Mazerati

At first glance, I mistook this car for one of the Nissan Z's. The body shape is close and the color is pretty typical. On a closer inspection, I realized it was a Mazerati! In general, I've generally felt that spending huge amounts of money on a car is like flushing it down the toilet (well, pretty close). However, there is still this fascination that someone obviously paid huge amounts of money for this car. IMHO, they are likely either very rich, in which case they don't care about blowing the cash, or looking to impress, in which case they may be spending money that was better invested elsewhere. Which one it is, I may never know.

Grace, Luck, Happenstance or Sweat

What dictates who and what we are? Is it by the grace of God? Is it random luck or happenstance? Is it hard work and sweat? Perhaps some of all of the above.

I was approached by a woman in the Walmart parking lot. She said she had children and was down on her luck. She looked a mess with dark bags under her eyes and pretty thin. I know that people tell you that any money you give will just go to booze or drugs but she looked so miserable. She accepted the money and then sat down on the curbing with her head in her hands. She looked so horribly sad and I wished I had some magic cure for whatever was getting her down. Unfortunately, there is likely no such cure.

Still, seeing how bad things could really be makes you realize how lucky you are to have had good parents who taught you how to survive in this world and also to have avoided any serious wrong turns in life or unforeseen catastrophies. It is so easy to focus on what you don't have and on the material aspects in life. I think this woman was a reminder, to me at least, of how lucky we are and how thankful we should be for who we are and what we have.

Hollywood

There are many tales about the glory and grandeur of Hollywood. I suppose there may be some truth to that but, for me anyway, it was pretty much just a big sign on a hill surrounded by dry brush and aging cement buildings. Mann's Theater was fun, however. I particularly enjoyed looking at the hand prints of the celebreties in the cement and some of the goofy messages they wrote next to them. Perhaps for next time.

Garbage Stomach

Puts a new meaning to junk food, doesn't it? This gull had taken a liking to a condiment cup (it had tartar sauce in it originally). Unfortunately, the gulls and other wildlife often die with stomachs full of indigestible trash. Pretty sad really. Trying to get the cup back involved quite a chase and you can see the gull wasn't giving up easily.

Checking Out the Scenery

These guys were totally engrossed in the scenery. Not shown is the strand of sand below that obviously contained something view-worthy. They were have quite a chuckle!

Meanwhile, another day, more studying. Test day is almost here; just one more week to get that score up!

Fossilized

A picture of a trilobite from a really cool store up in Santa Monica. Always wondered who cleans these things to painstakingly and what these guys really looked like when they were alive.

House of the Sun

This is Haleakala, house of the sun, in Maui. You can see the black and rust red cinders that line the interior as well as the cinder cones that surround the outside of the crater. If you look really close you might see the persons hiking below, although, at some 10,000 ft., the hiking turned out to be more work than I had anticipated, having spent far too long at sea level.

So Much Studying, So Little Time

Still studying for the LSAT. The score is going up every so slowly and painfully. It kind of reminds me of this climber in La Redonne, France. You just freel like you're going up a cliff and you're holding on tight. Turns out, in this case, the drop wasn't too far and it looked worse that it really was.

Wipeout or Not?

Now that's a pretty precarious angle if I say so myself but those feet are still firmly planted on the board. What do you think? Wipeout? Or not? This is one more photo from my series of photos at Sunset Beach in Hawaii.

Yet Another Day in Paradise

Here's picture of Waikiki and Diamond head from the pier/walkway at the end of Kalakaua. Nothing like a stroll in that stunning Hawaiian weather. Wish I was there right now!

Dragon Nap

A picture of a Komodo Dragon napping on a log that I ran into in Honolulu. They're really rather pretty on the other side of a moat. Looks like this one leads a pretty nice life.

Tuna by Any Other Name is Still Tuna

Hard to imagine this magnificent, fast swimming carnivore as little strips of flesh on rice isn't it? Indeed for something so majestic, for something on the top of it's food chain (or pretty close anyhow), turning into so many bits of sushi seems unreasonably undignified. I, for one, could sit and watch their sleek, smooth forms dart through the water for hours on end.

Ironically, I watched this beauty in Osaka, Japan and, if I recollect, we were so moved by it, we went out for sushi afterwards. Humph. So much for beauty versus taste eh? Oh yeah, and the mass behind the tuna is a school of fish as well, possibly mackeral.

