Still Sleepwalking

Although throw some late-August sweat into the picture. Ah, yes. Theeeeeere we go. I, who once couldn't sleep unless I had at least two covers, flees from even a mere sheet and requires a constant fan in the bedroom.

My parents surprised me last week. Sneakily flew to Kauai and proceeded to spend the next week doing my laundry, cooking my meals, moving my furniture, buying me rocking chairs, bringing me boob pumps and otherwise generally being useful. I cheered them on from the couch, briefly felt bad, then resumed watching the Olympics. Who ever knew fencing could be so mesmerizing?

But thanks to their efforts, plus some elbow grease from Nick, we now have an actual space in our bedroom where the baby could feasibly dwell and be changed. Right now I'm just enjoying the Feng Shui of the open corners and unobstructed views into the jungly backyard.

We recently acquired a tv. Ostensibly it is to be used only to watch dvd's but I sneakily conspired to get the free cable hooked in. I wanted Olympics and Democratic Convention. Nick is threatening to cut off the gravy train at some point but the real reason is that he can't say when. I can flick it off. He ends up watching some early 80's concoction on the Sci-Fi Channel. But should that impact me and my responsible Michael Phelps addiction? I say no.

Pledge Poisoning, My 6th Grade OCD, Bad Dream

So I was checking our "clothes horse" (aka the indoor drying rack) to see if any clean tops were dry enough to get away wearing to work when I noticed a dead body. An anole bit it right next to the window where Nick manically sprayed half a bottle of Pledge through the screen trying to kill off an army of bees attempting to colonize the western house wall. While my hate of anoles is substantial...I don't trust their furtive jumping, dominance displays or generally angry look they get in the eyes, I felt a little bad if this one suffered from Pledge poisoning.

I've come home early to work on my math final and as you can see it's going well. What else is going on?

1. I tried drinking some barely diluted cranberry juice and think I have burn away part of my throat.
2. Cheesy potatoes are my new all time favorite breakfast, lunch or dinner.
3. My sister Megan is moving in sometime early June, date TBA
4. The temperature has been perfectly perfect, low 80's, mostly sunny with a great trade wind. Ahhhhh....
5. Remembered this weekend that in sixth grade I built a shrine to God and couldn't pass by it without tapping my nose to the ground three times, made it awkward when I had friends visit.

Weird Dream of The Week: I was driving down a busy highway in what looked like a mix between Minneapolis and Sin City. Suddenly I noticed there was a dead boy lying in the lane, clearly run over, in a green and white striped t-shirt. I passed him and checked in my rearview mirror. Yup, definetly dead. No blood, but the angle of his neck and legs were wrong, all wrong. Other cars were now passing him so I kept driving. After a few minutes I realized, "Whoa, I just left a dead kid lying in the middle of the road and justified it because so did everyone else."

Tonight I think I'm going to root on dreams of butterflies and gumdrops.

Singing a Mango Song

Had my first mango of the season today, divine. Just peeled the skin back and let the juices run down my fingers. And yes, I rubbed them off on my skirt at the end and went on back to work.

Next will be mango lassi, mango crumble, mango chutney, mango and ice cream, mango and yogurt, mango and chicken, mango and hot sauce

mmmmmmm

Vog

Glad I don't live on Big Island right now, but we're even seeing some vog way over here on little ol' Kauai.

Meet the Lil' Chum

We're 13 weeks pregnant! Baby coming Oct 27th to a small island near (or not so near) you!

Kauai Garden Fair

Kauai County Farm Bureau and UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources present

Saturday, April 19th
13th Annual Kauai Garden Fair
Kauai Community College Campus Lawn

On Saturday, April 19th the Kauai Community College front lawn will spring to life with gardeners, suppliers, garden lovers and consumers here to shop the wide variety of plants, landscape products and equipment and to find out the latest gardening information and tips. Whether you garden yourself, seek local garden products, or simply enjoy experiencing the fruits of the garden and tropical landscaping, the Garden Fair is a great way to spend the day!


