"We all have demons of our own" 'Kimo's world #42'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a
 with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby... 

Throwback photo of Rosen in front of his
 Alaskan photo studio back in 1983

Kimo's world #42

We all have demons of our own

We all have our problems.  I have discovered  a way to  feel better is to talk about anything but your problems. Talk about a  movie, TV show, sports event, an upcoming holiday, or even the price of tea in China.

Most places I frequent even with people who barely know me, will spill their inner demons to me. (WHY?)

One person tells me she's having a party, is overwhelmed and wants to cancel. I say yes, cancel, then she goes on for another fifteen minutes while she has me cornered in a booth at a local fast food franchise. (HELP!)

Another person is always telling me how hard they have it. I look at them and think, my Lord you don't know what hard times are. (OY VEY!)

Believe it or not I have been in therapy before and the therapist starts telling me her problems, I think to myself, hold on Doc, I am the one paying, your suppose to listen to me?

Even on Facebook there are people I barely know telling me inner most secrets, why?

To top of it, when I was a kid of eight years old, my parents confided  their problems to me, telling me to not tell the other parent what they just told me. (JEEZ...)

I guess it's somewhat of a compliment that so many people put their trust in me, or is it that I just look like a sucker?

I have learned after 5:00 P.M. and on the Sabbath to take my phone of the hook  and try to not look at Facebook, otherwise I get overwhelmed with everyone else's problems.

People always think their problems  are so rough, but don't realize others too have demons of their own. We're all victims of many battles. I find having a friend to talk with about anything besides the thing that is bothering  you is instrumental to one's mental health.

They say, " Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

Have you ever noticed...one of the greatest things you can lend someone...is a sympathetic ear? 

I only  wish I had become a shrink, at least I would be paid for listening to everyone's demons.(OH WELL...)

P.S.
These are the meme's used all week to promote this blog on Facebook;

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

A little birdie told me so...

"Winter has approached Buffalo..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York and has worked in

the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.

Winter has approached Buffalo

I think our days of sun and warm breezes have left Buffalo. We are left with the threat of snow every day and dark skies and  cold winds.  Our neighboring states have already begun to see the white stuff flying.

 I for one dig my heals in this time of year. No winter coat for me yet until we start getting the subzero temps.  Our driveway stakes have been placed; our snow plow guy lives next door to us so we get excellent attention.  

Our bushes are wrapped with burlap to deter the deer that eat them to the center of the bush in the cold weather,  and our bird feed is stocked for the sparrows that choose to stay in the winter.

  I am already counting the months until Spring months again...Until then I am hoping for a mild winter this year.  Its OK if its cold, its just the white outs that really get to me especially if I have to drive in it.  I white knuckle it to work on those days and pray I get there OK.  

Hana Hou ,(Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"The inventor of the Harley-Davidson dies..." 'Robert Bitos Gandia (Source)

Guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

The inventor of the Harley-Davidson dies

The inventor of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Arthur Davidson, died and went to heaven.

At the pearly gates, St. Peter told Arthur, "Since you've been such a good man and your motorcycles have changed the world, Your reward is, you can hang out with anyone you want in Heaven."
Arthur thought about this for a minute and then said, "I want to hang out with God."

St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne Room and introduced him to God.

God recognized Arthur and commented, "Okay, so you were the one who invented the Harley Davidson motorcycle?"

Arthur said, "Yep, that's me."

God said, "Well, what's the big deal in inventing something that's pretty unstable, makes noise and pollution and can't run without a road?"

Arthur was apparently embarrassed, but finally he said, "Excuse me, but aren't you the inventor of woman?"

God said, "Yes."

"Well," said Arthur, "professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention:
1. There's too much inconsistency in the front-end protrusions;
2. It chatters constantly at high speeds;
3. Most of the rear ends are too soft and wobble too much;
4. The intake is placed way too close to the exhaust;
5. And the maintenance costs are enormous!"

"Hmmmmm, you have some good points there," replied God, "hold on."

God went to His Celestial super computer, typed in some key words And waited for the results. The computer printed out a slip of paper and God read it.

"Well, it may be true that my invention is flawed," God said to Arthur, "but according to these statistics, more men are riding my invention than yours."

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"Secular Sabbath..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years...

Bettejo is the author of the famed novellas "The Scam."

and recently published  "Children of Extinction..." 
Both books available on www.amazon.com

Secular Sabbath

A Sabbath is a day of religious observance and abstinence of work. My dearest friend, a Jewish guy, disappears-with his precious dog- every Friday eve to  Saturday eve. (that guy is pictured above!)

