March 21, 2008

Boy saves neighbor’s life

Anyone else seeing an 87 year old man slumped over in his car might have assumed he was catching a nap. They might have thought he was just another candidate for drug rehabs or that he’d had a little too much to drink. Maybe some people did see him, and did think that, because he’d been there for several hours before 13 year-old Alichka Basamayor saw him and realized something might be wrong. Alichka told his mom what he’d seen and she called 911. The elderly man was gasping for breath and could well have died in the closed and probably overheated car. Alichka’s actions brought paramedics to the rescue and a life was saved. In a world where neighbors don’t seem to watch out for each other anymore, Alicka paid attention and made a difference. This week he was awarded a certificate of commendation by Mayor Mufi Hanneman for his bravery and caring. Way to go, Alichka! You’re a great example of young people doing the right thing!

Technorati Tags: good news, hero, teens

March 20, 2008

Justice for the peeple

Convicted by a jury of his peeps, he stood in shame to await his sentencing.

The death chamber - too good for the likes of him!

Marshmallowy justice - not a pretty picture.

This is my entry in the It’s Peeps Contest. Yeah, I know - not the best pictures. Sugar is reflective, ya know? I took about thirty pictures and this is as good as they get. Ah well! I don’t know what the prize is, but I’d like to win. It would be cool if it’s some travel supplies for my upcoming trip to Kona, but I don’t really care what it is … as long as it’s not more Peeps. Those I already have enough of! Go check out It’s Just the Coffee Talking tomorrow (Friday, March 21st) & you can vote for your favorite Peeps pictures.

Technorati Tags: contest, Peeps, photo contest

Can a brainpan babble?

Most of us have before/after days in our history, days that divide our memories into distinctive realms: before we bought the house, before the baby came, after 9/11. Some of them we share with many people, while others are our own personal markers for events that changed everything about the way we live our lives. I have such a day that is the stuff of nightmares even after the passage of many years. It pales in comparision to the one that brought profound change to my friend Whim’s life. You know those terrible things that you read in the paper, the things that happen to other people? Whim is one of those people. On December 21, 1994 her world was changed forever, not by accident, not by fate, but by the vile act of a despicable excuse for a human being. That was the night of the fire.

Whim’s blog journals her road back to normalcy. It can be hard reading sometimes. She’s brutally honest about the physical, emotional and mental demons she wrestles. Those who live with depression, PTSD and/or anxiety disorders may have to take her in small doses. The experiences she shares may sometimes trigger unpleasant episodes. There’s a payoff for getting past them, though, because you cannot read Whim without putting your own petty struggles into perspective. Whim is not a quitter. She is proof to me that the secret to overcoming adversity is to look it in the eye, know it for the bastard it is, and refuse to give it dominance. Her journey continues and it’s a triumphant one because she makes it so. She made up her mind long ago that she would face down whatever challenges life handed her. She’s uncomfortable being called a hero, but that’s what she is, for the trials that she’s endured and for her unflinching honesty in the telling of her story. She reveals her most vulnerable moments, not in a bid for pity (which she emphatically does not want) but as parts of the story that she’s committed to telling.

I’ve always found the name of Whim’s blog to be a bit ironic. She doesn’t babble, nor does she fit the definition of whimsical as I understand it. She’s a skilled and intelligent wordsmith, an excellent communicator with a wicked sense of humor. She’s writing a book and I’m one of many predicting it will be a bestseller. I’ll take that a step further and predict high interest from Hollywood. I’m thinking Sandra Bullock should portray her, though Julia Roberts is also a likely contender. After you’ve gotten acquainted with her you’ll know that I’m not being facetious or making a joke at her expense with that declaration. She’s the real deal and she’s that compelling.

