The Gloger

5

2012-02-25T23:23:00.001-08:00

Colin turned 5 last week. We had a great birthday party with a huge bounce house. The company brought it to the house, set it up, left it for 8 hours, then came back to pack it up and take it away.

Just perfect.

We had McDonalds birthday parties when I was a kid and we thought that was pretty cool. Colin had a blast with his bounce house as did the rest of the kiddos in the neighborhood.

It was a batman themed party and we were lucky to score the caped crusader's bounce house. However, when it came time to select a cake, my boy wanted one thing. An Air Force cake. The one people use at promotions that gives you blue teeth. He didn't even want to add a Batman or jet on top. He just wanted a cake to be like dad.

That's my boy; sniff, sniff.

On his actual birthday I took him to a squadron basketball game. His first ever. He wanted a big foam finger to root for the Tigers with. His Mom made him something very close since she couldn't find an orange foam finger on short notice. He cheered, he roared and the team pulled out an overtime victory. I loved telling him about the game.

Hard to believe we have two kids over the age of 5. Where did the time go? I'm thankful for him, even though he is in a phase and testing our patience. He's a clever, funny little dude and he makes me want to be a better man and a great example for him.

C'mon Dave Gimme a Break

2012-02-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the new Van Halen album? If not I recommend you don't bother. To quote Mike Myers from So I Married an Axe Murderer, "It's not Scottish, it's crap!" And this is definitely not Scottish.

Van Halen's history is like a trailer park wedding gone bad, or a country song that just won't end. Van Halen parted ways with their first wife, er, lead singer David Lee Roth in 1985 then married, er, signed with Sammy Hagar. Van Hagar had a successful run until they hit the marital skids in 1995.

In 1996 Van Halen briefly flirted with their 1st wife, Diamond Dave, for a greatest hits album and two new songs. But then they split, again. In 1998 Van Halen released a new album with Gary Cherone, formally of Extreme. They lasted exactly one album, then split. Then in 2004 they reunited with Sammy for another greatest hits album and three new songs. That too was short lived. Following their reunion tour the band split, yet again.

Then in 2007 they reunited with Roth for a blow out world tour, no album. This time they booted bassist Michael Anthony who'd weathered the storms until then. His crime was touring with Sammy after the latest break up. Hey, a dude's gotta work. Added to the line up was Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertoneli's son, Wolfgang, as the new bassist.

Their tour in 2007 was impressive and Wolfgang Van Halen can definitely play bass. But they sang David Lee Roth (DLR) era songs only. Sammy always had to sing DLR songs. Didn't seem quite fair.

Now here we are, right here and right now in 2012. 28 years since the last Van Halen album with DLR, 14 years since the band had an entirely new album. Should be spectacular right? Should be mind blowing right?

No, it was Star Wars Episode One the Phantom Menace, or Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Lots of anticipation after decades, really big let down.

To be fair the new album, a Different Kind of Truth, is not quite Jar Jar Binks heinous. Instead it's an after thought. The band used to brag that their second album, uniquely titled Van Halen II, was produced in a week. I think they cranked out a Different Kind of Truth in less time.

The only song that really sticks with you is Tattoo. The music there is pure VH, very modern sounding and bold. But the lyrics are just David Lee Dumb. A pathetic attempt to connect with today's youth. He's more game show host than singer.

Everything on this album goes to 11. There is strategic pause here, no I'll Wait, How do I know When It's Love or even Dreams. No, this is much more from the Women and Children First era. Afterburner the whole way. This may appeal to some but as much as Eddie's music has matured, I hate to see a return to something that is slightly more than noise at times. Worse yet is every song I kind of like on this album harkens back to some other song of there's. Nothing new to see here move along.

The best song on the album, and the only one worth downloading, is called Stay Frosty. It is totally unoriginal, and is pretty much just Ice Cream Man with new lyrics. But, it rocks and has this great line that had me in chuckling for days:

I looked to east and struggled to stay afloat
A solitary Buddhist Monk threw me a rope
Looked me in the eye
Said don't make me say this twice
You wanna be a monk you got cook a lot of rice

C'mon Dave Gimmie a Break!

Hawaii 4-0

2012-02-06T00:55:00.000-08:00

It was 40 years in the making, and it was epic.

My friend and his girlfriend flew out so us old dudes could celebrate our 40th birthdays. Well mine is actually in a few weeks but both dark days fall in this month.

Though the pictures pretty much speak for themselves, I believe a little bit of exposition is in order.

When we discussed celebrating our 40th's on Hawaii, we quickly set upon the notion of a Magnum P.I. theme. We thought we'd go on a helicopter ride, rent a Ferrari and wear fake mustaches. Unfortunately, we could only find one Ferrari rental and it was $2,500 per day! Helicopter rides are not cheap either, and the recent blue helicopter crash in Maui had me more concerned than the price!

So that left authentic Magnum Hawaii Shirts, sunglasses, Detroit Tigers faded and fitted ball caps and Hollywood mustaches from an actual movie make up artist! Many thanks to my bud for providing the accoutrements!

