Thursday, August 30, 2007

Global Intelligence Briefing

Here is a link to a transcription of a Global Intelligence Briefing for CEOs that was given by Herb Meyer at a conference in February 2006. Herb Meyer was a CIA official in the Reagan administration.

The description of this talk is:

"Currently, there are four major transformations that are shaping political, economic and world events. These transformations have profound implications for American business owners, our culture and our way of life. "

This talk is interesting and challenging, and strikes me as pretty much spot on. I put it here so that I could find it when I need it!

First-class Blondes

The air plane was on its way to Houston when a blonde in Economy class got up and moved to the First-Class section and sat down.

The flight attendant watched her do this, and asked to see her ticket. She told the blonde that she had paid for Economy class and that she would have to return to her seat in Economy class.

The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Houston, and I'm staying right here."

The flight attendant went up to the cockpit and told the pilot and co-pilot that there was a blonde sitting in First-class who belonged in Economy and won't move back to her seat.

The co-pilot went back and spoke to the blonde, tried to explain that because she had paid for Economy, she would have to leave First-class and return to her proper seat.

The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Houston, and I'm staying right here.

The co-pilot returned and told the pilot that he probably should have the police waiting when they land to arrest this blonde woman who won't listen to reason.

The pilot said, "You said she is a blonde? I'll handle this. I'm married to a blonde. I speak blonde."

The pilot went back to the blonde and whispered in her ear, and she said "Oh, I'm sorry," and she got up and went back to her seat in Economy.

The flight attendant and co-pilot were amazed and asked the pilot what he said to make her move without any fuss.

The pilot said, "I told her, First-class isn't going to Houston."

Padres 2007 - Games 131-140

Here are the breakdowns for each 10 game segment of the season to date:

10 Games (4/12): 6-4 record, Runs 34-30
20 Games (4/24): 12-8 record, Runs 95-80, BA 0.263, ERA 3.72
30 Games (5/5): 16-14 Record, Runs 136-120, BA 0.243, ERA 3.59
40 Games (5/15): 21-19 Record, Runs 168-142, BA 0.236, ERA 3.16
50 Games (5/28): 29-21 Record, Runs 210.167, BA 0.241, ERA 3.00
60 Games (6/8): 36-24 Record, Runs 262-196, BA 0.243, ERA 2.88
70 Games (6/20): 41-29 Record, Runs 316-238, BA 0.246, ERA 3.04
80 Games (7/1): 46-34 Record, Runs 348-271, BA 0.243, ERA 3.03
90 Games (7/15): 50-40 Record, Runs 385-314, BA 0.242, ERA 3.11
100 Games (7/25): 54-46 Record, Runs 415-371, BA 0.243, ERA 3.39
110 Games (8/5): 60-50 Record, Runs 472-418, BA 0.243, ERA 3.51
120 Games (8/16): 65-55 Record, Runs 526-466, BA 0.244, ERA 3.51
130 Games (8/27): 71-59 Record, Runs 579-516, BA 0.249, ERA 3.59

After 130 games, the Pads are 71-59 (home 36-29, road 35-30), Runs 579-516, Homers 130-89. The Pads have won 1 in a row, 6 of the last 10, and 22 of 43 since the All-Star break.

With 32 games left, the Pads are in 2nd place in the NL West, trailing Arizona (74-58) by 2 games. The Rockies are 67-64, the Dodgers are 68-63, and the Giants are 60-72. If Arizona plays 0.500 ball the rest of the way (finishing at 89-73), the Pads have to play out at 18-14 (0.563) to tie them. If the Snakes play at their current 0.561 pace (a 91-71 record), the Pads would have to finish 20-12 (0.625) to tie them. The Pads need to continue their improved hitting (especially at home) and decent pitching and defense. The playoffs are a real possibility if they can finish with 90 wins.

Game 131, Tuesday, August 28, Arziona at SD: Pads win 6-4. Justin Germano vs. Brandon Webb seemed like a mismatch. Germano pitched decently (6 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 3 BB, 4 K, won, now 7-7) and Webb pitched poorly (5.1 IP, 6 R, 7 H, 3 BB, 4 K), lost, now 14-9). The snakes scored single runs in the ist, 4th and 5th and Germano pitched out of several james. The Pads got 2 runs in the 2nd on Greene's double and Bard's sacrifice fly. In the 6th, Mike Cameron rocketed a solo homer to tie the game, then Bradley walked, Gonzalez singled, Greene singled, Kouzmanoff bunted and was safe, and Bard singled to drive in the 6th run. Doug Brocail gave up a solo homer in the 7th, and Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman finished the game (35th save). After 131 games, the Pads are 72-59 (home 37-29, road 35-30), Runs 585-520, Homers 131-90. The Pads have won 2 in a row, 6 of the last 7, and 7 of the last 10.

Game 132, Wednesday, August 29, Arizona at SD: Pads win 3-1. Greg Maddux pitched well (7 IP, 1 R, 8 H, 0 BB, 5 K) but didn't get the win. Micah Owings also pitched well for Arizona (7 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K) and didn't get the loss. The Snakes got a run in the 3rd, as did the Pads - on a solo homer by Brian Giles. In the bottom of the 8th, Brian Giles singled, and Mike Cameron hit a double off the LF wall to drive him in. Adrian Gonzalez singled to drive in Cameron. Kevin Cameron pitched a scoreless 8th and won the game, and Heath Bell got his 2nd save with a scoreless 9th. After 132 games, the Pads are 73-39 (home 38-29, road 35-30), Runs 588-521, Homers 132-90. The Pads have won 3 in a row, 7 of the last 8, and 8 of the last 10. With this win, they are tied with Arizona for the NL West lead.

