February 21, 2007

A change is gonna come

I’ve finally heard from the woman who is going to custom design my site. I’m really excited about the world of possibilities. I had been thinking about the look only, but she’s asked about features and widgets I’d like to have. I’m hoping that that means you’ll soon be able to come here to listen to some of the local music I’ve been wanting to share with you. (No, I will not install an auto-play audio device. The decision to listen or not would be in your hands!)

I’m fairly new to the blogging world. Suggestions from my more-experienced friends are very welcome. Are there features you think would enhance my blog, from my own perspective and that of the visitor? Are there special additions to your blog that you think I might want to know about. I’m totally green here, so I’m counting on your insight to help me make these momentous decisions!

Technorati Tags: web design, blogging

February 20, 2007

Shed a little light on the subject

I’ve embarrassed myself and regaled you, my readers, with the tale of how badly I screwed up my last home remodel project. I’m pretty sure there will be other stories at my expense in the future. My thirty-something year-old home still has almost-untouched bathrooms and kitchen and I’m champing at the bit to get working again. The wiring in my house was not top-of-the-line when it was installed, so I’ll have to start there. I may not be the slickest pebble in the stream, but I know better than to try to re-wire the whole house myself. That will be done by a professional later this year, I hope. Once that little task is done, I can move on to the fun stuff. I love shopping for building materials. I’ve already got the paint on hand and I’ve selected the flooring I want. The shed is full of birch and a cabinetmaker is standing by, waiting for my call. Next up will be the fixtures for the kitchen. Today I bookmarked some Kitchen Lighting that I really like. I know that I want to be able to focus spots on my prep area and stove, so I’m looking at track lighting for that. I’ll also have an undercabinet florescent fixture over my sink where so much of the action is. I haven’t decided yet whether I will install lighting in the glass cabinets that will hang over the bar, but probably so. I like that look. Of course, there’s the possiblity that I may change my mind a dozen times before I actually make my selections. I’m still in the dreaming and early-planning stages right now, but I’ll be sharing my stories and misadventures with you in the coming months.

This post is sponsored by Shoppremier.

Technorati Tags: lighting, electrical, payperpost

Sgt. John Howard Bailey, USMC

I’m wearing Sgt. Bailey’s name on my wrist. The information on my memorial bracelet is sketchy. He was a US Marine and he died on May 1, 1967. It did not feel right to me, to wear his name and know nothing about him. How does that honor his memory? Wasn’t he more than just a name? Shouldn’t someone, somewhere know who he was and what happened to him? Having exhausted all of the research tools I have available to me, I can only tell you a little more.

John H. Bailey’s hometown was Docena, Alabama when he enlisted in the Marines. Is that where he was born? Are his parents still alive, and do they still live there? Maybe he had a brother or sister who still cherishes his memory. Is there a statue or a plaque somewhere in that town, honoring the local football hero who died so long ago in Viet Nam? Maybe he was a nerd instead, and someone still has the blue ribbons he won for a science fair project. Or was he just a run-of-the-mill, very average guy that didn’t make much of an impression on anyone? No, that’s not so, because he’s made an impression on me. Here are the things that I know:

He was born on July 5, 1947. That’s the year my parents married. He shared a birthday with someone who came along many years later that is very precious to me.

He was caucasian.

He was a protestant.

He was single.

He was nineteen.

He served in Company M, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division .

That’s the sum total of what I know about his life. Except for the last few minutes. I’ve found out more about his death than about who he was.

Sgt. Bailey started that day as a patient in the 1st Hospital Company, Chu Lai, Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam. One account says he was there because of injuries. Another says that he and the other Marines who would be evacuated with him were all suffering from parasitic diseases. History has a way of getting muddled, doesn’t it? A CH46A Sea Knight helicopter, call sign “Buffalo City 2-2,” whose crew of four was from HMM-165, MAG-36, 1st Marine Air Wing, was assigned to transport Sgt. Bailey and others to the hospital ship USS Sanctuary. Fate placed all of the patients on litters in the first of two helicopters. Sgt. Bailey and twelve other ambulatory patients were placed aboard the second, Buffalo City 2-2. The helicopter and crew had already put in a full day, starting at 5:00 that morning. It was after dark when they lifted off at Chu Lai.