Technorati Tags: Babblings of WhimsicalnBrainpan, blogs, life stories, review

March 19, 2008

Beagles at play

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Lance and Gwen are from separate bloodlines, but are the same age and were raised together their first few years. Lance has been with me for the last seven years or so, but he and Gwen and Gwen’s big sis, Schwim the Weimaraner, like to get together for visits. The girls’ mom is off-island this week. I’ve never been very good at handling Schwim, so she’s at a doggy spa this week and Gwen is with me & Lance. The beagles are like kids turned loose on the playground, romping and rollicking until they’re both just too exhausted to go on. It’s a happy week for me too - laughter is good for the soul.

Lance is the taller one with the blue collar and some white softening the brown of his ears. Gwen is shorter, plumper and has a daintier face and a redder tan. I hope you enjoy their antics. You can see the photos with individual captions in their flickr photoset.

Technorati Tags: beagles, dogs, pets, photos

March 18, 2008

Can You See What I See? New hidden object game

Okay, hidden object game fans - you’re going to love this one. Pure hidden object puzzle fun at its finest. Can You See What I See? is my new favorite game and it’s likely to be yours, too.

The object of the game is to help poor Clyde Curfuffle out of a bind. His collectibles shop has suffered losses from fire and flood. Now he’s injured and in the hospital, losing sales and worried about losing his business. If you’ll just help him sort through his collections to find his rarest, most valuable collectibles his business can be saved. Oh - would you mind filling customer orders while you search? He’d really appreciate it!

The first thing you’ll notice is that the artwork is delightfully fun. Then you’ll see how amazingly sharp and clear it is, leading you to believe there can’t possibly be a challenge to searching for hidden objects. Wrong! First, there’s a lot to see on every screen. Secondly, the creators have done a clever job of object placement, making you work for every item you find. Make sure you look for Seymour the first time you see each screen. You’ll be rewarded with a hint each time you find him. His minigame jar will allow you to earn extra hints if you start to run low.

There’s a zoom feature available on each search screen. Use it! It will enlarge a single quadrant of the screen so you can sort through the colorful collections to find just what you’re looking for. See the tiny lamp my cursor is pointing to on the block at lower left? Very hard to see on the full screen. The only problem I had with this game is that the clickable area is too small on some tiny items. I clicked on one item ten times before I found the “sweet spot,” losing time off of my game clock with each click.

Upon completion of each level you’ll be given the opportunity to find a rare collectible. It will be added to a screen you’ve already played, and a verse will tell you what to look for. Finding it will reward you with a key to one piece of the Rare Collectible Code.

The key will allow you to spin letter blocks to form words. Here I’ve earned my first key and the three blocks with robots on them can now be rotated. I made words for the first line of the code, then discovered they weren’t the right words when I moved on to line two and the words weren’t forming a coherent phrase. The blocks you’ve earned will remain free-spinning, so you can go back and try again when that happens. The ultimate goal is to unlock the entire code and find the most valuable collectible of all, thus rescuing Curfuffle from his troubles.

Can You See What I See? is available exclusively at Big Fish Games, so get on over there and try it out. I bought it already and know I won’t regret the expense. It’s $19.99 to download the full version, discounted to as low as $6.99 with Game Club membership. I pay $6.99 for all of my full version games - that’s not much for the hours of fun I know I’ll have with this one. Try the free hour of play with the free download demo and let me know if you agree.

You can see all of my hidden object game reviews in the games category for skeet’s stuff. Each includes a link so you can download a free demo and try it before you buy.

Technorati Tags: Can You See What I See?, games, hidden object games

Have you been to the rodeo lately?