Chinaman's Hat

When I was a kid, we always called that little island Chinaman's hat because it looked like one of those stereotypical hats you see men wearing in the rice fields. It has since been "re-named" back to some more PC, Hawaiian name. It probably had that Hawaiian name all along but it was probably harder for most people to pronounce and remember so the hat thing stuck.

It's a pretty beach if a bit rocky if you go wading. There are also lots of plovers, cattle egrets and these really cool yellow butterflies on the nearby lawn if you enjoy looking at birds and wildlife.

Do You Like To Cuttle?

Humph. What the heck is Cuttling anyhow? I looked up cuttle to see where the name cuttlefish came from and all I got was: ten-armed oval-bodied cephalopod with narrow fins as long as the body and a large calcareous internal shell. So...oh well. I guess cuttle can mean whatever you want it to! As long as it has ten arms. These two were posing at Sea World for yours truly.

Dust Cloud

Here's the view from the car window the other night. The road crew is sifting cement along the side of the highway. Rumor is they are recycling demolitioned pieces of highway to build new segments. Whatever the case, it's a nasty, dusty mess that looks like something out of one of those futuristic doom and gloom movies.

Half Mast

They were flying the palm trees at half mast the other day in memory of President Ford. It's not every day you lose a president, especially one that lives in California, in Palm Desert nonetheless. So it's only appropriate that the Palms should be flown at half mast too.

La Jolla Sunset

There was the prettiest sunset over La Jolla the other day. Too bad I had to stay inside and study. I still managed to sneak out long enough to snap a few pictures. This is the view from the back patio at the Hilton Torrey Pines. Wow...

King of the Hill

Remember when you where a little kid? Somehow, everyone always wanted to be on the highest spot on the rock. If you got the highest spot, you were the "king of the hill!" In hindsight, being king of the hill was much over-rated since it meant that all your buddies were going to pounce on you to steal your spot on the rock. Hmmm... Well, maybe it wasn't THAT BAD after all! Heheh. Happy Friday.

Some Pretty Nippy Weather

The weatherman says that there's an Alaskan/Arctic cold front camped out on North America. Whatever the case, it's pretty nippy out there compared to our normal balmy San Diego weather. It's dipped down below freezing and caused some $1B in crop damage so brace for really expensive oranges and avocados in the upcoming weeks (kind of an apple guy myself anyhow, lol). The cold has frozen the leaves off of my Banana trees and some of my ferns and I dare say the garden looks a little bedraggled. The neighborhood coyote has taken to sleeping in my fern bed (which drives the dog absolutely nuts), possibly to escape the cold. For you Northerners, I know that this really isn't all THAT COLD... but it's cold for us anyhow.

On another note, the camera is back home from the shop. I dare say I missed it. They claim they couldn't duplicate the problem though so we'll see how long it behaves. So far, so good.

I'd Rather Be Surfing...

This is one of those great big long boards that you see on Waikiki beach. Most of them are for the surf school. This one is for the lifeguards. You can see the straps on there so people can hang on to them and/or get strapped down if they can't. Nice to know those boards are at the ready.

Something to Chew On

This deer was munching on some local produce. He certainly wasn't letting a little photography get in his way so here he is. As for me, I am getting pretty burnt out studying for the LSAT so here I am! LOL. Cross your fingers for me.

Shamu or Two!

Why it's Shamu! Both of them! ..or maybe 2 of 4? Ever wonder why Sea World doesn't give their whales names? Maybe Bob or Sue? Franky? Either way, they are magnificent animals only reduced somewhat by being in a tank doing tricks for the public. I can only imagine what it must be like to come upon a pod of killer whales in person in the wild!

Grouchy Duck

Every have one of those days when you just wanted everyone to leave you alone? This duck was looking like he'd just had enough of his feathered friends and just wanted to hang out on his sunny rock.

Panther Grouper Up Close and Personal

A picture of a passing panther grouper is all spots and shades of color. He was hungrily looking for food.

What Chinese Think of Americans?

Ran into this restaurant in Qing Dao, China (where Tsing Tao beer comes from). It's a wonderful seaside resort town with some of the best local seafood. However, this restaurant at the shopping mall was attempting to lure in Westerners by putting ol' Lucky the Pirate out front and posting pictures of burgers. Hmmmm... I'll pass.

Butterfly Mania

Sometimes butterflies land in the strangest places! This little girl doesn't seem to know quite what to do with the butterfly perched on her head and she and her mom look to little brother to nudge the butterfly off of it's resting place (her head...). Little brother came to the rescue shortly afterwards.

