Foodies

Local culture is anchored in food.  While carrying a server from building A to building B I stopped to talk with a friend. He offered me bananas to take home. I accepted.

I have a box of bananas on my desk. Child comes in to talk about yo-yos. He looks interested in the bananas and I offer him to help himself. He eats two while we talk, his mom yells for him to get in the car and he grabs three more on the way out.

I still have two more!

I kept the peels to take home for compost.

Potatoes

Today I was in a meeting (lol) with my friend before she goes on maternity leave.  The daughter of one our friends walked into the office eating a purple sweet potato. My friend said "I want one, go get one for me." but it was said in a nice way.

The girl smiled and skipped away like young girls do and came back a few minutes later with a whole sweet potato and plunked into my friend's hand, smiled and scampered off.  My friend got up, went to the kitchen and returned, handing me half a sweet potato.

I said thanks and we continued our meeting.



It was nice to be included and shared with.  This happened on my last day before a trip, so there could have been resentments about me leaving and excuses to exclude me.

That, too, passed.

Some things have changed since last time.

The car is resolved, I'm thankful for insurance for insurance money. I'm now in the market for another car.

The big news is that we have an accepted offer on a house.  It goes into escrow tomorrow and if everything goes well, in 45 days (4/8/13) we'll be moving into our house sitting on 2.44 acres of land on the Big Island. Jessie is coming for an extended visit in a few weeks and the house will close while she's here so we can move in together.  I hope she'll make a honey-do list for me to work on while after she's gone.

If you're reading this we're probably friends. This means you're invited to stay with us in Hilo.

The last remaining piece of this puzzle is the rest of my family: the wife and animals.

I've even been offered some side work by the end of the summer. I'm thankful for things to be finally lining up.

Tonight I was stuck on traffic. It's a particularly bad bottleneck from two lanes to one during rush hour.

An ambulance approached and the several dozen cars moved over and opened a lane down the center. We had been at a stand still. Everyone moved over, no honking, no one trying to cut ahead in line. It was a seamless transition to be made in the thick of rush hourand it reminded me of why I love living in Hawaii.

Put a pin in this moment.

I'm back in Hilo. Like for good. With any luck, I'll die here.  When I do, burn me and toss me in the ocean. Or figure out a way to compost me. That escalated quickly.



I'm back, but there's no shortage of missing pieces in my life.  My Jessie is still in VA, working her booty off in a difficult OT job.  We talk several times a day but it's not the same.  We'll never do this again. We want to be together, settle down and have children.

My cat and dog are with her, being well cared for and spoiled, but they belong here, retiring to HI. HI has no rabies, and they have strict guidelines for letting animals into the state. It's going to be a challenge. It needs to happen.

Our car was totaled recently, we're still working through the paperwork to get that settled. It's difficult to take care of a car in a salvage yard in NV, registered in MA, I'm in HI and Jessie's in VA. We keep hoping to make progress only to keep hitting road blocks. I hope this obstacle will be over come soon. It's my least favorite of our challenges.

We're looking for a house. We have some money for the down payment, but it's a big decision. We know what we want, where we want it and we want it now.  As with the other things we're dealing with, it's difficult coordinating this big decision while we're separated.
I've given up gaming until we have a house. I'm not a competitive gamer but I am a consistent gamer and it used to take a lot of my time, it was a good release for me, but it diverted my attention. I need as much focus as I can get right now.  Until the above items are taken care of how can I justify any more distractions? If I want to keep my wife happy, she needs a house. Gaming is keeping me from that. The joke, of course, is that since I quit gaming I've purchased the THQ bundle and a Death Adder mouse.



I'm thankful for reintegrating into our circle of friends. They're amazing and they keep me sane and entertained. We go on adventures: night swimming, full moon blessings. They're empathetic and fun.

I have roommates again.  I'm tired of roommates.  One doesn't say hello or even attempt to live with me. The other is a drunk, drinking and smoking so much that it's difficult to be in a room with him because of the stench. When he drinks I can't understand him through his slurred speech. He's also taken over the lanai, leaving trash, empty cans and cigarette butts over everything. I used to eat breakfast out there but I can't do that anymore. It's filthy. The third roommate is great, an old friend, but he's never home.

I have a moped again which is great. $10 / month on gas. It's a nice slice of independence. Hopefully it won't break.

