Edge of the City

Last night, I ate canned beans and bread for dinner. I also ate a can of mixed vegetables. Total cost? $1.80 and some change. That's my kind of meal. I piddled around Chez Loser II until 9pm. The hotel lobby was filled with cattle milling about. I decided to try out my plan to ride the bus to Kapi'olani Park. I had to wait about 10 minutes for a bus to show up, but it was worth my time. I got off at the first bus stop in the park.

A short walk took me right to the beach. This part of greater Waikiki Beach is known as Kuhio Beach. I sat on one of the benches. Only a few people were strolling by along the promenade. I could see planes flying in and out of the airport in the distance. What was so wonderful about sitting there was the relative quiet. I could hear the surf crashing against the shore. I sat there for an hour. Later, I walked back to the Aloha Surf Hotel through some back roads. Even then, I was not immune from two idiots who were racing through the streets with their "riceboys." The lobby of the hotel was empty when I arrived. I retrieved my Palm® TX and sat in the lobby for an hour.

I was really groggy when I woke up this morning. I collected my things and the large package of donations. I drank a couple of cups of free coffee for the hotel guests before departing for town. After the usual bus ride, I ended up in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. After a couple of cups of coffee, I rode the bus to Kahala Mall. I dropped off the package of donations in the Goodwill box. I met moms in front of the mall at 10:30am. We chatted briefly before walking to Panda Express® for lunch. As always, I waited at the bus stop with moms until her bus arrived.

I was back in the faculty computer room after I arrived in town. Sandra, who works for the office that oversees the faculty computer room, told me that Professor Lisa had come by earlier. She left some fruit that she purchased in Chinatown, so I assumed that she went to visit other faculty. A few minutes later, Professor Lisa walked in. We ended up chatting for an hour. Her return to Hawai'i has not been going well. So far, the only good part is that her friends in Ahuimanu (near Kane'ohe) have been very kind in letting her stay at their place. In fact, she has always stayed with them when she visited Hawai'i. She has been looking for her own place, but the search has been a nightmare. This is probably what has been making her feel depressed. She has looked at 30 places and most were either too small for the money or real dumps. Naturally, that was not news to me. I've seen it for myself. She also expressed some discontentment with academia, something that has plagued me for the last year as well. I am surprised that she is still single, though. Professor Lisa is kind of a hottie.

Professor Lisa's new position commences on August 24th. She plans to stick it out for a year. If things don't work out, she'll most likely move back to the mainland. A lot of things have changed here since she's been gone, even though she has visited Hawai'i every year. I'm sure that she has realized that the mainland affords many more opportunities insofar as employment, housing, and life-style are concerned. It takes a lot to adjust to the high-priced, scaled down living here in the islands. And, one thing she may have forgotten is that many mainland "rules" just don't apply here.

Professor Lisa had to get on with her day. So, we parted company. I went to the gym to do my usual workout. Then, I walked over to the Pali Safeway® to replenish my food supply. My new life-style in the hotel requires me to shop almost daily. It's a regimen that I must get used to. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the faculty computer room. As for the evening, I will spend time in the hotel lobby with my beloved Palm® TX. I will probably end up at the beach again. There really is nothing more relaxing to me than watching and listening to the ocean. I've seen a few people going out night surfing. Maybe that's something I should try.

From Here to Eternity (Reprise)

When I returned to Chez Loser II yesterday, I became extremely disgusted with everything. I looked around at my pathetic shoebox and wondered whether I made a big mistake. Here I am, living in Waikiki, the second most crowded place on the island. And, it's full or arrogant and rude morons. I came to my senses when I realized that I could easily have been one of the thousands of homeless who "live" along the beaches around the island.

I spent more time sorting through my useless possessions. I took a break and sat in the hotel lobby with may beloved Palm® PDA. At 8:45pm, I decided that I would ride the bus to Ala Moana Center as per my plan to avoid the myriad shopping fools. When I arrived there, the crowds were making a mass exodus since the stores were closing. I walked to Barnes & Noble®. I spent close to an hour there. When I finally made it to Foodland at 10pm, I discovered that the place was closing. I was quite perturbed since I accomplished nothing. At the bus stop, there was a huge crowd waiting. A bus finally came by, and the herd of fools stampeded. Could I have expected less? I waited for the next bus, which came almost 30 minutes later. What happened to all the Waikiki buses?

When I finally set foot back in Waikiki, I stopped off at the nearest ABC Store. I bought a couple of Granny's Gourmet Muffins, some bananas, and a big-ass can of Tecate® beer. Since it was raining, I had no other option. Back in Chez Loser, I quickly dropped back the Tecate® brewski. I was able to clear my mind and sort through some of my useless crap. Later, I spent an hour or so in the hotel lobby with my beloved Palm® PDA. I was the only one sitting there. Everyone else was out on the town, no doubt. My existence is a lonesome one, which becomes quite obvious in Waikiki. The only people traveling alone are the homeless.

I don't need to bemoan my singular existence because there's nothing that can be done about it. I find that, for a person like myself, the latter is the only viable life-style. Sure, it's choice that I've made. However, I cannot imagine myself in any other situation. I'm not even certain why I wasted so much time with the babe situation during my mid-life crisis. Frankly, I really don't miss the companionship of babes. In fact, I don't miss anyone's companionship. I am somewhat lonely, though. For the most part, people only need other people for some self-serving need. True friendships and relationships no longer exist. Even with the few people whom I know, increasing the distance between them and I would be best possible choice. The only fear that I have is the possibility of going insane because of my severe isolation. As I become more of a loner, I observe that my tolerance for people rapidly declined. As a matter of fact, I really don't see people as people anymore. I see them as cattle.

