every morning we awake to the wild roosters that roam our backyard. funny enough, in my current read, the Ukranian protagonist often uses the word roost as a verb to describe rest or sleep. irony? i think so.
so we are leaving our garden island tomorrow for Oakland, CA. I am trying my best to document highlights (and nadirs) of our trip, but am limited by the timeouts that mercilessly terminate my writing time. in a previous era (B.I.T, before information technology) I would have documented my travels in a journal. There is something lovely and romantic about actually using that archaic implement, the pen...I have tried it a coupla times, writing postcards to various folks...and it seems so foreign to me now. Every trip I took to India and Disneyworld as a child has been recorded in various travel journals.
And now: how lined pages seem so foreign a landscape. Sad, no?
Anyway, back to the highlights:
1. Poignantly trite punchlines: remember the one about the radiologist, the psychiatrist and the neurologist? my cousin H, a psychiatrist, and his lovely wife K, a neurologist, were on our transcontinental flight to Long Beach last monday, when over the speaker we heard those famous last words: is there a doctor on this plane? We all looked at each other sheepishly...Dave and I were spared because we are sans licensure, but my cousin slowly raised his hand. Another gentleman apparently did the same...he was a radiologist, and it seemed that the short straw was bound to be picked by the neurologist, the only one of three who could approach a patient below the "tentorium." Now keep in mind, I have complete faith in my cuz, the shrink, in his skills, have certainly consulted him professionally and personally...but it is a different game below the tentorium, and I suspect he is a bit removed from it. Fortunately the lol (little old lady) prolly just needed a bit of orange juice...
2. Nostalgia with some crackers: Remember Arrested Development? "Everyday People" was the very first CD I bought (along with Mariah Carey and the Beatles) as a 12 year old hipstah hopeful. They play Arrested Development ALL the time here on the island, and I am in Tennessee all over again. (Make me understand your plan...)
3. Indigenous food: Taro is a root grown here, and tastes something along the lines of Kassava. We had a Taro burger at a place called Bubba's Burgers in Kapa'a (where they "relish your buns"). Taro Hummus sandwhich at a kiosk called Taro Juice and Company in Hanelei, and Taro leaves in our enchiladas at the local Mexican joint. Positively flatulating, but positively yummy.
4. Dessert: Kauai Pie ice cream at Lapperts (kona coffee, coconut, macadamia nut), chocolate decadence from Happy Talk Lounge by Bali Hai...
5. Basking in the sun: the hardest job I have ever had. I tell ya, two hours kayaking along the river, three hour hikes in Kokee State Park (near Waimea Canyon), beaching with my beached whale of a pinky and I am totally wiped out. Being on vacation is hard work.
Alright then, I will update more once on the mainland...until then...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
here's to fifty two times a billion
a week ago today we were married among all our beloved friends and family. to those of you who read this blog, i cannot express my gratitude for your presence in my life, and especially on that particular day...what a way to celebrate a life lived and a life ahead!
Dave and I celebrated our "1 week" anniversary today by going to the Kauai Hindu Temple. I was struck by the ease with which disciples, both of South Asian descent and otherwise, followed the lead of two "white" bramacharis. For those who are not familiar with the tradition, it is custom for rituals to be performed only by those in the Brahman caste. That is not to say that a learned Kshatriya (warrior) or Vaishya (merchant) cannot take a vow of ascetism, or become a "guru" (a spiritual teacher)...its just the rituals that seem to have been marked for inheritance. So it was striking that these two individuals were donning the string and the saffron dhotis...they must have been taught the rituals by someone who was of that tradition. The temple itself was gorgeous, nestled among lush mountains and gurgling streams....truly a place to find serenity, no matter what your religious or spiritual persuasion.
Then we had an amazing brunch at this local vegan joing called Blossoming Lotus: tofu scramble drizzled with salsa and sour cream, a vegan omlette with macadamia nut cheese, a pecan sticky bun drenched in maple syrup glaze and sweet corn bread garnished with a chunky pineapple-mango chutney. Scrumdidliumptious!
Lets see...Dave and I hiked the Na-Pali coast two days ago, and the challenge proved me less rugged than I would have liked to consider myself. At one point I was so tired and dehydrated I started to cry! (yes indeed, making myself even more dehydrated.) But the views were incredible, I will definitely upload pictures once I download them (hah!) from our new digital camera.
In other news, Dave took a surfing lesson yesterday and managed to rip the side of his swim shorts. His instructor called it a "hang 11." shaka!
Tonight we had lovely dinner by Hanelei Bay...ahi and a caesar salad with grilled fish. just lovely.
More later....mahalo for reading!
Dave and I celebrated our "1 week" anniversary today by going to the Kauai Hindu Temple. I was struck by the ease with which disciples, both of South Asian descent and otherwise, followed the lead of two "white" bramacharis. For those who are not familiar with the tradition, it is custom for rituals to be performed only by those in the Brahman caste. That is not to say that a learned Kshatriya (warrior) or Vaishya (merchant) cannot take a vow of ascetism, or become a "guru" (a spiritual teacher)...its just the rituals that seem to have been marked for inheritance. So it was striking that these two individuals were donning the string and the saffron dhotis...they must have been taught the rituals by someone who was of that tradition. The temple itself was gorgeous, nestled among lush mountains and gurgling streams....truly a place to find serenity, no matter what your religious or spiritual persuasion.
Then we had an amazing brunch at this local vegan joing called Blossoming Lotus: tofu scramble drizzled with salsa and sour cream, a vegan omlette with macadamia nut cheese, a pecan sticky bun drenched in maple syrup glaze and sweet corn bread garnished with a chunky pineapple-mango chutney. Scrumdidliumptious!
