The Adventures of LitBoy: Bill Brent's Blog

Quick Clutter-Clearing Tip

One way to cut down on clutter is to deal with old media before it becomes obsolete. Photos and slides are an excellent example of stuff we hold onto because it is often difficult to get started with the project of dealing with it.

Here is an example of a slide scanning service that promises to make short work of your images before they deteriorate. According to the Slide Scanning Pros home page, you only pay for the service after you view your images. Since they specialize in scanning and correcting 35mm color slides, it appears to be a safe bet and a good deal.

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2009.07.16, 7:55 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is the brainchild of writer Bill Brent. If you enjoy this blog, please consider a donation in support of my work. You can send money via PayPal to info [AT] litboy [DOT] com, or better still, use Revolution Money Exchange. Unlike PayPal, RME pays me 100% of your donation. It's quick and easy!


Here's the button for that:

mele kalikimaka

Aloha!

Drenching, sheeting downpours today. Sun peeking out in between 'em. Bromeliads breed mosquitos like nobody's bizness. I nearly became mosco lunch while snapping these. Still, preferable to being buried under 2 ft. of snow today, like some poor folks.

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2008.12.25, 11:20 a.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is the brainchild of writer Bill Brent. If you enjoy this blog, please consider a donation in support of my work. You can either (1) send money via PayPal to info [!at] litboy [!dot] com, or better still, (2) use Revolution Money Exchange. Unlike PayPal, RME pays 100% of your donation. It's quick and easy!


Here's the button for that:

Unless otherwise indicated, all original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, Please Ask Me First. Higher resolution images are available, and sometimes additional unposted photos!

LAVA HOLE PICTURES

Aloha!

Recently I visited the ongoing flow from Kilauea to the ocean near Kalapana. Approaching a lava flow is a humbling experience, and it is interesting to watch oneself and others to see where the humility (or outright fear, in some cases) kicks in, and how so. When you are treading on freshly cooled lava crust, fear is not an unreasonable reaction. The thin and brittle crust can break easily beneath your feet. Many consider it a walk (or a trespass, perhaps) upon sacred ground, which is why some folks bring an offering for Pele. In any case, a lava flow is a tremendous force to behold, which is why the officials often keep the curious at a distance.

If you visit a flow, take safety precautions. I recommend:

(1) shoes with good tread and no open toes;

(2) at least a pint of water per person, and maybe a snack;

(3) long pants (I do not recommend shorts, in case you slip and fall; sharp lava going into bare skin will cost you a visit to the hospital), and

(4) a poncho, in case it rains. Downpours can happen very suddenly on this part of Hawaii Island. Also, wet lava is very slippery.

(5) If there is any chance you will be out on the lava after dark, then take a flashlight (pref. the kind that straps to the head, available at Home Depot and Ace Hdwe.). I also highly recommend that you leave a blinking light with a good battery at a high elevation point near your vehicle, to help you find your way back. Some folks recommend marking the trail with glow sticks, although this can be expensive.

Most of all, I suggest that you be willing to turn back if you become anxious or otherwise feel that moving any closer to an active flow is a Bad Idea. There are steam vents and superheated rock, for starters, and you WILL feel the heat rising from either.

Presuming, however, that over 99% of you reading this post will never visit a lava flow for themselves, I took a few pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Please read my notes below about borrowing pictures from my site before you copy any of these for your own use. Mahalo!

Here is further info about the recent volcanic activity on Hawaii Island.

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2008.09.18, 12:25 a.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is the brainchild of writer Bill Brent. If you enjoy this blog, please consider a donation in support of my work. You can either (1) send money via PayPal to info [!at] litboy [!dot] com, or better still, (2) use Revolution Money Exchange. Unlike PayPal, RME pays 100% of your donation. It's quick and easy!


Here's the button for that:

Unless otherwise indicated, all original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, Please Ask Me First. Higher resolution images are available, and sometimes additional unposted photos!

RIDE THE HAWAIIAN RAINBOW

Aloha, y'all. I just wanted to let you know about this lovely Internet station that plays a lot of what I call "smooth" Hawaiian music during the daytime hours here in Hawaii. (Most likely, that would mean afternoons and early evenings in the Continental USA.)

So what is it about HawaiianRainbow.com that rocks my world? Think tasty, 1940s-style instrumental combos, doing Hawaiian rather than jazz or pop in the classic sense of pop music (Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, etc.) Does that make sense? All done with Hawaiian instruments, but in that small-orchestral style of elegant, complex chording, precisely harmonized vocals, all with a healthy seasoning of chromaticism. (My inner music geek is showing, heh ... my inner chef, too.)

Anyway, I was introduced recently to this station by a kind soul who has granted me a window seat overlooking some elegant bits of Hawaiian culture. So to him, I say "mahalo nui" (thank you much) and dedicate this post.

HAWAIIAN RAINBOW also plays more traditional Hawaiian music, in what I would call a folk or indigenous style. I've heard that sound on the station late in the evening, which would be early morning for most of you in the Continental USA.

Enjoy, and if y'all have any comments or feedback to share, perhaps your own music stations and particular shows online that YOU enjoy, then shout it out by clicking on "POST A COMMENT" below, and share the joy.

Note: My photo here is from the series I took at the April 11 ho'ike (in essence, a show or exhibition) from the 44th annual Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, April 8 to April 14, 2007. This is an image of 'auana, as performed by the Japanese ensemble, Halau O Mehanaokala. 'Auana is a modern, song-accompanied hula, so I thought it was a good visual fit for the smooth, elegant music at Hawaiian Rainbow.

(By the way, I have many more lovely pictures here for you to enjoy — to see them all, just click the "hula" category tab in the sidebar to the left.)

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2008.08.17, 9:30 a.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a culture-oriented site, focusing mainly on literary art and current events. If you enjoy this blog, and you wish to support its continued existence, please email a reply to this post. Indicate your desired contribution amount. The moderator will then reply with an invoice you can use to contribute via PayPal. Your name and contribution amount are confidential and NOT posted to the blog. Your three-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

20.00 / $200.00 (10.0%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars and the annual goal of $200. Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually LitBoy posts your contribution on the very next blog post.

Unless otherwise indicated, all original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.

DEATH HAIKU

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the vision of timelessness

all in a rush now

the blink of infinity

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Wishing you a beautiful day,

Bill Brent

[this page last updated: 2008.07.30, 5:30 p.m. Hawaii time]

LitBoy.com is a culture-oriented site, focusing mainly on literary art and current events. If you enjoy this blog, and you wish to support its continued existence, please email a reply to this post. Indicate your desired contribution amount. The moderator will then reply with an invoice you can use to contribute via PayPal. Your name and contribution amount are confidential and NOT posted to the blog. Your three-dollar minimum donation helps keep this banner-free site alive. It's quick and easy!

20.00 / $200.00 (10.0%)

This meter displays this year's contributions to date in U.S. dollars and the annual goal of $200. Make a donation, watch the meter rise! Usually LitBoy posts your contribution on the very next blog post.

Unless otherwise indicated, all original materials here on LitBoy.com (writing, photos, drawings, graphics, etc.) belong to Bill Brent. If you want to re-use something here, please ask. Higher resolution images are available.