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!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
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.
The outdoor portion of the Aquarium, just so you can see that it is literally right along the ocean.
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.
Monday, July 23, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, July 9, 2007
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)