change has always been a part of life that i’ve had difficulty with. some people love change, they are always looking for that next exciting adventure, the next job, the next town in which to live, the next exotic location to visit. others don’t necessarily look for it, but experience it with apprehension; those folks just smile and move through it. i, on the other hand, struggle with it. i don’t like it. i never have.

i struggle with change and passively try to avoid it, but change, like death and taxes, is unavoidable. as i’ve gotten older and learned to deal with my various neuroses, i’ve come to accept them, including my difficulty in dealing with change. when i first moved to hawaii, i struggled and multiple times early on wanted to return to the mainland. and now that i’ve been here for so many years, the thought of potentially moving to somewhere back in the united states fills me with anxiety. (i’m not actually planning to move back, but have looked at some potential job options that would require me to do just that.)

so, it is through this lens of change that i contemplate the immediate future; my time as the policy administrative assistant for governor neil abercromie is about to come to an end. while i’ve learned, somewhat, that sometimes when things end something better follows, it is my nature to focus on the past instead; this has been the best job i’ve ever had. i think i learned a lot. the people i worked with were great and i definitely felt like i was contributing to something greater than myself, which is a pretty good feeling. on december 1st, it will end and something else will replace it. it’s absolutely possible what’s next will be even better, but optimism is an outlook that i struggle to maintain for long stretches of time.

with this in mind, i wanted to take a moment to thank wendy, kendra, debbie, tammi, yvonne, and mikey, the pogs for a happy, fun, and educational couple of years. regardless of what comes next, or what’s in store for me down the road, i have no doubt that i will always remember my time in this position and remember it with fondness. whatever the job was, it was all of you who made the experience special and memorable.

i just wanted to thank you all for that. good luck to everyone, where you might go, and be sure to keep in touch.

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we’re just about two weeks away from the hawaii people’s fund annual dinner, on saturday, november 8.

HPF Annual Dinner & Expoif i haven’t mentioned it previously (i’m pretty sure i have), i currently have the honor of serving as a member of it’s board. so, to help let more people know about what the organization does, all (or nearly) of my videos between now and the dinner will highlight some of the great grantee organizations.

common cause hawaii (cch) is a great organization that i’ve personally worked with on projects in the past. if you’re interested in open, transparent, and responsive government, this is the organization for you. cch has been involved in supporting same-day voter registration, online voter registration, and stricter super pac disclosure laws.

playbuilders hawaii is a group of theater makers “who wish, through theater, to create opportunities for effective communication and cultural exchange between many the many diverse peoples of hawaii.” check out their website. they’re currently accepting original scripts for their 2015 festival of original plays and i expect there could be some interesting productions.

movement for aloha no ka aina (mana) is a “movement-building organization established to achieve independence and social justice through direct action, political education, economic development, international diplomacy, and public advocacy, with a cultural and spiritual foundation.” good stuff! check out their platform of unity, too.

hawaii rural development council (hrdc) received a grant from hpf to help produce its documentary seeds of hope, which “tells the story of agriculture and food in hawaii.” i haven’t seen the film, but it definitely sounds interesting and worth a look.

 

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on the ballot this november, there will be five questions relating to proposed amendments to the hawaii state constitution:

CON AMEND: Relating to Disclosure of Judicial Nominees

“Shall the judicial selection commission, when presenting a list of nominees to the governor or the chief justice to fill a vacancy in the office of the chief justice, supreme court, intermediate appellate court, circuit courts or district courts, be required, at the same time, to disclose that list to the public?”

CON AMEND: Relating to Agricultural Enterprises

“Shall the State be authorized to issue special purpose revenue bonds and use the proceeds from the bonds to assist agricultural enterprises on any type of land, rather than only important agricultural lands?”

CON AMEND: Relating to State Justices and Judges

“Shall the mandatory retirement age for all state court justices and judges by increased from seventy to eighty years of age?”

CON AMEND: Relating to Early Childhood Education

“Shall the appropriation of public funds be permitted for the support or benefit of private early childhood education programs that shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex or ancestry, as provided by law?”

CON AMEND: Relating to Dams and Reservoirs

“Shall the State be authorized to issue special purpose revenue bonds and use the proceeds from the bonds to offer loans to qualifying dam and reservoir owners to improve their facilities to protect public safety and provide significant benefits to the general public as important water sources?”

i talk today about the second and fourth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nipjyPWb1Eg

you can find the post here where senator thielen discusses one of these, plus another i don’t talk about.

 

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i find i’ve been apologizing a lot lately for my untimely video postings. and here i am doing it again. even though i said i was moving the schedule to tuesdays and fridays, i missed last friday. i didn’t have much to talk about, but could have given updates. the goal should always be not to get off the schedule.

this time, it wasn’t the hot weather that kept me from recording, but rather my mood. i’ve been in a funk the last week, or so, and my motivation to do… well, anything, had been way down. i’m not sure what it is, or if it even matters. depression occasionally creeps in and its hard to be productive when you’re feeling hopeless and helpless.

having struggled with depression for most of my life, i’m familiar with the feelings, and have tools to dig myself out before it goes on for too long. i’ve been through therapy and so don’t have to deal with it on a regular basis anymore, but the flip side, i’ve noticed, is that i don’t notice as quickly as i used to that’s what’s going on.

now that i’ve identified the funk, i can be proactive about lifting myself up out of it. hence the blog post. and there will be a video tomorrow, i promise.

also, i’m a bit frustrated that i’m not adding viewers or subscribers as quickly as i’d like. i’ll be the first to admit i haven’t developed a “program” that would have much appeal beyond those who know me, but that so few of my friends and family have actually subscribed or watch regularly is a bit defeating.

those who do subscribe and watch regularly, don’t interact as much as i’d like….

i know it sounds like i’m complaining (i kinda am) and i’m sorry. i don’t like to bitch just for the sake of bitching. instead, i’ll throw this comment out into the void and see if i get a response; what do you think i can/should do to make my videos more entertaining? what suggestions do you have for getting more people to watch and interact (i.e. comment, respond to content, etc.)?

come on folks, just a little help, please!

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hopefully i’ll do better with a tuesday-friday schedule.

this is my shortest video, i think, to date. on the one hand, it’s good, as i’ve been told videos much longer than four minutes are too long and people may not watch to the end. the analytics for my channel don’t seem to bare that out, but i have nonetheless been trying to keep them to under four minutes, with obviously little success.

i’ve realized that i have a tendency to repeat myself though the course of my videos, so i’m going to concentrate on not repeating myself, or should i not be successful on that front, then be more aggressive at the editing stage. i’m also growing more aware of myself and what i say as i’m recording, allowing me to self-correct on the fly, minimizing stuttering and stumbling.

it’s all a work in progress….

and speaking of works in progress, today will be day two of the workout routine (and accompanying self-restricting diet). last night when i finished i really thought i’d be so sore today that walking would be difficult. surprisingly, though, i have very little residual pain. there is some stiffness. this is likely more a reflection of the fact that i didn’t work as hard as the man in the video wanted me to and less likely attributable to my actual fitness level.

i’m kinda looking forward to another workout today, which frightens me a bit.

finally, the smoking quit is an ongoing struggle. i’ve only had one actual cigarette today (sucking on gum now), but i have little doubt that i will struggle for a while.

 

please take a moment to subscribe to my youtube channel and set it up to get emails when new videos are posted (in case i don’t get to the accompanying blog post right away). and be sure to let me know your thoughts on the magic 8-ball questions idea. leave comments here, or on the video in youtube.

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