LOL. I'm not an athletic supporter!

Hey, I listen to the Olympics, and only watch when something sounds exciting!

THIS does excite me: the other night, on our usual walk around the neighborhood, I could hear the Roosevelt HS crowd cheer (jus' li'l bit, though, the football team had a bad - read losing - night). The cheering reminded me that RHS now has a wonderful Astroturf field, beautiful scoreboard and spiffy, repainted stands. The alumni and a lot of other folks came together to improve the facilities. What pride they - and the students - must now feel!

Here are some photos of the field dedication from the RHS website. As we pass the refurbished field, we share that pride almost enough to want to sit through a football game!

RHS is in upper Makiki, my neighborhood. We are bounded by Punchbowl with the National Cemetery of the Pacific, the H-1 freeway, Maryknoll school. We encompass Papakolea, lofty Makiki Heights to Tantalus, and all the variety of humanity and dwellings above H-1.

Anything that improves my neighborhood makes me feel proud, and better about it, too!

He was a journalist, and he knows what he's talking about here. Scroll down to the "embedded journalist" part.

What is the job of the journalist?

I believe it is to report the truth, and I truly appreciate any opportunity to learn truths. Often, the truth is not pretty. Most of us can make a good guess (and probably be correct) about what truths are being kept from us. There is so much of that withholding, paranoia and secrecy going on with the present administration.

On a related issue - the sharing of truths - the NY Times talks about a new book, War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007 by U.S. Army surgeons. In the article, Times writer Donald G. McNeil, Jr. says "this textbook is the first guidebook of new techniques for American battlefield surgeons to be published while the wars it analyzes are still being fought."

Apparently, the truths here were raw enough that censors wanted to do their own extensive surgical excisions on the book. And this is a TEXTBOOK which not only military surgeons, but CIVILIAN surgeons will benefit from.

Now, here's where they get the Manicured Librarian SERIOUSLY pissed off: "Censors also tried to prevent the book from getting a copyright and the international standard book number letting it be sold commercially, Dr. Lounsbury said."

One of the book's editors had the last word: “There was never any doubt in my mind that the Army would publish this,” he (Dr. Stephen P. Hetz, a retired colonel) said. “It was just a matter of getting around the nitwits.”

Just let the experts DO THEIR JOBS! Let the surgeons "do no harm", and heal the wounded. Let the journalists find the truths. And let them all share their knowledge with the rest of us. As raw and real as it is.

George Carlin was my favorite comedian.

My second favorite was Lily Tomlin. I don't think she's doing comedy any more. I loved Edith Ann; I thought Tomlin was razor sharp at capturing a little girl who wasn't cute or lovable. Guess I see a lot of her in me. If my husband's been very good, I'll do a bit of her to make him laugh. I have a pretty good ear, if I do say so myself.

Why did I love George Carlin? Either he thought of things you or I think about, or stuff that was so over the top, we had to laugh. I remember hearing the Seven Words and repeating them to my boyfriend with a French accent. (Think about it.) He cracked up, which is probably why I married him. It's always a good idea to pick a mate who will laugh at your jokes.

He was also about language - semantics (the meaning of words) and censorship and hypocrisy, especially in politics.

Wait a minute: politics IS comedy.

Please. Don't look too closely at my feet, my toes.

For the first time in more than a year, the Manicured Librarian had to do her own pedicure. The experience has made me realize that paying for one is NOT, NOT, NOT a frivolous expense!

I had to cancel my usual, monthly appointment and reschedule a week later with the wonderful Satoko. Then, she had a family emergency, and will be back in 2 weeks. That would make 7 weeks without a pedicure... a very scary prospect, indeed.

So, I did my own. What takes her one hour took me two over 2 days. Friday night, I clipped and filed my toenails. They are so tough and horny, this was easier said than done. I added a base coat before I fell asleep. The next morning, a coat of polish, and the comedy of trying to avoid smudging it, then a second coat. Finally, a top coat and some rhinestone embellishments. The hardest part was doing a neat and tidy job.

I'm hoping my amateur work will last 2 weeks, but that's wishful thinking. I can't wait for my cheerful, smiling professional nail tech to return so she can pamper my feet and dazzle my toes.

Satoko: I MISS you!