Moku Ola

Coconut island is where I sliced my toe. It was the day before I left. I took Ulu and Ian and they took me jumping. I felt a little old and fat trying to climb to the high platform, but I still did it.

da

Closed

4 weeks removed from the islands. It was warm, it was beautiful and natural. My friends that I miss dearly. I ate food that made sense and came from the backyard. I leave behind slow Internet, expensive food and a wonderful job.

I took away a great deal more than I left. I never knew life could be so great.

Much mahalos.

Closure part 3

Last night marks the end of my food club. Mostly older ladies who have been thrilled to have a younger male presence were squirmy that I'm leaving. Some were sad, others looked lonely and lost. I couldn't find the right time to use my secret word but I got lots of teary eyed hugs and even a hand squeeze.

Definitely something that's changed my life since I started going in August. I have two excellent friends that made it an important part of our weekly routine. It changed my perspective on a lot of things and I'm sad I won't be going with them anymore.

Local kine grinds

8 days to go. The goal now is to pack everything and ship. Also to fill up on local food that won't be available en Mass. Musubi from 7-11, saimin, mauna pua, bentos and especially fresh fruit are all being consumed at an unalarming rate. I purchased some food to cover the few meals I'll eat at home but for the most part it's going to be getting what I can while I can.

My new favorite breakfast involves yogurt. Last week it was cereal and yogurt like I had in Sweden. This week it's vanilla yogurt with pineapple & bananas from the farmer's market. Pretty awesome.

I have a few food items to bring to the east coast with me but they'll be gone within a few days or weeks as I share and give them away.

I WANT CHOWDA has been in my lexicon for months now and soon I'll get to use it in earnest. What other delicacies await me in the frigid NE? I'll let you know.

For now, what food do you eat thats specific to where you're from? What do you miss when you are away?

Closure part 2

An ordeal has finally ended. 20 months ago I had my wisdom teeth removed. During that procedure the adjacent tooth's root was broken.

To CYA my surgeon paid for:

• A root canal which could not recover the tooth
• I then had another extraction
• A bone graft of someone else's bone shards and
• Another bone graft of someone else's bone shards
• An implant
• An uncovering
• A failed molding during which the implant was pushed up into my sinus
• A surgery to remove the implant impacted in my sinus.

When the implant made it to my sinus I couldn't form a seal in my mouth. I couldn't use a straw. Breathing vibrated the nerve in the open canal and was very uncomfortable. 

The new surgeon that removed the titanium implant said that the prosthetic tooth is not even necessary because of how much the teeth overlap, so the entire procedure could've been avoided.

My dentist is awesome though and when I went by today to show them the titanium implant I asked for copies of my X-Rays. They didn't know how to export them from the computer so they let me do it. They also gave me chocolate covered short bread cookies. I brought them tangerines.

'Ohana

Big Island Ohana Cafe. Owned by a father and mother, run by daughter and son. I never knew their names or their nationality. They had vintage signs on the wall and still offered banana splits and malt milk shakes. They were cash only.

When I moved here I ate there a couple three times a week, usually getting bacon cheeseburgers, fries and a drink for me and my boss. The store changed owners and my shift moved to the evening when BIOC was closed so I stopped eating there.

We started going to church and would eat lunch at 'Ohana Cafe every Sunday. Over the summer my hana'i nephew paddled every Saturday morning and we took him there for lunch afterwards.

We went often enough that they let me order off menu. I usually got fish over fried rice with eggs over medium. It was fantastic. Jessie got the same thing every time, which with their accent, was pronounced "Frenche Toast."

They closed 2 weeks ago.

Update:

BigIslandVideoNews.com has video of the corner being torn down. It may have been ugly but I don't see 15 new parking spaces being better than the 'Ohana Cafe.

Tsunami drill

Every month they sound the Tsanmi warning alarms as a test. This month they organized a complete Tsunami drill.

I was unprepared, I didn't bring water or really know what to do. So I set out to keep the kids in line as we made our dry run from the school to the edge of the airport where we waited in the sun for 20 minutes for them to open the gates. We walked with 700 kids across the tarmac of Hilo airport to then sit for 2 hours waiting for a bus ride home.

The kids did not take it seriously, they were rude and didn't follow directions and were plagued with selfish behavior as previously mentioned. In the event of a real Tsunami they might focus a little more because it's serious, but they'd also be under prepared and there would be a lot more chaos around them.