· One day FREE EVENT for the garden

· MEET OVER 30 garden related vendors, companies, agencies and organizations

· ONE STOP SHOP for varieties of tropical plants, orchids, produce, seeds

· LECTURE SERIES on garden related topics (schedule below)

· UH CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Exhibits – Master Gardeners,

· 4-H LIVESTOCK AUCTION – fun for the whole family

· VEGAN FOOD by Blossoming Lotus, PRIZES AND MORE!


UH College of Tropical Agriculture and HR – Lecture Tent Schedule

9:30am - 10:15am Growing anthuriums

10:15am – 11:00am Growing orchids

11:00am - noon Plant your own, take it home, nutritious eating

noon - 1:30pm Growing tropical fruit trees Milan Rupert

1:30pm - 2:15pm Color Caping: Colors which make you look best

2:15pm - 3:00pm Growing native plants

Biting the Apple: Temptation to Run off into the Distance

I'm not feeling 100% today. A little more like 43%. Took some good friends to the airport who are moving to....

That's just it, they have no idea. They got the yen to leave the rock and are heading to the mainland to pick up an airstream rv they purchased online and proceed to drive around the country for the next 6 weeks deciding where to hang their hats. Did I mention they have a one year old? I am impressed and while I am so happy I get to go home tonight and curl up in my quilt, make a cup of tea and reread whatever book I can lay my hands on, part of me is yearning for a little more horizon scanning.

Like when I was in Tasmania I had this momentarily overpowering urge that said, "What if you just stayed. Or buy a ticket to Santiago and head back down to Patagonia. Do it. Bite the apple."

Instead I flew home and spent this morning throwing up my delicious homemade organic smoothie in a public restroom at the Maatson shipping dock while my friends offloaded there car for it's cross Pacific return.

But then I remember a friend from college who after talking a long time about the Lutheran hymns of his Minnesota childhood, sat back on his Montana porch and sighed, "I like home."

Back on the rock

What's the best thing about wrapping up what's been an outstanding overseas holiday? Getting to stand in HAWAIIAN AIRLINES line at the Sydney airport where staff somehow swallow their pride and say things like "Aloha" and "Mahalo" in lilting Australian accents while smirking at poor souls in next line waiting to board an American Airlines flight to LAX. Suckers...

Now I'd like to spend the next 45 minutes rhapsodizing on the deep rich mustard colors of the Tasmanian button grass plains, or the baby wombat I saw trying unsuccessfully to burrow into his/her mummy's pouch. However, travel has taught me one thing. Most people really don't want to know that much. So in summary, did I eat vegemite? No, it's nasty. But I did fall in love all over again with the country of my 5 year permanent residence visa. I'll wack some pics up over the next few days as that tends to go down smoother.

Nick is currently in Molokai touring deep dark valleys while I'm eating Subway at my desk thinking, ok time to get back to work. The temperature today is a balmy 72 and I had a bird of paradise bouquet on my desk welcoming me home (thanks lovely anonymous co-worker!)

Help Wanted

Will you clean my house for me? At least my sheets?

Argh, leaving for Australia on Thursday morning (so I'll be blogging upside down soon) and have the energy of a caterpillar. I have a mountain of laundry in the closet, some sneaky mold appearing on the edge of bookshelves (my absolute least favorite part of living on Kauai) and a fridge that I need to either clean or discover the cure for cancer in already!

I will pay you in guava. And you can have all the chickens you can catch.

Beware the Beach Babes

A slight change of plans moved us from Anini to Kahili Beach (aka Rock Quarries) over the weekend. We woke up in the morning to albatross calling and spotted frigate birds, white tail tropic birds, nene and a breach happy humpback. I'm going to come right out and make the bold statement that R.Q is my favorite beach. Yes, there are others more beautiful but EVERY. SINGLE.TIME I've been down there nothing but fun has occurred.

I told someone this today who sniffed, "It's a little overvisited." But all day Saturday and Sunday there were about 6 people in the water at it's most crowded (ok, it was also real flat) and a couple of local families fishing and playing with their naked sand covered babies.

Compare that to some of the beaches closer to me and it was heaven. My favorite Poipu Beach story (only about 10 min from my house) was hanging out with Nick one night watching the sun slink down while munching some cold pizza. A woman in an ill-fitting swim suit proceeded to crawl cat like through the sand scowling? grimacing? pouting? for her husband who snapped the whole scene like a pornographer gasping "Oh yeah baby, that's hot, no THAT's hot right there."

