Faded dreams of Purple and Gold

With great sorrow, I am going to try and convert my feelings of sadness and sorrow for prose. Bear with me, since this isn't very easy for a diehard Husky fan like myself.

Everyear you feel it. When the days of summer start to get a bit shorter and the nights just a little colder. You can tell Summer is on its way out the door and fall is right around the corner. It's when the kids are getting ready to go back to school and there's a quiet sound to the air.

Off in the distance, you can hear the faint yet familiar sound of the drum line. Your pace begins to fasten as you clinch your preseason guide in the fist and walk faster to the sound. The beat of the drum line changes and you feel the late August air rush against your face. You can begin to feel your heart beat a little faster and the anticipation begins to bubble over. You reach into your pocket and take our your ticket. It's the first ticket of many tickets that are on a sheet with this season's captains printed on it. Quickly, you hand the embossed piece of paper to the woman working the door as ladies with shiny sequence hats walk by. To your left, you hear a young boy asking to his father if the sophomore quarterback will have his breakout year.

You begin the hike to your seats as you find yourelf longing for the years as an undergrad and student seats on the 50 yard line. As you hear the band getting louder and the fans begin to clap, you quicken your pace. You push past families and old people , and your eyes grow wider as you see the light at the end of the tunnel. As you get closer, the light gives way to a view of a packed stadium and a sea of coordinated color. Your hands start clapping as you work your way to your seat. You hear the familiar sound of the fight song and begin to sing, just as you realize to yourself that football season has returned.

Wow. I hope that you could feel just a tiny bit of what I put into writing that fucking thing.

Here's the deal. The Huskies have had 2 losing seasons in a row. This is huge people. Their losing season last year was the first in a gazillion years.

As a Husky fan, I had my lofty expectations crushed as I watched my beloved Dawgs win only two games this year. Gone are the days of rivalries and winning streaks. Of Bowl Games and hopes of Pasedena. Bragging rights and trash talking have rolled over to expose their underbelly. It is a dark day to be a Husky.


But, there's always next season!

I love Kailua

Before I moved to Oahu in March of 2003, I never thought that I'd ever live in Honolulu. I always preferred the laid back lifestyle of the Big Island over the hustle and bustle of Hawaii's largest city. As a child, I always enjoyed visiting the windward side of the island, so it's no surprise to me that I have come to really love Kailua. My daily commute is about 20 minutes in each direction, which allows me to listen to my NPR or talk radio (what a nerd!). The drive also allows me to think. It's funny how I am so busy that I often don't have time to think about stuff.

On the days that I come home early from work, I enjoy exploring Kailua or taking a stroll along the beach which isn't too far from my house. A few weeks ago, Gavin and I took an early evening walk along Kailua beach. I love Kailua.

Too good to pass up ...

Someone at CNN has a lot of explaining to do about this ...

Wed Nov 23, 9:41 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CNN apologized on Tuesday and offered a rare explanation from its control booth for a technical glitch many viewers failed to notice -- a large "X" the network flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face.

CNN, a unit of Time Warner Inc., later issued a mea culpa saying an investigation by senior management concluded "this was a technical malfunction, not an issue of operator error" and expressing regret for the incident.

Whatever the reason, the timing couldn't have been better. With Cheney's approval ratings in the polls, this little techincal malfunction was the perfect Thanksgiving Gift.

Thanks, bitch.

From turkey and stuffing, to gravy and cranberry sauce, I am very thankful this year. I am healthy, I have a family and boyfriend who love me dearly and basically, I have a great life.

Please take a moment to remember those who are less fortunate than us. As Americans, we have this sense of entitlement and we forget the disparity between us and the rest of the world. I ask that you do what you can to remember what we have and never take that for granted.

Stop your whining already!

As you know, I am a fan of wine. I have had somewhat of a wine explosion this past year and I have Gavin to thank for it. Let's face it, it's no fun drinking wine alone. The "experts" say that it's good for your health to drink a glass of red wine a day. What about 5 bottles a week?

5 bottles a week is what Gav and I average between the two of us. For price, I go to Costco. They have a great selection at great prices. One of my favorite's has actually been a 2001 Kirkland Signature Cab from the Alexander Valley. For those of you not in the know, Kirkland Signature is Costco's brand that is known for excellent quality at affordable prices. Whether we're talking tighty whities, cranberry juice, bathroom tissue, or in this case ... wine, Kirkland Signature is always top notch. At $17 a bottle, I wonder how much this wine would cost if it wasn't under the Kirkland Signature label. Consumers really do come out on top with Kirkland Signature!

