There’s nothing worse than loading your vacation pictures into the computer to find out that 75% of them are bad because your camera suxorz. Ah, well. Here are the ones I liked the most!

Some background: Aunty Katy is one of mom’s oldest friends, having known OSM since the 40’s or 50’s. They lived about a mile from each other in Pusan, Korea. Katy had moved to the bottom of the road that led to mom’s family’s summer house in the hills. So mom saw a lot of her as she passed back and forth each day. Mom took a liking to her and invited her up for lunches and dinners. The two became very good friends.

Mom worked at the military base in one of their NCO restaurants. Katy had wanted to get a job there, too, so mom introduced her to her boss, a dashing Hawaiian sergeant named Elsworth Goodwin. The two hit it off so well they got married. Uncle El, in turn, introduced mom to our dad. How’s that?

We all ended up in Hawaii together. Uncle El and Aunty Katy were like second parents. We were up at their house nearly every weekend, learning to ride bikes and partaking in the finest Hawaiian food lovingly prepared by El’s family. They had two children, our cousins Kimi and Russ, and they taught us Hawaiian culture right alongside their own kin. So when someone asks me about my childhood, my fondest memories are of things like this: Uncle El would catch and imu (cook in a stone pit) a wild pig, the serving tables couldn’t handle all the other yummy food, and the uncles (after a few Primo Beers) would break out ukuleles and guitars and serenade us with Hawaiian party songs (called Cha-Lang-A-Lang) or haunting traditional chants. Oftentimes a cousin or aunt would hula. Kids were running around all over the place. And on into the wee hours this would continue, with neighbors dropping by to nibble on pupus (snacks), share their stories, their laughter, their love.

Uncle El died in a boating accident a few years ago but Aunty Katy is still plugging along. She was a vibrant hostess while we were in Vegas. You’d think that no time had passed since the last time we were together. She’s such a wonderful lady. And she loves OSM dearly. I can only imagine, seeing them smiling and chatting together, what they must have been like in their 20’s.

So it was a good trip, even though I didn’t get to see a single show. There’s always next time! And Cyd had a blast so that made it all worth the while =)

The correct phrase is, “I couldn’t care less.”

Got it?!?!

Okay. I’m breathing deeper now.

It was very nice to walk out of the office today and see Broos with tongs in hand, presiding over the burgers on the grill. Reminded me of the first time I met him, when he was doing the very same thing at a SimuCon office gathering =) Ah, the memories. I haven’t seen him in a kilt recently, so I can’t tell you if his knees are still sexy =P

Today felt like the finish of a marathon. I didn’t put in 12-14 hours a day like some, but the stress of not knowing the subject matter really took its toll. Yet even as the pressure mounted towards launch date, I knew what needed to be done the next time around. It’s a small triumph. There are some things that scream universally from all businesses. Inefficiency and waste is the same all over. Pisses me off, frankly. I hate inefficiency and waste, even when I’m responsible for it. Cuz I like to think I don’t indulge in them too much.

I probably do, though. I’ve bought way too many pairs of shoes that, as the euphoria of their purchase subsided, were deemed absolutely gauche and ended up in the Goodwill bin.