I had grease on my lips, tomato sauce on my fingers and sand down my jocks and even I knew...that was so not hot.

Sweets

Last night bawled against Nick through the lovely Minnesota-set film, Sweet Land. Gorgeous!

Woke up early this morning inventing ice cream flavors I'd like to try. Ideas included: carrot and ginger sorbet, chocolate and chili 'scream, lychee sorbet and coconut date 'scream.

Hoping to get to North Shore tomorrow for a camp out on the lovely Anini Beach. Have been invited to free rein of an amazingly juicy pink grapefruit tree up my road, so off for a scavenge. Makes to best breakfast juice I've ever had.

Better than Folgers in Your Cup

I've been having some slow mornings lately and really relishing the extra time in bed. From my window I have a nice view of a jungly canopy of dense palms and mango. The first thing I hear before opening my eyes is the distant sound of a morning commute, ubiquitous chickens clucking, rustling and finally the roosters. Then come the doves with their cooing which sounds an awful lot like "ooooh" "ooooh" like they're seventh graders watching skateboard videos. Then comes the shama with it's machine gun song followed by the japanese white eyes that flit their tiny (look like flying green marshmallow) bodies through the leaves.

Finally, the sun breaks over the hillside across the valley and the dark green turns to gold.

It's always good to wake up this way.

Over the line...

Last night was the first annual "Bowling for Biodiversity." This bowl down at Lihue Lanes included conservation professionals from various island organizations rallying together for a night of cheap beer, sweaty shoes (someone else's sweat to boot), rainbow birthday cake and elmo party hats. The rainbow cake and elmo party hats were to celebrate Nick's 33rd birthday. He had an overall good bowl session but did pull a butt cheek. Must be his advanced age. I can say these things because he's now currently en route to Seattle...

Our bowling team lost by a heartbreaking .4 points, but I think we were the best looking.

The Dude didn't make an appearance but I did spy one or two nihilists hanging about.

Which leads me to must see bowling films:

1.The Big Lebowski (undisputed champion)

2.Mystery Men (when J. Garofalo uses the skull of her deceased father encased in a golden bowling ball as weapon)

and...I'm spent. I can't count Kingpin, hated that one.

Photo c/o an anonymous co-worker

Sometimes Living on Kauai is Really Hard

Sometimes I feel like life (the kind of life full of art galleries, music, film, good coffee, highways, deer, squirrels, bagels) is bustling away "out there." "Out there" is the magical world that exists somewhere past the waves.

But then I have days where I think, this is what I get to do at the end of the day.



My afternoon lounge spot



View from my hammock

Have you seen me?

Hawai‘i is the "Endangered Species Capital of the United States."

Last known footage of the Kaua‘i ‘Ō‘ō

Warning: Sad

Weekend in Review

This weekend I borrowed a friend's Dick Brewer up at Hanalei Bay and managed to get quite a few nice little rides! Ok so the surf was microscopic, but I managed to pearl only once which is a big achievement for me.

Later that night Nick and I used a christmas present gift certificate (thanks Kristen) to dine at my all-time favorite Kauai establishment, The Blossoming Lotus. Nick ordered a new garbanzo masala dish that turned out pretty bland but my "Udon Odyssey" was sublime as always. The B. LO was my first revelation that when done well, vegan food tops anything the meat and dairy industry can toss at us.

Yesterday I began a cleaning frenzy. The type of frenzy that only envelopes me once or twice a year and makes Nick run out the door clutching his bike without looking back. The type that moves furniture, tears about piles of junk and digs deep beneath the bed. I made great headway clearing out the workshop beside the house, this building made of rusting corrugated iron and screen has become a stockpile for Nick's "treasures." By treasures I mean molding scraps of mosquito net, random screws, broken kites and trail food from two years ago. I carved out a nice sunny corner beneath two large windows to use for crafting, reading, yoga or just plain nothing.

