Accountability

I have decided to be accountable to you for my weight loss journey. On the 1st of every month, I will post a photo of the scale showing what my current weight is. For the time being I will be working towards a goal of getting down to 110 pounds. This is the weight I was at when the COVID-19 lock down began in 2020. When I get down to that point I will assess whether I should continue on down to 100 pounds, which is the weight I was at before I hurt my back & started my uncontrolled weight gain. I am designating June 21st (the summer solstice) as the starting date for this weight loss journey; the weight recorded on the Samsung Health app was 132.2. My weight this morning was 129.8. I am amazed that I have lost 2.4 pounds since I started this journey 10 days ago! That would be about 1.6 pounds per week; I am OK with that rate. If I maintain this rate I should be able to reach 110 by mid-October. If I decide to return to 100 & maintain this rate, that would be about mid-November ... just in time to gain some back over the holidays!

Yay! No boiled vegetables!

The alternative that I threatened myself with was having to bite the bullet & follow Zhang Linghe's only-boiled-vegetables diet if I was not able to lose any weight with my anything-but-boiled-vegetables diet. In general my day starts with at least 1 glass of water, followed by my morning dog & yard routine of feeding Moʻo & watering the plants that I have had in the ground or growing bed for less than a year. (I try to avoid annuals; if it can't survive on its own after a year it is allowed to quietly compost in place.) Then I do whatever else is planned for the day & allow myself to drink as much water as I want throughout the day. Around noon I make a protein smoothie that includes a scoop of collagen powder or if I am lazy I just put the protein & collagen powders into a cup of soy milk & mix it up. If I have any, I also drink 1/2 cup of my homemade sports drink of Meyer lemonade mixed with Pedialyte to ensure I am replacing at least some of the electrolytes I have lost during whatever activity I am doing that day; I prefer not to drink the Pedialyte on its own but I will if I have to.😝 And I prefer to avoid the dyes & other weird stuff they put in store-bought sports drinks; besides, an ER doctor said Pedialyte was just as good for less the cost & less weird additives. Around 5:30 pm I prep Moʻo's dinner & mine. I usually have 1 serving of tofu or other good quality protein with a couple tablespoons of fermented vegetables, & a boiled egg. If I have a craving for more food I will have some dried aku or pipikaula. I try to complete all my eating by 8 pm; basically it is a 16:8 intermittent fasting regimen. Of course, there are days when I don't stick to this because of meetings, invitations to share a meal, etc., but I don't let that bother me because it is usually only once a week that this might happen. 

When I left Hawaiʻi for graduate school at University of Washington I weighed around 80 pounds. I felt it was a good weight, I did not need to watch what I ate, I just naturally kept at that weight due to all the diving & bicycling I was doing. I did not have my fat content measured but I am pretty sure I had less than what women usually had because of factors such as well-defined leg muscles, a 6-pack, & an irregular period. When I 1st arrived in Seattle, it felt really cold to me. I did not care how much I ate; I just needed the extra calories to stay warm! Besides I had my bike which was how I got around campus & the city; my weight increased to around 90 pounds but that was OK with me because I was able to keep warm at that weight. My normal pattern was to allow my body to self-regulate, eating tons of food when the temperature dropped below about 65 degrees to stay warm & then naturally backing off as the weather warmed up. When I got pregnant, I gained over 40 pounds! My doctor was OK with that since I was underweight to begin with; initially he had concerns because he did not think I had enough body fat to maintain a healthy pregnancy. And since I planned to breastfeed, I needed more fat anyway. I lost all except 10 of those pounds & was now hovering around 100 pounds as my new normal weight. Although I ate more during the winter, even eating as much as my boss who was 6'2" & about 250 pounds, I didn't gain any weight; I just burned it up & stunned people with my ability to eat so much. Life was that way for years until I herniated a disc in my lower back; the limitations on my activities caused me to gain about 20 pounds. And that was what I was working on losing when COVID hit.

Along this journey I have found that it is harder for short people to lose weight than tall people IF all other factors are equal. That is a big IF. Because I generally had a higher lean body mass percentage than most tall people I was around, I could eat tons of food & burn it off easier than they could. But since I herniated the disc in my lower back & gained that excess 20 pounds, I lost that advantage. So I am pleased at how much weight I have lost since I started this journey 10 days ago.

At sunrise it was a little drizzly & not looking promising in terms of mowing. But about mid-morning it began to dry out & the sun started to peek through the clouds. By mid-day it was getting drier.

Sunrise.

