the world around us.

Yesterday afternoon I saw a commercial on television touting the benefits of the California lottery. Buy a scratcher ticket and win big! Got in my car and turned on the radio only to hear an ad telling me where to go to get help if I have a gambling problem.

When I got home I read an article online about the growing problem of our obsession with sex. Then I watched a slide-show of the women at the Oscars, all showing off their surgically enhanced bodies — and showing off lots of their bodies (did you catch Angelina's leg???).

The mail came, bringing with it my prescription cholesterol-lowering medication. Along with that prescription the mailman delivered lots of coupons offering me really great deals on pizza and KFC.

I want to pay my taxes so that I'm a good citizen. Then I see all those loopholes, just sitting there waiting for me to use them.

I'm pulled in opposing directions all through the day and evening. I don’t know which way to turn, which one of my selves should I listen too. But knowing me, I'll probably take the path of least resistance. I think that quart of Rocky Road is still downstairs. And I can always walk a little more on my treadmill tomorrow.

Okay folks, one of me will see you next week.

For more of Michael's writings go to http://www.michaelherr.com

Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen, Publisher.