I also fought a prolonged battle with an anole. I really, really don't like sharing my house with anoles. I don't hate them like I do the ants or the occasional cockroach/centipede. But I do not want to live beside them at close quarters. Why? They are really brazen, hang on the wall above my head and do little chest presses to show dominance and jump like Olympian hurdlers. I am terrified of one jumping in my hair. The thought of it is currently sending tingles down the back of my arm.

So I tried to chase one out yesterday with a broom. It would sullenly move in slow inches, pausing to chew a mosquito or give me a death stare. But finally I won and as I watched him?her? run down the boardwalk in front of our home and disappear beneath the banana tree I felt the exhilaration of a soldier at the end of battle.

A perfect Saturday

1. Getting the news (i knew it the moment i saw the missed call on my cell phone) a great friend is getting hitched. Congrats Cherlyn!

2. Eating a tofu breakfast wrap and soy chai at the Kalaheo Cafe with my mister while trying to explain how a caucus works (hurrah for February 19th Hawaii Primary!).

3. Taking my new heart rate monitor (valentine's day gift from Nick) out for a nice three mile run. Also, how did I EVER run before I bought my cute (it's purple) ipod shuffle.

4. Watching Rome in bed (2 politically backstabbing, ripe-with-intrigue, toga disfunction episodes) with Nick in the middle of the day.

5. Finding the internet is working again.

6. Cleaning the shower curtain..at last.

7. Having the house to myself while Nick's on a bike ride to sing old Wilco songs at the top of my lungs.

8. Prepping curried lentils and kale for dinner.

9. Wikipedia-ing the Caesars.

10. Reading a passed along New Yorker (thanks Pauline).

Fat Tuesday

Goodbye hair, goodbye. I am currently bucking the trend of moving to Kauai and growing my hair out. Instead mine is creeping away in furtive inches.

Here is a little somethin' to celebrate Mardi Gras with: UBC numa numa explosion adventure ride fun

I'll be partying it up by finding a TV and watching the "Super Tuesday" results fly...and maybe I'll wear some beads. I know, crazy.

When I was little Mardi Gras or "Fat Tuesday" was the last day I could eat candy before Lent. My mom made me give up something I loved deeply (picking up the dog's poop or lima beans didn't count).

My deep love was candy, in particular Big League Chew (shredded bubble gum I would attempt to shove in my mouth until I couldn't close it anymore) or Fun Dips (pure sugar that you ate with, what else, a sugar stick).

But I was also a good catholic girl. I read my book of saints, i daily wished for the virgin mary to appear to me like the kids in Fatima, i would secretly size up the other kids in my first communion class and think to myself snidely when they would stumble on an answer, "maybe they should appeal to saint jude" (the patron saint of lost causes, and according to my mom, someone I should make a close personal friend).

So this would be the day I would ruefully chew my last Big League Chew and lick my last Fun Dip for 40 days. Any candy I got would be religiously piled on top of my refrigerator and I'd check on it every day, just to make sure it was still there.

Maybe I'll try to find some Big League Chew and blow a bubble in support of Barack.

Superbowl sans the football

Pics from the All-Girl Clothing Exchange we held in honor of the Patriots and the Giants yesterday...



Self portrait after waaay too much red wine (I even divulged my attraction towards the serial killer from No Country For Old Men. NOT because I like killers, but I thought he was hunky if he lost the bowl cut).



Can it rain anymore?



Red wine and used clothes makes for a perfect Superbowl party (sans football of course)



Some swag from the clothing exchange

Even the Tamarind Margaritas Couldn't Help

Last night had a "girls night." First it was ceviche and tamarind margaritas at a waterfront Mexican restaurant. Then it was suggested we catch a "girlie" movie together. So we did. 27 Dresses. I had never heard of this flick and had no idea what I was subjecting myself too. Maybe this Venn Diagram can illuminate:



Pink: Those who sometimes like to watch a bit o' the old romance on the big screen

Purple: Freaks who think movies like 27 Dresses fulfills them on some deep level

Green: Sane folks who would rather have a date with Sweeney Todd then another viewing of 27 Dresses

As the credits rolled one friend leaned over and said, "My husband would have KILLED me if I'd taken him to this."

I leaned back and said, "I'm ready to kill myself."