nothing much...

Just wanted to check in.  I'm still here and don't have any words of wisdom or wit.  I've been busy Christmas shopping.

I'm not sure why, but every time I go out, I have encounters with the less pleasant aspects of this place.  Today, it was when I was crossing the street.  I was crossing at a crosswalk, but not at a light.  A man was crossing with me.  At first glance, he seemed normal.  Well, Hawaii normal.  If this were a metropolitan city, maybe not.  Casual, yea scruffy, dressing is normal here.  So we're in the median and the man sticks his foot into the road expecting the cars to stop.  Thank goodness he hesitated and watched the cars because one stopped and the other didn't.  So he screamed, and I mean screamed loudly, the F word.  I just scuttled across with my head down mumbling, calm down, calm down.  After we get across and I've walked a few steps in the opposite direction he says, sorry lady.  Yeah, right.  You kiss your mama with that filthy mouth?  Crazy dude.

Needless to say, that spoiled the fun of Christmas shopping.

Went into Lanikai Juice, but had no LOST sightings.  There is a smoothie chain here called Jamba Juice.  It's all over this island.  So I bought gift certificates for the teachers.

A little playground incident today.  I saw Jake and two bigger kids backed up to the fence.  I saw Ryan head over and ask what was going on.  (little brother protector)  So I hustled over there and Susan, my friend who is the mom of Patrick, Jake and Ryan's playmate, she hustled over too to deal with the big kids.  (good to have a New Yorker mom who has a voice that carries!)  Snatched my boys and got them calmed down and got them to play in closer proximity to us.  It seems the big boys were chasing Jake, but Jake had been trying to mess with them.  Jake told me he wanted to be their friend.  I told him that he was like a little pesky brother.  They don't want to play with little kids.  These guys are 6th graders.  Mine are 2nd graders.  I'll tell Gary about it and we'll discuss it over supper.  Boys!  I really don't know how to handle them!