O - H I - O

Moose video

2010-10-01T14:04:00.001-04:00

Not in Ohio anymore

2010-05-28T22:11:00.002-04:00

Maybe a new blog in the future home of Alaska but probably not...

I gave away the "Jesus on Vacation" inspirational snow globe so I guess this is an end of an era for this url.

Will shut 'er down soon. After I transfer /copy your blog links.

Aloha!

oops

2010-01-25T08:51:00.002-05:00

forgot about the ol' blog. Maybe if fb starts charging I will be on here more.

Does summer really have to end?

2009-08-16T15:16:00.002-04:00

I am not sure if I want to be a teacher. But the one bonus over doing research full-time is having the summers off. Okay, okay, I realize I spent two months doing research, but it was my choice. School work officially begins tomorrow and I am deeply saddened to end this fun time. Back to the grind of lecture writing, grading, and meetings. At least I have a job.

Speaking of jobs, I am pondering what I should do with myself when I move to Alaska. Should I try to get an adjunct position teaching? Should I write a grant and collaborate with someone up there doing research? Should I leave academics and find something else to do? So many choices.

I realize many of my friends are going through similar changes. Any suggestions on how to deal?

Tying up loose ends

2009-07-22T22:01:00.010-04:00

Somehow the past two months have slipped by and I only managed to update the blog once while I was in Maine. It has been a crazy summer but the last couple weeks have been the craziest. On the 14th of July, I gave a talk at the Frenchman Bay Crustacean Symposium. It was followed by a lobster bake complete with lobster, corn on the cob, potato salad, steamed mussels and blueberry pie. Yum. Here are some pics from the evening:

Me with my former post-doc advisors and their son:

The view from the lobster bake site in Somesville:

The lobsters:

Me with my dinner!

Then the very next day I went out on an all day boat trip to collect copepods.

I got seasick. Barfed right over the edge. This has never happened to me, but I had all the signs it was coming. Shaky, weak legs, cramping in my stomach and legs, hot flash, and puke. Luckily, only one of the passengers saw me; she gave me ginger to settle my stomach and I felt relatively fine the rest of the trip.

Our copepod collection trip piggy-backed on the boat via a Marine Mammals course being taught at College of the Atlantic. The ten other passengers, therefore, were not interested in our little copepods, rather what was eating the copepods. We saw whales! A set of finbacks, a minke, and the highlight of the trip: a humpback female and her calve. They were having "breaching lessons":

Here is one of the breaching:

I will try to post a cool video or two as well when YouTube gets their act together-

In the meantime, I am trying to wrap up my last week and a half here in MDI. The students are presenting their work next Tuesday which means that I am spending lots of time on the confocal microscope capturing some images for their posters. I will leave on the 31st and hopefully meet sir Keelay in Pennsylvania where we will visit the environs of where I grew up - The Grand Canyon of PA, the old berry picking spots, Lyman Lake... we're going to hit them all. And I'll get to see my precious pup. Sure do miss her:

and, of course, Jasper the cat too!

Hallo from Maine

2009-06-21T08:54:00.004-04:00

I have a few moments this morning to reflect on the past month up in Downeast Maine. Working at the BioLab has been amazing!

A usual day involves dissecting some part of the nervous system of a crustacean-typically a green crab, sand crab, a lobster or a copepod. The copepods, of course are pretty small, so the dissection is challenging and involves some microdissection skills I garnered during my post-doc. The unfortuante part of working with copepods is that they are too small to EAT. Not so with the larger crustaceans. The poor lobsters and crabs have tiny nervous systems and a whole lot of muscle. And we aren't doing anything with their claws!

So I am looking for some recipes. I found one so far involving artichokes, cream and lobsters but haven't had time to make it yet. Preferably I need something quick. I need my extra time to work on this manuscript I have been putting off for, gulp, a year now.

To top off the wonderful eats, Maine has delicious produce and blueberry season is just around the corner. There is a large lobster pot in my cottage that may fit some jars, so in my best procrastinating, I may set out to make some jam / jelly as well.

In summary, working in Maine is awesome, but there are several distractions. I will write another post about the biking around Mount Desert Island. And all the old housemates/ guesthousemates that are coming to visit next month. And the trip to Colorado over the Fourth. And all the manuscripts that WILL get written!!! Just need some focus!

And for the electricity to stay on. Just had a flutter. Happens quite often, and typically when one of my students is trying to run a PCR. Or when my hard drive with all my data is still connected to the outlet. I better go check it...

Columbus baseball

2009-05-25T21:18:00.003-04:00

K and I beat the rain tonight and headed to a Columbus Clippers game against the Charlotte Knights. We were getting killed when we left in the middle of the 6th inning, but it was nice going out and supporting the local team (update, mid 8th, score is 1-11, ouch!). Being at the game reminded me of a Sidewinders game except without the beer specials. Was it a "Thirsty Thursday" special the Sidewinders used to have? The Huntington ball park is brand new, so the only promotional deal we lucked into from our scalped tickets was entrance into the Toyota Zone, where the beers were more expensive and you had to tip the bartender. So much for a deal. But it was fun and it would be nice to go back if I wasn't leaving for two months on Friday. Ohio is so nice in the summer, but I have a feeling Maine will be quite nice too. I probably won't write on here very much, but stay tuned for sporadic updates. Until then, happy summer (ooh, except for K who still has 3 more weeks of teaching because the OSU is on quarters!)

Oh crap!

2009-05-14T20:50:00.002-04:00

I forgot I had a blog.

For the last two weeks or so I totally forgot about you, poor blog. Did you miss me?

Busy? Yes. The semester at Denison has drawn to a close and I have two weeks to figure out how to pack K's car full of all the things I need to take with me to Maine. A thermocylcer. 100 petri dishes. Pipettes, beakers, flasks, oh my! How will it all fit?! Now, have I been as busy as some of you? Pro'ly not. Two babies were had. A PhD defended while taking care of a 4 month old. I feel pretty lame for mentioning "busy" compared to all that.

In my spare time finishing up the semester I have also been wedding planning. Wedding planning is just now becoming tolerable and fun. I did not enjoy it at first and I blame my hatred towards the many things wedding-related that are commercial and consumer driven and just plain lame. Perhaps the best advice came from one of my fellow bloggers, "Do what makes you happy, not what anyone else expects you to do. That, and generous amounts of booze." Amen, brother B! Amen.

A mountain bike heaven in Ohio?

2009-04-27T19:43:00.005-04:00

Yesterday K and I decided to ignore our colds and headed up to Mohican State Park. We had previously seen some signs for a 25 mile loop and read about a 100 mile mountain bike race held there (Sat. May 30th. Just in time to get in shape, lol). So off we went to check it out.

Boy, was it beautiful. A nicely paced climb up through a deciduous / hemlock mix that smelled and felt a lot like riding in Flagstaff. When you got to the top of the loop, you just went up and down some bluffs along the Clear Fork Creek Gorge. Fun, fast, not too demanding or technical, but still challenging in places. It was heaven. Not to mention the spring wildflowers peaking their little head out from under the leaves just about everywhere you looked. 84 degrees and it just was one of those perfect days, capped by some Shiner Bocks waiting in a cooler, chilled by a frozen, roasted turkey breast that we later thawed and grilled for dinner. Gaffney faired a little less well, with the heat and her aging hips slowing her down. But she cooled off in the river and didn't bother any of the dogs along the trail, so it was a successful day.

Enjoy some pictures of beautiful Ohio!

Kyle along the trail

A yellow violet

Gaffers, fresh from the river

Giddy-up!

2009-04-20T21:01:00.002-04:00

I'm almost to the finish line of my first year of teaching at Denison. Only 2 1/2 lectures remain. Shoo. I am relieved for the summer so I can do some research again. I will be up at the Mount Desert Island Marine Lab, near Bar Harbor, ME if you want to swing by!

More later. Congrats to all the new PhD's and soon-to-be mothers in the blog audience. Good luck to you all!

Pittsburgh-bound

2009-04-10T09:41:00.003-04:00

K and I are headed to Pittsburgh tonight to meet up with Clint, Sarah, Ms. Buns, and Sgt. Brown (oh and soon to be Baby B!). I love visiting Pittsburgh-my favorite part is coming out of the tunnel on 279 and then-BAM- there is the city, laid out in front of you with all its bridges to the right, and the stadiums to the left. I don't know why but it always gives me a happy feeling. Last time we visited Clint et al., we rode up the Duquesne Incline to Mt. Washington and had cocktails overlooking the city. We also ate at the restaurant where S works-Legume- it was delicious. If you live in P-burgh, you should DEFINITELY check it out. This time we plan on antiquing, with inspiration provided by all the Antiques Road Shows we have been watching these last few months. Is it really possible to find such treasures? I am hoping Pittsburgh is just the town for diamonds in the rough.

Then on Saturday afternoon it's off to my brother's new house in the 'burbs of Pittsburgh for some good old-fashioned three year old birthday party action. My niece turned three earlier in the week and we will celebrate this momentous occasion with the rest of the family. I am trying to see my family a lot while I am on the east coast. Visits will be fewer and farther between when we live up in the great Northwest.

Happy Easter weekend to everyone. I wish I were in Portland, OR, at a certain someone's Easter party!

A clean spring house

2009-04-05T08:54:00.002-04:00

I hate cleaning. But yesterday, the inner compulsive side of me emerged and cleaned. And cleaned. Back aching, spring cleaning but boy did it smell fresh and look nice and tidy.

For about an hour.

Two animals with muddy paw prints (and noses), misplaced shoes, a blanket gone awry. The clean is so fleeting. Just like spring.

I am trying to enjoy Ohio now since I will be gone to Maine for most of the summer and then next year we will move to a whole different state. This is the last spring Kyle will have in Ohio, but I'll get one more. I hope it is as beautiful as this year.

I will try to take pictures later of our beautiful flowers, buds on the trees, and little animals basking in the big backyard. Days like yesterday and today (weekends in general with my family) make me very happy indeed.

More news...

2009-03-27T17:16:00.002-04:00

The other news I forgot to mention last time...we're getting hitched.

Drs. Hampson , Drs. Wilton or Drs. Wampton? You decide...

An update!

2009-03-24T14:55:00.004-04:00

Aloha, loyal blog readers. March has quickly flown by without so much as a peep from this newly revived blogger. I promise to try to blog more often in the next coming weeks. There is much to talk about indeed:

#1: As you may have already heard, this blog will soon be called, "The other Alaska bloggers" or maybe , "I wish I were Alaskaboy" or "A-LASK-A". In any case, K has accepted a job up in Anchorage so we will soon be neighbors with our great friends from the north. I am excited about this move for a number of reasons and terrified for some too, but I will spend many a blog posting on those thoughts another day.