Game 133, Thursday, August 30, Arizona at SD: Snakes win 8-7. It really wasn't that close. This was two different games - the Snakes won the first 6-1/2 innings 8-0, the Pads won the last 3 innings 7-0. Chris Young had a terrible start after his back injury (4.1. IP, 5 R, 2 H, 6 BB, 3 Ks), with the big hit a 2-run homer by Mark Reynolds (451 feet). The bullpen gave up 3 more runs on 6 hits. Doug Davis befuddled the Pads on 1 hit through 6 innings, then gave up 3 in the 7th, and the Snakes bullpen gave up 4 more runs, the last being a solo homer by Milton Bradley with one out in the 9th off Jose Valverde (41st save). After 133 games, the Pads are 73-60 (home 38-30, road 35-30), Runs 595-529, Homers 133-91. The Pads have lost 1 in a row, have won 7 out of last 9.

Game 134, Friday, August 31, LA Dodgers at SD: Pads win 6-4. David Wells returned to SD in a Dodgers uniform, and pitched well (5 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks) - the 3 runs in the first were on seeing-eye hits and poor defense. Jack Cassel made his first major league start and pitched OK (5.2 IP, 3 R, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks). The Dodgers tied it in the 6th, and the Pads scored 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th to go ahead 6-3. Trevor Hoffman gave up a run in the 9th, but got his 36th save. After 134 games, the Pads are 74-60 (home 39-30, road 35-30), Runs 601-533, Homers 133-91. The Pads have won 1 in a row, 4 of the last 5, and 8 of the last 10. They were 18-11 during August.

Game 135, Saturday, September 1, LA Dodgers at SD: Pads win 7-0. Jake Peavy was lights out again - 7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 Ks. The Pads took the lead 1-0 in the second when Adrian Gonzalez crushed a Derek Lowe pitch over the sandbox in right center. In the 5th, the Pads scored 6 runs, 4 on a Mike Cameron grand-slam just over the fence down the LF line. The bullpen held the Dodgers silent for two innings. After 135 games, the Pads are 75-60 (home 40-30, road 35-30), Runs 608-533, Homers 135-91. The Pads have won 2 in a row, 5 out of 6, and 8 out of 10. This was the Padres 18th shutout of the season.

The Pads activated catcher Michael Barrett, and called up Brady Clark, Oscar Robles, and Brian Myroe. 608-538, Homers 135-91. The Pads have lost 1 in a row, won 5 of the 7 on the homestand, won 7 out of the last 10, and won 9 out of the last 13 against contending teams.

Now it's on to Arizona (3 games), Colorado (3 games and LA (3 games).

Game 136, Sunday, September 2, LA Dodgers at SD: Dodgers win 5-0. Chad Billingsley pitched as well for the Dodgers in this game as Peavy did on Saturday. He went 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 Ks. Justin Germano pitched well, taking a shutout into the 6th, but he gave up a run in the 6th (6 IP, 1 R, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks, lost, now 7-8). Kevin Cameron started the 7th and couldn't get an out - he gave up 4 R (1 earned), 2 H, 1 BB. The Pads mounted a threat in the 7th against Scott Proctor and Joe Beimel, loading the bases. Jonathan Broxton came on and struck out Mike Cameron and Adrian Gonzalez to end the threat.
After 136 games, the Pads are 75-61 (home 40-31, road 35-30), Runs 608-538, Homers 135-92. The Pads have lost 1 in a row, have won 5 of 7, and have won 10 of 13.

Game 137, Monday, September 3, SD at Arizona. Pads win 10-2. Labor Day. No TV (what's up with that?). Greg Maddux pitched well (6.1 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 0 W, 5 Ks, won, now 11-9). The Pads hit 5 bombs, 4 off of Snakes starter Micah Owings in the first 4 innings. Brian Giles (2), Adrian Gonzalez, Geoff Blum and Kevin Kouzmanoff led the 11-hit parade off Owings and 4 relievers. Doug Brocail and Cla Meredith pitched 2.2 shutout innings. After 137 games, the Pads are 76-61 (home 40-31, road 36-30), Runs 618-540, Homers 140-93. The Pads have won 1 in a row, won 6 of last 8, and 11 of last 14.

Game 138: Tuesday, September 4, SD at Arizona: Snakes win 9-1. Turn-about here, with the Snakes hitting 2 homers off Chris Young (4 IP, 5 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, lost - now 9-6) in another short outing. The Pads were never in this, and they scratched only 6 hits in 7 innings off Doug Davis (winner, now 13-11). The Pads loaded the bases in the 5th with none out, but scored only one on a sacrifice fly by Mike Cameron. Milton Bradley got thrown out for staring at the plate umpire after he was called out looking, and Adrian Gonzalez flied out. After 138 games, the Pads are 76-62 (home 40-31, road 36-31), Runs 619-549, Homers 140-95, the Pads have won 6 of the last 9, and 11 of the last 15.

Game 139, Wednesday, September 5, SD at Arizona: Snakes win 9-6. Jake Peavy had his worst game of the year (4+ IP, 8 R, 7 H, 3 BB, 4 K, lost, now 16-6). The Pads actually led this game 5-4 after the top of the 5th, touching up Livan Hernandez for 5 R, 7 H. In the 5th, the Snakes went walk, triple, walk, walk, off of Peavy, then got a bases-clearing double by Chris Young off Doug Brocail. Adrian Gonzalez and Kahlil Greene homered for the Pads, while Miguel Montero had 2 homers and Conor Jackson a solo homer off Peavy. After 139 games, the Pads are 76-63 (home 40-31, road 36-32), Runs 625-558, Homers 142-98. The Pads have lost 2 in a row, and won 6 of the last 10.