As I mentioned before, moms is about my only connection left to humanity. I fear what will happen when moms is gone. My present life-style and associated planning are hinged on that eventuality. Thus, I will need to make a quick exodus from society when that time comes. There must be nothing to keep me back. If I do remain in the mainstream, I will become a menace to society.

Many other aspects of my life are indirectly related to moms. Right now, I only keep my truck and my cell phone service because of moms. I am also only keeping a "legitimate" place to live because I do not want moms to worry about me. Yet, sadly, I only see moms once per week. Since the Ninja Turds (read: my bro and his family) have made it clear that I am unwelcome in their home, I do not visit there anymore. Nonetheless, rising costs are the issue, and I can no longer justify the status quo.

I did not sleep well at all last night. I woke up fairly early this morning. I spent about an hour in the hotel lobby drinking several cups of free coffee for the hotel guests and reading the paper. At 9:30am, I departed for the Waikiki Banyan Hotel. I rode the bus for the three-block trip. I collected some of the stuff that I had sorted out and left in my truck. I rode the bus back the Aloha Surf Hotel. I put together a large bag of crap that I will put in the Goodwill donation box tomorrow when I am at Kahala Mall.

At 11:30am, I departed for town on the bus. First, I checked my PO Box for mail. Wow! I received the latest issue of the AARP® magazine. Naturally, I ended up in the student computer lab at the Diploma Mill. As usual, I did my cardio workout at the gym. I also did a little shopping at the Pali Safeway®. Otherwise, I would have to shop at the Food Pantry in Waikiki and pay rip-off prices. Safeway® was a madhouse replete with rude fat slobs. Clowns were walking right in my path as if I was not there. Fat slobs were taking up whole aisles and moving as slow as a beached whale. The parking lot was full of morons who were driving like maniacs. I thought for sure that I would have to open Lou's School of Etiquette. When Lou (read: the ol' lavahead) opens up the School of Etiquette for matriculation, you can bet that a lot of clowns are going to get "schooled." This microcosm of modern society serves as a wake-up call. Our demise as a people is very near. After my shopping fun, I ended up back in the student computer lab. I stayed there until closing. Then, I made the trek back to Chez Loser II on the bus.

Later this evening, I may ride the bus to Kapi'olani Park. That way, I can avoid the myriad arrogant tourists walking around with their heads up their asses. I will be able to enjoy some quiet moments by the beach at the far end of the park. I can ride the bus back to the hotel. Of course, I will spend time in the lobby with my beloved Palm® PDA. I don't even miss watching the tube. Right now, I don't even care that I will not see the new season of my favorite programs because of my limited basic cable access. Incidentally, I received e-mail from Danno in Puerto Rico through my new Bluebottle e-mail account. I happened to be sitting in the hotel lobby at the time with my beloved Palm® PDA.

Puppet on a String

I spent all of last night in the lobby of the Aloha Surf Hotel with my Palm® TX. The conceited hottie was working at the front desk as usual. One of her babe friends came by to visit her. No doubt, they were probably going out clubbing later. I had trouble accessing my new Bluebottle e-mail account through VersaMail®. I managed to tweak the settings. Finally, I was able to send and receive e-mail. Only VersaMail® allows me attach files to e-mail. Web-based e-mail cannot attach files in the Blazer® browser. Bluebottle appears to be a very nice service.

I was not looking forward to my tasks today. So, when I woke up, I was literally dragging my feet. I spent an hour in the hotel lobby. I drank endless cups of free coffee for the hotels guests. No one has said anything to me yet. Finally, at 9:30am, I decided to embark on my big mission of the day. I ate two plain slices of bread for breakfast in my little shoebox. Then, I walked to the Waikiki Banyan Hotel parking structure. I drove my truck to the storage unit at Hy-Pac near the airport. Traffic was extremely heavy. I felt nauseous, no doubt because I was malnourished. I was able to load the truck with the remainder of my useless crap. I stuffed my widescreen LCD tube in the king cab passenger area. I loaded my Local Motion® surfboard and the bodyboard that Lori had lent me in the bed of the truck. I did the official checkout at the office. The local hired help was rude as usual. Why am I being treated like a loser by minimum wage workers? (Hint: the answer comes later) I'm glad that I won't need to return to that dump ever again. I will be getting a $42 credit for the unused portion of the month.

The drive back to Waikiki was equally maddening. I parked in the hotel guest parking lot. I only brought up a couple of things, one being my surfboard. I took the elevator from the basement. I almost broke the surfboard as I was trying to maneuver it into my place because of the shitty springed hotel door. I laid the surfboard on the bed. That's going to be its new home. I stuffed all of my gear into my gym bag. Then, I drove the truck back to the Waikiki Banyan. I left everything else in the truck including the widescreen LCD tube. Since I am paying $80 per month for parking, then I might as well use the truck as a storage locker.