#2: I had a great trip in Telluride last week visiting with my sister and soon-to-be-married cousin, Elaine. Along with brief discussion of wedding details, we hit the slopes for three days mainly on blue cruiser hills, but occasional double black diamond hills when I got up my confidence enough. Here is actually an image of me on the slope, "Confidence":

This photo was taken on the third day, a day that I was really quite terrified to go down anything steep. While I normally have no fear of skiing down big hills, I took quite a spill on the 2nd day of skiing that left me rather rattled. KK, luckily, was above me when I supermanned down the hill, so she could slide my skis down to me. I don't really like falling, but will consider a ski helmet in the future as I age and get weaker on the skis. Especially considering we heard the story of Natasha Richardson when we got back. I am not sure if a helmet would have prevented an epidural hematoma but it probably couldn't hurt, right? This story is also interesting because we have been talking a lot about cerebrovascular accidents in my Neuro class this semester. Locked-in syndrome (like in the movie, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is probably the most fascinating case. Watch the movie, it's good!

#3: Where was I? Oh yes, it is my favorite time of year. Spring! And currently the month when some of my most wonderful friends were born (yeah, Aries!). In no particular order, Happy birthday to: Melissa, Steph, Carla, Kim, Megan, Megan, Sarah (the 12th, I think!), and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

#4: More news later, I have to get back to work!

Biking

2009-03-06T09:19:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness it is finally spring! We got out on the road bikes yesterday. We have a beautiful path that goes alongside the Olentangy River for about 7 miles each way, plus we add a loop through a neighborhood at one end to bring the grand total of the ride to about 17-18 miles. The weather was so nice yesterday but windy. We had a tail wind going up the river, but I was really hurting even with the help of the wind. A winter of sloth has led to very sore muscles today.

The good news is that I get to count my bike ride as part of Denison's Exercise Challenge. Biking for 1 1/2 hours counts the same as a 1/2 hour work (one activity), which I found out the hard way after skiing last week for 4 hours (1 activity). My total activities for the first 6 weeks only totaled 29. Sadness. I just can't work out in the winter. Hence the need for inspiration for running. If you have any more ideas, let me know!

In other news....Lame Cocks :(

Enjoy your weekend!

Too cool!

2009-03-05T07:31:00.001-05:00

Fossilized brains! This is really neat!

The anticipation is KILLING me!

2009-03-02T22:36:00.003-05:00

So much waiting here in Ohio. I am waiting to hear about a summer job in Maine. I am waiting to hear about whether we need to change the name of this blog to a different state again. I am waiting for spring. And the biggest thing I am waiting for....

Thursday night's SC vs. Tennessee game.

It all comes down to this, folks. K will be crossing his fingers. Wear your garnet to support the Cocks.

Grammar junkies

2009-02-24T06:50:00.002-05:00

You can probably tell from my writing that I forgot much of the grammar I learned back in elementary school. One thing I have a huge problem with is remembering when I is the subject vs. the object.

It looks like I am not alone. It's nice to know that the president has this problem as well.

But give the man a break. (And maybe this man too). When you are speaking, you have no chance of editing what comes out of your mouth. Sometimes it is going to be grammatically incorrect, or not make sense at all. Having taught now for two years, I know this feeling well. "Did I really just say that?!" Ah, lecture in three hours...

One of my goals in starting this blog again was to practice writing. And to share the adventures of Kyle and me. No, that can't be right...it's Kyle and I, isn't it? Or is it better to say "share Kyle and my life"? Or is it lives at that point?

I give up!

Go see Coraline in 3D

2009-02-16T19:02:00.002-05:00

Hit up the matinee for Coraline yesterday and it was AWESOME! (This is C, btw; I was too lazy to log out K). I read Neil Gaiman's version of this in grad school and I loved the story. But the movie, wow, what a clever, kind of creepy, awesome film. You can't go wrong with flying angel Scotty dog-bats. And half-naked, well-endowed 80 year old actress cartoons. OH and the mouse circus! Bravo!

Read this NY Times article if you would like to learn more. This is the first stop-motion animated feature done in 3D. Curious as to how they make 3D movies? From the article:

The stereoscopic 3-D the filmmakers were using was created by taking a picture for the left eye, moving the camera a preset distance and taking another one for the right eye.

For a stop-motion film, this means moving the grass, the trees, everything each frame. Wowser.

Sixty million dollars was worth it.

Brewsky's Saturday

2009-02-14T16:18:00.002-05:00

I miss writing on the blog. Facebook has satisfied some of my primal urges to talk about my life, but the one line updates can't compete with the long, open space permitted by the blog format. It's not that my life is particularly exciting, but I kept a journal most of my life and I just have this urge to document it, however mundane and banal it may be. Living in Ohio has actually been quite exciting and I have had the itch to start this again without any follow through for six months now. And so, this morning, I awoke with a goal. Spruce up the blog and write something new!

Since July when we moved to Columbus, we have explored quite a bit of Ohio, and many of the state parks we visted are incredibly beautiful and wonderful places. You can see some of the pictures we took above in the heading. But this weekend, it got cold again after a small bout of spring, and it is, quite frankly, a bit depressing. So K had the idea of going to watch the UCLA / Arizona game this afternoon. I looked on the internet for a sports bar with good ratings, since the last one we went to this fall to watch a USC game was abysmal. Brewsky's sports bar, a mere 2 miles away, was described as, "Nice laid back sports bar with large screen tv and lots of pool tables and cheap drinks" and "Great service , the two ladies that work the weekend nights knew my whole party ' s drink order after the first round." Good enough...

What a fun afternoon we ended up having! The clientle included a ~65 yo man with 4 PhD's (one in molecular biology), a Boston man who is a self-made handicapper (K talked to him for quite some time about his favorite subject), and a retired handyman who can't stay retired cause he has to "support his favorite habit: drinking". Everyone was friendly. The bartendress knew our names, our drinks, our love of the Wildcats, all without batting an eyelash. You could tell that everyone loved the place. I can't even imagine how crazy it gets during an OSU football game.

We will probably go back. We don't go out to bars much anymore, but it is nice to know that there is one out there that is friendly with decent food, and clean, nice-smelling bathrooms. The little things matter, you know?

As a side post, this weekend is the Kaimana Klassik frisbee tournament in Hawaii. Wish I were there, Sally. Wish I were there!

p.s. Wildcats won. Barely. They had a 25 point lead at one point that narrowed down to nine at the end. Shoo. Way to pull it out. Bear Down!

Changes

2009-02-14T12:33:00.001-05:00

Blog under construction. Ohio news to come!

Aloha ʻoe

2008-06-08T13:44:00.009-04:00

Our time on Diamondhead is drawing to a close this week, and since we still have to clean the house, I don't know if I'll have much time to post. What I hoped to do was provide lists and lists of wonderful things about Hawaii that I will miss, but instead, I will summarize our lives here with some photos. Thanks for reading, and aloha 'oe, or May you be loved and greeted.

Big Island, June 2006, Hike to Halape through Volcano Ntl Park; we'll miss the free coconuts

The Sally Ladies

The North Shore in the winter

Sunsets

The wildlife

And last, but not least, Nani Lēʻahi,
the ʻāina (land), the moana (ocean), and the lewa (air).

Aloha, Oahu! We will miss you.

Our last holiday weekend

2008-05-28T14:05:00.006-04:00

Holidays are a big part of Hawaiian culture. There is not a month that goes by without a 3 day weekend, and Memorial day is exceptionally awesome because of all the fanfare here for WWII vets.

We had a pretty good weekend. Here are some pictures of our last big weekend of fun.

Saturday: Hartlenz Lab going away luncheon at the Oahu Country Club:

Magnified view of my awesome orchid lei (I absolutely love the tradition of giving leis. They are so beautiful!):

Sunday: Polo match on the North Shore (K's student gave us free tickets)

Monday: We went to the movies (Iron Man) and hung out in Waikiki. I am going to miss being able to walk to the beach. I know you feel sorry for me...

Almos pau

2008-05-22T00:37:00.002-04:00

Done with school, almost done with work, our stuff is slowly getting packed and shipped. Phew. It is really happening. We're leaving.

The Hawaiian word for "end, completed, finished, etc" is "pau". We use this word a lot.

"Pau hana": Happy hour
"I'm pau": I am taking my cleats off because I don't want to play frisbee anymore.
"Almos pau": Not quite done.

In the last case, pau is coupled with "almos" a pidgin word for "almost". It is hard not to pick up some of this vocabulary. My favorites:

da kine: this can mean virtually anything but typically means something so totally awesome it can't be expressed any other way.

ono kine grindz: really awesome food; see the food blog if you don't believe me:

hana hou: do it again; one more time; an ovation; also, play one more point at frisbee

howzit: coupled with bruddah, this would be a way to say hi to a dude

da menehune cockaroach my tent pole: Menehune are the mythical creatures that lived in Hawaii before the Hawaiians. They like to steal things. The menehune always steal things when we camp.

I wonder what kind of new languages we'll learn in Ohio? Hmn, maybe Seneca (Ohio means "beautiful river"). Or maybe not. Either way, last day on Oahu ("the gathering place") is June 13th. And if you're around Tucson, we'll be there until the 24th. Let's hang.

One thing I won't miss about Hawaii

2008-05-08T22:41:00.006-04:00

Thursday afternoon town-bound traffic. Today was my last day making this drive. Good riddance.

A big mahalo to those of you who tolerated my phone calls while sitting in this madness. You kept me sane.

Our new house.

2008-05-05T17:10:00.002-04:00

The Moaʻa are back

2008-05-04T22:19:00.007-04:00

We played our league frisbee games at Waimanalo beach last weekend. This is what a typical day at Sherwoods looks like:

This is how it looked last week:

Notice how you can't see Rabbit island. Or the top of the ridge.

Was it a storm? A forest fire? Industrial pollution? No, it was vog. The Kilauea crater has been spewing sulfur dioxide gas now for weeks. When the Moa'a- the northeast trade winds- are not present, the gases collect over the islands instead of blowing out over the Pacific. Last week the levels got higher than usual, and many people, as written about in this NY Times article, have trouble breathing. Despite the air quality, we played three games of beach Ultimate, and even managed to win one after being back by 5 points and playing savage.

Speaking of Ultimate, this Friday's game included the allotment of game points to the fastest sprinters on each team. Each person would have to run the length of the Ulti-field, against the tradewinds that had since reemerged, uphill. Lo' and behold, our practice team race was won by K, which meant that he would run against the fastest guy on the other team. It turns out that the gentleman he would be running against was not only the fastest man on the red team, he was also recently voted as the fastest guy on the island by an unofficial poll done by the women on the island, myself included.

You probably know where this is going, but I could hardly believe it. I have NEVER seen K run so fast, or so well. He came from behind and charged ahead, winning by at least 2 feet. Boy, was he excited, and, admittedly, I was pretty excited for him. Later he informed me that he almost puked beforehand (thank goodness no blueberry bagels or purple gatorade were involved), remembering all the jitters of mountain bike races of the past. But he swallowed his puke, ran that race, and WON that race.

Good job! Way to be a winner. They'll always remember you on Oahu.

Pictures!

