Leaving my cats for even a small amount of time is traumatic for all involved. I'm worrying about what's happening back home... my cats are wondering where I'm at... and Jake is wandering around crying while he looks for me. It's an ordeal.

I try to make things easier on them by having the television turn on and off... and making sure I leave my bed a mess so they can nest in the covers.

And of course I still check in on them via the security system. Make sure they're still eating and getting along okay. When I was on the plane I had nothing to do, so I decided to take a look. The camera in my room was off, so when I turned it back on I woke them up...

I was home four hours later, which made all of us happy.

And speaking of cats, this popped up and was an immediate hit with me...

My cats don't fight much. But it does happen. And when it does it often looks something like this.

Have you ever loathed a company just because they have a horrible logo?

I do it all the time. If you've got a terrible logo, I just assume that the company itself is also terrible, so I avoid it. Unless somebody convinces me otherwise, I'm taking a pass based on aesthetics alone.

One of these companies is Canada's own "The Bay" (AKA "The Hudson's Bay Company"). I'll never forget being in a mall in Canada and coming across this pile of crap...

Now, granted, I'm a graphic designer and have a more critical way of looking at branding... but, yeah, this is atrocious. The "B" that's barely a "B" at all and the mixed typography is just all kinds of nightmare fodder.

Though, to be fair, I think it's leagues better than this shitty Pepsi rebrand from 2008...

What the fuck even is that? Fortunately, Pepsi came to their senses a couple years ago and ditched this abonimation for the classic logo. But the fact that it took them fifteen years to do that is pretty bad.

But anyway, back to The Bay. I found out today that they went bankrupt...

I was about to say "GOOD!" because it meant that I wouldn't have to worry about happening across that truly terrible logo ever again. But then I found out that they did change it to something not shitty in 2012, which I didn't even know.

Oh well.

Guess retail is rough outside the USA too.

Especially when you have a logo which has people actively avoiding your business.

This video is something so powerful, so informational, and so needed, that everybody should watch it. Everybody. I love that it doesn't talk down to you... it just gives you the information you need. And a warning that could save your life...

It does, however, make me want to try heroin... but just once.

I wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something?

My blog regularly gets hacked, despite me paying for security software. My Wordpress installation regularly gets screwed up, despite my not doing anything to cause it. And my hosting service all too often down or, as it is right now, so slow that it won't load before timing out...

So. Nothing gets posted, I guess. When will Dreamhost be back to normal? No idea. Hope nothing amazing happens in my life before then.

I don't like flavored sodas.

Cherry Coke... barf (ANY of those wacky Coke flavors, like "Cosmic," are awful). I did like Coke with Lime, but that was an accent taste... not something trying to take over the flavor.

I think the only truly flavored version of a soda I like is Baja Blast Mountain Dew.

Until now. Because Tropical 7Up? Delicious...

Tastes like POG mixed in 7Up. Love it. Will be very sad when 7UP inevitably discontinues it. I may like this better than regular 7Up Zero.

HBO... also known as "Home Box Office" to people like me who grew up with it... started as a premium channel that you could add to your cable subscription package for an additional fee. It offered movies, specials, and other stuff at a time before VHS video tapes existed. The concept was hugely successful, and so other premium channels followed... Showtime... Cinemax... The Movie Channel... and more.

Over the years HBO has kept up with the times by having a streaming on-demand channel, which was originally called "HBO Now." They also had a version of this for their cable subscribers called "HBO Go." But, in the end, no matter where you went to consume their content, it was still HBO.

But then everything got rolled together and became "HBO Max."

And then something remarkable happened.

HBO, one of the most recognized brands in existence, decided to call themselves "Max."

I have no idea what dumbfuck came up with the idea to bury such a well-known brand by dropping the actual branding from the brand... but it was one of the stupidest advertising decisions I've ever seen. Companies would kill for the brand recognition that HBO had developed over the past 50+ years. They'd kill for it.

And HBO just threw it away.

When I got back from vacation on Saturday I saw a news story which said that "Max" was going to rebrand as "HBO Max" again, because people didn't seem to know what the fuck "Max" was. Which is why I never referred to it as "Max" ever. I always called it "HBO Max" because that way people actually know what the fuck I'm talking about.

