hobbies

this past weekend i spent time with hundreds of progressive activists and leaders from across the state at the people’s congress.

it was an exciting and inspiring two-day conference that i hope will be the beginning of a political shift in hawaii.

i’ll talk more about the whole event later, but for today’s music monday video, i wanted to share a performance that we were honored to witness at the conclusion of the weekend’s work.

kupu hawaii is a non-profit organization that, “empowers future generations to create a more sustainable, pono Hawaii”. the kids who participate in the program come from difficult circumstances, bad homes, etc.

they were at the venue with us the whole weekend. the help prepare and serve us food, helped set up for us. and they were so kind, generous, and so excited about what were were undertaking at the people’s congress. these performances were their way of saying, “thank you” to us.

really, though the whole weekend was incredibly humbling and inspiring, it was the performance of these kinds that nearly brought me to tears sunday afternoon.

please check out and share the two videos, check out the organization, and if you can, please donate. kupu hawaii does amazing work.

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during a discussion of the nodapl action taking place at standing rock, there was a question about whether president obama was planning to attend one last presidential holiday on oahu before leaving the white house.

it was our hope he would return, so protests could be organized near the residence he stays in in kailua. his silence on the issue has been hypocritical, heartless, criminal, and exactly what we’ve come to expect from this president.

alas, it sounds like he’s chosen to wait out his last days within the comfort and safety of the white house security perimeter.

still, the conversation reminded me of a similar protest progressives initiated back in 2010. we called for, among other things, an end to the war in iraq. the action was relatively small, but spirited. and peaceful.

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traveling during the holidays is always an interesting experience, though one i haven’t had in quite some time. most of my regular readers (i’m learning i have quite a bit more than i thought) are aware that i have returned to my childhood home in overland park, kansas for thanksgiving.

its been a good visit so far, particularly as i’ve had lots of time to spend with my youngest nephew, who i haven’t spent as much time with as i’d otherwise prefer.

and its COLD here. i know, i know…. its not really cold, but i’ve embraced the reality that i’ve become a complete sissy to temperature extremes since moving to hawaii more than 14 years ago. so, for the average kansan, the weather has been brisk, or chilly, but not really cold. of course, i beg to differ. friends and family alike have taken some delight in my suffering given where i live.

a couple of quick photos (i’ll share more later).

i was surprised, but pleased to see bubbie’s mochi ice cream for sale at whole foods in overland park. is it terrible to be surprise that folks in kansas know what mochi ice cream is?

here’s an experience i haven’t had in many, many years; waiting patiently while a train moves through the area. i was there for a minute, or two before i could continue….

beyond all that, i haven’t much to share. i did want to take a moment, however belatedly, to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe thanksgiving holiday. i hope you’ve all been able to enjoy quality time with loved ones.

i’m certainly thankful i’ve been able to.

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after returning from a lovely evening with friends for dinner and a movie, i realized i still needed to record something for today.

so, here’s one from my high school days (damn i’m getting old). i like this song that, for better or worse, reminds me of a string of unrequited loves and crushes i do my best not to recount on this blog.

i’m still struggling a bit with properly syncing the audio and video. this one was trickier, for some reason, than the last couple.

anyway, happy music monday.

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i’m learning that though i have a lot of pictures, they’re not very well organized, not to mention that they’re not all in one location. this makes it a bit frustrating to find pictures to post.

anyway…. after spending too much time fist-shaking at flickr and prime photos, i’ve settled on a few from thanksgiving 2010.

you’ll (probably) notice i’m significantly thinner than i am now. while i’d like to attribute this to healthy living, it was in fact a result have having lost something like 40 pounds over that summer. around the time these pictures were taken i was diagnosed with crohn’s disease.

two hospital stays, one major surgery, and a regular regimen of pills and injections and the crohn’s is under control. and i’ve long since added back all the weight.

its also important to note kellee jones in these pictures. she was one of the sweetest, kindest, and most troubled people i’ve known. kellee died a few years ago and is missed.

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