So what do two knuckleheads do once dressed up as twin Magnum P.I.s? Or Mario and Luigi? What else, make white russians and watch the Big Lebowski! Our annual tradition. And have lightsabre battles with the kids' toys.

We also invited the neighbors over to have their pictures taken with the phony 80's TV stars! Our lady love's were great sports as we recanted tales of yore.

The next morning we got up, slowly. I was hurting but my lovely wife bought me a handy dandy, single sized serving of Gatorade (read two liters). Which I downed and it turned me around. We made it to not just one, but two beaches before ending the evening at a nice steak place in Waikiki.

We did other things too like the north shore and shaved ice. We saw sea turtles and huge waves, surfers, submarines and so forth. And though we were too late to catch the last launch for the Arizona memorial, we did tour Ford Island and see the Utah.

And the week is not over yet. The theme is really more kicking 40's ass than Magnum P.I. And though 40 may not look great in the morning after a night of consuming white russians by the bucket load, it really just needs some time to wake up.

Diamond Head!

2012-01-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

Finally!

Today we hiked Diamond Head Crater.

It isn't a hike in the sense that you're on a dusty trail with soil in your boots, but it's a hike up a hill to be sure. It was a sunny and beautiful day with a strong breeze.

Parking is limited, so my advice is the same as in previous posts. Better to hit this on a weekday and the earlier the better. We had to park at the community college at the bottom of the hill which added a mile each way. No biggie but you feel it on the way down. $1 per person to get into the park, $5 per car. There are also trollies and taxis but we used neither.

Things to bring:

1. Sunglasses. The wind and dirt were blowing hard, so to speak.
2. Sun screen. Because it's hot, and sunny and if you're a tourist from the snow soaked midwest you'll feel it.
3. Water. Although if you forget this they sell it there.
4. Hiking shoes or running shoes.
5. Finally, a camera. Pack light light though. I probably overpacked my camera bag/backpack.

Everywhere we've been this weekend we saw a ton of Japanese Tourists. Today was no exception. At least half those visiting Diamond Head were Japanese. There were a few other European travelers, but mostly Japanese. I almost took a picture of a Japanese girl taking a picture. I thought it would have captured the essence, but I passed.

Though we saw a few folks with kids or elderly, I don't recommend taking either. Unless you want to carry them down the hill. We were quite glad we left our whiny offspring at home!

One last thing I'd recommend is to take a left at the fork in the road. This happens at the top, after you travel through a tunnel right out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Turn left kids! Big Ben, Parliament! Or in this case it's a much easier ascent to the amazing view by going round the left.

Otherwise you're in line for a tight set of stairs, a spiral staircase up, and climbing through an old battery. And I don't mean Duracell. No, I mean an artillery battery.

This was really worth the trip. I'm glad we finally got to it, 7 months after moving here. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Click on them for larger views.

Panos From Oahu

2012-01-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

A few panos courtesy of Photoshop Elements 8 photomerge. Click on the pics for larger, and better, views. Love it!

Oahu in 48 Hours

2012-01-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

My Mom and cousin flew into town Wednesday night. Due a test I had to take Thursday morning, we didn't get into any hardcore tourism until yesterday, Friday. Friday pretty much rolled like this:

Dole plantation, check!

North shore to see the Sea Turtles, check!

Luisbeunos for lunch, check!

Arizona Memorial, check!

Really that's about 3 days worth of stuff crammed into one. Our guests were wiped out by the end of it, especially with the jet lag kicking in.

So today we took it easy and went to Bellows which we think is the best beach on the Island (at least that we've seen) and is rarely crowded. Now our guests are out shopping with my Mom's friend from high school who lives on the Island.

Tomorrow we're probably going to, finally, hike Diamond Head!

Here's a few things that may help. Go during the week. It'll be much less crowded and much easier to park. Be sure to get some Dole Whip at the Dole plantation, I finally scored some and it was awesome!

Same goes for the sea turtles. Earlier and during the week is better, the parking there is dangerous at best and so much easier when it isn't as crowded.

For the Arizona Memorial you need to either get there right when they open or right after lunch. The tickets are free but go quickly. The movie you watch waiting to board the boat over to the memorial is excellent. But I should warn you that there are dead bodies and it was a bit disturbing (Liv's favorite new word now) for the kids.

Colin said "Hey! I thought the good guys always won!"

Liv said "The dead bodies were icky but at least there was no blood." But what bothered her the most surprised me. 2300 dead or so and she was worried about what happened to their children, whom she assumed were all orphaned. I explained that their mothers likely went back to the mainland with them them, but that yes, it was very difficult for children who lost parents in the war.

Once we arrived at the memorial it sent chills down my spine. I'd heard the oil was still leaking out, 70 years later, but I didn't know we'd see and smell it! It's amazing, worth the trip, and something I'd been hoping to do for a long time. The kids really left understanding what it was about.

Many thanks to my grandparents' generation for fighting back fascism, preserving democracy, and turning our country from an isolationist backwater into the greatest superpower and force for freedom the world has ever seen.

