Written by ME
loha!
I washed ashore on Oahu on August 23rd 2000. Naturally, since arriving I've learned to
surf. Come on! I'm in Hawaii, what'd you expect me to do? Say that I can't
swim? Currently I own 2 boards, a 9 foot and a 10 foot but I am looking at boards in the 8' - 8'6" range for those days when the waves are a bit
bigger. A few years ago, I started running again. On Sunday December 14th 2008, I'll be trying to complete my 8th consecutive
Honolulu Marathon. So far my best in Honolulu is 3:46; however, I completed the 2008 First Light (yes, First Light means sunrise!) Marathon in Mobile, AL
in 3:29:10 which allowed me to run the 2008 Boston Marathon (3:42:56). As a member of the
Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club, I usually participate in about 16 races per year as a runner and/or as a volunteer - more for
the social aspect than for the competition. During the 2007 Great Aloha Run, I cruised at a 7:29 pace (minutes/mile) and finished in 1:00:54. I placed
336 overall out of 16335 runners. Not too shabby for an old man, huh? Basically, I try to stay active - running, surfing, swimming. While I don't play
with any regularity, I also enjoy volleyball and tennis. If you know any lousy tennis players, send them my way! Tell them I doubt-fault really well!
Starring ME
When I'm hanging around the house, most likely I'll have some music playing in the background. OK, sometimes it's a little louder than background but what the hell. If the neighbors complain, I'll turn it down...or up depending on my mood. Over the years I've lost my tolerance for commercials (not to mention the stupidity that passes for wit of the DJs) so my CD collection has become fairly large. It consists mainly of hard and bluesy rock. It also has a healthy dose of punk tossed in with a smiggin of classical, jazz, and country. A few things you won't hear me playing are opera, bluegrass, rap, and reggae. What can I say? I'm a rocker!!!
More about ME
Currently, I have two 30 gallon freshwater tanks. One is set-up for cichlids and the other has small schooling fish, mainly a variety of tetras. While I'd like to get a saltwater tank, I've been traveling too much to properly maintain one. So it's on hold for the moment. My traveling also presents another issue for me, my birds. If you ask my roommate, he might tell you I have too many! At the moment, I have 4 budgies (parakeets) - 1 pair and 2 odd cocks, a pair of Zebra finches, and a male cockatiel.
I also enjoy art - both creating it and enjoying works that other artists have created. After a hiatus, I recently started drawing and painting again.
While I continue to work mainly in watercolor, I have started experimenting with oil pastels though these pieces seem to be more about creating mock-ups
for future oil paintings than using them as a medium. As a result of my playing,
I also starting fooling around with the wet on wet
technique
in oil. While I haven't created a masterpiece yet, some of them have come out half decent.
Fortunately, because of my marathon training, I'm winning The Battle of the Bulge! More importantly, I can eat pretty much whatever I want. Which is good because I also like cooking and eating. Naturally, I'd rather eat someone else's cooking than my own. In fact, eating other people's cooking is one of my favorite hobbies! So if you need someone to appreciate your cooking, invite me to dinner! I'll help with the dishes... Of course, I am a decent cook myself and enjoy experimenting with different ethnic foods. My dinner guests usually serve as my guinea pigs. Luckily, I have managed to avoid completely blowing a dinner party...so far! So while we're sitting around listening to my questionable choice of dinner music (see taste in music above) and trying my newest culinary creations, we have to chat because GASP!!! there's no television in my house. Turning on the boob-tube and slapping in a DVD isn't an option for entertainment!