Woo-Hoo...Four day weekend!

Ah the bliss of the four-day weekend...It's amazing the transition from Muncie to here. Given a four day stretch in which my only obligations were to my family in Indiana, I likely would have spent the majority of the time in front of TV or computer...maybe a disc golf game here or there. In Hawaii, a four day weekend means a father-son trip to the zoo (somewhere someone much older and wiser is saying, "treasure these moments"), getting a mild sunburn on Waikiki beach in the potent Saturday morning sun, a brisk hike to Manoa falls, dinner out with new friends, and four (count em) consecutive days with trips to Wal-Mart.

Aside from the Wal-Mart trips which bring in to question my societal standing (maybe that sunburn was strictly located in the region between head and back), the weekend was action-packed -- complete with foiled plans to make in-roads in the Church Search, and apartment cockroach exorcism (good ol island livin).

What did you do this weekend?

Stairway to...heaven?

BAMBOO!

From our local jungle

Strangely enough, that tree is beside me, not foreground.

EEEESSE!!

Manoa Falls

There is more than beach in Hawaii!

Disappointment

So the underwater pics are a big disappointment...here are a couple. On a exciting note, we are in the countdown to our first visitor. Magee should be here in 10 days...I say should because you can never know for certain when Magee is going to do anything. On a bizzare note, check out the picture I took from out window of the man needing an ambulance/CPR on the 18th green...I don't think he died...

Shark's Cove on the North Shore

Not so big fish

Reel Big Fish

Golf Course Disaster

Today I was a fish

JoAnna wakes me up as she is arriving home from work (8am) and tells me that we have plans for the day. While she sleeps, I am to go to Wal-Mart (I hate you, but you're so darn convenient) and buy "snorkel gear."

Rule #1: Don't send Tim to buy anything alone.

I ended up buying $37 worth of snorkeling equipment, only one set.

We met one of JoAnna's co-workers and drove back to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. INCREDIBLE! (sorry, no pics...took a few with an underwater camera though, wait for it).

Today I had church "onderre da sea." About three seconds into my snorkeling experience, a fish big enough for dinner darts in front of me...a second later, the rest of the school followed.

We patrolled the reef seeing dozens of different tropical fish...everything that we saw at the Waikiki aquarium was now munching on coral inches from my floating body. One fish that I followed for about 10 minutes was so large that you could actually HEAR it pulling the "food" from the reef.

What kind of fish did we see? Well, to avoid scientifically naming the species I will state that if it was in the movie Finding Nemo and wasn't Nemo, I saw it (except the sea turtles, a more rare sighting).

Some insist that the cost of living in Hawaii is too expensive...I am more concerned with the cost of NOT living in Hawaii.

Worst List EVER.

Worst List EVER.
While purusing a Borders Express in the Ala Moana Mall, I picked up the July issue of SPIN magazine. In the last few years, this has become my favorite magazine; it's usually a good read, a good chance you'll hear about the next great band before they break, and no chance of seeing Britney/Christina/Lindsay on the cover (take that ROLLING STONE!).

They have, at times, seemed a little too heavy on the Kurt-love. Or they did until this July.

The cover reads "100 Greatest Albums -- 1985-Now." With a pic of Bono, Beck, and (what!) Dr. Dre.

The would-be reader thinks, "Ok, 1, 2, 3 in that order?" But none are in the top 9 (N.W.A. catches a lucky #10)...and the SPIN readers are thinking, "Ok, so Nevermind is #1, that's easy." Nope #3.

Let's run through the Top 20 (to save space and time).
1. Radiohead (OK Computer)
2. Public Enemy (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back)
3. Nirvana (Nevermind)
4. Pavement (Slanted and Enchanted)
5. The Smiths (The Queen is Dead)
6. Pixies (Surfer Rosa)
7. De La Soul (3 Feet High and Rising)
8. Prince (Sign 'o' the Times) -- only because "Purple Rain" was released in '84
9. PJ Harvey (Rid of Me)
10. N.W.A. (Straight Outta Compton)
11. U2 (Achtung Baby)
12. Beastie Boys (Paul's Boutique)
13. Husker Du (New Day Rising)
14. Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation)
15. Liz Phair (Exile in Guyville)
16. Beck (Odelay)
17. Nas (Illmatic)
18. Guns N' Roses (Appetite for Destruction)
19. Hole (Live Through This)
20. Wu-Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))

If those are the best that the music industry has to offer me from its last 20 years of labor, I'm out...I want no part of anything musical from this moment forward.