Today we hit Bellows, where a midget submarine was actually captured on 8 Dec 1941, which was great as usual. My cousin got to body surf and Colin enjoyed that for a time as well. Although we forgot goggles! So as soon as the salt water hit his eyes we were done. Off to the playground then lunch then home. The kids were uber disappointed that the Bellows shaved ice joint was closed. We heard about it all the way home.

So in retrospect we should have gone to Matsumoto's when we were on the North Shore.

I think you too can knock all of this out in two days if you do so during the week. I'll let you know in a future post how hiking Diamond Head went.

All the pictures were shot with a Nikon D90 and 18-55VR kit lens. A few tweaks in photoshop elements 8, mainly increasing the clarity and vibrance. Enjoy!

Catching Up

2012-01-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

So I'm a bit late to need here. I've been away from the blog for too long due to a busy work schedule and also an Air War College Test. Done with that, but waiting on results. Currently I am on leave with family in town, more on that in the next post. Above is a decent shot of Air Force One. The Obama's were here for the holidays. Nice ride if you can score it. It's long since left.

Below is my boy Colin contemplating Pearl Harbor. Ok, really he just didn't want his picture taken. Enjoy.

A Walk in the Park

2011-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Becky took the kids to the Hickam heritage park for a picnic. They got to hang out with some super cool historic jets and even Air Force 1! Well, it was nearby anyway. The kids got to see a Korean era F-86E fighter and the F-4 Phantom II of Vietnam fame, a jet my father flew in the back of post Vietnam in the Indiana Air National Guard. The F-86 was recently re-painted and dedicated.

I once met a Air National Guard pilot who flew F-16s. He had previously been in the Marine Corps where he flew F-18s. I thought this was beyond cool and asked him which jet was superior -- something oft debated in military circles.

He didn't miss a beat, he looked me dead in the eye and said "the F-4!" Which he'd apparently flown prior to the F-18.

Around the same time I talked to my Vice Wing Commander Col Mike "Boodie" Bodenheimer. We were looking a an F-16 that was about to become a jet cycle (that's what we called jet's on a stick up in Alaska). He too had flown the F-4 and said it was his favorite jet. A plot's first love or just a really macho jet, either way it's really cool to see the kids with the F-4.

So Long 2011

2011-12-30T22:26:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone? Since this time last year we've moved twice! Once to Oahu, then again onto base. Started a new job. Tried several different schooling options. Said goodbye to a wonderful home, friends and job in California. Said hello to a new wonderful job and friends new and old!

Also of note this year Becky taught the kids how to swim. Liv lost her first three teeth! I got to flight see Tahoe and the Golden Gate bridge in a T-38! We went to Maui and San Francisco. We sold a house. Colin knocked out one of his front teeth on his sister's head! Liv discovered the joy of Jeggins. It's been quite the roller coaster.

On the really bright side we've made some huge strides with our daughter's health conditions and have landed a good set of docs here. It was quite a quest to go through but it's been amazing the difference the last few weeks. Also moving onto base has been a huge change in the amount of time we have together and my stress level has decreased dramatically!

This year I got a jumpstart on the new year's resolutions. I cut out caffeine! Second time I've done so in a decade. I did it to lose weight, and did. About 5 lbs worth. When I am jacked on the sauce I eat like crazy. A lot less snacking now. Better sleep. Fewer headaches. And a lot less grouchy Gus, or errr, Giff. My runs are a lot better. I no longer get the shakes and have to stop. I can run a lot longer now.

I miss it. I really, really do. But the problem was I couldn't just have one cup o' joe, or one can of Coke Zero. Oh no, I needed the entire pot, or the entire 6 pack. I'm much better off this way and can't believe I managed it.

I'm not trying to get preachy and tell you to go and quit. If you can handle the sauce have at it man, I'm jealous. If you want to quit, you could use my no step plan. Cut out a cup a day. When get to zero make sure that is on a weekend. Take aspirin for the headaches, drink a ton of water, and take naps.

Though a great year for caffeine withdrawal, I can't say that it was a great year for photography. I thought it started out well and really thought I'd have a ton to work with here in the islands. But I haven't been practicing enough. I also couldn't get Becky into hiking where I thought a lot of the money shots would occur. Something about being away form a bathroom for too long! Frankly, her rainbow pics on her iPhone have been the best pics this year. And yeah, we got iPhones this year. Love 'em, never going back.

New Year's resolutions for 2012? Nothing earth shattering. Lose more weight, 10 more lbs is my goal. I was 10 lbs lighter when we left Rhode Island (I was running like crazy then) so I know I can get back to it. I need to finish Air War College (AWC). I'm close. Test 5 is already scheduled and I think I'll be mission complete with this two year, arduous affair by the end of Feb, or by the time I cross over into my 40's! So basically, the same damn resolutions as last year. Ugh.

When I finish AWC I expect to post something like this on Facebook. I'll take famous quotes and replace them with AWC. Like on Saturday Night Live when Will Ferrel does Jeopardy with Sean Connery, and the Connery impersonator says, "suck it Trebeck!" So in my case it'll be

"Suck it AWC!"

