Bubblicious Redux

Another day of emulating a homeless guy has come and gone. Oh, the horror! Fortunately, free drinks were flowing like water again in the prison compound (read: hotel lobby). Sheesh!

I wonder how George Soros feels about the financial débâcle that is unfolding in an unpredictable manner. In his book, "The Age of Fallibility," Soros himself stated that that 2007 would see the slowdown of the economy in the aftermath of the burstng of the so-called "real estate bubble." He saw fiscal responsibility on the horizon. Consumers would curb spending and personal debt in order to return to the virtue of saving. Fat chance! We are pumping up yet another debt bubble to continue the legacy of Alan "Bubbles" Greenspan.

Last night, I perused the book, "Empire of Debt," written by Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin, again. I may have to purchase the book. In fact, read Bonner's commentary on The Daily Reckoning site. An excerpt:

Yes, we're all believers in the Theology of Capitalism now. That is, we don't think we have to look too deeply into the Holy Mysteries that surround modern markets. The place is full of miracles; that is all we have to know.

But when it comes to real, free-market capitalism, we are all agnostic. People think that central banks can collude to manipulate the markets…and thereby avoid a much-needed correction forever. Our guess is that investors will pay dearly for the delusion.

The delusion, of course, is that debt can go on forever. It can continue to increase to infinity. Yes, we are going to ride the debt train right off the cliff because the Fed just increased the throttle. Perhaps the Fed will only make one 0.5 percent cut in interest rates, fools may wonder. Come on back down to reality. The pigs at the the trough have an insatiable hunger. The first rate cut is only an appetizer. The eight-course meal follows with a lavish dessert at the end.

Alas, we have a negative savings rate in this nation. In 2004, about 37 percent of the nation's populace had no retirement savings at all. Nada. Zilch. Of those who did have retirement savings in some form, the average was about $44,000, but the telltale median figure of $27,000 reveals all. And, only 11 percent of the population have retirement accounts valued at $250,000 and above. Thus, mostly everyone's net worth is tied to their homes, if they own one. Yet, the home is a tricky piece of accounting as its value is not realized until it is sold. Hence, antsy satanic gargoyles, who were seething with greed, opted to extract equity using those 125-percent equity line mortgages. Thus, their homes may be worth nothing.

The sickness of consumerism (i.e., the epidemic of the "seven sins") is something that I can no longer tolerate. Why should it bother me? Well, if it isn't obvious by now, the herd mentality is going to bring us all down whether we are deeply infected by greed or are ascetics. It does not matter. The vortex generated by the "system" is too strong.

Clearly, from the outdated figures that I cited, most "Americans" (i.e., 89 percent) are at or near bankruptcy. If we assume that many of them are carrying mortgages, then their net worth is negative. The aggregate household debt is over $10.8 trillion and growing. That's consumer debt alone, by the way. We are looking at hedonistic, irresponsible, and infantile behavior that is the rule, not the exception.

Even with all the money injected into the "system" by the Fed, the stock market fell today. Must the Fed inject more and more money daily to keep this pathetic charade going? Well, that's what it amounts to, doesn't it? The "serial bubble" economy will bring us all down in the end. The peons will be hit the hardest.

Soirée of Fools

I ended up at my safe haven, Barnes & Noble®, after a three-day hiatus. The hottie "bookseller" was on duty. Baby was looking mighty fine. When I returned to my prison cell (read: little shoebox), I went into lockdown with my beloved Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer.

I discovered that IE 7.0 has the ability to be reset completely to first install conditions. Had I known, I would have attempted the latter procedure before reinstalling the whole Windows® Vista operating system. I have ascertained that the network and wireless device drivers were operational during the puzzling ordeal.

The method used to lock out a computer from the network is similar to the secure connections to protected wireless "hotspots." The actual port does not close. The host is able to ascertain a computer's identification through its MAC address. And, thus, it is able to allow or restrict access by essentially firewalling the computer by means of the MAC address. Hence, some kind of stupidity occurred after the "Terms of Service" page loaded. I do not believe that Socket services were corrupted.

