After several days of hot and humid weather (yesterday was in the double 90’s), a heavy rain storm blew through the area at about 6pm as the leading edge of a cold front. The temperature dropped 15° within a half hour, along with the humidity. We’re back to the weather we had when we got here last March! Now, I know that everyone going through the unseasonable warm temperatures in the western US or the drenching rain and flooding in the southeast don’t have much in the way of sympathy for our weather here in this corner of paradise. But, tonight not only does this look like paradise, it also feels like it!
Regardless of which transfer, Nina and I work four mornings a week at the Visitors’ Center and two afternoons. Sometimes the two afternoons are on Friday and Saturday, other times, like now, the afternoons are on Monday and Tuesday. That means we open the Center up for business twice as often as we close it down. We’re getting much better at getting open for business and slowly getting pretty good at closing the place down. I haven’t totally decided whether I’d rather work the morning shift or the afternoon shift. Right now I’m leaning towards the afternoon shift because our mornings are less hectic when we’re on that shift. On the other hand, when we work the afternoon shift we come home very tired and still have to figure out what to eat for dinner, get stuff straightened up, and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Tomorrow morning will start much earlier as Elder Boyd K. Packer’s funeral is at 7am Hawaii time. We’ll be showing it live from Salt Lake for all of the missionaries assigned to the Center. I’m looking forward to having a bit of free time tomorrow afternoon!
I ordered an antenna for my ham radio setup. It has finally arrived and I intend to get it operational tomorrow afternoon. I’ve also received the parts for a second antenna that’ll take a week or so to build and then I’ll put that one up. The first antenna is large enough to be noticeable; the second will not be noticeable at all, but doesn’t have the “reach” that the first antenna will have. I’ve been having this internal debate about where to put the bigger antenna. I’d like it to be sixteen to twenty feet in the air, but also need to get the coax cable into the apartment at a location where I can use the radio. Eventually a picture will show up here on the blog when I’ve got everything functioning.
After our shift at the Center this morning we went over to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had an assignment to take tickets at the Prime Dining buffet but went over earlier to stop by the store selling ukeleles to price them. Yesterday we went down to Honolulu to the Aloha Stadium Swap meet (See Nina’s Blog entry from yesterday for details) and priced ukeleles there. It turns out with the discount we get at the PCC the prices are about the same, except at PCC we have to pay for a carrying bag separately. But, at the PCC we can get lessons. I think we’ll buy a “concert” sized ukelele for each of us at the PCC and get some lessons. It wouldn’t be right to spend two years in Hawaii and not learn to play this instrument and bring one home with us, just sayin’.
Life is cool and breezy!