Call from 559-272-6487

Someone called me this morning on this number to sell me an extended warranty.  They claimed to be a representative of subdivision of BWM.  I asked if they were an affiliate or a direct subdivision and he said subdivision.  I continued the conversation and it turned out he had the VIN on my car but the model was wrong.  When I questioned how they could have the wrong model number, he said some kid must have been messing with the computer.  Um, yeah… wrong answer.  I started to ask another question and he cut me off with "GO TO HELL" and hung up.

A quick google search shows that this is a telemarketing company and my experience is typical.

I've reported this story to BMW customer service.

Autism Awareness Month

My Alex says "autism makes me feel bad and mad ...and all I need is a hug and a kiss and people who understand me!"

Playing .MKV files using TVersity on an XBox 360

The .MKV files are very popular on these days for encoding HD content. I finally got TVersity to stream them for my Xbox 360 using the following.

http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/

Just install and go. Yeah!

Face it, the $700 billion is gone!

 

When Paulson and crew make statements like they have "difficulties associated with monitoring the use of specific funds" provided to individual financial institutions, you know it's over!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/31/now-whered-i-put-that-700_n_154550.html

Obama Frightens Schoolchildren

The boys at Hershey Park

Our third visit this season. Jonathan is no longer afraid of any thrill rides.

 

Things that make you go, hmm....

Additionally, see this and this.

Great Job Dick!

 

Listen to O'Bama on how to be a typical Democrat

I just read this article this morning in the San Francisco Chronicle.  It really made me think about how the majority of Democrats and Republic differ on how we approach discussing our conservative and liberal views.  O'Bama was quoted as saying..

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face,"

Really?  Is this the best advice? Get in people's faces and argue with them?  I prefer discussions and respectful disagreements.

I would agree that sometimes discussions turn into polite arguments but when you get in someone's face you are taking it one step closer to a physical confrontation.

Perhaps O'Bama and the democrats should review "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

Real Star Wars X-Wing Launch

Map of the Market

Here's an interesting use of Tree Maps for visualizing the stock and money markets.

http://www.smartmoney.com/map-of-the-market/

I noticed on Friday that PetSmart is economy proof.  I guess dogs have to eat!

Cute Wall-e Vid

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 13

Our plan today was to drive to some beaches in South Maui. We got on the road around 10am. We were looking for Maluaka/Makena Beach. Our "Maui Revealed" book said it was called by many different names it was a real gem of South Maui. As we approached the area we turned down several small streets to a dead end with a drop off. I dropped off the family and droved about 100 years back up the road to a parking area.

The beach was fairly secluded and the water was nice and calm. It was partial cove that was blocked on the right by some lava rocks. Also on the right was a lot of rocks with coral. The was trees backing the beach that provided nice shade. I could be in the shade while Anne was only a few feet away in the sun. Ah, the best of both worlds!

We found the snorkeling to be very good and saw more fish and interesting things there than any of the previous locations we snorkeled. We stayed until about 3pm. In the afternoon the winds picked up and the tide came into the shore. It got rougher but was still safe for the kids.

Around 3:30pm we left and headed back into Kihei where we stopped at Fred's Mexican Cafe. It was Tuesday taco night so all tacos were $2 and $3. We sat drank and Margaritas and ate Mexican food. It felt like best moment of the vacation just then.

We headed back to home base and got stuck in a lot of traffic. There was a girl with a full drum kit setup on a rock by the ocean that was causing traffic to slow to a crawl. It looked like some sort of photo shoot. We got back and just hung out by the pool.

A great day!

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 12

Today is Monday and our plan was to hang out by the pool most of the morning and then head down to Lahaina for our planned Luau. That's exactly what we did.

I did take a run down the beach about 1.5 miles. Half of it was running on the sand and the rest on some boardwalk areas in front of some of the other hotels. It was very tough running in the sand as it was very soft.

After hanging out by the pool for a while I decided to walk back over the Star market to get a few things, I picked up a bottle of Bacardi Gold rum to mix with our cherry coke zero that we bought the day before, Those certainly were a tasty combination to drink by the pool.

Around 2pm we got cleaned up and headed down to the Lahaina mall. The kids spent most of the time in Game Stop playing with the new game releases, Jonathan and I played Guitar Hero on Tour on the Nintendo DS. Anne did some shopping and got us all Maui shirts.

We got the the Old Lahaina Luau early and had to wait outside. Anne looked over and noticed a kid's flowered Hawaiian shirt that looked like one of mine. Then she looked closer and said "That's Conner from Highland's School". Sure enough it was one of Jonathan's old classmates. What are the chances of that! Jonathan spent time sitting at their table talking before the Luau started. The Luau was lots of fun and both kids really enjoyed it. The sunset was beautiful. What a great location. The drinks were weak but very fruity and tasty. My observation was that the traditional Hawaiian hula was a mix of Yoga and African dance. Very interesting to watch but after seeing it performed for the last week and half it was starting to all look the same. There are only so many moves.

