HAWAII 007

Uncle Bob's T-shirts

2007-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you that asked, I got my awesomely ironic t-shirts at threadless.com. Tell 'em I sent you!

Uncle Bob

Thanks!!

2007-04-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Clubsters:

I had a blast with you guys! thanks for being such a great group of kids. I truly enjoyed hanging out with you. And beating some of you in football (oh snap!). I hope you had as much fun as i did! Only 2 more years til hawaii 09!!!

-whitney

ps: for those of you who have questions about college (or Whatever!!) my email address is orangejello3@gmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you!!

We're back! (Mahalo!)

2007-04-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

We're back, and the first order of business is setting up our Flickr Pool at:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/hawaii007/

If you want to contribute to the pool, let me know, and I'll hook you up!

Uncle Bob

The countdown continues

2007-04-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;Unfortunately, you can't see the countdown because something's gone all pear-shaped. Sorry about that.&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Baggage guidelines

2007-03-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Size and weight guidelines:
Click Here

What you can and can't check/carry on:
Click Here

Be sure to leave your Billy Clubs, Nunchakus, Spear Guns, Sabers, and Gel Shoe Inserts at home!

WOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Permission slips again!

2007-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Get the permission slip that says you can be driven by one of us - as soon as possible. If you can't get one by Friday, let me know and I can email it to you.

Sorry! the paper work is endless. :(

Tentative Schedule

2007-03-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

General notes:
Hawaii Time is three hours behind Pacific Time
Hotel phone number: (808) 935-9361
Hawaiian Airlines phone number: (800) 367-5320

Thursday 29 March

World's Longest Day
Get to our gate at LAX Terminal 2 by 6.30 a.m.!
HA1 29Mar LAX HNL 825AM 1105AM
HA260 29Mar HNL ITO 210PM 301PM
Get vans, check in, rest
Uncle Bob will chap. a group (that wants to go) to KHOP

Friday 30 March

Day of Rest
Walmart Stockpile
Malling About (opt)
Hilo Hattie's (opt)
Ken's House of Stinkeye (definite)

Saturday 31 March

Pe'e Pe'e and Akaka, and that cool place where we swing on ropes
Hiking today so dress like it!
(medium day)

Sunday 1 April

Kona (Snorkeling, Shopping, and Dinner)
Snorkel stuff: Jack's Diving Locker, (808) 329-7585
bring a change of clothes so you don't smell up Kona after we snorkel
shopping in Kona! ;)
(long day)

Monday 2 April

Mauna Kea Beach & Waimea (Kona side)
bring lots of sunscreen
(medium day)

Tuesday 3 April

Mauna Kea Daya!!! (Observatory Day)
# drink lots of water today to prep for tomorrow
# don't have a big dinner
# wear sunscreen
(long, exhausting day alert!)

Wednesday 4 April

Hilo Market & shopping (AM)
Cafe 100 for lunch
Optional Uncle Bob afternoon trip... somewhere?
(kickback day)

Thursday 5 April

Volcanoes
# Kilauea
# Lava tubes
# Lunch
# Devil's Throat
# Big giant hike to see liquid hot magma and get in trouble burning sticks because it "ticks off Pele"
(long, exhausting day alert!)

Friday 6 April

'Imiloa Astronomy Center in the AM
Meaner Wiener?
Black Sand afternoon
Ken's for last dinner
(easy day)

Saturday 7 April

World's... sniff.... Saddest... Day :(
Get to Hilo airport by 8 a.m.
# HA121 7Apr ITO HNL 904AM 951AM
# HA2 7Apr HNL LAX 105PM 920PM
# Getting exLAX is your problem ;) Make SURE your ride is there.

THINGS to BRING

2007-03-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

All these are suggestions but don't come crying to me if you think you don't need it now only to realize later the amazing wisdom of the Big Kahuna. There is a "big old fatty Walmart" up the road if you do forget anything. Hilo is a quiet place, but it ain't dead!

