I updated my Tumblr with a few of my favorite superbowl ads from this year. Enjoy!

We have a spare bedroom that we are presently using as a computer room. I suppose in about nine months, it will be converted into the baby’s room. But, oh, the daunting task ahead. The room serves as a workout area/study/storage. The stuff has to go somewhere. But where?

I have the TLC show Clean Sweep on my DVR and I watch it from time to time. After viewing an episode, I find myself peering at my surroundings with a critical eye and I get an overwhelming desire to make “sell”, “toss,” and “keep” piles. The only problem is that I don’t have the luxury of a personal organizer and carpenter at my disposal to design space-efficient storage units for me. Also, since I live in a townhouse, I am lacking a vital component to a good garage sale: a garage. So, instead of a “sell” pile, I have a “donate” pile. We still have a long way to go, but I’m whittling away at it.

Aside from the entertainment value, I realize that we watch reality shows to make us feel better about ourselves in some way. Shows like Clean Sweep puffs me up by allowing me to say, “heck, at least my house isn’t that bad!” We relate to reality shows and compare our state of affairs to the folks on the show, who sacrifice their privacy and pride in exchange for free stuff, money, or an improved lifestyle. I sometimes wonder if I could be convinced to make such a trade.

In addition to improving our self esteem, certain reality shows can spur us to action and inspire us to make improvements in our lives. Whether it’s de-cluttering your living room, staging your house for sale, or simply learning how to dress more professionally, reality shows tell us that even average Joes like us can do it.

I’m not sure how this entry ended up making me an advocate for reality shows, but perhaps it’s because I spent the entire day watching TLC and the Discovery Channel in my pajamas. Unfortunately, nearly an entire weekend of downtime still didn’t banish this cold, but at least it’s not getting worse.

In exactly one week is the day known as “black Friday” in retail circles and amongst savvy shoppers. The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year — are you ready? Rod has already done some reconnaissance to help you give you a little advantage over the next guy with this article on Da Scoops.

I’d love to partake in the Black Friday madness, but I just realized that I don’t have enough annual leave to take a day off! Thanks to my April surgery, I pretty much wiped out all my vacation leave for 2007 except for 30 minutes. Gah!

I plan to start my Christmas shopping tomorrow, although I always end up buying more for myself than others. Perhaps there will be less of that going on with Hubby in tow. Hopefully, I’ll get some pictures and maybe a vlog of the endeavor.

Day 16 of 30

I knew there’d be an entry like this sooner or later. I spent the entire evening completing the newsletter project for my client after coming home from a full day of work at my “real job.” It’s 11:00 p.m., 30 minutes past my ideal bedtime and my eyeballs are on fire, so you can imagine that I’m eager to take care of my NaBloPoMo obligation quickly and hit the sack.

I’m posting this because my friend Clifford was nice enough to e-mail it to me tonight and it made me giggle to think about it.

The photo you see above is an embarrassing testimony to the strange and unusual things that fall under “all other duties as assigned” in my ever-expanding job description. I rallied the leadership team to learn a short portion of an Okinawan eisa taiko routine as the opening of our year-end conference. Although I was a bit skeptical about whether people would jump on the bandwagon at first, it certainly came together at the end to produce the result we wanted, which was rounds of laughter and a happy audience. Oh, the things I do all in the name of “work.”

Good times.

Day 8 of 30

Champuru vlog #11 — bon dance edition, with guest host, Kamuela K! Click the PLAY button on the video window to watch.

The vlog features scenes from the first bon dance of 2007 which was held on Saturday night at Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu.

3/5 of the Ozawa Family
The other 2 were busy running around

It was a pleasure to see the Ozawas at the bon dance this year. Of course, Ryan was lifecasting live from the event and he even jumped into the bon dance circle to participate in the Okinawan set. Good job, my friend!

Kamu and me

Aileen, me, and Doreen

Kamu, participating in his favorite bon dance activity: eating

My favorite creative crafter, Mike

…including pastel jelly shoes from the 80’s.

I found this colorful assortment of nostalgic footwear at The Slipper House in Ala Moana Center. Despite my disdain for the fashion atrocity and my utter amazement to see them back for a second coming in the new millennium, I couldn’t help but to feel a twinge of endearment toward a pair of pink jellies, identical to the ones I owned back in the sixth grade when they were all the rage — the first time.

I had to try them on.

Suddenly, I swore I could hear Madonna singing “Material Girl” and I had the inexplicable urge to buy a pair of legwarmers.

With the passing of Memorial Day comes the beginning of obon season in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, obon stretches from June through Labor Day weekend when the last bon dance of the season is held at the annual Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park. Although I am not a Buddhist, I look forward to attending bon dances throughout the summer months simply for the cultural and social aspect of the activity. It seems that the popularity of bon dances increases each year, drawing large, diverse crowds into the bon dance circle.

As bon dance season commences, you’ll see more entries about obon and why I participate each year. In the meantime, I’ll tell you about my first act of preparation for the upcoming season: buying a pair of “bon dance shoes.”

Sure, they’re not exactly a traditional pair of geta or zori slippers, but man, are they comfy — and that’s what matters to me these days. I usually don’t don a full kimono unless I’m helping my troupe lead the Okinawan bon dances in the inner circle, so traditional footwear is not required. My usual attire is a long hapi coat, a pair of jeans, and my comfy “bon dance shoes.”

I found this adorable pair of shoes tonight, complete with sakura (cherry blossom) patterns, at Skechers and I knew my search for this year’s bon dance shoes was over!

I’m still waiting for the 2007 bon dance schedule to be released in the newspaper before assembling the bon dance posse. Will you join us this year?