So today Emily came to mow the lawn; she was supposed to come on Monday but it was pouring rain. Then Tuesday was also fairly wet; this afternoon was somewhat dry so she came to mow the lawn. To prevent Moʻo from escaping & raising Emily's anxiety level, I locked Moʻo in the outside shower. It worked! She was not able to get out & Emily had a stress-free mowing experience! I will be training Moʻo to go in to the shower on voice command (ʻaoʻao) so when I am off island & it is a mowing day Emily or one of the neighbors can more easily move Moʻo into the outside shower. 

Not looking too happy. But better than running loose out on the road!

Today is one of those days where I did not keep to my usual eating plan; the Kohala Night Market was tonight. I met hoa hānau Fran & her boyfriend Billy there & we had dinner from the food trucks. Fran had Korean fried chicken, Billy had chicken katsu, & I had golden bao bun with smoked meat. For this week this is the 2nd time I am not following the usual eating plan; the 1st time was at the special planning commission meeting yesterday where they provide the lunch & I had a meal replacement smoothie for breakfast. Over the remainder of the month any excess I gained because of these extra meal days should work itself out; I guess we will all see whether that is true on August 1st! But I think next time I will go with something that has less carbs & more protein & some not-boiled vegetables.

Need more protein & less carbs.

There was a screening of the independent film Kealoha Disappears as part of the Night Market tonight. It is a work-in-progress so there was really no end; we have to wait & see what Lucas brings back next year! All of the scenes were shot in North Kohala & I recognized many places. Writer/director Lucas moderated a short panel discussion with some of the local actors after the screening. Lucas & his mother Jocelyn also directed & produced This is Kohala a few years ago; it aired on PBS in 2025. I know about a dozen of the people interviewed in the film.  

Panel (L to R) Keala, Uncle Jeff, Lucas, Aunty Sarah, & Keanu.

For the Hanzi practice on Duolingo you trace the characters on the phone screen. In the word below for "gym", it is the 1st radical jiàn (highlighted in blue) that is the subject of the lesson. One of the things I have not been able to figure out is what is the stroke order. Earlier it looked like from top to bottom & more or less left to right. But for jiàn you start with the middle part that looks like a 3 with a tail, then the left side, then the right side. "Relatively" bǐjiào is a lot easier to write, especially the left radical bǐ. 

I've decided to take a look at the stats once a month near the end of the month so I should have done this yesterday. I'll try to remember this for next month. 

The next episode of the eruption at Kīlauea has been moved back a little. It is now likely to occur sometime between the 7th & the 14th. 

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Sandy & Brad! 

Move Over Su Mo!

I have been inspired by Su Mo to dye my hair dark blue again! I talked to Petra yesterday about it while she was trimming my hair. She told me to go to Sally Beauty in Kona & look for a semi-permanent dye product; I went after the Leeward Planning Commission meeting was over. I settled on Manic Panic's After Midnight. It is a very dark blue shade; I am hoping it does not rub off so much like that 1st experience I had. I asked Kai if he wanted to dye his hair blue again; he said he has grown out of that phase. Apparently his mother has not...

Some of the options.

Sample swatches.

The final choice.

We had a pretty long agenda for the Leeward Planning Commission today; 7 items! Some seemed like they might be longer because there was so many written testimonies we had to read. We powered through them & ended around 2:30 before we went to lunch. At one point I made a big mistake, making a motion on Item #7, instead of Item #6! Fortunately, the chair caught my mistake. I withdrew the motion, then made the proper motion. It was low blood sugar & I'm sticking to that story!

At sunrise this morning it was a little overcast but by the time I had to get out of bed the clouds had broken up & there was a warm glow on the trees. Because I have to leave by 7, I do not have time to do my Duolingo practice on planning commission meeting mornings.  

At sunrise.

Twenty-six minutes past sunrise.

On my way to Kona for the planning commission meeting, I stop at Juice 101, which is in the Maunalani Resort complex, to pick up a meal replacement smoothie for breakfast. As I was leaving the resort area this morning I was behind a Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail van; they come to the resorts to pick up visitors who have signed up for their birding & other trips. The van slowed down on the way out so I thought they were looking at some native birds along side the road. Turned out, they stopped because a pair of Nēnē were crossing the road in front of them! They were probably on their way to the golf course; the Nēnē not the van.

Did you know you can have Wikipedia in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi? I did not; but now I do. I think I shall use this as a study tool. I will find a small, easy to understand topic, switch the language to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, then print it. I will also print the English version, so after I have translated the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi version I can check how well I did.

This is about The Canary Islands.

The next episode of the eruption at Kīlauea is expected some time between the 23rd & the 27th.

