Honu!

From this weekend: I worked Saturday and Sunday, but had Monday off because of the holiday. I drove all over the freaking island, and stopped for a bit at Turtle Beach. There were six turtles hanging out that day. I took pictures for all of you. (You're welcome). The guy pointing is the Turtle Patrol dude (there are volunteers who are there to yell at you if you try to touch or poke or disturb them).

Monsoon and hiking (not necessarily in that order)

So I was off call this weekend, so on Saturday morning I decided to bail on the boring baby shower I was invited to and go hiking instead. A quick note: I know all of 15 people on this island, and the fifth baby of a friend and/or colleague here in Hawaii was born this morning. Seriously. Apparently fertility not so much a problem here. Baby gifts are going to freaking bankrupt me.

Anyway, I went to Manoa Falls, a popular trail not far from where I live. I got a late start and was worried that it would be exceedingly crowded. Instead, it turned out to be about perfect. There were three cars in the parking area when I left, but about 18 by the time I got back. There were few enough people that it was quiet and enjoyable, but not so isolated that I start wondering what would happen if my propensity to sprain ankles would rear its ugly head once again and no one would be around to carry me off the trail.

The only downside was that, because it's pretty much a rainforest, it was disgustingly humid. I started sweating during the process of switching from flip flops to hiking shoes in the parking lot (I believe excessive perspiration is a lovely genetic gift from my father -thanks, Walls!). I doused myself in insect repellent as well, as instructed, but still managed to get quite a few bites before the hike was over. Here are a few pictures, but I actually was relatively committed to pictures on this little trip, so I have several. I'll post a link to the album soon.

That was Saturday late morning. After I got home, I did laundry, played outside, then barbecued with some friends at the park near my apartment. Then, on Saturday night, the monsoon began. Let me start by saying that I have not used an umbrella since I moved here. Certainly we've had rain, but usually in ten minute increments followed by clear skies and sunshine. It rained from Saturday night until Monday afternoon virtually constantly. Still, under normal circumstances, I like days like these that virtually require laziness. Football in my pajamas (damn you, Redskins, for keeping 3 or 4 people unnecessarily alive in the pool), Sunday brunch, reading on the couch, an afternoon movie... all good things. But, it kind of sucked to have my weekend off call washed out. After 36 hours, pretty much the entire island is flooded, there's a bunch of sewage that ran off into Pearl Harbor, the South Shore beaches had waves of 16 feet (which is crazy), and it's been humid and sticky and gross ever since. Word on the street is that we were getting up to 3 inches of rain an hour, with a total of 16-18 inches over that day or two. My apologies to those whose homes and cars were damaged, but at least the local news now had something to cover. Seriously. Nothing happens here. A few weeks ago I saw a tv crew at one of the local hospitals to cover the birthday celebration for the therapy dog. Birthday parties for Labrador Retrivers make the 6:00 news (and may be the lead story).

More photos can be found here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=2q8ygh8c.1dmmsj94&Uy=-5b779r&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=1

Quick story

Because clearly the great deal I got on the car I bought shortly after arriving here was in fact too good to be true, my car's air conditioning has finally and dramatically ceased to work. Long story short, I took it into a highly recommended garage to be looked at, and I was told the cost of fixing it would exceed $700. Something about corrosion to my evaporator... doesn't matter, not the point. The point is, to my great amusement, when explaining the mechanics behind said corrosion, the mechanic asked me "do you live near the ocean?" with no apparent sense of irony whatsoever. (For those not quite familiar enough with O'ahu geography to get the punchline - it's a small island. We all, by definition, live by the ocean.) He made my day.

I spent the afternoon at work looking online for Boston apartments. That's how sad I was to miss the World Series parade today.

Weekend Update

I had a lovely three-day weekend during which I didn't work a lick. Friday - the day spent at the beach and a Friday Night Lights-a-thon that night (people, are you watching this yet?). The season started a month ago and I hadn't watched any of it yet, so I caught four episodes between Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning, I did what I call 'gardening.' My attention has been drawn, however, to the fact that most people think that means 'planting.' For me, it meant general clean-up and pulling the plants from the ground that have died because I don't water enough. Still, it looks better, so maybe the next step will be to actually plant something. I also cleaned my house, watched part of game 3, then got bored with the lopsided game and went to a movie. I saw Lars and the Real Girl (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809775083/info), a film that I thought was lovely, but can see how it's certainly not everyone's taste.

More walking along the water this morning, baseball right now (I am not nearly as compelled this time around as I was in 2004. Is it because they already won a World Series? Because Wake's not even on the roster? Because the Sox had to go through the Tribe to get there? Because McCarver makes me want to beat my head against the wall? Because it doesn't feel like post-season baseball when it's 85 degrees out? I have no idea).

Tennis starts tomorrow night. I intended to at least take some serves or something before then so I don't humiliate myself (I haven't played since Rob and I last hit - fall 2006, maybe?). Yeah, that never happened. Bummer.

The newly cleaned and improved garden.

Gecko inspecting his newly renovated home.

Play ball (and other stories)

Okay, where to begin? In an effort to get back on track with the blog, I've got a lot of ground to cover. I've been in a bit of a funk since my return from the mainland. A day after my return, I woke to some back pain that isn't supposed to happen when you're 30. Deciding maybe I pulled a muscle carrying heavy bags or something to and from the airport, I decided I had no choice but to suck it up. Cut to two days later, and I could not move and/or walk due to the excruciating pain. Seriously. I was miserable. Four days after that the back pain was miraculously gone, but was replaced by some serious dizzy spells that I decided were associated with a near ibuprofen overdose from my attempts to curb the back pain. Good times. I called my doctor, but he is reportedly living it up on vacation in Boston. Born and raised here, apparently he decided to do a little leaf peeping (which is in my top five most hated phrases). Don't worry, parents, I'm still going to see him when he gets back just in case (special thanks to my friends whose response to my complaints were the more-excited-than-sympathetic "maybe you have a brain tumor!" exclamations). I have missed the fall weather, though, and get mildly frustrated when I cannot make phone calls after 5:00 pm to friends at home. Still, just tonight I walked outside and decided the weather was changing - it was downright cool. I promptly checked - it is 78 degrees out. After only six months here, it's possible that I would die in New England in January.

