throwback

you’d think with something like 8000 pictures to choose from, i wouldn’t have any trouble finding something to share on thursdays. but i have been struggling the last few weeks….

so, this is from mid-october 2007. i don’t recall for what celebratory reason we’d gathered at kona brewing company. from the lei emma has donned, i’m guessing it was her birthday. or it could have been something school related…. can you graduate in mid-october from a masters or phd program?


from left to right: dean, becky, me, emma, beks, katja.

i miss these guys.

and can’t help but think… i’m the only one pictured that’s still single.

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this week’s throwback thursday was an easy one, thanks to facebook.


this is me, looking like some kind of fancy dwarf, with the very attractive ashley kruse on my arm. she was kind enough to be my date to the equality hawaii gala at aloha tower in september of 2013.

the gala was a formal fundraising event for the organization as we made the final push for marriage equality in hawaii. i reluctantly agreed to don a suit, newly acquired, just for the occasion…. it a fun night all around, though the highlight for me was having ashley accompany me.

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i received a text late last night from an old friend who is back on island for a wedding. though it’s not clear if our schedules will allow for a catch-up, i woke up this morning thinking about today’s post and the gang of friends i used to have here. they’ve all since moved away.

these are some pictures from a going-away gathering for one such member of the gang before her departure for the west coast of america.

(from left to right: dean, katja, macy, me)

there was good food involved….

and as often happens with me, i’ve lost contact with most of these folks, though facebook minimizes that a bit.

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i sat down at my computer, trying to get some work done and realized what today is. september 11, 2016. 15 years ago our country faced a horrible tragedy at the hands of evil madmen.

though i hadn’t planned to post anything today, instead writing for posts tomorrow and (maybe) tuesday, i thought i’d take a moment to contemplate….

here’s a look at what i wrote on the 5th anniversary.

even today, the footage is hard to watch.

a lot’s happened since that day our country changed, since we became afraid of, well, everything. 15 years later, we’re still waging a war on islamic extremism, with arguably little effect. and at least a portion of the country is intent on waging war against the whole islamic religion.

it seems to me, the world is a much scarier, much sadder place than it was before september 11,2001.

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the fall of 2010 was an a defining year for me. i worked my first session at the capitol for representative mina morita in between two stretches of unemployment.

these were taken at an reception for george takei, who had accepted an invitation to a fundraiser for equality hawaii, the largest lgbt rights organization in hawaii.

being a huge trekkie, this event was so exciting; you can tell by the enormous grin on my face.

you might notice i’m fairly thin here. i was pretty sick, actually, and several weeks later, i’d be diagnosed with crohn’s disease.

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