You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2008.
We’ve been in Hawaii exactly one month today. Aptly, I’m having dinner with my friends tonight for the first time–friends that will introduce me to another poet living in the area. I’m nervous. I haven’t been around alot of people in the past thirty days or so. I can imagine feeling out of practice. Either way this week has been about not only letting go of New York, but finding a place for myself here in Hawaii so I say bring on the awkwardness. I’m ready!
Last night we watched Obama’s speech and I made my first cake. It was a cake out of a box and I probably have made one like it in my lifetime but when it was, I can’t remember.
Beachwear brands for the imperfect:
- Juicy Couture
- Malia Mills
- Ecko
fruit cups don't last long in this house
I was raised to wait…
- at a babysitter’s on Long Island for my parents to come home.
- in the St. John’s University parking lot for my dad to get out of his MBA night classes.
- in the principal’s office after class for my mom to finish her work so we could start our long journey home.
- staring at the sky in a Honda Accord hatchback parked in Jamaica, Queens for my dad to emerge from the subway.
In Kailua there are days that I’m waiting again. Elements of my comfort:
- 12PM Little House on the Prairie
- 2PM Beverly Hills 90210
- a couch, a pillow, a blanket
- peanut butter and jelly
- chicken noodle soup
- fruit cups
- jon and kate plus 8 on dvr
In my short term assessment, Kailua is like a resort town for locals. It doesn’t feel like there are alot of tourists here even though the beach is easy to access golden, quiet, and clean. Maybe it’s that tourists conduct themselves differently here. It’s one of the prettiest and most relaxing beaches I’ve ever been to. We’ve been here for over 3 weeks now and I’ve come to the conclusion that if you can’t find comfort here you’re probably a little crazy.
what to know/ bring to Kailua Beach
- sunblock- nothing beats Le Roche Posay Anthelios spf 50 any formulation
- tan enhancer- Maui Babe browning lotion
- flip flops - reef flip flops can be pretty and you feel like you’re walking on marshmallows (minus being sticky)
- lip balm/sun block- Epicuren lip balm spf 8
note: if you’re not used to the sun you should have a bottle of water with you.
In NY we order takeout or eat out 97% of our meals. In Kailua we’ve cooked every dinner except for one. It’s a refreshing change. One of my favorite things to do here is make breakfast: taro pancakes, bacon and a fried egg. I love breakfast.
how to fry an egg: http://www.ehow.com/how_2637_fry-egg.html
When we were in Shanghai and didn’t have a kitchen I ordered the same thing every morning from Hua Ting Hotel room service: blueberry pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon, congee and a salted egg. Same goes for our four months in Vancouver’s Sutton Place Hotel: pancakes, hash browns, eggs with ketchup and tabasco.
The difference here is that we have a large kitchen with tons of counter space, a dishwasher and a ceramic top stove. I’ve discovered that recipes, like maps aren’t so confounding. If you take the time and patiently do what each step tells you to do, almost anyone can roast a chicken!
favorite recipe: zuni roast chicken: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4401342
These are the things that I haven’t managed to get used to: Hawaii bugs and geckos; how dark evenings are; how quiet it is; and finally people who don’t lock their cars and houses. Pretty much as soon as it gets dark, I lock all the doors and turn on every porch and lanai light. It’s very interesting how menacing a bird landing in a palm tree can sound.
good cheap white wine brands available at Kailua’s Foodland
- Coppola
- Kendall Jackson
- Ecco Domani
Part 3: Kailua: Its little sister Lankai
Today is day 12 of my new life in Hawaii. I’ve become obsessed with facebook again and my three email inboxes have decreased in traffic drastically. In twelve days we found a home by the beach, bought our first car, and have embarked on domestic life full speed ahead.
In light of this, I’ve begun writing again. This is where I’ll share my thoughts on people I’ve met, things I’ve seen, what I’m obsessed with, and my search for the best of everything