Anyway, I'm taking the day off tomorrow (though still on call) in an effort to have some fun and remind me of why I live here in the first place. Seriously, nothing's that bad if my complaints for this week were as follows: The library here sucks so bad that I had to call and speak to three different people to see why the current #1 NYT bestseller isn't even on their 'to order' list (I love you, Stephen Colbert, but do not pay full price for hardback books). I also called the Skippy customer service line because the $4 (on sale) jar of peanut butter I bought the other day was disgusting as a result of the heat it endured on its way to Hawaii. But things are looking up... there's a free taco coming my way next week (more on that later). Oh, and I got an email response to the complaint I lodged regarding the gropey shuttle driver at my Nashville hotel. Has anyone noticed my new love of contacting customer service agencies and not thought that I have now completely and totally turned into my mother? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Shall we talk about what I did this week? Sure! After much anticipation, I attended my first Hawaii Winter League baseball game. I learned of its existence very shortly after moving here, as one of the first things I did was research the options for minor league or college baseball. Of course, after some discussions with friends and colleagues here, it became apparent that I was the only one who knew the Winter League existed. I went on Tuesday night, after a quick stop at the outlet mall down the street (quick review: good stores, plenty of parking, but a bit of a disappointment after spending time in Florida where they build outlet malls the size of college campuses. If I were a tourist in Waikiki who took a bus all the way to Waipahu for that, I would have been mildly pissed). I wasn't expecting enormous crowds, but I definitely did that double-take 'this is it?' thing when I pulled in the parking lot. At the start of the game, there were maybe 15 of us, but another few dozen showed up by the end (most likely related to the players). Still, here's the thing: the quality of the baseball itself wasn't that bad (pretty decent pitching, pretty awful defense), the price was right ($5, obviously right behind the plate), I forgot how fun it is to actually hear the close-up crack of the bat after $20 bleachers seats in Fenway Park where you can't even see any of the players except the right fielder, and the quality of the hot dog was superb. All in all, not a bad night. Downside? You really did feel like the other spectators were looking at you funny if you weren't directly related to someone on the roster, and the park itself, while I wouldn't say is in a bad neighborhood, didn't feel exceptionally safe to me. I placed 3 to 1 odds (when betting with myself) on whether my car would be broken into before the end of the game. (It was not). How about some pictures?



The view from my highly desirable (but not at all difficult to obtain) seats. Actually, when I got to the ticket booth, the guy asked me, "where do you want to sit?" I had no idea. "Um, first base line?" Him, skeptically: "on the grass?" Me: "No, I'd like a seat." Cause of the confusion? There are bleachers behind home plate, and less expensive bleachers down the third base line, but nothing but grass along the first base line. Now I get it.

Those packed third baseline seats I mentioned. There were five people sitting there, and they got a special shout-out from the PA announcer. I also specifically remembered that he was local, as he asked "howzit?", a question I have been here long enough that I now answer without hesitation, rather than looking blankly at the person who asked.
The home team's dugout, which had no true bench, and enough chairs for about three players.

The old guy behind me took the picture for me. I felt this was a more than fair exchange after sitting in front of him for 5 innings at this point. He was completely blind and, after every play, would ask "did he catch it?" or "Was it foul?" and then actually question balls and strikes. Loved him.

This was my favorite part. There was, surprisingly, a mascot (that seemed too high budget for me). But, if you look closely, his jersey simply says "Hawaii." There's one mascot for four teams.

Surely, after that review, you want to hear more, no? http://www.hawaiiwinterbaseball.com/ I'm very seriously considering throwing myself a birthday party there next month. No kidding.

So, I suppose this is an appropriate time to talk about actual MLB post-season play. I did successfully jump on the Tribe bandwagon just in time to have my heart broken. Also, while I have just enough Boston ties that I will continue to root for them to win the World Series (now that the Indians are gone), I totally understand those people who are beginning to say that the Red Sox are the Yankees of this century, what with the payroll and the fans around the country with no true ties to Massachusetts in any way, shape, or form. Case in point? I met a lovely family at a barbecue that happened to coincide with ALCS Game 7, who were all about the Red Sox. Continuing questioning, though, revealed no New England roots (which I can't blame them for, because if you're born and raised in Hawaii, an arbitrary favorite team is acceptable in my opinion) as well as a non-existent understanding of Red Sox history pre-2004 ("Really? Manny played for Cleveland once?"). Perhaps the final straw for me, however, was when they instructed their small children to pray for the Sox prior to their meal. Hmm. Let's just leave it at that. Anyway, I'm just saying - I get why people hate Boston. And their fans. (Even though true Red Sox fans are among the most knowledgeable in the country).

So the World Series has begun, and while it's often cool that the games start at 2:00 pm here, I couldn't get out of work yesterday to watch live. Instead, I settled for gamecast and constant email commentary from Lano. Luckily, I didn't feel like I missed much when I wondered aloud if there should be a mercy rule of some sort. While 'working,' though, I did come across the free taco promotion on mlb.com and immediately inquired whether Lano knew about it. He informed me that Fox was promoting it incessantly (is there another way for Fox to promote anything?) and I was quickly obsessed with the elusive stolen base, as well as reading the fine print regarding contest rules. (Of note? The lawyers who write the aforementioned fine print apparently think that the plural of 'taco' is 'taco's.' It's not.) Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Sounds of the Game offered us this gem (again, thanks, Lano) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QI8C9gW1Y0 , and now I cannot go an hour without saying "I ain't got my taco." I have no idea why this amuses me so. Anyway, Taco Bell, next Tuesday, 2:00-5:00, be there or be square. What a lovely birthday present for my brother.

And on that note, I've gotten three pages since I started writing this, which means the transplant gods are simply not going to leave me alone tonight when they know I want to go to the beach first thing in the morning. Boo.

Six weeks in review

So I've seemingly abandoned the blog for the last two months or so. The problem is mostly that I rarely bring my camera with me unless I have a particularly touristy day planned. Initially, I intended this blog to be more a tool for picture sharing. But, I quickly learned that A) I'm a crappy photographer and B) no matter how pretty it is in person, multiple mediocre pictures of a Hawaiian beach probably get old. Since the picture thing wasn't working out that well, I started trending more towards text, but A) my life isn't that exciting and B) my memory is even worse. So, if I go a few days without updating the old blog, I don't remember what I did anyway.

So. Here's the plan: I'm going to list a few of the many things I've done during this hiatus, in no particularly order, with varying amounts of commentary. If you have something to add, great. That's why there's a comments section. Otherwise, we'll all consider ourselves caught up and call it a day. Without further delay, the following are things I've done, places I've gone, and observations I've made in the last 6 weeks or so.

