A Quick Update

I haven't had the chance to post anything in a few days. Keziah is here visiting and we've been a bit busy. I'm getting to do some of the stuff that I haven't done yet. I'll get some pictures on after the weekend. Right now, I'm just focusing on spending time with her. But...for those music fans out there, she and I will be on Mana'o Radio this Thursday at (dig this) 10am - 2pm Hawaiian. That's 4 - 8pm EST, so you can check us out at Manaoradio.com.

Keziah, Jill and I did a podcast together last week and it was pretty funny...or at least to us. You can download it at this link. We're going to tape another one at the end of the week to make available later as well.

So...what have we done. Well, when she arrived on Friday, I decided to take her to the place I went to when I arrived. So we went to LuLu's and after a little while, her 29-hour day caught up to her.

The next day...barely...we got up stinking early...like 3:30am to go to see the sunrise at the crater of Haleakela. The internet said you would need 2.5 hours to get there from Kihei. Uh, try 1.5. So we got there a bit early. We hung out in the car for a while then went to the looking station on the summit. It was f-ing cold. Not cold. F-ing cold. The summit station smelled like ass, too. So as the sun was coming up, the f-ing cold took over and I had to pee...it was just too much so I had to go back down to the station, 100 yards away and actually missed the actual "sunrise". Keziah got pictures and I'll slap something up. But it was amazing...both the view and my pee. (OK...sorry about that one)

We hung out for a while, then later that night went to Cafe Marc Aurel, where Jill works. Jill had to work so she couldn't hang with us too long, but Keziah & I entertained ourselves. There was this flamenco band playing and we pretty much sat in with the band. The table we were at was to the side of the playing area and the percussionist was in my lap. Tato even elbowed me a couple of times when he was getting into it - and he hasn't called me since. We had a blast talking about the drunks there...or the other drunks there...watching this pair of women getting hit on and their strange competition for attention.

After that, I thought about going home and chilling but it was pretty obvious that Keziah wanted to check some other place out so we ended up at the Tiki Lounge. On weekends that place is a bizarre excuse of a meat market. So we ended up drinking beer and I got to hear Keziah make up dramatic narratives of all the interactions that were going on around us - including gay chick who doesn't know she's gay, straight girl teasing gay chick and drunk, pseudo-lesbians. It was if I was trapped in a rejected L-Word script.

Sunday was pretty cool. We went to the Sacred Garden of Maliko. I actually went there last week with my students and wanted to blog about it, but I didn't want Keziah to see it before she got here. Turns out that it wouldn't matter as she's become too busy to read this anyway. (Yes, that was for you) I will post on this place later on as I had...well, let's just say that this place had an unexpected effect on me.

Then we went up to Makawao to meet...sigh...my new campaign buddy (see previous post). I called her to remind her about the campaign meeting for Summer in Olinda and she suggested that we meet in Makawao to "carpool" even though Summer's place is only a couple of miles from Makawao. Keziah insisted that she just wanted the opportunity to be alone in the car with me. Must have been true, because as soon as she saw that Keziah was with me she decided to drive her own car.

The meeting was pretty productive and we wisked away, back to Kihei to tape The Stuart Bedasso Show! It was a fun show. We had a good time and Jill & Keziah hit it off really well. We went to Tiki again (which is NOT a meat market on Sundays), but jet lag was hitting one of us so we only made it for one drink. (I'm such a wimp)

Monday started out with us going to Ma'alaea, where we went on a whale watching cruise. It was pretty cool. We did get to see some whales - and a couple of dolphins. Keziah got some pictures that were as good as you were going to get of the trip. Stay tuned. The weird thing is we made sure to put on sunblock, but Keziah got some really weird kind of burn - as if she only put it on in random spots. So she was starting to get a bit uncomfortable. But we still made it over to the Maui Ocean Center - aka The Aquarium. It was pretty darn cool. Again, Keziah with the pictures. We took a brief trip to Lahaina after that, but the sun was too much and we just went home and chilled. She ended up with a really weird sunburn...it was the Gorbachev of sunburns.

Today, I had to do a thing...I testified at a County Council meeting about a stupid development project. Uh...OK...I'll just say it...I kicked ass. Afterwards, Keziah & I went back up to Makawao to do some "shopping" and by that time neither one of us really cared if we did anything so we went back to the house and hung out on my new temporary terrace, watching the sunset. (With the people upstairs moving out, I can get up on their second story terrace and the view is cool)

And that's where we are. Some cool stuff on tap tomorrow, Thursday is Mana'o and another podcast, Friday is Hana and she leaves on Saturday. Then I have a potentially strange party to go to on Sunday. Details coming.

And I Like Politics, because?????