I left for town immediately even though I was famished. I was already approaching delirium. My patience was at a real low point. This is the way it has been for me since I moved out on my own. The problem is my diet. I do not eat enough in a day to even sustain a small chicken. Malnutrition is affecting my thinking process and my temperament. I find that I have been making numerous errors during the day, both major and minor. I have also become clumsy and uncoordinated. My excuse is that most of the so-called "food" we eat is poisonous. And, food is very expensive.

I am always looking for ways to cut my costs. And, at times, I seem to succeed. However, in the long run, I have noticed that I am not really coming out ahead. The cost of living always catches up to my best laid plans. Of course, this is the Master Plan according to the moneychangers. There is no way to be emancipated from wage slavery or from the "system." Our strings are being pulled. We are likened to puppets, mere marionettes. Take, for example, the latest terror farce from jolly ol' England, courtesy Shrub's complicit buddy, Blair. More fear in an election year. Coincidence? You be the judge. By the way, more and more crap keeps coming out about the suspicious circumstances of the "September 11th" event. The cheesy lines, "It's all about the money," or, "Follow the money," are becoming the divining rods of truth.

Even in the shallow and superficial tourist environment of Waikiki do we see the invisible hand of the moneychangers pulling the strings of the hapless idiots who visit our new and completely merchandised Hawai'i. Frankly, I don't get it. The most these fools get is the stereotypical patronizing hotel treatment, the kind that is supposed to make one feel "special." Most of the time, these fools are out shopping at the same stores they have at home. They eat at the same generic food joints that proliferate their home base. Yet, they dole out money like there is no tomorrow for all this overpriced shit. And, they want to come back. Worst yet are the packaged tours which come close to making anyone puke if only they saw how much they were being ripped off for nothing. However, since they are made to feel "special" and all of the Filipino workers have been trained to cater to them, how could I have expected anything more than sheer arrogance and rudeness? Well, don't I look like one of the tourist industry workers? I live here, and I have brown skin. Doh!

The bottom line is simple. The sheep or cattle, whatever we want to call them, are easily manipulated. They are also easily brainwashed. Either the creation of collective fear or the catering to inflated egos work well in the classic Pavlovian sense. And, as I have said before, the collective determines the inertia which eventually sweeps us all into the vortex of stupidity.

When I arrived in town, I immediately went to Longs® to see if I could find anything worthy of eating. I found one remaining Granny's Gourmet Muffin. I was hoping to buy several muffins. I threw in a small sushi platter (six pieces for a rip-off $2.79). I sashayed over to the Diploma Mill. I sat in one of the corridors and ate the sushi, which was actually quite tasty. I was still hungry, but I was not about to spend any more dough. I ended up in the student computer lab.

As always, I did my usual weekend cardio workout at the gym. After the gym, I still felt hungry. So, I went to Taco Bell®. I ate two bean burritos with the green sauce. No red sauce. The place was packed with people, but there were no incidences of stupidity. After my enjoyable snack, I walked back to the student computer lab to complete the "blog."

I am compelled to continue the "blog" in order to chronicle the adjustment period since my move to Chez Loser II. I have finally relocated all of my useless possessions to a close proximity. Now, I can begin the arduous task of divestiture. This is a very critical juncture because I will depart from my previous feeble attempts at divestiture. My goal is emulate a traveler as best as possible. A true traveler does not carry much in the way of possessions. I do not care to use the term, "tourist," because most tourists carry with them more than all of my total possessions.

At this time, I continue to make the benign journey to town on the weekends, just as I did when I lived in Kane'ohe. My Palm® TX cannot update the "blog" due to the shortcomings of the Blazer® Web browser. My goal is to continue daily entries to the "blog" until I settle down into a comfortable situation. Obviously, that time may never come. It may seem as though I have strayed far off from my original intentions of emulating a monk. I must reiterate that I am taking a long and possibly circuitous path to achieve the same goals.

When I arrive back in Waikiki later today, I will most likely relax in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours. I will peruse the Net with my beloved Palm® TX. I must also begin the task of utilizing the built-in organizer to schedule my time as well as set up reminders for important payments to the moneychangers. I may also spend some time sorting out more crap for divestiture. In this respect, technology can be very helpful. Later in the evening, I may ride the bus to Ala Moana Center. If I leave after 9pm, I will not have to deal with myriad morons. There's no need for me to return to Chez Loser II early anyway.

Bread & Tuna

Yesterday, Lori's husband, Kirk, called a couple of times. He wants me to help move the hot tub on Monday morning, although I specifically told Lori that Monday is not a good day. For some strange reason, the hot tub is not available for pick-up on the weekends. At this point, the problem with scheduling anything on weekdays stems from my commitments at the Diploma Mill. This is the last week of the Summer term. I am also still trying to compensate for the time that I was homeless. I had to defer a lot of my work until now. I am not able to do much on the weekends or in the evenings because of the limited campus hours during the Summer.

When I returned to Waikiki, I ate canned tuna and bread for dinner. I then sat in the hotel lobby for about an hour with my Palm® TX. I read a few more distressing articles on the Net. I was amused by the alleged "terrorist" plot that was "thwarted." Supposedly, several planes were going to used to transport explosives to "blow everything up real good." Yet another smokescreen, no doubt to deflect from the atrocities occurring daily in the Middle East. With a crucial election coming up, there are going to be more fun and games. According to a recent poll, over half of the sample believed that Saddam had nuclear weapons (read: "WMDs"). Surprisingly, the percentage of people believing that farce increased in the last two years. This, my friends, is what I'm talking about when I refer to "cattle." I have also been increasingly alarmed at the sheer number of news stories which now cast the Zionist Israelis as "victims." Oh brother. I now give Hezbollah a lot of credit. It a small group of a thousand or so fighters who have been holding their own against the only technologically advanced armed forces in the Middle East. They are the only Arabs standing up and defending their homeland. Anyone believing otherwise has bought into the "system." Needless to say, Israel has only itself to blame. The grizzly atrocities of the Zionists led to the creation of Hezbollah in the first place.