- Went to Nashville for work, stayed at the Opryland Hotel (that's the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to you, Becky), which is way too large not to have a casino. Saw old friends and colleagues from DC, watched the Tribe/NYY game, wrote a nasty comment card about the airport shuttle guy who was way too touchy-feely for me under any circumstances, and certainly after an 18 hour overnight travel adventure with delayed flights, missed connections, and more delayed flights.
- Speaking of casinos: went to Argosy "riverboat" (they tell me they have a captain and everything) Casino in Indiana. Hung out with the hardcore gamblers who are there in the morning. Lost money as always but was good luck for Walls, which also seems to be a trend. Learned to play Boston 5, which was fun (though it tends to be more fun when A) I'm winning or B) I'm playing with David's money).
- Went to see the family in Ohio. (That answers the 'what were you doing in Indiana?' question). Played with the niece, saw the family, went to Chipotle (which slightly supersedes Target on my 'list of mainland businesses that I really really miss'), celebrated Katie's sober 30th, enjoyed some fall weather.
- Gave a driving tour of the island to my aunt and the Canton, Ohio, contingency. I'm not sure if they can count as my first official visitors when their trip was planned prior to my decision to move, but nonetheless, they get that distinction for now.
- Joined a tennis league that started yesterday, but I haven't played yet. That was a bye week for me. Is it called a 'bye' in individual sports? It is now.
- Watched lots of postseason baseball, and did a decent but not fantastic job of jumping back on the Tribe bandwagon. Yesterday, for example, I had the distinctly Hawaiian pleasure of leaving work early for a 2:00 pm start. We went to the bar, and I managed to cheer for an Indians defensive move and a Varitek hit within the same half-inning. My allegiances are hard to remember, apparently.
- Went to a Thunderbirds Air Show at Waikiki Beach during Navy Week. This was actually a while ago and turned out to be one of my favorite things I've done here so far, but completely accidentally. I had heard about this event, but it wasn't a priority for me. I learned, however, that my plan to take a nap that afternoon would be quickly tossed when a plane flew directly over my apartment at the completion of the first trick (maneuver? I don't know what to call them) and was the loudest sound I have ever heard. Seriously. So I put on some shoes and walked to the park across the street to watch, and it turned out to be terribly entertaining and well worth my time. There are multiple You Tube videos for those interested.
- Read several books. Tested out new fall tv shows for replacements for my old favorite shows that were canceled (I know who you are, Veronica Mars).
- Saw at least six rainbows that were so spectacular that I always wish I have my camera with me (previously noted lack of photography skills aside). Sometimes you see two full ones next to each other. We didn't have that everyday in Canton. Or Durham. Or Boston. Or DC.

Hmm. This got long, and I really should actually do some work. Perhaps I'll do a Part II tomorrow.

ALCS

People. Stop asking who I'm rooting for in this series. While I'm certainly not the most popular person ever, there's something about a Tribe vs. Sox playoff series that makes everyone I've ever known crawl out of the woodwork and tell me why I'd be an embarrassment for rooting for one or the other. For the record, when I first moved to Boston, I actually would go to Fenway Park to cheer for the Tribe on their away games. I vowed I would never become one of "those people," (and I still contend that Sox fans never wanted to win that World Series) but eventually became everything I said I would never be.

So. Now I'm really far from Boston, but still follow them pretty closely. But, the team I followed for 20 plus years is making a run, and it's been really fun to watch. I think I lose either way. If I stay with Boston, I'm somehow ignoring my upbringing, if I return to support the Tribe, then I'm a frontrunner who only follows them when they're winning.

So, the plan is to try to root for Cleveland, and honor my Ohio roots (plus I'm in Ohio for the first two games). The reason I say "try" is that I have some fear that once DO or Youki or Manny comes up, I won't really be able to root against them, particularly after it took me a fair amount of time to sit down and even learn the names of the guys on the Tribe roster (thank God for Kenny Lofton). Oh, and when Wake pitches? Yeah, I'm rooting for him. That's not negotiable.

Finally, a brief comment on the Lebron James "scandal." Regardless of how you feel, traitor or not, the following is the crappiest excuse I've ever heard: "well, the Indians sucked when he was growing up, so it's okay that he picked another team." Yeah, he was born in 1984. That means he was 10 when they went to the World Series. And 12 when they lost to Florida. The Indians didn't suck when he was a kid. The Indians sucked when I was a kid. I think they finished 3rd in their division once or twice. We used to show up an hour before the game only to secure fantastic seats on the third base line with a section to ourselves. To cheer for who, Cory Snyder? Joe Carter? And we thought they were going to take us all the way. Not buying that excuse for a second.

Go Tribe. I think.

A little format change...

... in recognition of the college football season's commencement. It's no secret that I don't follow sports nearly as much as I used to, but diehard fan or not, we can all get behind Jim Tressel, no? I think we can. If only it weren't too warm here for a good sweater vest. Go Buckeyes.

Turtles my ass

Just some pictures from this weekend. On Saturday I spent the entire day back at Hanauma Bay (see description in previous post). I alternated between reading and snorkeling. The day and water were beautiful as always. Saw some cool fish, and an eel, and did not see turtles (despite people coming on shore talking about all of the turtles they saw). It has to be a conspiracy.

After Hanauma Bay, I took a brief tour along the eastern tip of the island to take some pictures from the cliffs. It's my favorite drive, I think, so I do this a lot (the roadtrip, not the picture-taking). They say, in the winter, that this is a good place to see the humpback whales. Of course, they say turtles are all over the place too, so we'll see about that.





This is Sandy Beach from a distance, the one place on the island I absolutely refuse to swim. There's pretty much no shorebreak, so the waves come in like crazy. The locals love it, and experienced wakeboarders say it's the best place on O'ahu. The keep an ambulance on site, however, and it seems that you're required to, at best, leave with a concussion or dislocated something, and, at worst, with a spinal fracture, so I'm happy to just take pictures from a safe distance.

Some dude who climbed up on the rocks. No idea how he gets back, but it looked cool.

That night, I was inspired to take a picture to demonstrate to my mother that I am in fact tan and look sort of like I actually live in paradise. Of course, you can't tell. All this picture did was show how badly I need to clean my bathroom mirror.

