Celebrating 70 Years of Aloha

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Spam,
Happy birthday to you!

Yep, you heard me correctly. Today is the 70th Birthday of Spam canned luncheon meat. OC called me from work to tell me he'd read about it on the front page of the paper during his morning commute. I teased him a bit and promised him I would go to the store and get him some Spam for dinner. He demurred, but encouraged me to read his post.

Me being me -- upon being told the tribute to Spam never made it online -- I of course had to check. I did not find the birthday tribute, but I did discover that Hawaii leads the nation in per capita Spam consumption! Well, that did it. I had to go to the store and buy a can of Spam. I haven't had the stuff since I was a teen, maybe in the last several (okay, several dozen) years or so, it has gotten tastier.

Once in the store I was shocked to discover that Spam is no longer a single entity, but has grown into a whole family of products! The second shock was the number of people crammed into the canned lunch-meat isle. They were all buying Spam. One woman told me she was making Spam Chili. Another woman -- this one in line with me at the check-out counter -- told me that the 25% less sodium Spam, which I was purchasing, had 75% less taste. She said that once she took a can of it home and neither her husband nor the dog would eat it.

Since I have neither husband nor dog, I haven't quite decided what I am doing with the can of Spam sitting on my kitchen counter. Perhaps I will do what another shopper in the cash register line said she was going to do and put the Spam in my cupboard to save it for the 100 year anniversary. "By then," she said, "I might be senile enough to actually eat it."

Moving to Hawaii? Read This!

Matson did NOT solicit this testimonial and it is NOT a paid advertisement.

Moving is stressful. Pack it. Lift it. Carry it. Haul it. Remember which box it is in. Don't lose it. Don't break it. Savoring a new adventure is difficult when one is encumbered with stuff. That's why for my move to Hawaii I only kept my very best and more precious, or priceless possessions. Much of my stuff (clothing, books, photographs) I entrusted to the U.S. Postal Service and they did a fine job, however, they couldn't move my car.

I did an online search. The search engine presented me with several companies offering vehicle shipping. Only a handful would ship to Hawaii. I researched each of them and ended up choosing, West Point Relocation. They charged me $1295.00 to ship my car from the port in Seattle, WA to the Sand Island Terminal on Oahu. I was told it would take 25 days. It took 18.

The folks at West Point Relocation happily took my money over the phone (debit card) and gave me a delivery window for getting my car to the port in Seattle. They said they would send me an email with driving instructions. I never received it. I called them and told them it hadn't arrived. They apologized but did not resend. Nor did they give me several bits of crucial information -- like the fact that they weren't actually the ones shipping my car.

They did give me a street address for delivering my car, but the Seattle port businesses have dock numbers on their gates rather then street numbers, so I called West Point Relocation for more precise directions. They aren't actually in Seattle. The fellow on the phone had no idea what the dock number was. It took three phone calls (they hung up on me twice after keeping me on hold for over 15 minutes both times), semi-hysteria and tears before I was finally given the information that WPR doesn't actually move stuff, they just broker the moves. Finally they suggested I look for a Matson sign. That was the last time we spoke. WPR never even bothered to check to see if the move went well.

When I arrived at Matson -- near the end of my delivery window time -- the guard at the gate took one look at my tear stained face and greeted me with concern and care. The receptionist inside was just as wonderful -- even after she learned that I didn't have the invoice WPR should have emailed me, nor had I followed the preparation directions which I'd never received. Though it required more work on her part, she cheerfully looked up and printed the necessary papers, then helped me fill them out. The gate guard helped me gather my things from my car. (Nothing may be left inside. I had to empty the glove box and remove the cross hanging from my rear-view mirror.)

By the time I found the Matson office, I had lost all confidence in WPR, but the folks at Matson made me feel as though my car was safe. They even called a taxi for me and told me what directions to give the driver to ensure the shortest route to the airport.

The Matson staff in Hawaii was just as efficient and friendly when I collected my car. Not only that, I learned that had I dealt directly through them, and not used WPR, it would have only cost $975.00 to ship my car. Plus, about three days after I collected my car, someone from Matson called and asked if I was satisfied with their service.

Yes, as a matter of fact I was! The next time I have to move anything across the Pacific, I am calling Matson, first!

The Oahu Civic Orchestra

The Oahu Civic Orchestra is a volunteer orchestra comprised of both professional and amateur musicians from all parts of the island and all walks of life. To join the OCO a musician must play an instrument with advanced techniques, agree to attend rehearsals regularly, and perform in the scheduled concerts. Rehearsals are Monday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Chaminade University in the Eiben Hall multipurpose room.


The most recent OCO concert was this past Friday evening at a Honolulu retirement home*.


The next performance is this coming Sunday, October 7th, 2007 at 4 p.m. at Center Stage in the Ala Moana Shopping Center.


The concert selections include Pop, Classical, Broadway and Jazz selections. My two favorites were the theme song from, Pirates of the Caribbean: Deadman's Chest, and the Duke Ellington Medley.


OCO concerts are open to the public and they do not charge admission. All members of the orchestra are volunteers who practice and perform to express their love of music and perfect their art.

PROGRAM:

John Barry ................................... Somewhere in Time
Duke Ellington ............................. Duke Ellington Medley
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ............... Magic Flute Overture
Richard Rodgers......................A Salute to Richard Rodgers
Johann Strauss ......................... Die Fledermaus Overture
Hans Zimmer .....Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

*Name and weblink omitted at the express request of the retirement home's management.