Courtesy of the Friday 5:

1. Which of your friends is the best cook?
This is one easy! Lindy of Lindy’s Ono Recipes fame. And if you want to be an awesome cook like Lindy, check out her website and buy a few recipe cards for your next potluck! (How about my house - next weekend?)

2. Which of your friends is the best athlete?
That would be Hubby. A former competition powerlifter, football player, wrestler, biathlete, and body surfer. Lately, he’s been focusing on martial arts. Right now, however, he has strict instructions from his doctor to do NOTHING. He just had back surgery on Wednesday to repair a herniated disc which resulted in a pinched nerve. I know that after he recovers, he will still be the best athlete in my book!

3. Which of your friends is the best musician?
This is a tough one. I’d have to say it’s a tie between Norman and Richie, both very talented utasha. (Sanshin players and vocalists.)

4. Which of your friends is the best arguer?
Thankfully, I don’t have very argumentative friends.

5. Which of your friends is the best with money?
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone who is particularly good with money. Good at spending it, maybe. (Shari…? tee hee!)

iTuned to: “Peace of Mind” by Boston

Laupahoehoe, Hawaii (Big Island)

I’m back from the Big Island and I hit the ground running. There are so many things going on at the same time, so I’m taking a moment to catch my breath and pretend that I’m back at Laupahoehoe, listening to the waves crash against the lava rocks and feeling the cool sea breeze on my face.

Okay, the moment has passed. Back to work.

iTuned to: “Enough to Go By” by Vienna Teng from the album Waking Hour

Before I sat down to finish my paper tonight, I allowed myself to spend a few credits on my iTunes account to download some music for inspiration and incentive. Tonight, I purchased a few nostalgic favorites from David Lee Roth’s “Skyscraper” album, featuring the guitar prowess of one of my favorite guitarists of all time: Steve Vai.

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz: Acoustic Alchemy, Richard Elliot, the Rippingtons, Boney James, and John Tesh. I had nearly forgotten how much I love the sound of hammer-ons and harmonics skillfully executed on an electric guitar. Setting my iTunes to the “guitar gods” playlist, I was ready to tackle my assignment.

With a little help from Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen who graciously provided the mood music, I managed to finish my paper with only 17 words over the minimum content requirement. I have never been one to do just the bare minimum, but being afflicted with Senioritis, I’ll take what I can get. I’d like to think that the content qualified as quality over quantity. I can only hope that my prof will agree.

Oddly enough, the screaming guitars blaring out of the speakers helped to energize my tired brain cells. It was reminiscent of the good old days in high school when I used to listen to my favorite hair metal tunes, singing along, head-banging, playing air guitar and studying all at the same time. I believe this is when I truly learned how to multi-task, back when I had big hair and was dang proud of it. (See below)

Aqua Net Days, circa 1991
Me, Byron, Shari

Aside from being done with my paper, the best part is that I still have $15.78 left in my iTunes account for the next time I am in need of incentive and inspiration.

iTuned to: “Damn Good” by David Lee Roth from the 1988 album, Skyscraper

Just a few years ago, it seemed so easy to pull a 1000-word paper out of thin air. These days, I feel like having a spinal tap would be less painful.

I am down to 3 more classes before I finally get my B.S. (That is, Bachelor of Science — although it may have a dual meaning here.) I should be sprinting toward the finish line, but instead I feel like I’m crawling on all fours, suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, wondering out loud, “how much farther, Papa Smurf?”

Not far now.

Unfortunately, my brain is shutting down, my Muse has taken flight, and studying takes so much more darned efffort than before that it’s incredible. All I can think about is what my free-time pursuits will be after I finally graduate. (Read books for leisure, do some creative writing, learn to speak Japanese, hone my Photoshop skills, exercise regularly! Oh, the wonderful activities that await!) Senioritis revisited.

I had to call it a night on my paper. Let’s hope my brain is just tired and that after a good night’s sleep that I’ll be refreshed and ready to pump out another 550+ words to meet my minimum content requirement. Talk about putting the B.S. in Bachelor of Science!

Looking forward to the weekend!

It’s Friday!

It’s amazing how listening to good music can pass the time and effectively prevent outbreaks of road rage. Josh Groban, thank you for keeping me sane during my 15.75 mile, 90-minute drive home tonight.

I always feel guilty when I am tempted to grumble about a traffic pile-up like the one we experienced this afternoon. Truly bad traffic normally happens when there’s a fatality, critical injury, or some other tragic accident and police officers must close off a section of the road. I remind myself that although I am inconvenienced by the sluggish drive home, at least I’m going to make it home safely. Someone out there wasn’t quite so lucky. That puts everything in perspective.

With this in mind, despite the horrendous traffic, I managed to keep my blood pressure in check. In addition to an attitude alignment and some Josh-therapy, I believe my state of calm was attributed to the wonderful realization that it’s Friday and I didn’t have anything specific planned for the evening. It’s a rare occasion to be in the midst of the summer and not have a bon dance that I felt compelled to attend. I had nowhere to rush off to — and no work tomorrow. How glorious!

I picked up Waldo’s vegetarian pizza and salads along the way home and spent the evening watching DVR recorded episodes of “What Not To Wear” with Hubby. It doesn’t get much better than that. Sometimes it’s the most simple of pleasures that I am most thankful for. What are you thankful for tonight?

He reflected the Son.

He was a custodian, but I always knew he was destined for something greater. With a joyful heart, he would sing to himself, just slightly off-key, as he diligently mopped the floor in the hallway. His songs were always praises to the Lord and although he never won an American Idol competition, I knew that God was listening and smiling.

Although we were not very close friends, he was a brother in Christ. That bond gave entree to speak about life and spiritual subjects. Our conversations were never lengthy, but they always gave me great encouragement. He always had a positive word for me when he came in to my office to empty the trash in the morning. Despite the mundane nature of his job, he always performed it with joy and dedication. Seeing his face was like seeing the sun — after all, he was always reflecting the Son. He had a heart for people and his greatest desire was to spread the good news.

When he was diagnosed with lymphoma, he was a little concerned — but not very. He was a believer and he knew that God had plans for him. No matter what they were, he knew those plans were good. I told him that I would pray for him and I did. A little later, he told me that the tumor was shrinking and that he was able to witness to the people at the doctor’s office. My heart leapt and I believed that he would soon be healed.

As he was undergoing treatment, I had moved to a different position and my new office was in an adjacent building. For a while, I didn’t see him. The corridors were dolefully quiet, just the sound of footfalls and conversation. No endearing songs of worship sung slightly off-key to bring a smile to my face as I walked by. I saw him a couple of times since then, gave him a hug and told him that I was praying for him.

Not long after, I discovered that he was in the hospital. His body had not tolerated the chemotherapy well. I still believed that he would pull through, because after all, he was young, my husband’s age — and I was sure that God had a plan for him! This ordeal would surely be used as a powerful testimony and would bring many to believe in Christ.

I was absolutely shocked when I discovered that he had passed away.

Tonight was his funeral, but I did not attend. This entry and the remembrance of the impact that he made on me is my memorial to his life. Although I was only a very small part of his life, I am so blessed to have known him. Now he can sing his praises to the Lord in His presence, and I know He is smiling.