Last Bunch of Things

I started the final clean up for this visit this morning. I needed to move the last of the things in the computer room in to my room or the hallway. The bulkiest thing was the filing cabinet; even though I could not figure out how to separate the drawers from the cabinet it turned out to be easier to move than I anticipated. I stacked Mom's printer, monitor & keyboard on it; the CPU was placed on the floor so it couldn't fall off of anything. 

Moved things from lighter square; rest is for Roommates to figure out.

New location of items to be kept. My room is at end of hallway.

In one of the boxes I looked through while consolidating boxes today there was some of my old schoolwork; someone wrote my name on it so that's how I could tell it was mine. Not sure why Mom kept them. Especially the report on China; I got a D+ on that one! I also apparently had to do reports on Bolivia (llamas on the cover), Australia (platypus), Albert Einstein (himself), & a bunch of other things. I did not look at the grades on any of the others. I think I turned out OK in spite of the D+. But I might be a bit biased ...

No idea what grade this was but it was written in cursive.

While cleaning up, I lost another small piece off of my laptop case. I did not think I was that hard on them since I have only had to replace 1 case in about 20 years. Phones, on the other hand, I know I am really hard on them. For my 1st phone, I destroyed 3 cases before I bought a Body Glove case. The sales guy was trying to talk me out of it because they cost $89 at that time; I told him I had already bought 3 of the cheaper cases he was wanting me to buy at a cost of $30 each so it was actually a better deal to get a more expensive case if it really protected my phone. I have stuck with Body Glove, then Otterbox that bought out Body Glove, & have not had problems with them except for the charging port flap falling off since I don't buy a new phone every year or so like a lot of other people do; I prefer to work them until the battery dies.  For the record, I have not killed any of my personal phones, though I did shatter the touch screen on my pre-cell phone era metal-cased personal data assistant; I dropped it on the metal deck of a ferry but I could still work it with key strokes. I have, however, drowned 3 work phones; that's what happens when you issue a non-ruggedized phone without a waterproof case to a field person who works in wetlands & streams all day. Just sayin'. I had a ruggedized phone for about 3 months, then they changed the service provider contract & the phone was taken away; I killed another phone before the end of the fiscal year. 

I packed my bags after I had finished moving things out of the computer room. I am taking back a bunch of cooking utensils, including 3 knives so I have real knives to use in the canning classes I am helping with. I also packed the muffin tins, a round cake pan & a baking sheet. 

Because of all the moving & packing I was doing today, I did not get a chance to watch another Episode of Chief of War. I will have to write myself a note so I can remember that I need to start at Episode 4. 

Bokuto says my jo & bokken wall stand has been shipped! Now comes the wait. 

 

Curtis picked me up around 4. We went to dinner at Paniolos in Kahala Mall. The woman making my bowl could not believe I said I would order the extra guacamole because Curtis was paying! We thought it was hilarious! I did not see the Jarritos sodas until after we paid; next time I will have to remember they have it. Jarritos is one of the few sodas I will drink; specifically their tamarind flavor. 

Curtis starts his order.

I think all management should support having this sign posted!

Directions for ordering. I did the Bowl.

They have tamarindo!

My bowl with extra guacamole! 😂  It reminds me of a cicada's face.

While we were eating, we were commenting on the signage on the dessert shop near us. The words on their awning indicated the broad categories of what they sold; it included "panini". I told Curtis until I had moved to Washington, I had not known that panini was anything other than Hawaiian for the fruit of the Opuntia cactus! He, on the other hand, only knew of the sandwiches & had never heard of the cactus fruit! Hard to believe we grew up in the same house! If you Google "panini fruit" it tells you, "'panini fruit' typically refers to the use of sweet fruits as ingredients in pressed sandwiches, offering a blend of sweet and savory flavors. The fruit caramelizes slightly in the heat, pairing well with melted cheeses and meats." In order to find the panini I am familiar with you have to Google "Opuntia panini" to get to the plant one.

Panini?

Panini!

I finally figured out how to turn the microphone on! I had to go in to the Apps setting on my phone. Then choose Duolingo. Then go to Permissions. Then to Microphone. Once there, I changed it to "Allow only while using the app." Now I can check how terrible my pronunciation is!  

Click on "All Apps".

Click on "Duolingo".

Click on "Permissions".

Click on "Microphone".

I am at Curtis' house as I write this. My plane leaves tomorrow morning at 7 am; since he lives 15 minutes from the airport & does not have to fight rush hour traffic this is the best option for both of us. We will leave the house around 5 am. Why am I flying so early? I have an agroforestry class that is at a farm south of Kona that starts at 9 am. Going straight from the airport tomorrow morning & driving 30 minutes to the farm is a lot easier than flying in tonight & driving 1 hour home, then turning around & leaving at 7 am to drive 1 & 1/2 hours from home to the farm! 