I understand better than most that sometimes difficult decisions have to be made and the people in charge have to bite the bullet and make it for better or worse. But you'd think... you'd really think... that they would at least try to educate themselves about the decisions they make to keep from having a painfully obvious fuck-up. Especially when millions of dollars are at stake. "Brand recognition" is not some abstract concept. And anybody who's in charge of making decisions for a company at such a high level as HBO branding should fucking understand that concept.

But they didn't, and HBO paid the price.

Now they're trying to roll back this laughably catastrophic decision in an attempt to salvage the brand that they tossed in the trash.

Well, good luck with that.

Fortunately for them there were people like me who were ignoring their whole "Max" fiasco and keep the brand alive on their behalf (and I'm not alone... a lot of people and media outlets continued to call it "HBO" long after it had been rebranded). The problem for HBO (or, more accurately, their owner, Warner Bros. Discovery) are people during the past two years who don't know what the fuck "HBO" is because they've ever known the service as "Max."

And don't even get me started on the fifty buckets of stupid that is the name "Warner Bros. Discovery." Jesus. Who the fuck gives a shit about Discovery? Why rename your entire company to add something that has ridiculously poor brand recognition? The channel is still "Discovery" so what the fuck does that have to do with Warner Bros.?!? God... I just... HEY, DUMBASSES, I CAN CONSULT WITH YOUR BRANDING FOR FAR LESS MONEY THAT YOU'RE LOSING WITH ALL THESE SHITTY DECISIONS! CALL ME!

I may be back from a few days vacation and mentally preparing myself to return to work, but the bullets cannot be stopped... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Andor! The first thing I did after getting home from vacation was take a nap. I had been up for 23 hours and needed sleep. The second thing I did? Watch the final three episodes of Andor...

And, yes, this is officially the best thing to ever come out of Star Wars in my humble opinion. So as not to spoil anything, I'll wait a while before breaking down my thoughts (and I do have them). Suffice to say that you should watch this. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not.

   
• Murdery Goodness! The second thing I watched? Murderbot on AppleTV+. I was surprised that they are deviating from the excellent source material like they are... but I don't hate it. The show is just a separate thing. Not always in a bad way. Especially with the opening credits, which looks like it was made with dolls...

I can see where some diehard fans of the books will not like it, but I still think it's worth a watch.

   
• Super! The final Superman trailer has dropped...

This looks so good. I may actually end up in the theater for this one.

   
• Blast From the Past! Something that got brought to my attention... somebody has an old Blogography Bad Monkey hat for sale on eBay...

Wasn't expecting that! And $25... I think I sold them for half that?

   
• Duke's! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't have lunch at Duke's, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

That Falafel Sandwich was ever so dreamy!

   
• Puka Dog! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't grab a Puka Dog, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

I mean, yeah, it's called "Hula Dog" outside of Kauai now, but it's still a delicious veggie Puka Dog.

   
• Maters! When I got home, I noticed that tomatoes were starting to grow on my AeroGarden. At last...

I'm still not convinced that AeroGarden is feasible for anything but herbs, but here we are.

   
And now? Back to my post-vacation blues.

I was gone less than a week. Do you think when I walked through the door my cats acted like it was less than a week? Oh heck no. Jake wouldn't even let me set down my bags before crying to be petted.

And of course since it's prime shedding season, the house was covered in cat hair. Right now I'm vacuuming almost daily. And of course I wasn't here to Furminator the cats. Well, one of them anyway. Jake refuses to be Furminated, and will "bite" me if I attempt it... but, as I mentioned, Jenny loves it so much that she would happily let me brush all her hair off her body.

So when I called her to get brushed, she came running. Jake did too, but only to supervise...

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to terrorize my cats by firing up the vacuum cleaner. Again.

Aulani is a beautiful resort which strives to feel authentically Hawai‘ian in many ways. But because it is a Disney property, it is built with their movies and shows in mind to make it a destination that's uniquely theirs and worth a visit for their fans.

As you might guess, Lilo & Stitch is a big part of the intellectual property littered throughout the property. Stitch and Angel make regular appearances...

As does the title character from Moana, which is where you'll find the most stunningly authentic-looking film-to-screen representation of a cartoon character you'll ever see, because... holy crap...