Random Photo Day

Here's a picture of dried lavender for sale along the street in Albion, France. There are huge fields of lavender growing in the rocky soil along the hillsides. They also sell every type of lavender oil, soap, shampoo, candles and other frangrant creations.

Still Festive in the New Year

If the gulls can be festive, so can we! This little guy was posing by the Christmas wreaths that the city of Imperial Beach so graciously tied around the IB Pier. He was watching me carefully, just in case I had a handout or two but, alas, it was just another camera.

Amazing Surfers

These guys just amaze me. It's like watching someone ski down a vertical slope. They make it all look so natural and graceful like they totally own the wave. These were not small waves either, as I was at Sunset beach in the winter time. I could sit on the sand and watch for hours. Do you suppose it's too late to learn?

Watershed Event

Always wondered how those cute little planters way up on the lamp posts got watered. I figured that drip watering was too much to expect and sure enough, I caught the culprit in action watering each little planter by hand with a very long watering wand. Not a bad job I'd say. I, on the other hand, feel kind of like Darwin, having discovered the moth with the really long proboscis (for you nature lovers out there).

Go Fly a Kite!

These kids were out flying a kite while I was stuck in traffic in Honolulu. The traffic there has gotten really bad in the last couple of years but it gave me a chance to look out the window and think about what it was like to be a kid again. We all have to grow up sooner or later but just thinking about how much joy and excitement it was to do a simple thing like fly a kite makes me wish we could stay young a little longer.

Which One is Shamu?

So the trainer comes up the the little kid and says, "what do you want to see?" The kid says, "SHAMOOOOO!!!!" I always wondered if it really was a random kid or not or if they us employees kids or little acters. Either way, the act was cute.

I did wonder to myself, however, which Shamoo the kid really wanted to see. There were four whales (all called Shamoo) jumping around and maybe even a Shamoo or two to spare in a side tank! Nonetheless, Shamoo #1, #2, #3 and #4, the amazing performing killer whales, did some spectacular jumps and managed to get the front rows thoroughly soaked as planned. I think everyone had a good time. It would be fun to know if there really was an original Shamoo that started the whole show way back when Sea World was just getting started.

Do Redheads Have More Fun?

Do Redheads Have More Fun? Here's a picture of our redhead zookeeper hanging out by the Service Door with the Jaws of Death (Alligator skull). You decide. Heheh. Of course, that lady might want to move the baby carriage...

Posing with the Pelican

There was a stiff, cool breeze at Imperial Beach on Thursday. That didn't keep the bevy of fisherman home nor did it deter this friendly pelican from posing with me in hopes of a tasty handout. He eventually hopped off of the railing, oblivious to the sign he was perching on that said "no jumping or diving," nearly pouncing on and scaring the beejeebers out of a passing 10 year old that appeared to have some food. Poor kid will probably have "pelican phobia" for life (grin).

Sea Elf

Here's a little picture from Sea World at the Shamu Show. The food and souvenir vendors were wearing Shamu hats which looked a little elfish. The hats had big floppy red shamu tails on them instead of your typical white Santa puff ball.

New Enthusiasm for a New Year

As I see this picture, with a Mom holding up her child to get a better view of the huge sea bass that is slowly gliding by the window pane, I am reminded of the sense of wonder at the world and the wide-eyed, open minded hunger for new knowledge and experiences that we possess as youth. Some of us lose that curiosity and hunger along the way, having substituted neat labels and stereotypes for how we perceive the world and conveniently ignoring all the things that do not fit into that all too tidy world. For 2007, perhaps we can all try a little harder to re-kindle the fires of open minded curiosity from our youth and rediscover the world each day with wide eyes full of excitement and enthusiasm.

Out Shopping...

Shopping is luckily not on my New Year Resolution list (to avoid). Hmm. Well, okay, I don't have a resolution list. Perhaps I should (grin). In either case, when the S.O.'s away, the Wayward Hawaiian can shop, shop, shop. Not really anything serious. A small CD player for the office. Some ham and fixings for my latest soup creation. New socks to replace the old, overstretched athletic socks in the drawer and a really warm pair of plaid jammies (hmmm, a fashion statement if ever I saw one). I'd actually meant to replace more than the socks but, for some silly reason, mens underwear has gotten really expensive and I'm still too thrifty to spot for the stylish stuff so...tube socks are going to have to do for tonight. New socks and new jammies to ring in the new year, grin. Happy New Year!