Oh the joy I get just thinking about this. Or take this quote from Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan where Khan says to Kirk "To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee! " Well okay that's a quote of a quote form Moby Dick. But just imagine it,

"AWC to the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake AWC, I spit my last breath at thee!" Yup, pretty much nails how I feel.

I was inspired to do this by someone at work who recently read the bible the passage from 1 Corinthians about love that you hear at a lot of weddings, "Love is patient, love is kind." Except he replaced love with his own name. It took all the military bearing and training I had to keep from snickering. He was doing fine until the name substitution, it's a great passage.

So once AWC is in the rear view mirror I'll have more time to get out and take those pics I had in my mind before coming to Hawaii! Moreover I'll really be able to enjoy the new Kindle the family gave me for Christmas, and NOT read about anything to do with work, air, war or colleges!

I'm very grateful to be at the point where we are and I wish all of you 3 or 4 readers a happy and wonderful 2012!

And to All a Good Night

2011-12-26T18:13:00.000-08:00

Twas the day after Christmas and all around the block the kiddos were scooting and having a blast!

Yesterday was simply wonderful. We had a great day with our kiddos and our friends who were kind enough to come over and share the day with us. Hard to believe we made it considering we moved three weeks ago. The tree is new and the listing star on top is an unintentional ode to the Christmas Story movie.

Colin was up first at about 5:30 am, we made him stay in bed until his sister arouse with a clatter about 45 minutes later.

A great morning ensued with gifts, games, an dolls, and lightsabres! Yes, everyone in the family has one now. Liv and Becky's are mostly for self defense. Colin and I have fought about 100 battles since.

Colin got his scooter repretiore down within a day. And that's ALL he wants to do, ALL day long. He was frustrated at first but I give him great credit for sticking with it and within a day already trying out stunts that the older boys are doing.

Becky got some nice gift cards and a new knife set that actually matches, vice the miss mash we've cobbled tighter over the years. But -- I forgot to order the thing she actually asked for, some exercise DVDs. Whoops! And somehow in the move we lost a box that contained an outfit for Liv's doll. Ugh. That doll stuff is more expensive than real clothes for little girls.

This morning Liv was up at 4 am playing with her new loot. Colin slept in later but from the instant he awoke there's was nothing doing but to go outside and scooter! Which we've done, ALL, day, long. Colin also rode his bike alongside me while I jogged which was beyond cool.

The Kickboard scooters were picked specifically for the kids to learn on and have been worth every penny. Pricey, but good. The lightsabres were cheaper and also really cool. They don't retract but the sound effects are righteous. And they bang together real well in duels to the death between father and son! So much better than the blow up, flashlight types we had as kids that broke after three swings.

Colin's drill set was a huge hit as well. I was fortunate enough to score a Kindle Touch, but haven't had a chance to shake it out. I need to finish my Air War College before I can get back to reading for fun.

No camera gear this year and I don't think the pics turned out great. I should have used this one, the 35mm f/1.8 lens, to deal with the lower light but the space is also a bit tight so I opted for the wider kit lens.

Oh but there is so much more to Christmas than the loot. The best part was time spent with family and friends. I hope you and yours had a great day as well. We are ridiculously fortunate to have what we do, and super grateful to live in this amazing country. Mostly I am grateful to all of service men and women around the globe protecting our freedom and way of life amid great sacrifice.

And now to clean up the lego factory explosion in our living room and get ready for leftovers from an awesome Christmas dinner!

For the Record, I Should Have Listened to My Wife!

2011-12-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

We bought Olivia a pink Green Machine for her birthday. Her birthday was two weeks ago. I ordered it 6 weeks ago, it just arrived. Thanks a lot Sports Authority and USPS.

One it arrived, of course, it was in a box in many, many tiny pieces. Becky wisely suggested that I just take it to the bike shop and pay them to assemble it.

Instead, I tried to tackle it. Why? Because I thought the bike shop would take too long, like the USPS. Because I thought traffic would be bad.

Actually the assembly process went well until the final step. Install the pedals. The first one screwed on nice and tight, the other was stripped and would't attach no matter what we did. So after staying up late to work on this, Liv work up the next morning with a new pink Green machine sans a pedal, as in, enjoy your bright and shiny new non functioning birthday present.

Thankfully she was a good sport about it. As soon as the bike shop opened up we were first in line. They were able to affix two new pedals and fix the damage done to the crank. It was nothing like I thought. The bike shop was easy to get to and had super helpful dudes who fixed our problem quickly. I highly recommend them, check out their website here.

So why a Green Machine? Our daughter has core strength issues and balance challenges that she is seeing an occupational therapists for. She struggles with the upright bikes, even with training wheels. I didn't want her to be left out when the other kids rode their bikes. The green machine is both low to ground, requires little balance, and hauls ass. This may be the perfect bike for SPD kids.

It took a few adjustments before we got to the point where parts weren't falling off, and thank God Colin found the missing bolt! But now that it's together, she's doing extremely well with it.

Becky picked up a used Strider for Colin so he wouldn't feel left out. It has no pedals and is supposed to teach kids how to balance on their bikes.

