Movie Tuesday

Hula Girls (Japan)

Synopsis from netflix.com: When a Japanese mining company announces the closure of a coal mine in Iwaki, a group of brave young women defies their community by signing up to become hula dancers at the company's new Hawaiian tourist center in this heartwarming dramedy. Amid union workers' protests and against the wishes of their families, the women passionately practice and perform their newly learned art in hopes that it will lead to a brighter future.

My view: I watched it while babysitting, and the child was asleep. I REALLY liked it. It had the key words "passionately" and "heartwarming." And even better - it included HULA! I would definitely recommend it. And yes, you do have to read subtitles.

The Dinner Game (France)

Le dîner de cons

Synopsis from netflix.com: A group of French intellectuals gather each Wednesday for the dinner game, where the challenge is to bring along the most idiotic guest each can find. Pierre (Thierry Lhermitte) thinks he's found a ringer in François (Jacques Villeret), a civil servant whose passion is making architectural models out of matchsticks. But Pierre gets more than he bargained for when François becomes his houseguest -- and nursemaid!

Our view: LOVED it! Yes, you do have to read subtitles, but it was pretty funny. DH really liked it. DH talked to one of his friends from France about the movie, and he said it was his favorite movie and the actors are all really famous French actors. We liked it!

Antonia's Line (Netherlands?)

Synopsis from netflix.com: Winner of the 1995 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and many other prestigious international honors, Antonio's Line is the remarkable story of a woman who builds a new life with her daughter in a quiet Dutch village after World War II. Earthy, sexy, romantic and filled with laughter and warmth, it's a joyous, multi-generational celebration of simple pleasures and enduring passions.

My views: When they mean sexy, they mean sexy. This movie had a lot of sex and death in it. It was interesting, but I don't think I'd watch it again.

Oyster Farmer (Australia)

Synopsis (from netflix.com) : Down-on-his-luck drifter Jack Flange (Alex O'Lachlan) heads to a secluded oyster-farming community to wait for a parcel of stolen cash that he's mailed to himself. But the package never arrives, and Jack suspects a beautiful postal worker named (what else?) Pearl (Diana Glenn) may be responsible for its disappearance. Anna Reeves directs this quirky but charming romance set along Australia's Hawkesbury River.

Our views: Ok, but not my favorite. Had one scene that made me blush and I watched it by myself. I don't think I'd recommend it.


HWotD:
mele - music, song
"meh-leh"

Dear...

Dear neighbor #1,

It was great to meet you yesterday. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances. Thank you so much for jumpstarting our car. I really had no idea what I would have done without you. Also, we hope that we can all hang out this summer around the pool.

Sincerely,
Your grateful neighbor



Dear neighbor #2,

It's exciting that you're working on your condo. That should help us all, pushing up all of our property values. We're excited that you're getting it done quickly. Please, though, we really do value our sleep, and hope that you would stop using your circular saw after 11pm (2300 hours if you're military). I think it might help the world be a better place.

Sincerely,
Your tired neighbor



Dear drivers in this town,

I know, I know, Earth Day was less than a week ago. We're each trying to do our part to save the environment. But choosing not to use your turn signal does not really conserve that much energy. Especially when you're driving in your Hummer or Tahoe. Also, when you cut someone off, it's polite to wave and pretend you are grateful for me not hitting you. Just a thought.

Sincerly,
the girl in the XTerra.

Quilt 3...

Ok, so I guess I've made two quilts before this.

The first quilt was for my first niece. I started it before she was born, therefore before we knew she was indeed a she. It's a bad picture, please forgive me. It matches her room :)


My second quilt was this Christmas tree skirt in a Hawaiian pattern - ulu (breadfruit). I have some vague recollection about ulu being something you're supposed to start with. But goodness, this one took me forever. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention I do all of my sewing BY HAND??


The new quilt is for my second niece. A boy at school had a quilt in roughly this pattern for his naptime blanket. This is my interpretation of it. It ended up being more "square" than I thought it would end up... but I still like it. Plus, it's not really girly (aka using pinks and purples...) but I hope that's ok with her.

Close-up of the pattern on the "front"


Surprise! I thought it would be fun to make a mini-version of her quilt for her dolls or bears or whatever. They're slightly different (aka the red parts are different fabric) and the big one has yellow binding where I took the backing and folded it for the binding on the small one.

