I got this shot of Honolulu, looking out towards Diamond Head in July of ‘79. During that summer, we moved from Washington, DC to Subic Bay Naval Base in The Philippines, but the journey was as exciting as the destination since we had a three-day layover in Hawaii.

I was between 2nd and 3rd grade, but all through 2nd grade we had studied Hawaii. I learned all about the various islands, King Kamehameha, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the humu­humu­nuku­nuku­āpuaʻa, and had even tried poi. We were in Arizona visting my grandparents when we found out that we were going to get to go to Hawaii.

I was very young, but I remember it all very clearly. I think it was the combination of spending a year studying it before actually getting to go that had the effect of searing it all into my mind. Unfortunately, I was recovering from chicken pox and had some kind of infection on my foor that prevented me from getting to go to the beach, but we saw quite a bit of Oahu anyway.

Ten with *’s by the ones I’ve seen live followed by a value-added Friday Random Ten feature…

1. “Dead (Live)” - Pixies* - Death to The Pixies
2. “Man with a Gun” - Jerry Harrison* - Casual Gods
3. “Turn it Out” - Soulive* - Soulive
4. “Spring Song” - The Fence Sitters - Mission to Mars
5. “Flat Backin’” - Brother Jack McDuff - Moon Rappin’
6. “Castles Made of Sand” - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love
7. “19″ - Paul Hardcastle - Living in Oblivion: The 80’s Greates Hits
8. “Biological” - Air - Talkie Walkie
9. “Samba de Orpheus” - Vince Guaraldi - Greatest Hits
10. “Agent Orange” - Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses

“19″ takes me by surprise. Suddenly, it’s the ’80s and I’m following my mom around a K-Mart in Rhode Island hearing this song and wondering when “Money for Nothing” will cycle through again. I guess that’s kind of how it goes when you dump every CD onto your ipod. I didn’t even know I had it. I wonder what else lurks among the bytes.

 And for a music history bonus via Wikipedia, on this day in…

• 1810 Beethoven composed “Für Elise” so that Schroeder would have something to do while Lucy Van Pelt made eyes at him
• 1932 Casey Kasem was born while a special long distance dedication from dad to mom played
• 1948 Kate Peirson was born in a loveshack under a moon in the sky (called the moon)
• 1951 Ace Frehley was born snowblind in a New York groove

When I was but a newbie blogger, I wrote about listening to the audiobook version of Pepys’ Diary, in which Samuel Pepys wrote about his life as a Royal Navy administrator in seventeenth century London.

At the time I was new to blogging and found myself thinking about the old-fashioned diaries that provide historians with glimpses of times past and wondering if these diarists would have done things differently as bloggers. I imagined Old Sam Pepys having a blog and wondering what it would be like.

Today, I learned that Pepys does have a blog (h/t to infobong for the link) complete with RSS feeds so readers can subscribe to his daily entries. From what I remember, I doubt he’d want his wife subscribing, though.

Pepys posts entries from his diary each day. Today, we get to read his entry from April 26, 1664.

Fascinating stuff and an interesting way to experience literature.

I love it when I catch a break in my effort to read and write about all the books on Lost. The latest break comes from last week’s “Catch-22.” Not only was the episode named for Joseph Heller’s brilliant antiwar novel, but one character - the mysterious parachutist - was even in possession of a copy, albeit the Portuguese translation, Ardil-22.

I read this book a few times in college and even devoted a large amount of time in grad school to studying the film. Naturally, I was pleased when Lost served up a book I already know and love.

Catch-22 is about the absurdities of life on a World War II airbase on the Italian island of Pianosa. The central character, Captain Yossarian, is a bombardier who wants out of the war because, well, millions of people are trying to kill him. Exacerbating his paranoia is the fact that each time his squadron completes the required number of missions, the number required is increased, creating a hopeless situation for the airmen.

Yossarian fakes illnesses and ultimately tries to get discharged on the basis of insanity, but in one of the novel’s many catch-22’s he is informed that trying to avoid flying combat missions is an act of pure sanity and therefore the harder he tries to prove he’s insane the more sane he appears.

There are a number of similarly circular and impossible situations that crop up throughout the book, each one deeply absurd and highlighting the ultimate absurdity of war and the immorality of those who profit from it.

It’s a great read and one that makes you laugh an uncomfortable sort of laughter. The kind of laughter born of pain and disgust.