I am going to try and put together a photo wine journal here on my blog. I'll try my best to rate the wine and give you a little description. (I'll probably have to get Gavin's help on the description, since he's so good at telling me about tannens, bouquet and all those fruity tastes.) Until I get down the lingo, I'll tell you if I'll buy it again. How does that sound?




















2004 Argyle Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Consumed: Nov 8, 2005
Price: Unsure. Definitely under $20
Bought: HASR Wine, Honolulu, HI
Would I get it again? Sure!














Cheers Gavin!

Hello Monica

To my dear friend Monica,

Thanks for the blog comments and for always keeping up to date on your reading.

I do, however, have one question for you ...

Who are you?

I apologize, but I'm not sure who you are exactly and I'd love to know.

Thanks and keep on reading! :)

I love my job

So for those of you who don't know, I work for a radio station. I sell advertising and "help businesses grow." I have some really great clients, but I have to admit that my all time favorite is Durex.

Basically Durex gives me a thosand dollars a month (which I get a percentage of) and I do whatever the heck I want with just about all the condoms and lube you can imagine. At ever opportunity, I am passing out condoms at club nights, bars, concerts, parties and just about anything else you can think of. I had no idea Durex products were so great! There's the original "Love" condom (pretty vanilla), the Extra Sensitive thin condom, the Peformax condom that helps him go longer, the Her Pleasure with ribs in the right area, the mutual pleasure with ribs all over, and everyone's favorite, the Extra Large. Yup, I've got them all. So whether you're having vaginal sex, anal sex or just plain and simple safer sex, I've got the product for you.

I love Durex. They're my favorite client.

The Gavin & Keau Wine Experience Part II

We ended up bringing a few bottles home from Australia. We enjoyed the Shiraz in one night, but we bought two bottles of the Lindemans Tawny. For those of you who don't know what a Tawny it, it's a red dessert wine. It's a bit sweet (and Gavin and I bought a pair of tiny crystal wine glasses at Goodwill to drink our tawny out of).

After Australia, we spent a few months trying out various Australian and New Zealand wines. Not a bad region, if you ask me. We were getting our wine experience for our upcoming trip to Italy.

Italy kicked our ass. We were sick as dogs from partying too much in the fabulous clubs of London, and were in no condition to go on a wine tasting of the Chianti region of Tuscany.

We ended up going.

The Old World region of Italy wasn't as fun to the novice as Australia, but I can't begin to tell you how blown away I was with the vineyards that outdated the United States. It was awe inspriring to see how many centuries of wine making has been passed down from generation to generation.

As Gavin, Jason, Rob and Jeff tried various wines from this region rich with history, I lay sick as a dog in the short bus that Jeff so kindly hired. I look back at the event and shake my head over how such a wonderful opportunity was squandered over three nights of hot boys, great music and mind altering substances. Hmm.... or was it?

The Gavin & Keau Wine Experience

The boyfriend and I LOVE wine. I can't begin to tell you how much vino we consume on a weekly basis. (If anyone is interested in drinking wine with us, let me know.)

When we first met, I didn't know much about wine. Gavin knew a bunch, but never really sampled a whole lot of wine. Then we went to Australia. The Hunter Valley is perhaps one of the best places to sample wine as a newbie. Two neo-wine enthusiasts exploring one of the New World's best.



Neuvo architecture and exploratory usages of grapes, makes for a liberal and open atmosphere for the most green of wine fans.With our trusted friend (and driver) Ashley, we went from vineyard to vineyard. We would stop and taste various shirazs, cabs, whites and our favourite of them all, the tawny. It was a day of fun, sun, lunch and great wine ... all spent down under.

Phillips or Flathead?

As either of my sibling can attest to, my mother has a great love for the screwdriver. I'm not talking tool belts here, but rather good ole fashioned OJ with vodka over ice. I'm not kidding around here kids, she has a high ball glass in a lauhala holder. The sound of ice in a glass brings back memories of playing with my action figures (or sister's Jem dolls) on the green lineoleum of my parent's 1976 house. Just like Tina in Mommy Dearest, I knew how to pour mommy's drink.

Now before you start thinking of my mom as a drunk, you have to realize that she is perhaps the most loving person you could ever meet. So what if she had a drink in the early evening? I say that a drink, a walk, or smoke ... whatever you need to unwind, is what we all need to stay sane.

This Thanksgiving, I am going to pour my mom a drink. It'll be in her favorite lauhala basket/cup combo, but this time I'll use Grey Goose and fresh squeezed Ka'u oranges. That'll make her day.

Cheers, mom!