For Falls & Hiking
whatever hiking stuff you think you need (e.g. boots)
something with DEET in it (for skeeters)
change of clothes if you fall in and don't feel like walking around all day wet (sugg)
water shoes (sugg)

Volcanoes
Long pants for the hike to the lava
Heavy shoes (ask Whitney)
Gloves (sugg: the lava hurts bad if you fall on it)

Mauna Kea
WARM CLOTHING
flashlight
water bottle

Kona Day
change of clothes (after snorkeling we go out and shop and eat)

Beach Day
crudload of suntan lotion
change of clothes (sugg) or stink like beach the whole way back

What to do for the next 4 weeks:

2007-03-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

4 weeks til hawaii: start getting SUPER excited about the trip and how much fun its going to be. Also, start fake'n'bake'n if you really want to impress someone with your tan before we even step foot on the Hawaiian beaches. ;)
3 weeks til hawaii: start doing extra chores around the house to earn extra spending money from the folks. Also, don't forget to sign up for which van you want to be in whilst we're in hawaii. HINT: choose wisely. and even if you don't end up in the van you want to be in because you're sicker than a dog and a chaperone doesn't want you near her kids, you're still probably in the right place (ie: you can still get to hang with the future-love-of-your-life. or maybe not)
2 weeks til hawaii: start compiling a list of everything you need to bring. its harder than you think to remember EVERYTHING you're going to need to live for 10 days in a foreign place. Also, make sure you have a ride to and from the airport. airports [especially after a pretty long flight] are not the place to be begging your friend (or friend's parents) for a ride back to t-town.
1 week til hawaii: start getting your suitcase together. (im serious!) don't wait until the last minute to do it Because You Will Forget Something Important. Also, continue to get super excited. Finally, leave yourself room in your [hopefully packed] suitcase for souvenirs. Airports have weight limits and you don't want to end up wearing everything you own on the flight back (or begging your friends to stuff all the extras into Their bags) because your suitcase was too heavy with dashboard hula girls and Hilo Hattie t-shirts
1 day til hawaii: double check your suitcase's contents (don't forget the toothbrush!). set the alarm for eeeaaaarly (our flight LEAVES at 8:40am). email Mr. Ritter any last minute questions. Get ready for the time of your life in Hawaiian paradise !!! :)

Uncle Bob Drives!

2007-02-19T18:12:00.001-08:00

Those of you riding in my van (that is, the awesome van) will ~~be subjected to~~ delight at my vast and extremely delicious musical tastes. Your ears will dance and spin to melodies from such talented artists as:

Suburban Kids with Biblical Names
Peter Bjorn and John
Saturday Looks Good to Me
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The Radio Dept.
I'm from Barcelona
Camera Obscura
The Go! Team
The Decemberists
Bears (how appropriate!)
A.C. Newman
Sambassadeurs

More samples of my excellent musical taste can be found here.

So prepare yourself, will you? And if you want to ride in my van, and (GASPIES!) you don't like my music, bring headphones. Then we all can enjoy music! Yay music!

Rock on!

Yeah, but will it be FUN?!

2007-02-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

First of all - heck YES it will! Several of us are making this trip for our 2nd, 3rd, even 4th time! This adventure has the potential not only to be a great learning experience, but a wonderful vacation! In order that the entire group of Clubsters might maximize the amount of fun to be had, I have a few bits of advice.

1) Let's all agree to be big people!
2) Let's all agree to be respectful of everyone and everything!
3) Let's all agree to follow any 'rules!'
4) Let's all agree to be friendly, helpful, and courteous!

There is plenty of room for silliness and laughter and all-around happy-smiley dispositions! In fact, we encourage all that! We want this to be a wonderful trip for all! That said, we need to make sure to be adults, people. I recommend the following adult-like behavior:

- No boys sleeping in a room with girls

- Or girls sleeping in a room with boys

- Don't run (or stomp or march...) in the hallways in the hotel

(This one can, honestly, get us in a lot of heat.
Think, other people trying to sleep/relax.)

- Be respectfully quiet at the hotel

(There are other people staying at the hotel too! Let's respect them!)

- Always (ALWAYS!) let a 'chaperone' know where you're going.

(to the pool, to Ken's, to Uncle Billy's, to the general store...)

- Don't call a cab and take it into Downtown Hilo.

(You'll be swimming home unless your parents
want to buy you a plane ticket.)

- Be respectful of fellow Clubsters, chaperones, Ritter!, tour guides, grad students, etc...

That's all for now. I am REALLY looking forward to the trip guys and girls! SHOOT! It can't come fast enough! As long as we all put on our adult hats and treat each other respectfully and try not to do dumb stuff, we will all have the best time. I sincerely hope we have nothing but great times and make happy memories!

