Back in the day, life was simpler. You had one doctor for everything: a cold, a stiff neck,an aching stomach, a bruised chest. Two, if you included a dentist.
And way, way back, your doctor possibly made home visits. (Young ones, ask your grandparents).
How life has changed.
Nowadays, I count five doctors in my life. Si, if you include my dentist. My primary physician also is a rheumatologist, and he’s the one I see most regularly.
But I also have a cardiologist, a back pain doctor, an eye doctor, and a urologist. Plus a dentist.
Not so regular, in terms of visits: a back doctor, a dermatologist, an oral surgeon, and an ear-nose-throat specialist.
Oh, forgot one: I had two visits with a gastroenterologist over a decade or so, but stopped doing colonoscopies.
Is it because of age, when you tend to have more problems that require a specialist?
Or is it the way of life now, where you have issues that your primary doc can’t handle, hence referring you to a specialist?
It was halau of a show –artistically stunning, emotionally celebratory — proudly championed and shaped by the incomparable Robert Uluwehi Cazimero.
For kumu hula Cazimero and his hula disciples from Na Kamalei O Lililehua, yesterday’s sold-out performance at Leeward Community College Theatre was a benchmark event, a prelude to a likely series of performances leading up to Na Kamalei’s 50th anniversary in two years.
Cazimero and his two dozen gents have been popular attractions on the hula horizon, though like everyone everywhere else, took a break during the stifling three-year pandemic hiatus.
So the long overdue fund-raising hoike of sorts was a much-anticipated cultural event. So many hula types and A-list Hawaiian entertainers were among the crowd.
Sometimes, the gents sing…
For the dancers – the “then” group and the current crop – it was a major outing, like those long-gone Cazimero May Day and Christmas events.
For the audience – who have followed and witnessed Na Kamalei’s success – this was a continuation of a shared journey. The intermission was ripe with whopping howdy-dos, hugs and kisses, long-time-no-see expressions, and catch-up-and-talk story reunion. The spectators brought lei and sweets for the king of ho’olaulea, and leadership and fellowship were evident.
Quick recap:
— This is one heck of a halau; the fellas generally sing while dancing, adding modernity to some of the fun stuff. Yep, there are kahiko and ‘auona moments, but humor and joy are ingredients in the choice of material and execution.
— The lads are always immaculately and stylishly costumed, whether it’s ti leaf motif, aloha shirts and jeans, dress shirt with tie. The looks matter, and the hues are coordinated.
— Almost always, fresh lei adorn the dancers’ necks. Sometimes, nut and shell leis rule.
Robert Cazimero at the piano, best-buddy Kaipo Hale sharing memories.
— There are selective surprises. The return of prolific Kaipo Hale (Cazimero’s best buddy) to reflect on what it’s like being in the halau ranks, circa 1975 in the awkward but savvy launch of the group, was a joyous revelation of lessons learned, never forgotten, and the links of brotherhood camaraderie gained.
More often, the gents hula
— Cazimero attempted to theme his playlist, beginning with a projection of his personal desk at home, where his brainstorming and theories evolve. The mele here began with a casual “War Chant,” and familiar fare featuring hula soloist U‘ilani Lum on “Kuamo ‘o,” Ki Quilloy singing and Kaohi Daniels dancing on “Destiny,” and Zach Lum sharing his falsetto tones on “Ahulili.” A Travel Desk segment uncorked a splendid Big Island medley of “Ho’ea,” “Keawa ‘iki,” “Kona Kai Opua,” and “Mahai‘ula,” and a rhapsodic Punahele Moleta treatment of “Ikona” with hula by Sky Perkins. And dancer Parker Spencer had his moment of glory, with swishing arms, on the ensemble hula to “Little Grass Shack.”
— After intermission, “Hula Guys” with the dancers also vocalizing, reflected the kind of sustenance within the halau.
— Further, the gents’ trademark “Teve Teve,” choreographed by Cazimero in the salad days of Na Kamalei, was a positive remembrance of song/style fusion, with an element of double-entendre naughtiness, that has characterized the brotherhood’s legacy.
— Cazimero was unusually chatty throughout the show, though his miking could have used a bit more juice to make him properly heard. He seemed a bit uneasy to launch an In Memoriam segment – should he or shoudn’t he? – and he did, with visuals of about two-dozen former gents who have gone to the giant halau in the sky over the nearly five decades of operations.
