Shave Ice

As we finished our hike through Diamond Head crater, my Midwestern in laws gravitated toward a roach coach colorfully emblazoned with "Hawaiian Shave Ice". I was a little wary.
"There are only a few places where you can get authentic shave ice", I explained. I peered inside and sure enough, "They are making snow cones, not shave ice." I walked away. "Whats the diff?" they asked, thinking I was some sort of snow cone snob. "Real shave ice is made from a razor sharp blade skimming an ultra thin layer off a rotating block of ice. It is topped with syrups from exotic tropical fruits. I like guava or lilikoi. Snow cones are made from crushed ice. You probably like them in grape or cherry. Not the same." They turned around and headed back to the roach coach, probably thinking I was crazy. They ordered cherry.

Shave Ice is da kine, and my buddy Barack agrees.

Barefoot in the Sand

Ellen and I took a quick trip to Molika'i yesterday and kicked it at their famous 3 mile beach. Spectacular.

Mele Kalikimaka

Santa Barbara was getting a bit chilly of late so it was off to Hawaii for a little relaxation. A little run around Diamond Head, some swimming, surfing. I really feel fortunate that I have Hawaiian roots rather than, lets say, some midwest winter hell hole.

Friendship

A friend sent me this the other day. Its funny in that juvenile, sophomoric kinda of way, which suits me just fine.

1. When you are sad, I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue, I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile, I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared, we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried, I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse
it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused, I will use little words.

7. When you are sick,stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall, I'll pick you up and dust you off--After I laugh my butt off!!

9. This is my oath... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask;
-- because you are my FRIEND!

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Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only YOU can feel the true warmth.

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Try sending this to 10 of your closest friends, Then, get depressed 'cause you can only think of 4.

News Worthy

I dug up this news clipping of our overnight adventure.

Lost

We weren't really lost, we just ran out of day light. That was our story after spending one cold December night in the Los Padres wilderness some eight years ago. What started as a morning mountain bike ride up to Little Pine Mountain with my bud Mike T., turned into a day of boulder hopping, creek crossings, and bush whacking. That's what happens when you turn right instead of left. The end was always around the next bend. The following morning we made it to the ranch roads east of Lake Cachuma where we managed a free helicopter ride courtesy of the sheriff department. The first comment from Ellen when we arrived home: "So did you make spoons with Mike to keep warm?"

Knuckle Sandwich

Another remedy from Vince's Big Book of Fringe Medicine. I totally forgot about this gem until Ellen reminded me the other day. You may have heard about shark cartilage and cancer prevention. The theory is, sharks do not get cancer, eat shark cartilage, no cancer for you! I'm a little skeptical about this one but my father-in-law Vince has taken it to another level. Too cheap to actually go to the health food store to buy actual shark cartilage, Vince substituted what he thinks is the next best thing. Chicken Knuckles. I am unclear whether he washes it down with a Listerine chaser.

Don't cramp your style

Ellen calls him a bit eccentric. I call him a little crazy. He gets most of his medical knowledge from his barber and speaks with the authority of a Harvard Medical School grad. He expounds the miraculous healing powers of Listerine and yet when he speaks, I listen with great anticipation. That's my father-in -law, Vince. Spending Thanksgiving day with him was bound to turn up another nugget of medical wisdom. So here it is. The malady: leg cramps. The cure: sleep with a bar of soap under the covers. He has used both Dial and Ivory and they both work. Who knew.

Fight On

I love college football. I love good ol' rivalries. My good friend Tom bleeds Irish green. His father played football for the legendary Knute Rockne and as expected, Tom is about as die hard of a fan as you can get. I repect that. My buddy Cook mocks my love of all things Trojan, but I think he secretly wishes he had a big time college team to root for. I guess it is not the same rooting for UCSB soccer. This weekend USC plays cross town rival UCLA. The Rose Bowl is on the line for the Trojans; the Bruins are looking for the big upset. Ironically the biggist Bruin fan I know, my friend Kristen, did not even attend UCLA. I suppose she just has a penchant for powder blue.