So what have we learned today kids? First off, don't try this at home. Get the guys at the bike shop to assemble the bike for you. It's worth every cent. Besides, even if you try to do it yourself you may end up there in the end anyway. So save yourself a trip.

Secondly, you can also apply this lesson to Christmas eve. Take the toys out of the box, dissemble them from the packaging, and put the batteries in. Then wrap them up. In the good old stays our toys came with batteries and popped right out of the container. Of course we also rode in the car at 60 mph hanging out the window, neigh a seatbelt or car seat in sight.

Nowadays the toys are wedged in and locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Furthermore, you have to unscrew the battery covers? Seriously? This just causes pain and frustration for all involved on Christmas morning.

I hope you have a great Holiday, one filled with joy. And no missing screws!

Party Like It's 1999

2011-12-14T23:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the first of two holiday parties we're attending this year. It was down at the Moana Surfrider. The view of Diamond Head was simply amazing. Of course it took us over an hour to get there! And we live 30 minutes closer to Waikiki now!

It was an amazing spread of food and the message of the night was grtitude for those who keep us safe. It was very classy.

The door prizes were amazing. We didn't win the iPad2 or the two night stay at the Surfrider though.

If you're going to visit Oahu this is a great place to do it. Or to quote Ferris Bueller: " It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

The pano, you knew there would be one didn't you, was done with an iPhone 4. Nothing special. The iPhone 4s' camera is much better, and even that is no substitute for my D90, which aint even all that. But the view is amazing and over comes the samera's limitations. Of limfacs as we say in the military.

I stitched these together in PSE8 with the auto mode for panos then made some slight adjustments in lightroom. Enjoy!

On the Road Again

2011-12-03T22:52:00.001-08:00

Thankfully this is a view of my commute that I will no longer have to see.

It doesn't matter what time I drive home on the H-1, I've even gone home at 10:30 pm and seen this. But no more.

Christmas come early. We're moved onto base and so far loving it. When the movers arrived it was our 7th move together and my 11th. This is the second time we've ever moved locally.

We're giving up the pool and about 4 or 500 Sq feet. But we're gaining central air and a dramatically reduced commute time. Furthermore, it puts us much closer to events on base such as graduations and intramural sports, of which there are many; the airport, doctors and what will hopefully be a better school situation for both kiddos.

Don't get me wrong. We are very grateful to have been at the old house. When we moved to the island there was nothing available on base. New housing opened up and our land lords were willing to work with us. Becky toiled to get a new tenant lined up.

This was my daughter telling me ghost stories as we sat outside and the movers packed us up. She may be a novelist when she grows up.

Her Mom is also a good story teller. And an amazing wife that I am super grateful for. It isn't easy being a military spouse. You move all the time. Show up at a new residence and the hubby rolls out to work. Meanwhile the wife gets to juggle two crazy kids, unpacking, setting up new schools and making the world right for the rest of us.

It's not all rainbows, puppies and unicorns. It's a ton of hard work, especially with this crew.

On the bright side she's done it again. A beautiful home and stress levels reduced across the board.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

2011-11-26T22:34:00.001-08:00

But you just might find, you get what you need.

I love the Rolling Stones and have since I was old enough to listen to them in the early 80's. Good old fashioned classic rock. Today I played "You Can't Always Get What You Want" to my daughter in a vain attempt to get her to understand that the universe was not, in fact, imploding with the inevitable collapse and nuclear meltdown failure of her birthday party!

And I betcha didn't know that even the Glee Cast did a version of the song! I thought, maybe she'll catch the message better with this newer, updated twist. As Colin rightly pointed out it is decidedly more up tempo.

But I digress, and I hate Glee.

Liv spent the entire morning throwing fit after fit about how horrible her birthday party would be. When we took her to get her cake she let the whole store know how much she hated it and how horrible, stupid and stubborn chocolate cake is! I even got a nasty gram telling me that she hate's Dad!

By the way the employees at the Safeway are going to have to learn some customer service skills if they expect to compete with the super Wal Mart. Because no one is going to Safeway for the high prices.

But I digress.

So merciful Buda be praised, our guests arrived! And off our little girl went, playful and happy. She even ate some of that horrible, awful, stubborn cake. Everything went off without a hitch. The cake, the piñata, and the wonderful gifts. She made out like a bandit.

And since then she's been wonderful. I guess she got what she needed.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T15:56:00.001-08:00

I am thankful that I am actually watching some football this year! In addition to Becky's wonderful meal there were three feeds for our Airmen and crews. It's been a good day. For those of you back on the mainland in snow, rain, slush and bad traffic, a few pictures of what Thanksgiving looks like on Oahu. Come visit next year if you'd like!

And of course I am thankful for all of our Men and Women serving abroad. Thanks for keeping us safe!

A Few Additions to the Holiday Gift Guide

2011-11-19T20:26:00.001-08:00

First off I forgot to mention that if you buy Adobe Lightroom 3 you really need to get the missing manual.

This is the one I have and it rocks, as does everything by Scott Kelby: The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers. This will help and LR3 owner/user to no end. Really easy to use and understand.