Game 140, Friday, September 7, SD at Colorado: Rocks win 10-4. This was a close game until the Rocks scored 5 in the 8th to put it away off Kevin Cameron and Cla Meredith. Justin Germano pitched poorly (3 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 1 K, lost, now 7-9). The Pads were down 5-2 after 3 innings, and got a run in the 4th and the 7th. Adrian Gonzalez had 3 RBIs as the Pads left 9 on base. After 140 games, the Pads are 76-64 (home 40-31, road 36-33), Runs 629-568, Homers 142-99.

After 140 games, the Pads are 15th in batting average, 11th in runs scored, 9th in home runs, and 1st in ERA in the National League.

Batting statistics of the regulars include (BA, OBA, AB, R, H, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, SO):

Milton Bradley (LF): 0.321, 0.428, 134, 30, 43, 5, 10, 29, 23, 24
Brian Giles (RF): 0.293, 0.383, 389, 56, 114, 21, 10,. 41, 53, 50
Adrian Gonzalez (1B): 0.281, 0.346, 552, 84, 155, 39, 26, 86, 55, 121
Josh Bard (C): 0.267, 0.351, 326, 32, 87, 22, 3, 43, 44, 51
Kahlil Greene (SS): 0.251, 0.288, 517, 70, 130, 37, 20, 77, 27, 104
Mike Cameron (CF): 0.250, 0.333, 520, 80, 130, 32, 19, 14, 60, 140
Geoff Blum (2B): 0.249, 0.319, 265, 27, 66, 15, 4, 26, 27, 45
Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B): 0.249, 0.302, 398, 48, 99, 22, 15, 59, 25, 86

The starting pitcher statistics (W-L, ERA, G, IP, H, ER, BB, SO):

Jake Peavy: 16-6, 2.43, 29, 188.2, 142, 51, 58, 210
Chris Young: 9-6, 2.63, 25, 144.0, 95, 42, 56, 139
Greg Maddux: 11-0, 3.75, 29, 175.0, 187, 73, 21, 94
Justin Germano: 7-9, 4.36, 22, 123.1, 119, 60, 37, 71

The regular relievers statistics (W-L, Saves, ERA, G, IP, H, ER, BB, SO):

Kevin Cameron: 2-0, 0, 2.25, 42, 52.0, 48, 13, 28, 47
Heath Bell: 6-4, 1, 2.30, 69, 78.1, 55, 20, 23, 80
Trevor Hoffman: 3-4, 36, 2.76, 52, 49.0, 40, 15, 13, 34
Doug Brocail: 5-1, 0, 3.43, 54, 65.2, 51, 25, 19, 39
Cla Meredith: 4-6, 0, 3.59, 69, 67.2, 85, 27, 16, 49.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Caring Children

Author and lecturer, Leo Buscaglia, once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.The winner was:

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A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife . . . . upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

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Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, "I know all about adoption, I was adopted."

"What does it mean to be adopted?", asked another child.

"It means", said the girl, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!"

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A four-year-old was at the pediatrician's office for a check up. As the doctor looked in her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent.

Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent.

Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?"

"Oh, no!", the little girl replied, "Jesus is in my heart... Barney's on my underpants."

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On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Littlle League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was.

"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.

"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."

"Discouraged?", the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face... "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."

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Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.

On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.

"Guess what, Mom," he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me..... "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."

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Perfect Pitch?

Here's an interesting article about baseball ... um, well, not:

=============================
Musicians and singers work for years to develop their sense of pitch but few can name a musical note without a reference tone. U.S. researchers on Monday said one gene may be the key to that coveted ability.

Only 1 in 10,000 people have perfect or absolute pitch, the uncanny ability to name the note of just about any sound without the help of a reference tone.

"One guy said, 'I can name the pitch of anything -- even farts,"' said Dr. Jane Gitschier of the University of California, San Francisco, whose study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

She and colleagues analyzed the results of a three-year, Web-based survey and musical test that required participants to identify notes without the help of a reference tone. More than 2,200 people completed the 20-minute test.

"We noticed that pitch-naming ability was roughly an all-or-nothing phenomenon," she said.

That lead researchers to conclude that one gene, or perhaps a few, may be behind this talent.

Gitschier said those with perfect pitch were able to correctly identify both piano tones and pure computer-generated tones that were devoid of the distinctive sounds of any musical instrument.

She said people with perfect pitch were able to pick out the pure tones with ease. And they also tended to have had early musical training -- before the age of 7.

"We think it probably takes the two things," she said.

They also found that perfect pitch tends to deteriorate with age.

"As people get older, their perception goes sharp. If a note C is played, and they're 15, they will say it's a C. But if they're 50, they might say it's a C sharp."
"This can be very disconcerting for them," Gitschier said.


The most commonly misidentified note, based on the study, is a G sharp. That may be because G sharp is overshadowed by A, its neighbor on the scale, they said. A is often used by orchestras in the West as a tuning reference.

Gitschier said she and her colleagues were focusing on identifying the gene responsible for perfect pitch, which will involve gene mapping. Then they will try to figure out what is different in people with absolute pitch.

"We'll have to play it by ear, so to speak," she said.