I followed my usual Monday routine, which is to drive to Kahala Mall with my Nissan® Frontier truck. Coffee at the Barnes & Noble® Café. Lunch with moms at the Panda Express®. I decided to go to the gym in town. When I finally returned to my prison cell at 5pm, I quickly powered up my Toshiba® notebook computer. I discovered that Blogger® was down. Then, the prison network went down. I had to call Oceanic Cable again. I had no idea when the network would be up and running, so I departed for Ala Moana Center at 8pm. I left earlier than usual because the morons in the adjacent prison cell were drinking cheap booze and engaged in a slammin' soirée with the cheap furniture. I ended up at my safe haven, Barnes & Noble®. The hottie "bookseller" was on duty. Well, the rest of the evening was the same ol' shit (i.e., lockdown).

I have read very little criticism about the latest indiscretion by the Fed. There are nothing but accolades for the interest rate cute. When the new series of rapid rates cuts occur commencing September 18th, there will essentially be a flooding of dollars everywhere. We can expect a stock market boom (read: bubble) that will collapse but inflate the so-called "housing bubble" again. Hyperinflation will likely result with increases in prices of consumer goods. Oil, like all other imports, will cost more. Fortunately, the idiotic consumer will have access to credit. Personal loans and credit cards will proliferate. There may be some "equity extraction" from refinance mortgages, but that's mostly tapped out. Consumer spending will eventually contract.

Anyone who saves is in trouble. Most investment instruments have been infiltrated with toxic "paper." Pension finds and retirement funds are also slated to absorb huge losses. There is a distinct possibility that bank deposits (e.g., Certificates of Deposits) may also be tainted with toxic "paper." That really only leaves the purchase and possession of gold as the last and possibly final option. Yet, not many of us are in the position to allocate funds for gold purchases.

The Fed will not be able to stop with one rate cut, by the way. Once the credit "bubble" inflates again, there's no stopping it until it bursts. In addition, the bulk of the mortgage crisis is yet to unfold. A few fools may believe that another mortgage fiasco is unlikely, what with all of the new lending requirements and all. The only "new" requirement will be the need to produce verifiable income. Aside from that, all of the creative financing vehicles will still be available. The whole situation is a total joke.

Oasis (Reprise)

I had to reinstall all of the same applications that I installed on my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer just a few days ago. At 11pm, I was fatigued. I rode the prison transport (read: bus) to Waikiki Beach. I sat on one of the benches near the now-defunct Lou's Kabuki Theater at Pavilion One. Frankly, it was all rather boring. I walked back to Quagmire Prison (read: hotel). I stopped by the Food Pantry with the full intent of purchasing a big-ass can of cheap booze. Unfortunately, booze sales are not allowed after 11:45pm. I ended up with a carton of non-fat milk. Wheee!

Back in my prison cell (read: little shoebox), I was able to connect to the Net via the LAN. However, I was not able to connect via the wireless network. What is going on? I have been trying to figure out what happened yesterday. There is a "Terms of Service" page that is loaded in the browser automatically each day. After agreeing to the terms, the browser is redirected twice until it ends up on the Google® site. The browser returns the MAC address of the network card to the service provider. A cookie may be set as well. Unless the latter procedure is followed, the browser and anything else cannot access the Net. Thus, the problem may may stem from a lock-up in the browser.

My day was an exact repeat of last Sunday, including the prison transport (read: bus) ride back to Waikiki via Makiki. Incidentally, the hottie gym trainer was on duty at the gym. Baby was looking hot. El Diablo hot! I also sent e-mail to Debbie, my realtor, to inquire if I should lower the price of the "condotel" unit again. So far, the equivalent units are now going for $139,000 which will mean a loss of $15,000 including closing costs. Well, that's about how much I would have had to pay in rent anyway.

Of course, with the Fed hellbent on lowering short-term interest rates to near-zero percent again, the so-called "housing bubble" will inflate again. Heck, I may be able to make a small profit again if I wait. Sheesh!

Technology Meltdown

I really wanted to get out for a breath of fresh air last night. Unfortunately, I was nestled with my beloved Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer in my prison cell (read: little shoebox) instead. Sometime around 6:30pm, my LAN connection to the Net disappeared. The connection restored itself, but I was not able to connect to anything on the Net. I did a "ping" from the command line interface to a few known sites. It was like a black hole. Oddly, I was able to go through a variety of Windows® Vista tools to determine that nothing was wrong with my computer or its built-in network card. I asked the watch commander in the prison compound (read: hotel lobby) whether there any reported problems. I was given the number to call Oceanic Cable, the service provider.