Tsunamis are a very real thing here. There have been serous ones within memory for some members of the community and the kids' families, so it's not like an abstract idea. I wish I knew how to convey the serious nature of this threat and the benefit of being prepared and focused.

The reality is that if a Tsunami hit where we are most vulnerable most of that area would not survive, there isn't enough time or organization to get everyone out.

The price of island life.

poke

I love poke. My favorite is spicy, it's Sriracha mixed with mayonaise on ahi, but I'll eat almost any kine poke. It keeps my diet rich in fresh fish, some of it caught locally. On gym days I like to eat a large amount of it several hours before, for the protein.

Sometimes I eat an entire pound of poke. Eating a pound of raw fish is sometimes an endurance test. I love raw fish, but still when I'm done my body recoils and it's not sure what just happened. It's a departure from my diet of old especially from the mainland. But I like to enjoy this opportunity while I have it.

Today is gym day, so I stopped at the fish market to pick up an ahi steak but they were sold out. To substitute I grabbed a package of tako, octopus, and I just finished half a pound of that. Again my body isn't sure about such a large amount of octopus with no chaser.

Waipi'o

I went camping with the Intermediate school on Thursday. It was an end-of-the-year reward for the kids that got all their work done on time.
My usual approach to school outings is to do whatever the kids do, eat the same food, do the same activities and get just as dirty. This being no exception I opted to walk down the valley with the kids, on a road that is 4wd only for a good reason. So steep that it was often difficult to stop once the momentum had its hold. It's two days later and I'm still sore, I have trouble standing up and sitting down or standing still. It's that bad. It's a beautiful way to spend a Thursday: removing invasive species in a beautiful valley that the Ali'i of old used to live in.


The valley is called Waipi'o because it's a microcosm of the water cycle.

Wai - water
pi'o - arch or curve.

As you can see it's absolutey beautiful. It's a lush tropical rain forest teaming with life.

The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Tell Us Is Possible

Saturday we went back to Kahena. This is secluded off the side of the road, you have to hike down a lava rock staircase jutting from the cliffs. It's a secluded black sand beach with a violent wave break. The undertow can be vicious if it's not expected. The point of bringing this up: I caught waves! Small ones for sure, but I even manage to do a turn!

Thanks to a local 16yr old named Solomon who gave me the courage and reminded me that no one was judging. He also told me my board was too small.

The rocks were pretty big and not very soft. I'm really sore today and I have cuts on my knees and feet; keeping in line with my wounds from the sea.

Someone was nice enough to get some video of one of my waves:

I could use any argument I like

His followup:

Hi PrisonIndustry,

Have you had a chance to look at our proposal? When do you think you might be purchasing?
Please let me know.

Thanks for choosing [vendor name]

My response:

Hi Vendor,

I've had a chance to look at it but I'm currently waiting on final approval from my boss. I think it's out of our budget for the time being however. If I get the go ahead I will be in contact with you to order.
Thanks,
PrisonIndustry

His final reply:

Hi PrisonIndustry

Just a suggestion,

You could use the argument, that with the current state of technology, you can’t afford not to.
Thanks for the information.

Since I was asking for a quote for Office licenses for a school, I'd say the current state of technology has nothing to do with it.

Hawai'i looks like this nearly every day at some point. Often it will be overcast and rainy in the morning but by the afternoon the clouds will thin and the sun will shine. Because we live on the rainy side of Hawai'i the vegetation is lush and abundant.

It's a really magical place to live, it's so far from modern society really. Families move down to live by the beach all summer in tents and under tarps going home only to do laundry. The surfing beaches are packed from 3 when school lets out until sunset everyday. Kids are friendly and unashamed of their bodies, they're trusting. Locals are friendly, even to haoles provided you're the same. When you wake up and everyday is beautiful and the beach is over your shoulder for generations your entire culture becomes wonderful.

Coconut Island panoramics. I took these a couple of days ago, I was leaving in a hurry when I took these, that's why a good portion of them are blurry, but I think it's an interesting effect to have a blurry picture merged with an in focus one.

City lights on the inside of my eyelids

I miss living in a city. I haven't very often or for very long. Barcelona for 2 months, Seattle for 5 months, I guess you can count Richmond for 2 years. A corner stone of any city that I'd like to live in is public transportation.