Now here's where things get interesting.

Many people do not know about Mickey Mouse's teddy bear "Duffy." He was a gift from Minnie Mouse to keep Mickey from getting lonely when he's traveling the world. I know about Duffy because he's the signature character at Tokyo Disney Sea theme park (across from Tokyo Disneyland). I'm not kidding when I say that Duffy is at least as popular as Mickey Mouse there. Walking through the park it's all-Duffy all the time. He's everywhere.

My mom collected teddy bears and fell in love with Duffy after I brought her a small plush souvenir from one of my trips to Japan. He's never been very popular with Americans, but Duffy does appear at the USA parks anyway to appeal to visitors from Asia. My mom got to meet him a couple times when I took her along on work trips to Orlando and Los Angeles...

Because Hawai‘i is such a big tourist destination for Asia, Aulani has appearances by Duffy and ShellieMay (Minnie's teddy bear)...

But the signature Duffy character at Aulani is Olu Mel, the turtle. He was created specifically for Aulani, but can be found at the Disney parks in Asia too...

The line to visit him is long... packed with Duffy super-fans who may very well have come to Aulani just to see where Olu Mel came from...

A huge part of the entertainment for me came from the many art installations around the resort. There's a lot of it, and you could probably spend an entire day walking through every floor and the grounds trying to see it all...

Hey... Look at That! It's Maui's Magical Hook!

Other than the beach itself, the resort has plenty of water-based entertainment... pools, kiddie splash areas (including the terrific Menehune Bridge), and a lazy river, of course. Though too many people are hanging on a tube and practically running around the route. Which is kind of frustrating for people who just want to be lazy and float in the sun because you're constantly having to move out of their way...

There's also a couple water slides that go through lava tubes in the volcano that's in the middle of the resort. One for people and another for people on tubes...

Disney sells "MagicBands" at their parks and cruise ships that you can wear to open your room/cabin door, pay for purchases, and interact with stuff. You can also buy/use MagicBands at Aulani for the same purpose. Alas, there's not many interactive elements to be found and they are really difficult to activate. The biggest is the main lobby where a bird lights up on the floor and magical raindrops appear to hit the ground. Outside there's a hole in a rock where an owl lives... and a magical rock where a turtle appears when you wave a MagicBand over it...

It would be nice if Disney were to make these interactions work more easily and consistently, and had a lot more of them. Otherwise it's pretty tough to recommend buying a MagicBand except for the convenience of opening your hotel room door and paying for stuff.

Disney provides a bunch of free activities throughout the day. There's walking tours for art, wildlife, culture, and the resort design... fire pit storytelling... ‘ukulele lessons... etc. In addition, there's plenty of traditional free activities to be found. Ping pong, cornhole, crafts, boogie boards, and the like.

But there's also some "premium experiences" that are paid activities. Like yoga lessons on the beach. You can feed fish, snorkel, or even scuba dive at Rainbow Reef. You can take a painting classes. You can design your own Mickey ears. You can learn to mix cocktails. You can rent a cabana. You can go for a boat ride. And of course you can visit the pricey spa.

Overall there's plenty to do at the resort if relaxing on the beach is too boring for you (which was pretty much all I did, other than eat, during my first two stays). And, naturally, the rest of the island is there for you to explore... something I'd highly recommend. Just be warned that if you rent a car, parking is something like $40 a day at Aulani. If you're only running into Honolulu once or twice, it might be better to take a shuttle from the airport and use Über (the nearest bus stop is at least a mile from Aulani).

Ultimately, the high cost makes Aulani out of reach for most people. And I honestly don't know that I'd recommend it given the many, many other options on Oahu that are far cheaper. But if you're a Disney super-fan with money to burn, it's an experience that's tough to beat.

Disney's Aulani Resort on Oahu has plenty of dining options, and there's always at least one "plant-based" option on the menus for vegans and vegetarians, so you won't starve if you share my dietary choices. Furthermore, service is impeccable everywhere you go. Even at the one bad food experience I had, the server was beyond great. Food, generally is pretty darn expensive, but worth the price. You're paying to stay inside the Disney Bubble here, but I think that they put in the effort to at least give you some value for the money.

