New Shoes Just in Time for the Typhoon

Typhoon Chaba's Gonna Smack Us

One of my always-thoughtful-daughters, got me these brand new flip-flops.

Shima zori, is what this type of footwear gets called around here.

All the girls know, I'm easy to please. Buy me shima zori or Orion Beer, nothing else.

She's up to something, I'm thinking or, she wouldn't have bought me two pairs.

This morning, I carried on set to work and, left the other pair at home.

With all the walking I do, a pair only lasts me about a month.

Brand new shima zori are safe, to walk around with, in the rain. You don't slip and slide.

Once the treads wear down, the things can be real dangerous on wet pavement.

White lines, painted along the highway and crosswalks get slippery.

When the bottoms of my flip-flops got slick, I used to throw them away but, I don't anymore.

Some grandsons got caught arguing over an old pair one day.

So, I got orders to bring all my worn out shima zori home, for the boys.

The women probably, think they want the old stuff, just because it' grandpa's.

The truth be known, I'd bet they're using them to slide down the big hill behind their house.

Flip-Flop Conspiracy 

Notice that plastic fastener holding the shima zori pair together.

That is some of the toughest material money can buy. It's practically unbreakable.

The only way, to separate those flip-flops is, use a knife or scissors.

There are so many people coming up with conspiracy theories, I think it's my turn, now.

The Chinese folks, making those things are going to invade Europe, someday.

And, there's one country, over there, where people aren't too intelligent.

Prisoners of war, won't be able to escape, wearing those shoes, as leg irons.

Well, they might try but, they would be real easy to re-capture, running in them.

It may be against the law, to poke fun at some other nationality, so I won't mention it.

Here's a hint. It starts with a "P" and, it ain't Paraguay.

Typhoon Chaba

This screenshot was swiped from Pacific Stars and Stripes, today.

It's looking like, we may have some 150-190 mile an hour winds heading our way.

The last time, we got whacked by a typhoon that strong, it snapped telephone poles in half.

So if, you don't hear from me tomorrow it just means, I took a day off. Don't panic.

When the winds die down, I'll be out with the camera and my flip-flops.

If I get a chance, I'll go sliding down the hill with the grandsons, too !

Typhoon Chaba, Green Eggs & Ham

HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA











FIRST WE'LL GET THE PICTURES I BORROWED OUT OF THE WAY. I'LL GET TO THE GREEN EGGS AND HAM PART A LITTLE BIT LATER. FOR SOME STRANGE REASON THESE TYPHOONS ALWAYS LOOK LOTS BETTER FROM ABOVE THAN BELOW.
 
 

HERE'S EARTH OBSERVATORY NASA GOVT NATURAL HAZZARDS VIEW

It’s going on Midnight Thursday over here right now and I think the worst of it is over. I only went outside a few times to get coffee, smokes and food.

When I walked here this morning I used my big golf umbrella. The wind was turning it inside out so I decided to close it and just get wet.

Around 3PM when I went to grab some take-out lunch it was raining real hard and real windy so I borrowed a smaller umbrella. It held up pretty good until I turned the corner of the street and got a good blast of wind. That bent a few spokes.

Coming back with my Taco-Rice-Cheese in a plastic bag and the open umbrella was hilarious. I’m glad the wind and I were both heading in the same direction. The Flying Nun ain’t got nuthin on me.

Now, I owe somebody a new umbrella. I hope it wasn’t the wife’s. Her birthday isn’t until September.

This looks like it may have been the strongest typhoon we’ve had hit Okinawa in a few years. I remember awhile back one that was so strong it snapped concrete telephone poles. The winds were something like 120mph. One of the poles landed right on the hood of a police car.

Being cooped up on rainy days really drives me crazy. But, I took a long nap this afternoon and drank about a dozen cans of ice coffee and my electricity hasn’t been knocked out, yet. So, I guess I’m good to go.

I’m done complaining and might even be over the non-writing slump I was having all week. Maybe, the typhoon was just what I needed. Whenever a good butt-kickin’ typhoon hits I remember how lucky I am.

See, way back in the early 60’s I was riding around on this big Navy Boat. Maybe 1000 guys on this big grey, flat-bottomed boat and we got caught in one of these typhoons. They could’ve filmed the Poseidon Adventure there if they’d have had a cameraman with us.

Before I ever got on a Navy Boat, I always thought that Dr. Seuss just made up that story about Green Eggs and Ham. He didn’t dream that stuff up; it’s true. Maybe he was in the Navy once. It’s the only place, in my life, where I’ve seen Green Eggs. I don’t know where they come from, out of a can, maybe.

Anyway, picture about 1000 guys in a room inside a boat carrying Green Eggs and Ham on metal trays and walking around on a metal floor. Then start rocking the boat enough to make them slip, slide and fall down.

Tilt the boat 45 degrees to the left and watch them slide. They scramble to get back on their feet. Tilt the boat 45 degrees to the right. Then you have arms, legs, metal trays, cups of coffee and milk, Green Eggs and Ham, and people cussing and barfing, trying to get back on their feet, so they can eat their Green Eggs and Ham. It doesn’t get much better than that.


TYPHOON CHABA, I'M NOT IMPRESSED. YOU WERE WEAK!