Seattle had an amazing public transit system that would take me from Bellevue into downtown in about 45 minutes. This is me time, time to read and listen to music. NOT talk on the phone, because that's just rude. But I really enjoy the sway of the bus, the other travelers; I feel connected with them in a way that I don't when we drive next to each other. The driving is left to someone else and I can watch the scenery. I can focus on the birds and sunset, I don't have to worry.

Around Seattle also had ferries, these are at least 12 kinds of awesome. They also provide a time for picture taking, down time, time to talk and provide a good adventure, even if only for 30
minutes.


I enjoy much more riding the subway. The dirty tiled floor of the station, swiping cards or giving tokens has a sense of time to it that cannot be matched anywhere else. Again, I enjoy connecting with the other passengers by their presence only. Talking to strangers in that kind of setting has never appealed, but the clutch of the train as it pulls away and the G forces as it slows down. The flickering of lights, well it just appeals to me.

I miss living in a place where I can travel without being the driver. Here either I bike or I drive. There is a bus, sure, but it runs only a few times a day and isn't really designed for around town commuting, more for cross island destinations.


I enjoy walking on stone. The hard surface beneath me makes me feel small against the age of this stone. It's been around longer than I have and will continue to be long after I'm not.

It's not just the reduced carbon footprint, or the lower cost, the absence of anxiety from not driving. It's also the culture. These things were built during a time when city planners put an enormous effort into moving a large amount of people. This technology comes form a time when society wasn't centered around the individual. You can blame it on whatever you want, video games or media, it doesn't really matter at this point. Pretty much everyone is on this path to manifest destiny.

$4.50 at the pumps yesterday and I still filled up.





To revive my old meme:
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be.
If you had your choice of method of transportation there, what would you choose?

Strong Finish

A couple of months ago, shortly before thanksgiving, we bought a Nikon D40x DSLR. We researched as much as we could before choosing, we just didn't know what we'd want or need. I chose the d40x over the d40 because of the higher megapixels. We got the body and a kit lens for about $650 (quitting smoking money) from Amazon. Shortly after we bought a camera case and a tripod for $40 also on Amazon.

I took a photography class in highschool and that's the extent of my formal training. I had a great teacher who loved Macs and really pushed us to create art however we saw it, either with SLR cameras or digital videos. For some reason I felt that all those lessons I learned JR year would carry across a decade.Getting this camera has been a blast for me, it's allowed me to take some really nice shots of the island we live on.

The d40x allows a shutter time up to 30 seconds which is usually more than I need. Playing with the shutter speed for night shots and aperture settings for day shots has been so much fun for me. I'm only recently starting to bump up against some of it's short comings.
1. No time lapse settings: no way to create a gif automatically. It has to be done manually, and I have, it's just not as pretty and a big PITA.
2. No bracketing. This would allow me to take the same picture x number of times with different exposures to make some HDR pictures.

This is a great beginner camera. It's taken almost 6 months for me find things I want it to do that it can't. Also means I can get another camera someday and leave this one for J or our kids one day :)

One of the best things about this camera is that it encourages me to adventure. My dad gave up photograpy because he feels it takes away from the experience of the event. I agree, but I also find that I wouldn't even be at the event if it weren't to take pictures. Now I also get a chance to share some of that experience with you.

Fine day

This morning I woke up and realized how to take long exposure pictures during the day in plenty of light! Boy I was excited. I also figured out how to use the AF-L (Auto Focus Lock) button. What a productive day and I'd only been awake for 20 minutes. Gosh what a beautiful day it is too! Not a cloud in the sky, I can see all the way up to Mauna Kea and if you look closely you can see the observatories where Kevin works.
Today is a special day so we decided to do something special and go somewhere I'd never been before, Akaka Falls. I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I'd already seen Akaka Falls and many many other places on the Big Island without actually having been there personally. I see tourist pictures of these places every day. Everyone takes the same pictures of the same places Sometimes they put their boyfriend or wife in them but usually they're content with what's there.
Since I'm not interested in posting the pictures with me or my fiance, you get a generic picture. I did try some of the delayed exposure stuff that I learned, but there was just too much sky and it over exposed very easily. There's a little bit of the milky effect from the fall, but not much.










Here is where I really lucked out with the long exposure. There was just enough tree cover to allow a 1.3" shutter speed. If only the leaves weren't so over exposed but I'm still learning and I'm very pleased.