The tourists staying at the Aloha Surf Hotel and Waikiki proper have been extremely rude and arrogant. Less than a week and I am already sick of them. I can see why American tourists are despised abroad. I decided to take a walk to the beach at 10pm. There were still a lot of rude tourists walking around. I kept walking on to Kapi'olani Park. I noticed a large number of homeless people along the beach. It's quite easy to spot them. They don't look like tourists. The real tourists just ignore them as do most other people. One homeless guy was lying on his stomach on the grassy area and staring blankly toward the hotels on Kalakaua Avenue. There he was on his soiled tatami beach mat, wearing soiled clothes, and with his worldly possessions stuffed in a tattered backpack beside him. Just a stone's throw away was sheer opulence and excess. Fat slobs in nice clothes roamed the street. Big money everywhere. The silent class wars are brutal.

I called Professor Lisa just before I headed back to Chez Loser II. She was just about ready to go to sleep, so I did not chat with her for very long. She did not sound too happy. I'm sure that she has seen the changes here in Hawai'i, most not for the better. Hopefully, we will have a chance to meet and catch up on what's what. When I arrived at the hotel, I noticed that there was a lot of activity in the hotel lobby. Tourists. I ended up spending another hour or so in the lobby with my Palm® PDA. Having Net access has been my saviour.

I left for town at 8:30am, after sitting in the hotel lobby long enough to drink a couple of cups of free coffee for the hotel guests. I ended up in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. I had a lot of work to do. I took a short break and signed up for a free Bluebottle e-mail account. Yes, I know. I terminated a whole mess of e-mail accounts not so long ago. I signed up with Bluebottle because it allows me to access it with my Palm® VersaMail® e-mail client. Later, I restored my monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design.

Lori's husband, Kirk, called again. I called back. Kirk still wanted me to help him transport the new hot tub on Monday. From what I was told, he is getting some kind of deal on the hot tub. However, the deal ends on Monday. The dealer is open only on weekdays from 9am to 4pm, and it is located out past the airport. With traffic, that's about a 45-minute drive one-way. What was really puzzling to me is why Kirk did not just pay for the hot tub to take advantage of the sale price. I am certain that any reputable dealer would have allowed him to pick up the hot tub at a later date as long as it was paid for. I told Kirk that I would call on Saturday to let him know if I have any time on Monday.

I did my usual workout at the gym. I was supposed to meet Pseudo-professor Mike and Bea at the Indigo Happy Hour. Instead, I walked to the Pali Safeway® and purchased a large rip-off salad. When I returned to the faculty computer room to eat my salad, Professor Darwin was there, So, we chatted for a bit. My Friday night in Waikiki will be uneventful. Most likely, I will spend some time in the hotel lobby with my beloved Palm® PDA. If am ambitious, I may ride the bus to Ala Moana Center. For what reason, I do not know.

Time Passes

Last night, I spent the evening in the hotel lobby. Incidentally, I ate beans and bread for dinner. My Palm® TX has become indispensable. In fact, I have not watched the tube very much ever since I acquired the device.

Professor Lisa called and left a message. She has been in Hawai'i for about a week. She mentioned something about being depressed. I won't venture to guess why. I knew that she was in town because Pseudo-professor Mike had mentioned that the new faculty for the Diploma Mill's military campus programs would be attending a strategic planning meeting. He had mentioned that one of the new faculty was in the math department. I assumed that he was alluding to Professor Lisa. So, I asked Pseudo-professor Mike to say hello to Professor Lisa for me since he would be attending the meeting.

I left for town fairly early this morning. I had several wage slave duties to attend to. Naturally, I found myself in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. Later, I did my brief stint in wage slavery before going to the gym. I skipped my cardio workout again, although all of my favorite elliptical machines were in use. That was fine with me. I was too fatigued anyway. What's in store for the evening? Did you say, "Nerd out with the Palm® TX"?

I've been giving more thought to the idea of divesting my entire hurdy-gurdy DVD libarary, if not most of it. What exactly is its purpose? Obviously, I will never hook up with hotties like Tory Lane. All I have is my hand. Really, it is time to let the poor Vienna Sausage atrophy to a true eunuch-like state. I must put the Vienna Sausage out to pasture. Why prolong the agony? Anyway, the hurdy-gurdy DVD library just takes up valuable space in my tiny shoebox.

The Big Question. Am I better off than I was before? My diet has suffered, which is bad considering that it was already substandard. I am eating no fruits or vegetables primarily because of the high cost of food in Waikiki. And, I am no closer to acquiring health insurance. On the other hand, I now sleep on a comfortable bed. I also have air conditioning, hot water, and free wireless Internet service.

