Oahu

[laundromat]

I met a nice girl,Sheryl,who booked me for a flight last Friday here to Oahu. Her house is a block from the beach and there are lots of retail stores here that would be easy to send resume's to or go in person to fill out applications.I will be here at least 3 weeks. I needed a break from the rat race in Honoka'a.The place where i live and work is like a half way house. All straight men who are so full of shit that you can out your boots on at the door.One of them is a petifile who likes to seduce teenage girls. He's m70 years old and filthy. He looks like a reject from Ozz.He is 4'5" tall and looks like cousin IT on the Adams Family. He "specializes" in making truffles but wears no shirt,dirty cut off shorts and does not wash his hands.He always offers me a treat" but,after seeing his lack of personal hygine,I'll pass.
On my patio,there is my TV. It will not fit in my apartment and Pete,the owner and my boss,told me when I got there that my tv was there on the patio for me to watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.Well,try that when there are 4 to 7 other matcho men who open their beer bottles with their Bic click joint lighters while watching basketball,football,baseball,lacross and the fights.Pete said to "just change the station and watch what you want." Been there ,done that,two weekends ago,I changed it from basketball to Desperate Housewives and was threatened to be hoisted and dropped off the patio.Sheryl whitnesed it and that was one of her reasons for having me here.She said there is way too much testosterone there and I need to regroup and move here.I think she's right.

We went to Honalulu and visited a few of the gorgeous beaches there. Her friend,Julie has a beautiful house there and had us come by to have lunch and go scuba diving. Two big ass sea turtles swam behind and next to me!I met a guy named Vic who took me up to a great cliff on his Harley and we wound up at his house a few miles from Julies but up in a cliff overlooking the ocean!He's a professional tattoo artist and wants to draw a Westinghouse Laundromat pair on my left upper arm and the LG square window set in red on my right arm. He said that after he does them,he wants me to have Speed Queen's logo either on my chest or back. We got back to Julie's around 7PM and Vic asked if I'd like to go for another ride. I said I was visiting Sheryl and she gave him directions to her house so we could go clubbing and he could drop me back off.That never happened until this morning. After dancing the night away for the first time in decades,we went all the way around the perimeter of the island and wound up back at Vic's where I spent the night and was awakened with a loud parrot saying"Get your ass out of bed" I laughed so hard I cried.Vic made a great breakfast and we got back here around 9AM this morning. He wants me to go to a movie later tonight. Sheryl is completely dumbfounded (me too)because I didn't come here looking for anybody and Vic,who by the way is full of tattoos all over his entire body,and a professional body builder and surfer basicly sweeps me off my feet and makes me feel more than just a tourest.Sheryl told me that I need to just enjoy it while it lasts.She gets back from her job around noon.She works at the airport for FedEx. What a hoot!
Aloha

 

[iheartmaytag]

Well all I have to say is :

"Chuck and Vic sitting in a tree. . ."

and in paradise too.

 

[laundromat]

----Trust me,iheart, we were not just sitting in any tree.Not that one wouldn't call a "woody" a tree. Just a lot less sitting than one would have done in or on just any tree.Plus,I am not into splinters!

 

[maytagbear]

I am glad

that you're having a good time, Chuck!

You deserve a good time.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[ronhic]

Enjoy it...

 

[dblrinz]

It's a Wonderful Life! Enjoy Paradise in Paradise!

 

[laundromat]

I have an interview tomorrow at Best Buy here in Honolulu!!!I gave them my resume just this past Saturday while there admiring the LG steam clothes washer and dryer with the square windows. I spoke to the manager and handed her my resume after attempting to sell her the set.She was there out of costume and looking at the LGs but just because they were just moved there from the front entrance. I assumed she was a customer and saw no salespeople there so,you know me,I'll sell ice cubes to Eskimos!After I spent 15 minutes telling her all about the features and energy/water savings,she laughed at me and asked if I was with LG. I said "No" and told her a little about my past. She than asked if I had applied there before and I said "No" but that I was interested and had my resume' She took it and I gave her my cell number.This morning she had her employee relations office call me to ask when I could come in for an interview. I almost fell off my ball!I asked if Tuesday(tomorrow) would be too soon and they said not at all.If bthis goes through,I will imediately go back to Honoka'a and "pack my shit" then have it sent here. I already found a real nice bungalow here about 4 miles from the store.The cost of living here is high but,due to our economy,most rental costs are negotiable. The home I want to rent is $1200/month but has its own entrance onto the beach.Sheryl said she'll do everything she can to help me get settled once we find out I got the job.

 

[sudsmaster]

Dude, $1200 for a beach "entrance" house anywhere in Hawaii sounds like a great deal to me. Looks like you'll probably get an offer from Best Buy as well.

Just don't accept any truffles from strangers, lol.

 

[mixergal]

Best Buy is a good company to work for

I worked for them for 7 years, and I can't stand working retail! I learned a lot, and they like to promote from within, so it won't be any time and you could be climbing that coporate ladder! And, they're one of the few retail establishments that pay well. The believe in being "employer of choice", and to do that you have to pay your people well and give them good health benefits. I had full medical, dental, vision, and 401k when I worked there. Oh yeah, and they paid part of my tuition when I went back to school! The employee discount doesn't suck either (although it's not as great as you would think on most things).

Good luck! I know you'll enjoy it!

-Sherri

 

[kqkenmore]

I wish you the best and good luck and get out of that hell hole.I know that I would be pissed if I could not watch my Desperate Housewives.Best wishes

 

[kqkenmore]

Best wishes and good luck.Get out of that hell hole.I know that I would be pissed if I could not watch my Desperate Housewives.Carl

 

[whirlcool]

It appears that Hawaii is a totally different place if you have to live there. Paradise isn't all that pretty unless you are a vistior visiting the tourist traps.