2008-04-28T00:01:00.010-04:00

I finally took some time to post our travels of the last month. A huge thank you to our friends for getting married in such beautiful places. From late March / early April. Click on "Costa Rica trip" and "North Shore" to see more photos.

Costa Rica trip:

Valle de Orosi

Volcan Arenal

Steph and Mau's wedding

North Shore:

Skydiving:

Katelyn and Joe's wedding at Camp Mokuleia

As a post script, I would like to A-M for letting me use her Costa Rica tour books (don't worry, I won't send them back! I passed them on to my tennis buddies). In your honor, the picture below was taken while listening to Mason Jennings play last weekend at Kokua Fest. Did you know he was born in Hawaii? We didn't actually go to the show, but it sure was nice hearing his soothing voice as we sat under a Diamondhead sky. We're starting to get a little sad about leaving...ETD June 13th!

2008-04-17T19:05:00.001-04:00

Experimenting with a little widget in the sidebar.

UPDATE: Buggy as all get out. Looks like you can pick individual tracks in the radio feature but if you want to move to another track, you need to refresh the browser window. Fun tho.

Shhh...don't tell my mother

2008-04-10T14:42:00.002-04:00

We're doing this on Saturday. Our friends, Katelyn and Joe are getting married and this was their idea of a pre-wedding ritual.

Very, very excited. And terrified too.

UPDATE: We survived. And it was totally, totally awesome. I'll post the pics/video soon. Ryan and Julia are visiting today so we're going surfing for the first time, yeah! What a great weekend.

2008-04-08T01:29:00.002-04:00

ʻōhio in Hawaiian means to fart

2008-03-20T18:50:00.003-04:00

It also means windy too.

For those of you who begged, we are moving to Ohio for several reasons. Reason numero uno is that I got a job teaching at Denison University, a school not unlike my alma mater, Allegheny College. I actually went to Denison once to play tennis, as they are both in the same conference (NCAC, ya heard!) K is probably going to teach somewhere nearby, as there are approximately 50 schools in the greater Columbus metro area.

Reason numero dos (sidenote: did I mention we are going to Costa Rica Saturday for my friend, Steph's, wedding? She is marrying a Costa Rican, ooh lala. I am trying to practice my Spanish. Does anyone remember how to ask for a tow truck :) ?): It is time to leave Hawaii. Hawaii is a wonderful, magical, exciting place full of wonderful people and incredible geology. But it is 2,500 miles to anything. Which includes family. And all our old friends. And our stuff that has been in a storage locker for 2.5 years. And getting things 2,500 miles from anywhere means they cost a lot more. Which is fine if you make a lot of money. But, sadly, we don't. Not only will we make more money in Ohio, but the money will buy us a lot more stuff!

Reason numero tres: I'm ready for a change. My research is awesome, and I get to work with wonderful people. I am hopefully going to get at least 3 pubs from what I have done here, although the establishment keeps rejecting my one primary paper (it goes against a DOGMA!). But, the primary project is winding down and I really enjoy teaching, so I am going to get to teach neuro courses and develop labs for them. Very cool. I actually get to apply the stuff I learned in school. That = happiness!

Of course, living in a place that means "windy or to let wind" means that there will be alot of changes. Winter. Commuting via car instead of bicycle. The conservative masses of people on the east coast (anything east of the Mississippi is considered east coast to Hawaiians). But there will be good things too: like having our bicycles back, getting a kitty cat, and looking forward to whatever comes next. The job is only for two years. Then, who knows, we could be moving to a neighborhood near you! (preferably on the west coast :) )

A new beginning

2008-03-06T17:44:00.005-05:00

The new vent near Kilauea finally spewed enough lava to reach the ocean. See story here and USGS update here. They plan to open a new viewing area this weekend. I think I may try to go to the Big Island soon to see it; it won't be a 3 mile walk this time, wahoo! Who's with me?

p.s. Other new beginnings...and the end to Nani Le'ahi. We're officially moving back to the mainland in June, so it's now or never for visiting. Of course, there's always a chance we could move back. I met a guy yesterday who may be hiring in two years when the mainland gig is up. Where will the wind will take us next? Ohio. It's kinda like Hawaii but not. At all. More later...

Shout outs to some cuties....

2008-03-04T02:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, K and I went to Rumi's first birthday party. One of the guests brought her pot-bellied pig, Frederick, to the party. He was soooo cute:

Check out the link above for more pics. Kaveh takes awesome photos.

Frederick actually weighs less than our little pot-bellied piglet:

And, without further ado, the most awesome dog ever:

From the wide world of the internet. K has too much time on his hands.

KK turns 21!

2008-02-15T12:36:00.004-05:00

500+ people are supposed to show up today to play in a frisbee tournament here on the isle of Oahu. This is the 21st year of the tournament, and it is supposed to be awesome. Playing up on the theme of turning 21, expect gambling, lots and lots of imbibing, and plenty of corn-tossing, rowdy good times.

Here's our team photo from last year. Eight returning players, and some newbies. Viva la Sally ladies!

The end of an era?

2008-02-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

First, Lute Olson goes on hiatus and now Bobby Knight retires mid-season? They're not allowed to just leave! I grew up watching these guys coach!* Sigh, I must be getting older.

*(okay, I didn't actually root for Arizona until I went there, and only after they lost to Duke in the national championship game in 2001, but I DID attend a Bobby Knight basketball camp when I was 15. I won a signed Damon Bailey shirt for having the best foul shot percentage and refused to wash it until he was famous. Still waiting...wonder what happened to that guy. Oh. Yikes. So I guess I can wash the shirt now?)

A wai malama (A water month)

2008-02-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

I ka wai kau a Kāne me Kanaloa, he wai puna, he wai e inu, he wai e mana, he wai e ola, e ola nō.

(Water given by Kāne and Kanaloa, spring water, water to drink, water for power, water for life, may there be life )

As you can probably imagine, water is central to our everyday living here on the island. From a brisk ocean swim every Sunday (the water is a cool 77d this time of year), to the invariable morning showers on our bike rides to work, we see and feel our fair share of water. Every day in January, and I mean every morning and every afternoon, I saw a rainbow. No pots of gold so far, but I intend to keep on looking anyway...

Water, and particularly the ocean itself, were at the center of our lives this month (and I am stretching the month a bit to include Christmas), so I thought I would pay a special tribute to 71% of our world. Today, I realized just how much I am going to miss it when I am gone from Hawaii. What a wonderful place to have lived, in the center of the Pacific, out on a big rock in the middle of it all.

Without further ado:

Water for fun: Christmas eve road biking trip to the top of Makapu'u; a storm blows in

Water for viewing only: K's dad in town: North Shore Waves >20ft (1/9/08)

Water is power: Near-death experience, Shark's Cove. Just after this picture was taken, an enormous swell came in and all of us almost floated out to sea:

Water is beauty: A North-shore sunset:

Water for research: Zooplankton collection on the R/V Klaus Wyrtki , Captain Tom (1/23/08):

Water for life: Some of my friends from and near the sea:

Hawaii hermit crab, unauna

Euphausiid sp. (12x ~ 4mm in length)

Candacia aethiopica

Gaffers wilsonae
Bellows Beach on the windiest day of the year (1/25/08).
We slept in our car that night because the wind knocked the tent over.

Water for birth: The age of Aquarius:

The happy water-bearer eating a marshmallow on his birthday camping trip.

Water is for drinking: Unfortunately, we did not take pictures yesterday on the sailing trip with Kyle's former student. We saw at least 4 whales, stood at the bow of the boat and took on 8 foot swells, and drank enough water in the form of Miller Lite to have to run to the bathroom as soon as we docked.

Water finale: And who can resist some water (and marine invertebrate) humor:

“Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn't happen.”
Stephen Wright

Ahhh....

2008-01-03T13:26:00.000-05:00

From the Hopu tourney in November. Gaffers turned 5 recently, so this is her belated birthday celebration! Or maybe it is her early birthday celebration. We are not completely sure of her actual birthday, but if you want to mark your calendar, Auntie Meg, we celebrate on Dec. 12.

The Garden Isle wrapup...

2007-12-29T00:37:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday was wonderful. We're enjoying the island winter, full of wind and rain, mosquitoes, and pre-Sugar Bowl jitters. The island is going bananas with anticipation...can we beat Georgia???

A wrap-up of our vacation is past due. Our trip to Kauai was AMAZING!!! The summary includes a drive to the north shore, a day of relaxation, a day of hiking in the highest swamp in the world, and a day of driving through the mud to the most secluded, beautiful beach I have seen.

Without further ado...

GO! to Kauai. This plane was actually going to Maui, but we couldn't resist the rainbow advertisement for this Mesa-airlines based carrier. If you don't follow Hawaii airline wars, this is the "enemy"; Hawaiian and Aloha airlines have even relegated go! to a different terminal that lacks any sort of perks (including a proper entrance to your plane; you have to walk on the tarmac!)

Day 1: Northshore. Nenes and heiaus and caves, oh my! Here is a whole family of Nene geese, the native Hawaiian bird. We also saw endangered I'iwi , breeding humpback whales, and DEER!! along our travels.

There was plenty to do Princeville side, but we were headed for the southside, to our little villa in Poipu.

Sunset in Poipu, at Baby Beach. This was the closest beach to our house.

Day 2: The next day we rented hybrid bicycles and rode them to the end of the road. K took kindly to the sandstone cliffs (that small white speck on top is me!) and incredible waves that day. And, once again, another incredible sunset... It was a perfect day.

Day 3: Hiking the Alakai Swamp. This swamp is at the end of the road leading up Waimea Canyon:
It made us reminisce about its cousin, the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. Very similar colors, but obviously not as long.

Kauai is full of wonderful hikes. We decided to retrace the old route the Hawaiians used to take to the north shore when the weather prevented ocean-based travel. Six miles each way, our guidebook told us that we would mostly be walking along a boardwalk through the Alakai swamp (the highest swamp in the world!). We slogged through a mile of mud before we got to said boardwalk, but after that, the hike was quite pleasurable.

Here's a view towards the end, when we were at about 4,000ft in high bogs. There is nothing quite like this on earth (except apparently, in Alaska, according to at least one source).

And, happily, the view from the end of the trail. Overlooking the bay at Princeville. Boy was it cold (probably 55d, but our blood is thin and it was windy, I swear!...)

Day 4: Last day...we decided we HAD to go to the western shore, Polihale Beach. On the map it looked like a three mile dirt road. The book warned that it should not be attempted in the event of rain. It hadn't rained for two days or so, so we decided to try it. Three miles of deep mud in a the low-clearance compact rental car later (I was sooo nervous), we reached the beautiful beach. We were one of 5 couples on the 17miles of undisturbed heaven. The pali cliffs are in the background. They are the reason you cannot drive around Kauai.

The perfect trip almost ending, we enjoyed some shave ice at the end of the Waimea pier, went snorkeling, and caught our airplane home.

