Gordon Pickering

I ran across this obituary in the Advertiser recently. Rose Pickering was our chemistry teacher. I worked for Mr. Pickering at CPC in the summer. He was the head of the laboratory. It's been a long time and my memory is a little hazy, but I think Fred Sakamoto '60 also worked for Mr. Pickering.

Click on the image to enlarge to legible size.

Living With One's Shortcomings.

I was called back to inaction last week for a three class assignment with the UH Art Department. I modeled for the students in a life drawing class. My constant companion on the pedestal was a skeleton.

I'm usually a last resort stand in when nobody else is available. I was complimented for my dependability, one of the traits that I've developed as a former Iolani student. Many first time models often fail to show up.

The classes were basically uneventful. At age 65, I'm no longer concerned about my presentation. Who cares? No need for performance enhancing drugs. Just hold the pose and don't move.

It's been over five years since I walked into a class after my preparatory stretching exercises and noted that one of the art students was of non -Caucasion, non - Asian, and non-Pacific Islander ancestory. This student could have been a football or a basketball player. He was a hunk.

Anyway, my willy pulled a disappearing act. He spoke to me, "No way that I'm coming out." Not a person to argue, I popped 25 mg of V to encourage him to make an appearance. After about 30 minutes, I was able to save face (or head?) and finish the session with my self esteem restored.

I've often wondered why there is such an obsession with size. Witness the commercials on late night TV. "Even you can enhance that all important personal body part!" Don't the makers of these commercials realize that when God created woman, he put her light switch above the doorway within easy reach of anybody? God didn't put the switch clear across the room where one would need a ten foot arm to reach it. The trick is to just find it so that you can turn it on. Easier said than done.

I guess that this is good time as ever to end this blog. However, before I close, I'd like to throw in one irrelevant comment based on 32 years of elementary school experience. When it comes to paper clips, size does matter.

EGY'S Musical Notes

Aloha Everybody,

We had a terrific review of "The Wedding Singer" in today's Honolulu Star Bulletin, 7/14/09.

http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090714_Singer_hits_the_right_notes.html

Hope you all can come out to see it. No! I'm not in "drag" for this one. There are other "surprises" for you all though. Call Diamond Head Theatre for discount tickets. We may get sold out really fast because of the great review.

See you all there! Emmett.

A Different Perspective

I got my free copy of the July/August "Hawaii Sports" magazine at the Running Room in Kapahulu yesterday when I went in to purchase a new pair of Nike Pegasus running shoes.

Included were the results of the Kaneohe Marine Surf & Turf 5K Run which was held on March 28. I placed 3rd in the Male 55-98 division with a time of 41:42. I always like to run in this race because approximately a third of the run is on the beach.

Although I have only two speeds, slow and slower, the sand gives me a chance to catch up to those Marines who get stuck as they attempt to push their kids in those three wheel joggers. This year I passed all but one and managed to stay ahead of them when they got out of the sand. Assisting me was the high tide.

In the past, I always compared myself to the first place 55-98 female runner whose time this year was 33:05. The second place female finished in a time of 39:07. This year, I decided that I should just compare myself to the 3d place female runner who finished in 46:09. Just a different way of looking at results. Way to go Mumper!