===========================

At least it explains why I can't carry a tune, usually sing in the key of J-sharp, and can't figure out music. It's genetic - it's not my fault!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Great Minds on Hillary!

"Hillary Clinton said that her childhood dream was to be an Olympic athlete. But she was not athletic enough. She said she wanted to be an astronaut, but at the time they didn't take women. She said she wanted to go into medicine, but hospitals made her woozy. Should she be telling people this story? I mean she's basically saying she wants to be president because she can't do anything else."
Jay Leno

"Well, the big story -- Hillary Clinton will be running for president in 2008. You know why I think she's running? I think she finally wants to see what it's like to sleep in the president's bed."
Jay Leno

"Top Democrats have mixed feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton running for president. Apparently, some Democrats don't like the idea, while others hate it."
Conan O'Brien

"In a fiery speech this weekend, Hillary Clinton wondered why President Bush can't find the tallest man in Afghanistan . Probably for the same reason she couldn't find the fattest intern under the desk."
Jay Leno

"Former President Bill Clinton said that if his wife, Hillary, is elected president, he will do whatever she wants. You know Bill Clinton -- when he makes a vow to Hillary, you can take that to the bank."
Jay Leno

"A student from the University of Washington has sold his soul on eBay for $400. He's a law student, so he probably doesn't need it, but still, that's not very much. Today, Hillary Clinton said, 'Hey, at least I got some furniture and a Senate seat for mine.'"
Jay Leno

"Hillary Clinton said today that she wants legislation to allow all ex-felons to vote. See, this way all the Clinton's former business partners can vote for her in 2008."
Jay Leno

"Hillary Clinton's 506-page memoirs have come out. So much of her personality shines through, that in the end, you, too, will want to sleep with an intern." Craig Kilborn

"In Hillary Clinton's new book 'Living History,' Hillary details what it was like meeting Bill Clinton, falling in love with him, getting married, and living a passionate, wonderful life as husband and wife. Then on page two, the trouble starts."
Jay Leno

"In the book, she says when Bill told her he was having an affair, she said "I could hardly breathe, I was gulping for air." No, I'm sorry, that's what Monica said.
David Letterman

"Hillary Clinton, our junior senator from New York, announced that she has no intentions of ever, ever running for office of the President of the United States . Her husband, Bill Clinton, is bitterly disappointed. He is crushed. There go his dreams of becoming a two-impeachment family."
David Letterman

"Last night, Senator Hillary Clinton hosted her first party in her new home in Washington. People said it was a lot like the parties she used to host at the White House. In fact, even the furniture was the same."
Jay Leno

"Senator Hillary Clinton is attacking President Bush for breaking his campaign promise to cut carbon dioxide emissions, saying a promise made, a promise broken. And then out of habit, she demanded that Bush spend the night on the couch."
Craig Kilborn

"CNN found that Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America . Women admire her because she's strong and successful. Men admire her because she allows her husband to cheat and get away with it."
Jay Leno

"Hillary Clinton is the junior senator from the great state of New York . When they swore her in, she used the Clinton family Bible. . . the one with only seven commandments."
David Letterman

Wal-Mart Medical Diagnostics

In the company cafeteria, Joe says to Mike behind him, "My elbow hurts like hell. I guess I'd better see a doctor."

"Listen, you don't have to spend that kind of money," Mike replies. "There's a diagnostic computer down at Wal-Mart. Just give it a urine sample and the computer will tell you what's wrong and what to do about it. It takes ten seconds and costs ten dollars . . A lot cheaper than a doctor."

So, Joe deposits a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Wal-Mart. He deposits ten dollars, and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits. Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:

"You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks. Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart"

That evening, while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Joe began wondering if the computer could be fooled. He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter, and a sperm sample for good measure. Joe hurries back to Wal-Mart, eager to check the results. He deposits ten dollars, pours in his concoction, and awaits the results.

The computer prints the following:

"1. Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener. (Aisle 9)
2. Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo. (Aisle 7)
3. Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.
4. Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren't yours. Get a lawyer.
5. If you don't stop playing with yourself, your elbow will never get better.
Thank you for shopping @ Wal-Mart."

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Can you read this?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch atCmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in awrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer bein the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raedit whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raedervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

8th Grade test in 1895

Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out.

Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895? This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal. 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS, 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie", "play", and "run."
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 65 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, and syllabication.
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, sub vocal, diphthong, cognate letters, and lingual.
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi-, dis-, mis-, pre-, semi-, post-, non-, inter-, mono-, and sup-.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of: Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?

Bet they didn't get to use calculators, either!!

The first time

A girl asks her boyfriend to come over Friday night to meet, and have dinner with her parents. Since this is such a big event, the girl announces to her boyfriend that after dinner, she would like to go out and make love for the first time.

The boy is ecstatic, but he has never had sex before, so he takes a trip to the pharmacist to get some condoms. He tells the pharmacist it's his first time and the pharmacist helps the boy for about an hour. He tells the boy everything there is to know about condoms and sex. At the register, the pharmacist asks the boy how many condoms he'd like to buy, a 3-pack, 10-pack, or family pack. The boy insists on the family pack because he thinks he will be rather busy, it being his first time and all.

That night, the boy shows up at the girl's parent’s house and meets his girlfriend at the door. "Oh, I'm so excited for you to meet my parents, come on in!"