I now believe that when you visit Hawaii, you should go here, to Kauai. It is a paradise. With no high rises, fewer people, and beautiful wildlife, vistas, and beaches, it seems superior to the other islands, but especially Oahu. But it is not for everyone. We heard several people say they preferred the hustle and bustle and warmer weather in Oahu. Now that we are back, it is clear that this place is still paradise too. It will always be the functional island where work has to be done for us, but there are moments of utter wonder when we get to sit back and say, "Wow, we live here." I felt it in Tucson too. Will the next place on the map offer up such moments? I sure hope so...

2007-12-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

This is K talking.

Here are my top twenty-five albums of 2007. As usual, my fear of the unknown means at least a three month lag between when something comes out and when I actually listen to it. So logically, I should wait until March to compile this list. Like the Oscars. But Christmas is really the only time when I don't feel guilty spending time compiling something this frivolous.

So here goes:

25. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem - Pitchfork Review

This album has taken awhile to grow on me. But it has some really stellar tracks.

24. Open Field - Taken by Trees - Pitchfork Review.

This semester, I was ecstatic to see a flier for Camera Obscura on campus. I hadn't heard them but I knew they were Scottish and had been compared to Belle and Sebastian. I downloaded their album in anticipation of the show. I wrote an email to all my friends here getting them fired up for the show. Then I found out that Camera Obscura shares their name with a local hardcore outfit who sucks. And so it goes here in paradise. The good news is that the Camera Obscura album (Let's Get Out of this Country) is absolutely awesome, and would not have been notched by me if not for this happy accident. Their album came out last year

What does this have to do with Taken by Trees? I think they sound similar. And the lead singers look almost exactly the same.

23. We Walked in Song - Innocence Mission - Pitchfork Review.

When I was just honing my crying skills in college, I bought a tape at Wal-Mart by the Sundays called Static and Silence. Boy - I did love that album. Some people may think that liking bands like this (Sixpence None the Richer, Cardigans, St. Etienne, etc.) speaks ill of my manliness. I think that is fair.

22. New Moon - Elliot Smith - Pitchfork Review.

Because Elliot Smith stabbed his heart several years ago, he is no longer making videos. My apologies.

21. † - Justice - Pitchfork Review.

My #1 album of 2006 was French. So is my #21 album of 2007. Pretty rad video this.

20. Love - The Beatles - Pitchfork Review

So George Martin got senile enough that his kid was able to take advantage of him in a moment of weakness. The result is a delicately remixed album of Beatles tunes that serves as the soundtrack for the Cirque du Soleil show, Love. Sounds pretty awful, huh? It isn't. It sounds phenomenal. Of course - I am a Beatles dork from waayyy back.

19. The Budos Band II - The Budos Band - Pitchfork Review

This video is awesome. Great instrumental album of latiny jazzy grooves. A little like last year's Quantic.

18. Walls - Apparat - Pitchfork Review

This year I discovered that IDM stands for "Intelligent Dance Music." Isn't that obnoxious? Here is a song of this description being used as a soundtrack to someone's travel film.

17. Kala - M.I.A. - Pitchfork Review

I just started listening but I love it so far. This song is my favorite.

16. The Reminder - Feist - Pitchfork Review

I think I am safe in assuming everyone has heard this artist by now. "1-2-3-4 . . "

15. Octopus - Band of Bees - Pitchfork Review.

Totally unique sound. Well - I guess not that unique because Pitchfork says they are "like the Beta Band without all the artsy detours and experimental tendencies." I guess you could be worse things. This band is just called The Bees in the U.S. (there is another Band of Bees). Cool video.

14. Armchair Apocrypha - Andrew Bird - Pitchfork Review

This year, I listened to a lot of new albums from bands that had made good things in the past. I really couldn't get into most of them. Clap Your Hands Say "Eh." But this new album is really stellar and probably the best I have heard from the A-bird. Please watch this video if you like him. I get a little emotional each time I see it.

#45.3 - Andrew Bird - Spare-Oh
Uploaded by lablogotheque

13. Cozy Endings - Artanker Convoy - Pitchfork Review.

Completely off-the-wall and fun. Take a listen.

12. Wizard of Ahhs EP - The Black Kids - Pitchfork Review

When their full length comes out, be ready. It will be the hottest thing ever. Every song is really a gem but this is the one that is paying the bills. And yes - they do sound like the Cure.

11. Emotionalism - Avett Brothers - Pitchfork Review

I am sure that Caroline would want me to tell you that this is her #1 for the year. Of course - she may be exaggerating to make a larger point. I am not bringing any decent alt country music into the relationship leaving her to her three year-old Gourds albums, Ryan Adams, and even new Robert Earl Keen songs (gross). Instead, I make her listen to Animal Collective and Grand Buffet. It is a wonder she is still around.

This video is mostly for her.

10. The Stage Names - Okkervil River - Pitchfork Review

OK. Now we are getting into the good stuff. I came to love Okkervil River when they made comically slow sad music ala the Silverjews. Now they make kicking sad music and I like them even more. Especially great is the appropriation of the Beach Boy's "Sloop John B" for their final dirge. Good stuff.

9. Graduation - Kanye West - Pitchfork Review

Another great album by Kanye. But nothing compared to what will come in the wake of his mother's tragic and profoundly significant death. Lil' Wayne sounds shitty on "Barry Bonds" and "Drunk and Hot Girls" is pretty weak also but Kanye takes chances and has better batting average than the aforementioned slugger. Included is the fantastic alternative video for "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

8. In Rainbows - Radiohead - Pitchfork Review

I would have never imagined a new Radiohead album would rank outside the top five. This video is silly.

7. No Shouts, No Calls - Electrelane - Pitchfork Review

Now this album was a revelation. I have to say Stereolab because that is what everyone says. But it is just those breathy vocals. The songs themselves strike me as far more exciting than anything Stereolab did. Great driving music.

6. Night Falls in Kortadella - Jens Lekman - Pitchfork Review

Did you know that Jens Lekman was just about to quit the game. He had been touring for years and nothing was happening. Then someone at Pitchfork got their hands on Oh You're So Silent Jens, a mishmash of b-sides and cast-offs, and he was on his way. Now he has put out the #6 album of 2007. Check out this wonderful video of his covering Arthur Russell.

1 AN - JENS LEKMAN - A little lost
Uploaded by lablogotheque

5. Andorra - Caribou - Pitchfork Review

Top five time. Caribou is awesome. Not as awesome as Grizzly Bear, but pretty dang awesome nonetheless.

4. From Here We Go Sublime - The Field - Pitchfork Review.

Simply stunning soundscapes. Goes great with drugs of all sorts.

3. Boxer - The National - Pitchfork Review

The first National album, Alligator, was a dud in our house. It just doesn't jump out at you. In our setup, albums get played off our 20G ipods. Everyone gets their shot at the big show but, if they fail to impress within a month or two, most albums get shuttled off to the external hard drive never to be heard from again. In rare instances, albums are brought back for another try.

Boxer is the album that brought back Alligator. It is a stunner. Please give it a try.

2. Person Pitch - Panda Bear - Pitchfork Review

Magic. This album will be a fork in pop music's evolutionary tree. I know Animal Collective is far more experimental and risky. But this album strikes me as the distilled essence of everything great about Animal Collective. Of course - by great, I mean listenable. And by listenable, I means listenable by people in their thirties.

1. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal - Pitchfork Review

This album came out last February and within a few weeks I was ready to crown it my number one. It is hard to overstate how much I love this album, this band, and in particular, Kevin Barnes, the lead singer. It is nice to see a man having a nice time. And having a bad time.

If you have the opportunity to see this band live, I recommend it. That means you, Dacks.

Off to the Garden Isle!

2007-12-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

The semester ends today for me, wahoo! Teaching this semester has kept me pretty busy. I realize my 4 credit class isn't as difficult as what some people do, but I do have another (full-time) job too which makes me pretty darn overwhelmed sometimes. K and I both work almost every weekend and lots of nights too, so we are quite ready for a break.

And so we are headed off to Kauai this weekend for a little R&R. No dog. No computers. No time to be anywhere. And absolutely zero plans.

This will be the first time I go on vacation in the last few years that does not involve going to a wedding, playing frisbee, attending meetings, or cleaning houses. While it is only 4 days, 3 nights, I plan on enjoying every minute of it.

The best part? We got a new camera so we can actually take pictures again! And I have a feeling that this will be the best island yet. Secret tunnels? Grand Canyons? Rainiest place on earth? Or maybe we'll just stay at our cottage, snorkel, and bask in the sun. Isn't that what you are supposed to do when you visit Hawaii?

"We Believe!!!"

2007-12-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

12-0.

Never in a million billion years did I think Hawaii could do what they did.

And we were there to see it. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. What a perfect day. We spent the afternoon tailgating with the Zoology grad students, who awesomely prepared, among other things, a fried turkey (memories of Karl's fry parties made me happy). After partying, we had to walk a mile, downhill, to the stadium. This was no biggie, unless of course we lost, and then we would have to trudge back up the hill in the cold, December rain. (Incidentally, our island snow has now lasted 3 weeks. Welcome to the winter rainy season. Side note, the rain isn't really cold.)

We sat at the north end zone, in what we found out later were not our seats at all. Here we are, with Castle, before the game:

Our seats were pretty decent for costing $5. I am technically considered a "student" at UH, since they lack a category for postdocs. While this typically angers me immensely, I have learned to take advantage of the $5 tickets and suck it up. Kyle was my $32 guest, and it was really the best $44* I have spent in Hawaii (*$7 for beer).

The game began dismally. Washington scored on their first drive. We fumbled. Washington scored on their 2nd drive. Colt got sacked. Washington just looked too big and too fast. We were too slow and too nervous. 0-21 after the first quarter. Boy were we sad.

Not as sad as the couple sitting in front of us. They slept through the entire first quarter (slept is really not the right word, more liked passed out). More on them later.

We held the Huskies in the 2nd and even managed to score three. 21-28. Things were starting to look possible.

Third quarter, nothing but defense. Could we pull it off?

4th quarter, Jason Rivers, 40 yard touchdown. WAHOO! When we took the lead 35-28 in the 4th quarter, with 44 seconds left to go, I was worried. That was a lot of time. Cheers of "BCS, BCS, BCS" started to fill the stadium. The pom-pom girls were pretty sure of the win and showed off their new 12-0 tee shirts. Washington got the ball back to Hawaii's 3rd yard line. The pom-pom girls, realizing their impatience, took off their shirts and scowled. Everyone held their breath.

Everyone except the couple in front of us, now joined by the girl's sister, who insisted on badgering the man beside us. He had called them "haole bitches" earlier after they decided to smoke in the stadium. Throughout the game, words were exchanged, cops were called over; it was a nice side-story as long as nothing was going on. Now that our entire season came down to this play, and they were still not watching the field, I grew tired of their antics and pretended to call the cops. They finally shut up and left.

The next-to-the-last play of the game was UH intercepting a well thrown ball to a what appeared to be a wide-open Washington receiver in the endzone. The last play of the game, where Colt took a knee, was about 10 minutes later after fans were cleared from the field. It was incredible.

