gigi-hawaii

Here’s my favorite nephew Travis again, when he was 9 years old. Great joke, Travis!

A teenage boy was extremely proud of himself. He bragged to his friends that he had finished a jigsaw puzzle in 3 hours.

“Three hours???” his friends taunted. “Why so long? You’re kinda slow and dumb.”

“What?” the boy said. “That’s fast! On the box, it says 4-6 years!”

***

My nephew, Travis, was 9 years old when he told me this joke. Not bad for 9 years old:

Mr. and Mrs. Wong (a Chinese couple) really wanted a white baby. So, they went to the doctor and begged him to promise them a white baby. Just to get them off his back, the doctor said okay.

Well, Mr. Wong finally got Mrs. Wong pregnant. They happily waited 9 months for the arrival of their white baby. The day arrived, and Mrs. Wong gave birth to a son, who looked Chinese.

“Doctor,” they tearfully complained. “You promised us a white baby. Why does our son look Chinese?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Wong,” the doctor said. “But two Wongs don’t make a white.”

***

This is a joke David read in “Playboy.” (No, he didn’t subscribe. He picked up a free copy from the gym.)

Two men were at a bar when one of them said, “I was on a trip to Ireland last summer and managed to capture a leprechaun. He said he would grant me any wish if I would let him go. So, I told him my wish, and this is what he gave me.”

The man opened a box and brought out a 12-inch pianist.

The other guy said, “Of all the wishes you could’ve made, why on earth did you wish for a 12-inch pianist?”

“Unfortunately,” the man sobbed, wiping away his tears, “The leprechaun was hard of hearing and misheard me.”

***

I like people, who make me laugh. I hate boring intellectuals with no sense of humor.

David knows a lot of good jokes, which he got from “Playboy,” late night shows, and the annual Christmas parties, which his company hosted.

I think men have the best sense of humor, more so than women. Why do you suppose most comedians are male?

My Korean relatives have a great sense of humor, too.

***

Yesterday afternoon, my iPhone and the TV buzzed furiously, and the sirens on the street blasted. It was a Tsunami Warning due to an 8.7 magnitude earthquake off Russia. People were advised to stay away from coastal waters and seek higher ground. Fortunately for David and me, we live on a hill less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean. We were safe. It would have to be a gigantic wave before our house would be inundated.

As of 10:38 pm, the Tsunami Warning was downgraded to a Tsunami Advisory. The tallest waves were only 5.7 feet high. There was some flooding at the Hilo Seaside Hotel and at some parking lots, but Hawaii was largely spared.

Lisa heard about the tsunami and called us. She was needlessly concerned. Of course, in her case, she never has to worry about a tsunami, as she resides in land-locked Nevada.

The trouble with living in Hawaii is that we’re stuck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Where could we possibly go in the event of a disaster? If there is an earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, or nuclear attack–how could we protect ourselves? Where could we flee? Just think: There aren’t enough shelters here, and there aren’t enough ships and airplanes that could transport all of us to safety.

Oh, well. Like they always say, “Life is short. Enjoy it while you can.”

Life in Hawaii for me is pretty darn good despite David’s ordeal with his broken leg.

I like being retired and not having to cope with a stressful job and rush hour traffic. It’s amazing how well I am doing financially. My inheritance after my Mom died was a godsend, and I still have quite a bit of it left. I used some of the money to renovate our house from top to bottom and add to our art collection.

I also have a maid, Jodelle, who has turned out to be a keeper. It does help to have a maid when I suffer from rampant arthritis. It started with my right knee in 2020. Before I knew it, the pain spread to both knees, both hips, my lower back, and both shoulders. Yes, arthritis does spread. Fortunately, it hasn’t attacked my hands yet.

My way of coping is to sit in my recliner in my bedroom, put my feet up, and enjoy Netflix. Now and then, I go to my desktop computer and type my blog post. This type of activity is punctuated with socializing with friends and family.

Like my Dad always told me: “Just take it easy.”

It was February 1970, and I was at JFK Airport in New York City, my first time there. The customs agent examined my passport with its numerous stamps from crossing so many borders on my trip around the world.

“What were you doing in Laos?” he asked.

“Oh, I was just visiting,” I replied.

“But you went there 3 times in 10 months,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

I told him I had been teaching in Thailand on a tourist visa and had to go to Laos every 3 months to get a new tourist visa.

He told me to proceed to a station with a red flag. The man there asked, “Now, why would you be sent here?”

I was so embarrassed when he searched my small suitcase and looked at my bras. I think he was looking for drugs. Long story short, he waved me by.

I went outside and flagged a cab. I told the driver to take me to the nearest YWCA. When we arrived, I had just enough change to pay him the fare and a 5-cent tip.