The boy goes inside and is taken to the dinner table where the girl's parents are seated. The boy quickly offers to say grace and bows his head. A minute passes, and the boy is still deep in prayer, with his head down. 10 minutes pass, and still no movement from the boy. Finally, after 20 minutes with his head down, the girlfriend leans over and whispers to the boyfriend, "I had no idea you were this religious."

The boy turns, and whispers back, "I had no idea your father was a pharmacist."

Bill Gates at the Pearly Gates

Well, Bill," said God, "I'm really confused on this one. I'm not sure whether to send you to Heaven or Hell! After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in the world and yet you created that ghastly Windows. I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to let you decide where you want to go!"

Mr. Gates replied, "Well, thanks, Lord. What's the difference between the two?"

God said, "You can take a peek at both places briefly if it will help you decide. Shall we look at Hell first?"

"Sure!" said Bill. "Let's go!" Bill was amazed! He saw a clean, white sandy beach with clear waters. There were thousands of beautiful women running around, playing in the water, laughing and frolicking about. The sun was shining and the temperature was just perfect! Bill said, "This is great! If this is Hell, I can't wait to see Heaven!"

To which God replied, "Let's go!" and off they went.

Bill saw puffy white clouds in a beautiful blue sky with angels drifting about playing harps and singing. It was nice, but surely not as enticing as Hell. Mr. Gates thought for only a brief moment and rendered his decision."God, I do believe I would like to go to Hell."

"As you desire," said God. Two weeks later, God decided to check up on the late billionaire to see how things were going. He found Bill shackled to a wall, screaming among the hot flames in a dark cave. He was being burned and tortured by demons. "How ya doin', Bill?" asked God.

Bill responded with anguish and despair."This is awful! This is not what I expected at all! What happened to the beach and the beautiful women playing in the water?"

"Oh, THAT!" said God. "That was the screen saver"

Statistics for 1907

The year is 1907. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907 :

* The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old.

* Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

* Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City Cost eleven dollars.

* There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

* Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union

* The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

* The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 Cents per hour. The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist made $2,500 per year, A veterinarian $1,500 per year, And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

* More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. Took place at HOME .

* Ninety percent of all U.S. Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

* Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month , and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

* Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from Entering into their country for any reason.

* Five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

* The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

* Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea Hadn't been invented yet.

* There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

* Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

* Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over t he counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

* There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

Just Try to imagine..... What it may be like, In another 100 years !!!!!!!

Inner Strength

If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can get going without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor ,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

...Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!

Padres 2007 - Games 121 to 130

Here are the breakdowns for each 10 game segment of the season to date:

10 Games (4/12): 6-4 record, Runs 34-30
20 Games (4/24): 12-8 record, Runs 95-80, BA 0.263, ERA 3.72
30 Games (5/5): 16-14 Record, Runs 136-120, BA 0.243, ERA 3.59
40 Games (5/15): 21-19 Record, Runs 168-142, BA 0.236, ERA 3.16
50 Games (5/28): 29-21 Record, Runs 210.167, BA 0.241, ERA 3.00
60 Games (6/8): 36-24 Record, Runs 262-196, BA 0.243, ERA 2.88
70 Games (6/20): 41-29 Record, Runs 316-238, BA 0.246, ERA 3.04
80 Games (7/1): 46-34 Record, Runs 348-271, BA 0.243, ERA 3.03
90 Games (7/15): 50-40 Record, Runs 385-314, BA 0.242, ERA 3.11
100 Games (7/25): 54-46 Record, Runs 415-371, BA 0.243, ERA 3.39
110 Games (8/5): 60-50 Record, Runs 472-418, BA 0.243, ERA 3.51
120 Games (8/16): 65-55 Record, Runs 526-466, BA 0.244, ERA 3.51

After 120 games, the Pads are 65-55 (home 34-27, road 31-28), Runs 526-466, Homers 117-80. The Pads have won 1 in a row, 5 of the last 10, and 16 of 33 since the All-Star break.

With 42 games left, the Pads are in 2nd place in the NL West, trailing Arizona (69-53) by 3 games. The Rockies are 62-58, the Dodgers are 62-59, and the Giants are 51-70. If Arizona plays 0.500 ball the rest of the way (finishing at 89-73), the Pads have to play out at 24-16 (0.600) to tie them. If the Snakes play at their current 0.566 pace (a 92-70 record), the Pads would have to finish 27-13 (0.667) to tie them. Not likely the way the team is playing. The Pads need a long winning streak and some luck to make the playoffs!

Game 121, Friday, August 17, Houston at SD: Astros win 3-1. Jake Peavy pitched a decent game (7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 11 Ks) but the bullpen let him down - Heath Bell gave up a 2-run homer to Lance Berkman in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie. Woody Williams went 7 IP (1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K) to get the win. The Pads got a run in the 4th inning on a groundout by Termel Sledge. 9 hits, but no RBIs. After 121 games, the Pads are 65-56 (home 34-28, road 31-28), Runs 527-469, Homers 117-82.

Game 122, Saturday, August 18, Houston at SD: Astros win 3-2. We were there (free tickets, Section 117, Row 44, $38, terrible seats). Deja vu all over again - no hitting by the Pads. Justin Germano (6 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, lost 6-7) was just OK, but Roy Oswalt (4.2 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K) and 4 Astro relievers (4.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 6 K) were better. The Pads scored 2 in the 5th after falling behind 3-0. Oswalt had an injury and left the game. After 122 games, the Pads are 65-57 (home 34-29, road 31-28), Runs 529-472, Homers 117-82.