As you may have heard, Hawaii is going to the Sugar Bowl. This sort of sucks for fans, since it is a long way to travel, and it is a lot closer to Georgia. But I think we'll represent. Being a part of football in Hawaii has been something special. The whole entire state is behind this team. The team motto: "We believe".

Huck the Fuskies, and Damn a Dawg. The Warriors will show those leg humpers how to play football, ya heard! 13-0, 13-0!

Wouldn't that be a sweet? I can honestly say, it has been nice to be a part of something this special. Football, it may be, but damn, it sure does feel good.

A little "Island Snow"

2007-11-19T23:14:00.001-05:00

Radar from 6:16pm, Oahu.

Since it is always 85 and sunny here, we get a little excited when we see something like this.

We are looking forward to a night of rain, homemade meatloaf, potatoes and spinach. A cozy autumn evening, finally.

The Hawaiian word for crazy is...

2007-11-16T19:58:00.000-05:00

Pupule, lōlō, hehena, hewahewa.

Also: ʻūlala, uluāhewa, ʻōpulepule, pahuluhope.

I have been feeling a bit lōlō lately (sounds like loco so it is easiest to remember). Between work, traveling for work, frisbee tournaments, and teaching, I am a wit's end. The good news is that:

a) Next week is a 3 day week of work! Wahoo!
b) I only have 4 more lectures left for teaching, and they are all about the brain so I don't have to review as much.
c) We are going to Kauai the day after the semester is over and not doing anything but relaxing for a couple days. I can't wait.

Other than feeling lōlō busy, I really have had a nice November thus far. It was AWESOME seeing all the ol' crew in San Diego at the Neuro-nerdo meeting. I saw friends from Allegheny, Illinois, Arizona, Bermuda, and even peeps that had moved away from Hawaii. Special thanks to D&K for hosting and feeding me! San Diego is a beautiful place and I loved being off the island for a few days.

As soon as I got back, I had to get over a cold to play in the Hopu ka lewa frisbee tournament. The Sally team rocked it, as always, with a 1-7 record. Winning one game is all that matters.

Here are some pics taken by Kaveh of the tournament:

Updated Kyle's nose picture:

(It is healing rather well, I think!)

This next picture was my awesome, soon to be patented, "Box out and catch" move, completed during our game against the eventual winner of the tournie, Hana hou ("do it again" in Hawaiian; this was the 2nd year in a row they won the tournament, so it was a fitting name):

And finally, the whole Sally team. "Vote Sally for President" on the front of our shirt. "Throw Discs, not bombs" on the back. Bunch of frickin' hippies.

OH, one more thing. Tomorrow is McBarno, da'Barn's birthday. Happy birthday to my daddy!

p.s. I almost forgot. Welcome Anne-Marie to the blog world. Check it out here and on side bar (Core and Rind):

Less than one mile from home...

2007-10-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

Keith and I are having a contest to see who can take the most beautiful picture less than a mile away from home. Since the picture of Kyle's nose was taken over a mile away from home, it cannot, unfortunately, be entered into the contest. So, instead, I give you Queen's beach at sunset. Over 1 million people a year get to see this very same sight, although the sun only sets over the ocean during the fall-spring months.

The winner of the contest gets an all expense paid trip to.....

their own backyard! Yeah! Way to go Keith! We ROCK!

Broken nose, broken dreams

2007-10-07T23:16:00.000-04:00

The picture says it all. All it took was Ben's backhand huck into Kyle's bridge of his nose. Dreams of future beauty contests shattered as blood spurted everywhere from the one inch gash of Kyle's face. Sure to scar, he laid there, paralyzed, knowing that when he got up he would be a different man, an uglier man with a big gash on his nose. Just to be sure, he reached into the gash; oh yes, that was cartilage for sure. Girlfriend, thinking it was a punch in the face, brings over a cold MGD in lieu of ice, only to see all the blood and know she will spend the night in the ER holding boyfriend's bloody ice on his soon to be diagnosed broken nose.

One drive to the ER, one X-ray, one crazy lady on meth who pulled out her IV in the waiting room when not "treated properly" and then bled all over everything including 2" away from poor Kyle's shoe, and 5 stitches later (by the most handsome doctor I will ever likely see; sorry, Rob, he looked like Jude Law but HOTTER), we left for home, a team. Team bloody nose.

It was a not-so-fitting end to Kyle's perfect week of South Carolina beating Kentucky (#7 in the AP), his department talk that went "awesome" and his beloved stock holding strong. Right before the accident he said to me, "I have to be careful. Everything is going so well."

ESP? Self-fulfilling prophecies?

Nah, just bad luck.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Society for Broken Noses.

Athletes for Aerosmith

2007-09-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Hawaii is further away from the mainland than any other island chain? Maybe this is the reason why we don't get a whole lot of bands "passing through" here. The few that do are typically big names like Pearl Jam, Gwen Stefani or Kanye West (Kyle and I went to see him when we first moved here; it was cool except we couldn't really see him over the screaming girls holding their arms up to take pictures from their camera phones; boy did I feel old). We also get some old guys like Hootie and the Blowfish or Earth, Wind, and Fire that are probably here to take a cheap vacation. In any case, K and I feel quite deprived after listening to some awesome bands in Tucson.

So when it was announced last week that Aerosmith was canceling their Maui show for reasons unknown, no one was suprised. A lot of big name bands, like U2, have cancelled their shows here. I think they get to the end of their tours and just don't want to make the trip. I can't really blame them, it is far away.

But it turns out Aerosmith is still doing a concert for the Toyota dealers convention here on Oahu. Toyota is renting out the baseball stadium at the U of Hawaii for the festivities. And get this, the $500,000 to rent the facilities is all being given to the athletic department. Classic. The university really knows how to allocate funds. Maybe it will go towards improving the facilities; the football players really could use some soap in the locker room, after all. They also took out the speedbumps on lower campus so the buses bringing people in didn't have to slow down. This made me pretty excited, since I have to go over these bumps on one of my ways to school. Actually, this is now my preferred way to / from school because there are ZERO police officers that can give me tickets there...

Hawaii plays Idaho tomorrow. If they win, it will be one more step towards Colt Brennan winning the Heisman trophy. Colt winning a Heisman would be a huge boost for Hawaii. I think the university may even spring for some soap, even without Aerosmith's help. Good luck, Warriors!

Not a day over 50...

2007-09-26T00:18:00.000-04:00

My mother, Susan, turns 60 today. Happy birthday! I'm pretty sure she'll be around for many, many more years. Her father lived to be 87, her mother 83, her grandfather 92, and her 90 year old uncle is still alive. Long live the Kaminski's!

In other news, I got my first traffic violation yesterday. $219 for failure to stop at a stop sign....on my bicycle. Yes, on my bicycle. Also, failure to register my bicycle and failure to use the bicycle lane. Other than the bicycle lane issue, I am sadly guilty of said "crimes", but in all accounts I am quite sure this police officer was either very angry at something other than me or was filling a monthly quota of traffic violations. He was very, very mean to me.

I was upset yesterday, even in tears (because a bad day only gets worse when you find out you have to pay $219 for riding your bike home in the rain). Today, I have quietly resolved my anger into a steady rage complete with the telling of the story to get sympathy at work (everyone with one notable exception agrees it is an outrage; notable exception is the overly rational boyfriend). By tomorrow, I am sure I will develop a quiet desire to break every law possible just to see how many bad things I can actually get away with. And then, by Friday, I will return to rational mode and pay the ticket because I don't want to bother with it or think about it further. After all, do I really want to spend a day in court? The only easy way to get to downtown is on my bicycle, and I am reticent to be in such a public arena on the ol' Voodoo. Voodoo, I am not mad at you, I am mad at the man.

Stuck in Houston

2007-09-20T11:19:00.000-04:00

Traveling to/from Hawaii can be a big pain in the ass. Having to get off the plane after you have already gotten on it? Even a bigger pain in the ass. It is perhaps one of the most annoying features of traveling I have experienced. Twice. Both times going to Hawaii.

I have to wonder what kind of special checks / balances a plane traveling to Hawaii must go through. Did they forget to put in extra fuel? Do they stash a few parachutes for the pilots that didn't quite make it there? Naive to these issues, I just get to sit here and stew and contemplate the greater "good" that will come out of this: I will arrive safely at my destination hopefully only 2 hours late (or so they guess). But those 2 hours in Hawaii mean the difference between no traffic and traffic, which is the most important feature of scheduling an arriving flight to Honolulu as far as I am concerned.

In the future I will not have so many beers the night before getting on a plane (Thanks, B! Durham was kick ass!) AND / OR not leave on a 6:15am flight from the east coast when I haven't slept the whole week. These are valuable lessons learned in a life that seems to short to spend sitting in airport. Ah well. Just a part of traveling to the Big Rock in the sea.

UPDATE #1 (12pm): Two hours have now come and gone; they said it will be another 90 minutes. The altimeter/ barometer are leaking and / or not aligned. From Wikipedia:

A pressure altimeter (also called barometric altimeter) is the traditional altimeter found in most aircraft. In it, an aneroid barometer measures the air pressure from a static port outside the aircraft. Air pressure decreases with an increase of altitude — about one millibar (0.03 inches of mercury) per 27 feet (8.23 m) near sea level.

They are currently "trouble-shooting" by taping said static port with bright yellow tape and attaching another port to what I guess is a pressure gauge of some sort. Continental has given us free food vouchers, coupons for up to 25% off your next flight, free drink vouchers, and they are having a raffle to give away 5, $100 vouchers before we get back on the plane. It's just like the circus! But without cotton candy, elephants, or most notably, children laughing.

UPDATE #2 (2pm): "Mechanics don't know what is wrong. They're going to keep trouble- shooting. Another update in an hour...looking into getting a new plane." I am preparing myself for a night in Houston. I think it is time for a drink.

UPDATE #3 (2:30pm): I WON!!!! I was one of the 5 lucky bastards who won a travel certificate!!! Forget the circus, this is just like VEGAS!!!

UPDATE #4 (4:20pm): The rush from winning the travel certificate wore off very quickly. But luckily, now I can relax. They got us a new plane with a new altimeter and I should be home by 8:30 Honolulu time. I will use my drink voucher to drink a bloody mary or a red wine and pass the hell out. This is the last update. Deadwood in Houston, signing OFF!!

T-birds and aloha

2007-09-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend is the beginning of the Aloha festival, "Hawai'i's premier cultural showcase, a celebration of Hawai'i's music, dance and history intended to preserve the unique island traditions". I only heard of it for the first time earlier this week; I guess I completely missed it last year. But this year, I am teaching so I have to keep up with what's going on in my student's lives.

Plus, how could you ignore the Aloha festival when the Thunderbirds were practicing twice today for the festivities (also to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Air Force). Here is an awesome image of the T-birds going over the surfers at Ala Moana Beach Park (from the Advertiser):

The festival kicks off with a parade on Saturday, which will likely cause a lot of downtown traffic, meaning I have to leave for the airport earlier than usual. Transportation is constantly on my mind these days since I "commute" 13 miles to work twice a week to teach and it can take up to an hour to get home. Anyway, I will be heading to Durham, NC, to present my research to a bunch of myelin experts (small meeting, less than 30 experts in myelin evolution; I am sooooo nervous). Along with teaching, this talk has been consuming all my energy; I promise to update more after I get back.

