LEGO Ghostbusters
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! But a limited set so buy now if you’re interested.
Gee Why
About Gee Why
Posts by Gee Why:
Communicating Is Hard
Communicating is one of those easier-said-than-done things, especially for big businesses like the Disney Aulani resort. Making sure every employee is on the same page and knows the very latest is just too hard. Case in point, while staycation-ing at the Aulani, I wanted to work out in the fitness center on a Saturday night. The daily calendar said the Mikimiki Fitness Center was closed whereas it had been a 24-hour operation previously.
I called the front desk to ask about this and was told the fitness center was being remodeled and that it had temporarily moved to the conference rooms. I asked if it was open and was assured the relocated fitness center was open. So I headed to the conference rooms. There was a wedding going on in the main conference room (good choice of music by the way, hearing John Legend’s All of Me remix and Animals by Martin Garrix) as I wandered around looking for the fitness center. Then I saw this sign.
Confused, I asked a worker where the fitness center was since the above sign said it was closed. He replied that all the equipment had just moved back to its original location and suggested I head back to the Mikimiki Fitness Center. At this point, a full day of sun and swimming caught up with me, feeling too drained to work out.
Fast forward to Monday, May 26. The daily calendar announces the re-opening of the Mikimiki Fitness Center starting at 4am. No, I didn’t venture out for a workout at four in the morning, but I did stop by later in the day to see what changed.
After stepping inside the previously sealed doors, things looked exactly the same as the last time I was there.
I didn’t see any significant changes to the room itself so I’m not sure what the remodeling was all about. All I know is that getting a workout on Memorial Day weekend at the Aulani was not meant to be and that communicating the status (and whereabouts) of the fitness center to the entire staff is just too hard.
I’m with the BitBand
For real, I am with the Atlassian BitBand. Check out my swag for proof.
Yup, thanks to Atlassian’s sense of humor, I won this Git shirt along with a BitBand band as part of an April Fool’s giveaway. Back on April 1st, the software company announced a hardware product, the BitBand. If you followed the press announcement and attempted to fund their hardware project, you would have found the giveaway entry form. Luckily, I won some Git goodies. The front of the shirt says “Just Do Git.”
Thanks Atlassian (but stick with the software)!
Lance Stephenson Making Me Feel Funny
Is it just me or does anyone else feel a little funny watching the Pacers Lance Stephenson blowing sweetly into the ear of Lebron James?
Make sure you unmute the audio track in Vine.
Must be the music that’s putting me in the mood as well.
Starbucks Refill Strategy Variation
Here’s a slight variation of my Starbucks Ala Moana refill strategy. Since Starbucks is now at every major shopping mall on Oahu, you can use the refill strategy at any of these locations. Except for Kahala Mall, pretty much there’s no seating so qualifying refills while in store really has no meaning. You can also extend this strategy by buying a drink from any Starbucks and getting your free refill if you happen to be at one of the malls like buying a drink in Pearl City then going to Windward Mall afterwards. Just sayin’.
View from the Weekend, Disney Aulani
Just a view from this Memorial Day weekend spent at the Disney Aulani.
Yes, it did rain but not as bad as elsewhere on-island.
My Favorite Windows Theme, Hot Dog Stand
Back when I was learning about Microsoft Windows 3.x, my favorite visual theme was Hot Dog Stand. This thing was and still is hideously ugly. So ugly that you have to love it while hating it. Oh only if Pontiac made the Aztek in hot dog stand colors would it be the greatest car ever.
Even Birds Are Attracted to Starbucks
Coffee and caffeine addiction isn’t just for humans. It seems the brown elixir has an avian attraction as well. So much so that Starbucks needed to take counteractive measures.
First off, the once pure black roof of the Starbucks kiosk at Ala Moana isn’t pure black anymore thanks to the birds.
This is definitely one way to keep the birds away from Starbucks.
Hawaiian Slang: Cheehoo!
Now here’s an interesting one – cheehoo! This exclamation is a fairly recent addition to the Hawaii kine vernacular. It’s not old school pidgin since by no means did Andy Bumatai shout out cheehoo! in All in the Ohana
Notice too that I list cheehoo! with an exclamation point. The one thing with cheehoo! is that you have to say it from deep down. If you’re going to cheehoo!, you have to go for it and commit. Cheehoo! comes from the soul and isn’t for the meek. Watch local deejay, Slick Vic, demonstrate the proper cheehoo! to Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie when the Today Show visited the islands. Jump to 2:13 for the cheehoo! demonstration.
When done properly, a cheehoo! is truly a force. Witness a hearty cheehoo! stop the most powerful man in America. Not only did a cheehoo! interrupt President Barack Obama, it broke his train of thought, needing some time to regain his composure. Cheehoo!
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My Starbucks Ala Moana Strategy
By now you know Ala Moana has two Starbucks locations in operation, the renovated Macy’s location and the new Center Stage kiosk. Did you know you can get (free) refills at these locations?
First, familiarize yourself with Starbucks’ nuanced refill policy for any drink. Supposedly, refills only qualify while you remain in store. Now how do you do that at an outdoor kiosk or in a location that has no inside seating? Technically, as soon as you pickup your drink, you’re headed out of the store in the Ala Moana locations.
On a recent visit, I purchased a venti iced coffee from the (emptier) Macy’s location. I nursed this for several hours whereupon I was near the kiosk. I asked if I could get a refill and got one, free with my Rewards card or $0.54 otherwise.
So my new strategy while shopping at Ala Moana is to get a tall size drink and go for a free coffee refill later in the day. And not to worry, I will not invoke further abuse of the ghetto latte.
Santa Monica in Europe?
Why oh why has Nike released the Roshe Run “Santa Monica” pack in Europe? These kicks scream of summertime fun. When is the summertime fun hitting the U.S.A.?
Changes to Starbucks at Ala Moana Macy’s
Thanks to @yoda808, we got word of the renovation and initial views of the Starbucks inside of Macy’s Ala Moana. I finally made my first visit to this remodeled location and noticed a few other changes.
The Doors Moved
When this location was carved out of Macy’s, the existing glass entries were retained for lots of foot traffic into Liberty House Macy’s. Unfortunately, the location for these entrances didn’t make sense for Starbucks. There were at least two sets of doors “in the middle” and walking through them put you right in the middle of the long queue to order or face to face with a display stand. On either side, you’d be squished by tables of patrons. Not a good placement. After the renovation, this is no longer the case with these doors removed. Now there’s the one set of doors near the Macy’s connection point and the original set leading to the outdoor seating area.
Clark Little Photography
Like the Waikiki Park Shore Hotel location, this Starbucks also features a mural from Clark Little Photography. Very nice but too bad it’s on a wall that’s hard to see.
