So Little to Say

Another day of visiting with moms commenced at Safeway® in Kuapa Kai where I purchased the obligatory morning cup of coffee. Moms was home when I arrived. We made the usual rounds ... Longs®, Panda Express®, and Foodland. When we returned from our trip, moms served up coffee ice cream for dessert. Moms was beside herself because my sister-in-law has been illin' for a week. Moms has been cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and doing the laundry for my bro's family. My bro's wife is apparently too fatigued after returning home from work.

I walked to the gym in Koko Marina at 1pm. I did a quick cardio workout. I walked back to say good-bye to moms. Then, I made another stop at Safeway®. We all know the drill. I was back in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 3:45pm. I washed a small load of laundry. And, that was the end of the day. The evening? Same ol' shit.

I have no idea about anything anymore. The days turn into weeks. The weeks turn into months. And, here I am now approaching one year of emancipation from wage slavery and the homeless guy emulation. I am so detached from the so-called "mainstream." Even the "blog" becomes meaningless. I am finding little to comment on ... well, except for my own upcoming demise. There is so little to say.

Attitude Adjustment

The "blog" has proven to be the Homeless Guy Emulation Manifesto. There is a treasure trove of information for potential homeless guy emulators. Take today, for example, another homeless guy emulation kind-of-a-day. I quickly consumed my air-filled energy bars and cup of coffee (courtesy Safeway®) while sitting in the catacombs of Kukui Plaza. Then, I made my way to the park adjacent to the Beretania Street Apartments. For an "artificial" park, it is quite nice. There's a parking complex right underneath the park. The homeless and the halfway house derelicts were in the majority as usual. I was fortunate to be able to secure one of the six available benches that line the periphery of the park. The only trees that shade the park follow along the peripheral boundary adjacent to Smith Street.

I enjoyed my time in the park. A few of the homeless greeted me when they walked by. I watched as one of the homeless guys played basketball with a couple of the kids from the 'hood. Another homeless guy showered the sidewalk with a generous amount of bread pieces. Over a hundred birds swarmed down and feasted upon the gift. Several other homeless or halfway house derelicts arrived and joined the crowd. They sat, talked, laughed, and smoked cigarettes. A small glimmer of humanity beckoned from the harsh reality of destitution. Yet, even in the world of dereliction, I am an outsider looking in. My gym bag is all that gives me credibility in the latter context. No one knows for sure if I am one of the homeless or not. That's the beauty of it all.

I could hears the bells of one of the nearby churches which signaled that the time was noon. I walked to the gym and reflected inwardly on the wonderful morning. I did my usual Monday workout at the gym. This has become a weekly event now. Unbelievable as it may seem, the hottie gym trainer was there. I only got a glimpse of baby when she walked to the women's locker room and back. Then, she was gone. I casually completed my workout, read parts of a newspaper that was left around, performed my cardio workout, and took a shower. I meandered out to the bus stop, certainly not in any hurry. Just like yesterday, the bus arrived within minutes. I was on my way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing).

I was back in my squalid room by 3:30pm. I piddled away the rest of the afternoon. I will most likely piddle away the evening as well. Same ol' shit. What exactly makes my life different from the homeless? Aside from the fact that I have a "legitimate" place to sleep, there are relatively few differences. I have had time for introspection as of late, and I have come to the realization that I often maintain what appears to be a condescending attitude toward the rank-and-file poor and the destitute. Sadly, I am from the same "class" as them. The affluent class have a similar condescending attitude. However, my attitude differs with respect to the belief that the rank-and-file poor and the destitute need not qualify themselves with troglodyte behavior. We, the underprivileged, can surely carry ourselves with some semblance of dignity and honor. Alas, that may be too much to ask. Nonetheless, my own attitude needs adjustment.

Fool's Manifesto

Another homeless guy emulation kind-of-a-day ... there's not much more to be said. After I alighted the bus in town this morning at 9:45am, I walked through Kamali'i Park as usual. The park is a dismal place. There are no benches anywhere, most likely to deter the homeless. Yet, a homeless couple wrapped in several soiled blankets was fast asleep on the sidewalk next to one of the dividing walls. The park has barely any grass within its triangular boundaries. What little grass there is only makes the place look more sullen. Of course, it is a very small park situated across Kukui Plaza. I purchased my usual brunch (i.e., a cup of coffee and three air-filled energy bars) from Safeway®.

