Author: thethreeonenine

Ma’o!

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


The other day I got an email from Wei inviting some of us to help Ma’o Organic Farm build a garden at He’eia Fishpond.


I had so much fun. I wish I’d gotten there earlier than I did. By the time I arrived they were layering compost, chicken manure, sand, and soil. I got to shovel coconut shell mulch from the back of a pick-up truck into wheelbarrows–which is alot more fun than it might sound. It took half an hour with all of the people involved to finish setting up the soil. One of the fishpond guys was playing thumping music from his truck and someone laughingly said ‘wow, this music really makes you work huh?’ and it was true. At one point I was shoveling compost into buckets so rhythmically that I didn’t notice when we started to hit the grass underneath. The girl from the fishpond that I was shoveling with said ‘I don’t like to exercise so I like hard work’. I nodded in agreement and droplets of sweat went flying everywhere.

For lunch we had sandwiches and salads and a delicious mango crumble that Wei made as well as Zippy’s chili. Afterwards, Gary from Ma’o talked about the strategy for growing in the new garden beds.


He mentioned a book that helped him when he was getting started called Hawaii Good Garden at Rainbow Books. It was pretty fascinating. He said some of the seeds or transplants could start producing in days.


I can’t wait to visit the garden after it’s had a chance to grow.


A Nan a plan.

thethreeonenineLeave a comment

As we were leaving the HIFF reception last week, my friend Sean joked that when we first met I still had alot of New York in me,  and now I have alot of Kailua in me. It was a remark in passing but I found it poignant.

It feels like eons ago that we stepped off the plane to make a home here.  I was still high off of my last event with MOCA. I had quit my job but believed that I could maintain my life in NY from thousands of miles away. I literally thought that if I woke up at 5AM PST to make my calls and write my emails that no one in NY would notice that I’d left. Which at the time was more important to me than figuring out how to make a life in Hawaii. When I think about myself back then I feel a little sorry for myself.

It’s been a slow process letting go…but I have. When this is over I will have lived here for a total of eighteen months over two years. It’s a funny combination of being settled, but not really.


HIFF 10/15-10/25

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


K and I went to HIFF’s opening night reception at the Halekulani a few nights ago. We were late and missed all the remarks and the big check from Mayor Mufi but we weren’t late for the food…which was yummy: pretty char siu wraps, kahuku shrimp raviolis, and poke-tinis.

Tonight we’re going to see my long ago friend Suzi’s film Dear Lemon Lima. I’m excited to see it and her. It’s been eons.


Grillin Grillin

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


At Beth’s house last week I ate a burger her brother grilled and though nicely charred on the outside it was pink pink on the inside. I ate it all anyway because I like steak tartare. This reasoning had me pretty sick for the rest of the night. We played the game Werewolf and at one point I was torn between leaving because I felt like I was going to die and playing another round of the game.

Grilling is a mystery to me. I likely wouldn’t have fared better. Measurements, temperatures, timing…generally befuddle me. The fact that I can cook anything is because I’m really good at following recipes. And I use the term ‘really good’ loosely.

My friend Seth was incredulous when I told him that I didn’t know how to use an outdoor grill. I pointed out that among the many things I didn’t know how to do here, grilling was low on the priority list. Learning how to drive without killing myself and other people basically usurps everything else.

A few days later Seth and Melissa came over and showed us how to use our grill. Or I should say they showed K how to use it and it did in fact look pretty easy. Our burgers were perfect–delicious. And they were ready alot faster than when we make them on the stove top. I think part of it is my great burger recipe. Next time I want to try steaks.


Splendor of China

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


We went to the Splendor of China festival at the Blaisdell last week. We bumped into Wing Tek there. He was doing a shift at a genealogy booth for an organization that assists Hawaiian Chinese in tracing their roots back to China. K was surprised to find the little town his father was from on a map. Mainly because when he had visited, the townspeople had said they were too small to be on a map.

There were shiny good luck necklaces, purple jade bracelets, ceramic grating dishes, a dim sum booth, and an impressive prosperity table. I asked K if he thought everything on it was real and did he think I could touch it to see. Without a word he pointed at the ‘VIP’ rope encircling the table.



Wheelie?

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


So one day I wasn’t a driver and the next day I was. I have a rented car that we’ve affectionately dubbed Suzu (it’s a Suzuki) and can now get myself around unlike last year.

It’s been a mini earthquake in my brain to accommodate thinking about driving. It’s not easy. Especially when you’re 35 and your total driving experience prior wouldn’t amount to 24 hours.

The day after we got the car K made me drive all over the place, mainly our Meals on Wheels route so that I would be comfortable doing it alone if he was working. That first day I drove 75 miles over the course of 6 hours. It was great–liberating even.