Into This Lonely Crowd

Last night, I ended up joining Pseudo-professor Mike, Bea, and Lianne for dinner at Bea's place. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal. I departed for Waikiki at 8pm. When I arrived at Chez Loser II, I was fatigued from the long day. So, I spent the rest of the evening in the hotel lobby with my Palm® TX. I am quite impressed by the device. Once configured, the Blazer® Web browser is very capable of rendering mostly all Web sites. With a little practice, scrolling around becomes a natural task. There are a lot of other features built in the Palm® TX which will prove to valuable. I am certain that I will not need a notebook computer.

As usual, I spent some time in the hotel lobby this morning. I drank a few cups of free coffee for the hotel guests. And, I perused a few of my usual favorite Web sites on my beloved Palm® PDA. Then, I departed for town.

I ended up in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. I have a lot of ridiculous busy work that needs to be completed. However, I just cannot bring myself to do anything. I am completely fatigued after my six-plus weeks of homelessness. During the bus commute to town this morning, I silently evaluated my situation. I don't really even know what will make me happy anymore, no less what will relieve the high level of subliminal stress lurking just below the surface. I have strived to simplify my life, but I find that it is no more simple than before. In fact, the opposite holds true. Just existing for a period of time adds levels of complexity, most of it in the form of increasing living expenses.

I really have no answer to this perpetual conundrum because the problem stems from universal wage slavery and materialism. Since the general populace is fully engaged in both the former and the latter, then it generates a tremendous amount of inertia. That inertia creates a vortex which sucks the rest of us into the current. The amount of energy to combat these forces is possibly beyond human capability. What makes matters worse is the byproduct of superficial levels of individualism and narcissism in the general populace. It is a destructive form of "groupthink" which allows common morons to believe that they are better off than everyone else. Naturally, such a degenerative form of psychopathology is a boon to the moneychangers and the powers-that-be. Placating the cattle with useless trinkets and exacting total mind control over the latter is a wet dream come true for evildoers.

Much of what I need to do involves spending money along with the benign activity known as shopping. I become really despondent at the thought of engaging in either activity. The negative aspect of living in Waikiki is that shopping is the main event. Retail stores and eating places line every available spot along the main promenade. Many tourists never leave Waikiki, which is the equivalent of taking a vacation in a local shopping mall. Most of the tourist attractions are pathetic because they are completely overshadowed by more retail stores and eating places. What I personally need to shop for are necessities such as food and clothing. However, even that shopping experience is ridiculously depressing.

My main objective must remain in focus. I am living in small hotel room. My goal is to divest myself of all my useless possessions in order to ready myself for my eventual exodus from society. I must replace any bulky crap with portable ones. I must also utilized shared resources as best as possible. Practically everything must be expendable. There can be no attachment to anything. The cost of possible replacements must be cheap as well.

Catering to the needs of the flesh must also be minimized. For example, the investment in my vast hurdy-gurdy DVD library was foolish. It only tends to reinforce the consumerist concept, although the most basic of human needs has already been adulterated by the latter. Human relationships have now been reduced to monetary transactions. "If you want to dance, you have to pay the piper." Remember that trite cliché? Well, it's not so trite these days.

I have also been experiencing an extremely high level of anxiety, the source of which I cannot immediately determine. My hunch is that it stems from impatience with myself. I am not moving rapidly enough to accommodate my exodus from society. My gut reaction is to just drop everything and flee. Even more anxiety was generated when the Fed decided to halt the short-term interest rate hikes yesterday. I am also sensing some kind of impending doom, the end of society as we know it. I don't want to be around when that happens.

Robert, the former IT guy at the Asylum, sent e-mail. It looks as thought the project is moving along. The investors have released funds for a downtown office and associated furnishings. Lori called and left a message yesterday. She apparently needs my help to move a hot tub that she and Kirk want to purchase. In other words, they need a truck to transport the hot tub. The only problem is that they want to do this at a time most inconvenient for me.

I finally submitted the property tax home exemption form to the downtown Satellite City Hall. I will still be paying a high rate of tax until the exemption becomes effective in September of next year. Yep, a rip-off. I did my usual workout at the gym. I was famished, so I walked to Safeway®. I purchased six energy bars. At 75 cents each, they are a rip-off. However, everything is a rip-off in Hawai'i. I ended up back in the faculty computer room. When it closes, I will ride the bus back to Waikiki. I'm sure that I'll spend most of the evening in the lobby with my beloved Palm® TX.

Future Primitive (Reprise)

After arriving back in Waikiki yesterday, I at a nice meal consisting of beans and bread. Just like the old days! Rather than walk down to the beach, I made the decision to go to CompUSA® to check out the Palm ® PDAs. I looked specifically at the TX model. It was connected to a wireless network in the store, so I was able see how it performed insofar as Net accessibility was concerned. I was impressed with the device, although the small screen required a lot of horizontal and vertical scrolling. Yes, I purchased a new Palm® TX for $300 and some change.

When I returned to Chez Loser, I charged the batteries of my new Palm® TX. While I waited, I did my laundry in the laundry room. Because of the alarming warning about unwashed new sheets that Scott had posted on Speak! VI, I was compelled to do my laundry. I couldn't wait the full three hours, so I powered it up after about two hours. My new Palm® TX was not able to connect to the hotel's wireless network, even though I had a strong signal. I tried again in the lobby, but to no avail. However, I was able to connect to the network in one of the adjoining hotels. I was a little perturbed because I had just spent a lot of dough on the device. I did not get to sleep until after one o'clock because I was so happy to have net access. There was some kind of domestic disturbance at 4am with all kinds screaming and crying. Isn't city life great?