The backing of both quilts is this cute ladybug pattern. It may not be pinks and purples, but it's still cute! I hope you like them Mari!!! Happy Birthday!

HWotD:
kuiki - quilt, to quilt
"koo-ee-key"

from the mouth of babes...

teacher: How was your snack?
student: It disappeared!
teacher: Where did it go?
student a. In my tummy
student b. It went to eat a flower

teacher: What does that say? (about a sign on the treehouse on the playground)
student: It doesn't have a nail.
teacher: What does it say, though?
student: I don't know. I can't spell.

She burped a beaver on my gankey.
(Translation: His sister had a fever and "threw up a little" on his blanket. Get it?)

I have a boo-boo. The only person who can make it better is Neosporin. It's the official medicine of boo-boos.

It smells like bathing suits outside.

Oh. My. Gosh. (think Janice from Friends) The tablecloths are pink.

Miss Julie, if you come to my house I'm going to lock my doors and windows. You can't come in. (Apparently a threat. I had given her a time out for doing something blatantly wrong.)


HWotD:
uliuli - dark color such as deep blue of the sea, deep green of vegetation, dark grey of clouds (sometimes has bad connotation because associated with darkness)
"ooh-lee-ooh-lee"

polū - blue, not blue of sea or sky, but of clothes or European-introduced objects
"poh-loooh"

WW: Nana

My mom with my niece

Something you just don't get to say everyday...

... but I got to say today.

"Stop putting rocks in your shorts."

last time with this kid, it was in his socks. Before that it was in his underwear.

Let's hope it stops there.


HWotD:
pōhaku - rocks, stone, mineral, tablet
"poe-hah-coo"

Hurry up and wait

I am pretty sure that's the military's unofficial motto.

In our case, we're waiting on what we're going to do this summer. As in less than 4 weeks from now. Most business school students that are finishing their first year (like my beloved dh) are heading off in the next few weeks to exciting places to do internships with fabulous companies. My dh knows he's not allowed to do that. He's just waiting to see if/where the Coast Guard wants him. Ideally, he'd be out West working on finance projects. They want him there. He asked his detailer to go there (a detailer is the person who tells us where we're going to go). The detailer hasn't gotten back to him yet. I'm all about being flexible. I like a little bit of mystery. I like adventure. But with us planning* to leave the country in August, I kind of feel like that is more than enough unknown for me.

*Oh yeah, and conveniently, the type of visa that we need can't be applied for until 124 days from the start of school. And fyi, it's not that time yet. It's really quite annoying - as we can't even work further on our visa application until 124 days from the start of school. And we need the visa before we can go on to other things. Grrrrr.

I guess now is the part where I learn patience.


HWotD:
'ano'ano - seeds
"ah-no-ah-no"

Half Birthday!

So, in addition to being my nieces' birthdays, it's the time of year for my half-birthday!

In case you need any ideas, I just found the perfect one - and it's on sale!!

Here it is!!!

... what I would give to live on Hawaii Island again!

Which picture??

One of the sites I read regularly is holding a "Nautical Photo Contest." Very exciting stuff. Except that I can only enter ONE picture. One? How am I ever going to choose?

You can help me - by voting for your favorite :)

Makapu'u Lighthouse (O'ahu)

Kayaking Kealakekua Bay

Hilo Breakwater

Fishing boats

More gems overheard at preschool this week

Prayers:

- Dear God, thank you for all the people in the city. Thank you for all of the people in their cars going to the city.
- Dear God, thank you for Transformers. Thank you for Roboquad. Thank you for Robosapien, and for all of my other WowWees. Thank you for our food. Thank you for chickens. Thank you for cows. (a carnivorous, robot-loving 3-year old).


Close, but no cigar:

- Look at that porcupine over there. Don't touch it! (about a pinecone)
- I have a half sand dollar, isn't it cool? (about a half dollar, Kennedy-style)
- Who is that man, him with the candy cane? (about a father who had knee surgery and needs a cane to walk. Wouldn't it be cool though if he did have a candy cane instead of metal one??)


Joke:

A cat is going to drive in someone's car. And he's going to jump everywhere in the car and drive with his long hands.

Miscellaneous:

- I can't wake up now. I need to stretch and scratch. (3 year old boy. It starts that early.)
- I can't get in line. I'm making a friend. And it's Jenny.
- I found gold. (student)
Cool! What are you going to make with it? (me)
Make? It's going to make out of a treasure!