Game 123, Sunday, August 19, Houston at SD: Pads win 5-3. Greg Maddux pitched well (6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K, won, now 9-9) and the bullpen finished it off (Trevor Hoffman's 31st save). Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run as the Pads scored 4 in the 5th to finish off Albers, the Astros pitcher. After 123 games, the Pads are 66-57 (home 35-29, road 31-28), Runs 534-475, Homers 118-83.

The Pads were 3-3 on the homestand, scoring 27 runs (4.5/game) and giving up 21 runs (3.5/game). Now they are off to New York and Philadelphia. The team hopes to have Milton Bradley back this week, and perhaps Scott Hairston.

Game 124, Tuesday, August 21, SD at NY Mets: Mets win 7-6. This was a winnable game. Chris Young started and went only 5 innings (4 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks) and left with a stiff back. The Pads came from behind 4-1 to lead 5-4 in the 8th. Heath Bell gave up the tying run in the 8th, the Pads scored a run in the 9th, and Trevor Hoffman blew the save giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in the 9th. Mike Cameron hit a solo homer in the 6th and had an RBI double in the 7th. Milton Bradley was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, and Kahlil Greene was 2 for 4 with an RBI. After 124 games, the Pads are 66-58 (home 35-29, road 31-29), Runs 540-482, Homers 119-84.

Game 125, Wednesday, August 22, SD at NY Mets: Pads win 7-5. This game was won, then almost lost. Jake Peavy was good (6 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 11 Ks - 101 pitches, won, now 14-5) - the no-hitter was broken up in the 5th. By then the Pads had a 4-2 lead, and expanded it to 7-2 in the 7th. In the 9th, the Mets scored 3 runs (1 ER) off Kevin Cameron, and Trevor Hoffman saved his 32nd game. The Pads had 13 hits, Kahlil Greene had 3 RBIs and Kevin Kouzmanoff had 2 RBIs. After 125 games, the Pads are 67-58 (home 35-29, road 32-29), Runs 547-487, Homers 119-84.

Game 126, Thursday, August 23, SD at NY Mets: Pads win 9-8 in 10 innings. This was a losable game - the Pads had a 6-1 lead in the 6th, then Justin Germano (5+ IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks) and Cla Meredith (1.1 IP, 3 R, 3 H,) gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th. The Pads went ahead with 2 runs in the top of the 9th (Billy Wagner blown save) only to see Trevor Hoffman blow the save in the bottom of the 9th as the Mets tied it up. Adrian Gonzalez homered in the top of the 10th, and Heath Bell saved it with a scoreless 10th. The Pads had 15 hits, with Kahlil Greene and Josh Bard knocking 3 hits each, and they got 2 RBIs from Milton Bradley, Josh Bard and Marcus Giles. After 126 games, the Pads are 68-58 (home 35-29, road 33-29), Runs 556-495, Homers 120-85.

The Pads won the Mets series 2-1, scoring 22 runs on 40 hits while the Mets had 20 runs. So much for the two best pitching staffs in the National League. The disturbing trend of the bullpen giving up runs (all three games) and blowing saves (3 in the last two weeks) continues. Milton Bradley definitely picked up the offense , and Marcus Giles has broken out of his slump, getting several key hits. Chris Young may miss more than one start.

Game 127, Friday, August 24, SD at Philadelphia: Pads win 14-3. This was a close game for 4 innings - the Phillies leading 3-2 into the 5th. The Pads scored 6 in the 5th, 2 in the 7th and 4 in the 9th to win going away. 22 hits (5 by Bard, 4 by Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff, 3 by Bradley, etc.) Milton Bradley and Adrian Gonzalez each hit two home runs. Greg Maddux pitched OK (typically, 7 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 0 BB, 1 K, won, now 10-9). The real highlight (or lowlight) of this game was a block put on Marcus Giles at second on a double play ball by the catcher Ruiz. It was ruled interference, a double play was called and the runner on third did not score. Marcus Giles left the game in the next inning and has hip and knee problems, and went on the DL. After 127 games, the Pads are 69-58 (home 35-29, road 34-29), Runs 570-498, Homers 124-85.

Game 128, Saturday, August 25, SD at Philadelphia: Pads win 4-3. This was a come-from-behind game for the Pads. The Phils were ahead 2-0 after 5 innings, but then Mike Cameron hit a solo homer off Kyle Lohse, the Phils starter who pitched well. In the 8th, Milton Bradley hit a solo homer off Tom Gordon, and in the 9th Kevin Kouzmanoff and Termel Sledge hit solo homers off Brett Myers. Clay Hensley started for the Pads and was mediocre (4.2 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks). The bullpen did OK until Trevor Hoffman gave up a run in the 9th but got his 33rd save. After 128 games, the Pads are 70-58 (home 35-29, road 35-29), Runs 574-501, Homers 128-86.

Game 129, Sunday, August 26, SD at Philadelphia. Phils win 14-2. Turn-about is fair play, I guess. The Pads called up Tim Stauffer from Portland to start in place of Chris Young (back problem, in SD for treatment), and he went only 4 innings, giving up 11 runs. Ryan Howard and Chris Coates had 3-run homers. Wil Ledezma gave up 3 more in the 5th inning, and the bullpen shut them out the rest of the way. Kyle Kendrick pitched a pretty good game for the Phils, and their bullpen shut the Pads down - but they had 10 hits. After 129 games, the Pads are 70-59 (home 35-29, road 35-30), Runs 576-515, Homers 128-88.