This morning, I woke up at 8am. I was very groggy. I spent time in the hotel lobby drinking the free coffee for the hotel guests. I also was able to check out some of usual Web sites on the Net courtesy my new Palm® TX. Back in Chez Loser II, I discovered that the bathroom floor had a huge puddle of water. At first, I thought that there was a leak somewhere in my place. Then, I saw water drops falling from the vent in the ceiling. I contacted the manager in the lobby. He dispatched his maintenance people to remedy the problem. I departed for town shortly afterward.

I found myself in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. I tried to set up my Palm® TX to utilize the Diploma Mill wireless network. Even after configuring the security protocol, I was not able to connect. In fact, I experienced the same problem as I did with the wireless network in the hotel. The PDA attempts to connect and retrieve an IP address, but the connection fails. I have no idea what is going on, but I was very perturbed. Had I known that I was going to have these problems, then I would not have purchased the PDA. I perused the Palm® on-line support documents. Nada. I'm not sure what I will do now.

After a brief break, I tweaked a few of the WEP WiFi security settings on my Palm® TX. Finally, I was able to connect to the wireless network at the Diploma Mill. I was relieved. I did my usual stint of wage slavery before going to the gym. I skipped my cardio workout because all of the elliptical machines were being used. I'll most likely spend the evening with my beloved Palm® TX. I read that a large part of Waikiki falls under the umbrella of the Wireless Waikiki Project, a free WiFi service. From what I can tell, there is coverage by the beach. So, I may walk down there tonight with my Palm® PDA and see if the latter is true.

So far, I'm far off from being settled. Each day brings more petty nonsense to deal with. I am backlogged with mundane errands. I cannot really complain. I am living in Waikiki with the beach just three blocks away. I wear shorts, a tank top, and slippers (read: slippahs) to work in the morning. It's just the constant noise, the crowds, the increasing madness that is getting to me.

Chez Loser II

When I returned to Waikiki yesterday afternoon, I ate tuna and bread for dinner. Yes, I am trying to return to my old diet. I would like to start cooking and eating rice again, but that may be an impossibility. Even when I retrieve my rice cooker from moms, I don't have any place to put it and safely cook the rice. And, I do not feel like transporting 25-pound bags of rice on the bus to the "condotel" unit.

I walked to the beach at 9pm and sat on one of the benches. Even with the myriad people walking back and forth on Kalakaua Avenue, the ambiance was nice. I sat there until 10:30pm. I discovered that the homeless sleep on the beach. They stake out their nightly homestead by 9:30pm. That involves placing their tatami beach mats on the sand. Back at Chez Loser II, there was nothing fro me to do. So, I watched the tube. Everything seems okay despite the fact that I live in a shoebox. I have decided to rename the generic "condotel" unit to "Chez Loser II" for lack of another moniker.

I have been contemplating the idea of purchasing a computer or a PDA again. This is Viktor Frankl's concept of the "existential vacuum" at play again. I am grasping at straws to find alternatives to combat boredom. I could purchase an inexpensive notebook computer. Most likely, it will have a DVD drive. That way, I could divest the bulky DVD player that I own. However, a PDA would be much better to transport around. Since both alternatives have wireless capability, I would be able to spend my idle time on the Net.

Of course, if I were to divest my vast hurdy-gurdy DVD library, then I would not have to worry about any kind of DVD player. Overall, my goal is to minimize my expenditures. A notebook computer is far more expensive than a PDA. The effective life of a notebook computer is probably around three years. I assume that the hard drive will be the first to go. A PDA could last at least five years, if not longer.

I woke up fairly early this morning. I was feeling really groggy. I drank one cup of free coffee in the lobby of the hotel. Then, I was off to town. I ended up in the faculty computer room at the Diploma Mill. I spent about an hour on the computer before leaving for Kahala Mall on the bus. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express® as usual. I've noticed that the the number of entrées decreased lately. Whassup wi' dat? My bro and his wife are still giving moms a hard time. I suppose that they keep forgetting who provided them with a house in affluent Hawai'i Kai for cheap.

I arrived in town at 1pm. I spent some time in the faculty computer room. I also ran a few errands before going to the gym. Most of this week will find me running assorted errands dealing with Chez Loser II. I did my usual workout at the gym. Then, I was back in the faculty computer room. I took a short break and walked over to the Pali Safeway® to buy more food. My goal is to return to the monk diet. I've been eating too many sandwiches made with processed meat laced with preservatives.

Later, when I return to Waikiki, I will have to decide what to do for the evening. Another walk to the beach? Maybe a bus ride to CompUSA® to check out the Palm® PDAs. I may also spend time sorting more stuff for divestiture. Or, I could peruse my vast hurdy-gurdy DVD library. What to do ... what to do ...

Life in a Box

Yesterday, after my workout at the gym, I returned to Waikiki. I drove my truck to my storage unit at Hy-Pac. I was able to fit about half the crap in the truck. I did not put anything in the bed of the truck because it was drizzling. I was able to sort a few things for divestiture. However, the yield was rather small, much to my chagrin. I drove back to the Aloha Surf Hotel and parked in the guest parking lot. I made about three trip from the parking lot to the "condotel" unit. Then, I drove my truck back to the Waikiki Banyan Hotel parking structure.

