Dave Hakes' – Island Mode

Friday, we went out (the whole fam) for my sons B-Day.  We came home just after sunset, and as we were turning from Piilani Hwy to N.Kihei Rd I started rolling my window up and told everyone else to do the same.  They did, looking at me strangely (I’m always hot, so they knew something funky was about to happen)…

I said, “Look into the headlights of the oncoming traffic.”  Everyone did, and all they could see was bugs.

Then I said, “Look to the sides of the road.  See those baby tornados?  Those are bugs too.”  Everyone looked and started grossing out – my wife, her sister, and our three kids…

At that time the bugs started hitting the windshield and everyone really started grossing out – my wife realized why the front of my truck now was full of bugs and I never bothered washing it.  I drive this route, at this time of day, at least 3 times a week…

Anyway, all of that to setup what happened to me the next day (Saturday).  Everyone in the fam had been sick throughout the last week, I finally woke up with a sore throat and minor “chills” on Saturday morning.  I went to work – we had a setup for a fairly good sized show that I was TD’ing and had to call Sunday morning (so I had to be there).  05:00-19:00, so long day while being sick – but we got it done.  Totally needing a bed, and feeling like crap, I headed home…

While at the light from Piilani Hwy to N. Kihei Rd, a convertible pulled up next to me (obviously a tourist couple going to Lahaina).  I stuck my head out and told them, “the sun is down, you may want to put that top up on this road.”  They totally gave me attitude, so I decided not to tell them why…

I didn’t want to be behind them, so I sped up to get in front of them…

Seriously, without a doubt, one of the funniest moments of my life!  In my rear view mirror I’m watching this guy swerve all over the place and his wife’s hands going nuts getting the bugs out of her hair…

At the end of the road, we were both waiting to turn (me right, and them left).  I looked over at them.  Never have I seen such a funny sight!  I can’t even explain it to you.  They both looked at me, tears in their eyes, they and their car covered in bugs, all I said was, “The only smart thing you did in the last 5 minutes was to not stop.  Have a nice night!”

Talk about cheering me up.  I was laughing all the way home!  Couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple – they really were rude when I tried to warn them…

Never has payback been so immediate, and so funny!

Just backed up my “iTunes”.  I actually have it on an external HD because it’s too big (850 GB).  

439 movies @ 390 GB

1,119 individual shows @ 432 GB (that’s 75+ Seasons of various TV Shows)

The rest is music…

Very glad to have a backup of it all – I was freaking out for a week or so.  That was a lot of work…

Just noticed that the numbers are below – sorry about the redundancy there people!  May have been bragging a bit…

Just got another Terabyte HD – my two 500 GB HD’s both died last week. I was using them to backup my 1 Terabyte “iTunes” HD. Normally, one wouldn’t care – but I spent a lot of time converting all my DVD’s (both movies and TV shows) and VHS tapes into mp4’s that I could then put in iTunes and sync with my iPod and iPhone…

I don’t wanna do that again – took a few years. So I’m backing it up to another HD the same size…

If you had 432 GB of TV Shows and 390 GB if movies on one device, with no backup, you would be nervous too…

Quite funny…

Not sure what to think about it yet…

Probably should actually get there first…

Not looking forward to the bumpy plane ride – there’s a high-wind advisory tomorrow (50 mi/hr winds) so we may not be going anywhere…

Whatever…

I saw the about half the local A/V talent in the GW ballroom yesterday.  It was strange to be in the same room with all of them and not have a ton of stuff to do (I really wanted to jump up and start working).  It was a two stage setup with one in Hale II & III and the other in Hale IV and V, both stages facing Hale I.  It’s only been about a month, but I already miss doing shows like that (a “real” show).

Funny thing happened midday in the office.  We were going through a coming breakout in Hale IV and the tech team was calling it a GS (General Session), but as I looked at the gear and size of the show I just called it a breakout.  They kept calling it GS, and I know that’s what it was, but my brain works by gear – and the gear in that room is just a breakout.  I know it’s a GS to the client, but for setup and strike purposes it’s just a breakout.  I didn’t want to get in a semantic argument, so I just said, “anything smaller than Hale I, II, III, IV, and V put together is just a breakout in my brain.”  Just wanted to end it, ya know?

Then my A/V Coordinator said something funny (I like her, she’s quick) to make sure it ended.  She said, “man! your hardcore about a few things! this is called this cause I’m Dave!”.  Anyway, it was funnier to be there…

The whole thing left my brain until I was going around talking to “da boys” in the ballroom, on my way out for the day;  I realized that if you ask any one of them they would have called it a breakout too…  

Although, I am probably the breakout king of Maui, I love doing “shows.”  They’re in my blood.  I hope I get to jump on some (or hope my team sells some) soon – I don’t wanna lose “it” for lack of using “it”, ya know?