I'm not going to suggest a list of albums that should bump some of the current top-20 (I'm looking at you #18)...like the most current entries in the top-100 Kanye West (College Dropout, #45, released in 2004) and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Fever to Tell, #89, released 2003), or one of my personal favorites, The White Stripes (White Blood Cells, #57)...but I would like to point out a few lapses in judgement on behalf of Spin.

We, Spin, apologize for:
~Putting Bono on the cover of this magazine even though U2 didn't make the top 10 and only have one entry in the top 100.

~Putting Beck on the cover with his albums at 16 and 81 (Mellow Gold)

~Putting Dr. Dre (and not Eminem, the best thing Dre did for hip-hop) on the cover (Guess we hit the quota for Nirvana covers)

~Placing Oasis at #28, and the album not being What's the Story (Morning Glory), but rather Definitely Maybe (released 1994)...so many mistakes here...

~Ranking Wu-Tang Clan higher than Elliott Smith

~Getting the spelling of #53 wrong -- it reads Rage Against the Machine (Battle for Los Angeles) -- it should read Bright Eyes (Lifted (Or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground)) or at the very least Rage Against the Machine (Evil Empire)

~et. al

We're sorry.

They did, however, manage to get Fugazi in at a respectable #29...though the album should be End Hits or Red Medicine and not 13 Songs.

Discuss.

P.S. the list did it's job since today I went out and purchased #14...

Back to the Plantation

Since we really stumbled on to the Dole Plantation last week, and arrived after it closed, we decided to run back up there today to take it all in. Below are the pictures.

Notice the precision of the "reservoir" photo taken from a moving train (ok, it was a lucky snapshot).

Also notice the mischievous grin on the boy's face.

Peek!

Amazing Ti leaf bowls.

Taken from the train.

Pineapple Express...ALL ABOARD!!!

New Music (Relatively)

I got around to purchasing two albums from two of my favorite artists. You know who they are (most of you)...Damien Jurado and David Bazan (aka Pedro the Lion). The new albums are: Damien Jurado "On My Way To Absence" (Released in April or May) and Headphones "S/T".

"Absence" is a great record for Damien. His last full-length release "Where Shall You Take Me" was a little off...I should say a little awful. There were a few redeeming qualities, "Matinee" "Intoxicated Hands", but it didn't have the usual PUNCH that was present on even the sedated "Ghost of David".

"Absence" picks up where his 1999 album, "Rehearsals for Departure" left off. Looking back, this was a fitting title, because none of his subsequent albums were similar style to "Rehearsals"...i.e. departures. But now he's back, doing what he does best, rocking a simple song about complicated issues of love/jealousy ("A Jealous Heart Is A Heavy Heart"), friendship ("Simple Hello", previously issued on a Made in Mexico EP), and revenge ("Sucker").

Don't expect to throw "Absence" in to the player and immediately "get it" like the accessible "I Break Chairs" (probably considered his "best" album), but after two plays through, you won't want him to stop.

"Headphones" is a new story. Anyone who has been following David Bazan knows the name T.W. Walsh (collaborator on "Achilles Heel"), but most won't recognize new bandmate Frank Lenz. Frank is a member of the former biggest Tooth and Nail band Starflyer 59 (great noise-pop, really ahead of their time, check out "Gold").

David Bazan, T.W. Walsh, and Frank Lenz got together to form a little side project. Bazan calls the record "heavily influenced by...Low." I think that is a terrible comparison. The best comparison I can come up with for Headphones is, well, Pedro the Lion. Bazan sings and writes all the songs, therefore it comes across very Pedro the Lion-y. The new addition of Frank Lenz (and his synth) adds a nice dimension of diversity to the sometimes droning Pedro sound.

All things considered this is a GREAT record...my favorite this year. I guess I just don't see the need to call it a new band, especially considering the fact that Pedro the Lion changes lineups nearly every record. From the original lineup of four bandmembers, Bazan kept the title and ditched the bandmates. Created an album completely alone (Winners Never Quit), one with Casey Foubert (Control, who appears on Damien's new record), and then added T.W. for Achilles Heel. What's one more change...?