Episode 49 of the eruption of Kīlauea is anticipated to start between the 13th & 15th.

It's a Sign!

I walked with the Neighborhood Security Watch group this morning. I used to walk with them every week before I moved; now I walk with them when I visit. Along the way I saw a couple of signs that I liked. 

On the walk we went by Fort Ruger Market; it has a new owner who is doing an extensive remodel. I hope they will be keeping some of the old things like the Hawaiian food deli & the weekly kulolo. The artwork on the outside walls has changed since I last saw it. It's still nice but I kinda liked the octopus they had more than what is up now. 

They have taken everything out!

The octopus used to be on this wall.

Today DT,  Brent, & I worked on getting the old bed out of my room & moved in the "new" bed. The  bed is "new" to me; it is about 25 years old! But the old bed really was old; we figure it is around 50 years old! I forgot to take photos of our progress.  

I watched Episode 3 of Chief of War today. They introduce Kamehameha in this episode & also Keōua, Kaʻahumanu, & John Young. Kamehameha has not yet made a name for himself as an aliʻi (chief) but is asked to meet with his uncle who is dying & is also the current aliʻi nui of Hawai'i Island. His uncle asks him what he would do to defeat Kahekili who is running rampant & killing a lot of people on O'ahu & Maui for no reason. He says he would increase the food supply; which is what he did! The Kohala Field System that I got to tour last November is part of the foundation of his ability to support a large number of warriors. Which then allowed him to go to war against the aliʻi of the other islands.

Keōua is Kamehameha's cousin. I'm not sure if Chief of War will include the bit of history where Kamehameha is told he must build Puʻukoholā Heiau & sacrifice Keōua there in order to unite the islands. The Puʻukoholā site is also where John Young's homestead was located; he became an advisor to Kamehameha & his knowledge of western firearms greatly aided Kamehameha. Kaʻahumanu was Kamehameha's favorite wife & was instrumental in some reforms. They also talk about the start of the sandalwood trade. I am not noting these as spoiler alerts since this is history so it is already known. 

Kaʻahumanu & John Young.

During the Hawaiian Council Conference that I went to last October, producer Thomas Paʻa Sibbett & actor Moses Good were speakers. Moses Good plays Kaʻahumanu's father. After the credits, there was an interview with Thomas Paʻa Sibbett who talks about how originally they wanted to do a story about Kamehameha but it just didn't feel right. Then they had a hoʻailona (sign) & turned in the direction of Kaʻiana as the focus.  

Moses Good.

Thomas Paʻa Sibbett.

I learned this word on Duolingo!

While watching the credits about translations for the series, there were 2 credits that were either in Hanzi or Kanji; I'm not sure how to tell the difference. But I was able to recognize 日本 (Rìběn in Pinyin) as "Japan" in the 1st credit, so I assumed it was the Japanese translation team. The 2nd one made it more clear it was the Japanese team; there were 3 Hiragana characters in the credits. Which then made it clear to me that the other characters must be Kanji, which is Japanese & means Han or Chinese characters.

Can you identify the Hiragana characters?

I also watched Episode 21 of Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities. I like the character of Zhen Lan, the Prince Consort of the Kongsan. He has a strong sense of justice & believes in self-determination. While he has developed feelings over the last 100 years for Bai Ying, the sword deity princess, he knows that before she was forced to become the Princess Consort, she was in love with Su Mo, the leader of the Quanxian tribe & future Emperor of the Sea. Even though she had been the Princess Consort he does not want to force her to marry him as many of the other emperor/king types do in other series. Instead, he lets her know that he is aware of her feelings for Su Mo & will not interfere. He has also entered in to an alliance with Su Mo in order to save the Kongsan people & the Quanxian merpeople; he places his responsibility to the Kongsan people above his personal wants.

In some ways Zhen Lan's philosophy on love is like mine. I believe you should treat love like an injured wild animal. In the beginning, you should nurture & care for it. As it heals & grows stronger, you should back off & give it space. Once it is strong & healthy, you should let it go. If there is a true connection, it will return to you.

I have slowed down on the Mandarin. One of the things I really need to figure out is how to turn on the microphone so I can do the pronunciation exercises. That is the only way I will be able to learn the correct pronunciation for those 5 different vowel sounds! So frustrating not to be able to use the microphone.

The next episodic eruption of Kīlauea is predicted to occur some time between the 13th & the 15th.

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Jeannette! A me Kamehameha ʻEkahi!