I called the number given to me and spoke with a technician. Together we ran through various dialog boxes in Windows® Vista to see if the configuration was correct. The modem also resolved my local IP address. Why wouldn't it be? He also reset the modem remotely. Nada. Thus, he scheduled another technician to come by sometime within the next 48 hours. Yet, how is the clown going to contact me? I have no cell phone. After the call, I quickly configured my built-in Wi-Fi®. I was able to connect perfectly. So, I am back in business. Later, I will do a hard reset of the cable modem myself, once I find its power cord.

I was quite elated that I could connect to the prison wireless network in my prison cell. The wireless zone is essentially in the prison compound. I have no intention of lugging my notebook computer to the prison compound. What f I were to drop it? At 10:30pm, I found the power adapter jack for the cable modem and pulled out the cord. Then, I plugged it back in. The problem was still unresolved.

Incidentally, a realtor came by with her clients at 6pm for a viewing. The place was a mess. I had just returned from town and unpacked my gym bag. And, I was in the middle of eating my pathetic prison food (read: beans and bread). I had to hurriedly stash as much junk out of sight. Debbie, my realtor, apparently neglected to give me any advanced warning. I doubt that a good impression was made. Another possible sale lost.

Another day emulating a homeless guy has come and gone. I spent my idle time in the Hawai'i State Library in town. I have been reading Joe Wilson's book, "Politics of Truth," in a piecemeal fashion. I did my usual cardio workout at the gym. Then, I was back in Waikiki by 4pm. The Oceanic Cable technician had called and left a message. I was not able to contact him again. Because I do not own a cell phone, I will continue to play phone tag with the idiots. Essentially, I will never be able to facilitate the repair. I am already fatigued with the need for technology and instant communication. I don't want to live that way anymore, but that is the "norm." Heck, even some of the homeless have cellphones and notebook computers.

I also obtained a passport application from the library. Given the upcoming conversion to RealID, I am thinking of obtaining a passport to use as my sole form of identification. I did notice that new passports will include an RFID chip, which may thwart my plans anyway. I will need a passport if I plan to expatriate myself sometime down the line.

I finally was contacted by the Oceanic Cable technician. He came by to check the cable modem. Everything was working fine. He also checked the connection with his notebook computer. After he left, I tried to connect to the LAN using my notebook computer. Nada. Then, I tried to connect via the wireless network. I could not connect at all, which meant that the trouble was local to my computer. I reinstalled the device drivers. Nada. My final option was to reinstall Windows® Vista. I started the process at 7pm. I was back in operation by 10pm. My whole evening was wasted. I suspect that the Windows® Sockets was corrupted. How? The only way to solve the problem is to reinstall the whole operating system.

Well, I am simply waiting for the ax to fall. The Fed will probably begin an accelerated interest rate decrease of 0.5 percent every six weeks. Interest rates will dip below one percent by mid 2008 to sustain a false "recovery" just before the election. If the incursion into Iran commences before then, all bets are off. Interest rates will drop even quicker. The majority of rank-and-file fools will cheer along with the elite class. Sadly, most of those fools have no idea that they will be raked through the hot coals. Everything will be moot anyway.

Doom

I did not want to spend the evening in lockdown in my prison cell (read: little shoebox), but I was quite fatigued from a full day. Piddling around with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer seemed more appealing. Incidentally, my computer seems to running much faster since uninstalled McAfee® Internet Security Suite. I do not plan to replace Windows® Defender or Windows® Firewall with any third-party equivalents.

With little else to do, I managed to peruse the holdings of my various investment fund family. Sure enough, there were various commercial paper and bonds from the now infamous perpetrators of fraud including C-BASS, Bear Sterns, Morgan Stanley and the rest of their ilk. I was sickened to the point of almost "delivering street pizza.

I spent about 30 minutes in the prison compound doing a little more reading before calling it a night. I did not sleep well because I knew something "fishy" would be happening in the financial markets. Sure enough, the Fed conceded and lowered the fund rate. Next, the short-term interest rates will go down. As I have said before, just follow the money. It's all about greed. The stock market ballooned again, just like a heroin addict is ecstatic after another "fix." This won't be the end. There will be many more "fixes" until the "bubble" is even more inflated than before. A drug addict or an alcoholic needs more and more drugs or booze to maintain the same level of intoxication. Greed is the same way. It is now imperative that I sell the "condotel" unit.

