Saturnalia 2022

Io Saturnalia!

The Eve of Saturnalia was uneventful. An early dinner was procured at the Subway® in town because every venue closed early including the gym. Thus, the main event for dinner during what would normally be dinner time was the emergency can of Great Value® chili with beans. Then, a big-ass can of Corona® cerveza was procured at the overpriced ABC Store for dessert. Wheee!

By the way, dinner was courtesy Panda Express® in Ala Moana Center on Friday. The on-line ordering for Subway® was somehow “fucked up.” There were in-person ordering problems in the morning at the fast joint in town, too. So, morning coffee and breakfast were courtesy 7-Eleven®. There are no personal internal debates about cost anymore. Alternatives are quickly sought with no afterthought.

The annual Saturnalia trek to Kahala Mall went according to plan, although this year the trip on the bus was taken much earlier (8am). The scheduled donation was made at the Goodwill kiosk. “Operation Clean Slate” is pretty much accomplished. Then, coffee time was initated at the fast food joint adjacent to the mall. The survey coupon was used to procure two Egg McMuffins for the price of one. Not surprisingly, the cost for the same breakfast at the fast food joint in town is $1.50 more.

Kahala Mall - East Wing

Subsequent to loitering at the fast food joint, a walking tour of Kahala Mall was taken. Not much has changed, although all of the seating has been restored. The Macys® men’s store has been vacated, and Planet Fitness® will be the new occupant. The main Macys® store is still there.

Only a few stores (e.g., Longs®) were open. Few people were meandering through the mall. Yet, most of the fools were wearing their face masks. Is there no end to this kind of insanity?

Lunch was courtesy L&L Drive-In adjacent to the mall. The “mini” BBQ Chicken plate lunch was chosen. Amazingly, the price is now almost $11 (about $5 more than a couple of years ago). Inflation, you think?

A brief shopping excursion was made to Longs® to acquire a big-ass can of mixed nuts (on sale for $8). Then, the return trip to Waikiki on the bus required one quick transfer. Arrival at the “old folks home” was 1pm. Overall, a pleasant outing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent inside the mausoleum. Various chores were performed. The last shower of the year was enjoyed as best as possible. Then, the shower stall was cleaned. The next mausoleum shower is slated for one year from now. Thank goodness for the gym showers!

With nothing else to do, the evening outing to the International Marketplace came to fruition after a long hiatus. Of course, nothing has changed. Nearly all of the shops were open. Aside from the great free wireless Net access, there’s no point to loitering with shithead tourists around.

On the way back to the mausoleum, a stopover was made at the overpriced ABC Store. A large Chef Salad was procured for a whopping $12 and some change. The salad,  however, was excellent … a good ending for an unobserved holiday. Io Saturnalia!

Addendum: The Mainstays® mattress topper was left as a donation this morning in the small entrance lobby of the “old folks home.” Sadly, while comfortable, the mattress topper made sleep impossible due to heat buildup.

Miscellany: The four free “super-duper corona” fast antigen test kits have arrived. In a couple of months, the test kits will be donated to the community in the “old folks home.”