As a devout non believe-a non church goer I don't  do god, sin, fear, guilt, greed, prayer, repentance or atonement.  All you guys who know me know I don't do lots of stuff. Rarely get a day off 'cause my zoo must eat and be cared for everyday. The thought of them going hungry or thirsty is bad enough, but the racket would wake the dead.  Duke, my Macaw, would screech  the peace of the day away. Ari would whinny and snort himself hoarse-that's a pun- but  not funny.  When the critter's hungry, he starts tossing his empty bucket about. What a racket. Boots, my grown up puppy,  would snuffle  and sigh and woof herself blue and the new kitten would sing themselves into a cold hungry sleep.

My neighbors'd be sure I'd croaked and call the cops. Creating sirens wails, traffic jams, confusion and chaos.

So, as a practical  secular sSabbath observer, the first thing I'll do is find someone to feed and tend the zoo. Easier said than done, but I can do it. Then I'll select a day. Saturday and Sunday are booked pretty solid so  I'll choose Monday. Moon's day.  From Sunday eve to Tuesday  morning.

I'll build a tree house-well not really a house, a platform-8X8, 8ft high with a rainproof green shed roof. A  great trunked tree, roadside, will be the wall on the street side of the land. Four round poles will hold it up. It'll be organic and  inexpensive. A wooden ladder twelve feet high will access the platform and a rope with a crank handle at the top and a bucket on the bottom will haul iced Dom, Beluga, and escargot skyward. It will have low railings on three sides, so I won't fall out of bed, and a skylight so I can look up into the tree and watch the sky. The moon. The stars. The clouds.

I love champagne but cannot afford Gout de Diamonte, Taste of Diamonds at $1.2 million dollars. Can you believe? Someone called this a champagne for those with too much money too little sense. Read about guys like this in my book Children of the Extinction.

Escargot and caviar are okay dokay. Maybe the kittens to put on a show.

I'll need a sleeping bag and pillow. LL Bean here I come. A pen and a pad. A candle.

I'll dream the hours away. Think thoughts of peace and love and joy and health and contentment for all earth bound.  Be one with the tree. Whistle with the birds. Touch the breeze that rattles the leaves.  Sip chilled wine. Snack on fish eggs and snails. Nose the fragrance of nature.  Look out on the world. Above it all.

With first rays of dawn I'll descend the ladder and hope my thoughts touched all living things on planet earth.

No matter what day your Sabbath is,whether secular or religious,
Good Sabbath to all, or as our Jewish friends say, "Shabbat Shalom!" 
Bettejo is the author of the famed novellas "The Scam."

and recently published  "Children of Extinction..." 
Both books available on www.amazon.com

Don't forget to check out Bettejo's weekly TV show on Public access Hoike television;

Here is the video link:
http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01393&video=205423

or http://www.hoike.org Arts and Entertainment

P.S.  
In loving memory of Brittany Maynard...
"She died as she intended— peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones," the statement said. 

Read more about Brittany;
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/03/terminally-ill-woman-follows-through-on-decision-to-end-her-life-dies-in-oregon/

This meme was used  on Facebook to promote this blog...

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

"Too Much Sun..." 'Kimo's world #41'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa'a
 with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby... 

This same blog appeared in the Kaua'i Garden Island news on 11-03-14
with the header" Bring on the cloud cover..." 
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-nov/article_1a6a4ac0-6318-11e4-8ac6-2bb381a42685.html

Too Much Sun

Hawaii has experienced a heat wave this past September and October. It has been humid and close to 90 degrees and high humidity non stop.

September is usually the hottest month in Hawaii, thus the reason many locals vacation in September.  October is the month where temperatures lower to the high 70's and low 80's usually with Hawaii's famous tropical trade winds.

I moved to Hawaii in 1999 from Alaska and would worship the sun and just loved being outdoors absorbing all I could after leaving the frozen tundra. Fast forward 15 years later and I now wear a hat and carry an umbrella everywhere I go. The umbrella is not for the rain , it is to shield the sun.

I used to laugh to myself silently (LTMS) when I first moved to Hawaii and saw people with their umbrellas in the hot sun? I thought  they were disillusioned thinking  it was raining out?

I have become intolerant of the sun, you've heard of lactose intolerant? I have become Sun intolerant. The  heat from  the sun is very uncomfortable to my skin and I am always trying to shield myself in shade.