Another very enjoyable day,

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 11

Now that we are settled in we can get to some serious relaxation. We took our time getting up in the morning although the kids are still getting up at 6am. We attended a free breakfast at 9:30am that was to try and sell you excursions. It took a while but it was good breakfast.

After breakfast we headed over to the Star grocery store right across the street. It was very convenient. When we were walking out of the store a couple approached us and told us that a person parked next to us open their car door and it slammed into our car. There was clearly a large dent in the passenger side door of our rental car. They had the license plate of the car so I called the police and reported it. I had to wait for the police to arrive so Anne and the kids walked back to the hotel. That certainly was a pain.

After that we headed to the pool and setup by the pool at the end of the slide. This pool is only 3.5 feet deep so Alex would be safe. We spent most of the day by the pool basking in the sun.

We headed back up the room in the afternoon and cleaned up for dinner. We walked across the street to the small strip mall and had pizza at a small Italian eatery.

That was about it for the day.

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 10

Today is another travel day to Maui. We had to return the car by 12 noon so we had to occupy ourselves in the morning. Since we packed the night before we got up and took our time sipping our huge stock of Lion coffee that we purchased earlier in the week.

After some relaxation we walked to the mall which was right around the corner. Jonathan and Alex were able to locate a EB Game store and and arcade so we were entertained for a few hours. Around 11pm we checked out and headed to the airport.

Everything went smooth checking in the car and getting to the gate. It seemed as though the inter island flight terminal was pretty lax on security. We sat at the gate until our 4:50pm flight. The kids watched videos and Alex got a Wall-e coloring book.

The flight to Maui was short. Our luggage had made it there on an earlier flight as it was sitting over to the side when we arrived. We then headed over to the Alamo rental center. The attendant informed us that our reservation had been canceled. Although we had canceled an earlier reservation for a last minute $179 deal we had not canceled the more recent one. Obviously their system had messed up our 1st cancellation. The attendant acted annoyed and didn't seem like she was going to help us. I just persisted and we got the $179 rate.

We were on our way to the Kalapani Beach Club. We arrived got checked in and headed down for a meal. By this time it was almost 8pm. The bar had a cheesy male/female singing duo. Anne said it reminded her of the Saturday night skit with Will Farrell. I didn't think it was that bad. They started talking to the kids and asking questions. That's when the one way shouting started and we had to reel them in. Luckily the finished at 8pm. The male singer came over and said "Good luck when the become teenagers. It's a good thing you are young". I didn't know what to think of that.

Off to bed. Why does every travel day seem to take a day even when the flight is only one hour?

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 9

Ok, so I'm falling behind on blogging. I'm writing this two days late at this point.

Today we got up and packed lunched and headed towards the north shore. The drive today was not as scenic as yesterday. It took us about 50 minutes to get there. The first beach we stopped at was three tables. We parked about 100 yards from the beach in an alternate parking lot. As we started trekking towards the beach I noticed a public bathroom on the right. I decided to swing in before getting to the beach. As I turned the corner the smell of urine hit me in the face and there was 4 nasty looking homeless folks drinking 40's. It was uncomfortable and I walked away very quickly.

The beach had very large crystals and stuck to everything. The snorkeling was not that great and we didn't stay very long. We didn't feel our things were safe on the beach. We packed up and headed over to another larger beach. I can't remember the name of it now but it was only 1/4 mile south of where we just were. This beach was much larger and had lifeguards. The beach dropped off very quickly but the water was very calm. We stayed there until about 2pm and then we headed back. The drive home took us quite a while as we hit some rush hour traffic while getting back into Waikiki beach.

We cleaned up again and headed back towards the high-end shopping district. We had plans to go to the world famous Duke's. Duke was a famous Hawaiian Olympic surfer. We had to wait about 40 minutes for the mean but it was worth it. One of the Ahi appetizers that we ordered was one of the best I have ever had in my life. mmmmmmm. Anne got a tropical itch drink that came with a full size back scratcher. That was a hit with kids.

We started back to the fireworks at the Sheraton but we were crossing Fort DeRussy when they started. Needless to say both kids through a fit.

Back to the room and to sleep around 11pm.

I think we had enough of Waikiki living. Tomorrow it is travel day to Maui.

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 8

6:00am... wake up time! The sounds of construction trucks backing up was the alarm clock this morning, They sure start work early. I guess it is to avoid the heat.