Back in the "condotel" unit, I sorted through my crap. I was beginning to lose my mind, so I decided to take the bus to Ala Moana Center. Once again, the place was packed with people. I first went to Longs® to purchase a spray bottle of Febreze®. I stopped in Foodland to purchase another sandwich and big-ass can of Foster's® beer. For some reason, there were no buses going back to Waikiki for the longest time. The number of people waiting increased by the minute. I decided to walk to the other bus stop. There were even more people there. I ate my sandwich while I waited. Finally, three buses came at the same time. Like cattle at a slaughterhouse, we all lined up to board the buses.

When I finally returned to the "condotel" unit, I ate my salad and popped open the big-ass can of Foster's®. I then began the arduous task of sorting through my crap. I brought my DVD player and my vast hurdy-gurdy DVD library from storage. I was able to connect the DVD player to the LCD tube. At 10pm, I was still sorting through the crap. I took a break and sprayed Febreze® on the carpet and on the fabric wallpaper. I was amazed that the smoke odor diminished considerably. I may need another spray bottle. The bathroom still has a strong smoke odor. I will have to use a conventional deodorizer since Febreze® only works on fabric.

I was becoming claustrophobic, so I decided to take a walk to the beach. The night was beautiful. Everyone was out walking along Kalakaua Avenue. I sat on one of the benches along the beach. The moon was bright enough to cast light on the waves breaking in the distance. A few of the tourists were frolicking in the water. As I sat there alone, I pondered what Professor Marv had told me the other day. "If you're single in Hawai'i, it's a living hell," he said. Actually, he had told me that a few years ago as well. A good friend of his was living here a few years ago. Apparently, the friend was not able to hook up in the ten years that he lived here. Of course, I can no longer be concerned about the babe situation. My time has long since passed. In addition, I live in a cheesy hotel room. The closest that I will ever get to a babe is my hurdy-gurdy DVD library. Sheesh!

There is an incredible homeless presence in Waikiki, by the way. They tend to come out at night and hang out by the beach. I'm not sure where they sleep. I really did not feel like returning to my small little "condotel" unit which was stuffed with my useless crap. On the way home, I stopped off at the ABC Store to purchase a bottle of Vendage® Chardonnay. I spent the rest of the evening sorting through my crap. I also unpacked my beloved Nalu Board. I was able to set it up in the small space in front of the bed. I was already quite hammered by then. I rode my Nalu Board for a few minutes. I could not help but notice how pathetic my little "condotel" unit looked. I vowed that I will divest close to everything in order to appear more like a tourist. I finally decided to go to sleep at one o' clock. I had polished off the whole bottle of wine.

This morning, I felt quite shitty when I woke up. I spent an hour or so in the lobby reading the paper and drinking the free coffee for the guests. Later, I walked to the ABC Store to buy a few Granny's Gourmet Muffins. I ate one for my breakfast when I returned to the hotel lobby. I spent a little more time sorting through my crap. I finally decided to throw out my old gym bag, the one I've been using now for over seven years. I will be using one of the new gym bags that I purchased to transport my useless crap when I moved out of Chez Loser.

Just as I was about to leave Caroll called. She wants to purchase the house she is renting. The house has been put up for sale. The bottom line is that she wanted to invest in the house. She has evicted her two roommates. As usual, they were losers. Caroll always chooses losers to live with her. They are either "recovering" alcoholics or "former" drug abusers. What Caroll always finds out is that they have not kicked the habit. This situation keeps happening over and over again that I often wonder what Caroll is thinking, if she is thinking at all. I suggested that she find a small condo such that she would not need to depend on roommates to either make the rent or the mortgage. Seems logical to me. Caroll has been working at a convenience store in a petrol station. She is going back to selling cars again next week. After my chat with Caroll, I left for town on the bus. I ended up in the student computer lab at the Diploma Mill, as to be expected.

I did not go to my storage unit today because I was in a bad way after my drinking binge last night. When is it ever going to end? I was planning to empty the storage unit and get the August rent prorated back to me. The big problem is that I do not have enough room to store the remaining crap. I still have my widescreen LCD tube and my surfboard there amongst other crap. I don't know what I'm going to do with the LCD tube. I would give it away to someone, but I do not know anyone who is deserving of it. No one seems to want to buy it either, even though I am selling it for dirt cheap. Most likely I will donate it next year in order to get a tax deduction. However, I cannot continue to pay to store it. I do have room for my surfboard, even though I have no idea when I will use it again.

I did my usual cardio workout at the gym. I felt a little better after the workout. The hunger pains were getting to me, so I stopped off at Taco Bell®. I purchased two bean burritos with the green sauce. No red sauce. My snack would have been enjoyable had I not privy to a very pungent odor. The source of the odor was someone whom I assumed was mentally ill. She was talking to herself and doing odd things. The smell was not body odor. It was more like rotting flesh. The odor radiated about 25 feet in all directions. I ended up back at the student computer lab for more computer fun after that.

It's going to be a few more weeks before my life settles into a comfortable routine. I will have to get used to shopping in town almost daily and carrying groceries home on the bus. My divestiture of useless crap will continue until I feel that I have met my objective. Money will have to be spent in order to replace a lot of old clothes and other worn-out junk. Eventually, I will need health insurance. With the way the cost of living in Hawai'i just keeps increasing, I am sure that I will experience financial difficulties in the very near future. I've been fortunate so far, but all good things must come to an end.

