Aloha Daze

So Tropical Storm Kenneth is breaking apart.. but that just means lots of rain and thunderstorms for the Hawaiian islands.

Speaking as a guy that spent most of his life viewing storms from a point of view inside of Tornado Alley, I find lightning storms to be, well, commonplace. Not to be trifled with. Not to be ignored. Just respected. But still, common.

Imagine my shock when, while listening to a local radio station, they’re going over what to do during a thunderstorm. Lightning, you see, isn’t common in Hawaii.

Don’t stand under a tree. Lay flat if you think you’re about to be hit (yes, because lightning always proclaims it’s moves before making them by several minutes). Don’t shower during a storm, or talk on the phone.

Good advice, all of it. But things I learned as a child. Here, just a mystery.

Such is the climate here. If there is a thunderstorm, it usually knocks out power to different areas/cities on the islands. My opinion on that is that the electrical systems here weren’t designed to handle such intense electrical spikes.

BUT, the battery backups work well, kick in, and we’re all good to go again.

I am curious how this will effect this weekend’s AVP Best of the Beach , sponsored by Paul Mitchell, here in Honolulu. It’s pretty much an all day event, both Saturday and Sunday. But if it’s all about the rain and weather… well, speaking from personal experience, a wet volleyball makes a lousy serve. When you can hit it.

All I know is that a) Best of the Beach takes place on Queen’s Surf beach where I play volleyball at and b) I’ll be glad when both Paul Mitchell and Kenneth go away, so I can get back to playing.

RLR