Then came the first day that K left for work and I was going to spend most of the day alone. I dilly-dallied around the house for hours doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, answering emails… I felt so much pressure to make good use of my day. To take the car and go do some ‘good’ with it, when all I really wanted to do was focus on my chores.

The way I felt made me realize how different my days have been when K isn’t around and that even though I wished so badly that I could get around on my own that there were parts of it that I looked forward to. Days being home for 14+ hours alone, far away from anything and anyone became almost an imposed meditation. Not that I really produced anything (aside from this blog) but I had found ways to be comforted by my routine.

That’s different now. Now there’s really nothing stopping me from being part of this place outside of the confines of our house and it being part of me. That is, if it was mobility holding me back. I guess we’ll see.


Another night, another day goes by…

thethreeonenineLeave a comment


Last week K and I were judges for Showdown in Chinatown, a monthly 48 hour film shootout in Honolulu. They’re partnering with HIFF and MOCA’s Chinatown Film Project to feature this month’s winner as part of an outdoor screening during the film festival next month. The event was great–well organized and well attended. K and I really loved the film that won.

Afterwards we went with Sarah and Anderson to visit DJ ESKAE who was doing a six hour set at a club called Soho. The theme was Neon and it was PACKED. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed that neon could be such a big draw. I had flashes of being 17 again and partying on Long Island. It was hot, sweaty, and the music was really hard not to dance to.



On a more wholesome note, I started my hula classes last week. So far, it feels like transferring into a school after the year has already started. It’s hard meeting new people when there’s no context for my being there. I haven’t made any friends yet but I love my teacher. She’s a beautiful wacky spirit that dances like an angel. She invited us all to join the more advanced Monday class if we were so inclined. My friend Michelle is in that class and it would be more comfortable for me to know someone but I’m thinking maybe being comfortable isn’t always necessary.

My teacher gave me a pa’u skirt to use for class. Everyone has their own. I tried looking online for a store and one of the first entries was ‘Where to get a pa’u skirt: make it!” Eventually I found an ebay vendor who sold really pretty ones though I think they might be kind of fancy.

This is the dance/song we’re learning. Though obviously this is a professional and I think maybe I’m doing the baby version.


KLLD

thethreeonenine1 Comment

We woke up at sunrise


My Irving Rice travel mirror arrived from Bergdorf’s.


I asked K he wanted to drive to the North Shore for lunch.
He said ‘yes.’





45 minutes later, shrimp plates from Giovanni’s. I got the Lemon Butter Shrimp with a side of hot sauce.



We drove back home.



I fell asleep in the car. Ken was driving 70 mph. The sun we shining. I woke up to Boyz II Men playing on the radio. Ken said to me, ‘do you want yogurt or something?’

I danced in my seat.



I finished the yogurt before we even got home



….and it’s still only 12:30 in the afternoon.

The End.


On Way

thethreeonenineLeave a comment

IMG_0424
A few years ago K and I spent four months living in a hotel in Vancouver for a project he was working on. When we got there we had no idea it would be as long as it was. Our time was a long frosty blanketed meditation.

We spent days and days doing who knows what… ordering room service breakfast, making sandwiches, crafting homemade Christmas cards, visiting the bookstore, figuring out how much to tip the various hotel services. Gray rainy days stretched out ahead of us. Paradoxically, dotted among these days were larger than life characters and a handful of unique experiences–like chillin with Don Rickles…

One day, months after we got back to Brooklyn, K was looking at pictures of our room at The Sutton Place Hotel. He muttered to me–we’ve gotten along in some pretty small places.

Which is very true.

Our time here in Hawaii couldn’t be more different and yet we’re left with long stretches of not having a routine even though we feel we should. There are moments in a day when everything stops and there’s nothing that I have to do. It’s jarring. Today we made the best of it and took a long walk and jumped into the ocean at the end to cool off. Now, what to do tomorrow….that’s tomorrow’s story…


Untitled

thethreeonenine1 Comment


Since being back I’ve only gone to Bikram yoga classes with Manny at Koko Marina. I haven’t been moved to take any Vinyasa classes… even with my favorite Brigitte. I’ve been missing taking class with Dharma Mittra in NYC so a couple of weeks ago I ordered his DVD. I’ve never done yoga off of a DVD before so I didn’t know what to expect. As student that took class with Dharma for at least two years I can say that his DVD’s are as challenging as his classes. There are several options for Intermediate and Advanced levels– within those categories are three options for length of practice the shortest being 53 minutes. There’s even an option to OM with him and do his beginning of class blessing. Within a couple of minutes I was sweating profusely. It’s not a replacement for a live class but it’s definitely a great alternative.

In other news my posts here have slowed down a little because I’ve been working on 319 on Beauty. I think I busted out ten posts today. Very satisfying.