— I wondered if “Waika,” a classic staple in the repertoire, might be revived, and surely, it wound up as the finale number, with Robert singing with his gents from at his usual keyboard perch, then walking to the front of the stage to convert the vocal into an a cappella specialty to close the show, with other previous gents and hula soloist Lahela Ka‘aihue joining in. …
Sounds like a touchdown, for football and TV fans: Netflix and the National Football League are out of the huddle and prepping to stream a football docuseries entitled “Quarterbacks” on Netflix this summer.
The astonishing news is that the show will embrace and have unprecedented access to football icons like Patrick Mahomes of the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs and his recording breaking total offense record and MVP trophy, Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings on engineering his greatest comeback to win the NFC North Division title, and – with a Hawaii link – Marcus Mariota reflecting on his first season as starting QB with the Arizona Falcons.
The docuseries, tapped for one season, will be produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, partnering with Mahomes’ PM Productions, and will feature video on and off the field.
Patrick Mahomes, during the third quarter in Super Bowl LVII a. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Of course, footage will include some of this past season’s other standouts, not yet revealed, and the Netflix streaming will serve as not only a flashback of the 2022 season, but a likely prelude to the 2023 season.
Marcus Mariota, Arizona QB.
“I’m excited for fans to get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at an unforgettable season for the entire Chiefs organization and for my family,” said Mahomes in a statement.
“From welcoming home a new baby in the middle of the season to welcoming the Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City, our crew was there for it all. This new Netflix series will show the time, preparation and balance that it takes to be an NFL quarterback and perform on the biggest stage.”
“Playing quarterback in the NFL is a unique experience that has some pretty incredible ups and downs,” said Manning, himself a former all-star QB. “Thanks to this collaboration with our partners at NFL Films, 2PM Productions and Netflix, fans will be given a unique and intimate look at what life is like as a starting QB.”
“We aim to give our members unprecedented access to the biggest athletes in the world, telling stories that you can’t see anywhere else,” Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of unscripted and documentary series, said in a statement. “And it doesn’t get any bigger than going inside the huddle with NFL quarterbacks, who hold perhaps the most important and difficult position in sports. We can’t wait to share their stories with our members around the world.”
Peyton Manning
Manning is executive producer for Omaha Productions. Ross Ketover, Pat Kelleher and Keith Cossrow are executive producers for NFL Films. Manning played for 18 seasons in the NFL, including 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos, and is considered one of football’s greatest QBs. …
Fuga plans mana-fueled shows on Maui, Oahu
Paula Fuga, Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning soul singer, will launch her new venture, Mana Wahine Productions, with a two-island concert on Maui and Oahu in the days ahead.
Paula Fuga
Fresh from her theatrical stage debut as the Fairy Godmother in Diamond Head Theatre’s “Cinderella” musical, Fuga will headline a March 3 show at 8 p.m. at Da Playaground on Maui and March 4 at 8 p.m. at The Republic on Oahu.
The Oahu gig will showcase guests Trishnalei and DJ Keala Kennelly.
“I love having the support of powerful women to help me accomplish my goals and dreams.” said Fuga, founder of Mana Wāhine Productions. “I’m looking forward to expanding the creative potential of my career with bolder vision and progressive artistic collaborations elevated by my new, independent, Hawaii-based, mana-fueled production company.”
Have you noticed the surge in cost of vellum or cover stock, a staple in paper crafts?
As a card-maker hobbyist, I’ve been using the vellum paper for decades. It’s got more body and stiffness than the everyday document “typewriter paper,” what you commonly use in your copier.
Back in the day, a ream (250 sheets, 67 lbs.) cost under $5 a ream, then periodically became more expensive over the past four decades.
Springhill cover stock paper.
It was more than three years ago, prior to the start of the COVID pandemic, that I bought my last ream of plain white vellum paper. If you’re a hobbyist, you know that these cover stock paper comes in a range of colors, from pastel pink and blue, to yellow and green, and even tonier hues of orchid or peach.
Prices have been gradually escalating, like everything else, to $16 and $18 a ream…the last time I purchased several reams.
But ouch! When I visited Fisher’s the other day, the price tag was more than doubled, to $30-plus for a ream for the Springhill brand, the one I usually bought. For red, and dark colors like purple and garden green, I had to purchase another brand at Office Depot that was always costlier.
At Fisher, I located another brand, Hammermill, for under $19, so purchased that.
But I wanted to find out what comparison costs were at Office Depot and not surprisingly, the price tags were over $30 for cover stock and even standard copier paper.
It might be cheaper to shop at Amazon, which sells the Springhill product for $16.34.
Besides card-making, I need the vellum paper to create mounting labels for the holiday pins I make.
Just wondered if anyone else has encountered the soaring cost of paper.
