Leisure & Lifestyle

National Bow Tie Day on August 28th encourages everyone to wear this style of tie with panache! It's versatile, too. To ▶◀ , or not.  Well, I never knew, but it made me think of my favorite 'bow tie guy', whom I like very much... 💕  [💔 Paul Reubens, Best Known as Pee-wee Herman, Has Died at 70. [07302023] 💔]

Another season of European soccer has begun.  You can watch Italian soccer games free on  Golazo and French soccer on Bein Sports Xtra, both on Pluto tv.  All with English commentators.  Take advantage, they will probably start to charge in the future.

I occasionally get anemia. Accordingly, my primary doctors, both those in North Carolina and now Hawaii, have always recommended that I take an iron pill until my hemoglobin count increases. But when the oncologist who has been treating me for two years saw that my recent hemoglobin count was a bit low, he told me that decreasing the amount of oral chemotherapy capsules for my blood cancer would get the hemoglobin back to normal. That tactic didn’t appeal to me at all. Because of unanticipated drug interaction concerns, the oncologist had already reduced the chemo dosage from five to three capsules a day. I vehemently objected to any more tinkering with my cancer medication. Instead, I offered to take a regimen of iron pills until the next blood test in two months. The doctor thought that was a great option. Duh! Sometimes the patient knows best. The other day, my visiting daughter and I were watching Tears of the Sun, a movie about maniacally murderous rebels in Nigeria. After a

Every Movie is just $4!!! Some 'Sunday Funday' activities! Woohoo! We're going to see, 'Strays.'  (♡˙︶˙♡) Theater owners announced Monday that the second annual National Cinema Day will be held Sunday, Aug. 27. For one day, all movies — in all formats and at all showtimes — will be $4 at participating theaters. More than 3,000 theaters are participating, which accounts for most of the cinemas in the U.S., including the leading chains AMC and Regal.  

Staring Too Long May Damage Your Vision 

 

 

 The ship weathered the storm, but the crew suffocated so the project was defunded.

Life is an Exhibition in WaikikiYesterday on my routine walk, I encountered lots of unselfconscious people.First, an emaciated young Hari Krishna devotee wearing a monkish wardrobe suddenly took off his shirt, revealing his scrawny chest and exposed ribs. Then he began to mumble a mantra; and in a trance-like state, he passed by me, evidently unaware of my presence.As I was approaching the Ala Wai Boulevard, I saw a middle-aged man running backward on the sidewalk abutting the polluted Ala Wai canal. Even though he looked at ease as he maneuvered dangerously close to the edge of the waterway, I was so apprehensive about his safety that I couldn’t watch him anymore.Rounding the bend, I saw a much younger man who was boldly walking ahead of me. Despite the heat, he wore a ski mask with a tangled hank of rainbow-colored hair sprouting from a hole at the top of the covering. Above his baggy pants he wore a frayed yellow short-sleeved T-shirt over a faded red long-sleeved flannel shirt. He

Don’t Discount the Little Things When I was growing up under the tutelage of my father, a classical music aficionado, we bought dozens of opera recordings that exclusively included the most melodic excerpts from Baroque to post-Romanticism. I had no interest in the translations or the plot. All that appealed to me were the soaring cadences of the lusciously soul-stirring arias that enveloped me.Not until I subscribed to the Met on Demand did I take a more balanced approach. At first, listening to the “filler” between the featured highlights was irritating. I wanted to get to the prime operatic portions, not the gristle in between. But after a while, I began to enjoy following the story lines, whether they were silly or cerebral. By doing so, I embraced a good deal of background and foreshadowing that wasn’t as tuneful as I would have previously preferred. And whenever I come across an operatic gem, it is more dramatic and meaningful because of the plot development conveyed by low-key,

A couple of days ago

 

Does AARP have a chat room or chat group other than this site? I would like to meet friends to chat with.

Loveliness Everywhere I GazeDespite the drought that has recently enveloped Hawaii, the foliage in Waikiki is still magnificently displayed. The area surrounding my Leisure Heritage condo is as lush as a botanical garden. Various mimosa trees have mammoth clusters of flowers, some of them stark red, or brilliant orange; or they are studded with a conglomeration of pastel colors, whether gauzy pink or light yellow. Because I fell on uneven ground the other day, I have decided to walk on the level cement in the parking lot at my condo, and especially since I found out that some tree roots have unsafely elevated parts of the pavement on my regular route.  I figured that I’d miss lots of the gorgeous scenery that I have enjoyed for so long, but I have to protect myself. As I circled the parking lot a few times, I peered across the street; and for the first time, I noticed a huge monkeypod tree with thin, long, maroon, spindly, prickly (almost surrealistic) protrusions ornamenting the

A Trifecta of Aloha in HonoluluMost of the injuries that I have incurred over the years have targeted the right side of my body. The other day was no exception. Near the end of my power walk, I tripped and fell onto the cement, lacerating my right knee and bloodying my right arm. A middle-aged man who had witnessed my plight helped me get up. As I grimaced from the pain, I told him how grateful I was for his assistance. After seeing how much blood was seeping out of my arm (compliments of my blood thinner medication), he suggested that I put firm pressure on the wound. I did so, using my left hand as a tourniquet. When I arrived at my condo, the blood was completely staunched.The next day, I brought a bunch of pants into the dressing room at Nordstrom’s Rack. I was astonished when I found out that all of the doors were locked. Eventually, a clerk opened one of them for me. Instead of keeping the door open, I closed it and then trudged over to my wife so that she could inspect one of th

