Down That Road . . .

On Tuesday of our Maui vacation I told Mom and Dad we needed to be up and ready to leave the hotel by 7:15 in the morning so that we could start the drive to Hana!

Why 7:15?

Because it is recommended to be to Kahului by 8am and we needed to drive the 45 minutes from Kaanapali where the hotel is.

We started the day right on schedule.  In Kahului I popped in the Uncle Boy Kanai and Captain Aloha CD to navigate our way to Hana.

First stop Paia Town to pick up some sandwiches for the road and fill up the tank with gas.

Everyone was still all smiles when we made our second stop in Twin Falls.  I was worried about how Mom and Dad were going to react when we started hiking through the rain forest to get to our first waterfall.

All Smiles!

Then it started to rain.

Then Tony came to the part of the road that had become a raging river due to the rain.

We opted to skip trying to cross the river and head back to the car.  There will be plenty of other waterfalls to look at on the journey.

Carol enjoying the light rain.

Another family on the road offered to take this picture of us in front of a waterfall.  The waterfall is on the left side near Carol's shoulder.

Thank God!  This is Puahokamoa Falls at Mile Marker 11.  The last time I did this road trip I wasted a lot of time and never found Mile Marker 11.  This time we found it with ease.  Rumor has it that the Garden Of Eden attraction periodically removes the Mile Marker 11 sign so that people driving along the Road To Hana will pull off and pay to view Puahokamoa Falls.  

Carol and Tony at Kaumahina State Park overlooking the Keanae Peninsula.

Keanae Peninsula where we stopped to eat and pick up some of Aunt Sandy's famous Banana Bread!

At Waianapanapa State Park we explored the Lava Tube Cave and Black Sand Beach.

And it rained!

Next stop Koki Beach.

And finally the last stop on this trip to Hana; Wailua Falls!

(At this point - about eight hours into the day Tony was no longer getting out of the car at every stop; which is why there is no picture of him at this waterfall.) 

On the drive back we stopped and captured this rainbow over the ocean.

Finally we reached Lahaina where we stopped for a sunset dinner!

A long, rainy, beautiful day!

It's Going To Be A Fine Day . . .

Here are some photos from the first day at the Aston Kaanapali Shores in Maui.

Unlike my friend An, I have not mastered the one armed group photo shot yet.

Going Back To . . .

Loyal Readers, this blogger has had enough of rain, wind, and grey sky.

It's time to bounce from The Bay and get a little sunshine!

I'm Maui bound!

I'm sitting at SFO right now killing time!

Why?

Because believe it or not there was no line to check in or to go through security!

Crazy right?

I did get my first ever TSA "pat" down. And a good morning to you too!

Aloha my friends!

Life In A Northern Town . . .

What do you see in this amazing 48" x 120" mixed media on floating aluminum art piece by Klari Reis on display at Out The Door Restaurant in the Westfield Shopping Center?

Hint?

The piece is called The Bay.

The Song Of The Day - Life In A Northern Town by Dream Academy 

I'm Gonna Getcha Good . . .

This advertisement for grubHub.com in the Powell Street Muni/Bart Station made me laugh.

The Song Of The Day - I'm Gonna Getcha Good! by Shania Twain

I Need Just A Little More Time . . .

Some things never change.   

Seriously, they don't change.

I am a slow reader.

I am the king of starting books and only getting to about page 100 before I stop reading them.

I have an entire book case of novels, biographies, and self help books that are all half read.

So when my co-worker Dyanna announced she wanted to start the "Not Just For Oprah Book Club" club,  I was overcome with anxiety.

I wanted to show my support for her endeavor, but I also knew based on my history with books the chances of me completing the assignment were slim to none.

She gave us a little over a month to read the book.

"I can do this," I thought to myself.

I rushed out to get the book the first weekend.

The Paradox Of Choice, Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz

I got home and assessed the situation.  

* 304 Pages (I was hoping for 150.  I could do 150)

* 236 Pages ( Ah Ha! 68 pages are the notations and an interview with the author.  Better!)

* Cartoon pictures within most chapters (Bonus!)

I read the prologue that first weekend.  I was flying!  

But the book was kind of like a text book from college which was making me WANT to put it down. And there was competing priorities...like...reality television!   You can understand why I may not have been the most disciplined reader.  Right?

Somehow or other the month went by and the "Not Just For Oprah Book Club" was scheduled to meet and I had not gotten any further in the book!   

Uh Oh!

I went to Dyanna and explained that I might not have finished the book and was wondering if we could push the club meeting out to the next week.  Fortunately I was not the only procrastinator in the bunch.  Several members of our group had not finished the book.  So based on our collective failure to complete the assigned reading the first meeting of the "Not Just For Oprah Book Club" was pushed out one additional week.

And the above picture is me "cramming" the night before the club meeting.

Just like in high school.

Just like in college.

And just as filled with anxiety and stress.

Maybe I was not meant to be a part of a book club?

