Saturday Scoops

Advertiser Staff

Shop away those blues

Summer. It's the time of year to lighten up. Smile.

But the terrorism alert is still on yellow. The stock market is rocky. Time magazine reported recently we're a nation full of anxiety.

Can we capture our usual laid-back, easy-living summer feeling of more innocent times? Maybe not. But when the times get tough, even the tough get a limited lift from shopping.

As you hit the malls on the weekends, seeking out clothes with humor, cheery colors, lightweight fabrics, trendy touches and nostalgic looks that remind you of home and family may offer some relief, even if it's small and temporary.

Color consultant Leatrice Eiseman, the Seattle-based author of "Colors to Suit Your Every Mood" (Capitol Publishing), says bright colors are psyche soothers. Orange conveys a vibrant feeling; turquoise, a soothing effect. And white, the designers' favorite this season, is appropriate in that it is both spiritual and transitional. It clears the slate before going forward. Yellow, an up and comer on the charts, is the quintessential happy hue (remember happy faces?).

Blue, as in the sky, raises expectations, Eiseman says. "It makes us think good things are going to happen."

The point is, if you're adding items, consider cheer and cheap factors.

For men, that might mean a soft aloha shirt in colors that would amuse Bishop Street. For women, it might mean a flared polished-cotton skirt in a floral print that looks straight from your grandma's mu'mu'u with a soft straw-brim hat and a roomy canvas bag the color of sunshine.

Or, if you want to get in a lighter mood but don't have time to cruise the stores before tonight's shindig, women might try digging through their jewelry cache for whimsical pins, while men might opt for a humorous T-shirt.

More than 3,000 paper lanterns will light the pathways at tonight's Midsummer Night's Gleam, the only night of the year that Foster Botanical Gardens is open to the public. Keiki face painting is only one part of the free and popular family event. There also will be an archery demonstration, palm readings and belly dancing, plus the Bubble Wall, craft areas for the keiki and much more. You might even check out the colorful costumes of the tribesmen of a Mongolian encampment and see them perform martial arts. Visit from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. 522-7060 or 537-1708.

Preparing your body for pregnancy

Perhaps to the rhythm of the ticking biological clock, a woman might check off everything she'll need to have a baby: an equipped nursery, financial stability and a suitable mate. But what about your body? Women can increase the odds of a healthy pregnancy by preparing their bodies months in advance of conception, health experts say. The keys:

• Get to an optimal weight. If you are obese or significantly underweight, it could have dire effects on the pregnancy and baby.
• Improve your diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Boost your calcium intake with milk and dairy products. Most importantly, take as much as 1 milligram of folic acid daily in the months leading up to conception as well as after you become pregnant.
• Exercise 30 minutes three to four times a week with a brisk walk, aerobics or strength training. Try sit-ups to strengthen the back and tone abdominals, two muscle groups that will be working overtime during pregnancy.

Whip up some crusted 'ahi sashimi

In Hawai'i, 'ahi sashimi makes a party, even if it's just a plastic tray from the grocery store. But here's a stepped-up 'ahi appetizer that will still go over with da local boyz. It's from "At Home with Friends" by Michele Adams and Gia Russo (Chronicle Books, paper, $22.95):

Sesame-Crusted 'Ahi with Wasabi Sauce

• 3 green onions, green parts only
• 1/4 cup mixed black and white sesame seeds
• 8 ounces 'ahi, in a rectangular block
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 ounces wasabi paste
• 1 cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• Wasabi dipping sauce (see below)

Cut green onion to 3-inch lengths and then into thin strips. Place in ice water 20 minutes, until curly.

Roll tuna block in sesame seeds to coat all sides. Heat oil. Sear tuna for 30 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels, cool and slice cross-wise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Put a little wasabi paste on each cucumber round. Top with seared ahi and green onion strips.

Serve with a dipping sauce of 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (sushi-zu), 2 tablespoons wasabi, blended.

How to keep your marriage out of the boxing ring

Kids, money, sex, religion, in-laws/extended family and communication — these are the six most common problems married couples face. The make-or-break factor: Spouses can either work together on them or against each other, says Jeff Herring, a licensed marriage and family therapist and columnist for the Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat. He suggests this problem-solving strategy:

• Define the problem so you're working on the same ones.
• If you've tried to solve this problem before and failed, discard any solutions you know won't work.
• Identify an outcome you'd like to achieve.
• Brainstorm. What needs to happen today? Who is going to do what? When? What outside help or information do you need?
• After this problem is solved, set things up so that you won't have to deal with it again.
• When tackling an issue remember you are also setting an example for your kids on how to solve problems.

Turn that overgrown hedge into sculpture

Hedges going wooly? Trim them into a wedge or cone shape rather than a box or ball: narrower on top, wider on the bottom. This keeps the plant's upper branches from shading the lower shrub. Another tip is to "open up" the plant, clipping down into the center of the plant here and there so light reaches naked branches.

One option for a large, bushy hedge: Turn it into a sculptural pompon. Select a plant that has branches growing in an outward direction. Select the main branches you want to keep. Leave about six inches of foliage at the end of each branch, but cut the tip of the branch off so it does not continue to grow in an outward direction, but instead fills in the pompon.

Expect to see loads of somebodies at "You Somebody." The musical comedy, new this week at Diamond Head Theatre, stars such local celebs as singer Loretta Ables Sayre and comic actor Ray Bumatai. The tunes are by local music icon Keola Beamer, choreography is by Peter Rockford-Espiritu of Tau Dance Theater, and the script is by Lee Cataluna, creator of several hit local comedies and an Advertiser columnist. The play follows the follies of the Lusa family as they try just about anything to become famous. Catch it at 8 tonight or 4 p.m. tomorrow; repeats 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 11. Tickets: $10-$40. 733-0274.