I've had my share of weird shit while dipping my toe into the wonderful world of politics. I've dealt with the cannibal, the gum-spitting guy, the abortion-school-board-chick, the spiritual bisexual dude, Congressional Cleavage, bad ceramic fish, and more stuff I'd care not to admit. I wasn't expecting tonight.

First of all, sorry I haven't had a chance to post too much. It's the end of the quarter at school, and all the kids who didn't believe us started freaking when they realized that they're flunking...or when they're parents realized they're flunking. Anyway, it's made for some chaos.

So, I'm running another political campaign. Details will be forthcoming, but her name is Summer Starr. One of my activist friends here introduced us. She's running for the State Legislature and didn't have a campaign manager. The rest is history. I'll get to the details of Summer and the campaign...in fact you'll probably be sick of it eventually, but for now let's just focus on tonight's task.

Summer and her mother met this woman who...well, let's just say she's interested in working on the campaign. So after some back and forth, the woman & I agree to meet in Makawao to talk. I thought we were meeting for coffee or something...

I got there on time and she was a bit late. She's nice, but a bit...uh...strange. When she first introduced herself I thought she was high. Seriously, her conversation was all over the place - including hitting on me the first 3 minutes of our conversation. I thought we were just exchanging information about ourselves. She asked me about my teaching, then asked if I had any kids, then asked if I was married, then if I had a girlfriend. When I answered "no" to all of them, she informed me that since she's been back on the island she hasn't been able to find a man (emphasis NOT added). It wasn't very subtle and I think I started talking about baseball after that. I mean, I'm like Elliot Spitzer...when it comes to sex and politics there should be money involved.

Well, coffee wasn't in her plans. She had made reservations at the place we met so I ended up staying for dinner (don't bother starting your "bow chicka wow wow"). The conversation was all over the place - it was like having a conversation with one of my Hillside kids who missed his meds.

I'll make this long story, not as long. I kinda felt like I was flapjacked. It was odd. She's about 10 years older than me, which I thought was appropriate. I mean, I've talked about this before (either here or at the other blog), but for the past few years I've been attracted to younger women...it's not a midlife crisis kinda thing, I've just haven't found anyone my own age who interests me. So it was a cool perspective to have the shoe on the other foot. It was still weird, though.

Oh...and what was the outcome of the conversation?

Yeah...she's probably going to be our fundraising coordinator.

This is going to be a funky ride.

Quick Video

A video of the kids getting ready for the science fair competition. I put music over it because their voices were giving me a headache.

Bloody Hell...

Can't just one good thing happen without some negative to it. Just one. It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can be a little thing. I don't think it's asking for much.

The people upstairs moved out. That's good. They have that annoying little dog that barks every time I come home or anyone anywhere comes home. They also let it shit around my car and don't pick up after it so that I have to go through a dog doo minefield to get to and from my car. So they're gone. Good, right? Well, yeah...but here's the catch.

I just get home....it's about 8pm...and I have no electricity. And I look around and everyone else does. Now it all makes sense. My utilities is "included" because there's only one meter. See, because land and water costs so much here, many build something that has more than one apartment, but only put a kitchen, water meter & electricity meeter in as if it were a one unit building. It saves on permits, etc. That's why there's only one mailbox for the two apartments.

So when the dumbasses upstairs left, they had the electricity turned off and my now soon-to-be ex-landlord didn't bother to do anything about it - or tell me, either. Of course I called him and got his voice mail. He didn't call me back before when I called to ask him for his address to send him the rent. I had to get it from a neighbor.

I think I may be moving again. I suppose I'm "lucky" that 6 months is considered a long-term lease here. I guess I'm not getting a couch yet after all.

Well, it's still a bit early...I guess I'll go back to school and get some work done. Where $10,000 a month doesn't get your electricity turned off.

Later, I'll tell you about the campaign I'm running...

Oh, and I'm posting this because my laptop has a battery.

Time Check & Stuff

Not that it matters all that much...but with the time change, we're back to being 6 hours apart on the East Coast, 3 on the West.

Jill & I went to see Margaret Cho last night. She rocked. But opening was this dude named Liam Sullivan. Holy crap this guy was funny. OK...check out the video.

(viewer discretion is advised)

Then Thursday night I caught the Joshua Redman Trio. The music was great. I haven't seen live jazz like that since the night I peed next to McCoy Tyner. (I really need a new brush with greatness story) But at the show, I did end up sitting next to this old dude who kept farting all night. It was a bit of a drag.

Yesterday, I spent the day at a track meet our kids participated in. Being a STEM Academy, I guess we are officially a geek school. We sure as hell aren't athletes. Even with 6 coats of sun block (literally) I still got a nice burn. I should invest in a hazmat suit.

So, vacation is coming up. Can't wait. Keziah will be in town, I'll be working on a new political campaign and who knows I may even get a couch or something crazy like that.