I followed the same homeless guy itinerary culminating in the highlight of my day: my workout at the gym. I've been sitting in Kukui Plaza in order to eat my paltry meal that I purchase at Safeway®. One of the shop owners chatted with me for about 20 minutes. She owns the Nature's Sunshine® store. The ride back to Waikiki on the prison transport (read: bus) took over an hour. That's pretty bad. As for the evening, I guarantee that it will be the same ol' shit.

I have not put much time or effort into the "blog" as I did before my total expulsion from the urinal ... err ... Diploma Mill. Part of my feigned apathy is because I have said it all already. I am simply waiting for the "time of reckoning." I have also come to understand that I am completely alienated from society. I just don't belong here anymore. Critics can easily claim that I was once a willing dupe of the "system," which is true. I've had my fun, and now I have graduated. So, why isn't everyone else allowed to have fun? The sad part is that, upon closer scrutiny, there was no fun. I was foolish and gullible. I fell into the trap of the "feel good" society, as George Soros aptly described this debased culture in his book, "The Bubble of American Supremacy." In the latter book as well as his latest, "The Age of Fallibility," he discussed the concept of "open society¹." In fact, Soros is an advocate of "open societies."

Of concern, Soros asserted, is the responsibility of the populace of "open societies" to think responsibly and face reality. In a nutshell, Soros believes that the US is an "open society," but it is rapidly closing because the mindless populace is locked in a spiraling hedonistic cycle. I do not personally advocate Soros' entire philosophical platform, but he is correct about the preceding point. Here in the "blog," we discuss satanic gargoyles and their infection by the epidemic of the "seven sins."

Why am I waiting, even anticipating, the end of the "system," the secular Apocalypse? Am I a closet dispensationalist? A responsible thinker and a realist would come to a similar belief. Until we understand our own complicity in the mess that has been created, we can never achieve Maslow's "self-actualization" or attain true freedom.

We need to understand the direct effect of our actions, primarily the hedonistic spending and waste that is occurring. Many lives around the planet are being sacrificed just so a few will be able to live high on the hog materialistically. Worst of all, the "system" is now poised to turn against its most loyal disciples, that is, once it first uses and abuses them.

Then again, the dispensationalists may be on to something as well. The prophesies of the Good Book are plain and clear. From the second letter to Timothy:

But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power, and from these turn away.

In the Book of Matthew, it is written:

And in answer Jesus said to them: "Look out that nobody misleads you; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

"For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of the pangs of distress.

"Then people will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name. Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off."

To understand the complicity of apostate Christendom², please refer to the section on radicalized religion in Kevin Phillips' book, "American Theocracy." The "end of days" is nearing whether it be by means of the secular Apocalyse or the hand of the Almighty. Scientifically, we are looking at entropy³, a very massive implementation to say the least.

¹Open society, drawn from philosopher Karl Popper's work, "The Open Society and Its Enemies."
²Christendom, the empire of apostate religions professing to be "Christian."
³Entropy, essentially moving from an ordered state to a disordered one.

Subprimal Scream

I spent the evening at my safe haven, Barnes & Noble®. The hottie "bookseller" was on duty, thank goodness. Who else would I comment about? The rest of the evening was the same ol' shit. Fortunately, the tsunami alert was called off. There was a bit of tension here as the reports of the 7.9 Richter earthquake in Peru made the news.

This morning, I went on a tanning hike up Koko Head again, after first stopping by Barnes & Noble® in Kahala Mall. I visited with moms for about an hour after that. Moms made hot dogs for lunch. I returned to Waikiki and immediately went to the gym after parking my truck. After the gym, I ran into an ILWU Local 142 hotel worker as I walked to the prison transport stop (read: bus stop). He and several other union members were passing out leaflets outside the Pacific Beach Hotel, incidentally where 24 Hour Fitness® rents its space. Apparently, the hotel has terminated its entire staff in an attempt to break the union. If the action is successful, then many other hotels will follow suit.