On Sunday, I went to Pearl Harbor to view the memorial. I did it exactly how you're supposed to not do it. Tickets are free, but are first come first served, and I was warned that during peak times, you sometimes have to wait 90 minutes to three hours from the time you get your ticket to the time you get to start the tour. While you're waiting, there's a museum, bookstore, etc. but not three hours worth of entertainment. As such, you're supposed to get there when they open. At 7:00 am.

Well, I was awake at 7:00, but had a lazy morning, spent substantial time applying 2 layers of sunscreen, finally got moving, and realized en route that I forgot to eat breakfast. Not wanting to wait for 3 hours on an empty stomach, I stopped at a diner for a leisurely, lovely breakfast (despite the very drunk man sitting near me). It was 9:30 am.

I finally got to Pearl Harbor, book in tow in case I was bored there for hours, and managed to charm the ticket guy into letting me into the next group that started in 15 minutes (the people in front of me got a ticket for 75 minutes from then). Fine, maybe it wasn't charm, but rather that I was there by myself and he had a single ticket for the next pathetic solo who came along, but that's neither here nor there. I explored the grounds briefly, then lined up.

The tour is in two parts. First, you see a 15 minute film on the attack, then they put you on a boat to take you into the harbor and onto the memorial itself. The movie itself was pretty good. For those who, like myself, pride yourself on the ability to recognize celebrity voiceovers in commercials and films? Stockard Channing (I got that one right away. I looked, but she was never credited).

The memorial itself was nice, but... not my favorite. Perhaps it's the product of living in DC for four years, doing the touristy stuff there all of the time, and therefore having a very high standard for such things, but I was only mildly engaged. Actually, the thing I found most compelling were the aerial video and photos seen in the movies and museum, where you could really tell how the memorial was built over the sunken ship. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my afternoon and would recommend it to others, it just won't make my favorite monument/memorial list that I apparently have been compiling over the years.

After I left Pearl Harbor, I drove up to the North Shore for a while. I stopped at Turtle Beach. No turtles in sight. I also went to Waimea Bay for a while, then home. Somewhere in between all of that I also cleaned my house, got a pedicure, and watched some tv. Not a bad weekend at all.

Stars and dogs and telescopes and frogs

Just not a lot to report from the last week or two. The rash of engagements and/or pregnancies reported by friends and family in the last 2-3 weeks has been crazy. It's making me feel old. I hope you people aren't all expecting gifts.

I think the most notable thing from last week was the eclipse viewing party. Actually, the sky here is pretty stunning on any given night. It's usually clear, and while I do live in a city, it just seems like the stars are brighter than in previous places in which I've lived. I know nothing about astronomy, but I imagine it has something to do with living so close to the coast, so there is a significant area near me that is contributing no ambient light at all, or being a lot closer to the Equator than I've lived before. Who knows. One of my smarter friends can pipe in here with the real answer.

Anyway, the point is, there was a total lunar eclipse earlier this week, and it was to be fully visible from Hawai'i, so I decided to take advantage. From 21:30 to 01:30, a local museum hosted a viewing party. They featured lecturers in the planetarium (I didn't go to that part), as well as volunteers from the Hawaii Astronomical Society manning enormous telescopes all over the lawn. In addition to the moon, they were showing Jupiter and some other cool stars whose names I cannot remember. They also sold snacks and had weird space-themed music playing over the loudspeaker. I went for an hour just to check it out, but ended up going home where the sky was clearer (the museum is closer to the mountains (and the clouds, apparently)). Plus, as it got later, I knew I was getting punchy when one of the volunteers discouraged me from "touching his telescope" and I started to giggle. I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy. Good lord.

Courtesy of Jamm Aquino at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Good job, Jamm!

Also this week, I house- and dog-sat for a friend. The plan was to use this excuse to spend some time at one of my favorite beaches that is right down the road from her house, but unfortunately I ended up working a lot, so that never happened. Still, I had the run of a big house with a cute dog, though I nearly killed him by taking him for a long walk in the middle of the afternoon heat, and subsequently getting lost (dude, all of the hawaiian street names sound the freaking same). I had water and sunscreen for myself. The dog, however, had to suffer. My favorite part? Where I come from, we had squirrels and rabbits with the occasional raccoon or skunk in the yard. Here, I would walk outside in the morning and evening to find 3-4 frogs, one the size of my head. I thought this would provide entertainment galore. I tried desperately to get the dog to chase the frog, waiting for hilarity to ensue, but they must be used to each other -neither cared a bit about the other's presence. Really disappointing.

Final note, apparently there are currently some big airfare sales to and from Hawaii, specifically on United and possible Delta. Just an FYI for those of you often promising/threatening to visit.

Dating, Hawaiian style

For those of you whose favorite comment upon my decision to move was 'I bet you're going to meet and marry some Polynesian guy and never come back' (and there were a lot of you - I'm not sure what that means about me)... I have a little update. It turns out I would be shocked if that is indeed the case.

I've been doing fairly well at meeting people since I moved here. I do think it gets harder as you get older, and I work in a pretty small office, but I've always been someone with a few close friends rather than a huge circle of acquaintances, and I haven't been someone who refuses to do things because she's doing them alone in a long time, so all is well. In fact, I met a few people just last night who are fun and my age. Of course, they're Tar Heel basketball fans, so I'm not sure if we'll be able to spend time together on any sort of regular basis, but we'll see - they may do in emergencies.

Anyway, the title of the post. My boss and I have become friends, but she's onto my MO of the last 10 years or so: find a job, move somewhere new, goof off there for 3-4 years, move on to the next place. As such (and this is likely much more about not losing an employee than it is about keeping a fantastic friend), she's taken it upon herself to see how she can keep me here indefinitely. The plan she believes offers the most potential: marry me off to a guy with significant local ties. The next question? What kind of guys do you date? Okay. I really don't have a laundry list of criteria, but I got to 'cannot live at home with his mother' pretty quickly, and she balked in a big way. Yeah, that's an issue. Here, it's partly a cost of living thing, but mostly a cultural thing. There are simply a lot of men, in their 30's, with perfectly good jobs and incomes, who nonetheless live at home with mom and dad. Seriously.