I spent several hours in the inner courtyard of the library. I have been doing some assorted reading, nothing worthy of mention at this point in time. I have noticed that most of the books that I have perused about the empire's foreign policy and the empire's foray into imperialism are extremely prejudiced to any other culture but the empire's own. The criticism of other societies in from the self-righteous vantage point of the empire. The empire can do no wrong. The empire is a pillar of morality. And so forth. I quickly become sickened by the propaganda and immediately return the book to the bookshelf.

I did my usual workout at the gym. Then, I was on my way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) on the bus. I was back in my squalid room by 5pm. Nothing on the agenda for the evening. Same ol' shit. Well, I could make the jaunt to Ala Moana Center for the grand opening of the new Nordstrom® store. Apparently, the place was packed with satanic gargoyle shoppers yesterday. Is that all we can look forward to in life? No, thanks. I'm better off downloading hurdy-gurdy "torrents" from the Pure T 'n A site in my squalid room. Sheesh!

A couple of days ago, I briefly included a few words about crappy food in the "blog." Since then, I have come across an interesting interview by Amy Goodman on the Democracy Now! site with Micheal Pollan, author of the book, "In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto."

The Western diseases, which — they were named that about a hundred years ago by a medical doctor named Denis Burkitt, an Englishman, who noted that there — after the Western diet comes to these countries where he had spent a lot of time in Africa and Asia, a series of Western diseases followed, very predictably: obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a specific set of cancers. And he said, well, they must have this common origin, because we keep seeing this pattern.

And we've known this for a hundred years, that if you eat this Western diet, which is defined basically as — I mean, we all know what the Western diet is, but to reiterate it, it's lots of processed food, lots of refined grain and pure sugar, lots of red meat and processed meats, very little whole grains, very little fresh fruits and vegetables. That's the Western diet — it's the fast-food diet — that we know it leads to those diseases. About 80 percent of heart disease, at least as much Type II diabetes, 33 to 40 percent cancers all come out of eating that way, and we know this. And the odd thing is that it doesn't seem to discomfort us that much.

It's a must read/listen interview.

Collision Course

Apparently, the crappy Pure T 'n A tracker went down sometime yesterday afternoon. I wasted two hours and added that much more wear-and-tear to my hard drive in my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer by leaving the µTorrent client in "seeding" mode. What a joke! Oh, well, I cannot complain. Look at all of the great hurdy-gurdy video clips that I have collected. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaaa!

My first stop this morning was Safeway® in Kuapa Kai. I purchased a cup of Seattle's Finest® coffee. After the first few sips, I felt "whole" again. Moms was home when I arrived at 9pm. With nothing else to do, I commenced what I thought would be a quick project. Yes, I washed my Nissan® Frontier truck. However, the project ended up taking well over two hours after I decided to clean the tires. I discovered that there was a thick film of grime, actually layer upon layer of the No Touch!® tire care product. Yes, touted as a "spray on, walk away" tire cleaner, the product actually builds up a thick gooey mess over time. A heavy concentration of dish-washing detergent could barely break up the substance. I finally ended up rubbing off the accumulated mess with several rags.

Fortunately, moms saved the day with a delicious lunch consisting of leftover Curry Stew, tofu, fresh vegetables, leftover Chow Mein, and rice. For dessert, moms served up coffee ice cream. I chatted with moms until 1:30pm. Then, I was on my way. I parked my truck near the Hawai'i Kai library and walked across the street to Koko Marina. I did my usual workout at the gym. On my way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I stopped at Safeway® in Kuapa Kai. We already know the drill. I was back in my squalid room by 4pm, just in time to perform the dreaded laundry chores. With nowhere to go, I will be spending the remainder of the day and evening in my squalid room. Same ol' shit.