I dropped of my stuff in my prison cell. Then, I spent an hour or so at the Waikiki library. I read a few computer magazines. Why am I wasting my time reading that garbage? Oh, I forgot. I am a Windows® Vista user now. I walked back to Quagmire Prison (read: hotel) along Ala Wai Boulevard. Overall, I had a nice day. The evening? Same ol' shit. What else?

Crossing the Rubicon

I spent most of the evening in lockdown in my prison cell (read: little shoebox). I piddled around with my notebook computer as to be expected. I uninstalled McAfee® Internet Security Suite and installed AVG Free Anti-Virus. I also installed Eusing Free Registry Cleaner. Thus, my notebook computer is now fairly safe from intrusions with no additional cost. Later, I spent 30 minutes in the prison compound (read: hotel lobby) reading Robert Fisk's book, "The Great War for Civilization."

As to be expected, I spent all day following the usual homeless itinerary. Same ol' shit, different day. Details are not necessary. The weather was beautiful, by the way. Looks as though the hurricane fizzled out.

My main concern is the new crisis developing in the money markets. According to an article in the NY Times, the so-called "sub-prime mortgage" fiasco has spread and infected money market funds as well. The biggest problem will occur if redemptions are blocked because of the alleged lack of liquidity. Obviously, any kind of panic would start an immediate run on redemptions which would trigger the collapse of myriad investment firms. The Fed injected more money into the "system" today. The stock market fell even further. Oddly, the value of the dollar rose against other currencies. There is a genuine crisis brewing and the so-called "mainstream" media has been conspicuously silent. Perhaps, that is best in this case since a panic will bring a quick collapse of the economy. As for me, I have no idea what to do. If my money market accounts are frozen, I will have absolutely no money. I will subsequently default on my mortgage and become homeless.

As for selling the "condotel" unit, I am probably up shit creek without a paddle. If there's a "liquidity" problem, then there's no money for loans. I've been listening to the punditry calling out to the Fed to lower interest rates to "save" the sub-prime mortgage market. What a crock of shit! The reason that the "sub-prime market" existed to begin with was because many buyers could not qualify for conventional mortgages. Lowering the interest rate will not save them. The only reason, then, to lower the interest rate is to provide cheap money for the same crooks who got us into this mess. As a bonus, a lower interest rate may attract the last of the mortgage refinance hold-outs. The bottom line is to keep consumer spending up.

I would think that many of the satanic gargoyles would have grown weary of the con games and greed by now. Rather, they want more. Greed is insatiable. It is a sickness that is further exacerbated by our hedonistic culture. The only way to save the economy is to force the populace to save money, obviously not a popular option. Interest rates must rise. Otherwise, the "serial bubble" economy will continue on with the bubbles becoming ever larger. The longer we wait, the harder the crash. Frankly, I believe we are at the precipice now. The bombing of Iran, as a sick distraction, seems very plausible.

Of Hurricanes and Greed

Once again, I found myself at Barnes & Noble® last night. That's twice in one day. Sheesh! The hottie "bookseller" was on duty. Need I say that baby was looking mighty fine? I perused a few books, but none worthy of purchase. Then, I returned to my prison cell (read: little shoebox) for lockdown. I spent the rest of the evening with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer.

Sadly, the "trial" license for the bundled McAfee® anti-Virus software is expiring in 12 days. Thus, I will need to replace it with one of the free anti-virus programs. I have activated all of the Windows® Vista security options and terminated the equivalent McAfee® options. Why not just pay for the McAfee® license? Do I look like I am Big Money Grip?

I have not slept well in days, and last night was no exception. I have been wearing my foam earplugs religiously. I have grown accustomed to them, so that is not the problem. My guess is that I am subconsciously bothered by the slow progress of my exodus from society. I left for town at 10:15am. My itinerary was the same ol' shit. I was back in Waikiki by 5:15pm.

Quagmire Prison (read: hotel) hosts a small party every Tuesday in the prison compound (read: hotel lobby). Free drinks (read: cheap booze) and entertainment. This was the first day that I attended. I was able to procure a couple of free drinks for my personal enjoyment. Well, i guess that breaks my sobriety track record, eh? Sheesh!