Another good book recommendation is really a series of books. The most recent of which is A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin. Of course to understand it you'll have to go back and read the other four books in the Fire and Ice series. A bit of a warning, this is not for the squeamish. Think Lord of the Rings if Stephen King had written it. Definitely "R" rated fare and not for anyone easily offended. The first of the series was made into a miniseries on HBO. Also the best thing I saw on TV all year.

Continuing with the book theme Becky recommends the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. She couldn't put it down, any of them. And she squealed with delight every time she learned there was another book out there in the series. I don't think she noticed me until she finished all of them.

Finally, and breaking from the book theme, one more camera recommendation. Well, a flash actually. The Nikon SB-700. I don't have this but I covet it. Why? It is very similar to my 600 but has a flip switch on the back that throws it into remote for off camera flash. Can't wait to try this, if I can talk Becky into letting me buy it.

Even More Maui Pics

2011-11-19T15:15:00.001-08:00

A few more pics for you. The first of them is of the top of Air Force 1. We got a better view of it driving the opposite direction but didn't have the iPhone out. Also below are some pics from the pool at the Westin.

Liv looks oh, so sweet in her picture but nothing could have been further from the truth on the trip. Apparently the iPhone camera doesn't capture horns, pitchforks and bifurcated tails.

Finally are a few pics taken not with the iPhone but with the Nikon D90 and 35mm f1.8. Becky got back form a haircut so Colin and I set up the shoot before she got back. In Colin's picture he's holding his own little camera. Natural light from the back door.

So the big lesson post Maui is more staycation's, especially with the kiddos. For instance, friends of ours went to the Ko'Olina Disney resort this weekend. The Disney resort has both water slides AND Disney characters. So for Oahu residents this a great way to save money vice going to another island with non-appreicative kiddos.

More Maui Pics

2011-11-17T15:49:00.001-08:00

Photos from our jaunt to Maui. Top pic is the view from the hotel room. Below that is the world's largest banyan tree. The rest is pretty self explanatory. I shot all of these with my now dated Nikon D90 and a 18-55 vr kit lens. The lens leaves something to be desired in low light settings. I think I need to get this Nikon 24-70 f2.8 but I don't think the wife will let me drop $1800 on a lens.

So I am pining for this Sigma instead. Half the cost and smaller to boot. It would have come in very handy to say the least. Still all things considered, the pics turned out ok. The shot of my daughter was from the hard rock cafe and all window light. The shot of Colin was in the Reef Dancer glass-bottom boat/submarine thingy. Low light but very diffuse. Enjoy.

Maui

2011-11-17T13:00:00.001-08:00

Whoever said getting there was half the fun was full of $#!t! We went to Maui this week. I’ve always wanted to go to Maui, none of us have ever been before. I thought I’d be taking pictures of waterfalls from lush rain forest hikes. I thought we’d be taking helicopter rides (but passed on that due a crash in Maui last week).

So instead we descended into Dante’s inferno.

Maybe it’s all the Tom and Jerry they’ve been watching, maybe it was being off their schedule. Maybe it was not sleeping well or the fact that they didn’t get enough to eat (not for lack of trying on our part but apparently everything in Maui is "yucky!"). Maybe it was God punishing me for all the times I made my parents miserable when traveling. Regardless, we did learn one thing this trip. We aint nevah evah evah gonna travel wif dem kids again!

In the end we did some fun things. A glass bottom boat/submarine tour, and aquarium and cool waterpark like pools at the hotel. However, it quickly dawned on us we could have saved some major bank and dome the exact same things locally!

Now I will say this about Maui. It is beautiful -- and we didn’t even get to the east side which is more green and lush. Maui is more laid back and much less populated. Getting around is considerably easier and makes much more sense than it does here on Oahu. And I think this would be an incredible place to honeymoon, travel if it is just to two of you, or maybe for families with older kids (teens who will appreciate chilling at the beach all day for instance).

On the way to the airport we did get to see Air Force One and the Russian equivalanet. The remnants of the APEC conference getting ready to leave. Fortunately, this did not cause us any traffic hassles.

One thing we learned on this trip is there’s actually more than one inter-island terminal at the Honolulu international airport. Go Mokulele (pronounced like "Mo" from the Three Stooges with a "Ukelele" minus the “U”) and Island air have their own little terminal with, and this is key, it’s own parking lot! This is not very clear from the Go Mokulele web site or the signs leading to the parking lot. And they don’t sell any gum at the airport! So pack up before you head out if you have kids whose ears pop with the changes in altitude.

Go-Mokulele was almost no-go Mokulele . We were delayed about 45 minutes. Now since this was it’s own, small little terminal -- not the much larger inter island, Hawaiian Air terminal, it does not take long to get through security and then you're left with few options for food. One bar and grill with a tiny menu and a food cart, which left at one point when the lady running it went to lunch.

The kids were wound up like tops and already fighting. Once we finally boarded it was a quick and fun 22 minutes over to maui. We flew past the island of Moloka’i and over Lana’i. Once there we made our way easily enough to baggage and the rental car place, Thrifty. We got a Jeep Patriot which is ok for a rental but I’ve driven golf carts with greater power, better handling, and more responsive brakes. It did; however, fit all of us and our gear without any difficulty.