Lets see...Dave and I hiked the Na-Pali coast two days ago, and the challenge proved me less rugged than I would have liked to consider myself. At one point I was so tired and dehydrated I started to cry! (yes indeed, making myself even more dehydrated.) But the views were incredible, I will definitely upload pictures once I download them (hah!) from our new digital camera.
In other news, Dave took a surfing lesson yesterday and managed to rip the side of his swim shorts. His instructor called it a "hang 11." shaka!
Tonight we had lovely dinner by Hanelei Bay...ahi and a caesar salad with grilled fish. just lovely.
More later....mahalo for reading!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
hawaii two d'oh! part deux
day five on gilligan's island.
geico, our friendly neighborhood gecko, is our new best friend who scrambles across our stucco walls. me thinks he gobbles up all the mosquitoes that would otherwise torment me at night. consequently i have been blessed with the most golden of slumbers on the eastside of kauai.
charlotte, the spider who once took up nest by our doorway, has flown the coop. even Dave, afflicted with a bad case of arachnephobia (sp?) had been smitten (not bitten) by her.
i just finished the life of pi, and in spite of my prolonged seasickness (god he's still on the boat), the ending was actually quite lovely and i realized the "the ethnography" was actually quite self-aware. the one "antagonist" of the novel was a french cook, ala the Little Mermaid (les poisson hee hee hee haw haw haw), and i think Yann Martel himself is french canadian. can anyone else confirm this? now onto everything is illuminated by jonathan safran foer...isn't being on vacation greeeat?
argument number 9: some of you might have realized that D and I are two different people. he is of more adventurous stock than I, but the Julia Kristeva (literary critic) reference that Adam made was more lost on him than I. so arguments are bound to happen. but he teaches me to stand more firmly on my own two feet, and i hope i am giving him something in return...
be on the look out for my goofy grin everytime dave refers to me as my wife. he has done it a total of three times already...and i have yet to reciprocate. i like this marriage thing.
geico, our friendly neighborhood gecko, is our new best friend who scrambles across our stucco walls. me thinks he gobbles up all the mosquitoes that would otherwise torment me at night. consequently i have been blessed with the most golden of slumbers on the eastside of kauai.
charlotte, the spider who once took up nest by our doorway, has flown the coop. even Dave, afflicted with a bad case of arachnephobia (sp?) had been smitten (not bitten) by her.
i just finished the life of pi, and in spite of my prolonged seasickness (god he's still on the boat), the ending was actually quite lovely and i realized the "the ethnography" was actually quite self-aware. the one "antagonist" of the novel was a french cook, ala the Little Mermaid (les poisson hee hee hee haw haw haw), and i think Yann Martel himself is french canadian. can anyone else confirm this? now onto everything is illuminated by jonathan safran foer...isn't being on vacation greeeat?
argument number 9: some of you might have realized that D and I are two different people. he is of more adventurous stock than I, but the Julia Kristeva (literary critic) reference that Adam made was more lost on him than I. so arguments are bound to happen. but he teaches me to stand more firmly on my own two feet, and i hope i am giving him something in return...
be on the look out for my goofy grin everytime dave refers to me as my wife. he has done it a total of three times already...and i have yet to reciprocate. i like this marriage thing.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
hawaii two d'oh
"don't scratch it...just leave it alone and it'll go down a bit."
"thanks. i think i know the pathophysiology of a mosquito bite, Dave."
day four of post-nuptual bliss in Hawaii, and things feel just about right. Other similar conversations:
"Tar, doesn't this feel like we're in the jungle?"
"No, it feels like I'm in Westchester."
Yeah. Back to my old curmugeony self after my weekend of pampering and princesshood. life is splendid.
things that i actually love about our temporary paradise lost:
1. spectacular vistas of the ocean, no matter where you stand, no matter which mountain you are a top.
2. wild orchids and hibiscus abound
3. great food...veggie friendly too!
4. a small town feel...especially the small town coffee shop located in kap'aa with internet.
5. our rad abode...a small cottage nestled at the base of Sleeping Giant Mountain on the east side of Kauai...very secluded, but residential.
6. my awesome new uber-short hair do...liberation? no, just frustrated with my increasingly limp hair-do.
things i look forward too in the next coupla days:
1. hiking the na'pali coast
2. buying hawaiian kitsch, like jimmy buffett t-shirts
3. going to a dinner production of South Pacific in the south pacific (actually the movie, among many others including Elvis's Blue Hawaii, Jurassic Park) was filmed here in kauai.
4. waste away in margaritaville.
life is pretty good, nuptualized.
"thanks. i think i know the pathophysiology of a mosquito bite, Dave."
day four of post-nuptual bliss in Hawaii, and things feel just about right. Other similar conversations:
"Tar, doesn't this feel like we're in the jungle?"
"No, it feels like I'm in Westchester."
Yeah. Back to my old curmugeony self after my weekend of pampering and princesshood. life is splendid.
things that i actually love about our temporary paradise lost:
1. spectacular vistas of the ocean, no matter where you stand, no matter which mountain you are a top.
2. wild orchids and hibiscus abound
3. great food...veggie friendly too!
4. a small town feel...especially the small town coffee shop located in kap'aa with internet.
5. our rad abode...a small cottage nestled at the base of Sleeping Giant Mountain on the east side of Kauai...very secluded, but residential.
6. my awesome new uber-short hair do...liberation? no, just frustrated with my increasingly limp hair-do.
things i look forward too in the next coupla days:
1. hiking the na'pali coast
2. buying hawaiian kitsch, like jimmy buffett t-shirts
3. going to a dinner production of South Pacific in the south pacific (actually the movie, among many others including Elvis's Blue Hawaii, Jurassic Park) was filmed here in kauai.
4. waste away in margaritaville.
life is pretty good, nuptualized.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)