I gotta tell ya, blogging about WWD! moments has gotten tough.

Not only has da WWD! moments been further apart (I tink dat's a good thing right?) but evah since WWD! v.2 started up back in late 2011, da "feel" has been a little different. Well first, I was laid off by da newspapah back in 2010 and because of dat there was a hiatus of WWD! for almost a year and a half wea we lost a ton of readers. And then Da Baby was born, Da Wife was starting a new job, finances were supah tight and my "free" time had become none being Mr.Mom. And now of course, with a new job and along with da rebirth of WWD! - you've noticed - da replies have been harder to come by, both from Da WWD! Hui and myself.

Although da past few months there has been some interesting comments left - obviously from infrequent readers - dat I just didn't have time to reply to. They basically said I complained too much, I have no tolerance, I not speaking Pidgin, I not speaking English and one even said I was sukebe!

Wassup Wit Dat!

Sukebe - really?

Just to set da record straight - actually just to give a background of WWD! to those not in da know - WWD! is a BLOG, not a column. I am no where near journalist status - not even close - and I definitely ain't a writer. It's just me sharing a mo'olelo and some mana'o trying to spread a message or two if can. Dat's wat a blog is.

Gotta agree? No ways but at least da responses have been civil...... most of da time. And you've heard me say on a few occasions, if you no like da blog..... no read 'den!

Da thing is, most don't know me personally and das wea da "criticism" comes in. There was a response dat said I "open [myself] up to controversy" but I'd like to think that da same mana'o I try to share are the same ones that are disappearing in this day and age. Old school if you must but I will always be a tried and true brick and mortar blue collar braddah dat da only book besides a Bible (or your religious literature) that I believe in is da unwritten book of character. I am passionate (so my close friends tell me...... nice way of saying stubborn) about things I believe should be "right" and try to live life as true as possible and hopefully dat comes across in WWD!. Da only real difference is dat I'm da type of person to come out and say it instead of "letting it go", hence WWD!.

And I try to do all dat wit humor, sarcasm and of course, in pidgin - which is a dying language. But if I did da entire blog in Pidgin, garans-bombarans you no can read 'em cause it's more of a spoken language rather than a written one but even moreso, there would be no way people would (could) keep reading. I'll be da first to admit, Pidgin "looks" silly written rather than spoken.

In truth, dis blog LIVES off of responses. One thing dat I was proud about back in WWD! v1.0 was dat there were always a ton of responses from unique people on virtually every blog. People felt comfortable to post on WWD! - good and bad - and dat is a really good feeling establishing a blog to be li'dat. I wish I was paid per response but sadly I am not. but wat keeps dis blog going - and my passion for continuing it - is da responses/experiences left by Da WWD! Hui. It's not only fun and enjoyable to read but it also keeps my mind open to wat oddah people have gone through and it's great to read wat oddahs tink.

And while there have been Kwonics coming to da "rescue" from "off" responses, it's not about getting my back - which I reeeeeallly do appreciate - but it's more about seeing da "right" of it since it seems da response was kinda not da "norm" to begin with.

Surah, sometimes it isn't pleasant wen Da WWD! Hui "scolds" me - or oddah readers - but at da same time it shows da aloha not only for da blog but for da situation as well. I know it takes time to read and even more time to post and I sincerely do appreciate your efforts. And trust and believe I do read EVERY SINGLE RESPONSE left on every single blog even if it was left days, weeks or months latah.

I am sooooo surprised dat even wit da rebirth of WWD! v2.0, we still got some old school Lurking Kwonics still around! It was a nice treat to read some familiar names posting recently dat I haven't seen, well, in years.

Da only regret I have right now is not having enough time to respond to all as I have done so since WWD v1.0. There just isn't enough hours in a day and I stretch myself out so thin dat I barely even have time to fut.

So Muchos Mahalos to all Da WWD! Hui and da Kwonics checking in - and posting - on every post! Hopefully for da few Lurkahs dat pop in once in awhile or new to WWD!, at least now you kinda get da feel of wat WWD! is all about and sooner or latah muttering to yourself, "Wassup Wit Dat!".

We've all heard it before - probably said it as well - when we receive less than stellar service, "must be a minimum wage workah".

It's a sad cliche said frequently but I've always believed dat anyone working at minimum wage - or close to it - should not have any contact with customers. You getting paid like crap so why would you expect that particular person/position to act like they were the highest paid person on da floor? Wat I don't understand is why businesses would pay a position dat deals with customers 100% of the time usually da lowest rate?

Tink about it. Would you put out more or less effort if you were being paid $7.25 /hr? Wat if your wage rate was $12 /hr? Granted you still going get some lolo's dat not going give da effort but at da very least, employers wouldn't hire any Joe Shmo at a higher rate, right?

It's not to say there aren't any terrific workahs with great attitudes at da lower pay scale but c'mon, would you just hire anybody at $12 /hr as compared to $7.25?

Da oddah week we was at Target Salt Lake looking for an item and found it out of stock on da shelf. We looked around for a "customer service agent" and even waited a few minutes for one to hopefully pop up. Nada. Naturally of course we see workahs all ovah da place wen we no need but now we need so Da Wife sends me off to da "Help Phone" (really, there's a phone to call for "assistance") about twenty yards away.