Well, the stock market plunged again, putting the Dow below 12,000 finally. The dollar, naturally, made a slight recovery. It's fairly easy to see where the markets wants to go (i.e., down like a rock). The markets are being artificially inflated by the Fed. That's the only remaining "bubble." The economy is in bad shape. And, we may be close to a major banking collapse. Yet, I am dumbfounded that there is absolutely no coverage in the so-called "mainstream media."

There are days that I feel guilty about my forced emancipation from wage slavery. Most people in my position are usually scurrying around to find a job ... any job. However, the bottom line is that there may not be any jobs. For me, though, the time that I spend with moms is much more important. If I were to return to wage slavery, I would probably not be able to visit with moms at all. After attending two funerals in the last month, I've become keenly aware of the concept of mortality. Moms is 86 years old. In the past year, I have seen moms slow down considerably. I had to make a choice. And, I believe that my decision was sound.

Of course, Ben Bernanke and his ilk at the Fed chose a great time to screw up the economy, a superb encore to the stellar performance of Alan Greenspan. I, along with many other fools, am being robbed blind by the moneychangers. It's easy to see why the helpless victims around the planet view the empire as the "Great Satan." That's what we are. We are infected by the epidemic of the "seven sins." For the more religious-inclined, review Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation in the so-called “Bible.” The secular Apocalypse is coming, and it now seems to be on a collision course with Armageddon. Woe is the empire!

Same Ol' Shit Redux

Another homeless guy emulation kind-of-a-day ... well, the day was an exact clone of Tuesday and it sucked big-time. Let's face it, I cannot eliminate my "mission critical" cup of coffee in the morning. Aside from the grogginess, I experienced a low-level headache for most of the day. What worries me most is the "regularity" problem. The body must purge the toxic substances that it filters from the toxic crap that we eat. My guess is that the national cancer epidemic is linked directly to the latter. Caffeine will less likely do me in than a malignant tumor. I was even sluggish when I was performing my workout at the gym. The only advantage was that I was too fatigued to become excessively irritated when I rode back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) on the bus this afternoon with a high proportion of idiots, fat slobs, and psychos.

In summary, I am revoking my decision to reduce my coffee consumption. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The only sad part, of course, is that I can no longer afford the luxury. I cannot be alone. Oil is now at $104 per barrel. Gold is at $988 per ounce. The Euro has long passed the $1.50 exchange threshold (now approaching $1.54). We are seeing the effects of inflation rapidly ramping upward. Increasing oil prices at this time are not a reflection of Peak Oil¹. Rather, they are the direct result of the Fed's lunatic policy of injecting huge amounts of worthless dollars into the "system." And, guess what? The Fed is planning to drop short-term interest rates again by 0.75 percent this month. I'm guessing more like one percent (to yield the "war level' of two percent). We are ready to go to war, my friends. In fact, I do not see any other option. No new "bubble" is being created to boost the economy. Only a grand-scale war will suffice.

From what I observe on a daily basis, I believe that the vast majority of satanic gargoyles will not give up either their 4000-pound motorized chairs (read: automobiles) or their cell phones. If anything, the morbidly ignorant human race (at least the strain calling themselves "Americans") will cut their food budget first. One look at supermarket shelves reveal exactly what will happen in the coming hyperinflationary times. Quality food will be replaced dollar-for-dollar with cheaper, bulkier junk food. Well, hey! If it fills the stomach, it's got to be food! For example, instead of healthy whole wheat bread, a large container of lard-filled cookies can be substituted. Potato chips can became a dinner staple. And so on, and so on. You get the picture. We will see an epidemic of fat slobs like never seen before. And, subsequently, we will experience a severe healthcare crisis. For more real analysis of the economy, please read the article titled, "The Grim Reality of Economic Truths," written by Pablo Ouziel that appeared on the Global Research site.

The rest of the afternoon was also a clone of Tuesday afternoon. And, the evening will pretty much be a clone of every evening. Same ol' shit. Thank goodness for the Pure T 'n A hurdy-gurdy "torrent" download site. Sheesh!

¹A timely article worthy of perusal titled, "Peak Oil - True or False," penned by Stephen Lendman also appeared on the Global Research site.

