Two halves make a hole.

A customer just gave me 2 split dollar bill's - without their second halves. She gave me 2 pieces and apologized, then said "they should work out to a dollar somehow". I thought to myself "with some tape I'm sure they will" and thanked her for the tip. When I started dropping my cash in the safe at the store I realized what I had been handed. It wasn't as simple as "this paper should be worth a dollar."

I hope I can get someone to honor these, if I can, then I actually got more than this customer originally intended to give. Anyone know if there is a standard for accepting damaged bills?

Update: 6/25/2008 18:40
Here is the information I dug up from the Federal Reserve website about the value of damaged currency:

Redeeming Damaged Money
Paper money that has been mutilated or partially destroyed may in some cases be redeemable at full face value. Any badly soiled, defaced, torn, or worn-out currency that is clearly more than half of the original note can be exchanged at a commercial bank, which processes the note through a Federal Reserve Bank. More seriously damaged notes—those with clearly less than half of the original surface or those requiring special examination to determine their value—must be sent to the Department of the Treasury for redemption.
From Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Emphasis added.

Three Cache Weekend

We set out for the scenic landscape of the East fork of the Bear River on the North slope of the Uintah's. We tracked down three caches around the Bear River Station and could have found more had we not been competing with a big bike race that culminated near Christmas Meadows. Many of the caches in the area were in the same spot as staging areas for the race, so we'll need to catch up on those another time.

This caching expedition was Emmas first chance to run the GPS. Dad let Emma tell us which way the arrow was pointing and then pull out the newly discovered containers. She thought that was great. Dad said she was the "Geocaching Guide" Emma insisted she was "the expert"

Donkey Around

2/5 Stars

This movie is at once geeky and cool, boring and entertaining, compelling and forgettable. The story to be told (or perhaps the expose to be filmed) is unique and has has all the elements of a good documentary but the challenge of the film is to make interesting viewing out of sitting at a game cabinet and moving a joystick. In the end I think the director did a good job. I reached the end of show feeling embarrassed to enjoy video games so much however. I wanted to walk away feeling like someone had highlighted the fun and engaging aspects of gaming, but after watching so many people so wrapped up in being as geek-king as possible, I was ready to crawl under a rock.

In the end, the core of the story - the struggle against "the man", fighting your demons, the compulsion to be the best - won me over and I enjoyed the film, but man, I don't know if I want to be seen in an arcade again. Do you need to be a video game fan to watch this documentary? No. In fact, I might recommend it more highly to those without a vested interest in the industry. If you are a geek who enjoys being a geek and is proud of it, you're gonna love this.

You Have Chosen Wisely

4/5 stars.

Hallelujah Indy returns! My faith in the high quality popcorn flick (recently shattered by pirates and fantastic heroes) is restored. Overall, great movie. Now the caveats. This movie really needed Marcus Brody or Henry Jones Sr. or at least their essence. Karen Allen seemed really worn out, and almost disembodied from the film - like watching someone "acting." Thankfully Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett are not at all as annoying as I had feared and in fact - I loved their performances. They whisked me from the lovelorn state of remembering Indy past and gave me bight hope for Indy future.

There were parts that required a healthy suspension of disbelief but when I was having so much fun watching a jeep chase through the amazon - who cares if there are no roads through the jungle?!

The plot was engaging (even though I don't believe a bit of it) and built a great mystery that was well constructed with some worthwhile tangents.

In the end the action sequences screamed classic Indy and dazzled without the overabundance of special effects. My imagination was captured from scene one and was only distracted momentarily from the fantasy by the hicoughs in the magic.

Oh! And lastly, kudos to Neil Flynn (SCRUBS Janitor) on his (small) role in the film. Always great to see your old TV friends in the movies.

Endangered Species

I couldn't believe it. I thought these were extinct to all who can not afford the double wides at the front of the plane. Yet there it was - hot no less! Hawaiian Airlines had won my heart.

I was already impressed. The old 767 was refurbished nicely (remarkably attractive in purple,) the LCD screens against the bulkhead were new, the seats were comfortable and innovative in design (with slots to augment the pockets) and size, the staff was friendly, heck - I even liked the commercials they were showing.

Our flight was delayed more than two hours (due to a late arrival and crew rest requirements) but I just could not bring myself to be angry. I was enjoying my frequent beverage service and plentiful pillows and blankets so much I couldn't be bothered to do little more than furrow my brow at our troubles (especially when it comes to crew rest - give me maintenance problems over a dazed crew any day.)

So I was pretty impressed with Hawaiian Airlines - until we tried to get our checked luggage. But that's another story. It's still more than I can say for airport law enforcement at Kahului. Yet another story I'll see if I can get around to.

Alohuh?

Never Heard Of It

Black sand beach, located just outside Hana on Maui, is a bit of a treasure. Partly because it is so unique and partly because - like all good treasure - it takes some work to find it.

The black granules are slightly more tiny gravel than sand, but only slightly. Eroded from tons of volcanic rock, the aggregate on this beach is absolutely isolated from other beaches on the island and makes for a most unique swim experience.

Palm Tree Inspector

How can I make a living on Maui? Or any of the other Hawaiian islands for that matter. The economy seems so fragile here. I am amazed so many people can live on the islands, but you can see why everyone wants to.

This is the scene I woke up to every morning while on Maui. I would very much like to wake up to this every day. It may be possible someday, in some variation. Helicopter pilots are sorely needed almost everywhere and tour operators in Hawaii are no exception. Until the day I am called upon to work in Hawaii, I will continue to ponder this tranquil scene.

Oceans Are Big

I felt vastly insignificant. I was more than 30,000 feet in the air and still could see neither the fringe of a continent nor an island speck. Boy Scout instincts inside me started planning survival scenarios in case I was forced to ford this blue desert.

Fortunately my survival training (consisting of a few overnighters in the foothills) was not needed. I enjoyed my flight to Hawaii very much. Had the pacific voyage been taken at night as my last trip to the islands was the empty curve of the earth might not have captivated me so. But the stunning starkness of the blue sky against the dark blue water was amazing to behold even for a pilot who thought he'd seen a lot from the air.

Grab a Heiny

Saw this guy on his way out of Lahaina, Maui and I had to capture the moment. I suppose I should admire his determination, but I can't help but think that it would be really hard to hide an open container on this thing.