RECOVERY LIFE INCLUDES UPS, DOWNS

You might recall that when I was in Queen’s Medical Center two weeks ago, I surmised that a hospital was like a hotel for those with broken souls.

Now at home in recovery mode, this broken soul has an updated observation: Recovery life is like a movie, or perhaps a documentary. It’s not quite a lights-camera-action motif, but there are moments that could be mildly cinematic.

First, I must share that I finally had a haircut yesterday after being tardy for more than two sweeks. You know you need a trim when there’s far too much growth above the fenders, and the body wave appointments that my hair resembled a weed patch like the overgrown grass at any city intersection.

So Lucil obliged with a trim, since my regular ‘dresser Tootsie was not available. Oh, such bliss. It was a photo op that I neglected, so did a selfie upon returning home.

This would have been ample “news” for the day, but overnight, I had another “moment.” At around 2 a.m., I was getting off the bed to go to pee (man, I go three times or so a night, with a walker to boot), when I rolled off the bed (we don’t have hospital guard rails) and landed flat on my face and shoulder, luckily not squishing a network of tubes and bags collecting drips from the abscess from my liver and my gall bladder, the reason I was hospitalized.

Ouch! In retrospect, I thought of the TV commercial where the lady fell at the foot of the stairs and could not adequately yell for help.

Luckily, my wife Vi heard the noise when I slid onto the floor in the darkness, and it did take a minute or so for me to catch my bearings and attempt to lift myself up. But I couldn’t; I had no strength to stand up, so Vi had to help lift me onto the side of the bed, so I could breathe and recover to properly head to the bathroom.

When I was done, Vi brought me an ice pack to place on my face to minimize bruising, if any.

Now, this nocturnal “action” clearly was a bigger issue than a haircut, and part of this life-as-movie anecdote. Could’ve made this a “camera” moment, but the iPhone was elsewhere recharging. It is what it is.

Recovery requires patience, since everything is in go-slow mode. Take your time on the walker, to avoid falls. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, since there’s a handful of meds to take morning, noon and night.  Boring, but again, it is what it is. Oh, there are twice-a-day draining of those unfashionable drip collectors to measure and document the oozes from my liver and gladder. Somewhat disgusting, but I’ll have these procedures till the well runs dry. Meaning pau drip, pau wearing these bags and cords.

My daily routine is, alas, routine. After I awaken, I have a cup of coffee, read the morning paper and USA Today, and watch “Today” and switch to CNN for an overview of the world. The Maui wildfires are still on the agenda, and Idalia’s wind and water fury in Florida and the East Coast grab the headlines.

Breakfast Is unexciting: English muffin, croissant, or oatmeal, with sliced bananas or cubed watermelon (a favorite, when I was in Queen’s).

Of course, news is routine, too … there’s the daily update on Trump’s litany of court cases and his customary “I am innocent” laments, between the real news, like another attack in Ukraine.

This leisurely sked enables me to resort to one of my hobbies, making hand-made notecards, to write thank-you’s for courtesies and kindnesses from friends. Plus, I try to create new versions of my aloha shirt cards.

Retirement enables time to reflect on good gestures and kind people. I spent some time yesterday writing gift donations to my favorite theater groups to mail today, since the fall season and special shows are in the offing in the days, weeks and months ahead. While Maui’s victims are needy and need kokua, global donors have responded, so we can’t forget the arts groups here that need support, too.

And have hand-written messages on self-made cards to a batch of wonderful friends who’ve offered comfort and warm support over the past weeks.

Admittedly, none of the aforementioned would be worthy of  the stuff of movies, but in my imagined reel world, this is the nature of the momentum and mundane doings during  my recovery.

I should add that I’ve had some Zoom doctor visits, with a few more forthcoming, and a few in-office doc  visits, too, along with clinic visits and in-hospital testing. The beat goes on.

And I trust I won’t fall of the bed again. That would be a nightmare…

Further, did you get the last preventive shot at CVS Longs? If and when you do, you’ll receive a $5 coupon for future use when you spend $20.  A good deal. …

So this rambling movie in my mind still is not over. Hey, films are not done in a day or two…

And that’s Show Biz. …

SERENITY, AT A TIME OF NEED

Nature always has a way of calming the soul.

So I had these tiny clip-art images of trees, rivers, and the countryside.

Nope, not local stuff, but nonetheless green and keen, though somewhat deliberately muted.

Enough here for me to put together a bunch of cards.

The mood fit my current status, of recovering from an illness.

Serene comes to mind.

Enjoy….

HENRY ADMITS HE’S ONTO SOMETHING

Here’s an encouraging update, to our open letter to Henry Kapono, to see if he might get behind a “We Are the World”-type anthem, to kokua the folks affected by the tragic wildfires on Maui.

We thought, while watching the Lahaina and hundreds of homes go up in flames in real time, that only one man, the prolific and productive Henry, (pictured below, left) might use his creative juices, tap his army of music-industry colleagues, and his longstanding mission to support communities in time of needs to make this a reality.