Lunar eclipse

2007-08-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

We stayed up last night to watch this beauty. Copper moon. It was so cool. Image from the Honolulu Advertiser.

TBBB and lots of other things

2007-08-24T14:11:00.001-04:00

Lots of exciting adventures have occurred since Flossie failed to come for dinner. Meg ended her wonderful visit, and it was so AWESOME having her here. I hope she will send along some of the pictures of her time here since we still don't have a camera.

And then, last weekend was the Tweedle Beetle Beach Battle (TBBB). I was co-director of the tournament, which essentially means that I had to make sure the keg arrived on time. K and I also made mixed cds for the event; if anyone wants one, let me know as there are leftovers...

Here are some pics from the tourney. The beach where we play is right next to a military base, and they were having "maneuvers" that weekend, so Kim awoke to a lovely scene of 20 National Guardsmen/women in uniform above her hammock. Classic.

Gaffers always looks miserable at the beach. Especially while I am eating hot dogs..

We played afternoon ultimate, but everyone got tired, so it regressed into Double Disc Court (DDC) to allow people to practice for the Hawaii State Overalls this weekend:

The players:

Enjoy the pictures. I am off to work, where I have to cram in a day and a half's worth of time into one half day. I started teaching this week at Leeward Community college (Anat & Physio), so I am now working two jobs (and likely getting paid less in the process...oh silly me.) The good news is that K and I are going sailing this afternoon with one of his students he met this summer at a workshop. I'm really looking foward to being out on the water at sunset. I am going to try to take pictures with our broken camera and hope for the best....

Pathetic

2007-08-16T03:18:00.000-04:00

WORST. HURRICANE. EVER.

And, to top it off, the tsunami warning from the earthquake in Peru has been canceled.

The "weather" here. Pathetic. Absolutely abysmal.

updated weather

2007-08-14T23:50:00.000-04:00

it's getting windy!!!

FYI: The hurricane is hitting the Big Island currently and they're expecting 10" of rain, 50mph winds, and 30' waves. Oahu (where we live, 2nd of the larger islands from the top) is not supposed to get more than 3" of rain, >15-30mph wind gusts, and 6-8' waves.

Just in case you were worried...

Look who's coming for dinner!

2007-08-13T21:39:00.000-04:00

Flossie Friday?

2007-08-10T14:39:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Flossie is fast-approaching the islands of Hawaii. It probably will end up going south of us, but it is exciting to think that we may actually get some weather around here.

Meg is coming this weekend and we are planning to go to Ka'ena point Saturday night to watch the Perseids meteor shower. Gaffney is very pumped to see her friend, Meg, who is the only person ever to send the poor thing any mail.

Last Sunday, K and I finally ventured to the Maunawili trail and then to Lani Kai beach. It was a wonderful afternoon, especially since K and I discovered wild mountain apples were ripe and ready for picking. Here is a picture of a mountain apple:

Mountain apples have a texture a lot like pears, and taste sort of rose-watery; it's a nice, light flavor, perfect for a summer treat. "Picking" the apples involves shaking the tree and trying to catch the fragile little pears before they hit the ground and explode into a million pieces. So, you can imagine my excitement, when K grabbed a tree full of very ripe fruit, shook it vigorously and then, and then, got COVERED with fermented fruit shards. The best part? He actually caught one despite the deluge. Too funny.

And finally, happy 28th birthday to my lil' sister KK. Party hard, KK!!

RIP LaCretia

2007-08-02T16:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Kyle discovered our pet gold algae eater, LaCretia (similar fish shown, our camera has been broken since March), at the bottom of our fish tank sucking on what appeared to be not algae at all, rather one of our larger snails. That was certainly surprising.

"Oh", he says, "LaCretia is not eating the snail; the snail is eating LaCretia. She's dead."

And so ends the tragic life of our little one, leaving us with a mere 13 fish, forever destined to the same fate as our little algae imbiber. LaCretia was a good fish, although I did find her skills of late to be dropping considerably. But she lived probably a good 2.5 years or so (I have had her only a year; I inherited the fish from a friend leaving the island).

Which begs the question: do I get a new algae eater if I, myself, plan on leaving?

and, inevitably,

Should I really be keeping fish in an aquarium anyway?

I like my fish. I like coming home from work and watching them dance around in the water, with ol' Blacky, the shark, chasing the striped ones whom we haven't bothered naming. I like taking care of something too, which I'm sure is some kind of deep mothering affectation I can't completely satisfy by having a dog or a boyfriend. The fish just seem to be there for me, which is why the loss of one is not entirely ignorable (although, admittedly, the small tetris disappeared a long time ago, and I have no recollection of when it died or got devoured at all...)

In any case, I am sad to see the little one go. This loss comes at the end of a summer of many changes: friends leaving the island, my grandfather's passing and subsequent cleaning of his entire house full of memories, and the end of me playing around as a student, and starting a job as a teacher. The inevitable progression of life. I guess I will have to embrace it; I'll go to the pet store tonight and pick out a new algae eater. I hope it will live up to the legacy that was LaCretia.

And now the future...

2007-07-16T13:06:00.001-04:00

There is an interesting comment string on the Scientist online today. Does tenure need to change? The overwhelming majority of those writing in seems to be against the tenure process as it is today. Too much emphasis on publications and grant money, and not enough emphasis on innovation and student support. It looks like a lot of bitter postdocs are waiting in line for jobs. Ah, I should get out now while I still have my sanity.

Tuesday update: The link above should work now!

Lost days of my youth, and such and such

2007-07-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

Life goes by in a blink of an eye. I realized today I had not updated the blog in quite some time, and my only excuse is that I have been busy building sandcastles.*

Just kidding, I have never and probably will never build anything this cool in my life (although my knitting is coming along well, I don't think building scarves and hats count; btw, Lisa, I loved the "neurotrans-knitters" group. too funny). If you would like to look at more awesome sand art, check out this website. I have seen sand art like this only one time in my life, in Siesta Key near Sarasota, FL, during one of the AChemS meetings. A nine year old girl was the artist. Some people have all the skills...

I hope to get some sandcastle builiding in this weekend while camping with the Sally crew at Waimanalo beach. That is, of course, if I get all my real work done!

* Technically I have actually been writing a grant, rewriting a manuscript, preparing a frisbee tournament for August 18, preparing to teach Anatomy and Physiology this fall, preparing for a workshop in Durham in September, taking care of the dog since I'm by myself since K is on the east coast partying with Bart and teaching workshops, and last but not least, preparing to leave for the east coast this Thursday to go to two weddings, visit with my family, clean my grandfather's house, and maybe sit by the pool one day and enjoy the upstate New York summer. This has been the busiest summer I can remember, and I don't think it will let up until Christmas. C'est la vie!,

with love, Caro-whine

The Line abides

Episode 56 is a big disappointment

2007-06-21T21:13:00.001-04:00

So far, Episode 56 is about as exciting as Star Wars Episode 2 (ZING!). After the initial new crack formed, little lava came to the surface. The earthquakes stopped, and the flow into the ocean that has gone on steadily for years, also stopped. Apparently, the lava is being rerouted, but no one knows where. Could it be that we won't have to hike 3 miles the next time we go to see it? Oh wait, I forgot, Kyle and I only walked one mile and then collapsed (Brian, Dacks, Penny, and Carolina went further, but they too, turned around. Hiking 9 miles with packs in the same day probably did not help...)

Here is the update. I hope this isn't the end of the volcano as we know it. That would make me sad. How sad? As sad as this girl:

Episode 56

2007-06-19T19:34:00.000-04:00

The volcano gods are smiling. A new crack in the Kilauea crater formed this morning resulting in a new lava outflow. The geologists thought something big may happen after a series of hundreds of mini earthquakes hit on Sunday.

See info here and here.

This is the first time there has been a change in the lava flow since K and I have lived in Hawaii. We may have to plan another hiking trip to the Big Island, although I expect Halape Beach, where we stayed last time, is going to be a prime tsunami target after any major changes. Here's Halape after the October 6.7 earthquake.
You can see the plume of brown water from the rock slides:

Can't wait to see what the gods have in store for us next!

Happy King Kamehameha Day!

2007-06-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

Today is a state holiday in Hawaii, which means no work! Yeah! King Kamehameha (Kah-may-ha-may-ha) established the united Hawaiian islands in 1810 by brute force and, oh yeah, guns. If you ever visit Oahu, you will visit the Pali lookout where Kamehameha's troops forced thousands of the other guy's men over a three hundred foot cliff to their deaths (when the Pali highway was built in the early 1900's, the engineers discovered several of the skulls). Once, he was reported to carry a 1000 lb. rock between villages without dropping it. What a guy.

To celebrate the day, I am going to work at home. Part of working at home is procrastinating, so I decided to post some pictures of some of our latest adventures.

First, I reported a couple weeks ago that I was going to ride around the whole island on the back of a motorcycle. It was amazing, and now I want to own one.

Here is my driver, Megan, and I cruising around Makapuhu:

And here is the hang glider who flew above us (can the sky get any bluer than this?):

It was Kim's first time driving around the entire island. She was nervous, but she finished in record time!

And Andjrez and Brandee completed the biker gang:

And then last Friday, we went to the top of Kokohead to watch the almost full moon rise. It was a beautiful hike, although a bunch of us got cold in the 75d winds. Pathetic, I know.

Here are Kim, Kim, Kyle, and I overlooking Hanuma Bay:

Enjoy your King Kamaehameha Day, wherever you are!

Slight update...

2007-05-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

Hi y'all. Things have been busy here. K just finished teaching / running experiments and I am in the tangles of collecting the last data for a paper. In the meantime, we have been checking out the best bread puddings the island has to offer (thanks Honolulu weekly's article) . So far we have tried "European with a twist" and "The best of both worlds". The Grand Cafe and Bakery (B of BW), by the way, has an excellent outdoor patio where we also enjoyed smoked salmon and regular eggs benedict, the best corned beef hash since Ghini's in Tucson, and apple banana french toast with vanilla gellato. I am drooling just thinking about it now.

What else, oh yeah, I am seriously considering buying everyone this for Christmas. After all, who wouldn't want a deed to a piece of an island that may or may not break the surface of the ocean in the next 10,000 years?!? (Mahalo, Meg, for this article!)

Well, I am off to go collect slipper lobsters today. And by collect, I mean I need to go meet a guy from NOAA who will present one to me in a wet cardboard box. What fun!

Who needs men? Not sharks!

2007-05-23T14:40:00.000-04:00

Hawaiian waters are full of hammerhead sharks. One of the guys we play frisbee with even studies their electromagnetic sensing capabilities. And now, researchers have discovered that female hammerheads can reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis.

