R U Larla?...

Folks, it's that time again...Time for everybody's favorite show...The show that asks "do you want MY life?"...Yup!...It's time for..."Who's Jealous Now?!"...Today's challenge deals with my recent mini-vacation to Sadie's by the Sea, a local island hotel...As you can see in the evidence above, I was in a sort of heaven while there...Me with my Diet Pepsi, my book, the beautiful beach and warm breeze was amazingly wonderful...I was in a tropical paradise...A peaceful, soothing, seaside dream...Made real, of course...So, I now must ask everybody the million dollar question...If you answer it correctly, you may be the winner of "Who's Jealous Now?!"...Lets get down to it...I ask you..."Who's Jealous Now?!"...Come on, be honest...Especially you Wisconsin cats...Do you just wanna strangle me and my South Pacific mini-vacation?...Do you wanna rub my face in freezing ice snow?...R U Larla?...(That's a popular phrase among fafafines...It means "Are you jealous?")...Be careful...It's worth a million dollars and the title of winning America's favorite gameshow..."Who's Jealous Now?!"...




Anyways, sup everybody?...I didn't mean to sound like a jerk...But I do feel damn lucky that I got to go on such a nice mini-vacation...You see, me and the boys went to the hotel last weekend because it was only $49.95 a night...It was a Valentine's Day Special...Usually the rooms cost about $120 a night...So, it was an awesome deal...I told the Fuamination that we couldn't pass this special by...We actually stayed two nights and it was absolutely fantastic...We had air conditioning, a hot shower, and cable...Oh, and did I mention this gorgeous, secluded, calm blue beach?...This blog has pictures of our Fuamination Vacation...And I'll probably further describe how lovely the weekend was...You know, just to rub in it your sad, cold lil' faces some more ;-)

By the way, go back and enjoy that first image that opens this blog entry...I swear, it was my heaven...I ordered a delicious burger and a Diet Pepsi and read my book and enjoyed the view as the boys played video games in the room...I literally sat there and didn't take a second for granted...I felt incredibly lucky to be there...And although I am constantly missing the Wisconsin snow and cool weather, I did not want to wish to be anywhere else...This moment with my Diet Pepsi was perfect...And the grass wasn't greener on any other side...Except for my side...Well, I suppose the grass could've been even greener on my side...A Diet COKE would've made it a tad bit greener...

We rented these Kayaks...And it was a blast, man...The boys loved 'em...They got to boat around the entire Pago Pago harbor...None of the boys had ever been able to do that before...In fact, none of the boys had ever stayed at Sadie's before...Sadie's by the Sea is a somewhat famous hotel on the island, which I'll explain in a moment...As I was saying, these Kayaks were a lot of fun...Once again, I felt blessed to be paddling around in the ocean with the fuams...Sure, I could be sledding or ice skating in Wisconsin, but at least I don't get frost bite here in American Samoa...The ocean was warm and wonderful...And the mountains surrounding us were majestic and mesmerizing as always...

Sadie's by the Sea actually has a rich history here in American Samoa...But since I'm not a History buff, I'm not going to go into details...Essentially, Sadie Thompson is a legendary, mysterious woman who arrived in Pago Pago in 1916...Her story, made famous by Sumerset Maugham in his short story "Rain", is highly debated...Was she a real woman?...Or a figment of Sumerset's imagination?...Well, they say Sadie Thompson ran a prostitution house called The Sadie Thompson Inn in Pago Pago...This establishment is still open...'Cept there's no hookers now...It's just a fancy restaurant...Supposedly, she fell in and outta love with a missionary who wanted her to leave Samoa for a normal life in the U.S....Or something like that...There's been movies and plays and songs written about this woman...She's kinda magical here...And, heck, she even has a hotel named after her...Here's some links if you wanna do some research...

http://sadieshotels.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadie_Thompson

Wanna hear a soon-to-be #1 smash?...It's the first Fuamination Production...It's a tight jam called "Faipapa'u"...Notice the guy who is repeating the title of the song over and over again...That's me...You can also hear Sammy, Toetu, and John...Sole, we rock dis rock!...Oh, and there's a clip of Tim's Birthday, too...Another Fuamination Birthday has come and passed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnvNELf-tlA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nlaM00CFE0

My Top Five Obsession of the Week:

5. Survivor: Fans Vs Favorites = I'm not quite sure if the premise is promising...I mean, I kinda like seeing new players and their reactions to the harsh island conditions...But, on the other hand, I want Cirie to take it all the way home this time...You go girl!...

4. Alicia Keys = If you don't love the song "No One" you must be a communist!...Her "Like You'll Never See Me Again" is a future hit, too...And "Lesson Learned" with John Mayer is smooth, jazzy, and gorgeous...

3. 3:10 to Yuma = A bloody, intense Western now on video...Can a father hold on to his values during a time of violence, chaos, and evil?...Well, you'll have to find out...This cowboy's journey is one helluva ride...

2. America's Next Top Model = It's back!...Hallelujah!...And I pray to the Lord that Tyra has another explosion like this again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29SuuEKztPc&feature=related

1. Lifetime Movies = While the boys and I were chillaxin' in our air conditioned hotel room, we sat and watched a marathon of Lifetime Movies...Yes, a bunch of guys watched a bunch of made-for-women, chick flick dramas...We watched "Too Young to be a Mom" (about a teenage couple who find themselves knocked up!) and "Girl Positive" (about a teenage girl who discovers she has HIV!)...And we couldn't take our eyes off of it...Forget ESPN...These films were riveting!...

I'm teaching a Drama course right now at Tafuna High School...It's been a fun class to teach...We pretty much do different acting and performance activities everyday...Well, here are a couple of clips from these "Whose Line Is It Anyway"-like games...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JPzbG4iExY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXzfk4NLZic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODREZ1-oa04

The Seniors are beginning to practice their songs for their graduation ceremony at the end of May...I've already gotten misty eyed during these practices, listening to my students sing...Even though I'm hella bored with the island and I'm thrilled to come home, I am still gonna be devastated when I leave this place...And saying "goodbye" to these kids who I have taught and learned from for the past two years will be bittersweet...Although, their graduation will be nothing but a celebration...The following is a clip of their inspired, powerful voices...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVQzPHebIg

Okay...I gotta go...Sorry for the boring post...I didn't really have anything to discuss...I think I have officially run dry on ideas...I've been on this island for too long...And judging from the comments on my last blog entry, I'm guessin' y'all are runnin' low on ideas, too...So, are you guys jealous?...Do you hate me?...Do you wish you were me?...Or are you happy in that miserable ice and depressing snow?!...(I know...I'm evil...But you'll forgive!)...And do you have any obsessions this week?...Are you diggin' Survivor?...And what's your favorite Lifetime Movie?...Give us the title...The titles are the best part!...

Love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"My, my, doesn't the world look fresh and clean today. Look at that sky, as if not a thing was going on under it."

-from 1953's Miss Sadie Thompson