His encouraging response, received this morning via email:

“Aloha Wayne: Hope you’re recovering well.  Yes the Lahaina wildfire has been something unimaginable, and the response of our Hawaii people is just phenomenal.  I have been

thinking of a song. ‘We Are The World,’ keeps coming up.

‘ I’m sure someone is working on it.  I’m talking to people I trust and respect and we’re thinking of something that might be very interesting.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime, take care of yourself.  Friends, Henry.”

Henry’s wife, Lezlee, also said the Henry Kapono Foundation already is supporting efforts on the Valley Island to kokua  Mauians during these devastating times, via the “We Are Friends Maui” program.

The link: https://www.henrykaponofoundation.org/we-are-friends-maui

Henry remains an influential mover-and-shaker and logically, this sort of special needs should be within his realm of creativity. Hope a Maui tune or project that he’ll spearhead evolves over the next few months. . …

Rain is forecast

Crossing Rain, pictured below, Hawaii’s homegrown K-Pop boy band, will perform at  7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Joseph Rider Farrington Auditorium at Farrington High School.

Also performing, B.E.T., and Augie T, an FHS grad. The event is a fundraiser for www. bravehawaii.com.

The event is part of the October celebration of NationalAnti-Bullying Month.

A fundraiser for www.bravehawaii October is National Anti-Bullying Month 100% will go to fund community and school programs as well scholarships.

 Tickets: $30 VIP, including a meet and greet; $20 lower level and $15 upper level.

The link:

https://augietllc.thundertix.com/orders/new?performance_id=2939314&fbclid=IwAR2V-4Jf9NANzJOgM_n7XsO1BeGjvxkJdkc8wsm49E5eviEz26PV1bj6Ir8https://augietllc.thundertix.com/orders/new?performance_id=2939314&fbclid=IwAR2V-4Jf9NANzJOgM_n7XsO1BeGjvxkJdkc8wsm49E5eviEz26PV1bj6Ir8

And that’s Show Biz. ..

HAVE YOU HAD A PNEUMONIA SHOT?

Just asking…

Hey, seniors. Have you had a pneumonia shot recently?

Longs pharmacies are giving these shots now (Medicare and your health insurance will cover). Got a call yesterday from Longs and made an appointment earlier this morning and received the shot.

So far, no side effects. So far, haven’t from anyone receiving the shot.

So asking: ya plan to have one? Supposed, it’s a preventive move so not required, but doesn’t hurt to have one, I guess…

NEW YORK: THE 411 ON MY KIND OF TOWN

Sixteenth in a series of Broadway reports

NEW YORK – As I’ve repeatedly said, New York is my kind of town.

The 2023 visit, however, was quite different and very special: ‘twas my wife Vi’s and my first return to The Great Apple in nearly four years, the first after the COVID 19 pandemic, the first with a rented electric wheelchair because of my chronic back pain.

So for this final installment in a series of Broadway posts,  thought I’d recapitulate some memories that hopefully will be beneficial for your New York experience.

Getting there

Lucky we live Hawaii. But if you’re Broadway bound, you can’t drive, catch an Amtrak train, hop on the subway or take a ship cruise.

You have to catch a plane. And I believe in direct flights – costlier than a one- or two-stop itinerary, because time is money, too.

Happily,  my two most-used carriers – Hawaiian and United – both have direct flights from Honolulu to New York. Hawaiian flies to JFK, anchored in the JetBlue terminal. United aims for its hub in Newark, N.J.

But the pandemic – among other reasons – has changed both carriers ‘direct flight home to Honolulu…at least on a Sunday, my return-home day.

Hawaiian’s sked was a one-stop, from JFK to LA, then HNL.

Wayne and Vi, on United Airlines — the homeward-bound trip.

United had a direct-to-HNL from EWR (Newark) but the agenda was changed while I was getting ready to fly out. United now was a one-stop, too, the pause at the mammoth George Bush International Airport in HOU (Houston), then HNL. Trouble is, the connection time was a mere half-hour, too risky since the airport is mammoth, so while still in New York, I called United to see what options I had to dodge the 30-minute gallop. The solution was to take an earlier flight from Newark to Houston, allowing a two-hour layover.

As it turned out, United’s flights anyway,, but as the hours ticked, the “new” flight left pretty much left the same time as the original flight, but the HNL-bound jet was held for those making the connection. Frustration and tension resulted in a happy journey, in the end. …

Everything is costly

Prices are up everywhere, for everything, so reality bites  And folks who know us know that the Haradas prefer first-class flights (who doesn’t?) that cost an arm and two legs, but offers room for those arms and legs.

Since I had accrued mileage for both Hawaiian Air and United Airlines, I traded in 300,000 for two via  Hawaiian to fly there, and another 330,000 for two for the return via United. There were $50 fees per person, too. If plan early, you can buy coach and upgrade to Business First, if possible.

We’ve been going to New York for more than 50 years, and my primary interest is to see Broadway shows. Over 10 days,  we took in 11 productions; bought orchestra or mezzanine/balcony seats,  costing $3,300. Where your seats are will determine your costs.