Picture: Underwear ad from the Frankfurt Airport. For some reason, the airport was just full of underwear ads. Obviously, the Europeans are not as puritanical as many Americans are about body image. I've never seen underwear ads in an American airport although you still see them in the stores.

Happy New Years and Best Wishes!

Happy New Year! Here's to wishing you all the very finest of times and lots of success for 2007. May all your dreams and goals come true.

Photo: Fireworks over Lahaina, Maui (wishing I was there right now but San Diego's not too bad either...).

Lady Bug on Glass

Every now and then it's fun to take a picture that is spontaneous and off the cuff. This one is of a lady bug from the bottom up as it crawled across my windshield. As with people, animals also often look different when you see the "non-public" side of them.

Eye to Eye

Sometimes, when taking pictures, the bloopers are almost more precious than the pictures that came out. This tourist popped his head up right in front of my camera and I ended up with an ear shot instead of walrus. However, if you look closely, you can see them staring at each other leading you to wonder what would happen if that thick plexi-glass pane wasn't there.

Are you a Boar?

Are you a boar? 2007 is a year of the Boar as was 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 and 1995. People born in the year of the boar are pure of heart, generous and kind. They are strong and courageous as well as sensitive, sincere and passionate friends. They are also said to be fond of luxurious surroundings and like to pamper themselves or be pampered. They are also intellectual and voracious readers.

Ah you say, what a wonderful Boar picture! Well, more precisely, I suspect it is a pecary, but who's counting anyhow? The Chinese New Year is celebrated at the second new moon after the winter solstice and falls between January 21 and February 19. This year of the Boar lines up with the Chinese Calendar year 4704 (they've been doing this for a long time...).

Hippo-mania

You can see the hippo bounding off into the distance with it's hind legs kicking up into the air as everyone watches with rapt attention. You can almost hear the groan of the camera people as it bounds off only to be captured on camera(s) again as it loops around the tank for another pass by the window.

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard

Rumor is ducks pair for life. At least in Korea, they say that. They give newly wed couples a pair of carved wood ducks as a symbol of a lasting relationship. These two ducks, however, were part of a huge flock that were out lounging on the pond in what has turned into some cold, windy and rainy San Diego weather.

Gull Frenzy

The child in the picture was feeding the gulls. As you can tell, gulls are not at all shy about taking handouts. In fact, they're downright aggressive, swarming around the little guy begging for food. Yet another fine way to spend a warm Christmas afternoon.

Where's Santa?

While the guys were out decorating the beer tree, where was Santa? Well, Santa was out playing a quick game of baseball (with a rubber playground ball instead of a baseball)! Santa was having fun and I hope you all are too. He's earned the day off, grin. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Beer Tree

Every guys dream. A christmas tree decorated with beer! I figured I check out Mission Beach to see what craziness was going on for Christmas day and ran into this beer tree. Santa hats were pretty popular too.

Christmas Cheer and A Little Grilling

Here's a little mug of me with the grilled portabella mushrooms. It's that Christmas party time of year which means that it's time for me to cook up some grilled terriyaki veggies and some of my famous Wayward mystery bread (zuchinni, carrot, bannana...this time anyhow) for the annual Christmas potluck. It was really nice to see the friends.

We open presents tomorrow (grin). Dog has a nice new furry pillow to rest those aging doggie joints on and some tasty treats. She's been sniffing around the tree for days now (and I think she hasn't found them yet this time -- although I probably ought to peek to make sure they're still there!). Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well.

A Little Christmas Poetry

I found this guy with his dog driving the "Star-Trike", a motorcycle spiffed up to look like the Star Trek Enterprise! The dog was pretty occupied looking at the passing people but Santa was very happy to pose! Merry Christmas to you all! Here's a little California poetry for the season!

Twas the night before Christmas,

When all through the beach,

Not a creature was sunning,

With lotion at hands reach.

When out from the waves,

Surfboard in tow,

Came Santa a-swimming,

Merry Christmas to all!

Good surf and good cheer.

A Mission Beach Christmas Tree

I ran across this happy little tree along Mission Bay. While there are more stately trees out there, there are few in a more lovely setting along the bay in warm San Diego. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Slow Day at the Beach

It was actually fairly nice out today although there was a light cold breeze. The weather man claims that the cold air has taken a vacation until just past Christmas day. We shall soon find out I suppose. Nevertheless, I took that as an excuse to go roller blading for a little bit as well as to work in the yard for a bit. I'm guessing everyone else was at the mall as the beach parking lot was about 80% empty. Wow. Wish it was like that all the time!

Happy Holidays!