Link Change

Just a quick note here (I'm actually on the air at Mana'o right now). I don't know if any of you folks are regular visitors to whitee.com. I'm in the middle making some changes in the site. One of the things I'm doing is getting someone else to handle the domain name. There's a little bump in the road, but whitee.com should be back in the saddle in a couple of weeks (maybe sooner). The website's still active, but you have to get there via www.geocities.com/smegmarecords. It's all good.

Speaking of Mana'o Radio, my vacation from school is coming up and I told Kathy tonight that I'm free to fill in for day shifts. Her eyes lit up. Some folks are going to the mainland in the next few weeks and she needs people. So it looks like I'll be doing some day shifts soon - so that would be afternoon/evening for you cats on the east coast. I'll be brining my Doug and the Slugs CD each day I'm on...so I'm ready for you.

Be Careful of What You Ask For

Does this sound familiar:

I just wish those administrators would get out of my way and let me teach the way I want. Then everything would be just fine.

There was just one thing I forgot. Crazy-assed parents. In the past month I've had 2 parents complain about different lessons I did.

I've been using Kids' Urgent Actions from Amnesty International this school year. Once a month they send us a situation happening somewhere in the world and we write letters to leaders in that country - basically asking them to make sure the kids are OK. It works on their writing - letter writing specifically, geography, current events, history, ethics, blah, blah, blah. It's a great activity.

Oh, on a quick aside...I have way too many kids who don't know how to write a letter. There are a bunch who don't know what a zip code is and I have a few who seriously, don't know their own address...6th & 7th graders. Freakin crazy.

Anyway, I get the latest Urgent Action. It's about what's going down in the Gaza Strip. OK, it's an Israel - Palestine thing. Sticky, but good. The kids should know about what's happening there as what goes down in Israel drives over half of the crap going on in the world today, even though no one talks about it.

But I foresee one potential problem. We have one student whose family is pretty hardcore Jew. That's fine, but knowing how touchy the subject is, I thought I'd be polite and send her the activity ahead of time, just so she can ask questions if she wanted.

Of course the kids waits until the day before I'm going to teach it to give it to Mom, who freaks. She comes back with a letter from Mom. Let's just say Mom was not a happy camper. And in the letter she decided to start detailing all the Palestinians I should call terrorists, etc. Remember, we're just asking the Israeli ambassador to make sure the kids there are OK. No politics.

So I consulted with Mark (the school's director). He actually helped me craft a way to present the issue with the kids that was pretty good...more complete than where I was going.

The parent was also kind enough to e-mail me an article from a newspaper I hadn't heard of before (I'm sorry, I can't find it right now, but it was from Toronto) about Christians in Israel being afraid of Palestinians killing them. Well, my first reaction was "Yeah. Everyone's afraid there." Then I checked out the newspaper and it turns out it's a right-wing rag that has gone into bankruptcy twice and was the one who put out a false story about Jews in Iran being forced to wear ID cards. Of course the lemmings on the news wires picked it up and ran it unchallenged until a week later the original paper had to retract it. But of course no one paid attention to that.

So I did the lesson and I thought it went well. Obviously not. I get an e-mail telling me how disappointed she was etc. I just dropped it. But I did save the letter for my teaching portfolio.

Last week, I had an acquaintance of mine come in as a guest speaker. Joycellyn is amazing. She's been one of a small group of Hawaiians who have taken the US to court about land that rightfully belongs to them...or their families is the better way of saying it. And they've won! But of course the state Attorney General doesn't know what to do about it, because the court's basically telling him to screw rich people.

So Joycellyn came in and talked about her family. She showed a chart that traces her family back to biblical times. She explained how the US Government not only apologized to the Hawaiians in 1992, but admitted that Hawaiians had never given up their land. It pretty much says that Hawaii shouldn't be a state any more. Which is interesting. Peggy called her our best presenter so far.

Well, not everyone agreed. Mark got an e-mail from a parent asking what he was going to do to present a balanced side. Mark sent me the e-mail and told me to deal with it. I professionally told him that he was full of shit. I said professionally. So I guess I was supposed to teach his daughter that it's cool for governments (or corporations in this case) to take land from people before killing them. Mark's reaction was that Dad doesn't want us to teach his daughter anything that she can believe. Am I hearing a call for "intelligent" design?

How come when a parent disagrees with something we discuss in class I'm "indoctrinating" his/her child? No wonder there's so many stupid MF'ers out there. I'm not saying what I know is best...well, I sort of am, but we discuss stuff in my classes. I tell my kids to disagree with me, to check out stuff that we talk about. But to do the same to what they see on TV, hear at home, any place.

My next teaching job, I want to teach orphans.