Here are the restaurant options I saw while visiting for my all-too-brief stay.

‘AMA‘AMA — 5 course, $130 (not including drinks)
Insanely expensive, but some of the best food you'll eat with service and views to match (we had a beach-view table). I started with a Waipoli Greens Salad, substituted the Ginger Chickpea Spread for the mushroom appetizer I couldn't eat, had a Local Vegetable Fricassee for my entrée, then the Pineapple Tart for dessert. Everything was perfect except reservations. I booked through the app at the only date and time available... 8:00pm on Wednesday, then saw it in my future plans. Before I left for Hawai‘i, I got a "Robo-Caller" call that I didn't pick up. Once I listened to the voicemail from ‘AMA‘AMA wanting confirmation, I immediately called back and confirmed. At which point my reservation disappeared. I eventually confirmed at the desk that my reservation had been canceled with no explanation, but got them to re-activate it. Finally stopped by the concierge desk because the reservation never appeared after too many shenanigans, and they got me a new reservation at 6:00pm for the same day (out of pity, I'm guessing). This nonsense was unacceptable, even though it resulted in a better time. Phenomenal experience though. You may even get an adorable teeny-tiny gecko friend to join you...

Makahiki — 3 course, $80 (not including drinks)
The only disappointment during my stay. My starter of a Roasted Tomato Soup was excellent. My dessert of Warm Mickey Brownies was great. But my entrée of Vegan Sausage Pasta? Inedible. Not even joking. No idea if it was cooked wrong or what, but the vegan pasta was tough, bone-dry, and gummy like glue. The sausage was rubber. Horrific. Could not believe it was served to me. Furthermore, when it comes to the view you can't see much past the greenery, so it wasn't as nice as what you could get elsewhere. Maybe the Character Breakfasts are good, but I would only eat here if you're not vegetarian.

The ‘Ōlelo Room — Price Varies
Gorgeous, intimate bar off of neighboring Makahiki. The malasadas donuts at breakfast were the best on the island I've had outside of Leonard's. But it's the drinks that are out of this world. We put ourselves in the hands of master mixologist, Aukai, who started with a menu drink... then took us on a custom cocktail journey built around the alcohol we started with. Two nights of some of the best-crafted cocktails I've ever had. Highest possible recommendation, but prepared to keep coming back and spending way more money than you plan because it's that good.

Off the Hook — Price Varies
This is a poolside and ocean-view bar which serves elevated bar food. Lunches are great. Plant-Based Burger ($23) is much better than average. Drinks are tasty.

KA WA‘A, A Lū‘au — Buffet, $190 (general seating) or $219 (preferred seating)
The Polynesian Cultural Center has what's probably the best lū‘au on the island of Oahu, but it's produced by The Mormons, so no alcohol is served. The entire point for me is getting plowed on unlimited cocktails which, surprisingly, Disney has available at Aulani. What they also have is a beautiful show that feels respectful to the art of hula, albeit with a small amount of Mickey and Minnie injected, which is a little inappropriate(?). I've done this lū‘au before but, not surprisingly, I don't remember much about the food. This time I can confirm that the food was pretty darn good for a lū‘au! And there was enough vegetarian options to satisfy me too. The price is crazy-high, but the production values are top-notch and more kid-friendly.

Ulu Cafe — Price Varies
This is a "grab-and-go" cafe/market which also has pizzas that are surprisingly good quality. My 12-inch Cheese Pizza had tasty sauce and a great crust. Don't know that it's worth the $20 price tag, but it's one of the cheaper meals at the resort.

Little ‘Opihi's — Price Varies
This is a beach-side stand that serves Pineapple Dole Whip or Pineapple Dole Whip swirled with Vanilla Soft Serve ($8). What can I say, it's awesome.

Mama's Snack Shop and Pāpālua Shave Ice — Price Varies
Just cute little snack shops with fries ($8) or other fried snacks like fish or chicken ($20) or shave ice ($8) in the pool area. I wasn't here long enough to eat at either, unfortunately, but the shave ice is in the shape of Mickey Mouse, so how bad can it be?

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is eat. Disney's Aulani Resort makes it worth the trip if you don't look at the prices until you get back.

To be continued. Tomorrow I'll look at the entertainment at Aulani.