Page 4 - MidWeek - June 22, 2022

4 MIDWEEK JUNE 22, 2022
T Texting Purgatory
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
exting on my mobile phone doesn’t come naturally to me. Seems like 95% of users have mastered two- thumb typing and it simply blows me away how
much they rely on that as their primary means of commu- nication. Call me old fashioned, but why not just speak to the person you want to talk to? I’ve had bad experiences with texting, like people misinterpreting my texts, autocorrect faux pas, and an inability to identify the sender if they’re not on my contact list. How did things get so complicated?
KRIS LABANG
Wedding Photographer, Mō‘ili‘ili
“Definitely Faithfully by Journey. If I’m spent or not even warmed up, I can still sing it. It’s in a nice pocket for me.”
KARA TANAKA
School Counselor, Honolulu
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston. She’s one of my favorite artists, and this song is always so much fun.”
DUSTIN DENIZ
Business Owner, Honolulu
“Jumper from Third Eye Blind or Piano Man by Billy Joel. They’re both fun, good-energy songs and most people know the words so we can all sing along together.”
BROOKE ALCURAN
Teacher, Mānoa
“Crazy by Britney Spears.
I like singing songs that I loved to hear on the radio when I was a kid.”
Something you may not know about me is that I seem to have more female friends than I do guy friends. That’s not by design, it just seems to be a natural ratio in my social envi- ronment. And I’m not complaining, that’s just the way it is.
The other day I received a text notification on my phone. It was a group text initiated by a former Bootcamp friend Cheryl. The others in the group text were Heather, Kim, Rose, Christina, Lisa, Geniver and Ligaya.
That’s right, I was on a group text with eight women! Cher- yl wanted to have a reunion of sorts and meet up for lunch. Suddenly my screen was filled with heart and happy face emojis. I put up the only emoji I ever use — the thumbs up sign.
Ron Nagasawa
Director of Content / Supplement Products
Ginger Keller
Assistant Editor
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta
Senior Staff Writer
Anthony Consillio
Senior Photographer
Dennis Francis
President & Publisher
Dave Kennedy
Chief Revenue Officer
Bill Mossman
Executive Editor
Mark Galacgac
Senior Creative Artist
Darrell Ishida
Creative Artist
Lawrence Tabudlo
Senior Photographer
Nicole Monton
Managing Editor
Don Robbins
Regional Editor
Tasha Mero
Staff Writer
Jocelyn Lansangan
Staff Writer
To Advertise, Contact:
Darin Nakakura / Director of Advertising / dnakakura@staradvertiser.com / (808) 529-4726
www.midweek.com
Telephone for Editorial, Advertising & Distribution: (808) 529-4700
To start/stop delivery or report a service issue, please call (808) 538-6397
MidWeek (USPS 002-949) is published every Wednesday by The Honolulu Star- Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813. Periodicals postage paid at Honolulu, HI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MidWeek, 4545 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, HI 96707.
ILike A Dog Chasing Its Tail
’ve had more clients than usual share their anxiet- ies about the uncertainties in their life. I get it — we all want “insurance” that everything is going
to be OK. But while we consciously know there is no certainty in life, it’s easy to get caught in an unending circle of wanting that which is unattainable.
It’s kind of like a dog chasing his tail. If your mind lives in this dizzying cycle, move out by reminding yourself that life is nothing but a continuum of in- stability. Do your best to relax to the ever-changing nature of life. Easier said than done, I know.
However, you can trust that what got you to today will get you through to tomorrow. The best part is that unexpected support will show up along the way. It always does.
alice@yourhappinessu.com
Cheryl then posed several possible dates: July 17, Aug. 6, Aug. 14, Aug. 19, Aug. 21 or Aug. 28. Each person individ- ually texted back their dates of availability or dates that they couldn’t make it. I would need to make a spreadsheet in order to follow who could or couldn’t go.
After a text thread the length of a college dissertation, we finally settled on a date when we could all make it. Then Cheryl asked everybody, “What time?” That’s about when my head exploded, although because it was lunch, only narrowed down the choices to within four hours.
We settled on 11:15 a.m. Now that the date and time were established, the next order of business was to select a restau- rant. At this point, in exasperation, I texted, “Cheryl, why don’t you choose and that’s what we’ll go with?”
Luckily, we all agreed and Cheryl selected a resort restau- rant in Waikīkī. She was going to call in a reservation when she asked, “Do you guys want to sit indoors or outdoors?” Now nearly unconscious from mental fatigue, I merely texted, “I’ll go with whatever you girls decide.” I love these friends dearly, but no one should have to endure this experience, which rivals waterboarding.
When all was settled, they bid each other goodbye with emojis blowing heart kisses. I could finally get back to work. Just as I put my phone in my pocket, I got another text notifi- cation. It was my wife asking what we should eat for dinner!
rnagasawa@midweek.com