Notes From Serendipity

As I walked around campus today in my orange Clemson shirt I noticed that I wasn’t alone.  Perhaps 60% of the students, teachers and workers were wearing the Clemson colors and the bear paw that is iconic of Clemson (Tigers, of course).  It was ironic that I would never have been caught dead doing this … Read moreThe Cosa Nostra Is In The Air

I received a call some years ago that my mother was in a car accident near Queen Emma St. and Nuuanu, across from Central Intermediate School.  She was upset because she was just at Queens Hospital to hear the news that the pancreatic cancer had returned.  My mother was crying.  It was one of the … Read moreLife is Precious

One of my pet peeves is the deification of personalities who are really signposts.  The one which bothers me the most is the glorification of Steve Jobs.  If you read about his life, he was a poor husband and miserable father during the years when it really made a difference.  And, yet, we cannonize him, … Read moreSignposts Along The Road

OK.  So I had an Edward Albee moment today. It happened in the waiting room in Urgent Care.  I went to the desk.  There sat a red-haired, no nonsense and somewhat weather-beaten medical receptionist.  She pulled out my file, assembled a package,  and asked me to fill out some paperwork attached to a clipboard. I … Read moreAn Edward Albee Moment

I woke up the other night with a start.  I had a nightmare that I woke up and there was a giant cat looking at me.  And, then I remembered that I was at Kevin and Michael’s house for a few days waiting out the storm in South Carolina.  In the meantime, their four cats … Read moreI Don’t Want To Be Eaten by A Giant Cat

A long time ago when I was flying airplanes I realized that your actual movements to make a plane take off, fly across country, and land are virtually identical to driving a car.   It didn’t make any difference, from a physical perspective, if you were in rush hour traffic dodging commuters or strafing some lonely … Read moreFlying On Top of Tea Cups

My mother, in the later years of her life, bought a shih-tsu as a companion.  It was a wonderful dog for her.  One day she and Yuuki were at the dog park in Hawaii Kai and two German Shepherds saw the diminuative Yuuki and chased her under our table.  Yuuki was scared as would be … Read moreYuuki and Allen Toma

I remember Andy Garcia. Like it was yesterday. And, the Garcia brothers who were the Sharks.  I was a Jet.  In 1967, in San Jose, for the San Jose Civic Light Opera, we were the West Side Story of San Jose. And, yes, we had the distinction of almost going to jail for re-enacting the … Read moreMy Friend Andy Garcia

The thing that I didn’t realize about Hitler and Nazi Germany was that, even though we regard it as a horrible time in our history, it was popular with the people of Germany.  The horrible things weren’t happening to the everyday German, as long as you weren’t the targeted group.  The government played upon the … Read moreWhat’s That Buzzing Around My Head . . A Messerschmitt?

We were in the lobby of a hotel on Rue Monge in Paris.  We had just checked into the hotel and lamented the fact that the airlines had lost Nancy’s  luggage.  However, we were excited to be there . . it was Paris, after all!  And, we were going to make the best of it. … Read moreA Room In Paris