The best part, I've discovered, is the reaction of others when they hear that I have a problem with this. Am I not the only one who thinks the timeline of events is supposed to be graduate from school, live on your own or with roommates for a while, have some fun even though you're dirt poor, eat ramen, spend your very limited discretionary income at the bar, consider a roadtrip for a day or weekend a bona fide vacation, gradually get promoted, earn a bit more, actually live in a place without bugs and more than one roommate, etc.? I mean, some of you saw my Boston apartment, right? With the exposed wires, appliances from the turn of the last century, and a shower during which you had to jump out no fewer than three times per 6 minutes due to sudden changes of temperature to scorching hot? And yet that may have been the best few years of my life so far. Anyway, not so much the philosophy here. So, at the bar (I know, that's really a theme in this post more than it is in my actual life) last week, the boss says to our friend Lauren, "Know any guys for Kelly?" "Maybe." "Who don't live at home?" "Oh. Not really." And today at our staff meeting (again, a very small office with nearly all women) to Luci: "Hey, do you know any guys here in their 30's, smart, fun, who we could set up with Kelly?" "Yeah, a couple." "Any who don't live at home with Mom?" To me, in a sympathetic voice: "Um, that's going to be really hard to find in Hawai'i." Nice. Looks like she's going to have to find another plan.

Sleepy and sunburned

I was long overdue for some exploring after working last weekend. Today I decided to get up early and head to Hanauma Bay. One of the most popular snorkeling areas on the island, you have to get there early because they often end up turning people away by mid-morning due to lack of parking. It feels like a bit of an ordeal to actually make it to the beach - there's a slow-moving line to pay the entry fee ($5 for you people, free for me and my Hawai'i driver's license), you're required to watch a movie (more on that later), then a walk down into the cove to the beach area. The guy in front of me did his best to ruin my morning, he couldn't complain enough ("how hard can it be to count five dollars?" and "why do we have to wait in one line?"). When he got to "is the weather going to improve?" (Seriously? It was cloudy and a bit overcast because it was 8:30 am, but I have lived here for almost 3 months now and it has been breezy and sunny every day I've been here. No exaggeration. Every day.) I got annoyed and decided to warn him about jellyfish (even though I knew there were none -that was last week, and they are a monthly phenomenon). He was lucky, in that I almost felt compelled to pull out my drowning statistics to scare him as well (that's true - get out a bit too far and there are currents there that will take you down fast - "drowning in Hanauma Bay" is a frequent cause of death reported to me at work). And on that cheerful note, on with my story...

HB is actually a nature preserve, so they have fantastic conservation measures in place. They're closed completely once a week for repairs and upkeep, every person who attends must watch a video about respecting the reef (and not drowning), and there are knowledgeable volunteers all over the place.

Anyway, I got settled in and didn't want to leave. I snorkeled a fair amount, and was pretty amazed that you could see some really cool, large, bright fish in knee high water. Typical - there were people around who claimed to see sea turtles, but no such luck for me. I probably would've snorkeled even more, but my rental mask was for shit - it had a small leak that got pretty annoying, but I couldn't make myself return it for a new one, since it was my second. I broke my first one before I even got in the water (shh). I'm guessing that snorkeling gear is probably a good investment for me, considering it's not that expensive, and I do live in Hawaii. I also see people a lot snorkeling in a specific area off the beach closest to my house, and I'm curious to know what's out there.

Anyway, wrapping up. Fantastic day, swam, read, enjoyed a snack shop hot dog, finally decided to leave due to concern for sun exposure. I was there for over 4.5 hours. When I got home, I realized that I was diligent as all get out about sunscreen protection on all parts of my body... except for my face. How do I forget that? After the first application, I kinda forgot. As a result, I'm sunburned like crazy. Got home, made a snack, changed to go walk around Diamondhead.... and promptly fell asleep for a two hour nap. Haven't left the apartment since. Those days at the beach really take it out of you.

So that was my day. Oh, pictures, you ask? I had my camera in the car, but didn't take it down to the beach as I would have had to leave it unattended for hours while in the water. I did go to take a couple of picks from the lookout before I left, only to discover my camera batteries were dead. Boo. This is what you missed: http://www.terragalleria.com/pacific/oahu/hanauma-bay/picture.hawa33078.html . And yes, the water is really that color. It's stunning. For pics of the fishes: http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/facility/hanaumabay/underwatertour.htm.

Oh, one more thing. On my way out, the author and illustrator of a children's book were there for a book signing. The book's pretty cute, so, while she doesn't know it, my niece is now the proud owner of an autographed copy of A Fishy Alphabet in Hawai'i. While I mostly bought it because it's cute and I have a book-buying obsession when it comes to the kid, I'm not going to lie - there is the added bonus of the thought of my brother and sister-in-law having to read unfamiliar Hawaiian words out loud. It starts out uneventfully - C is for clownfish, E is for eel, etc. Then you get to H is for Humuhumunukunukuapua'a and I is for I'lao. That's funny. (Humus are the state fish, FYI).

More on tomorrow's (perhaps indoor) adventures. Happy birthday to Mom and Audrey, congrats to Jackie (marriage) and Lisa (pregnancy). Lots of well-deserved happiness for the Schoeneberg/Sigler/Daugherty/whatever Brian's last name is (sorry, Brian, I cannot remember to save my life) families.

More non-existent natural disasters

Flossie came and went with very little excitement to the Big Island and none here. The next test? The tsunami advisory. A few notes: I didn't even know about this until Becky texted me (from VA) while I was happily getting a pedicure. Then, I find out from the Advertiser article that we're required to have an advisory if a tsunami watch or warning is issued to any other area in the same ocean. That's right. Something happens anywhere near the Pacific, and we're advised. Finally, read the article and tell me you're not dying to get up and go to the beach at exactly 2:14 am to see what happens. Keep in mind, that's over nine hours from right now. That's an impressively specific time prediction.

Tsunami advisory canceled for Hawaii
Advertiser Staff The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has canceled a tsunami advisory for Hawaii following a powerful earthquake today in Peru. The center said there is no destructive threat for Hawaii. Some small sea changes may occur at around 2:14 a.m. tomorrow.
A tsunami advisory, which had been issued earlier this afternoon, is the third highest level of tsunami alert. Advisories are issued to coastal populations within areas not currently in either warning or watch status when a tsunami warning has been issued for another region of the same ocean.
An advisory indicates an area is either outside the current warning and watch regions, or that the tsunami poses no danger to that area.
The quake hit at about 1:40 p.m. Hawai'i time near the coast of Peru. The quake had a magnitude 7.9.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 'Ewa Beach also canceled its regional tsunami warning, the highest alert, and watch, the second highest alert, for parts of the Pacific Ocean closer to the earthquake.