Mortuary Solaces (Reprise)

I procured a cup of Seattle's Finest® coffee at Safeway® in Kuapa Kai this morning at 8:15am. Yes, I gave in to my addiction. However, I have a new "addiction reduction" plan. Details to follow. Moms was home when I arrived at 8:30am. We made a quick jaunt to Foodland in Koko Marina so that moms could purchase a few grocery items. Upon our return, we had a few minutes before we had to depart again.

The drive to the Nu'uanu Cemetery and Funeral Home took about 20 minutes. I was able to avoid the downtown street traffic by taking the Pali Highway route after exiting the H1 Freeway. The memorial service for Aunty Margaret had already commenced although moms and I arrived well before 11am. The service covered about one hour. I stood in the back of the completely packed room. Moms sat with a few family members in the last row of seats. The service was nice, I suppose, as funerals go. However, I would have preferred to not be there. After the memorial service, moms and I offered condolences to the immediate family, my cousins Greg, Donna, and Christine. Uncle T was conspicuously absent, but that was no surprise.

As always, the memorial service is followed by lunch. The food was catered by Ige's Restaurant and Catering. As a matter of fact, pretty much every funeral is serviced by Ige's. I chowed down. We pretty much stayed with a small group of family members which included moms, Uncle Take, Aunty Jane, Aunty Maria, Aunty Emily, and my cousins Lei, Anna, and Dianne. Moms and I departed at 1pm. When we arrived back in Hawai'i Kai, moms served up coffee ice cream for dessert even though we were both full from lunch.

I chatted with moms briefly before my final departure. I parked my truck adjacent to the Hawai'i Kai branch of the library and walked to the gym at Koko Marina. I did my usual workout. Then, I made one more stop at Safeway® in Kuapa Kai. I purchased four air-filled energy bars and two lard-filled Tina's® burritos. I actually wanted to purchase more air-filled energy bars to eat for dinner, but the supply was limited. Hence, I was left with no option but the lard-filled burritos. Sheesh!

I drove back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) and parked my Nissan® Frontier truck along the side street. I was back in my squalid room by 4pm. The rest of the afternoon consisted of intense piddling around. The evening? Same ol' shit. Whoa!

Well, my new "addiction reduction" plan calls for the steady tapering of my coffee consumption. I will initially attempt to limit my coffee consumption to every other day. Then, I would like to set the limit to two cups of coffee per week. At this time, I do not feel that it is imperative to completely cut out coffee consumption. There is still something quite satisfying about sipping a nice hot cup of coffee.

Foggy Bottom

Another homeless guy emulation kind-of-a-day has ... well, not quite. I attempted to make a major change in the homeless guy emulation. I set off this morning with good intentions. However, the 8:45am Route 1L bus did not show up. Bad omen. I rode the Route 23 bus to Kahala Mall. Of course, as I walking to the bus stop to transfer to any Route 1 bus, I observed the very late Route 1L pass by. Oh well. I finally arrived in town. I carried the air-filled energy bars that I had purchased at Safeway® yesterday. So, I sat in the inner courtyard of the State Capitol and ate my brunch sans my usual cup of coffee.

Little did I realize how much one small cup of coffee made a difference. I spent several hours in the inner courtyard of the library. However, without an infusion of caffeine, I was quite fatigued. I lapsed in and out of a coma, although I was no more rested in the end. My attention span was very limited. In addition, I also noted that my "regularity" was altered. What was most disturbing was my indifference toward anything and everything. I can only describe the whole experience as zombie-like.

I really did even want to go to the gym. Nonetheless, I did my usual workout. I felt much better after the cardio phase of my workout. However, I was still not "whole." I was feeling drowsy once I was on the bus. I really could not concentrate on anything during the ride. I found myself back in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) at 5pm. Still somewhat comatose, I followed my usual routine automatically. I cannot even remember consuming my bland dinner (i.e., beans and bread). Fortunately, I transferred $1,400 from my investment accounts to my local bank yesterday. No telling what I would have done today given my mental fog. The evening will run along the lines of the "same ol' shit." Who would have known?

