Sam on Maui

Over the past few months I’ve been sort of settling into things. If anything, I guess its almost like I’m settling into this phase of my life… I’m settling into a more mature, responsible way of handling my money compared to my twenties, thank you Dave Ramsey. I’m still not there yet, but I’ve got a plan, goals and know where everything goes now. I’m starting to settle into my age and some of the expectations that go with it for appearance. I’ve already gone through two rounds of thinning out my wardrobe of clothes I had gotten in my twenties. Stuff that was less professional, stuff that I wouldn’t wear here in Hawai’i, stuff like that. At the same time I’ve already done one round of getting new clothes that are more appropriate for work and I think better reflect where I am in life. Following that line of thought, I’ve been going through all the stuff I’ve picked up over the years. Old books, movies, VHS tapes, junk mail that I promised I’d sort later and more. Things are getting ...

A couple of years ago Shonen Jump , a monthly collection of Japanese manga (comics) began publishing in the US (end of 2002). I saw it at the Bi-Lo in Royston, Georgia, and picked it up immediately. It was kind of neat to see Jump in the US with all these comics I had seen as manga or as anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu Yu Hakusho when I was a kid. Made me a bit old, to tell you the truth! “Listen dude, I know how this fight goes. This comic ended before you even got into high school!” Needless to say, picking up the new Jump became something of a ritual for me. Buy it at the store, sit in the parking lot to read the whole thing (or at least my favorites), and go home to pass it on to my roommate. I’ve been doing that pretty much ever since. What can I say? Its cheap entertainment! It was also very cool to finally be able to read the comics instead of looking at the pictures and trying to figure out what was going on. Of course, I found new favorites like One Piece, Naruto and H...

In the past decade or so I’ve come to feel that the government gets involved with the needs of society, not because its the best option, but because of a failure of the citizens to tend to themselves. When there’s need in a community, a community is best served by trying to meet that need. No, it won’t always be up to the full scope of the task, but the first reaction should be, “what can we do” rather than “someone ought to do something.” I’ve just started reading Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World . My brother is letting me borrow it and so far I’m about three chapters in. Its rather interesting to read about what the super-rich are doing these days, true, but its also giving a bit of history concerning philanthropy in general. I think its coming at a good time in my life. Back in September I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course at a local church. One of the lessons is expressly about giving. I know for myself there’s always been a desire to give;...

When I was going to ʻĪao Intermediate School a teacher by the name of Mr. Takadi introduced me to the Apple IIe, and more importantly, a word processor. I don't recall much of it; the screen was black and white (or green and white, depending on the monitor), everything was on 5.25 floppies, and the program was called Bank Street Writer . During recess I would go into the computer lab, putting in my floppy disc and would just write. About ideas I had, thoughts, things that happened during the day. Kid stuff, naturally. Now, these were my writings, so I put a little password lock onto the file. I don't recall anything being super-personal, but it was mine after all! With that I stopped journaling. Throughout the years I’ve written here and there, but with this I’m returning to regular journaling of sorts. A little more open than my old journal, of course. ~Sam