The stock market plunged again, but the Fed refused to inject more liquidity into the money supply. Thank goodness! It is quite obvious that, left to its own devices, the prevailing interest rate wants to settle at six percent or higher. Yet, the rabid financial pundits and economists are screaming for lower interest rates. Those demon-possessed fools need to be exorcised. I am continually sickened by the level of greed that has permeated our so-called "society."

We have been experiencing extremely gusty winds with occasional showers in anticipation of Hurricane Flossie. The hurricane is due to hit the Big Island sometime tonight. The island of O'ahu will most likely feel its effects by late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Black Swan

Last night, I ended up at my safe haven, Barnes & Noble®. The hottie "bookseller" was on duty. Baby was looking mighty fine. I meandered around simply to waste time. When I returned to my prison cell (read: little shoebox), I went into lockdown. What else could I do?

This morning, I left for Kahala Mall so that I would have time for a cup of coffee in the Barnes & Noble® Café. I met moms at the usual time. We ate lunch at Pearl's Korean Barbeque. Then, I drove moms back to Hawai'i Kai, making one quick stop at Foodland. Moms was fatigued, so I left at 12:45pm. Rather than make the trip to town, I stayed in Waikiki. I did my usual gym workout and reluctantly found myself back at Quagmire Prison by 3pm. I had to do my laundry chores as well. As for the evening, I will most likely find myself at my safe haven, Barnes & Noble®.

As I am to understand, the Fed injected all that dough into the system on Friday to curb a "liquidity crisis." In other words, there was an apparent shortage of liquidity, and therefore credit was tightened as the Federal fund rate was closer to six percent. The injection of money allegedly brought the interest rates back down to the Fed short-term interest rate. The injection was in the form of short-term loans which are due today. I derive no sense of relief from knowing any of the latter, by the way.

The rest of the year could prove interesting as the mortgage fiasco rolls along at an increasing rate. I have read suggestions by readers of the alternative media. Many of them are advocating investments outside the country. Most of the ideas seem far-fetched. Where, I asked myself, would I put my paltry savings? And, what would I do to survive since I rely on its income? Obviously, I made the rude discovery that I remain entrapped and enslaved by the "system." Yet, what would happen if the "system" were to collapse?

According to the Advertiser, the Wai'anae homeless shelters have available space. Evidently, many of the homeless do not want to live by the shelter's rules. However, the shelter may become my only option in the near future. Rules or not, the shelter may be the only road to freedom.

Sadly, I have grown accustomed to Windows® Vista. Thus, I have decided to maintain the status quo, at least for my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. My computer is never in the public eye, so no one ever need know what operating system I am using.

Oasis

I had good intentions of making the trek to CompUSA® last night, but the weather was not agreeable with my plans. Rain was coming down intermittently. I did not want to end up stranded somewhere because of a sudden downpour. There is a Category-3 hurricane heading toward Hawai'i as we speak. It is due to hit early next week.

So, I spent most of the evening in lockdown in my prison cell (read: little shoebox). Obviously, my only activity for the evening involved my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. I suppose that the latter was a good investment after all. The pumice stone also had its nightly workout. I was feeling a little stir crazy by 11pm, so I spent an hour or so in the prison compound (read: hotel lobby) with Robert Fisk's book, "The Great War for Civilization." Alas, another pathetic evening has come and gone.

I departed for town at 10:30am. Same ol' shit. The only difference is that I had to spend time in the lanai area of the Beretania Street Apartments because the library was closed. I did my cardio workout at the gym. The hottie gym trainer was on duty. Baby was looking mighty fine. I rode the prison transport (read: bus) back to Waikiki. I rinsed off my gym clothes and hung them up to dry. Then, I left for town again.

I sat in the large inner courtyard of the State Capitol for about 30 minutes. A cool breeze was flowing through. I was completely alone. I was able to completely clear my mind. I also walked through the I'olani Palace grounds. Just a small handful of tourists were milling about. A few of the homeless were camped out there as well. I rode the prison transport back to Waikiki via Makiki. The 'hood is reminiscent of a ghetto. Makiki is the most populated area in Hawai'i. There was absolutely no planning involved. Extremely dilapidated homes sit next to huge high-rise condominiums. A large number of slummy. cinder block "walk-up" apartments are interspersed all over the place. The whole area makes Waikiki look like an oasis. Sheesh!