We took our time this morning and head out of the room around 9:00am for the north shores. We first headed toward Kailua through the mountain pass on hwy 61. What an incredible drive! Once we got near the beach we stopped at the first small parking lot we saw. We headed for the beach with our gear. It was a small path with a bath house shaded by palm trees. As we emerged on the beach the view was spectacular. The beach wrapped left and right for miles. The beach was not very crowded. There were lots children in the mildly gentle surf. The kids played in the water for hours. It was a lot of fun.

We left around 2pm in search of some more Hawaiian snow balls. GPS took us right to one of the best listed in our guide book. From there we started towards north beach but the GPS said we would not get there until 4pm. As we looked back Jonathan was asleep and Alex said he wanted to head home. So we diverted and drove back across the H3 through another mountain pass. The weather on the north side was cloudy and gray and when we emerged from the tunnel on the south side it was sunny.

After we got back to the room we cleaned ourselves up and headed out for dinner. We walked through the high-end shopping district so the Sansei restaurant. It was about a mile walk. The food was very good. Jonathan ate way too much expensive sushi. After dinner we walked back along the beach while the kids complained the whole way.

We stayed up later until about 10pm until falling asleep. The plan for tomorrow is the North shore.

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 7

We woke up this morning at 5:30am but this time on purpose. We wanted to get to Diamond Head early to beat the heat and the crowds. We can see the top of the point from our room and it looked clear.

We arrived at the base of the mountain and started our accent at 7:03am. We were only a few hundred yards on the paved path before the kids started complaining. We had to coax them along the entire way. It was a really cool hike winding up the side of the hill. The tunnel through the side of the hill with the lighted path was a fun contrast. We drank 3 bottles of water on the way up mostly because of the sun. The climb was not that bad at all but it is hot. Once we climbed the spiral staircase embeded in the mountain to the peak you had to squat under a large slab to emerge on the absolute summit. It was very spectacular. I don't think pictures will do it justice. We'll see.

The decent was easy but still Jonathan complained the whole way down. We had to bride that they would get treats when we reached the bottom of the hill. The way I see it, if a bride eliminates the complaints then it's worth it. We got more snowballs at the bottom concession stand. Everyone was happy.

We continued on to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. We had to wait in a line to get our tickets and a time to watch the informational movie. It took us about an hour to get in. The bay is actually a crater that the ocean has overflowed into over time. There are tons of fish but the corral is very low and more like and algae on the rocks, Jonathan did very well with the snorkeling but Alex had more problems with it. He wanted to stop and stand up and they didn't want you standing on the corral. We saw about 6-7 different varieties of fish. Alex had a freak out on the beach when Anne tried to put spray sun screen on his neck. The day would not be complete without an autism moment. People sitting around us got up and left. It's upsetting that we can't even go one day without an incident. *sigh*

We returned home. When I got in the room I realized that I had left the charger for the new Canon camera in the room at the airport hotel. I used the computer and google maps to look up and Ritz Camera near our hotel. I called and they had a charger for $29, I walked over and picked it up. Problem solved!

We went to dinner at Sam Choi's Seafood resturant and brew pub. Anne and I both had fresh catch of the day. It was fantastic. I got the beer sampler's which included 6 3oz samplers of all the beers made on site. That was delicious as well. I would definitely go to this one again.

One more trip to Walmart for snacks and it was back home. Alex had a incident at Walmart that made me do a lot of thinking about what it really means to have a non-physical disability. Alex walked up to a customer service rep and pointed at a man standing at the counter who was missing his hand and said, "Excuse, me. Where is his hand." The employee said, "That's not very nice now go back to your Dad". So it made me think, this is a classic symptom of his autism disability; his inability to understand why asking a question would hurt someone's feelings. Yet, he is not viewed as having a disability but simply a rude little boy. The irony is sad and made me cry.

We returned to the room and the kids were out by 9pm. I made it until 10pm and Anne toughed it out reading the newspaper until 11pm. zzzzzzzzzz

Hawaii Vacation 2008 - Day 6

We were up early again. We still are about 1 1/2 hours off normal sleep time. Today was overcast so we went for a ride to the punchbowl to check out the memorial. We also drove around and found Hilo Hattie, a store that features all sorts of Hawaiian shirts. We all picked up a flowered print shirt. The kids didn't last long in the store so we had to hit the snowball stand outside. We were very pleased with the Hawaiian snowballs! The ice was shaved very fine.

After the store we headed back and found Walmart. We picked up various items for our kitchen as well as beach items. We picked up an umbrella and a flat folding beach chair for $10 each. We found out the day before that renting two chairs and an umbrella for 1 day on the beach was $54. Yikes!

We went to the beach later in the afternoon and I watched the end of the Celtics/Lakers game at a beach side bar. We came back to the room and had some frozen pizzas from WalMart, watched some TV, We only made it to about 9PM. It seems to get a little better each night. We are starting to come to the realization that the trip home is going to be a nightmare when it comes to the time shift.

Aloha!