HWotD:
hōkū - star
"ho-kooh"

Wordless Wednesday - Rainbow Falls

I got this idea from An Island Life - but for more WW participants, visit the official WW Hub or 5 Minutes for Mom.



HWotD:
ānuenue - rainbow
"aaah-noo-ee-noo-ee"

Movie Tuesday

Surf's Up

Synopsis (from netflix.com): In this animated mockumentary, film crews go behind the scenes at the Penguin World Surfing Championship to provide a close-up look at the inventors of surfing. Yes, penguins were the first species to hang 10 -- or at least that's what this Oscar-nominated film purports. Animators Ash Brannon and Chris Buck co-direct the spoof, and Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Brian Benben, Jane Krakowski, Michael McKean and James Woods, among others, lend their voices.

My take: Loved it. Dh thought it would be the dumbest movie ever, and sat at the table while I started the movie. By 20 minutes into it, statistics was forgotten and he was cracking up beside me. He loved the little surfer nuances that were put into it, and thought it was pretty true to life. I think we might buy it eventually. I'd at least consider it.

Ratatouille

Synopsis (from netflix.com): Brad Bird (The Incredibles) co-directs this Oscar-winning Pixar offering, following the antics of a passionate rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who yearns for a sip of the good life. Growing up beneath a five-star Parisian restaurant owned by a famous chef (Brad Garrett), Remy inherits a taste for fine food. But his culinary ambitions only anger his practical father, who wishes his son could just eat garbage like everyone else.

My take: After hearing my preschool kids talk endless about "Ratatootie" I decided I should see the movie. I thought it was pretty good. Not Jungle Book good, but good.

Once

Synopsis (from netflix.com): In this charming contemporary musical helmed by John Carney, a street musician (Glen Hansard) in Dublin, Ireland, strikes up a friendship with a migrant street hawker (Markéta Irglová). Over the course of a busy week, they compose, rehearse and record a series of songs that mirror the duo's burgeoning romance -- and help the young busker release his musical passions. The actors wrote the tunes they perform, and won an Oscar for their efforts.

My take: I LOVED it. LOVE LOVE LOVE. So cute! It's a musical without breaking into song and dance in the grocery store about the price and selection of artichokes. Rich, you could see this one. Oh, you do have to know that they scream the f-bomb for about the first two minutes, but it's still worth watching. Especially to hear him sing "boat" with an Irish accent.

Cocaine Cowboys

Synopsis (from netflix.com): This penetrating and sometimes harrowing documentary from director Billy Corben pulls out all the stops to explore the many dimensions of Miami's cocaine-trafficking boom of the 1980s, from how the drug was moved and the financial impact on the city to the havoc and violence that followed in its wake. Told by the smugglers, cops and average citizens who were there, this film is an unflinching study of Miami's most notorious and lethal vice.

My take: Very interesting. DH chose it. I like documentaries, and this one was very interesting. It was a bit violent for my taste, but dh told me when to look away. It was scary though to think about all that happened, and probably is still happening. Drugs are bad.

American Gangster

Synopsis (from netflix.com): From director Ridley Scott comes this tense crime thriller starring Denzel Washington as true-life Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas. Russell Crowe co-stars as the dogged outcast NYPD cop charged with bringing Lucas down.

My take: DH rented it. I didn't watch it. He liked it. Too violent for me.

"I've got some good news...

... and some bad news," said dh as he surprised me at home on my lunch hour today.

"The good news is that I have a chance to invest in one of our friends.

The bad news is that I'm doing it over golf. In 20 minutes."


Yeah sure, honey. Way to invest in people here. While I go back to work with the disobedient children for a yucky salary. You have a good afternoon basking in the sun and playing games. I'll deal with poop and "he said he's not my friend, Miss Julie. Make him be my friend."

We're going to the PROM!!

No more suspense - the kid from my preschool who wants to be a "neesaw," and neesaws jump on but not off buildings... it's a NINJA. Ninjas jump on buildings and who really knows the extent of what they do?



Anyway, we're going to Prom (it's really called the Capitalist Ball, but I like Prom better) this Friday. This is the info I have.

1) This is a Black Tie Recommended Event (Dh is such a rebel. He's wearing a mere suit. I tried to get him to wear a uniform, but no joy.)
2) Tickets will be on sale April 14-17 in the school lobby (It costs approximately 11 gallons of gas per person!)
3) Live music by Groove Addiction
4) Appetizers & refreshments will be provided (not even dinner? For that much money? Capitalism sucks.)