On to Lost…

Like Lost, Catch-22 is a nonlinear narrative, often relying on flashbacks - particularly one in which Yossarian comforts a dying tail gunner - that are repeated, each time revealing new information. They’re also both about people stuck on an island.

The episode in which it occurs is a Desmond-centric episode in which Desmond gets one of his glimpses of a possible future. In his flashes, it seems that Charlie will die, but Desmond will be reunited with the love of his life, Penny Widmore, who may be coming to island to rescue him.

This situation presents Desmond with a terrible choice: Save Charlie and risk changing the course of the future in which case Penny won’t show up, or let Charlie die - essentially sacrificing a friend for his own happiness. Desmond ultimately decides to save Charlie and when they finally find the mysterious parachutist who should be Penny, it is instead some woman with a copy of Ardil-22 and a picture of Desmond and Penny.

The big unanswered question, of course is did Desmond change the future by saving Charlie? Can Desmond even affect the future? As Hurley says, his super power is kind of lame, especially if all it can do is leave Desmond stuck in the catch-22 wherein his only hope of being rescued is in sacrificing a friend.

At the end of Catch-22, Yossarian is busted for being AWOL, but he is given an opportunity to save himself and receive an honorable discharge if he will speak highly of and praise the policies of his crooked superiors. He ultimately refuses to sacrifice his fellow airmen just to save himself. Is this Desmond’s choice? Will he sacrifice the Oceanic 815 survivors to save himself or will he throw his lot in with theirs in an effort to save them all?

Last night’s episode, “DOC” (which stands for date of conception) contains its own catch-22’s (this time for Sun and possibly Juliet) along with one of Lost’s biggest wtf moments when the mysterious parachutist from the outside world informs Hurley that Oceanic 815 had been found and that everyone on board was killed. Holy living dead, Batman, that’s quite a bombshell. It kind of makes the whole show a sort of catch-22, as in, “hey we got off the island, but oh crap, we’re dead.” This leaves me thinking that the time warp theories are probably on the right track. Although it does also kind of point back toward the supposedly debunked purgatory theory, which is suggested by a large number of the Lost books from seasons 1 and 2.

I still say the island is a metaphorical purgatory, if not the real one (???).

For some interesting write-ups of “DOC,” check out:

• Dorkeriffic (great name for a blog, btw) where some interesting questions are posed
• Magic Lamp where Steve wonders if there is some kind of military op going on based on the parachustist’s gear
• Brian at BRIAN!!! Top Marks for Not Tryin’ has a good analysis with some interesting thoughts about some of the dialog
• The Atomic Blowtorch has some thoughts about Mikhail
• John at Critical Myth wonders if the the-crash-was-planned theory is back on the table

And, I’m still working on Nabokov’s Laughter in the Dark from “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” Look for that post next week.

Click here for a list of my other Lost book posts.

They’re tired, but everyone is doing much better after this week’s ordeal.

***

Want to make a fast friend by saving a greyhound in Central Texas? Check these pups out. Or go here to find a greyhound near you. You can also go here to find out why greyhounds are running for their lives.

If you have dogs who need proven leadership, go here to find a cat.

This is a hip - and on one track tragic - little set. Cowboy Junkies’ Waltz Across America appears for the second week in a row. It’s a cool little CD that we picked up when we saw them last year. Margo Timmins even signed it for us.

1. “Audio Boxing” - Isotope 217 - The Unstable Molecule
2. “Play Hurt” - The American Analog Set* - Set Free
3. “The Drowning Man Knows His God” - The Mermen* - A Glorious Lethal Euphoria
4. “Run” - New Order* - Technique
5. “Good Friday (Live)” - Cowboy Junkies* - Waltz Across America
6. “Letter from Home” - DJ Shadow - The Private Press
7. “I Want an Alien for Christmas” - Fountains of Wayne - Out-of-State Plates
8. “Tuff Gnarl” - Sonic Youth* - Sister
9. “Save the Planet” - The Tragically Hip* - Phantom Power
10. “Teknikal Illprovisation” - Sonic Youth* - Demonlover: Bande Originale du Film

*’s by the ones I’ve seen live

It looks like all three dogs will survive eating the latest recalled pet food - Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice dry dog food (their Venison & Green Pea dry cat food was also recalled, but Simon wasn’t eating that).