The Padres and Phillies each scored 20 runs in the 3-game series. On the road trip, the Pads were 4-2, scored 42 runs and gave up 40 runs. The bats came alive when Milton Bradley returned to the lineup. A 4-2 record on the trip is about the best that could be hoped for, although we could have been 5-1 if we hadn't blown the first Mets game. Now we have Arizona at Petco Park for 4 games, and the Dodgers for 3. We are 3 games back, and we need to have a 5-2 week or better to get close to first place.

Game 130, Monday, August 27, Arizona at SD: Pads win 3-1. Jake Peavy went 7 innings, giving up 1 R, 3 H, 3 BB, and 11 Ks (he won it, now 15-5). Eric Byrnes had a solo homer in the 6th to put the Snakes ahead 1-0. In the bottom of the 7th, Josh Bard walked, and Geoff Blum homered to right to put the Pads in the lead. Up until then, Livan Hernandez (7 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks) mesmerized the hitters with his change of speed, spin and location. In the 8th, Milton Bradley had a solo homer to make it 3-1. Heath Bell pitched the 8th and Trevor Hoffman the 9th for his 34th save.

After 130 games, the Padres are 71-59. They are 36-29 at home, and 35-30 on the road. They have won 5 of the last 6, 6 of the last 10, and are 22-21 since the All-Star break. They are 2 games behind Arizona in the NL West.

In this 10 game segment, the Pads scored 53 runs and gave up 50; they hit 13 homers and gave up 9. They increased their batting average from 0.244 to 0.249. The team ERA increased from 3.51 to 3.59.

The team statistics (after 129 games - the darn paper didn't print them after 130 games) are:

Batting average: Padres 0.249, Opponents 0.249
On-base Average: Padres 0.319, Opponents 0.310
Runs Scored: Padres 579, Opponents 516 (130 games)
Doubles: Padres 258, Opponents 207
Home Runs: Padres 130, Opponents 89 (130 games)
RBI: Padres 547, Opponents 489
Bases on Balls: Padres 435, Opponents 373
Strike-outs: Padres 990, Opponents 872

The regular starters have the following statistics (129 games) (BA, H-AB, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K):

Milton Bradley: 0.356, 36-101, 4, 8, 25, 17, 14
Brian Giles: 0.297, 103-347, 20, 7, 36, 46, 44
Adrian Gonzalez: 0.279, 141-506, 27, 23, 74, 54, 113
Josh Bard: 0.273, 80-293, 21, 3, 38, 39, 44
Geoff Blum: 0.256, 58-227, 14, 2, 21, 24, 39
Mike Cameron: 0.254, 122-481, 29, 17, 67, 53, 127
Kahlil Greene: 0.248, 118-476, 34, 19, 71, 26, 95
Kevin Kouzmanoff: 0.244, 88-361, 20, 14, 55, 22, 81

The starting pitcher statistics are (W-L, ERA, G, IP, H, ER, BB, K):

Chris Young: 9-4, 2.12, 23, 135.2, 89, 32, 48, 130
Jake Peavy: 15-5, 2.18, 27, 177.2, 133, 43, 54, 197 (130 games)
Greg Maddux: 10-9, 3.90, 27, 161.2, 173, 70, 21, 84
Justin Germano: 6-7, 4.24, 19, 108.1, 98, 51, 31, 61

The relief pitcher statistics are (W-L, Saves, ERA, G, IP, H, ER, BB, K):

Kevin Cameron: 1-0, 0, 1.45, 38, 49.2, 42, 8, 27, 44
Heath Bell: 6-4, 1, 2.45, 64, 73.1, 55, 20, 22, 76
Trevor Hoffman: 3-4, 33, 2.74, 49, 46.0, 36, 14, 13, 32
Justin Hampson: 2-3, 0, 3.21, 29, 42.0, 41, 15, 15, 25
Cla Meredith: 4-6, 0, 3.53, 64, 63.2, 80, 25, 14, 43
Doug Brocail: 4-1, 0, 3.75, 48, 57.2, 49, 24, 19, 32

The next 10 games are all in the NL West - 6 against the D-backs, 3 against the Dodgers. They will be critical to the Padres push for the pennant. The team seems to be hitting better, the top 4 starters have been pretty consistent, the relief pitching has been inconsistent, and the defense is decent.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Aloha from Maui - Post 1

Aloha...we made it on Tuesday, August 7, about noon Hawaii time on Aloha Airlines. Once we landed at Kahului, we got our rental car and stopped at Costco on the way to the condo.

Our condo is the Valley Isle Resort, a 12-story building (10 units per floor) in Kahana, about 5 miles north of Lahaina on the west coast of Maui. We are on the second floor, looking north to Molokai and west to Lanai - about 40 feet from the ocean. The surf sound stays "on" all night! It's warm with trade winds - the condo has screens on the lanai door and the front door, and fans in the living room and bedroom, so there is always a breeze in the living room and bedroom. It is beautiful!

The first photo is a view from our deck to the north - you can see Molokai in the background.


This view is to the south from our balcony - the beach here is about half a mile long. There are condominiums and time share places all along the coast and there is another set just across the road.


This is a view from the beach toward the Valley Isle Resort. Our room is on the far end on the second floor.



We went down to Lahaina on Tuesday night for shopping and dinner. We ate at Kimo's right on the beach in downtown Lahaina - great atmosphere, great food. This picture is on Kimo's veranda right on the ocean.



The condo owners said there was wireless internet - I hooked up the laptop the first night and found a weak signal from a neighboring hotel - for $10 a day. I was going to sign up, but Linda said "did you see the notice about the internet hookup on the end table?" I hadn't, but it said that there was a phone cable hookup available for free. I found the cable, hooked it up on Wednesday morning, and voila!


