Shades for Baby!
Your little ghostly white baby needs some eye protection from the sun? Â These are pretty cool.
Passion
Executive Chef Kailua Now Open
Actually, the Kailua location of the Executive Chef has been open since the month of December. Located right on the corner of Kailua Road, they’re a highly visible sight. Â In fact, the store appeared to be open in November, but Closed signs indicated otherwise.
The store’s interior is big, filled with every cooking gadget and tool you can think of. Â The store is also deceptively “long,” taking some time to wend through all the aisles. Â When I visited, there were so many workers (maybe 10), probably too much at an off-peak hour but reassuring nonetheless, and I did find a punchbowl serving ladle hiding by the checkout registers.
Now for the bad. While the location’s visibility is great, the parking is bad. There are three stalls (one of them reserved for Handicapped parking) near the store entrance, but getting to these limited stalls is tricky and the roadway is a tad tight. Otherwise, the parking is in the back, way in the back, beyond First Hawaiian Bank. In fact, the nearest row of parking is reserved for FHB customers, pushing back general parking even further. Hopefully, this FHB designation is removed to share the lot with upcoming businesses.
Executive Chef should get a boost once the neighboring Whole Foods opens up in 2012. You definitely need the upscale cookware to prepare your upscale groceries! Now I wonder if upscale clothing retailer, Fighting Eel, can get in on this… picture the modern day business mom driving home to Kailua, stopping off to pickup a fabulous outfit at Fighting Eel, then popping into the Executive Chef, and finally shopping at Whole Foods. Can you see it?
Hot on Hipster
Observed the New Year’s Holiday at Waikiki Beach, took a pic, posted it on Hipster.com, and now, it’s popular. Yay!
Air Jordan 11 Madness
#23. December 23, 2011. Air Jordan 11 retro. Concords. Black patent leather. The release date for the most iconic Air Jordan has been on every shoe head’s calendar.
Leading up to the release, original design sketches were released by The Architect, Tinker Hatfield. All MJ wanted was a shiny shoe.
Then, December 23, the clock hits midnight, the shoe drops virtually and physically.
Tinker made it shine. Mike made it fly. You made it iconic. Retro 11 #Concords are now available http://t.co/01zvJcip
— Nike.com (@nikestore) December 23, 2011
Pandemonium. Across the nation, fights and riots ensue to own the Concords. By now, you’ve seen the news reports.
Online, you felt the Nike servers melt under the onslaught.
#Concords update: We are experiencing heavy loads of traffic in our checkout. Hang in there and keep trying.
— Nike.com (@nikestore) December 23, 2011
You wondered, “What does a blank checkout screen really mean? Â Did the order go through?” Nike.com is inaccessible. Â In an instant, the holy grail of kicks is no more. Good try. Move on. Catharsis.
And then…
New Year, New Look
To welcome 2012, Starbucks freshened the look of its Pick of the Week freebies. Gone with 2011 is the former grey/silver color scheme. For 2012, it’s white with grey and green accents.
Go get your The Black Keys, Run Right Back, at your nearest Starbucks.
LEGO Minifigures Series 4
Forgot about my Flickr images of LEGO Minifigures Series 4. Got a bunch at a discount from the Borders’ closing sale. Â I like the hair of the Mad Scientist.
Happenin’ on Hipster
Yay, this pic from the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail made Hipster.com’s popular list!
Here are just a few more shots taken on the trail. Did I mention my visiting cousin from Oakland is a giant? Check him out holding the lighthouse.
Remembering Hackfelds
What do you see in this picture? Old timers will recognize the entrance to Hackfelds restaurant in vintage Liberty House Ala Moana.
I don’t remember if I ever ate at Hackfelds as a kid, but I must have at some point. I just remember this location being next to the downstairs bathrooms and a secret side entrance to the store. Since this restaurant is long since closed, there’s only one exit out of Macy’s ground floor.
Did you know the history of “The Liberty House” and the origin of its name “in response to anti-German sentiment” during World War I? The German Hackfeld family opened Hackfeld’s Dry Goods which became Liberty House and eventually Macy’s.
How’s Your Winter Going?
So how is your winter going? Â The air is cooler here in Hawaii, but when the sun starts peeking out, it’s best to find some shade.
Just be sure not to use the rust-colored beach chairs at Ko Olina Lagoon #1. These belong to the new Disney Aulani resort and are for guest use only. It’s first come, first serve for the usage of the umbrellas, but these chairs are a different issue. And don’t ask the Aulani personnel manning the vacations booth. They know about the various vacation, travel, and lodging packages, but not about the use of the beach chairs. Be cordial to the Aulani worker whose job is to repossess Disney’s beach chairs, and the local boy might be cool enough to leave one for your use as a kamaaina.
Cereal Remix No Longer Mixing
Back in March 2010, Cereal Remix opened their doors in Aiea. Sadly, sometime in November/December 2011, Cereal Remix closed their doors, leaving behind this empty facade.
Christmas Song Classics: Merry Christmas to You
I was late to this song, made aware of it in 2004 in the Flashback: The Best Holiday Collection? But Henry Kapono’s Merry Christmas to You is on my Holiday playlist, and it should be on yours.
Here’s Henry Kapono performing a live version of this Christmas classic in support of the Marines’ Toys for Tots program.
Getting the Sears Kenmore Elite Model 72053 in the Holiday Spirit
Yes, we know that stainless steel refrigerators like the LG LFX31925ST/Sears Kenmore Elite Model 72053 do not have magnetic surfaces, so forget that idea of sticking on notes, calendars, and kids’ artwork. But that smooth steely surface can help liven up the Holiday Spirit in your kitchen. How? Just add a handful of Christmas-themed “magnetic stickers.”