“5 cents doesn’t cut it, lady,” he said. “Anyone else would be pissed off with you.”

Watching him drive off, I thought, “Well, Gigi, welcome to New York!”

***

I soon found a secretarial job at Columbia University in the Biological Sciences Department. One of the scientists I met there was a molecular geneticist named Dr. Zubay. He liked to joke with me. He was very witty.

One day, I asked him what he considered to be the best method of birth control.

“Hmmm,” he said. “It’s obviously Neuracytol.” He waved his hand and left with a wicked grin.

“Neuracytol.” Say each syllable slowly.

Yup, it’s the very best method of birth control.

David’s wound has shrunk and is not as deep as before. The nurse practitioner at the Wound Clinic said that he sees less of the Achilles tendon now, so skin might be closing in on David’s wound. Progress is being made.

***

In other news, the physical therapist from Castle Adventist Health sees David twice a week. Katie had him using one of her wooden steps for exercise with the goal of eventually using the step leading to the kitchen. David still wears a brace, now loosened to 90 degrees.

She also had him do squats while holding onto the kitchen counter. He also had to walk along the perimeter of the kitchen, touching the counter for support.

***

Katie also had David walking up and down the short ramp. He did 4 round trips, trying to build up his endurance. Sometimes, they venture outside where he walks to the sidewalk and walks to the neighbor’s property. Then, he walks back.

***

Katie’s immediate goal is for David to be able to get into his car, drive to Straub, pull out his walker, and walk from the car to the PT center. She thinks that it is at Straub that he can engage in truly hard-core therapy, using the equipment there.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to be able to walk and stand independently without support.

My in-laws will be returning to Massachusetts soon, so here is one last shot of them in our home. They came yesterday for lunch:

***

They brought delicious Japanese cuisine to share. Dessert was Neapolitan ice cream:

***

As usual, our conversation was wide ranging.

I think it would be very difficult for us to haul our trash to the dump as they have to in Winchester, Massachusetts. Here, the City of Honolulu sends trucks to pick up our trash. Our property tax pays for this convenience. It seems that Winchester is opposed to trash pick-up, because, per Shirley, “it’s a cultural thing. It’s tradition.” I think it’s time for Winchester to get out of their rut and modernise their system. Why not? Good grief! I would hate to stink up my car with smelly trash.

We discussed the mayoral election in Boston where Robert Kraft’s son is challenging incumbent Michelle Wu. That should be an interesting race to follow.

We discussed crime. Since Amanda resides in New York City, I told them why I would hate to live in NYC again. When I was there (1970-1975), my 2 apartments were burglarized, I was robbed at gun point on Fifth Avenue, and my purse was picked in a subway. However, Michael said that according to his cell phone research, New York, New York and Honolulu, Hawaii are now two of the safest cities in the U.S. I find this so unbelievable, as there still are news reports about crime in NYC subways as well as frequent gun shootings in Honolulu.

My in-laws plan to attend a Boston Pops concert, which will focus on the music of the great John Williams, in Tanglewood. It’s a famous musical venue, located in western Massachusetts. I wish I could attend the concert, myself.

The meal came to a close, and we said our good-bye.

Aloha to my in-laws. We’ll meet again next year. Safe travels and God bless.

These are beautiful South African giraffes. (I found the photo on my screen saver.)

***

David saw the nurse practitioner at the Wound Clinic last Wednesday. An ultrasound of his leg was done to track blood flow. The ultrasound was normal. Nothing wrong with circulation.

The NP lanced David’s wound to foster skin growth. He applied triple antibiotic ointment to the skin to prevent infection. I personally don’t know why they won’t just do a skin graft and be done with it.

The NP told David to elevate his leg with a small cushion or pillow while in bed. He doesn’t want David’s heel touching the bed.

He also told David that a double layer of compression sock is mandatory. (I had told David that I wanted to cut the sock in half and just use one layer, as it’s so hard to pull up.) Since a double layer is required, David decided not to order compression socks with a zipper, available on Amazon. The NP advised that I should use a plastic bag around the foot. I tried it, and it does make it easier to pull the sock over the heel.

David will visit the Wound Clinic again tomorrow.

***

David then saw a Nurse Practitioner at Straub last Friday. X-rays were taken of both legs while standing. These X-rays were compared with X-rays done in 2016 after David’s right knee implant surgery. The radiologist wrote that there was no change in the bones despite 3 surgeries on his left knee dating back to January 2024. Halleluia.

Then, the NP loosened the brace to 90 degrees. This allows more flexibility in mobility. However, David was told that he will have to wear the brace another 6 weeks. That will total 18 weeks since his surgery on April 17. Dreadful.

He will visit Straub again on August 22.