The pups all seem to have recovered from kidney failure thanks to the efforts of the excellent doctors at the regular vet, emergency vet, and specialty vet hospital. Phoebe and Daphne are home with a clean bill of health, and Joey will come home tomorrow. His doctor says he is being a pest and that that is a very good sign.

Hopefully, they’ll feel up to some weekend - or should I say weakened? - hound blogging.

My wife has more on her site.

The details of this little adventure be found here, here, and here.

Check out Itchmo for more on the recalls as they happen.

Thanks again to all of you who have expressed concern and best wishes for the dogs.

This bird has flown along with its six offspring. I checked the box on Monday evening and saw a pile of small wrens looking up at me. When I got home on Tuesday, they had all left. I dumped out the nest and saw no dead ones and there weren’t any struggling in the yard, so I assume they all made it into the air.

I’m sorry I missed the flight lessons, but it’s good enough to know that the world is six wrens better today.

Hopefully, I wasn’t too late in cleaning out the box; I’d love it if they came back for a second round this year.

Be sure to check out I and the Bird #47 at Bell Tower Birding. My Three Bird Lunch post, which has a fairly decent shot of a scissor-tailed flycatcher is included in the carnival. It’s funny that the one time I had my camera at work is the only time I’ve seen one there.

It’s high time I caught up with this little homework assignment George left me last week. It is the biggest meme I’ve ever seen…

FOODOLOGY

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Olive oil and vinegar

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. Thundercloud

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. Right now? Fonda San Miguel

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. 20%, 21%, whatever it takes

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick off of?
A. Bread. I would make a model prisoner since bread and water are two of my favorite things

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. I was required to renounce all gum when I became a teacher

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. At home: this

At work, this view from our hotel last summer:

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. Two

BIOLOGY

Q. What’s your best feature?
A. I never directed a feature, only a few shorts.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. Wisdom teeth and some front teeth when I was a kid

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Maybe I have a sixth sense that’s good for something

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. A few years ago

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. Forty pounds of toxic dog food

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. Yes. I’m told I went skiing in Colorado in 1991. There is, however, no proof of this.

BULLSHITOLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. Only if I could do something about it

Q. Is love for real?
A. Yes. Can I get a witness over here?

Q. If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
A. Heironymous or Wolfgang, I go back and forth

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Blue

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. By mistake, no. In fact, I swallowed an ibuprofen just this morning

Q. Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. I’m told I have.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. I don’t know.

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. Perhaps out in the country

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. Prostitution isn’t my thing

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. No

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. No, but someday I might never blog again for free

Q. Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A. Hell, I might do that just for the bottle of hot sauce

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. Never

Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
A. Can I download episodes of Lost and watch them on an iPod?

Q. Give up MySpace forever for $30,000?
A. Yup

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. iPod, memory stick, chapstick, contact lens solution

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. I liked it.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. No

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. Stand

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A. Not anymore

Q: How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
A. None since I blew out the last pair, stepped on a pop top, and had to cruise on back home…

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. I run into them all the time at work

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. This

LASTOLOGY

Q: Friend you talked to?
A. One of the other teachers at school

Q: Last person you called?
A. The vet

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A. The vet

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A. Finish my next novel

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A. Clue

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A. I try

Now that this towering meme is finished I tag (with humble apologies masking mischievous glee) my wife, Chris, and Danigirl.

Update: Keeping the meme alive - Danigirl, Chris,

After eating several bowls of a poisonous batch of Natural Balance’s Venison & Brown Rice, I am happy to report that it looks like all three hounds will pull through. Daphne and Phoebe are at home again tonight. They have to go back for one more day of subcutaneous fluids, but they will be fine. Joey will remain hospitalized on an IV until Friday, but he will also be fine, and he’ll get to go home on Friday afternoon. His vet says he’s doing great and expects a full recovery.

Thanks to all of you who sent good wishes, thoughts, prayers and nice words for our hounds. There are much worse things in the world the past few days than some blogger’s sick pups and so we appreciate it all the more.

As to the food… well, we’re beyond angry, but very relieved that this wasn’t fatal for our dogs. Sadly, not every pet owner can say that as you can see if your read the (very long and often depressing) comments section on this post at Itchmo. There is also another post at Itchmo regarding more suspect foods that are not yet under any recall. In fact, Itchmo seems to be more on top of this mess than anyone else.

For all you pet lovers reading this, please consider making your own dog or cat food, at least for the time being. Ours really liked the kidney friendly food we made for them last night.