On Wednesday, we left at 9 AM and rented snorkel gear at the Boss Frog shop ($9 for a week for two sets) and signed up for a 5 hour snorkel tour of Molokini (a submerged volcano crater) and Turtleland (wherever that is). Then we went looking for a snorkel beach, and finally picked Kapalua Beach and found a parking place and hiked down to the beach. We spent about an hour in the water- there were not many fish on the coral near shore, and more further out near the reef. Then it was to lunch at Dollie's (across from the condo) and back to the room. Linda went to the pool and swam and talked to folks.

UPDATE: Here are links to the other four posts:

Post 2: http://randysbusylife.blogspot.com/2007/08/aloha-from-maui-post-2.html

Post 3: http://randysbusylife.blogspot.com/2007/08/aloha-from-maui-post-3.html

Post 4: http://randysbusylife.blogspot.com/2007/08/aloha-from-maui-post-4.html

Post 5: http://randysbusylife.blogspot.com/2007/08/aloha-from-maui-post-5.html

Aloha from Maui - Post 2

It was a lazy summer morning on the beach outside our condo in Kahana on the West coast of Maui. We had breakfast and read our email, then got our bathing suits on and decided to go to the beach just below our condo unit. We had been in the water for about 30 minutes - nice and cool, maybe 80 F, looking for fish through our snorkel masks - there weren't many! Then we got out to rest and put on more sunscreen.

A man about my age was sitting in a lawn chair in about a foot of water, with the small waves breaking over him occasionally, and eventually he would go over backwards in the chair as the chair legs sank into the sand beneath him. He laughed, we laughed. And he did it again and again - he seemed really nice and cheerful. I was sitting in the shade about 20 feet from Linda who was in the sun, and the man was about 20 feet from Linda. They were kibitzing back and forth.

A young lady (well, younger than me!) was walking up the sand, and turned and made a beeline for me. It was Joanie, my cousin from Arizona! What a small world. She gave me a hug, then saw Linda down by the surf and snuck up behind her and said in her ear "are you flirting with that man in the water?" Linda jumped, then saw that it was Joanie, leaped up and hugged her too.

About this time the man in the water went backside over tea kettle into the water again. He came up dripping wet and Joanie introduced us to Ray. We talked for awhile, and found out that they go back on Saturday, they were going on a helicopter ride this afternoon, and had evening plans for the next two nights. They asked if we wanted to join them at the Hula Grill in Ka'anapali tonight. We said sure! We all went in for a swim and talked a lot more before they went off to their helicopter ride.

It's a real small world sometimes. They are staying at the condos across the road and just happened to be on the beach at the same time we were. Great timing!

Linda and I went to Old Town Lahaina again for a juicy bacon cheeseburger lunch at Moose McGillicuddy's, some shopping, and an ice cream before we came back to the room. Linda went to the pool, and I took a nap, read my book and suerfed the Internet.

On Thursday night, we went to the Hula Grill in Ka'anapali with Joanie and Ray and had a nice dinner. We talked a bit about our families, and about their meeting and getting together. Unfortunately, most of my pictures didn't turn out well.

Aloha from Maui -Post 3

We continue on our quest to find every snorkel beach on Maui. I look like a lobster on several body parts - especially my foot-tops and my knees. Ah, the divine misery of sunburn!

Friday morning was our big 5-hour snorkel trip on the Boss Frog boat to Molokini and Turtle Town. Molokini is a partial rim of a volcano crater that rises only about 100 feet above sea level. The crater is about 150 feet deep, but the waters are very clear and teeming with fish. The boat from Ma'alaea takes about an hour to get there, and they provide breakfast and the snorkel gear. We got suited up and went in the water and spent about an hour swimming with and watching tropical fish, looking for eels in the rocks and admiring the coral. We were pretty much the last ones out of the water.

This first picture is toward Molokini - that low half-crater in the distance, with Kahoolawae also in the picture.

At the Molokini crater, a number of boats are anchored as people suit up and go into the water.


After we got out of the water, one of our colleagues took this picture of us in the seating area of the boat.



Then it was on to Turtle Town which is off the resort town of Wailea. We got back in the water (they have a ladder down into the water - you go down the ladder, put on your fins and swim off) and went searching for turtles. The water was not as clear, and I saw a few turtles on the bottom, and then headed back. About halfway back to the boat, I saw a turtle, maybe 3 feet long, on the surface right in front of me, so I stopped, swam parallel to it and watched it dive down. Pretty cool. When we got back on the boat, we had a hamburger lunch and headed back to the dock.


We knew that Joanie and Ray were going to the luau at the Hyatt Regency in Ka'anapali, so we called them to see if they minded if we joined them. They had VIP seats because it was Joanie's ?0th birthday but we decided to go anyway. We called and got reservations, got dressed and headed down there about 4 PM. I found Joanie and Ray in the VIP line, figured out where they were going to sit, and when we got into the seating area, we got a table about 50 feet from them. We were seated next to a nice family from Long Island and enjoyed talking to them. It was a nice dinner - roasted pig, teriyaki steak, veggies, rice, salad, fresh fruit, etc. The luau show was wonderful - Linda thought it was the best we've ever seen (I frankly don't remember much about the others - except when I had to go onstage and act foolishly). The climax was a fire dance that was exceptional.

We met Joanie and Ray afterwards, but they wanted to walk on the beach and we needed to go back to our condo. We'll see them again on Saturday evening for dinner.