10/10/00:

"Hi Everybody:

Actually I can't believe how much I love it here, and how wonderful it is to be where I am in life right now. I am taking a class in Coral Reef Naturalist Training; learning Japanese (believe it or not, I am actually getting pretty good at it); learning to kayak; have my own horse (a chocolate palomino Morgan with a flaxen (white) mane and tail and am taking horseback riding lessons; and also am doing Masters swim workouts. It just doesn't get any better. But I know all good things must end, so when the downside comes, I will definitely remember all this great shit."

10/16/00:

"Just found about 8 different versions of Witchi Tai To on Macster (Mac version of Napster) this morning - made my day. Even included a long 8 minute version I had never heard before, and the original we first played on BCN with Jim Pepper as part of a group called Everything is Everything."

12/28/00:

"Here I am, still in Hawaii - about 6 thousand miles away from Boston. I'm still not homesick yet, contrary to everyone's predictions. As a matter of fact, I'm busier now than I've ever been in my life. I just added an Italian class to my schedule because the family will be going to Italy and Sicily in the spring. So that means I am currently taking lessons in Japanese, Spanish, Italian, humpback whale research and kayaking. I just finished a course in reef ecology, so that I can identify all that stuff underneath me when I'm snorkeling. 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and that 2001 (the true millennium) will be even greater. I mean how can we lose: the Patriots get the No. 5 draft pick, the Red Sox have finally replaced Mo Vaughn, and it looks like Florida is going to get some new voting machines.

I haven't seen a whale yet, but everyone says that this is the time of year when they come south from Alaska to mate and give birth. I'll keep you all posted. Please don't hate me because I'm warm."

January 17, 2001: 

"It was a beautiful Wednesday morning. We got into the clear, emerald-green water down at one of the beaches off Makena (mah-KENN-a). There were three of us in small, ocean-worthy, single-seat kayaks known as scuppers. Twenty minutes later, about three miles out, we spotted two geysers (a big one and a smaller one) less than 200 yards away. What a rush! I knew that they were spouts of air, and that I was about to see my first whales ever. 

As we got closer, a two or three-ton baby calf whale jumped up out of the ocean, followed less than 20 seconds later by a humungous dark-gray/white humpback, probably 40 feet long. She soared majestically out of the calm ocean, breaching half way into the air, and then - almost in slow motion - the mother whale hit the water and disappeared.

From the classes I have been taking, I knew that the pair would be coming up again soon: When these mammals are first born, they need to be taught how to breathe by their mother, and so must come up every few minutes to get air, until they learn how to stay underwater for much longer periods of time. Sure enough, we watched for several hours, as the whales came up, breaching and slapping the water every ten or twelve minutes - frolicking around us in the beautiful ocean off Maui. The noises they made were breathtaking: splashing over and over in the waves, water snorting out of their blow-holes - it sounded like 10 or 12 horses coming toward us on the "western plains". We could also hear "singing" coming from underneath the water - it was like the haunting sound that must have made wandering sailors think they were hearing beautiful mermaids in the middle of the ocean on those long and lonely voyages hundreds of years ago. 

All in all, it was a great experience, as I'm sure you can guess. Since that day, I am almost feeling spoiled, because I have been going out by myself and seeing - not only whales - but dolphins, porpoises and giant turtles as well. 

Ah, yes! When I left Boston, all my friends were betting heavily that I would be back within six months - bored out of my brains. I can't begin to describe how much I love it out here - I just pray that I can savor this for at least 40 more years. ("good Lord willing and there ain't no meltdown.") 

Which reminds me - I just heard that we lost Marty Sender, Andy Moes and a former co-worker of mine, Deirdre O'Donohue (ex-BCN Music Director, and more recently west-coast jock). That is sad. They will be sorely missed by all of us - their friends, fans and colleagues.

-c 

Talk to you all again next time. Be well, and (now that football season is over) go find a great and fruitful way to pass the time until the fall of 2001. Hey, notice how these "updates" get further and further apart? I think I love it out here a real lot!"