My Communion with Baby Birds and a Small DogAt the beginning of my walk yesterday, a swarm of tiny twittering birds with acrobatic panache fluttered beside and above me. They followed me that way for at least a block. I was amazed at and delighted with their playful yet precise choreography and their ecstatic chirping: What an entrancing, exquisite, and inspiring routine! O I guess it was possible that these birds would attack me, but I never feared them; they were hardly predatory like the ones in Alfred Hitchcock’s horror saga The Birds. Just the opposite—they reminded me of the small song birds that so lovingly accompanied Snow White.As I turned the corner, the baby birds that had rejuvenated me zipped along elsewhere. But at the end of my walk, I had a warm reception from another animal. As I chatted with a partially disabled man whom I occasionally see walking his dog, I noticed that the dog tried to reach out to me. The man slightly let go off his grip on the leash. That gave the

 A Welcomed Incongruity at SafewayThe other day during my quest for a relatively short line at the Safeway express checkout counter, I found an opening with only one person ahead of me. But all did not go as smoothly as I had anticipated. A man who had already bagged a few items started to harangue the cashier because he had a long-standing “credit” due to him. After spending a few moments consulting her computer screen, the cashier, a petite elderly Asian woman, patiently tried to explain to the man that he was mistaken. But the man relentlessly pursued his claim. There was no doubt at all that Safeway owed him, and he wanted to use his credit right away. The unfazed cashier, however, repeated that the store had no record of any credit owed to him. She was sincerely apologetic, while the man was nearly apoplectic.  However, when he realized that he was not going to receive any compensation from the firm but polite cashier, the man huffed and quickly exited the store. This in

 💛 Heart of gold. 💛 Koko, gorilla who communicated with sign language and raised kittens, dies at 46 (June 21, 2018) [PBS] Koko (gorilla) [WIKI]  

Nothing like a good Dad joke! Always told in the car, in front of your friends, and to total strangers. Goal: Embarrassment. Laugh riot. Super dry. Unforgettable (because they're so bad). Oy yoi yoi.  [Happy Daddy's/Father's/Pops'/Papa's/Step Dads' (too) Day]

 ▶️To reply, click on reply button at bottom of this post. Enter your text. Click reply button again.◀️ ***READ comments and/or ADD a comment*** What FREE activities are YOU doing? 🤔 Thanks, Nicole ‌🛶‌ (Leisure & Lifestyle Forum)

A Parrots’ Paradise Overlooking a Busy Street in HonoluluYesterday before dusk as I was looking at the street across from my friend’s apartment, I saw a stunning vista. Hundreds of brilliantly bright green parrots were enveloping at least twenty spacious banyan trees. At first, the birds didn’t land on any branches; they just teasingly swirled and twirled, curled and cavorted around the width of the trees, from top to bottom. Some of them even dive-bombed and, at the last second, fluttered away towards adjacent lush foliage. Although none of the parrots were in sync, they had a predetermined plan. After about fifteen minutes of acrobatic arabesques, they all nestled into different canopied areas of the banyan trees, presumably for the night.What a spectacular ritual that is just one of the kaleidoscopic life-enhancing distractions from the hub-bub of the city: iconic trade winds invigorate me, resplendent rainbows briefly enveloped in mist stir my soul, sprightly roosters followed by h

A Plus Counterbalances a MinusOn my walk last week in Waikiki, I encountered a forlorn middle-aged woman dressed in a tattered muumuu. As she got closer to me, I noticed that her calloused hands were extended in front of her as if she were supplicating a higher power. When she was about to pass by me, she began to sob and ritualistically moan in a jumble of haunting cadences. I hoped that her rapturous mantra, whatever it signified, would help alleviate or even cure her malaise. I felt like consoling her, but, I didn’t intervene, being typically cautious about trying to help anyone who showed symptoms of mental distress, especially disabilities like schizophrenia that afflict so many street people in Honolulu.As I began to continue my walk, I kept dwelling on the woman’s tearful situation.  But I soon regained my composure. Around the bend, I saw a pudgy middle-aged man comfortably sitting in a wheel chair. As I approached him, he greeted me with: “How’s it going, bro?” Such an un

Hello everyone  My name is Joe and my wife Nicole and I have a YouTube channel called I'd Flip That.  We are resellers and created a game show for people to enjoy!  We have gotten great response to it.  People are loving it.  We bring on contestants from around the country to play family feud, jeopardy, wheel of fortune, match game and final showdown.  I thought I would share this with you and let you know what we have going on in our lives!  If you have the time please check it out it is really fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hCiKN2rAHc

The article was indeed a good article.......but..... the pics of clothes and their prices are way too expensive for the average.... let me stress AVERAGE Medicare recipients. Next time they need to find more affordable clothing for our generation. 

An Ugly SituationA week ago as I began my walk, I saw an elderly downtrodden Asian couple huddled next to their car. They looked traumatized. Behind them, a white young lady beside her own vehicle was furiously conversing with four cops who had parked nearby after she had presumably contacted them.  Her alleged complaint was that the couple had called her an “effing **bleep**.’’ From what I could observe, there hadn’t been an accident. Neither car seemed to have been damaged. I found it unlikely that the Asian couple had verbally abused the young woman with such foul language. The cops, who seemed to be just as incredulous as I was, didn’t interrupt her bloodthirsty tirade.As I passed by, the couple looked even more terrified as their accuser became more unhinged, stomping her feet and wildly gesticulating.I could only speculate about the tense scene, but I wouldn’t be surprised that the young lady epitomized the meme “Karen” (with the ferocity of a Kraken), someone who maliciousl