The last line of the article reads:
“I would be concerned about a lot of other things than whether or not a female shark can get a date for an evening."

It makes me giggle to think about sharks looking for dates.

Attack of the killer jellies!

2007-05-12T03:58:00.000-04:00

Eight to ten days after the full moon, box jellyfish descend upon Oahu's beaches, threatening Hanauma Bay and Waikiki tourists with their stinging nematocysts. One species, the sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri), is:

"claimed to be the most venomous marine animal known," according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science. They state that it causes excruciating pain to humans, often followed by death, sometimes within two or three minutes, and that the chance of survival if stung while swimming alone is "virtually zero."

The body of Chironex is the size of a basketball.

Luckily, here in Hawaii, we have the Carybdea alata and Carybdea rastonii species. They're not so big (less than 6") and not so bad (only cause anaphylactic shock in the lucky individuals allergic to their venom) as their relatives in Australia. One of the ladies in my department, Angel Yanagihara studies their venom and goes on regular collection trips in the middle of the special "8th night".

I would also like to comment about the figure the author of the Wikipedia article chose for the box jellyfish. It is a drawing by Ernst Haeckel, my new favorite scientific rebel who apparently made up some data to support his pet hypotheses. A case of artistic license, maybe? Some of his famous "fakes" were included in the embryo drawings, shown here in Romanes's 1892 version where the background has been changed to white from black:

He later admited that 6-8% of the images may have been "falsified" (translated).

Tomorrow, we plan on going to the North shore to snorkel Shark's Cove. The jellyfish are not so prevalent up there, so we should be fine. I am more worried about riding up there on the back of Megan's motorcycle. An hour and a half on a cruiser. I can't wait...

The quaking ground

2007-05-04T14:10:00.000-04:00

Friday fun facts!!!, by Caroline

The Big Island has had three earthquakes this week, two at 3.5, and today's at 2.1. No tsunamis have formed, but I have a feeling a bigger earthquake may be coming soon. The Hawaii Electric Company (HECO) has replaced their ill-fated mercury containing switches, with new ones so our electricity should fortunately not magically disappear during the next earthquake. Note to engineers: do not place a movable liquid in a switch when the liquid may move from the shaking of the ground.

And did you know, "The brain is the only organ that hates crime"? I love Achewood.

The end of an era...

2007-05-01T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Maui Land & Pineapple company, the last exporter of canned Hawaiian pineapple, is ending its operations on June 30. This marks the end of 100 years of canned pineapple exports from the state of Hawaii. The loss of the cannery is, "is a victim of cheaper overseas producers" like Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador. Moreover, it marks the decidely necessary, but disappointingly bitter shift from Hawaii's agriculutural heritage to one of land developers and tourist dollars. Aloha, canned pineapples!

Don't worry, though, Hawaii still exports fresh pineapples! For now, anyways.

Read more at the Honolulu Adverstiser.

p.s. Did you know pineapples grew on the ground in these crazy agave-like configurations? I always thought they grew on trees until I moved here!

UFOs in Hawaii?!?

2007-04-26T15:48:00.000-04:00

A Katysux original....

p.s. I don't really believe this is a UFO. This is actually a picture I found on the internet. In the "Where's Waldo?" tradition, I have hidden the words, "Katy sux" somewhere in the picture. Can you find it, Katy?

Now presenting....

2007-04-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

Creatures of the deep....

The science journal, Marine Biotechnology picked my image of a Labiodocera sp. copepod for its cover for next month! Last June, a colleague here at U. of Hawaii, Gabor Macz asked my boss, Petra, if any of the local copepods expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP). Petra, who was in Maine at the time, asked me to take a look. We discovered that the local species, like some of the other Labidocera, likely contain (a previously undescribed!) GFP in the female sex organs.

Here is the caption for the image:

Confocal microscopic image of the Pacific copepod Labidocera muridae with green fluorescent protein-like fluorescence. Colorful fluorescent proteins (FPs) occur in hydrozoan, anthozoan, and copepodan species, and are the source of exciting research opportunities and technological development. Copepodan FPs are among the brightest FPs in general which lends special value to this class of proteins. FPs have been used to address questions relevant to evolutionary and developmental biology and aquaculture. Photograph by Dr. Caroline Wilson, University of Hawaii, 2006. See the article by Mocz, pp. 000-000.

Isn't science fun?

Beer, earthworms, and lots of shrimp...

2007-04-23T14:32:00.000-04:00

For the first time since I have lived in Hawaii, I feel like I am home. It happened this weekend when I was down at Kapiolani Park hanging out with a bunch of friends at a pre-Kokua fest party, when I looked up at Diamondhead and realized that it was my backyard. I live here, and I like it here. And I think I get to stay at least one more year, so I better take advantage of all that Hawaii has to offer.

The feeling was accented by a weekend of parties, starting with a Thursday surprise party for my friend, Kim, at the Ice Palace. Kim used to be a semi-pro figure skater, so it was only fitting to take her to the only ice rink in Hawaii for her 30th birthday. Then, on Friday night, the Sally's camped at Bellows beach, easily the most beautiful stretch of beach on the island. Saturday was the Kokua festival (I got to hear Jack Johnson and Eddie Vedder do a duet, but didn't actually see them since I didn't go into the show. One just needs to set up camp behind the Waikiki shell to hear the bands. Incidentally, this is where Kyle and I "watched" Hootie and the Blowfish play last spring.) Finally, Jake is in town, so we went on what is easily the most beautiful hike on Oahu yesterday, the Maunawili falls trail. People go to the falls and jump off; we saw about 4 guys do it; one came out with a bloody lip from the impact. It was pretty sweet.

Tomorrow begins a new experiment and my list of experimental necessities includes beer, earthworms, and different kinds of shrimp. The beer is for the boat driver, and the animals will hopefully be my control group. If all goes well with this experiment, my boss wants to send a paper to Nature. Hah! We shall see, we shall see!!!! Experiments never work that well, do they?

Have you ever had a lab accident?

2007-04-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 10:30am.

Twenty minutes into heating a solution....voila, it was done!

There I was, with my lab coat on, closed-toed shoes (which rarely happens in Hawaii), behind the protection of a hood.

Thank goodness.

I took the solution off the hot plate and....

the bottom of the glass bottle remained on the hot plate, the top, still in my hand.

The lanthanum chloride in sodium cacodylate splashed everywhere. The hot plate is ruined.

"Do you know how to tell when you have acute cacodylate exposure?" asks Tina, our lab manager 10 minutes later when I call her.

"No..." (Oh crap, I forgot about the cacodylate, concentrating only on the effects of the rare-earth metal)

"You'll taste garlic".

Taste buds in check, I let out a sigh of a relief.

Boy, was I lucky. Serves me right for working on a Sunday.

Anyone else have any good work-related stories?

Good, good Friday

2007-04-06T20:40:00.000-04:00

Aloha! K and I are back on the islands, and the weather this week has been BEAUTIFUL! This morning, we went to our new favorite place to take the dog, Kahala (Waialae) Beach park. Apparently, it is a sought after destination for beach weddings.

Speaking of weddings, we had a great time at both Dacks and Penny's and Lane and Anne's weddings last week. I would show you pictures, but our camera display died. I did manage to take a picture of Nate hanging out with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, at Solar Culture in Tucson:

Jake told us the afternoon before the show that Casiotone was playing that night, along with XiuXiu, two of Kyle's personal favorite Pitchfork-recommended bands. So we rounded up a posse (Julia, Jake, Nate, Elaine, K, and I) and went to what was easily one of the craziest shows I have ever been to. Awesome music, but the hipster kids just don't dance anymore. At least we had 40 oz. Tecates to make the evening go faster...

In DC, we went to the National Gallery, the Native American Museum, and saw beautiful cherry blossoms everywhere. What a great time of year for a wedding! Also, it was the first time I was back on the east coast for spring in probably 8 years. Spring is my favorite time of year, mostly because of Easter. This year, there is a party both on Saturday and Sunday thanks to all the April babies around the isle (I'm one of 8 frisbee players with birthdays between now and the 18th). And of course, my niece turns 1 year old tomorrow, so Happy Birthday, Megan!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Congratulations!

2007-03-22T13:13:00.000-04:00

Love is in the air this week! We're off to Tucson this afternoon for Dacks and Penny's wedding on Sunday. Then, on Tuesday, we leave Tucson to travel to Lane and Anne's wedding the following Saturday in Washington, DC. Congratulations also to Anne-Marie and Kevin who are getting married that same Saturday.

Some inspirational quotes for the occasions:

I got gaps; you got gaps; we fill each other's gaps.
Rocky

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how
compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.
Leo Tolstoy

Ultimately the bond of all companionship,
whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.
Oscar Wilde

If you live to be a hundred, I want
To live to be a hundred minus one day,
So I never have to live without you.
Winnie the Pooh

Blazer update

2007-03-20T20:17:00.000-04:00

RIP Blazer. Wait, what? It's going to be fixed? For virtually nothing? How could it be?!?

Just got this email from Kyle (the f-bombs have been edited):

God Bless the motherf-ing internet.

We destroyed the car on Thursday.  Burnt the cylinder valve which was my
worst fear.  That is why it was loping.  No pressure.

If we had known this, the next step would be to sell the car at auction for
$300 bucks or so.  Not get it fixed.

The call I just got was from the owner of Artesian who told me this.  And he
also told me that his guy (the guy I spoke to) did not tell him that I had
said the engine was loping.  Otherwise - he would not have wasted the time
and effort on a car worth $3000 at most.

Later when he ran it and saw what was happening, he asked his guy if I had
mentioned the engine and he was forced to admit as much.  So this guy is in
big trouble.

We - on the other hand - are in great shape.  They are going to take the
next week or two and fix this (a $3000 job at minimum) for free and only
charge me the $650 for the radiator and pump work.

I am beside myself with joy.  What a f-ing prince this guy is.

Artesian.  Tell everyone you know.  I told the guy I would flood him with
referrals but he said they already had more customers than they can handle.
They don't advertise and he was confused how I even found about them.

F-ing internet.

k

What a crazy week!

2007-03-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Whales! Alaskans and Tucsonites! Cleveland State Vikings! Leaky radiators!

It's been a busy week.

Last Saturday, Rob, Jana, Nate, and Elaine all came to town. They rented a beautiful house on the North Shore and we spent Sunday (and Thursday) eating, drinking, and snorkeling with them. The whales were out in abundance as well, and you could look off their front porch at any given moment and see them frolicking along the reefs. Here's Jana checking them out:

We also drank "Mai-tais" and Miller Lites. A drink for each hand!

On Sunday, we took the crew to our favorite snorkeling spot, Sharks Cove. We enjoyed Miller Lites in the sun-warmed "hot tubs" on top of the rocks. Apparently, on Tuesday, Sharks Cove became Sharks Bay, as the famous north shore waves came in and inundated everything, including the roads. North shore pictures are posted here if you want to see the rest of our adventures.