We have a saying here: Lucky we live Hawaii! Sometimes we say it in joyous affirmation that this is truely paradise on earth. Other times we’re being a bit sarcastic. Yes, the scenery is lovely, the weather is almost always heavenly and the food is an exotic adventure. And the people - surely the most beautiful people on earth live right here in our islands. There are some difficulties that come with living here, though - primarily the cost of living and the distance from everywhere else we’d like to be! No impulsive road trips for us, other than circling the island. I miss the freedom to travel! I miss seeing family and friends and I miss being able to go to special events that were, at one time, a routine part of my life. If you’re not a long-time reader you might be surprised to know that one of those events is the rodeo. See, I spent my pre-school years in a small Texas town where rodeo was a way of life. There was a rodeo practice grounds there, so there was no “off-season.” We could go year-round to watch the cowboys and cowgirls putting themselves through their paces and honing their skills. After we moved to Louisiana we’d go back every summer and the rodeo was always on our vacation agenda. We always had front row seats so we wouldn’t miss a thing. I haven’t had a mainland vacation in a few years, but I went to the rodeo the last time out. I had front row seats again, and was close enough to the riders that hoof-flung mud landed on my face a few times. Ah, that’s okay - it’s all a part of enjoying the show! That same fascination was still there. I felt like a kid again, adrenalin pumping as the action heated up. When I was a kid the participants were mostly amateurs, squeezing in rodeo events when their farm and ranch chores allowed them the time. Nowdays they’re all professionals, and their dedication shows. The livestock are seasoned athletes, too, and bring their drive and enthusiasm to every event. They all work the circuit year round, and the best of the best end up a the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas each year. They’re not just riding for belt buckles these days, either. The payoff at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for 2007 was five-and-a-half millions dollars. I’d love to see the champions claiming their shares of that purse! If I could just jump in my car and go, I’d be in the front row this year. I’d roll into Vegas, pick up my pals Julie and Techie, and get us all Wrangler National Finals Rodeo tickets for the big show. I don’t know if they’re fans now, but they would be by the time the first event finished. You can’t watch the amazing teamwork of man and beast (or woman and beast) and not fall in love with rodeo. What do you say, Jules & Techie? See you in Vegas in December? I’ll buy us all matching bandanas to keep out faces clean, and we’ll cheer and hoot until our voices fail. I’m game if you are!

Technorati Tags: memories, rodeo, Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Tuesday Teaser photo verification

It was a tight race this week, with Colleen and Lee running neck-and-neck into the home stretch. Lee stopped to smell the daisies and Colleen pulled ahead to win the day. Her correct answers are:

A Dodge ram logo
B Mitsubishi logo
C Cadillac logo
D Toyota logo
E Mini cooper logo
F Peugeot logo

Common theme - car logos / emblems

Congratulations Colleen! You’ve won a blog review here on skeet’s stuff and will be entered into the monthly drawing for a $10.00 gift card. Mahalo to all of you who played. Each of you had some correct answers and picked up on the theme right away this week. I either need to get smarter about putting the puzzles together or to start attracting a less intelligent group of readers. Hmmm - I guess we know which would keep the game more interesting! Come back next week and we’ll all find out if I remember how to stump you!

Technorati Tags: automobile logos, contest, photo puzzle, Tuesday Teasers

Tuesday Teaser for March 18, 2008

Can you identify the items depicted above? Take your best shot and answer in the comments below. If your answer wins, you’ll get a nifty prize.

The game rules were recently altered, so read the following paragraph carefully. Here’s how it works:

1. Write a comment giving your guess as to what each item is. The photo clues are labeled from top to bottom with the letters A through F. Use these designations in order in your answer. You must also provide answer G: what is the common theme that unites the items?
2. First person to identify all of the items wins.
3. The author of this blog will be the sole judge as to what constitutes a correct answer.
4. Comments will be held in moderation for the first twenty-four hours of the contest. This will allow all contestants to speculate independently without influence from previous comments. If the puzzle is not solved within twenty-four hours, the coments will then be made public.

What will you win?

1. The author of this blog will write a LINKY LOVE POST (review) about the winner’s blog (commercial sites ineligible.) The LLP will contain the url for your blog plus at least two deep links and will be posted here on Skeet’s Stuff, a PR4 PR2 PR0 (bah google!) blog. Skeet writes good reviews.
2. The winner’s name will be entered into a drawing for a $10.00 gift card from Starbucks or Amazon.
3. Drawing for the gift card will be held on or about April 1, 2008, and will include all weekly winners for the month. There are four Tuesdays in March, thus the maximum number of people who will be eligble is four.