I think I'm going to wear this dress. It's knee-length and mostly black (which you can't tell from the pictures).


Now I just have to figure out what to do with my hair... up or down? Grrr...



HWotD:
manu - bird, winged creature
"mah-nooh"

Overheard at school this week...

Yes, you can come to my house. I have Buzz Lightyear.


No elbows on the table. (said by student)
What do elbows do? (said by teacher)
They make muscles. (said by student while flexing like this)


Excuse me, teacher.
Yes, student? (I hate it when kids don't know my name. I've been there since August.)
I think one of those kids are bothering my note (aka piece of paper). I put it on the ground and they stole it. (Sitll holding the note. Turning to other students) Guys, I telled on you.
(I think he is the male version of Junie B.)


Really? Can I have it tonight? Please daddy, can I have some squid tonight? I'll be good, I promise!



So, like we so often do, we asked one of the students what he wants to be when he grows up. He responded, "A neesaw." Great. Anyone have any idea what a neesaw is? We asked him where he saw a neesaw. "It was on tv." I asked every question imaginable, going way beyond 20 questions. All I figured out was that it wasn't a teacher, doctor, pilot, fisherman, dancer, athlete, pastor, jockey, dentist, chef, baker, soldier, ship captain (I tried ;) !) , farmer, mailcarrier, grocer, or any other thing I could think of. It would have been easy if he was a girl - girls at that age want to be princesses when they grow up (at least in my school). All you have to do is guess the vintage - Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine... But anyway, I took Mark to our director who has dealt with kids for years and has the same southern drawl as this student. She asked him what "neesaws" wear. With no luck. The most we could get out of him was that they jump on buildings... but not off buildings. Any guesses as to what he wants to be when he grows up???



HWotD:
huinahā paʻa pilipā - trapezoid
"hoo-ee-nah-haaah paah-aaah pee-lee-paaah"

The South

DH and his friend from school

DH and I about to eat...

Fried green tomatoes!

Lynn and Rachel playing on the swings at Lynn's house

DH got jealous of the swinging, so he tried it

So I finally got around to reading ALCOAST 164/08

ALCOAST 164/08
COMDTNOTE 1754
SUBJ: WEB-BASED ACCESS TO SKILLSOFT TRAINING FOR SPOUSES

as taken from COAST GUARD MESSAGE SYSTEM at
http://www.uscg.mil/announcements/
on 9 April 2008. Comments in red are my own.

1. THE COAST GUARD REALIZES THE CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY
MANY SPOUSES ATTEMPTING TO FIND EMPLOYMENT DURING AND
AFTER RELOCATION TO A NEW DUTY STATION.
(Really? You could have fooled me.)
A MOBILE CAREER CAN BE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE AND DEVELOP.
(Shocker! So having a different job every year ISN'T
helping me find a new job, even with a Master's degree?)
I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE AVAILABILITY OF A TOOL THAT
CAN HELP GROW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS IS NOW BEING
MADE AVAILABLE TO SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS OF ACTIVE DUTY AND
RESERVE PERSONNEL. THE SKILLSOFT TRAINING SYSTEM WILL ALLOW
SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS TO MAINTAIN SKILLS OR OBTAIN NEW
TRAINING TO ASSIST WITH THEIR JOB SEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.


So, it continues. Btw, I don't think I could ever be military.
They shout at you even in emails. All caps all the time.


2. SKILLSOFT IS AN ONLINE TRAINING SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY
AVAILABLE ONLY TO COAST GUARD MEMBERS, THAT INCLUDES COURSES
IN LEADERSHIP, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, COMPUTER APPLICATIONS,
AND OTHER GENERAL COURSES AS WELL AS ONLINE BOOKS. EFFECTIVE
IMMEDIATELY, SPOUSES OF ACTIVE DUTY AND RESERVE PERSONNEL ARE
ABLE TO ACCESS THIS PROGRAM FROM ANY COMPUTER WITH INTERNET
ACCESS.



Has anyone tried this? What does it do? What kinds of
training does it offer? Maybe I'll try it myself. I have
time. I can only get a part-time job.

Just your average wormy day...

At the preschool today, the kids were obsessed with worms. One kid told me, "Miss Julie, we were just playing with worms. They're juicy."

Juicy?

I asked two of the worm-players if they liked worms and they nodded their heads immediately. I asked why. Student one responded, "because they're cute." Student two responded, "because they're real yummy."

