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Too Bad, So Sad….

Gah!! My computer died! We had a one-second blackout in Waikele, and my computer got fried (even with an APC surge supressor….) It feels like I lost my big toe or something.

This is not just an “ordinary” computer. This is the Power Mac G4 Cube, which is the coolest computer Apple ever built. It was produced and distributed for only one year, 2000. It was discontinued because Apple released the ugly G4 Tower at the same time, with a Zip Drive, and at a lower price.

Now I’m not emotionally attached to this acrylic beauty. It’s just that I was able to make a bunch of neat things on it. This computer really added value to my life. I am at a lost….

Hey, did somebody say MacBook Air? Hmm….

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A Time to Reflect….

Receiving my 5th year service award from the Kamehameha Schools marks somewhat of a milestone in my life. At the very least, it offers me the opportunity to reflect and be thankful. Here is what comes to mind….

• Growth. I have learned a lot about teaching and learning from being a “participant” and a “contributor” in a wonderful school environment. I have learned about excellence. • Relationships. I have been blessed with the best team to work with. I have also made many good friends at all three island campuses. • Culture. I have come to embrace the Hawaiian culture, as well as the culture of the Kamehameha Schools. You become a part of a network, an ‘ohana. • Travel. I have been able to visit New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, and even Hana, Maui! • Worship. I have been blessed to have participated in chapel services as well in leading students in worship. • Tradition. It is a privilege to take part in many of the events and ceremonies. Founder’s Day, Song Contest, and Ho’olaule’a are just a few. Even sporting events have a proud tradition here. Yesterday, I stood in the exact center of Keku Gym with the entire student body around me as they sang the alma mater. • Finally, the students. For me, it is the students who provide the memories and make my life here so rich. There are countless moments that I am forever grateful for….

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A Typical, Atypical Day….

As an Instructional Technology Specialist at KS, I service teachers & students. So what on earth do I do in the summer? Hmm…. good question! Ha, ha. Well, let me start by saying that I am blessed to have one of the best jobs around. I work at a great school with great people & awesome kids. I also belong to a wonderful team whom I consider “family.” Another enjoyable aspect of my job is the wide variety of activities and experiences that I encounter each day. A typical day is pretty much…. atypical. Here was my schedule today:

5:00 Rise & shine. (I wake up at 4:30 during the school year.)
5:30 Done showering. Start devotions.
6:00 Read email, Twitter, & online newspapers.
6:30 Feed dad breakfast. (Usually leave at this time during the school year.)
7:00 Tris arrives for ride to school (only for volleyball tryout week.)
7:30 Starbucks. Yeah! Pike’s coffee-of-the-day is da bomb….
7:45 Drop off Tris at Keku, then go to Toshi’s to pick up a box of cone sushi.
8:00 Design & develop a wiki to host handouts & resources for teachers.
8:30 Planned visit to a co-worker’s home is cancelled.
9:00 Burn audio books to CD and meet w/ team members in my office. Coach Pono shares about his club volleyball team’s national championship. (Cool!)
10:00 Record a videotaped message to a co-worker. Played a song on my guitar, but messed up.
10:30 Start production on updated version of KES parent orientation DVD.
11:30 Lunch at Meg’s w/ Cy & Tim. Thursday’s special, the “miso-paka” (opakapaka fish.)
12:30 Assist grade 4 teacher w/ data backup, installation of fonts, & setup of Apple store account.
1:30 Started 2.0 upgrade of my iPod Touch (took forever.)
2:00 Examined new del.icio.us website, now known as “delicious” (social bookmarking site.)
2:30 Continued work on wiki site and Ning site (mashup.)
3:00 Discovered that IT has now blocked MySpace on the admin. network. How’s that??
3:30 Emailed letter to one of the organizers of the upcoming PodCamp conference.
3:45 Learned to embed different types of widgets on our particular wiki. Continued work on wiki.
4:15 Yaba-daba-doo….
5:00 Grocery shopping. Filled gas ($65 for three-quarter tank….)
6:00 Dinner of canned spaghetti. Pretty gross.
6:30 Twittered: “why does canned spaghetti taste so nasty? what on earth are they putting in it?”
7:00 Bo-cha.
7:30 Read and/or get back on the computer. Maybe check out Waikele Borders/Starbucks, which is only a block away…. (Thursday night’s minichurch now moved to Wednesday.)
11:00 Sleep.

Looking forward to a “Happy Aloha Friday” tomorrow….

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Horses in Waikele….

Really! I kid you not! There are horses just across the street from my house. There’s this huge lot behind Waikele Elementary School. We saw them today from our Sunday School classes at HCWO.

You would think you’d kinda know your immediate neighborhood after living there for 10 years….

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Shave Ice Wars….

It is often debated. “Who has the best shave ice?” Well, I was given the opportunity to find out first-hand this past Friday. Our Kamehameha Schools ESS division had its nohona cultural activity in Hale’iwa. The 90 of us stood in line at Matsumoto’s. After standing in the sun for a few minutes, I realized that I could go to Aoki’s and have a shave ice while waiting in the long Matsumoto’s line. No, I’m not a pig. I did this for the sake of research…. Anyway, I first had the Aoki’s shave ice. It was great! In fact, the locals prefer Aoki’s over Matsumoto’s. Then, I got my Matsumoto’s shave ice. Woh. There was a difference. I actually liked the Matsumoto’s a lot better. Funny, but it seemed a lot “colder.” I liked the ice better (must be the water,) and the texture (must be the blades,) and it melted slower (they must refrigerate their syrup.) They were both great, but IMHO, Matsumoto’s wins. Now this is not an exact science. I will need to replicate this experiment a few more times….