As I picked up the phone and followed da prompts given by da robot voice, a lady pops up out of nowhere and I was tinking wow, dat was fast but of course, it was short lived.

WORKAH: Can I help you? (in a really sassy mattah-of-fact kine of tone)
BL: Yes, we're looking for this scrub but it's not on the shelf. (brought da tag)
WORKAH: What are you doing with that (tag)? (in a scolding tone)
BL: Well, I brought it looking for someone to scan it to see if it's in stock but no one was around so I'm calling for help.
WORKAH: I was right around the corner. (still in a sassy scolding tone)
BL: *tinking, was I supposed to know dat she was right around a corner dat I not even going to?*

Aftah a few more sassy remarks I was fed up and said,

BL: Look, you don't have to give me attitude. All we wanted was to find someone to check stock on an item. If you no like help, I just going look for someone else.
WORKAH: I don't have an attitude.

Wassup Wit Dat!

Trust me, she had. It was fairly early in da morning and luckily I was still groggy (tolerant) oddahwise da earlier conversation wouldn't have gone on for dat long. I couldn't believe I was getting an attitude just looking for help. I mean really, is there a reason for dat? And no tell me dat she could be having a bad day....... she's at work! Her bad day ends da moment she punches in and resumes da moment she punches out!

Do you tink dat "customer service" workahs should be paid more and then more selective on who employers hire? Do you feel, as a consumer, dat you have to deal with a workahs "bad day"? Have you evah seen workahs all ovah but wen you need 'em, no one's around?

I no understand why employers don't pay - or treat - those who are literally their first contact and "representative" of da company more. It should be dat da more contact da job requires, da more your hourly wage should be - wat you tink about dat?

Sorry but I got nothing.... although I've been working on a couple of blogs dat is seemingly taking forevah to finish.

Note to self: Wassup Wit Dat!

My brain is all mush, I can't put words together to make a sentence if my life depended on it and da only thing dat's going through da coconut shell is dat da NINERS ARE GOING TO DA SUPAH BOWL!!!!!!

Nobody stay reading today anyways cause it's a holiday but if you are...... feel free to check in for roll call, if you like.

Walking around da hale dis past weekend I couldn't help but notice da amout of stuff we gotta do dat has been put off - ok, neglected - all these days, weeks, months and yes, years.

Wassup Wit Dat!

Days: Well, cleaning in general

Weeks: Toilets could use a good scrubbing

Months: Oh boy... da weeds, trash for da dump, do some truck maintenance, do some bike maintenance, put away clothes (yes, sadly I got mounds of clothes dat I just dig through although I do put my underwear away fairly quickly.... well cause I gotta put 'em on everyday)

A year minimum: Wash da truck, finish da gutters, finish painting da stairway, under da stairs and da oddah room, finish da stairway flooring, clean da garage, maintenance on da garage door, put in room trim dat's been sitting in da uncleaned garage, wash da window screens, wash da windows, prep da front yard for some sod, landscape da front with pavers

Das all I can remembah but I'm surah more pops up as I walk around again. It's not like I really put them off but something ALWAYS pops up whether it's an engagement, family affair or like now, da NFL playoffs.

Wat have you put off doing? Wen was da last time you washed your car or truck? Wen was da last time you washed your window screens? Wen was da last time you did anything? I guess da more important question is wen will you get around to doing it?

Happy Feel Good Friday everybodies and have a grrrrrreeeeeaaat weekend!!

GO NINERS!!!

Did anybody notice da B-E-A-uuuutiful morning?

I for one love any sunset but today's sunrise - albeit was behind da Koolau's - was just screaming "Have a grrrreeeeaat day!" I tink sunrises are more exhilarating.

It's been choke long since we've had a morning like dis considering we've had hurricanish like winds, sideways slanting rain and flash floods da past few weeks and it's mornings like dis dat make us all say,

No, not Wassup Wit Dat!, but Lucky We Live Hawai'i.

Riding into work I could clearly see da lone trees silhouetted against da navy blue fading into baby blue skies while da sun rising was casting a redish to orange glow below and wea da sun's glow met da eternal sky it was, perfect. Da air was soooo crisp and cool actually refreshing my body as I cruised into work.

It didn't mattah dat da idiot in front of me only had one person in da car pool lane or da lolo in front dat car was only going 47mph while da flow of traffic was going 65. Or da Honda Odyssey dat decided to pull ovah on King St. without at least signaling only to take their time dropping off da passenger as morning rush hour traffic wanting to zoom by couldn't cause they was blocking da lane. Or da oddah - running out of rated G adjectives - Honda Accord dat aftah dropping off his/her passenger, decided to go PERPENDICULAR just cause they was in da right lane and had to get all da way ovah to da left lane to make da turn on Punchbowl. Or da jay-walkers making all da cars jam their brakes in an area wea you wouldn't causing near accidents.

But still, da morning was perfect.

Dis should be a Feel Good Friday post but alas, today isn't Friday.

Do you like sunrises or sunsets? Are you "sensitive" to da environment? Da Wife says I'm overly sensitive. I hope all 27 of Da WWD! Hui has a greaaaat day today....... I tink something special will happen today.