In the end the book turned out to be pretty interesting and had lots of correlating lessons for our work environment which lead to a stimulating discussion.  (The cookie refreshments weren't bad either!)

Below is a clip from The Colbert Report where the author discusses the premise of the book.

The Song Of The Day - Time by Sarah McLachlan

Gone . . .

Another fast food restaurant has closed its only location in San Francisco!

Arby's is no longer with us!

Last year when the only Baja Fresh in The City closed I was very sad.  I was able to move on because there are plenty of other places to get mouth watering burritos, tacos, and salads.

But there really is no replacement for Arby's. 

Sure there is "Hot Sauce" from Taco Bell, but that is no Arby Sauce.

And I can get a burger from Burger King or McDonald's, but if I am craving thinly sliced roast beef on an onion roll with cheese sauce; no one has that.

And no one has those thick triangle tator tots known as Potato Cakes.  No one!

And finally McDonald's Apple Pie; though cheap, is no where near as sweet and delicious as a frosting drizzled Apple Turnover from Arby's.

Arby's - I lift up my Jamocha Shake in your honor!   It was always fun to ring the bell at your front door if I had good service.

The Song Of The Day - Gone by 'Nsync

Let The Rain Come Down Down . . .

Ugggghhh!  The rain is back!   So over it!

The Song Of The Day - 17 Days by Prince

Wordplay . . .

For St. Patrick's Day this year the office had a beer happy hour and limerick writing contest.

And yours truly won with a little ditty about offensive odor on the public transit system!

Riding to work on Muni's plastic seat

 I was overcome by odors not sweet

I reached into my bag

Not wanting to nag

And sprayed Dream on the offender head to feet

The prize?

A gift certificate to a local Irish bar and restaurant!

The Song Of The Day - Wordplay by Jason Mraz

Clap Your Hands . . .

WOW!

www.just-jon.com surpassed another milestone this week.   Since blogger started tracking visitors last June the site has now been visited over 10,000 times!

Thank you to everyone who has landed on my site on purpose or on accident.  I appreciate you all!

The Song Of The Day - Clap Your Hands by Sia

It's Me @itches . . .

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I share this totally inappropriate work function from 2008 where rapper Swizz Beatz performed at our headquarters office and passed a bottle of Patron around the room.

The discerning eye may even be able to spot me in the crowd.

The Song Of The Day - It's Me @itches by Swizz Beatz

No Regrets . . .

Tea Cap Quotes.


The Song Of The Day - No Regrets by Robbie Williams

Drop In The Ocean . . .

This post is for anyone who spent time staring at The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria while waiting to take their next shot on Grandpa and Grandma Collins' pool table.

Whether seated in a bean bag chair in the 70s or on green leather chairs in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s; the staples of the upstairs loft area in Grandma and Grandpa's house were the pool table, the green shag carpet, and the felt lined replicas of the ships that Christopher Columbus sailed on for his journey to the new world.

After being wrapped up in newspaper for over a year; I finally found a new home for these treasures.  Displayed on new wooden easels, the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria are now back "afloat" on top of my bathroom cabinet.

The Song Of The Day - Drop In The Ocean by Michelle Branch

Born This Way . . .

Lady Gaga recently released her newest single Born This Way to a storm of controversy when listeners cried that the track bared a striking resemblance to Madonna's 1989 hit Express Yourself.

Twitter was on fire with trending topics about #ExpressYourself, #BornThisWay, and #LadyGaga.  (I am new to Twitter, but for those of you who don't know, the hash mark "#" placed in front of a word or phrase allows other users to search for a topic faster.)

I too felt the song took much of the chorus cadence from Madonna's earlier song and tweeted the following snarky comment:

A few weeks later a 10 year old girl named Maria uploaded a video on YouTube of herself playing a stripped down version of Born This Way.

The Song reduced to just the pure vocals of a child and a piano took on a whole new meaning.  This time I could really hear the words of the song which presented an equally strong message about acceptance today as Madonna's song preached female empowerment back in 1989.

Maria became a YouTube sensation over night and her performance of Born This Way eventually was seen by Lady Gaga herself.

Maria was being interviewed by a local radio station in her native Canada when she got the surprise of her life - Lady Gaga called to talk to her on the phone.

Lady Gaga praised Maria and spoke about how it is her "Little Monsters" like Maria that inspire her.  She then invited Maria to come on stage with her at her concert when she performed in Toronto.

The above clip is when Maria was brought on stage to perform Born This Way with Lady Gaga!  Such a great moment in a little girl, or shall I say "little monster's" life.

The Song Of The Day - Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Gap Give and Get is Here - Spring 2011!

Give and Get is Here!:

"Enjoy 30% off from March 17-20 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

It's that time of year again!   Gap Give and Get!

This round I have chosen JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International).

Diabetes has personally affected many members of my family and I am happy that this organization was available to give "our" collective shopping power donation to!

This is the item I am pushing this season.   The Drapey Trench available in Grey and True Black!

Thank you all in advance for not only supporting this cause, but supporting Gap!

The Song Of The Day - Spring Love by Stevie B