Summer, 2001:

"It is time to start moving in the directions that I need to go in, without making any more excuses, or procrastinating any longer. Since moving to Hawaii permanently, I have taken steps toward achieving the goals I ultimately want to attain. I have been fairly successful at learning Japanese. (I'm up to CD 8 in Japanese 1 set) I will continue with that, will be signing up for a basic course in Italian here at U. Of Hawaii in Maui. I am starting an intensive course in Mandarin Chinese as well. This Sunday am entered into a Maui 1.8 mile "Roughwater Ocean Swim" race, and should do much better this year than I did back in August because I've been practicing three times a week. As far as horseback riding, well - click here and you'll see why it seems now to be only an occasional event. 

Let me write down all my goals as clearly as I can, and report on my progress of each one so far: 

1) Swimming B+
2) Kayaking B
3) Typing C+
4) Japanese B-
5) Italian C 
6) Chinese (too soon to tell- looks like an exciting challenge)
7) Fish and Coral Identification B
8) Eating and Food Management C+
9) Weight Management B (almost down to high school weight of 167) 
10) Willpower and Discipline (stopped red meat again - think I can make it this time)
11) Exercise Machines (stairmaster and rowing machine) B

more later..."

Charles with guests Julie and Simon's baby girl, Meredith
(click to enlarge pic)

August, 2001...This is a rough transcript of a conversation that ensued between Charles and Tai and Steve recently on WZLX:

Tai/Steve: What are you doing with your life?

Charles: Well, I've always been a strong believer in marine mammal reproductive rights-- that's why I manually masturbate humpback whales for artificial insemination.

I tried for a job at Kmart, but they had a big sign that said, "former left-wing disc jockeys need not apply." So I got a gig doing KostCo appearances as Poi Boy. All I have to do is stand near the Frozen Foods section dressed as a giant taro plant, and ask shoppers passing-by to "sample my root".

Beachcombing is always a good hobby-- you'd be surprised at how much stuff drops out of people's pockets at the beach: change, jewelry... It's even MORE surprising the stuff you find at Little Beach (It's the nude beach out here): sheets of toilet paper, small furry animals... (okay, that's gross...sorry)

Tai/Steve: Are you doing any of your typical Charles "liberal" political stuff?

Charles: I was upset about the environmental problems here with them burning sugar cane, so I decided to join one of those eco-terrorist groups---- they kicked me out when I pointed out the grammatical errors in their manifesto.

Tai/Steve: We heard rumors that you were learning all these languages...

Charles: I've always wanted to learn foreign languages.. I'm starting with Esperanto. Actually I'm learning Italian, Japanese and -no kidding- Mandarin Chinese. I've got one of those language CDs- been working on saying, "excuse me" for three weeks now...but I'll get it- I have lots of time...

Tai/Steve: Doing any local participation-volunteer work?

Charles: I sometimes volunteer teaching Zen Hula to hip-replacement patients. We just put on grass skirts, and think: "sway".

I'm working on a TV pilot about this neighborhood watch group in a Maui retirement community. It's called Hawaii Seven-Oh "<kerrrsht> You - on the Lark - pull over, by cracky!"

No, actually I'm having such a blast. Being brought up working-class, blue-collar, Italian Catholic - I feel guilty about my situation- like I should just give away all my worldly possessions, and take my family to live on the streets in Pakistan.

Tai/Steve: Any bad news?

Charles: Just found out that I have ADHD. Had it all those years in Boston. Never knew why I couldn't learn anything. Couldn't focus long enough to memorize anything. But what's great about having Attention Deficit Disorder is I can hide my own Easter eggs, and look for 'em all year long.

Tai/Steve: How can we keep up with what your doing?

Charles: David Struffolino is still updating my web site every few weeks...bigmattress.com...if you can spell "mattress" you're halfway there...

Sunday, August 12, 2001:

Today I swam in the Hawaii Western Zone Open Water 3000 meter Ocean Race (featuring the best age group swimmers from the western United States, and members of U.S. Masters Swimming). 

Waves not too bad, because it was early in the morning, and the Trades hadn't come up yet. Had never swum more than one mile before. 

Good News: Came in first in my age group!

Bad News: No one else was entered in my age group.

Good news: I still got a great medal to show off to my grandchildren.

Bad news: I have no grandchildren yet.

Good news: I am in better shape than I have ever been.

Bad news: I hurt everywhere in my body, my tongue is parched and swollen, and I will never put salt in my food again.

To keep reading more from Charles, you can check out his blog, which he updates often.