Flossie update

Thanks to those of you have expressed concern about the hurricane heading our way, but I thought I'd let you know that... I'm going to be surprised if it even rains here. I slept much of the day today because of work last night, but the latest forecast for O'ahu is this: trade winds at 15-30 (you should know that 15-20 is the daily norm) with gusts up to 40, and 1-2" of rain on windward and mountain areas, less than an inch on south shore (where I live). In other words, the dream of meeting Jim Cantore will probably not be achieved anytime soon. The live pictures of the surfers on the Big Island right now are pretty cool, though.

Nothing else exciting right now. I have next weekend completely off call, so I'm determined to do something fun.

Starting to Fit In

I'm beginning to feel more and more comfortable. I do still get a kick of the unexpected things that you see when living in Hawai'i (went on a Sam's Club run yesterday, where, where they usually are giving free samples of frozen pizza, they had set up a ukulele display, only a few aisles from where you can buy surfboards), but I'm rarely shocked.

This morning I got a text message from my boss saying that she wasn't planning on going to the office today, so if I had nothing imminent going on, I could feel free to take the day off if I'd like. Okay, I think I can handle that. Spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry, spent lunchtime talking to a few of my friends on east coast time, spent the afternoon at San Souci beach. Beautiful afternoon, very warm, very calm water. It started to rain very briefly, which actually felt cold (I suspect my complaints are falling on deaf ears. I know, poor me.). Instead of leaving, I just got in the water, where you didn't even know it was raining. Rough. I read a ton, though from neither of my two book club books. My club partner is over 5,000 miles away, though, so I'm not really worried about the repercussions. At least I wasn't reading Harry Potter (that was for Hober. No offense to my other friends who read HP. I love you Lisa and Rob!).

After the beach, went home, ordered a pizza, and am settling in to watch DVD's of The Wire. Are you all watching this show? It could not be more fantastic. Seriously, have I ever lead you astray on tv recommendations? Sports Night? Arrested Development? Veronica Mars? Trust me. Plus I need people to discuss with. Oh, and when at the 7 Eleven earlier, I actually managed to intercede when the clerk was giving someone incorrect directions, offer better ones, and properly pronounce the Hawaiian street names. I'm practically a local.

More of the same tomorrow. Picnicking in Kapi'olani Park, then to the beach. Oh, and once again, I'm on first call when doing these things. I think all of my friends from my old job officially hate me.

My job stole my weekend

Okay, it didn't take too long at all to get used to this whole '9 to 5' thing. (Of course, by '9 to 5,' I actually mean '10 to 4,' which is actually a more impressive commitment than my previous DC workday, which was 'sometime after Regis & Kelly to just before Oprah starts.') I know, sounds rough. The exchange, of course, was how many evening, weekend, and all-nighter hours I put in. Since I rarely have those here, I actually go to the office consistently. Who knew? It seems there are people out there who don't get to see who is on Ellen every day. Ouch.

That was the long way of saying this: Dude, I worked all weekend. I thought I moved here to get away from that. Actually, it was a long time coming. I love the new hours, but I do miss the challenges of my old, more demanding job. This weekend, I ended up working all day and night Saturday, and then sleeping most of the day Sunday. Still, I'm pleased to report that this may be my first (and definitely no more than my second) all-nighter since I moved here. Not bad.

Since I have no stories or pictures from this weekend, this will be short. I thought that since, in my last few entries, I listed my complaints (Hawaiian food, ugly cementy downtown), I'd talk about some of the pleasant surprises since I moved here. First up? Apparently I dig the island music. Not to be confused with the old school, hula-type music, the music that gets radio play here is basically pop music with some reggae undertones. The shock is when, after a series of those songs, they all of a sudden play an islandy version of a mainland easy listening classic. You haven't heard "Islands in the Stream" until you've heard the Hawaiian version. Trust me. The downside, though, is that when you find a song you love, you most likely can't find it on itunes. It's not like they're listing the most recent songs by .... all of the bands whose names I cannot spell correctly. Regardless, it's fun. Then again, my favorite from a few weeks ago (Lukie D's "Missing You") is probably fine in Ohio, but much more fun when you're listening while driving with the windows down and the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. Who knows. Make a fruity drink while you listen and it probably doesn't matter a bit where you are. If you want to take a listen, the two local island music stations are: http://kccnfm100.com/ and http://ir985.com/main.html.

I had more but I need to go to bed, man. Hope you're all doing well. I miss you guys!

Pics from last weekend

Last weekend was one of the more fun weekends since I've been here. It was one of those where I had a lot of time to explore, saw a lot of things, and yet felt completely relaxed and rested at the same time. Here are the highlights.

Friday. Happy hour with work friends. Many of you know that whatever drinking skills I acquired during my tenure in Boston have been completely negated by my schedule and lifestyle in DC. I even remember somewhat fondly an evening sitting with Becky on her couch, watching some sort of Bravo reality show, and pronouncing ourselves drunk. After one beer each. We're a good time. Anyway, this place had great food, good beer and wine at $3 each, and the cocktail special that consisted of rum, pineapple juice, rum, brown sugar, and a little more rum. Needless to say, with three drinks at under ten dollars, it was time for me to go home.

Saturday was my busiest day. After a walk around Diamond Head in the morning, I took off for the afternoon, starting with the Valley of the Temples, whose highlight is the Byodo-In Temple. It was built to commemorate the initial Japanese immigration to the Hawaiian Islands. It was built entirely without nails. Other than the fact that that seems quite difficult, I'm not sure of the significance, but because that was noted again and again, I thought it was important to add here. The Buddha inside is over 18 feet tall, and many come there to light incense and meditate. Also, some of you may know that the television show "Lost" is taped on O'ahu. I actually don't watch, but for those that do, this temple is where they film some scenes that take place in Korea. In the temple administrators' defense, I learned that from other sources. It's not like there is a sign saying "enjoy your prayer and be sure to watch 'Lost' on Wednesdays at 9:00." They're not completely absolved, though. There is a gift shop.

Check out the mountains. You're in the heart of the valley here. Would it ruin it to tell you there's a grocery store and a movie theater across the street?