Dateline Waikiki

Yesterday, after Indigo Happy Hour, I departed for Waikiki on the bus. Traffic was extremely heavy. I was able to procure the pass card for my "condotel" unit at the front desk of the Aloha Surf Hotel. The front desk babe was there. For some strange reason, she is always rude to me. Fortunately, the other person assisted me. When he needed some help, the hottie front desk babe was rude to him as well. I dropped my gym bag off in the "condotel" unit. I also noticed that the bed did not have any sheets or mattress pad. There were no pillows either. I walked to the Waikiki Banyan Hotel where my truck is parked. I drove back to Kapahulu first. Rob was home when I arrived. He was watching the tube. I gathered up the rest of my stuff and packed it in the truck. I thanked Rob and said good-bye. I then decided to drive to Ala Moana Center after that.

Ala Moana Center was packed with people. I was fortunate to get a parking space. I was going to walk across Kapi'olani Boulevard to go to Ross® to shop for linens. However, it started raining. I checked out Sears® first. Nothing was on sale. I walked to the other end of Ala Moana Center to see what's what at Macy's®. Whoa! I was not about to pay those kinds of prices for a set of linens. Well, hey! I'm living in a hotel!

I stopped off at the Apple® Store to look at the new notebook computers. Very nice, but I was not about to tempt myself any further. I returned to Sears® and purchased the cheapest linen set and mattress pad that I could find. I ended up paying $57 and some change. I became a little despondent. I hate spending money. I put my purchase into the truck and went to Foodland to purchase a sandwich and some milk. I wanted buy a big-ass bottle of wine. However, I realized that my corkscrew was in storage. I couldn't buy any of the usual brewskis because I do not have a bottle opener. I ended up purchasing a big-ass can of Foster's®. I was completely fatigued and almost delirious by then.

I drove back to Waikiki and parked in the guest spaces at the Aloha Surf Hotel. I unloaded the stuff. Then, I had to drive the truck back to the Waikiki Banyan Hotel. After I parked the truck in its usual spot on the fifth floor, I walked back to the Aloha Surf hotel. The first thing I did was to pop open the big-ass can of Foster's®. Then, I made my bed. I didn't even bother washing the sheets. I ate my sandwich and powered up the tube. I discovered that I do not have all of the cable channels that I had at Chez Loser. I have a limited subset of channels, which did not include much. I will not be paying to upgrade the service, even though I will no longer be able to watch some of my favorite shows.

The "condotel" unit reeked of smoke. I seriously doubt that any attempt was made to deodorize the unit. Nor was the carpet cleaned. Even if it was, the smell of smoke will most likely never be eliminated except by some costly means. I decided to run the air conditioner. As far as I can tell, the air conditioner is also contaminated with cigarette residuals. I was too tired to deal with this situation. I went out for a brief walk, but I had to cut the latter whort because of rain. I returned to the smoke-contaminated "condotel" unit. I powered up the tube briefly. Feeling like a true loser, I decided that I was better off going to sleep.

This morning, I woke up at 8:30am. I was quite fatigued. However, I had a good night's rest, as opposed to the last six-plus weeks of homelessness. I went down to the hotel lobby and drank the free coffee provided for the guests. There were a lot of young hotties running amuck. I also observed that most people over 35 years of age were fat slobs. Even in the hotel environment, I felt out of place. After about five cups of coffee, I went for a walk. I stopped off at the dreaded ABC Stores to purchase a muffin for breakfast. Naturally, I had to pay the usual Waikiki rip-off prices. I walked toward the beach. There were crowds of people everywhere. Lots of people were carrying their surfboards to the beach. The South shores has been experiencing several major swells as of recent. The beach itself was packed with sunbathers. Lots of young hotties. I looked out at the surf. The line-up was extremely crowded, although the conditions looked really good. I walked the long way back to the hotel with my modest little Granny's Gourmet Muffin. I sat in the lobby with another cup of coffee and devoured the muffin.

I departed for town at 11:30am. The buses run so frequently to and from Waikiki that I will never have a problem getting anywhere. From the bus, I observed that there were hotties running around all of Waikiki. Of course, none of that matters to me. I'm too old to worry about babes. And, I'm just one step above homelessness, living in a crummy little hotel. Sheesh!

When I arrived in town, I checked my mail. More documents from escrow. I ended up at the student computer lab at the Diploma Mill. I will go to the gym to do my usual workout. Then, I will return to Waikiki afterward. My itinerary for the rest of the day? I want to retrieve some of my useless possessions from my storage unit. I will also be getting more crap ready to be donated. The "condotel" unit is really small. I have no room to store anything useless. And, I really don't want to act as though I am actually living there. I want to present the impression, if only to myself, that I am a tourist.

I have no idea what I will do later this evening. Perhaps I will finally have a chance to ride my Nalu Board. Maybe I'll be able to peruse my vast hurdy-gurdy DVD library. Or, maybe I will take the bus to Ala Moana Center. What is interesting is that I am actually living in Waikiki. There's an interesting mix of residents here. Most are extremely wealthy. The rest are poor and living in the remaining run-down dumps interspersed in Waikiki proper. I am not sure where I fit in.