Other stuff -EDITED - PLEASE READ!

1. All comments to this blog are time and date stamped. The winner will be the first person (according to time and date stamp) to provide the correct answer. Guess as many times as you please, but please place each guess in a separate comment.
2. No hints will be given.
3. Answers must specifically identify the item. For instance, if the item depicted were to be a button on a remote control, the answer “something electronic” would not suffice.
4. Decisions of the judge are final. Don’t argue with me. I won’t answer.
5. I will attempt to post every few hours as to whether or not a winner has been declared, but I am not continuously at the keyboard so please be patient.
6. Entries must be posted before 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, Hawaii time (GMT -10, approximately forty-eight hours from now.)
7. This is intended to be an ongoing feature at Skeet’s Stuff. If you or I lose interest it will cease to exist, but all qualified winners will get their prizes.
8. Skeet’s Stuff is a do-follow blog, so you get some link value just for commenting.
9. You do not have to have a blog to enter. Your review can be donated to a charitable or non-profit site if you don’t have a blog or just want to share the love. Sites to be reviewed are subject to my approval. I’m not harsh, but I’m also not interested in donating space to a radical political non-profit site or a blog that is dedicated to porn. Commercial sites are ineligible and comments with commercial links will be deleted. If you would like to advertise on my site I’ll be happy to discuss your needs and my fees.

Additional Notes:

10. Let the fun begin!

Technorati Tags: contests, photos, photo contest, blog contest

March 17, 2008

No Sunday self portrait

Yeah, I ran out of day before I ran out of stuff that had to be done yesterday, so I missed Self Portrait Sunday. I hated to neglect it completely,though, so here I am on a Monday, not officially a part of Self Portrait Sunday, but participating in the spirit of the thing. I’ve got two beagles underfoot today. My friend is traveling and Lancie’s little girlfriend Gwen is staying with us, so I’m having a happy Monday.

Technorati Tags: photos, self portrait

Serene interlude

My friend visits the monastery in the hills every now and then and has stayed there on retreat a few times. I’m not Catholic, so it’s not a place I would have thought to visit on my own, but she invited me, so off we went. We drove through acres of pineapple fields to cross the island to the North Shore, then bumped along a mud and gravel road that climbs through corn fields and up a mountainside.

A small cluster of building sits amid landsaped grounds. The views in every direction are spectacular.

Access to the monastery winds its way through farm and ranch lands. I’ve inspected some of the condos you can see along the shore, but never knew this quiet community overlooked me.

Orange, mango and other fruit trees are scattered around the property. Bowls of freshly harvested fruit sat on a table outside the dining hall, free for the taking. We were invited inside, where meal preparations were underway, coffee makers lined up and ready as a gesture of hospitality. My friend spent a few minutes catching up with her priestly-chef friends while I refilled my water bottle for a hike up the mountain.

Several small areas of formal plantings surprised us as we wandered the pathways around the grounds. I was told that they are all maintained by one elderly nun. Most of the sixty-something acres have been left in their natural state, with only a few acres dedicated to buildings and lanscaping.

We wandered back down the hillside and came across a small group of people. A mother sat on a blanket stringing rosaries, surrounded by her children. Introductions were made and I was asked if I knew who the woman was. Seen out of context and without glamorous stage attire, I’d failed to recognize one of the most well known and beloved singers in Hawaii. Under other circumstances I’d have dashed to my car to retrieve one of her CDs for an autograph. Respecting the nature and purpose of the place, I restrained myself and was rewarded with a half-hour or so of talk story and pleasant conversation.

As we drove back down the mountain we came across this handsome brute. When I put down the windows for a closer look he moved in to check us out, almost putting his head inside the car. His mistress informed us that he was being trained for dressage and needed socialization. My friend is a horse woman and was happy to oblige.

I forgot to buy a bottle of the monastery’s delicious honey before we left. Maybe I’ll go back soon and do that.

Technorati Tags: countryside, Hawaii, monastery, photos, retreat, scenery