a new yorker’s year in hawaii
I know I’ve posted very similar photos but it’s just so pretty–late afternoon in Kailua. It came right after I watched Obama on CNN give an address in NY at an Alfred Smith Memorial dinner. He ended his speech with an Al Smith quote:
The American people never carry an umbrella. They prepare to walk in eternal sunshine.
That’s such a nice idea. Maybe he was in Hawaii at the time.
Aloha shirt recommended by the stylish Sarah Honda: Sig Zane
I downloaded the AP news app for iPhone. It’s location aware and can pull up local news. Very cool. What wasn’t really cool was the first local story about 4 people that died in 2 days walking along a beach in Kauai. I believe there were strenuous beach warnings about high surf but it’s still shocking. So I searched online and found this:
I read on the site that you shouldn’t go out further than you can swim. Unfortunately I can’t really swim so does that mean I should basically stay where the water meets the sand? Or is that still not safe enough? Beaches are weird.
This is what it looks like to sleep in Kailua:
This is different from the city. And it’s made me realize that I like sleeping with street noise and in a bedroom half lit by streetlights. I really don’t like the dark quiet. It’s kind of weird. It’s what I imagine being dead is like. I spend most of the night (after K has fallen asleep) reading the news on my phone in the dark and noticing every random noise. I wonder if that’ll change after being here a few months.
I got an email yesterday from a poet inviting me to be on a Bamboo Ridge panel addressing Filipino diasporic literature. I get really nervous about these kinds of things but I’m trying to think of this period living in Hawaii as an experiment. I’m trying to push myself to re-imagine my identity, my path. So to panels: Yes! I’ll do it!
visit hiff.org for more details
BOOGIE MAN: THE LEE ATWATER STORY
I had lunch at Aloha Salad with my good friend Seth today. It’s been a nice twist of fate to end on the same island as him given that we met over ten years ago in New York and had lost touch for a few years. He’s become a lawyer in the time that we’ve been out of contact. It’s really good to to see him here.
Over our lunch he was telling me about the US Attorney he worked for when he first got here and how he overhauled the probationary system to be a more rehabilitative process and that it was inspired by a text called Fixing Broken Windows. I found it very interesting.
The salad was good, conversation great.
Weeks ago I got a ticket for an expired parking meter when I met my friends for dinner. It was the first time I drove by myself here in hawaii and K carefully told me how to get where I was going and where to park. I put in enough quarters for 2 hours. I ended up being about 10 minutes late and there was a big orange ticket for $35 waiting for me.
K wrote the check and I was feeling really bad that my first time out I get a freakin’ ticket. So I wrote a scathing letter saying that the cop must’ve been standing there waiting for my meter to expire and given the fact that my car was one of TWO cars in the whole empty parking lot that I felt the ticket was EXTREME JUSTICE. I didn’t expect them to answer. We even included the payment. I just wanted to have my say.
So today I got a letter from the District Court in Kaneohe:
and a CHECK!!
I’m elated!
Today was a pretty unique day in my newborn Kailua life. The LVHIFF officially started today and it was the first day that I spent a chunk of time with the staff. This morning I woke up late and made both Chuck and Sean late for the press conference. I was mortified when I woke up at 8:17. Chuck was picking me up at 8:30. Egad.
Eventually everyone arrived where they were supposed to and the press conference was really lovely. I’m glad I didn’t miss it. I saw Sarah there and had a great chance to chat with her and Anderson. Sean had told me earlier that Cliff Curtis was going to be at the press conference and I didn’t really make much of the fact that I didn’t know who he was talking about. As Sarah and I were chatting by the entrance he came in and I realized that I’m a total fan of his work. So that was really nice.
I ended up spending much of the day with Sarah. I had such great time, particularly because I’ve been missing my girlfriends back home. She took me to lunch at Nicos (my second time) and rather than ordering the special of the day I ordered what Sarah orderd: the Furikake ahi. It was deeelicious.
I’ve written about this before but Sarah is the Art Director for a really unique magazine out here called Smart. She described it as a Hawaiin Lucky but I find it to be much more than that. As a newcomer to Hawaii it’s so refreshing to find a publication that goes deeper than the rest—an inside perspective to local talent as well as fashion insider favorites. I picked up a copy at the hospitality suite and will definitely send away for a subscription.
The festival staff is so nice. I don’t really know how else to put it. I suppose it’s what everyone refers to as Aloha spirit. Even under stressful circumstances they’re friendly and unfazed by last minute obstacles or tight spots. I really respect what they’ve built.
Not much else is new. we had to burn the bunnies when Rebecca came over for dinner. She was an ideal first guest. I can’t think of better circumstances in which to sacrifice the heartbreaking cuteness of wax lagomorpha.
Let me say a couple of things I hate about Kailua:
The final item has been particularly irritating the past couple of days. On the one side it’s unavoidable: a family with young kids one of which is a baby and it can’t help screaming. On the other side is a schoolyard which sometimes makes me want to tear my hair out. I love kids. I mean I even want kids but until you’ve heard kids playing together and screaming like individuals on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I don’t hink you’ve really heard kids. I mean we think they’re so sweet and innocent and spontaneous and we should strive to be as uninhibited as they. But the way kids scream in a schoolyard, you know I think it’s not a good thing. I think they’re in existential pain. Anyhow, I would take the noise of a troop of drunk adults coming down an East Village street over a group of 9 year olds running amok in a school yard.
My intention was to write about how lovely today is (see picture above). We are, in fact. having our first guest over for dinner. I’m excited. The house is clean; all the food is prepped; and the wine is chilling in the fridge.
Too bad there’s an army of rabid boys playing basketball in painful earshot.
Three One Nine 