---
Cam

Down memory lane

2007-02-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Uncle Bob here. You may remember me from such FirstLight clubster outings as Hawaii 2005 and Hawaii 2003. This year is going to be awesomer than ever! If you've never met me, and want to (I don't smell), I'll be at the Star Party on Feb. 23 -- be there or Betelgeuse!

If you're curious about 2005's trip, feel free to visit TripTie.com, where I catalogued the trip and where we went and what we did. (Don't worry too much about the prices, though -- the accommodations and most of the activities are covered in what you've paid already.) Check out some of the cool photos, too! These are places you'll go, and things you'll see.

(TripTie, incidentally, was started by my friend and colleague Andrew Lin, and he's a great fella. You should check out the rest of TripTie when you get some time.)

Shake 'n' bake!

Uncle Bob

whitney = tardcore - exhibit A:

2007-02-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

so. as you can see, i did a big no-no in hawaii. i wore flip flops on the volcano. why, you may ask? it was hot and i don't like wearing shoes anyway. big boo-boo! with flip flops, my feet had no protection against or traction on the glass-sharp shards of volcanic rock. i was so cut up, i couldn't go snorkeling :( moral of the story? please please please (infinity!) wear shoes on volcano day! anything will do- Vans, Chucks, or hardcore hiking boots if you're into them.

ps: the volcano was So Cool. you definitely don't want to miss it!! -whitney (a.k.a. Tardcore)

Room Assignments

2007-01-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

So far:

ROOM 1
Mitch Peters
Josh Gilmore
Branden Fratello
Martin Castro

ROOM 2
Ritter
Uncle Bob Palmer
Cameron Aanestad

ROOM 3
Whitney Spinelli
Mrs Aanestad
Mrs Runkel

ROOM 4
Jaso Bendicksen
Steven Toman
William Barden
Joseph Tinc

ROOM 5
Danny Runkel
Jeff Garrett
Eric Michaelson
Max Flanders

ROOM 6
Valencia Baker
Dana R
Marceshia Young
Erin Eby

ROOM 7
Nikki Hetrick
Candace Wherry
Melanie Gunderson
Megan McBride

FLIGHT INFO

2006-10-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Latest update for flights:

HA 29Mar LAX HNL 840AM 1110AM
HA 29Mar HNL ITO 210PM 301PM

HA 7Apr ITO HNL 904AM 951AM
HA 7Apr HNL LAX 1250PM 905PM

(By the way ITO is Hilo International)

CLUBSTERS GOING (and payments made)

2006-09-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Definite
1. Mark "Call Me Kahuna!" Ritter (C)
2. Robert "Uncle Bob" Palmer (C)
3. Mrs Alana Aanestad (C)
4. Cameron Aanestad (C)
5. Whitney Spinelli (C)
6. Martin Castro (C)
7. Danny Runkel
8. Nikki Hetrick
9. Steven Toman (c)
10. Melanie Gunderson
11. Candace Wherry
12. Erin Eby
13. Mrs Runkel (C)
14. William Barden [1, 2]
15. Joseph Tinc
16. Branden Fratello
17. Valencia Baker
18. Dana R
19. Marceshia Young
20. Jeffrey Garrett
21. Mitchell Peters
22. Jason Bendicksen (C) [?]
23. Joshua Gilmore
24. Maxwell Flanders
25. Erik Michaelson
26. Megan McBride (?)

(C) = chaperone
[1, 2, 3] = installments paid

Welcome to Hawaii 007

2006-09-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

If you want to go here is some info:

29 March - 7 April 2007
10 days
Hotel: Hilo Hawaiian
Airline: Hawaiian

We will tentatively do the following:

Mauna Kea Observatories (must be 16 or older to go to summit!!!)
Astronomy Museum in Waimea
Hiking around Falls near Hilo
Snorkeling in Kona
Volcanoes National Park
Day at the Beach (Kona side)

Price $1000 (that assumes you are going 4/room; price goes up if not)
$100 non-refundable deposit due on 1 October
$300 more by 15 November
balance by 15 December

The club will pay for all the ground transportation and museum entrance fees.
Assume you will need money for food and bling bling. ;)

More information coming soon...