Ok, so the album. We've come to expect Bazan to wrestle with issues of politics, spirituality, humanity (fall of man), etc. The Headphones album is no different. The first track tells a story (another thing we're used to from Bazan) of two friends being tied to chairs and burned alive by their "friend" that they have bullied. Is this a Palahniuk novel?

On "Natural Disaster" Bazan sings, "I know we disagree, but soon enough we will all be free, to worship any way I choose. But you would wait on the rapture, or a natural disaster, to come around. Maybe a couple of airplanes would crash into buildings and put the fear of God in you. Now we're taking over, no one is the wiser, with Mexican and Negro cabinet advisors."
Uhh, wow...

Some of you watched the transition of Bazan with his hesitancy to use profanity in songs to coming to embrace strong words...this album is no different in that regard (reference song #2, "Shit Talker").

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Podcasting

This is something new to me...I love the idea (being able to download Radio-type programming directly to your ipod to listen on-the-go), but this is one more thing that is going to suck me in to pay $34.95 for high-speed access.

Those of you who know more about this (Erik for one, I think he's actually DOING a podcast now), give me all the details...

Blogger Binge

Boy, when I blog, I blog big...I could use a little moderation in my blogging diet.

I crave the blog-discipline of the Kory Pence's and the Stevan Sheets' of the world.

I've been spending a lot more time reading blogs too...some of you are very interesting people, with some great insights and exciting things happening in life...some of you, not so much. Just kidding. Blog on you crazy diamonds (Oh no, I'm referencing the Beatles (uhh, I meant Pink Floyd, Thanks John)...I must be getting old or something)

Gunshots on day one...two...three

I'm walking the hallway (in Hawaii, all hallways are outside) alone when I hear gunshots. Now, I'm not the type that can hear a gunshot and tell you bullet caliber, type of weapon, and whether the shooter was left or right-handed, but even I could tell this was serious business. I slowed my pace, because even though the shots were in the distance (maybe two hundred yards), that sound just makes you more cautious.

Just as I was beginning to think that I heard incorrectly, there was the sound again. Pap-app-pap-pap-app, about 40 more rounds. Now I'm stopped dead (in my tracks, I mean), runnning through my survival training...oh, why didn't I get some survival training...forcing the final two steps to the main office.

Inside, Tim: "ummm, were those gunshots?" Office staff: "Yeah, you'll get used to it." T: "What?!?" OS: "Oh, there's a military firing range across the street, you'll hear that every day." T: "A little heads up would be nice."

By day five, I'm no longer "red: running for cover" at the sound, but I would say that my internal terror alert level has been downgraded to "burnt hazel: slightly jittery."

Just one more of the disturbing things about living on a floating military installation. I have to pass through a military check-point, complete with armed sentry, to get to work in the morning.

Today, during a faculty meeting, an F16 flew by the window...I waved at the pilot, and if I'm not mistaken, he waved back.

On my way home, the sun over my car was completely blocked by the shadow of a 767 coming to land...I think I ducked.

Mmmmm. Pineapple.

Look at the cute pineapple hula girl...

Sun...so...bright...

Love the red volcanic soil...

Ok, show of hands...who knew that pineapples grew out of the ground (like pumpkins, or really big strawberries) and not on trees (like bananas or coconuts)?

Apparently 17 miles from Pearl Harbor

At Dole Plantation (North Shore, O'Ahu)

Notes

So I noticed today, as I was preparing for another picture rampage, that people have been leaving little notes on my blog...that means people have been reading/viewing it. That's wierd...but nice when the people you know are far, far away.

It's great to know that the people you are thinking about are thinking about you.

That also means that I am going to have to pay more attention to my blog.

School's IN for summer

School started this Thursday.
It's really disorienting to think that it's not even August yet and school is in session. That isn't the only thing that is disorienting about my new career.

1. For the first time in my life, I find myself saying both, "I really enjoy my job," and, "I feel useful today." (Goodbye "Gorillaz -- Clint Eastwood" life theme song: "I'm useless, but not for long")

2. Elementary kids are really small...like Lucas...but they can run and jump and have a conversation (albeit a rambling conversation about "Halo 2", but a conversation nonetheless)...not like Lucas...yet.

3. After two days of school, I have already adjusted to the schedule. Up at 5:45, out the door by 6:30, at school by 7:15, leave school at 2:30-3:30, home by 3:30-4:30...strange. I find myself drowsy by 9:30-10:00, even on weekends. That's wierd...I'm not a morning person, at all...If I had my way, I roll out of bed at 10:00 every morning, back to bed around 12:00 for a nap...etc. Not here, alarm goes off, I spring out of bed.