Olivia called our hotel on the West coast of Maui the “Best Westin”, which was quite funny. Honestly I do not think it was the best Westin. $25 fee for internet that didn’t even work and $90 breakfasts. Sheets that crinkle louder than an F-22 taking off. If you can find a hotel with free breakfast I think you should go that route. $35 for a beach chair. Really? Seriously?

They did have a good pool though (5 pools actually) and Colin loved the “Keiki Slide”. There was a cave or tunnel with waterfalls on either side and inside was a whirlpool that the kids loved. Swimming was a huge hit as were the flamingos, koi and Black Swan named Newman.

The beach was fun too but we didn’t actually spend much time there. And in one instance, after dinner while walking back to the hotel, Liv was playing in the sand with the water to her back. A big wave crashed upon her and she flipped out. I think mostly from the surprise.

But the big hit of the trip was the Reef Dancer glassbottom boat submarine thingy. They have divers who bring things up for you to see. Colin wants to join the Navy and be on a Submarine so this was a big hit for him. Both kids ticked off their fish-finder cards without much mind to anything they actually saw. We also went to the aquarium which was terrific.

Did I mention the kids fought? The whole time. I don’t know what made me think we could do this. Our last attempt at a vacation with them was equally bad, Monterey in the summer of 2010. At times it seemed as if our kids were the only ones not listening to their parents, being rambunctious and causing consternation. Obviously the wonders of Maui were completely lost on them. We try hard not to spoil them. We are really befuddled by this but we’re not taking them on vacation again anytime soon. We’re talking a decade at least.

On the way back we did not get to the airport quite as early which helped a lot. By that I mean less time for the kids to be bored, fight and cause mayhem. Though the Maui airport is much nicer than Honolulu's, their security check points were obviously designed decades prior to 9/11. After we got through the gauntlet there was no where to put our shoes back on. Frustrated, I went upstairs, barefoot, until I found a bench to sort us back out. I must have looked awfully silly, and Becky mentioned it was a good thing no shoe bombs were found while I stormed off barefoot, or TSA may have descended upon me like a pack of wild, rabid dogs.

We got onto the ride home without delay but Colin was intrigued by the whole conversation about shoe bombers. So, again bouncing off the walls as if we’d just given him a six-pack of cokes, Colin gets in his seats and yells at the top of his lungs repeatedly, “We’re gonna crash, we’re gonna die! Tell me about the bomb Mom!”. Yes, we are now those people with the kids everyone wants to throw off the plane. Yay us.

Next up for us is the Big Island. That is assuming we can get grandparents out here to watch the rugrats while we go. Our other plan, to simply leave out bowls of water and food may not fly with child protective services. Don’t get me wrong, we love the kiddos, even when they lock up and look like a battle sequence from the Matrix. Bottom line though is what we really need is not a vacation with the kids, but perhaps a vacation from them!

Below is a picture of me standing at wit's end.

Hawaii 5-Oh

2011-11-13T19:47:00.001-08:00

It's Sunday. There are no three day weekends in my line of work. That third day just gets you behind all that much more. And we are going on vacation tomorrow so today was the day to get caught up.

I knew the President was in town this week for the APEC summit. Which President you say? Why all of them from the Pacific. The main highway was going to be shut down today which I knew full well. However, I falsely assumed I'd be fine on the parallel roads and able to get to work. And had I left 5 minutes earlier I would have been fine.

So I am crusing to work along farrington listening to the football scores when all of sudden a Honolulu Police Department officer pulls out in front of me. As he gets out of his car and walks over to me I ask "What did I do?"

Turns out he was blocking access to the on ramp for H-1 because the President's motorcade was about to shoot past to Ko'Olina. To, you know, summit and all.

There I sat for an hour. I realized that even if I ever made it to work I might not make it back. With traffic backed up behind me for a mile. I finally gave up and went home when the cop busted out his blackberry. I worked from home. Because the President made me.

Tell Giff not to work today!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide

2011-11-12T23:08:00.001-08:00

So here we are again with the holidays rapidly descending upon us. This list may help you save some time shopping this year. This is a list of gifts “for him” with the caveat that I have not ops checked all of them.

First off are my Returning Favorites:

My sunglasses!

For years I sat on and lost pair after pair of sunglasses. So I bought cheap knowing they wouldn’t last long. I finally decided that I was spending $100 a year on sunglasses. Time to try a nice pair. I bought Oakleys and absolutely love them. And a year later still have them. Turns out I take better care of the expensive ones (although reasonably priced). They are great for running or cycling. I love these! Absolutely the best purchase I made last year.

I recommend any Oakley. I have a small sized noggin so I picked a pair to work with my face. They've phased it out and here's the new one.

Timex, still ticking.

My $25 Timex Ironman is my favorite watch ever. Don’t waste $2,500 on a fancy Omega – you still won’t look like Daniel Craig as 007. My Timex can't shoot lasers or decrypt Soviet nuclear launch codes, but this watch has taken a licking and kept on ticking and never failed me. For years Timex watches had bands that broke. 1.5 years after buying this bad boy it's still going strong.