The first helicopter arrived at their destination around eleven that night and off-loaded their patients while Buffalo City 2-2 circled nearby. As new patients were loaded onto the first copter, the second prepared to land. The co-pilot began to dump excess fuel in accordance with S.O.P. The first tank emptied. The second didn’t. Did this upset balance and maneuverability? We know that engine #1 failed. As they were trying to restart it, engine # 2 died. It should not have turned into a disaster. The aircraft was set down gently on the sea. It should have stayed afloat long enough for everyone to evacuate. It didn’t.

The helicopter tipped in eight to ten foot swells. The gunners door was open and water flooded in. The helicopter bagan to sink less than thirty seconds after tipping. Most of those on board were able to swim out and find the surface, swimming quickly away to avoid being dragged down to the bottom. Within mere moments, only one wheel of the helicopter remained visible above the waves, several survivors clinging to it. Before they could release their hold, the copter sank, and they with it. The survivors were quickly plucked out of the water by rescue craft launced from the USS Sanctuary. The first helicopter, Buffalo City 2-1, returned to the ship, off-loaded its patients, and assisted in the rescue. The search continued into the night and resumed the next day. No survivors were found after those first eleven, who were rescued almost immediately. On May 2, 1967, John Bailey, Stan Corfield, Roger Gaughan, Hilario Guajardo, Carl Smith and Duwayne Soulier were listed as Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.

Thus ends the story of Sgt. John H. Bailey.

Most of this information comes from Task Force Omega, Inc. There are a few other refences that will come up if you google Sgt. Bailey’s name, but this one is the most complete. The link will take you to the longer version of the story of that dark night.

My ex is named John, and he served as a medic in Viet Nam.

My family name is Bailey.

My father served in the 1’st Marines in the Pacific during World War II.

Connections, tenuous at best. A commercial opportunity first introduced me to Sgt. Bailey. Does that cheapen the experience? I don’t think so. While selecting a name for my memorial bracelet I spotted the coincidences I’ve noted above and decided to wear his name. I did not expect to experience any more than “this is a man who lived, and who died for all of us.” That’s overwhelming in and of itself, and should have been enough. Yet his story compels me to want to know more - to know him. It’s a hopeless task, of course. So little is available in the public realm. I can’t know if a sweetheart waited at home for him, or if his mother died of a broken heart when she heard the news. Did he leave his beloved first car behind when he shipped out? Was there a dog who watched the door for his return? Maybe I’ll never know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, had he lived. I can only put the story out there one more time, in one more place. It’s possible that, in this information age, someone may see what I’ve written and come forward to tell me, to share with the world more of the story of John Bailey. It’s more likely that that won’t happen. There is only one thing that I know for sure. I have pledged to keep his memory alive. I will put on a bracelet bearing his name each morning. I’ll think of him when I do, and I’ll send him a bit of aloha for his sacrifice. I’ll share what I know of him when people see our bracelet, the one that he and I share, and want to know about it. He’s become much more than a name to me.

Technorati Tags: Viet Nam War, memorial, heroes

February 19, 2007

Saving my eyes

The last time I had an eye exam, I was shocked to learn that a small area of yellow in the white of one eye was caused by overexposure to the sun. Living in Hawaii as I do, I’ve made it a habit to never go out without sunglasses since that day. That led me to discover that even here, where good-quality sunglasses are an absolute necessity, it can be frustrating trying to find the right pair at an affordable price. My optician has a very limited selection for my prescription sunglasses, so I had to settle for “good enough” last time around. I didn’t even buy a spare pair as I always have in the past. How lucky am I that just when I need them I’ve gotten a sponsored opportunity to tell you that you can buy
RayBans at BestBuyEyeglasses.com. They’ll give me a world of choices so I can pick a style I really like this time. Even the Wall Street Journal was impressed enough by their service that they’ve featured BestBuyEyeglasses.com several times. That’s a pretty good recommendation in my book! They’ll customize my prescriptions shades and ship them out, along with their easy return policy in case there’s a problem. I just found the style I’m wearing right now on their site, and even with shipping added in I can save a considerable amount off of the price I paid last time to get them locally. Whether you need prescription lenses or not, you’ll find great sunglasses in a wide variety of popular styles at discounted prices, so BestBuyEyeglasses.com is definitly worth checking out.

Psssst! Here’s a little secret: enter discount code ETP5P and give yourself an extra 5% off of their already discounted prices!

Technorati Tags: sunglasses, payperpost

February 18, 2007

Uh oh!