That covers most of the things that are disorienting...but there is an overtone of surreality living and working in Hawaii.

In life, we tend to walk with our heads down, buried in whatever is going on inside...Hawaii forces you to dust off that haze and look around.

You get upset or worried or consumed by something and your brain kinda goes, "ummm, look up" and you see this huge, lush mountain (or turqoise wave) and you think, "now what was that I was worried about?"

That is my best explanation for the way I feel here...like someone has shaken the cobwebs out.

Relaxing at the beach

Hanauma Bay

Lucas at Hanauma Bay

Seal #2

Seal #1

Daddy and Lucas at the seal tank.

"B-bye."

"e-mo...e-mo...e-mo"

Bippo.

Swinging monkeys

There's another goat that he's not so sure he can trust over there.

He loved this tortoise

Orangutan (big monkey)

hooray for the zoo!

Greetings!

Hello from Honolulu.
It has been a while since the blog has been updated...you will notice a new (and more appropriate) title.

I would like to post some observations from our first few days on the island of O'Ahu.

1. Everything everyone said about Hawaii is true (including the painted silver man on the streets in Waikiki, but not the "all sand in Hawaii is black" thing); even the things that contradict.
For example, "it's really expensive to live there" and "you can get things really cheap there" both true, and yet, both false...more on the evils of Wal-Mart later.
Second, "The natives are so friendly, you'll love the Hawaiian culture." and "you'll be treated differently because you're haole" (how-lee, or white). Both true. My best comparison is to say that being white in Hawaii is much like being African American in suburban America about 25 years ago. A native Hawaiian patient refused to let JoAnna treat him because she was haole.

2. The most famous beach in the world IS all it's cracked up to be. (especially since I can see is from our hallway, and be on it in three minutes walk...see pic below)

3. Wal-Mart is an evil corporation...and they've got their hooks in me. For example, the price per gallon of milk @ Wal-Mart...$3.58, everywhere else in O'Ahu, $7.50...I can't afford not to sell my soul.

4. Real surfers ARE found on the North Shore. I don't know much about surfing, yet, but from what I saw today on Waikiki, I'm not impressed. But mostly, a local T.V. channel told me the above truth.

5. We've had it all backwards all along. It's white people who are the oohing, aaahing, camera-toting shutterbugs, and the Asians who are the sneering, bored, nine-to-five-ers. How could we have been so misled.

SIDENOTE: Today was my first full day in Hawaii, and I already found myself sneering "Tourists" at a forty-five year old couple (clear 25th anniversary vacationers) stopping to gawk at postcards... Too soon?

6. Weekly fireworks get old after exactly one week.

7. Adding a duck to a screenplay cannot convince me that the writer of "the Pacifier" (starring Vin Diesel) didn't watch "Suburban Commando" and "Mr Nanny" in one afternoon to get inspired. NOTE: Observation made while closest land mass was Hawaii, so it counts as a Hawaiian observation.

8. The statement: A small cramped apartment with no air conditioning, broken T.V., and perpetual heatwave is better than a spacious three bedroom house with a backyard and grapevines. Only proves true when preceeded by observation #2.


The pictures below are from the windows of our 21st floor condo...I will post more as I get more brave with the camera (I really don't want to look like a tourist).

Caught a traditional Hawaiian rainbow from Lanai window yesterday.

Our view of Waikiki from open air hallway.

Golf Course view from bedroom window.

Ali Wai Canal

Updates

Below are some pictures of our trip to Ft Lauderdale Florida...it was good times with family.

You'll also see some pics of my graduation present...30GB photo iPod.

On a sad note. there is a picture of Lucas and Max looking out the window. That is the last picture taken of them together before we found a new home for Max...we are dog free (For those who don't know, it's because you can't get dogs into Hawaii without first having them quarantined for up 120 days at $10 per day).

The disc golf pics are from a really great course in Ft Lauderdale...It was the first course I've played outside Indiana, two states down, 48 to go (Kentucky is next week).

dark

iPod front

iPod Pics

One last look out the window together

Obligatory Ocean Shot

Cousin Evan

Toiling in the sand fields of Ft Lauderdale

Thinks snake is real, wonders why we aren't moving

In the pool

You should see the strap mark in my sunburn