When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways. yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that I'm over the ripe old age of forty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!
1) I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog and world book encyclopedias!!
2) There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!
3) Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!
4) There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!
5) Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and screwing it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?
How about the eight track tapes? Cha-dunk to change tracks
6) We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it. And you got in trouble for being on the phone too long, because someone got a busy signal!
7) There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOSH !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.
8) And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
9) We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Or before that there was only Pong! Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
10) You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!
11) There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little brats!
12) And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!
13) And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!
And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!
See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in the 1970's or any time before!
And this isn't a Bab's original but a "Copied and Pasted" (cuz this is not the 1960's anymore) email recieved from Sue the Golf___! I hope you enjoyed the ride. If not call Sue.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tripster and Golfin' Widow
I made mention of a convertible Mustang which "in keeping with the theme" was as blue as the Pacific but I didn't get to the part about the date.
First, I can say this was Ron's Best Vacation Ever cuz he learned how to golf. He has always wanted to do this but never really kept score and I was along for the second nine on the first part of the week and The Plantation 18 Kaanapali Golf on the last part of the week and WOW. The first part of the week it was hard to watch. I mean Ron looked like it was painful. He wasn't (I can say this now) even attractive. Something CLICKED! Actually it was someone.
This person made Ron look attractive to me again while "swinging". . .Thanks Mr. Bill!!!
So I have concluded I will probably loose RJ this Spring to the "Links". He seems to now really enjoy golfing and although I don't quite get the "Thrill" I do believe he is at a point where "All Work and no Play" can end. So as long as he comes home every night he can get new clubs and a membership.
I guess the abundance of golf put Ron in a Date Day mood and on February 4th 2011 we lunched at
Mama's Fish House and headed for Hana City. Per the tour book which goes like this, "The Road To Hana-Maui's most scenic highway is called "The worlds most beautiful drive." This is a very long curvy road that demands many stops to enjoy the fabulous Hawaiian scenery. It takes all day to go both ways. Hana Highway is an adventure through tropical rain forests with the ocean on one side and thundering waterfalls, fragrant ginger and fruit laden guava trees on the other.
Now I soon realized I was in for the ride of my life...I don't do heights well. . . had already nix the helicopter ride and most of this road is one lane. Kept my elbow in the car or risked road rash from the cliff. The most posted road sign was "Watch for Falling Rocks." Remember I'm topless as in CONVERTIBLE!
There were 55 bridges and 600 hairpin turns. We did walk thru a rain forest, bought a kona wood tortoise and sunset barn photo...I wore a real moo-moo Blue Ginger Thank God: Ron got us off the road before dark!
Had a super Date Day and I was thinking pontooning this summer will be moo-moo fitted! This will surely scare the Minnesota natives!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wowie Maui
Maui Whales
Ended that chapter and added the one on 'The Migration of Humpback Whales.' Who knew December through April finds them in Maui. Didn't know either that they have few natural predators except humans and killer whales. 20% of Humpback whales have scares from surviving Orca attacks.
Started with a stop in Honolulu @ the Westin where we had an amazing seafood dinner at the Beachcomber and beat the crowds to Pearl Harbor the next morning. (6am style) Pearl Harbor was amazing. December 7th 1941 was the date. By the time the day was over we would realize the significance. We did the tour which was complete with transportation and the guide was a retired school teacher. We spent all day there visiting The USS Arizona, The BS Missouri, The USS Bowfin and took the "audio" which made the experience amazing, amazing, amazing.
Pearl Harbor
Flew on to Maui that eve, upgraded the car to a convertible which was all my doing (cuz RJ was a bit 'quiet') and headed for the other side of the island where we found Duke's and would soon be joined by our Host(s). Let the fun & libations Begin...
Calamari is nothing like the mainland. No rings, no deepfries, at Dukes they actually coat it lightly with "citrus crumbs" and it is greenish and tastes like nothing I had ever tried before and it is sliced open lengthwise....Delicious
Takes the squid part right out of the equation.
While in Maui the menus are fish fish everywhere yet I had to venture into "Filet with Butter Sauce" at Roy's and "The Lamb Shank" @ Lahaina Grill (Here is where gargonzola stuffed queen olives go well with Martini's!) (Mother Mary is still "Queen of the Lamb Shank" and "The Three Martini Lunch at
Duluth's Pickwick for that matter.)
Butterfish (Ron's favorite) is usually served whole and if you see "butterfish fillets." they are probably sablefish, also called black cod (which is not a cod at all, but a skilfish) or walu, a type of makeral in Fiji and other South pacific islands, also known as oil fish or escolar. At Roy's the term butterfish refers to a style of presentation rather than a specific species of fish. At Roy's they use sablefish or black cod marinated with miso to give the fish a rich buttery texture. (I just typed that for your learning excitement!) Also Meg's told dad once (actually at Roy's in Boston) Butterfish can be disasterous if not properly prepared. Follow up with the girl to learn how dangerous.
Maui menus are sea packed with Onaga ((long tailed red snapper or ruby snapper), Marlin (swordfish), Mahimahi (dolphin (no, not Flipper) and Ron did catch them when in Guam or dorado), Moi (Pacific Threadfin), Ono (wahoo, which Michael caught in the Bahamas: tigerfish, or ocean barracuda and in the Bahama's baracuda isn't eaten), Opah (moonfish), Opakapaka (pink snapper or crimson jobfish), Pacific Salmon (king, sockeye, pink, chum), Swordfish (shutome or broadbill), Tuna (which Ron once caught a yellow fin), Uka (gray snapper or jobfish), Ulua ( jackfish, papio, or giant trevally). and then the seafoods as clams, mussels, lobster, shrimp, calamari and/or squid. Hawaiins don't eat shark as it is believed to "Bring Bad Luck."
Longhis qualified for two evenings...but then Lainia's was a two hour wait. Eating well is defined on the islands. As result of the Whole Artichoke Appetizer I now know how to take the "Choke" out of an artichoke and that "Most great chef's agree wine with artichokes changes the taste of the wine" Julia Childs. Great argument for Grey Goose.
The best lunch ever was at a little recommendation after an afternoon at the Barefoot Bar drinking "Salty Dogs al 'a Linda's "Sweeter" Pink Grapefruit on to Mama's Fish House
Stay Tuned as the next episode will include The Ride To Hana Or Scared, Dizzy, and Senseless after 55 bridges, 600 hairpin switch back turns and an attack peacock.
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