A Proclamation to Do This

It's 11 days into this project and I already want to quit. I have two and a half hours to get this done, I am in the middle of a poker tournament, and I am down for the day so all that doesn't leave me wonderful and relaxed this Friday evening. Blogging every day is tough (which probably explains why so few companies do it, and why professional bloggers work way too hard). I considered dropping down to three times a week, but I don't want to break the rules of the blog or to give up! I can do it! I can commit to blogging for one year and then, measuring the results and hopefully create something really awesome in the process!

Topics, Topics, Topics!

Okay, I am tired of writing about whatever comes to mind because I still don't have any topics to pursue (will fix this weekend!). I'm tired of the stress of having to do my blog post for the day and then putting it off because I don't have anything to write about. Before I know it, there's less than two hours left in the day and I haven't written a single word yet. Oh, and I need to catch up on "The West Wing". But, if I can be as cool as those guys I wouldn't have any problems in the blog (perhaps a good idea for a post or two in the future, but not necessarily for this blog. Sorry to bum you out).

Although, I Have Yet Another Aspiration

If you don't know, Andrew Sullivan is a leading political columnist in this country, most recently writing his column The Daily Dish at the Daily Beast. He's just decided to take his venture solo, charging a $20-a-year subscription fee, and accruing the $900,000 he needs to run his operation for the year in one day. Wowza. Considering that he started his popular column in 2000, it'll take a long time for anyone to replicate such success and to add a personal touch to journalism and to political analysis the way that he does. I really hope to do the same. I don't know if I have the luxury of 10+ years to get it done (Sullivan did get paid to write his column for a long time, and this is still just an experiment) or the time to make something happen (what he's done is nearly impossible to do again), but the personal brand is becoming more and more powerful in today's inter-connected society so the fact that blogging and journalism will rely more and more on the personal brand only makes perfect sense. The real trick will be monetizing the blogging in a way that doesn't wear people ought or force them to write for the hits and the exposure.

If Andrew Sullivan can do it, then anyone can.

I'm Not Going to Quit

I can do this and run my business as well. I can provide substantial content that's of value to people every day, or at least regularly. I have things to say that are meaningful, and are much more than what I did today and what I need to get from the grocery store and how well I am doing at poker (I ended down, but it happens. I got lucky a few more times than I should have). I want to contribute to the dialogue of important issues, and not just tout brands and promote products. I want to write something original, not just rehash old news or comment on what happened or what someone else said. It sounds overwhelming, but I don't think it's too much to ask.

Two Hours Left in the Day

Arrgh! I have two hours left in the day and I have no idea what to write about! I only planned up until yesterday in my editorial calendar, as I blanked on ideas. I've also be blank for the past 30 minutes or so as I tried to come up with something to write about. I've scanned Pinterest and come up with nothing. Came up with an idea earlier today but I'm no longer interested in that idea. Kind of scanned Twitter, but only managed finally to disable to mobile connection between Twitter and my phone. I've gotten tired of it making noise every 10 minutes because someone tweeted or because some people I follow have an automatic response when you follow them.

Finishing this Before Poker

I need to get something done within the next 48 minutes, as I have a poker tournament starting in 48 minutes. Friday is my poker night, as I am working on improving my multi-table tournament abilities in preparation for a big live tournament in mid-April. I want to do well, and my MTT success is nowhere near what I do in sit-n-gos. It's tougher to manage a full ring for a longer period of time, with blinds still rising. It would seem like you are supposed to play tighter for a lot longer, but all of sudden you can't do that when you only have 10 blinds left. But, running hot early can't be the only viable strategy out there. I am studying and practicing to find another way to win (or at least make the money so I have some success rate).

Running with Each Thought

In the sixth grade, it was our homework to write for 10 minutes every day. Sometimes, we got a chance to write in class, and when we couldn't think of anything to write about, our teacher suggested to write about whatever came to mind and to go with that. No filtering, no questions asked, as it was writing time and you were supposed to be writing. I hated it, and would sometimes cheat by writing a short poem because there wasn't a length requirement. But, we did have to show something each day because people were assigned to be homework monitors each week and would check to see if we did our homework. It's funny that I hated the writing then, because I write for a living now. But, at least I get write by choice in that I chose do it for a living, and for the most part I do get to choose what I write about.

Almost Done!

I have 36 minutes left, and I so close to complying with all the rules of this study. This whole thing won't be about doing enough to get by. I'm just doing that for today since it's Friday and I went blank and I don't want to waste my blog post going over what I did today. That's boring. No one cares what I did today, except perhaps the coffee shop/general story I went to this evening. I went there for a cup of coffee, and left with about $25 of snacks. I couldn't help myself, as they had a whole bunch of vegan snacks that looked delicious. So, they would care that I showed up, because I gave them more business than I intended.

Well, that wasn't so bad. Although, I didn't say anything cohesive or groundbreaking. However, not one of the blogging case study rules (I do need to add a few more, which I intend to do this weekend, perhaps tomorrow). Is this post of value? That's debatable. At the very least I would say that it's not boring.

What is Hawaiian? That is the Question

It's Aloha Friday! That means that in preparation for the weekend, I have prepared something a little more historical and intellectual for the blog. Fridays from here on out are reserved for answering questions about Hawaiian history and culture. Today's question asks, What is Hawaiian?. The answers to this question will illustrate what is meant when the word "Hawaiian" is used and delve into some detail of what this word connotates both in the islands and on the mainland. In a future post, I will talk about the history and origin of common Hawaiian icons. But for now, let's talk about the concept of 'Hawaiian'.

So, what is Hawaiian?

The Associated Press Stylebook defines Hawaiians as "members of an ethnic group indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands and are also called Native Hawaiians. Use Hawaii resident or islander for anyone living in the state." This definition is important because AP Style is used by almost every news organization in America. This also means that "Hawai'i" would never appear in the newspaper, except maybe in Hawai'i. I understand that this might mean that the title of the blog is misspelled, but "kawaii" doesn't have an 'okina (the glottal stop symbol that looks like the apostrophe) and I am anal about consistency. I would have to misspell one or the other or else change the name of the blog entirely.

What is a Native Hawaiian? According Section 3, Definitions, of Senate Bill No. 147, March 2005, sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI),

(1) ABORIGINAL, INDIGENOUS, NATIVE PEOPLE. - The term "aboriginal, indigenous, native people" means people whom Congress has recognized as the original inhabitants of the lands that later became part of the United States and who exercised sovereignty in the areas that later became part of the United States.

According to the U.S Census Bureau Demographic Profile, there are over 400,000 Native Hawaiians currently living in the United States. About half of these people live in the state of Hawai'i.

Hawaiian could also refer to the Hawaiian language, one of the two official languages of the state. It was originally an oral language until missionaries in the 19th century created a written form in order to teach Hawaiians the word of the Bible. It's very similar to the Samoan, Tahitian and Marquesian languages. In 2002, the University of Hawaii at Hilo established a masters program in the Hawaiian Language. In fall 2006, they established a doctoral program in the Hawaiian Language. In addition to being the first doctoral program for the study of Hawaiian, it is the first doctoral program established for the study of any native language in the United States of America.

With all this in mind, what does 'Hawaiian' mean to you?