From the Temple I continued to drive the long way around the island (counter clockwise), making my way toward the North Shore. The plan was to go to Laniakea Beach, which is referred to as 'Turtle Beach' by the locals. Because they feed on the reefs right along the shore, it's not uncommon for large sea turtles to come on shore and bask in the sun. I was most excited about this, and talked about it for days, so of course that means not a single freaking turtle was seen while I was there.

Lots of tourists waiting in vain for the turtles to appear.

I didn't stay long at Turtle Beach because it was exceptionally hot and there's virtually no shade there. I continued along the coast and stopped for a while in Haleiwa, where there are a number of shops, surf rentals, shave ice stands, etc. There was a large (and crowded) art sale going on right along the water, so I played there for a while as well. After that I was tired and sick of driving, so I eventually made my way home.

Sunday. I'm now the proud owner of a Hawaii driver's license, so I thought I would take advantage of that local discount I've been coveting for two months now. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, I went to the Waikiki Aquarium, thinking I would get to see my sea turtle after all. Not so much. How do they not have turtles there? Probably because everyone but me can just go for free to Turtle Beach to see them. Anyway, don't go expecting the Baltimore Aquarium or anything, but it was worth the six dollars and is a nice place to kill for an hour or two. The highlight was a strangely intriguing octopus (the one animal that I have actually seen in the wild (while snorkeling in Aruba a few years back)) and the two monk seals. I, of course, quickly named them (Pete and Willy), only to learn they had Hawaiian names that I could not pronounce. Standard.

The outdoor portion of the Aquarium, just so you can see that it is literally right along the ocean.

I took about 20 pictures of the seals; I could have watched them for hours. Really pretty. Don't ask me to tell them apart.

FAQ

I have lots to report from this weekend, but will save that for later when I can upload pictures. I have more seal pictures than you'll know what to do with. In the meantime, I thought I'd start a 'frequently asked questions' feature. The following are actual questions from friends and family surrounding The Big Move.

Q: "People Magazine features pictures of celebrities in Hawaii on a weekly basis. Who have you seen?"
A: Um, nobody. I'm convinced that many of those pictures are on other islands, and even if they are here, I'm doubting that Britney is hanging out at the same hole in the wall thai place or shave ice stand that I frequent. Speaking of islands....

Q: "How's the Big Island?"
A: I have no idea. I actually have yet to visit the Big Island. While the Big Island is the largest as far as area, O'ahu is by far the most populated. It actually has over 75% of the state's population and houses the capital. So, because I live in Honolulu, that means I live on O'ahu (and cannot comment on the status of the Big Island until I vacation there (but I hear it's nice)).

Q: "How many Hawaiian words do you know?"
A: That I actually use in conversation? Maybe four. That I recognize in context? Maybe 12. I was even looking into a language class to try to improve, but then I'm told that most of the words I hear in everyday conversation are pidgin anyway, and wouldn't be covered in a formal class. So, I'm going to continue to try to pick things up a few at a time. When I donated blood last week, my nurse took it upon himself to teach me three new words. I have forgotten them all.

Q: "Do they have monkeys in Hawaii?"
A: No.

Q: "Do they have Hawaiian Punch in Hawaii?"
A: I'll admit, I may have mocked the inquirer after this one, but this question has plagued me with each visit to the grocery store, 7 Eleven, etc. I have yet to see it, but the mission isn't even close to over.

Feel free to send in more questions as they come to you. I'm all about a little local research. Tomorrow I'll post my pictures from my visit to the North Shore, the Aquarium, and the Buddhist temple.

Still getting acclimated....

Okay, I'm going to say it. I'm not really feeling Hawaiian food. Now, I'm told by people with far more sophisticated culinary backgrounds that Hawaiian food has a great reputation. It seems that this describes the more fancy, 'upscale' establishments, however. Maybe those are fantastic. Since I'm much more 'hole in the wall bar' and 'shady take-out joint,' however, I'm not buying it. What is Hawaiian food? Well, I guess it's really what it's not. Is it healthy? If so, then it's not Hawaiian. Does it come without a generous side of hapa rice and gelatinous macaroni salad? Also not Hawaiian. Everything here is a fatty fried entree coupled with the rice and mac. Seriously. It's called plate lunch, and it's everywhere, and you can't get away from it. My new favorite sandwich place is not my favorite because their sandwiches are good (that's just a nice bonus), but because they allow you to substitute good old American fries and cole slaw for the ubiquitous rice/macaroni salad combo. It's like a dream.

Luckily, while I already never want to see macaroni salad again, I was already a fan of most types of Asian food, which is everywhere here (did you know there are actually ramen restaurants, as opposed to the 12 cent packages that college students buy for their dorms?). I don't find it problematic that the base of my personal food pyramid is currently split between thai food, shave ice, and the malasadas from the famous bakery near my house. Oh yeah, that reminds me: something else that's distinctly Hawaiian? Incorporating meat in dishes/meals that don't require it. Yesterday we had a staff meeting and there was a box in the conference room. I assumed it was doughnuts, or, if they were really wild and crazy, muffins. While there were a few normal looking pastries, the item most prevalent in the box was a pastry/bread type thing with a hot dog stuck through the middle. For breakfast. There was something else nearly unrecognizable, but even odds are that it contained spam.

Speaking of hole in the wall bars, last night on the way home from work I decided to take a detour near the U of H campus. It's not far from my house, I had never been, and a college neighborhood should, by definition, have some cool places to eat, a few fun bars, maybe a local bookstore, etc. Right? So I thought I would explore. First, the neighborhood is really nice, but ultra suburban. Honolulu really saw its population grow in the '70's, which, apparently, was not a great decade for architecture. Downtown is definitely a cement jungle, and a dilapidated one at that. People who tell you that Honolulu is pretty are either lying to you or talking about the mountains and/or beach (which are stunning, and that's good enough for me). They're not talking within the city limits. Anyway, the university is settled in a neighborhood with large, pretty homes, lots of plants and trees, very clean, and because it's in the valley, very lush. Driving through, I was on this long, windy road that went as high on the mountain as this neighborhood gets, and apparently they're not all that concerned about safety. It was a narrow two lanes, but you are actually allowed to park on the street (i.e. the right lane), so you had to move to the other lane to avoid hitting parked cars. The sharp turns, however, made it impossible to see if there was oncoming traffic. Nice. No one's thought of this? Or, you know, died from it? Apparently not. Anyway, my quest for the fun coffee place or unique bookstore? I found a Safeway, Starbucks, and a gas station. That's it. Number of U of H students? 20,644. I had to miss something.

