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What movies would make your all-time list?

by Catherine Toth on December 2, 2013 in Musings, The Daily Dish

I found a website called List Challenges that has lists of everything from the the Top 50 Best Books for Kids to the 83 Desserts To Try Before You Die. You click on the ones you’ve seen or the places you’ve been to, then you post your score to Facebook for others to see.

The one I did recently — and was thoroughly depressed about — was the Top 250 Movies of All Time. I saw only 97 of them. That’s pretty pathetic.

I thought about why I haven’t seen more movies. All I can think of is that in the last few years I’ve given up on going to the movie theater — too expensive, takes too long, I don’t like sticky theater floors — and I never seem to have a couple of hours to spare to watch Netflix. (I’ve had “Crazy, Stupid, Love” for something like five months.)

But that’s no excuse.

Some of these movies are classics like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” And others are just cult favorites such as “Pulp Fiction,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Princess Mononoke.” And still others are quasi-new like “Inglourious Basterds” and “Intouchables.”

Sadly, of the ones I just mentioned, I’ve only seen three.

The list was interesting, to say the least. There were horror films, animated movies, romantic comedies, dramas, even sequels.

Check it out.

What movies would make your all-time list?

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Make it Thanksgiving every day

by Catherine Toth on November 28, 2013 in Musings, The Daily Dish

Today is the day we all reflect on the things we’re thankful for. It could be as mundane as indoor plumbing or as meaningful as the health of the people we love.

This has been a trying year for me, and I’m thankful to just have made it through. But I’ve been blessed with so much, too, from friends who are always up for a gabfest at a new ramen shop to the sudden recovery of a nagging lower back injury. I’ve gotten to travel to five foreign countries, interview celebrity chefs and professional surfers, crew on the Hōkūleʻa, hike, surf and spend time with my dogs. I’m healthy, I’ve got the best landlords, I have medical insurance — life is good.

But here’s the thing: we shouldn’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to think about the things we normally take for granted.

It’s good that we have days like this. (I feel the same way about Valentine’s Day, too, that we shouldn’t wait until February 14 to do something special for your loved ones.) It’s a great reminder of what’s important — namely, family, friends, healthy and happiness. But we should count our blessings every day. Because like is finicky and unpredictable. You just never know what will happen tomorrow.

So enjoy today. Eat too much and don’t check your emails. Lay around the house and just watch football. Screw the chores and the laundry and just relax. And be thankful you can do that today.

Because Christmas is 27 days away, and you’ll likely not have this chance again!

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It’s officially time to freak out

by Catherine Toth on November 25, 2013 in Musings, The Daily Dish

Today is Nov. 25.

That means it’s exactly one month until Christmas.

Yes, you may scream now.

So when did that happen? When did it suddenly become Christmas? I remember seeing decorated trees and holiday gift packs on display right around Halloween and thinking, “Uh, hello, Christmas isn’t for another two months.”

Then, bam. It’s here.

Normally, I’m done with my Christmas shopping by November. (Yes, I’m one of those.) But this year, I don’t know what happened. It’s not like I’ve been busier than usual — though if you follow me on Instagram, you might disagree. But maybe I’ve just kept thinking that Christmas was still a ways off.

Now it’s right around the proverbial corner.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t bought a single gift yet. Not one. I’ve written out my gift list and planned a couple of Christmas parties — poorly, I might add — but that’s about it.

I had major anxiety last night about it, too. I got up at around 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling fan and wondering, “What am I going to do?” In my mind, it’s already too late to order gifts online — not true — and I’m a huge Christmas failure — that’s debatable. Now I’ll have to brave the crowds at the mall, buying more gifts than I probably need and spending way too much money.

Am I alone in this — or are you freaking out, too?

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Lessons I’ve learned from riding the bus

by Catherine Toth on November 18, 2013 in Adventures, Musings, The Daily Dish

Last week I got around on one of the nation’s best public bus systems.

And it was interesting to say the least.

I saw former students and ex-coworkers riding TheBus. I sat alongside folks heading to work, to the mall, to school, to the grocery store. Some knew the driver — one guy actually stood next to the driver and talked with him for the entire ride — and others, mostly tourists, had never been on the city bus before. There were professionals going to their offices in downtown, kids going to the beach, couples going home.

And then there was me.

The girl who got a ticket for not having a current safety check or registration and was too paranoid to drive until she got all of that squared away.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this mode of transportation and the culture that surrounds it. People catch the bus for a variety of reasons. Some believe in public transportation, some think it’s a greener way to get around. Some can’t afford cars, some aren’t old enough to drive. And there are others who prefer the convenience of not having to drive or look for parking.

I will say, getting around on the bus isn’t as difficult as it may seem to those who haven’t hopped on one lately. I mean, 75.5 million boardings every year must mean something.

But I couldn’t survive on TheBus alone. For one, I can’t take my dogs on it, so that makes going hiking and to the vet impossible. And I have to jet to appointments, meetings and interviews all the time, sometimes on very short-notice, and getting around on the bus would be challenging.

So I rushed to get the safety check and registration squared away — I also had to replace a tail light — just so I could use my car again.

But I don’t regret the week without my wheels. I learned a lot.

Here are some of those lessons:

• HEA is awesome. TheBus has a very helpful, real-time website that tells you exactly when each bus is stopping at whatever bus stop you’re at. Oahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus, launched this bus-located site several years ago. It tracks Global Positioning System (GPS) devices on each bus and updates every two minutes with a bus’ estimated arrival time at a particular stop. I lived by that!

• Bus passes aren’t prorated. It cost $60 for a monthly pass for an adult — it’s less for students, seniors and members of the military. I walked into 7-Eleven to inquire about a monthly pass, but it was already the middle of November. The cashier said I would still have to pay the entire $60 for the pass even though it was only good for two weeks. Good to know.

• Stand up to get noticed. I made the mistake of not standing up at the bus stop when the bus arrived. I was still sitting, putting away my Kindle, when I saw the bus approaching. I suppose because I wasn’t standing up, the bus driver just drove past without stopping. I had to wait for the next bus. Now I know better.

• There’s no Internet on TheBus. As far as I know, there’s no free Wifi onboard. Which is too bad, especially for foreign travelers. (I know how important free Wifi is when I’m traveling abroad.)

• Sit forward. If you’re prone to motion sickness, pick a seat that faces forward. The side-facing seats can make you feel sick. (I learned this from experience.)

• You still sit in traffic. Just because you’re using public transportation doesn’t mean you get anywhere faster. The bus stops more often than you would in your car, and you still sit in the same traffic. So you still have to plan out your trip factoring in those things. Mass transit rail will be different. But until then, this is it.

In all, I’m glad I did it, even if just for a week. It made me realize there are other ways to get around — and despite how much I love to actually drive my own car, it was nice ego sit back, relax and read my Kindle on the way to work.

I don’t think I’d ditch my car, but don’t be surprised if you see me on the bus again.

To learn more about Honolulu’s public bus system or to find routes and timetables, call (808) 848-5555 or visit www.thebus.org.

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