I spoke too soon. I just opened that jar of peanut butter to make sure I hadn’t eaten any of it. I HAD. Shoot! That would have been right before I got sick. The first three or four days of the illness included all kinds of tummy troubles. The State Department of Health is having a doctor call me back so we can see where we need to go from here. My tummy has settled down considerably, but I’m still have a fierce headache & am running a low-grade fever. Have been for over a week. No health coverage. No doctor. Sure hope the state will be absorbing the cost of any tests they think need to be done in order to determine if the salmonella problem has appeared in Hawaii. I’m thinking they probably will, because this could have serious public health repercussions. Will update after I know what’s next.

Good update! The peanut butter from that batch has already been tested & given the all-clear by the state.

Not-terrific update: My symptoms seem to him likely to be Norwalk virus, which is hitting Hawaii pretty hard right now. Since I’m getting better, nothing to do but let it continue to pass.

Technorati Tags: health, product recalls, salmonella

Lucky me

I decided to make a peanut butter & honey sandwich tonight. I haven’t had one in a few weeks, but I like them a lot and didn’t feel like cooking. I usually buy Jiff, though I doubt it’s much different from Peter Pan. It’s almost always fifty cent or so cheaper at my grocery store. But Peter Pan was marked down about a buck the last time I shopped so I bought that, put it on the shelf and forgot about it. If you’ve been reading/hearing the news lately you know where this is going.

According to the most recent FDA news release, Peter Pan Peanut Butter stamped with a code that starts with the number 2111 may be contaminated with Salmonella. I still have possession of the homeowner’s association camera. Wonder why we went so cheap? Anyhow, that is the best close-up the cheesy camera could get of the lid of my jar of Peter Pan. Terribly out of focus, but I think you can see that the number starts with 2111. So I guess I’ve won a lottery I never intended to enter. The good news is that I’d never opened the jar, so I don’t have to worry about the great peanut butter scare of 2007. The bad news is that I’m peanut butterless until I can take this back to the store for the recall. I had a ham and swiss sandwich for dinner and my mouth is disappointed.

Technorati Tags: health, salmonella, product recalls, peanut butter

February 17, 2007

Cell phone deals

The last two times I’ve renewed my cell phone plan, I’ve looked at my carrier’s “free phone with service plan” deals. You’ve probably been there and know how it works. If you sign a one-year plan, you’re shown a phone that will be included free. If you chose a two-year plan, the free phone is a little better quality and has a few more features. If you opt for a more features and a longer contract, you’ll get a better phone. Now, I don’t know what your experience is with your carrier, but mine has been pretty dismal. The free phones that are offered as enticement are junk. They’re cheap phones and don’t have the features I want. I’ve always ended up either keeping the phone I already had or buying a new one that suits my need, with a small discount thrown in because I’m signing a new plan with the same carrier.

You don’t have to buy your cell phone directly from your carrier. They may be reluctant to tell you that, but it’s a fact. You can buy your phone anywhere you choose. That being the case, it makes sense to shop around. When you do, I know one thing that you will find: Wirefly is the number one seller of cell phones and wireless plans. Since I drive an American car, you know that I know that popularity is not the best reason to select one particular product or service over another. It is, however, the best reason to check out what’s being offered. If a company is that much more successful than its competitors, I want to know why. I do my research, and I’ve usually found that the most popular products and services have earned their titles. That kind of status is gained by offering the people what they want at a fair or lower-than usual price. So let’s take a look at Wirefly and see why they’re doing so well:

1. Wirefly has numerous calling plans for all of the most-used carriers. Whether you’re looking for a personal, family or business plan, Wirefly can meet your need with multiple plans from Alltel, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, Sprint or Verizon Wireless.

2. Wirefly carries all of the most sought after phones with all of the best features. Today they are offering sixteen different Blackberry cell phones. Sixteen! Has your carrier got that in its store-front service center? I think not!

3. Wirefly offers hot deals on cell phones from your favorite providers. Want a free Motorola RAZR V3 Blue camera phone with Bluetooth headset? How about a $50.00 rebate with your free Blackberry Pearl with myFaves and a T-Mobile plan? Those are just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll find special offers on every page at Wirefly.

All Wirefly purchases come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and free FedEx shipping (and free return shipping if you ever need it.) It pays to do your homework and shop around before making your cell phone selection. Check out the other guys. Then check out Wirefly. They sponsored this post so I could tell you why they’re worth a look/see.

My world in music

So last week I was hopping around visiting friends’ blogs and I discovered that I had been tagged for a meme. I fully intended to do it, but then forgot whose blog it was on and just what exactly was in the mem. Tonight I got lucky and stumbled on that same post again! That happens when you have friends with great blogs that you visit pretty regularly.

