Weeks 8 & 9: a long couple of weeks! (and the search for decent Hawaiian shirts...)

Well, it's been a couple of week since I have written--with good reason.  We have all been extremely busy here on the island.  LK (Lil Kahuna--our beloved five year old) has just learned to read several words, and we couldn't be prouder.  He had intersession this past week, which means he was home from school.  The bulk of my spare time has been spent entertaining him with trips to the library, zoo, aquarium, and feeding the fishies in Ala Wai canal. 

As for me, I still do not have a full time job.  I continue to work in the family store several days a week while attending numerous interviews at everything from the a gig housing the homeless to working for the humane society.  HH (Hula Honey) has also been on a bunch of interviews for school jobs.  Needless to say, we are both eagerly awaiting word of the outcome of said interviews. 

We've also done a lot of fun stuff!

A couple of weekends ago, we happened to catch a special ceremony honoring Gandhi on his birthday.  It was inspiring to hear local spiritual leaders from just about every imaginable religion speak about how Gandhi has effected their lives and work.  The best part for LK were the lion dancers.

Lion dancer soliciting tips.

Basically, it is two or three people manipulating a large, beautiful puppet.  They dance around the audience tickling you with their mouths and eyelashes in the hopes of generating tips.  I am not sure of the significance of the dance or how it relates to Gandhi, but maybe one day I will have the time to do some research to find out.  If any readers know, I would very much appreciate you giving us all an education in the comments section.

And last weekend, there was this huge children and family celebration in downtown Honolulu.  A few dozen organizations had booths where they hosted games with free prizes for kids.  I can't stress this enough (namely because I come from California where EVERYTHING cost money, and a lot of money at that) the whole thing was pretty much free!  Well, not the food--but at least that was cheap.  The most notable attraction was where they allowed children to decorate their own pumpkins (something LK the little artist thoroughly enjoyed.)

LK's pumpkin.

There was also a McDonald's tent (another LK favorite) were they gave away toys and apple dippers.  And kids could have their picture taken with the man himself.

LK and HH with ol' Ronald McDonald (I am not much of a fan, but he had LK cracking up so he gets a big thumbs up from me.)

I could go on with more and more activities, but I wouldn't want to bore anyone.  I thought I would end with a uniquely Hawaiian problem:  Hawaiian shirts as business attire.

Back in college days, in other words pre-history, my buddies and I use to try to outdo each other with severely ostentatious Hawaiian shirts.  The only rule was:  the gaudier and more outlandish, the better.  I recall, rather embarrassingly, wearing a shirt with half naked girls, and another with assorted multi-color cocktails.  Let's just say that both of them made me look like a big idiot. 

After I was married, and partly because of my wife's interest in all things Hawaiian, Hawaiian shirts became a staple in my wardrobe.  I had dozens in just about every color and fabric you can imagine.  Then, one day, for no real reason, I completely stopped wearing Hawaiian shirts.  Maybe I got bored of being stared at in that funny way that says:  "why is that dude wearing a Hawaiian shirt?"  I didn't really wear a Hawaiian shirt for about ten years. 

Well, next thing I know, I am living in Hawaii where just about everyone wears them at one time or another.  In fact, a decent Hawaiian shirt with slacks is considered acceptable business attire in most situations.  So, here I am stuck with having to buy a bunch of new Hawaiian shirts...

Lucky for me, there are more brands and styles then ever before.  And I no longer have to settle for naked hula girls or neon flowers. 

In my search I have whittled my favorite brands down to Hilo Hattie (which can sometimes be decent but are usually somewhat touristy and overpriced), Quicksilver (which seem to be consistently good), Kahala (which seem to be often very good, and sometimes like "what?") and Tori Richards (which are excellent but WAY overpriced).

Here's the one Kahala shirt I bought:

Algae green with moorish idol print.

And here are a few of the Quicksilver shirts:

I have two like this;  the other is in light browns and blues.

I'm told this is a Tahitian pattern.

This seemed to be everyone's favorite.  Sort of a leaf or feather pattern.

The good news is,  A) I can get Hawaiian shirts that are not ugly!  B) That I have narrowed down my choice of brands; this way when I need more I know exactly where to go and don't have to waste my time searching searching searching.

Aloha for now from paradise!