Recent work:

Seiran - Japanese WWII submarine borne float plane. A truly bizarre plane that never got a chance to fly in combat.

Interested? Learn more here

The Cranes Are Flying

One of the nice things about living in Hawai‘i nowadays is the cable channels that don't take the time difference between the Islands and the Mainland into account.

Back when Kim was a kid, even the big three networks shows had to arrive by ship or plane, and so they got everything late. Of course CNN and the bigger networks are all live, with adjusted schedules, but some of the smaller ones aren't. I see the time discrepancy as a plus, and here's why.

I put the kids to bed the other night around 8:30-8:45...the usual time and then did something very rare for me. Turned on the TV. I'm so out of the habit of watching TV, I don't have a favorite show (last show I followed was the first season of 24), I just use the TV for dvd's and video games (a ps2 on semipermanent loan from iamnotasurfer).

So if I were on the mainland cruising around the Turner Classic movies or AMC channels after the kids bedtime, I'd probably see the more mainstream black and whites, and the foreign movies would be coming on at 3:00 a.m. ready for your tivo.

Well, those are exactly the movies that are on after J & L hit the sack.

So I stumbled across "The Cranes Are Flying". Insanely great movie about a young Russian couple separated by WWII. Made in the late 1950's during the Khrushchev thaw, a nominee for best foreign film Oscar, Winner of the Cannes Palme d'or. Beautiful cinematography, great acting, even cool special effects for a deeply personal drama. If you are looking to fill out your Netflix queue, this is a great one.

7/8/07 - Jake's Fourth

Jake's Birthday

"I want a plane birthday"

You got it kid.

Click above for the slideshow

In our relationship....

 
Al is Ned and I am Homer....

I don't mean that Al is an Bible Thumping teetotling squeaky clean uber-dad with a six pack hidden under his shirt. Au contraire mon frere. Al keeps his six packs in the fridge.

I mean that I am the one who borrows tools and does not return them in a timely measure (by any stretch). And I like doughnuts too - remarkable similarities, no?

So when Al called asking for the drill that he assumed that HE LOANED ME, I said "Sorry dude, that is ONE tool that I actually do own."

Silence...

Al: "Can I borrow your drill dude?"

Me: "Of COURSE...but I'm taking a picture though since it might never happen again !"

Reason #49

Why my kids love to visit my office....

COSTUMES !

Keiki Kut's time

 
Dig that Flintstone mobile....might not be able to fit next time......

Spitfire Mk VII

First one I've done where you can see the engine....more hassle but kinda fun in the end.

You might be a redneck...

if you take family pictures like this one

New Stuff

Kim scored us new phones. We only get the free ones that come with the cell phone package, so we had been slumming it with 2 year old LG's. So on her work one day, Kim stopped by the Verizon store to see if we were due to get replacements.

So she left with two shiny new phones. Did you guys know that now cellphones come with CAMERAS in them ?! That's my first pic on the phone above...starting the day right.

What will they think of next?

If only there were phones that you could listen to mp3's on and cruise the internet with a slick touch enabled interface...that would be great.

Two quick reviews. Ratatouille really is as great as everybody is saying. Amazing.

I took the kids to the public library the other day and while I was checking out, I looked over at the "New Books" shelf. There was one by John Burnett, whose voice, if you are an NPR freak like me, you can easily conjure up. Well, he's written a book that is great fun and since his voice has been drilled into your brain, it's almost like having an audio book to boot.

Uncivilized Beasts & Shameless Hellions: Travels with an NPR Correspondent

Tells the behind the scenes of getting the stories of Katrina, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Waco, and Mexico.

Highly recommended. One of those books you can read in one (longerish) night

Speaking of NPR

Just like listening to Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish recipe around Thanksgiving, it's a tradition for NPRheads to hear the Declaration of Independence read to them by those familiar and trusted voices.

Chicken skin.

Read or listen here if you missed this years fix.

Wherein I imagine the email between the head of marketing and the ad agency for the Angel Soft account: RE: New Packaging/Branding Campaign

(Scan of the actual package - no kidding)


To: Dave at (unnamed ad agency)

From: Brad, Director of Marketing

RE: New Packaging

Dave,
Thanks for the specs. Just had a couple of questions.

Well, I'll just come right out and say it....Are you kidding me man!?

The product is Angel Soft ! Angels ! Hel-LO !

When I think Angels I most definitely do NOT think about two middle aged white guys, one of them balding with photoshopped wings on.

Babies !

Kittens!

Little kids !

CHERUBS !

Whatever. But cute for Christ sake ! What the hell's your problem?

The dude on the right looks like a, I don't know....repairman...Did you hire your damn plumber for the photo shoot?

and...what the....? he's got a goddamn watch on you twit!!! Why would an angel have a watch on? THEY ARE IMMORTAL...they're all magic and stuff...punctuality is probably not a prime concern when you've got FOREVER.