It was Marisa who tagged me. Since I like to start my weekend early, and since it’s almost half-past midnight on a Friday morning, I give you the Weekend Music Meme. The idea is to answer each question below with lyrics from a song. I challenge each of you to see how many of the songs and artists you can identify. Drop your answers (or guesses!) in to a comment.

1.) Are you male or female?:
I am woman, hear me roar …

2.) Describe your neighborhood:
Ano`ai iä `oe e Wai`anae
Ka pi`ina i ka malu o ka ulu kuku`i
Ka `i`ini i ka maile pili aloha
Ke `ala mapuana i ka makani ahe
(A greeting to you o Waianae
The scent in the shade of the kukui groves
For the desire to gather maile, cherished and beloved
The fragrance that is carried on the soft breeze)

3.) How do you look?:
Her clothes are kinda funny
Her hair is kinda wild and free

4.) If you could say something to the person you like, what would it be?
How you brighten every moment
by the things you do and say

5.) Where do you wish you were right now?
Where the humhumunukunukuapuaa go swimming by

6.) What would you say to your best friend?
A lifetime’s not too long to live as friends

7.) Any words of wisdom:
Ho’olono, ho’olono, ho’olono i ka leo ka makani
Listen, listen, listen to the voice of the wind

8.) Describe yourself:
I know I’m searching for something
Something so undefined

9.) What do you think of drugs and alcohol?:
No-no, no, no, no, no-no-no, no, no-no, no, no-no
Na-no, no, na-no, no-no, na-no, no-no, no, no-no, no

10.) If you could say one thing to your enemy, what would it be?:
Don’t turn your back on me baby

11.) What do you usually do on Friday nights?
I read a good book, buy a pair of shoes

12.) Are you for world peace?
War! Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

13.) What do you think about school?:
Dear old golden rule days

14.) How do you feel right now?:
I don’t need you to worry for me cause I’m alright

15.) Any closing words?:
’Ike Pono
See clearly. Know for sure.

Next up! I tag: Charlotte, Melissa and Leigh. Have fun!

February 16, 2007

Review My Post

I mentioned PayPerPost’s new Review My Post Program in an earlier post, and now PPP is paying me to tell you more. They want you to know that you can get paid to review posts without ever taking advertiser content into your blog if that’s what you want to do. You heard me right. You can get paid to post without taking blog ads. It all starts with that little Review My Post Icon that you see at the bottom of all my posts. It’s not just on paid content, it’s on every post. So you can pick any post, anywhere in my blog and review it. You’ll do a sign-up with PPP so that they can pay you, but you’re under no obligation to take other opportunities. And that’s not all. You can put the same icon in your own blogs and get paid when your friends take you up on the offer and review one of your posts. Oh, and did I mention that both of you get paid when that happens? I guess PPP must have money to burn these days, because they’re scattering it around quite freely.

So here’s how it works. Click that link below. It will take you to a paid opportunity that PPP will create just for you, an opportunity to review this post. If there’s nothing here you want to critique, that’s okay. Go to any post in my blog. The image appears beneath each one. When you find one that inspires you to want to blog about it, click the icon. Same deal. You’ll get paid to review that post. You’re visiting my blog all the time anyway, right? Why not make a few bucks for doing what you already do? But there’s more. People are coming to your own blog every day, too, right? Maybe some of them want the opportunity to tell the world what they think of what you write. Give them that chance. Sure, they’ll do it for free anyway. They tell you how they feel in comments. If you click the link above, it will tell you how to place the icon on your own blog. By attaching the icon beneath your post, you’re telling them that you not only want their feedback, you’ll help them get paid to give it.

Pretty cool deal all the way around, don’t you think? You’re already blogging about the things you love. Now you can join the ranks of folks like me who get paid to do just that. Go ahead and click. I dare you!

I survived

I got through my day. I’m not any worse, but I’m certainly not any better either. Today was an easier work day than yesterday. The first inspection turned out to have a full basement instead of a crawl space. Yay! The second one had a very low crawl space, with loose dirt that stirred up and created a cloud of dust as I moved about. Boo! But it’s all good. That’s why I carry dust masks, right? The physical exertion had me coughing up a storm again, but I took my non-drowsy cough syrup with me and it calmed things down pretty quickly. I only have one inspection tomorrow, and it’s just a litttle-bitty condo, so I’ll get home early and be able to relax for the rest of the day after I write up the little-bitty condo report. I’m hoping that by the time the weekend is over I’ll be fully rested and fully recovered. Hey, it’s possible!