 A disclosure: at the height of the “Hamilton” frenzy, I simply couldn’t find tickets no matter how hard I tried, and wound up – gulp! – buying $750 seats (times, two, since my wife was there, too) in the second-to-the-last-row in the nose-bleed section, but saw the original cast with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. Worth it, everything considered!

Choosing a hotel

In the past, we got rooms at “brand” hotels (Hilton, Sheraton) to get frequent-stayer points. It’s difficult to earn loyalty points, unless you’re a business traveler.

So this year, we decided to select a hotel with easy access to near theaters, and chose the Hotel Edison on W. 47th St., smack dab in the middle of Times Square. It’s a mid-sized hotel, so elevator access is a lot better than a mega-hotel where conventioneers stay. The Edison had a rate of $238 a night, compared to other places that have $400-plus rooms.

One other hotel tip: Whenever we travel now, we book the room to include our departure day, so when we arrive overnight, we can check into the hotel at 8 or 9 a.m., compared to the  universal 3 p.m. check-in.

Since most HNL flights to the East Coast have mid-afternoon flights out, you always arrive early morning the next day and having the luxury to check into your room early in the morning is a joy. If you haven’t slept on your flight, you can sleep, or unpack, or go out for breakfast. If you have young kids, you don’t want to wait till late afternoon to get your room. City attractions don’t open till 10 a.m. anyway, and a 3 p.m. check is now unfathomable for us.

Tip: If you do the extra-day booking, be sure to call your hotel on your departure day that you will be a “late” arrival, and to hold the room. …

Where to secure show tickets

Websites to order tickets:

The two key websites I use: Telecharge.com  and Ticketmaster.com

Tickets are also on sale at Playbill.com; you receive discounts with a membership fee

Where to get half-price tickets

If you’re a first-timer tor Broadway, or a once-in-a-decade visitor, the place to go is the TKTS booth at Duffy Square, in the heart of Times Square, at W. 46th St. and Seventh Ave. You can’t miss the place, since there are ticket windows on the north side, and a bunch of red staircase seats on the south side.

This is the home of twofers, meaning you get  two tickets for the price of one, and the booth sells only same-day tickets for a select list of shows. Hot-ticket shows (“Hamilton,” “The Lion King”) generally are not on the sales board.

The TKTS booth is where tickets are “twofers.” Buy one, get one free.

The booth just marked its 50th anniversary in June 2023.

Hours: 3 to 8 p.m. most days, 3 to 7 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Wednesday and Saturday matinee shows.

Information: https://www.nytix.com/tkts/tkts-booth-hours

Where to find show reviews

Best resource for theater reviews: https://didtheylikeit.com/

Reviews (capsule and full-length) are posted here; you can peruse before you buy tickets, which also can be purchased here.

Regrets, I have a few

No matter how long you stay, you can’t to it all. So:

  • Couldn’t catch the subway this year; I can struggle and go down and up stairs, but the missus said absolutely not. Subways are the fastest way to get anywhere in New York, but I was in no hurry to go anyplace fast. Caught the bus with the wheelchair and used both Uber and the Yellow Cab in instances of rain.
  • Imagine, I didn’t have a single bagel while visiting. Reason: my favorite theater district deli, Carnegie Delicatessan, closed perhaps a decade ago, and food trucks sell ‘em, I was never near one to buy one. My hotel didn’t have ‘em, either. And Katz Deli and Zabar’s stock bagels but are too far away to get ‘em.
  • Visited Macy’s at Herald Square with the wheelchair. While the world’s largest store has elevators and wheelchair ramps, it is not really handicapped-friendly. Wanted a Starbucks coffee that day; though the café was on a highly visible mezzanine, with an elevator nearby (but no longer so), the only way via access ramps that are hidden, in corridors not easily found; went up one elevator floor to get the coffee, but didn’t bother trying to find the many Macy’s bargains.

Wheelchair rental

    Wayne on his wheelchair, at Rockefeller Center.  

While leaving our hotel one day, a woman saw me in a wheelchair and inquired about how  and where to rent one, too.

      I recommend NYC Mobility Rentals; it provides chairs and scooters and delivers and picks up the rentals

Information: www.nycmobilityrentals.com or (718) 962-0727 …  

My New York Zippy’s

I consider myself a local boy, so enjoy local kine places to eat.

OK, the menu is Mainland to the core, but if there is a place that serves family fare, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, it has to be Junior’s Bakery and.

Junior’s, on Broadway and W. 49th St. Kinda like Zippy‘s

OK, there’s no Spam nor Portuguese sausage on the menu, but the informality and hospitality have a local vibe here. Oh, and  don’t ask for shoyu, either.

This is the place I meet local friends visiting New York at the same time.

This trip and once earlier, visiting friend Kevin Iwamoto joined us for breakfast.

Junior’s, with roots in Brooklyn, boasts two restaurants in the theater district: the newer one, where I hang out, is on Broadway and W. 49th St.; the other is on W. 45th St. and Shubert Alley.

The meals are fulfilling, but if you crave dessert, there’s a variety of cakes and pies and cheesecake to cap the meal. Sorry, no Napoleons either…

And that’s Show Biz. …