 It is said, "the grass is always greener on the other side."
Here's to a cloudy day.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-nov/article_1a6a4ac0-6318-11e4-8ac6-2bb381a42685.html

This was the meme used all week to promote this blog!

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"40 years of marriage..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst New York and has worked in

the ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years.

40 years of marriage

I feel like I am in the minority these days for having been married 40 years this month; it seems that many in my age group and younger are on their second marriages or unattached.  Having gottenmarried at age 19,  I feel we have certainly beaten the odds.

  People were skeptical in the 70’s that acouple still going to college would make a go of it with so many obstacles’ in our way.   We literally hadjust enough money to put down a deposit on an economical apartment, used our wedding money to buy some furniture and were able to eat for $20.00 a week.  

Back then we shared a used car and paid about 50 cents a gallon for gas… back in the 70’s.  We had no cell phone bills to worry about, no ATM cards to deduct money with; if you ran out of money during the week you had better hit the bank before they closed or you were out of luck.  

We spent $1.50 for the cheep movies for entertainment  and spent many a night enjoying our black and white TV.  They were cheaper than color TV’s back then and weregood enough for us.  It wasn’t until the 1980’s that we bought our first color TV and it was only because we wanted our first born son to watch Sesame Street in color.  

Life was simple back then; the Internet that came along many years later was,  in a way, a mixed blessing.  It is so useful for so many things but yet I think it has made families less social than we were back in the 80’s.  

Now we go out to dinner and watch families with small children playing on their I pads instead of talking with mom and dad.  We did eat out quite a bit when the children were little, out little reward for a tough day spent.  We always traveled with a box of small toys, crayons etc to occupy them while we waited for dinner to arrive as
well as making sure they didn't annoy any other  adults at the time.  That fact has changed quite a bit as well.  Today small children seem to be allowed to run around a restaurant and annoy the other patrons; if our kids were too noisy, we took them out to the car for a little talk.  

Now as I reflect back on those growing up years, I miss them in a way. I don’t miss the meals on the run getting to baseball games and
other events.  I certainly don’t miss the teenage years for they were the most challenging, but I do miss our little family  and all the great vacations we took together.  Now our children are on two different
coasts and although they have started their own lives,  which they should have, I still do miss kidsgathering at the house and viewing the world in their young eyes.

When I say we have been married 40 years I have to pinch myself.  I thought that when my own parents were married that long, they were OLD!   They were no longer working at my age and were wintering in Florida every year.  

How times have changed; we have walked ourselves into a whole different lifestyle where the “I needs” are far greater than they ever were.  Very few “seniors”  can now retire in their early 60’s .  Far and few between are getting married at 19 yrs old and now the average age to marry seems to be closer to 30+, families are being started later and people will be working for much longer than they ever were.  Social security will be paying substantially more for someone who holds off retirement  until they reach 70.  The average life expectancy has been extended and the average age
now is 78 according to the census.  My own dad is going to turn 96 in 2015; he has definitely beaten the odds.  

 I will accept my 40th anniversary with grace and thankfulness that I have had the same reliable and caring, loving  husband since I was 19 yrs old.  We truly have held up our vows, for better or worse, through  sickness  and health and have literally grown up together.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mazol Tov to Steve & Judy...

    

                               
Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"A Nun at Hooters..." 'Robert Bitos Gandia' (Source)

Guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

A Nun at Hooters

A nun, badly needing to use the restroom, walked into a local Hooters restaurant.

The place was hopping with music and loud conversation and every once in a while 'the lights would turn off.'
Each time the lights would go out, the place would erupt into cheers.
However, when the revelers saw the nun, the room went dead silent.
She walked up to the bartender, and asked, 'May I please use the restroom?

The bartender replied, 'OK, but I should warn you that there is a statue of a naked man in there wearing only a fig leaf.'

'Well, in that case, I'll just look the other way,' said the nun.
So the bartender showed the nun to the back of the restaurant.

After a few minutes, she came back out, and the whole place stopped just long enough to give the nun a loud round of applause. !

She went to the bartender and said, 'Sir, I don't understand. Why did they applaud for me just because I went to the restroom?'

'Well, now they know you're one of us,' said the bartender, 'Would you like a drink?'
'No thank you, but, I still don't understand,' said the puzzled nun.

'YOU SEE,' laughed the bartender, 'EVERY TIME SOMEONE LIFTS THE FIG LEAF ON THAT STATUE, THE LIGHTS GO OUT'.

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...