And the guy on the left....he makes Ned Flanders look like Brad Pitt....man, what a lame-o. Looks like he's wearing a tie...sheesh. Nice angels...NOT.

As for the copy:

"Soft but not TOO soft"
"With an EXTRA LAYER* to get the job done"
"*versus one ply products"

1. Well, Duh about the extra layer. 1 + 1 = 2 Thanks so much for that.

and B. I thought I had made abundantly clear at our brainstorming meeting that we do not, I repeat not, remind customers about "the job" which may I remind you is to REMOVE SHIT FROM THEIR DIRTY ANUSES.

If this is you idea of a joke...hahahaha...enough already.

So anyway.....golf on Sunday?

Laters,

B

How to Blog

iamnotasurfer just sent me a link. Some points to think about while blogging. Some really good points, and the fact that there is a picture of Angus Young in mid-headbang somehow lends more credibility to his suggestions.

Take a read if you want to start blogging or need a kickstart.

I disagree with his recommendation to write about politics, religion, issues, avoid letting friends and family know about the blog, and to cuss a lot (rules 4, 5 and 13).

Ahh. Fuck it. Rule 4 is ok. But no politics and shit.

If William Shatner were a rodent....

Yes it's only five seconds, but it may be Shatner's best work yet.

UPDATE: And now for the remixes:


And....

A conversation with Jake

So last December Kim was out shopping with Jake and Lily, looking for Christmas presents when they found a box with an airplane on it. Jake thought it was a toy plane and was crushed and completely confused to find that it actually contained a 2007 desk calendar.

Well, he's come to love it and relishes ripping off a new page every day, usually yelling out the name of a recognizable plane (CORSAIR !) or asking me to ID if today's plane is something more exotic.

This morning Jake ripped off the page from yesterday to reveal a Supermarine Spitfire.

Jake: Dad! A Spitfire ! Your favorite !

Me: Alright !

Jake: Dad. Why is the Spitfire your favorite plane?

Me: Well, I just like the way it looks. I like the shape of it, especially the wings....I guess I just think it's the prettiest plane.

Jake: It's not the prettiest plane.

Me: Oh? Well, what is then?

Jake: A girl in a Spitfire !

Double true.

Now I Know I'm Getting Old

Some of my favorite places are closing down.

The Varsity Theater

and

Kam Bowl

Sigh

Wow

An amazing video - good fun CLICK HERE

Bank of America = @$$#0£3$

Leetspeak decoder

Ok. So just got a call from Gene.

He and GG (aka Alex) were selling their Jeep. Why you ask? Well, it seems that Gene forgot to replace the radiator cap tightly enough one day a few weeks....wait, that's another story....

Oh yeah. B of A(hole). G and GG sell the Jeep to some dude and insist on going to his bank to get the cash and taking said cash over to their own bank. Hypervigilant, antiscammers that they are, they were concerned that even getting a cashiers check in this day and age does not mean that you are not being scammed (news to me - I thought they were always legit, but Gene informs me that they are really just another type of personal check and that money could be withdrawn in the mean time).

So anyway, GG get's the moolah from BofA(hole) and takes it to her own bank where she is informed that one of the 45 $100 bills is in fact counterfeit. GG returns to BofA(hole) where she explains the situation and they tell her....

"SUCKAH!"

Ok. It was probably more like "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that there is nothing that we can do. As a consumer you need to be responsible for making sure of the validity of every financial transaction. blahblahblah..."

Call supervisor...

Stonewall.

Call supervisor's supervisor....

Deny.

Scene ends where GG turns to the customers in the lobby of B of A(hole) and (hopefully quite loudly) says:

"EVERYBODY! If you're getting cash, better make sure it's not counterfeit. These guys just slipped me a fake $100 bill and won't admit it ! BE CAREFUL !"

Tonight Gene and GG are planning their media strategy including TV, newspaper and a rarely read blog concerned (usually) with children, model airplanes, and other subjects with very little mass appeal. Every little bit helps.

Take it away Mojo !

UPDATE: June 13. BofA relents ! $100 is coming to Gene/GG via the dude who bought the jeep. Always nice to have a cause. With this out of the way we'll have to move on to other more important issues.

DOUBLE UPDATE: This just came in from Uncle Bump (recovering bank employee) re: Cashier Notes

Nah. They're good. The risk you run is that it's a forgery.



Also, the super-duper rare occasion that a stop payment is issued by the bank because they ended up unconvering some kind of fraud.

Kalaeloa/Barber's Point

Wow did we have fun at the beach today. I'd kept hearing how White PLains beach at Barber's Point was the place to take the little ones to learn to surf by wow. The average age in the water might've been 10 - grom central. And some really good ones too. Lily and Jake had a blast and Lily was all over it.

At the beach

From left, Jake, dad, Tutu Kane, and Lil

Charging it

Lily tries to make the drop without a faceful of sand