Plan for this weekend? Aquarium, Manoa Falls, and exploration of the area in and around Kaneohe Bay. Unless I'm working.

Dilemma in paradise

I have some big problems now that I've moved here. Specifically, how to fit my indoor activities into my weekends. Here's the deal. One of the first things I did after moving here was go to the library, check out a stack of guidebooks, and develop a list of things I want to do/see/explore on Oahu (OCD, anyone?). For each day that I have off, though, those things almost never happen. The primary reason is the weather. On my list are Iolani Palace and the Waikiki Aquarium and the Bishop Museum and an art museum... I could go on. Then, I have a day off, reach for my list... and decide that there's no way I can justify an indoor activity "on a day like this." Every day has been exactly the same. Beautiful. High 80's, gorgeous sky, cool trade winds. So, it seems I'm waiting for winter to do these things. It rains or something here in the winter, right?

There are two other reasons for my procrastination in fulfilling the obligation of said List of Things To Do. First is my new embracement (looked it up, it's a real word) of the island lifestyle. In other words, I now sleep in. A lot. And being that July is the height of tourist season here, you have to get up early to tour Pearl Harbor, or snorkel Hanauma Bay. I'm still working on that. The second? Things that require paid admission. I'm all about the kama'aina (resident) discount, but I have yet to get a Hawaii driver's license so I have resorted to proof of auto insurance (worked) and my library card (not so much) as an alternative. Legally, I'm not actually required to get a Hawaii driver's license. In fact, in my opinion, the only reason to get one is all the discounts businesses here offer to locals. But, the DMV isn't close, is only open during the day, plus they make you take a test again - definitely the written and possibly the driving. Really? Has anyone else had to take one since age sixteen? Plus, in Ohio, I'm not sure how qualified you actually had to be to drive legally. Sure, I still know the legal tire tread in the state (1/16 inch), but many of my friends still cannot parallel park to save their lives , so how accurate can the Maneuverability test be? Exactly. Also? My VA driver's license picture is pretty flattering. I'm not sure I want to give that up. So, I must decide if the new, possibly uglier picture is worth the 4 dollars off admission at the aquarium. I'll let you know.

This weekend: rested and did nothing Saturday (I actually worked a ton the previous week, including a 3:30 am wake up call on the holiday to fly to Maui to do a case). Sunday was a long walk around the perimeter of Diamondhead, a nap, then down to the beach where they were setting up for the free movie (http://www.sunsetonthebeach.net/). I didn't stick around for the movie, but I did get a kickass blue shave ice, provided excellent directions to a series of tourists, and read in the park until the sun was almost down. Today I took the day off (you know, to compensate for those 4 days last week when I worked really hard). I did some exploring, and ended up on a beach that really sees only locals. There were actually only 4 other people there, who turned out to be really nice. One was pulling a Joey Tribbiani burying himself in the sand deal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20sUHgyW8Ic), and was watching me, perhaps to make sure I'm not easily offended. When I pointed out that his right boob was a bit larger than the left, that apparently broke the ice. Who knew.

A few quick things: Some of you may know I live very close to the zoo. When walking home from the beach yesterday, I was walking along the grounds and saw a closed gate (on the opposite side from the main entrance) with a small laminated sign that read "Elephant Gate." I didn't get it. Visitors can't go in through that entrance. I'm pretty sure the elephants aren't allowed to come and go as they please. Even if they did, I doubt a sign would help them find their way back. That's on my list of questions to ask the zookeeper when I visit (with my kama'aina discount, of course).

Also, I missed the first season because that fell during those cable-less years, but this week, VH1's World Series of Pop Culture returns. I love this show. I'm not sure if it validates or indicts my wasted youth, but I am really good at it. Plus, this year there's a team called the Truffle Shuffles, which I think is freaking fantastic. I haven't even seen them yet, but I feel we should be friends.

Finally, a special hello to Uncle Al and Aunt Sue (who may or may not read my blog) who were nice enough to send me a congratulations/good luck on my move card. It was my first fun mail from the mainland, and actually appeared to get here in fewer than the 10 weeks it took for one of my boxes. Thank you!

beach and more beach

I have a few pictures to post, but not a lot to report from this weekend. Friday night was spent at Barnes and Noble, as the venerable US Postal Service failed pretty miserably in delivering a large portion of my book collection on time. Wait until they find out that I know Audrey Miller.

Saturday? Exploring the neighborhood more and hanging out at the beaches near my house. Attached is a picture of that beach, the park by my house (you can sort of see the Waikiki Shell in the middle. For Bostonians, it's sort of like the Hatch Shell, except a little bit bigger and most shows here charge admission). There are also community gardens (again for the MA crowd, much like the Fenway gardens on a much smaller scale (and perhaps without the surreptitious nighttime activities we've all heard about there)).

Oh, speaking of the Waikiki Shell. A note on music here. Don't get me wrong, we do get current bands to play concerts here, and it seems like there may be a pretty fantastic local music scene, but I have to say, this week I've felt like I am in a time warp and a half. I have heard nothing promoted so heavily until this week's Huey Louis and the News concert. And a close second? The following week's appearance by... Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Now, I realize I am in no position to judge. Did I twirl baton in the 5th grade talent show to a Lisa Lisa song? Yes. Yes, I did. I can admit this freely because no matter how bad it was, it wasn't nearly as memorable as Monica's lip synch rendition of Whitney's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." Needless to say, participation in the talent show was mandatory. I think some of us still have nightmares 20 years later. Thanks, Mrs. Bariffe.

Sunday I spent the entire afternoon at Kailua Beach, which is stunning. The trades there are amazing, so I managed to read three quarters of a book while watching the windsurfers and evaluating if that's something I would want to do (I ultimately settled on yes). On the way home I stopped at the Pali Lookout, part of a state park that has a great view from the Koolau Mountains. It was so windy that it felt downright cold up there (in actuality, it was probably all of 75 degrees). All in all, a really nice day. Even with all of my newfound free time, I continue to not be bored and not be lonely. I'm pretty content, in fact. No complaints at all.

Finally, my apologies for gloating to my old DC colleagues, but on all three days of activities I described? I was also on first call. No lie.

Kapi'olani Park

community gardens

Kailua Beach

more Kailua Beach

Pali Lookout

Shirt flying up from the wind, covered in sunscreen and sand...and yet never been happier.

I was much less concerned with this sign than the one that read "Danger: bees."