Cute, yummy, and juicy. Nice. How do you figure out worms are yummy??

Another student woke up from naptime and told his teacher that his worm had died. She looked questioningly at him and asked, "Where is your worm?" To which he replied, "in my pocket."

Meme

I've been tagged! Brad and Kath tagged me, over at Suncoast Living...


1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

***

What I was doing 10 years ago:

In 1998 I was finishing up my junior year of high school. I was overcommitted, and I have no idea how I did my homework (I'm guessing I had some?). I was playing soccer, in band, on student council, and a whole host of other things. Me, being a dork, also did a summer program at Taylor University where I took college classes for credit. Some people took interesting things. I took Calculus. At 8 am. For three hours. From a person who made Ben Stein look animated. Oh, it was horrible and I don't really remember much. Make that anything. But oh, it was so much fun. There's not much to do in Upland, Indiana, but we had a blast. Two words: Mud sliding.

Five Snacks I enjoy:

1. Light Laughing Cow spreadable cheese with
2. Edamame
3. Fruit snacks! (Preferably Fruit by the Foot or Scooby Doo.)
4. Ice cream. Ice cream and chocolate. I'm quite fond of CMSs (chocolate milk shakes).
5. Chocolate

Things I would do if I were a billionaire (in no particular order):

1. Move back to Hilo or build a house somewhere close. Maybe Puna or Honoka'a.
2. Buy my dh a boat, or a ship. Whatever he wants. Oh, and a PT Cruiser for my dad.
3. Pay off the mortgages of my loved ones (Kath had this one, and it's a keeper)
4. Give money to churches (especially Elevate and Vineyard Cape Cod) and charities
5. Let DH invest the money, and give it away for scholarships, surprises, and just in random $100 bills along the street.

Five jobs that I have had:

1. Waitress (both banquet and restaurant, though the restaurant waitress part didn't last long)
2. College instructor. Political Science
3. Preschool teacher's assistant/slave
4. Hole driller at a factory. Let's just say it was REALLY good motivation to stay in school.
5. Secretary
I could go on. I've had so many jobs... I think it's prepared me to be a Coastie wife.

Three (make that four) of my bad habits:

1. Getting lost on the internet for way too much time
2. Leaving my stuff all over our house
3. Finding excuses not to exercise
4. Not keeping in touch with people as well as I should

Five place I have lived (in no particular order):

1. Wyoming, MI
2. Hilo, HI
3. Washington, DC/Arlington, VA - two very different experiences!
4. Evanston, IL
5. Huntington, IN

Five People I want to know more about (a nice way of saying TAG!):

1. E
2. Erinn
3. Amy
4. Renee
5. Beth

Rip my heart out...

This week I have been missing moku o Keawe more than usual.

Me ke aloha ku'u home o Hilo.

A huli aku au ia 'oe.



HWotD:
manakā - bored, tiresome, dull
"mah-nah-kaaaah"

PSA: Potatoes

Just thought you should know... potatoes explode if you don't poke holes in them or if you overcook them. And not just in the microwave.


HWotD:
'oma - oven, bake, roast
"oh-mah"

Going for the gold...

Check this out.

You don't invade anything but the best... right?

I think I'll be washing my hair that day.

There's a girl in my preschool class that is just too cute. She got her hair cut and said, "it's sweet and sassy." Yes, dear, it is. She's three going on twenty three.

So I came into class the other day and she had a picture she drew for me. She handed it to me and put one hand on her hip and flicked her other wrist to make a limp hand as she said, "This is for you. Hang it on your 'frigderador door." I don't have any family in New York, but I imagine she does.

I thanked her for such a beautiful picture and promised her that I would indeed "hang it on my 'frigderador door." I told her that "someday you'll have to come to my house and see it."

She replied, "Oh, someday. I can't do that. I'm going to Jenny's house for a sleepover that day."

Yeah. Come to think of it, someday doesn't work for me either.


HWotD:
'oia - really, that's so, that's right
"oy-ya"

For a person who constantly says, "for real?!?" in English, this is the perfect Hawaiian word. Now I just have to figure out how to say "get out!"

Wordless Wednesday : Kumu Hula Emery Li'ili'iokalani Aceret at Halema'uma'u Crater

I got this idea from An Island Life - but for more WW participants, visit the official WW Hub or 5 Minutes for Mom.