A Random Act of Kindness

I was jogging/shuffling along the Ala Wai Canal not too long ago and a young pre-schooler supervised by her mother was throwing pieces of bread into the water to feed the talapia. About 50 talapia would converge on the bread in a semi- frenzy.

However, watching it from the bank was a Hawaiian waterbird with stilt legs and a long beak. I've never seen this type of bird here before along the canal and suspected that it was from the zoo located about a quarter of a mile away.

When the fish converged on the bread, the waterbird swooped in and grabbed one of them. It then dropped the talapia on the bank (it was low tide) and attempted to eat it. The fish started flopping frantically. After a moment, the waterbird abandoned it and went to hunt for another one. The kid was still throwing bread as the waterbird seized another fish and flew away.

Meanwhile the fish on the bank continued to flop around and since the waterbird was nowhere in sight, I climbed down the side of the canal onto the bank and threw the fish back into the water.

I've never seen one happier fish. It swam with all cylinders pumping and with fins flapping and sped away. Definitely a happy fish with a new lease of life. I felt pretty good about myself as I continued on with my shuffle.

EGY'S Musical Notes

Just to keep you all in the loop, Here is a picture of some of the Guys in rehearsal for "The Wedding Singer"

We open on July the 10th. Hope to see you there! The music is Rock and Roll 1980's style.

Can you spot the "honest to goodness" JAG Lawyer in this group? Should be easy. In the show he plays Glen Guglia, a wall street shark. One of them plays a "Boy George" character. Another plays "Mr T'. Another plays President Reagan. Another plays Imelda Marcos. And one of them is really Jim Manke's son Eric Manke. Jim was Iolani Grad of '59...I think. And of course one of them plays the piano!

Dexter added as author

I added Dexter as an author. He will be posting 50th reunion information on the blog. He also sent the survey results, which I assume he will post later.

I sent emails to everyone on Mo's email list. I don't know if anyone has looked at the blog, but if anyone other than Emmett, Mo, Mumper, Dexter is reading this, please leave a comment so we know you're out there.

Mumper here!

Sitting on my butt here with a sore back. Starting to climb the walls. I haven't jogged in four days. I tweaked my back walking my dog. I usually carry a #6 or #9 (depending how you look it) golf club to putt dog poop off the medial strip on Kainui Drive where I walk my dog. I fake a golfer's stance and putt poop into the street where the cars coming by could carry off the turds in their tires.

I guess that my stance wasn't firm enough and my dog yanked me as I was swinging the club screwing up my back. I'm walking around like an old man and I feel like an old man even though the 60's is supposed to be the new 50's.

I quit 7-a-side coed soccer a month ago (over- 50 men and over- 40 women) because every game was an injury waiting to happen and it took several days to recover from the soreness and stiffness resulting from playing with my team, the Chilipeppahs.

They say that "you don't stop playing because you get old...you get old because you stop playing". Well I'm thinking "bull cookies" or "bulsh" as one of our favorite math teachers, Mr. Robert Burdick, would frequently remark in class.

Anyway, hope to be back to jogging/shuffling in a couple of days. Watch out golfers! I don't know how you do it. That sport has got to be keeping a lot of orthopedic guys and chiropractors in business.

I guess that's good for the economy looking at the situation from a different point of view. Ruth Otake of Shiatsu Specialists of Nuuanu .......can you set me up for a session this Wednesday?

Mumper here!

I attended my son's Punahou graduation at the Blaisdell Arena last night. It was a long event. Too many speeches, too many songs and of course the long process of handing out diplomas to about 425 graduating students.

My mind took me back to the graduation of the Iolani Class of 1961. Seemed to be so much simpler and yet dignified and to the point. To the best of my remembrance we sang only one song.

Someone several years back at a '61 mini-reunion asked why we ended up singing the Navy Hymn. There were so many more appropriate songs such as "I believe for every drop of rain......." and "Climb every mountain...." As I recall during a class meeting in St. Alban's Chapel, we could not agree on a song. Combine that with the fact that most people wanted to get out of there.

It was my suggestion to sing the Navy Hymn. It was a cool song.I thought that I would want to join the Navy after college. It was the theme song of a popular TV drama called "Navy Log". It was also a religious song since it was in the Episcopal Hymn book and I got a couple of guys who also wanted this debate to end and get out of there....Akina, Ching, and I don't remember whoever else but I know that their dads were in the Navy.

So I got a bunch of guys to back me up and sway the discussion. A vote was held after some persuasive arguments on Mumper's part and the majority of the class voted to sing the Navy Hymn and get the heck out of there. It was an easy song to sing since anybody who watched Navy Log already knew the tune.

Goodwill Dance

Lorrie and I attended a Goodwill Dance at the Pacific Beach Hotel this past Saturday. There was supposed to be a contingent of ballroom dancers from Japan. Unfortunatedly, the tour was cancelled because of the Swine flu scare. In the end, only nine showed up from Japan.

Mike Uechi performed a waltz with one of the visitors from Japan. Stephanie Uechi '95 performed a Foxtrot with her partner, Tommy Nakamura. Both Mike and Stephanie are outstanding dancers and their performances showed it.

Iolani was well represented. The master of ceremonies was Chris Jay '55. Stephanie's dance teacher from Iolani, Cyrenne Okimura, and her husband were at our table. In case you don't recognize everyone, Trudy is in both pictures; Shawn Ching, Stephanie's boyfriend, is in the upper picture; and Cyrenne is in the lower picture.

It really was a fun evening. There was a live dance band from Japan playing for much of the evening. For the uninitiated, having a good live ballroom dance band is a rarity in Hawaii.

We look forward to next year's dance and hope there will be more dancers from Japan next time.

EGY'S Musical Notes

A friend sent this to me. I thought you might be interested that the "Ukulele" can play other types of music other than the "Hawaiian Kine". Originally from Portugal, the "Hawaiian Ukulele" is more formally known as the Braginho or Cavaquinhos. I've also posted a link if you are interested in the history of the Ukulele. 

http://www.sheetmusicdigital.com/ukulelehistory.asp

Aloha, Emmett

Mumper here!

My wife and I joined a group of parents at the Maple Garden across from Stadium Park last night after the boy's Baccalaureate Service at Central Union Church . Definitely a great buffet.....poor self control exhibited by Mumper here except that I didn't go back to the buffet table for thirds. I'm going to have to do better than that at the " A Touch of Iolani" alumni event in August.

Felt like a slug today. I decided to combine jogging and community service by picking up litter along a one and one quarter mile stretch of Mokapu Blvd near my home. My route takes me over the saddle road where one can get a heart beat no matter how slow one is moving. I figure that I'm moving so slowly that I might as well be picking up litter with my Gopher Reach and Pick Up tool available at the AS SEEN ON TV store at Ward Warehouse. It also gives me a motivational purpose when I otherwise wouldn't feel like exercising.

Somebody must have tossed a newly opened pack of cigarettes out of his/her car. Cigarettes were scattered on the road. Somebody must be trying to quit. Way to Go!