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1. At age 10, Santa Claus brought me a pair of hockey skates on Christmas. Soon, with family and friends, we would go through the snowy woods to a nearby pond and be greeted by a clear sheet of ice. At first it seemed impossible, but it didn’t take long until I was cutting swiftly into the wind. And then the pucks and sticks would come out.
Hockey has been part of my life ever since, and I’m fortunate to have that ready-made exercise, which is also known as pure fun.
Since it opened in 2010, I tell everyone about Kapolei Inline Hockey Arenas, two well-maintained, state-of-the-art, indoor rinks. There is no ice, though. The competition is done on high-tech inline hockey skates with wheels instead of blades and on the rinks’ smooth surface of plastic (IceCourt) tiles.
KIHA offers a learn-to-skate program and has leagues in all youth age groups and six adult divisions, including beginners. There are about 325 players signed up, with four seasons per year. What’s more, since July on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there is public skating, complete with a disco ball, DJ, inline and traditional quad skate rentals and a concession stand. For fees and hours, call 682-5442 or go to kihawaii.com. — Nick Abramo
2. I only recently realized the thoughtful gifts I get from my closest kin on various occasions are all aimed at making me less annoying. Case in point: My fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be and I often need assistance securing bracelets around my wrist. Each request for help comes the inevitable eye-rolling.
Presented to me in a jewelry store bracelet box — a fake-out move by my daughter — was the Bracelet Mate, essentially a 7-1/2-inch wooden stick with a clip that holds one end of the bracelet firm and steady while you fasten the clasp with the other. As the ad slogan says, “It’s like having an extra helping hand!”
The handy-dandy Bracelet Mate is $6.49 on amazon.com; the fancier Bracelet Buddy version is $18 for two at qvc.com. — Christie Wilson
3. These Silly Rabbit Confetti Eggs are a two-fer as far as I’m concerned: They help fill Easter baskets for the young and old kids in my life and they’re great for pranks — a revered family tradition in my household regardless of the holiday. The brightly colored eggs are made from real eggshells with one end removed and then papered over to contain the confetti. I picked up a couple dozen, each packaged in a cardboard carton to complete the illusion, for $2.99 at Walgreens. Here, catch! — Christie Wilson
4. Easter is the season of bunnies, duckies and lambies. (Is lambies a word? Let’s just say it is.) Thus it was refreshing to find other animals decked out in pastels for the holiday, specifically llamas and hedgehogs. These all-cotton spring pillows are $16.99, stocked for the season at T.J. Maxx stores. Selections vary by store, so maybe you won’t find my llama wearing bunny ears, but there are other choices. And bunnies do abound if you’re a traditionalist. The pillow covers have zippers so you could remove them after the holiday and replace them with something more generic until Easter comes around again. For more selections: tjmaxx.com. — Betty Shimabukuro
5. Although the name suggests a parody of an iconic 1960s sitcom, the Ebony Hillbillies is a group of seven serious “roots music” musicians. Their recently released fifth album, “5 Miles From Town” ($15.99, download; theebonyhillbillies.com), perpetuates the almost-lost traditions of the African American “string bands” of the first half of the last century. “String bands” entertained with acoustic instruments — violin, banjo, mountain dulcimer, guitar — and their own unamplified voices.
The Hillbillies’ set list includes several songs so old that their origins have be lost to history. Among the others are “Wang Dang Doodle,” written by Chicago-based blues great Willie Dixon in the 1950s, and “Fork in the Road,” which was written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore and Ronnie White for their group, the Miracles, in 1965, and released as a B side of one of the Miracles’ hit singles.
The Ebony Hillbillies address social issues too. “Another Man Done Gone (Hands Up Don’t Shoot)” is their response to the recent high-profile deaths of black men in confrontations with police. — John Berger
Please keep in mind that featured products may be in short supply and may not be available at all store locations; prices may vary. The information presented represents the authors’ opinions and experiences; your results may vary. Tell us what you are loving this week by emailing creilly@staradvertiser.com.
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