 

[laundromat]

I am now at a friend's house. It faces an elementary school and,just past the school grounds is the Pacific Ocean. You can hear the waves breaking as the hit the beach. I was there yesterday to watch the sunset and do a bit of meditation.The mountains overlooking the town are majestic and make one realize the beauty and calmness that surrounds a place like this. I was handed a deck of oracle cards that are Ascended Masters by Doreen Virtue,Ph.D What one does is shuffle them as you begin chosing what the question is you have to ask. The,you pull out a card and see what it means in the book that comes with the deck.I was shocked,enlightened,and surprised when I read what they had to say.I have been keeping a daily journal since I arrived in Hawaii last December and a lot of what I wrote has kept me a bit up to par on what my goals are and helped me to stay focused on reaching them. My interview later today at Best Buy should be the deciding factor on my moving here from Hilo.My issues with stress,anxiety and depression have subsided and I am attempting to think more positive thoughts so that,just like the other dreams of mine that have also come true,those thoughts will also materialize.I love all of you and thank you so much for your support.

 

[animasinsulinpu]

Doreen Virtue

Hi, Chuck! I HAVE those cards! I also have some of her books I ordered from Half.com. I also use the Robin Wood Tarot deck. BEST of Luck!!!!.....Bill in Az....

 

[animasinsulinpu]

Magick

I also LOVE the quote from Alester Crowley "True Magick is the art and Science of using CONTROLLED Thought to produce a RESULT". Always works for me. Just like last December I told my mom that I WILL find a Silver-King vacuum and in 3 days I found 2 on Craigslist and gave the other one to my friend Jackie who owns a cleaning buisness....Bill in Az....

 

[sudsmaster]

From what I gather, living in Hawaii - as close to paradise as life on earth can get - poses unique challenges.

First, you're on an island. Not just any island, but one thousands of miles from the nearest major land mass.

Second, the isolation means that things we on the mainland take for granted are much more expensive to ship to Hawaii. And once there, there's a limited market for it. So retailers/businesses may be a bit more cautious than their mainland counterparts at stocking items - because it would cost $$$ to return to mfg if it doesn't sell.

Third, you're on a finite island. After a few weeks or months, you've driven just about every road there is to drive on the island. There isn't much more to "discover" by road. Part of the "island fever" syndrome.

Fourth, some of the locals resent the tourists and "newcomers". When I was in Hawaii (visiting) in the 80's and 90's, I remember a story of a university profession in Honolulu who was simply walking down the street one evening, minding his own business, when a huge Samoan guy lashed out and punched him in the face, breaking his jaw in multiple places. He's lucky he wasn't killed, I guess. I remember camping on the beach on Kauai in the late 70's and being warned to clear out before the weekend because the local Samoans would come in, get high on speed and alcohol, and beat up "haoles" just for the sport of it. As it happened my flight was leaving on a Friday so I never got to experience the welcome ;-). But I heard later from others who spent the weekend that indeed the Samoans raised quite a bit of hell on the beach that weekend.

Fifth, money always seems to be an issue. There isn't that much industry on Hawaii. Energy is expensive (has to be imported, you see). Jobs can be scarce and low-paying. Rents can be high. And even if you have job, nobody wants to spend money on things to make the job easier. I heard it described as the "paket mentality" (pronounced pah-kay). Frugal is another way of putting it. Penny pinching is less kind.

I guess there is money in Hawaii - but it seems like those with lots of money earned it elsewhere. Hey, I love the islands and would go back there on vacation in a heartbeat. But I'd try to find a rural cottage to stay in, away from the campgrounds, the condos, and away from the highrise "ocean-view" hotels (I stayed in one such place in Honolulu once - a shoebox of a room with a non-functional A/C unit and the only way you could see the ocean was from the stairwell and then it was about five blocks away)...

On the flip side, the local term used to describe over-development of the islands was... you guessed it... "Californicated". This term was around long before the Chili Peppers made it famous in their songs.

 

[jeffg]

Rich, compare Chuck's recent posts from ones just a few months ago, and his experience is typical for someone who moves to the islands. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence..

Relocating to Hawaii obviously seemed like a dream come true for Chuck, judging from his initial excitement, but the reality of Hawaii is quite different, as you've explained.

One of my best friends was born and raised on Oahu, and when I asked him why he moved to California he said that living in Hawaii was like eating steak every day: it might sound good on paper, but after enough time, you'll give your eternal soul to eat something, anything other than steak.

In Hawaii the weather is always the same, it's the same few roads which are jammed with the same demanding tourists who're all driving 10MPH, half your friends are meth addicts, and nearly everyone is living hand-to-mouth and paycheck to paycheck. Add to this a global recession, which for Hawaii's tourist economy has been devastating, and the situation goes from bad to intolerable.

I'm glad Chuck is moving to Oahu, because it has much better infrastructure (and job opportunities) than the other islands. Also, one can enjoy a few drinks with friends without being subjected to karaoke.

 

[laundromat]

----You can be sure-----

My friend,Sheryl, whom I am staying with and helping to pack up or a move,took me to her friends tattoo parlor where I had a Westinghouse Laundromat washer tattooed onto my left upper arm just under my shoulder. It is so detailed and was done in turquoise!!!. We went to the pharmacy to get some Aquaphor to help it along and caused a bit of a crowd to look at it!!!At least 7 people,mostly younger than 30,asked me where I had it done because it looks real and the detailing is perfect!!Sheryl's going to help me send yall' a picture so you can see it!aloha!