Mac attack, still great

Buy a MAC you’ll never go back. Still runs great after 2.5 years. I have to work on PCs at work, and I hate every minute of it. Just buy one, you’ll be glad you did. Doesn't matter which one, whichever floats your boat. If I had the coin I'd go with the big monitor. But I am totally thrilled with my Mac Book pro laptop. Pricey up front but they’ll last you twice as long as a PC. Worth, every, penny.

Compassion International

We now sponsor two kids. Give the gift of giving, make a donation in your loved one’s name. A small amount can buy them a goat and keep a family sustained. I’m also a big fan of the Lukemia Society.

Kindle

This is what I am hoping for under the tree this year! Specifically the Touch 3g. Becky has had hers for 2 years now and still loves it. I read my 1^st book on it this year and am also a big fan. She loves it more than me. I can’t wait to finish Air War College and start reading real books again.

New this year:

iPhone 4!

We finally took the plunge. While I think Becky is unimpressed I can not live without this. But wait there’s more. Now there’s and iPhone 4s! Go get one, you won’t regret it. Works like a champ. Because you never know when or where you’ll need to access your fantasy football stats!

Adobe Lightroom 3

Oh mama! Where have you been all my life! I love this program. It simplifies post processing. I get pics where I want them 10 times faster now. I rarely even use photoshop. Love it! I used a coupon and a gift card and got it for $99. That was about 200 off at the time! Awe-some!

Tangled and Kung Foo Panda 2

Our favorite kids movies of the year. Or at least mine. Puss and Boots was good too but I do not expect to see it on DVD by the end of the year. And they look great in 2D on blu ray. No need for any fancy schmancy 3D. Good times for the whole fam with warmhearted messages.

Boogie Board

I am ambivalent towards this. We picked up some $15 boogie boards for the kids at the Naval Exchange. Liv never took to hers but Colin loved his. The first time. Next time back to Bellows and he wanted nothing to do with it. Ugh. We may have been better off renting but with 18 months more to go here I am still hopeful to get some more use out of these.

Brooks Launch

I’ve had three or 4 brooks shoes in a row. All have been great. My recent pair is the launch for neutral, cushioning. I have had no pain whatsoever while running and my feet feel great. Affordable and terrific running shoe. $90, and a Runner's World Best Debut to boot.

Wait a minute? Nothing about cameras? No not really. I haven’t bought any camera gear this year. I still recommend the Nikon D7000 and D700. You can’t go wrong with anything from the Canon line either, and a great entry level DSLR is the Rebel T3i. Though I have not used one yet, the Olympus EP3 is highly recommend by Laurence Kim and is also one that we use at work with great results.

Best of luck with your holiday shopping this year!

Reading Rainbow

2011-11-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

Nice Picture by my wife Becky!

This one is from Veterans' Day

The Golf Tourney that Saved Christmas

2011-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

To be fair, I really don't like golf. I have not been to a golf tournament since 1999. One of our booster clubs held a tourney Friday to raise money for our holiday party. This is crucial because someone stole $3K from our boosters earlier this year. And it wasn't the 1 per centers.

The only thing that could have made this more like a hallmark holiday flick, would have been if the criminal was caught. Sadly he or she was not. But we did raise enough money to hold our party. And let's face it, even if you aren't any good at golf this view beats a day at the office.

We also celebrated some promotion selections and welcomed one of our warriors back from a deployment. Overall, a really great day. And not only are the views of this golf course amazing but you get up close and personal with jets at the international airport taxiing for take off. I wonder if they ever get hit by a stray golf ball? Too cool.

Pics From The Discovery Fair

2011-11-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat Redux

2011-11-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

He got tired of his cowboy boots

So here was the final tally for Trick or Treat. They went from My Little Pony and Jango Fett to Cinderella and dinosaur T-shirt. Then come the actual night to fetch candy, they were ~~Fiona (from Shrek)~~ Jasmine and a ranch hand.

We only hit a few houses on the block and found a slug creeping down a tree. Both kids were brave enough to pet him.

Today we went to the Discovery Fair at Leeward Community College. I was disappointed that Chevy Chase was not there but otherwise it was a good time. The kids got to hold flowers frozen by liquid nitrogen and crumple them up. They got gallons and slime and made snow. The slime later ruined some carpet tiles.

We even hit a book fair in the library. Too cool but the wife and I can only handle so much of that jazz. The crowds are a bit much for us both.

We did have shaved ice though which was a better hit than the last time the kids tried it.

We followed that with a stop at the world's largest NEX where I had to order some going-away-gifts for folks that are leaving us soon. I think I've mentioned before that the highway system here makes nbo sense. It's like a highway with nothing but one way exits. You end up a lot not being able to get the direction you want without going miles out of your way.

Think Chevy Chase in European Vacation, "Look Kids, Big Ben, Parliament! I can't get left!"

That was me today. I'm glad we made it out alive.

Is this cute or what?