Breakin' Even ... Almost

I was sitting in the Barnes & Noble® Café in Kahala Mall by 9:15am after sitting in traffic for nearly 30 minutes. A nice hot cup of coffee soothed my nerves. I perused a few magazines, nothing really worthy of mention. I met moms at the entrance to Longs® at 10:30am. Moms shopped amongst the myriad senior citizens wandering about the store. The whole place was reminiscent of a senior citizen recreation center. Moms and I ate lunch at Pearl's Korean Barbeque. After a filling meal, we were off to Hawai'i Kai.

Moms served up coffee ice cream for dessert. I sat and chatted with moms until 1pm. I then walked to the gym in Koko Marina. I only did my cardio workout. After a shower, I walked back to say good-bye to moms. I ended up chatting with moms for another 30 minutes.

On the way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I stopped off in Kuapa Kai to do my own shopping at Longs® and Safeway®. I purchased a loaf of bread at Longs®. At Safeway®, I procured two Tina's® burritos (for dinner) and four air-filled energy bars. I was back in my squalid room by 3:45pm. I performed the dreaded laundry chores. Then, I began the benign activity described as "same ol' shit."

The "condotel" unit broke even for the month of January before deducting the GET and renovation fund. Nonetheless, I was a only little over $140 short. Not bad. Expenses for the month appeared to be under control. I expect the same for this month. The month of April, however, will be another story.

Conspicuous Absence

As I stood and waited for the bus this morning, I observed a large white bird flying to the west, flapping its wings energetically. A few seconds later, another white bird followed the same flight plan. Where were they going? That's the miracle of nature. The smaller birds usually hop from tree to tree or to a streetlight pole. Seldom have I noticed any bird on a long distance flight. Then again, I have been oblivious to the beauty of nature for a while.

I followed the usual homeless guy itinerary. No need for details. Know that I ended up at the gym, my final destination in town. The hottie gym trainer was conspicuously absent. I suspect that baby has resigned. Justin, a new gym trainer and former Diploma Mill student, had mentioned that one of the gym trainers was leaving. Could he have been referring to baby?

I was able to ride the bus back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) without incident, even though I had to make one transfer. I was back in my squalid room by 3:30pm. There will, of course, be nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day. And, the evening? Same ol' shit.

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Reprise)

Another homeless guy emulation kind-of-a-day ... oh brother! We all know the drill. When I transferred to a connecting bus in town this morning, I was surprised to see Tom driving the bus. I have not seen him since last October. I was only able to chat with him briefly because I rode the bus for only two blocks. As usual, I purchased my brunch (i.e., air-filled energy bars and a cup of Seattle's Best® coffee) at Safeway®. Then, I sat in the catacombs of Kukui Plaza.

I always take a leisurely stroll through the grove of banyan trees in the Capitol district on my way to the library. I was feeling a little groggy today thanks to my cheap boozin' session last night. Mind you, I only drank two small glasses of vino. I did some reading in the library, although I spent most of my time lapsing in and out of a coma or looking at the scenery in the inner courtyard. Incidentally, I have finally located the books about the Balkans (i.e., former Yugoslavia).

My leisurely stroll to the gym took me through the South side of the Capitol district. The park-like surroundings are a pleasure to the eye. I did my usual workout at the gym. I was able to board a bus almost immediately after exiting the gym. The ride was actually pleasant for once. I was back in my squalid room in Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 5pm. The rest of the day and the evening will be the same ol' shit.

Well, the dollar has dropped to an all-time low against most other currencies. Yet, Ben Bernanke has promised that the Fed will drop short-term interest rates aggressively in the months to come. Expect a 0.75 percent rate cut this month. We are getting very close to the "war level." Is that why Shrub has dispatched a fleet of warships to the coast of Lebanon? Here at my end, I am barely squeaking by. My investment accounts are bringing in only a fraction of the dividends of six months ago. The Fed will drop interest rates to zero percent before the end of the year, much lower than Alan Greenspan dared go. Inflation is already wielding its ugly head. However, expect Bernanke to maintain zero percent interest rates for well over a year. That's a last ditch attempt to inflate another debt "bubble."