A spring break coaching trip also brought my friend, Dave, to Hawaii this past week. Dave and I played tennis together at Allegheny, and we hadn't seen each other in probably 5 years. He is an assistant coach for Cleveland State now, and the men's and women's teams came to play the local Hawaiian teams (who, by the way, are really, really good). Dave and I had an awesome night in Waikiki on Wednesday, drinking Killian's and messing with cops by jaywalking right in front of them so we could get our picture taken with Duke Kahanmoku statue. Just like old times...

Finally, on K's and my way back from the North Shore on Thursday, our Chevy Blazer's radiator gave out, leading to some sort of miserable spurting of the water pump whenever the accelator was pressed. After a brief respite of steam streaming out of the hood beside the highway (where are the Green Angels when you need them!!!), we sputtered our way to the local Chevron where there just happened to be a willing tow truck driver (how do you say "tow truck" in Pidgeon?). He towed us home for $65 (which turned out to be twice that amount by the time you added "mileage"). But, I was happy to be home to the poor Gaffers who had been home alone all day.

Now, slightly sick from all this running around, I will relax on this St. Patty's day and thank the basketball gods that Ohio State didn't bite it this morning by losing to Xavier. I picked OSU to win it all, and that would have seriously messed up my bracket. Corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and maybe a Guiness or Boddington to remind us of St. Patty's days of yore. Hanging out with old (and new) friends this week really made me appreciate all those good, good times (you know, the ones we will always remember....)

Mahalo, hale aikāne!

The Godfather

2007-03-08T00:13:00.000-05:00

Don't make fun of me (especially Brian who I know owns the whole set), but tonight I am watching The Godfather for, what I believe to be, the first time. K was floored when he discovered this the other day, and immediately put it at the top of the Netflix queue. I am excited to see it, especially since K's making me a dinner of insalata caprese and vodka penne, accompanied by a cabernet (French, damn it!)

By the way, I have also never seen Gone with the Wind, all of Casablanca, or Lawrence of Arabia (I fell asleep).

How do I understand any cultural references? I guess, sadly, I don't.

What have I been doing with my time on this earth? Sitting with my thumb up my arse. Oh, and playing outside a lot (I do live in Hawaii, after all!)

Late winter weather

2007-03-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

Here in Honolulu, February / March weather means rainbows. You can imagine my surprise, then, when last Sunday my mother asked how much snow I had (oops, wrong daughter!) Trade winds bring the rain and it dumps on Manoa Valley, and since we live on the sunny side of Manoa, we get to peer into the beautifully refracted light almost every day. The Hawaiians, which are sometimes known as the "Rainbow people" have a rich mythology concerning the rainbow. My favorite story:

Lono – Ancient Tiki God of Fertility and Peace
In Hawaiian mythology, Lono is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with rain and food plants. He was one of the four gods (with Ku, Kane, and his twin brother Kanaloa) who existed before the world was created. Lono was also the god of peace. In his honor, the great annual festival of the Makahiki was held. During this period (from October through February), all unnecessary work and war was kapu (taboo). This is also the season of taxes, olympic like games and when chiefs regrouped their forces (and organized campaigns ironically).

Damn. I should have read this before February ended. Now I guess I have to do some unnecessary work (manscripts, argh!). At least I got the taxes paid and out of the way!

For more Hawaiian myths and history, check out this website.

Art after dark

2007-02-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I went with some friends to the Honolulu Academy of Art's "Art after Dark". Basically, this is the Academy's way of making some extra money and getting people to come to the gallery to enjoy all the beautiful and amazing art. The theme for last week's event was "Bombshell" and it included a live jazz band with swing dancers, a catered bar and grill menu, and of course, all the galleries were open until 9pm. And the bonus: the mingling of all the beautiful, young professionals actually dressed up without a single aloha shirt in sight. Don't get me wrong, I really dig the causal vibe here, but it is nice to see a man in a polo shirt now and again.

The biggest surprise of the evening for me? I had no idea we had such amazing art on Hawaii. A lot of the collection were pieces shipped at the turn of the 20th century to one of the wealthy mission ladies, Anne Rice Cooke. She collected an array of Asian art, as well as some amazing pieces you would see in a French museum. The most interesting tid-bit? This Gaughin, Two Nudes, is the only one of his Tahitian paintings to hang in a gallery in all of Polynesia. And boy, was it beautiful.

Next month the theme is "Let them eat cake" and I am really looking forward to it. I didn't make it to the Impressionist gallery in the Academy, so this will be my first stop next time. I also plan on exploring the Hawaiian gallery a bit more, including this exhibition on Hawaiian drawings. Anyone want to come with?

A tranquil day at Waikiki Beach

2007-02-23T14:01:00.000-05:00

I love the old pictures!

Quick Dawk-days update

2007-02-22T14:12:00.000-05:00

So K and I went to both Dawkins lectures these past few days. The first, "Queerer than we suppose: the strangeness of science" was the public lecture, given at 7pm Tuesday night. It started 40min late due to projector issues and hundreds of people needing to be accommodated on the outdoor lanai because the ballroom was too tiny. As far as we could tell, pretty much everyone there seemed to be an admirer; K and I were both surprised at the relative lack of protestors, although there were some Humanists holding down their corner in bright yellow shirts.

The talk was genuinely intriguing and basically touched on parts of his new book, The God Delusion as well as older ideas from The Selfish Gene. Loaded with lots of examples from nature, he talked about arms races that drive evolutionary change. I was most impressed with his ability to answer questions from the public. One of Dawkins' least favorite questions was asked after the talk, "What are we going to evolve into next?" Dawkins replies, "Silicon robots, of course!" followed quickly by "Actually, I have no idea."

Yesterday's talk (sorry, I don't recall the title), at 3:30pm, was a mish-mosh of examples which Dawkins used to show that life will always evolve to fill in certain niches, and that there are evolutionary commonalities that will arise in some form or another no matter what. In other words, repeated patterns will always emerge in life that evolves in the same context. For instance, "the" eye has evolved at least 40 times because light waves are useful for living in the world we live in. Had we lived in a different type of world (ie. a dark one) we would most likely not develop eyes. He called our niche the "Middle World", where our scale of distance and time are not tiny nor cosmic, rather in the middle. Our brains, therefore, evolved to perceive these middle functions, and can probably not comprehend either the very small or the very large. Thank goodness I finally have justification for not being able to understand the end of A Brief History of Time. A weight has indeed been lifted from my sorry shoulders.

Of course, a Dawkins talk would not be complete without a hit at the Creationists. When asked what he thought about people who believed the world to be designed, he answered, "They are not properly functioning human beings" and they are "missing the excitement of the universe".

While I agree that the universe is pretty exciting, it is hard to think about a world in which human beings are entirely secular. Not everyone gets to sit around and think all day and be paid for it after all (lucky bastards!). Perhaps I will comment more on this topic another day, but in the meantime, I just want to add that Dawkins himself admits that he is just a middle-minded man who can't possibly comprehend everything either. So we should probably not ask him what he thinks about the South Park episode anymore, because he apparently did not get it. By the way, Kyle's student asked Dawkins before his first lecture what he thought about the South Park episode. He said he wished they would have gotten a better British actor to do his voice, har har har. Then, he grabbed the students pen and whistfully autographed his kitten-decorated Econ folder. "To John, may you evolve into something great".

True story.

Ultimate buggering

2007-02-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

What a busy President's Day weekend! K and I played and watched Ultimate frisbee in the 20th annual Kaimana Klassik Tournament. Here is a picture of the Lady Sippin' Sally team:

K was on the men's Sally's team, but I am pretty sure after 3 handles of bourbon, rum, and tequila, they were not quite organized enough to take a picture. What a crew.

Tonight is the Richard Dawkins talk. K told his students they would get extra credit if they could go and then write a paper relating Dawkins' ideas to economics. The students had no idea who Dawkins even was until K mentioned the South Park episode in which Ms. Garrison and Dawkins, er, um, hook up. Dawkins comments on his website:

Finally, I have repeatedly been asked what I think of South Park and of Ted Haggard’s downfall. I won’t say much about either. Schadenfreude is not an appealing emotion so, on Haggard, I’ll say only that if it wasn’t for people of his religious persuasion, people of his sexual persuasion would be free to do what they like without shame and without fear of exposure. I share neither his religious nor his sexual persuasion (that’s an understatement), and I’m buggered if I like being portrayed as a cartoon character buggering a bald transvestite. I wouldn’t have minded so much if only it had been in the service of some serious point, but if there was a serious point in there I couldn’t discern it. And then there’s the matter of the accent they gave me. Now, if only I could be offered a cameo role in The Simpsons, I could show that actor how to do a real British accent.

I can't wait to hear him talk about selfish genes, buggering, and other hot topics. Full report in the morrow, ladies and gents.

Good day!

ProBowl Weekend!

2007-02-09T22:11:00.000-05:00

Pro Bowl this weekend, ya heard? Last football "game" of the year, which is fortunate for poor Kristen, and also fortunate for us because it means a big block party down the street tonight. K and I even got invited to a big kegger so we could preparty down in Waikiki before the event. Too fun.

This afternoon, Gaffers and I decided to go check out the festivities down at Kapiolani park. We got to see lots of fun games (kick a field goal, run a 40 and have it timed, watch cheerleaders, etc) and there were even some football greats signing autographs. We got to see Bart Scott! Yeah, I know, Bart Scott! I couldn't believe it. I was easily within 50 yards of him when I was kindly asked to leave due to my and Gaffney's excessive drooling. Apparently, LT and Troy Polamalu were supposed to be there, but Bart Scott, man, that was better by far than seeing those guys. Speaking of awesome guys, Steven Jackson is sponsoring a party down at the W tonight. Maybe I'll get to touch him! Or at least thank him for the 359 fantasy points he scored this year, leading me to a fantasy league championship (Thanks, SJ!)

We aren't actually going to the game (or probably any of the above mentioned parties, except, of course the kegger. Who could miss that!). Kyle predicts the AFC will prevail in the big game. Peyton, after all, received more votes than any other player in the league. Who do you think will win? Cast your votes now! Or don't. It is, after all, just the ProBowl.

Da Bears or Da Colts?

2007-02-03T13:04:00.000-05:00

Who cares who wins the Super Bowl, I'm watching this:

Gaffney is even more psyched than I am:

I predict the Colts will win. After all, Manning said he could do the tango.
What a guy.

Kona winds on the high seas

2007-01-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

The weather doesn't change much here. The Kona, or southwest winds, are fairly uncommon, as the typical winds, the trades, blow from the east probably 300 days of the year. So, when I rode my bike to work yesterday morning, it was quite surprising to have a tail wind pushing me up the hill. Welcome, Kona winds!

Now, on the leeward side of the island, where we reside, the winds were around 15mph. But yesterday, my lab mate and I had to go out collecting on the windward side. One would think that the east side of the island would be protected from the winds coming from the west since there is a huge mountain range in between. Not so. Our little vessel was tossed back and forth on the open seas as 30mph wind gusts tossed waves over our bow, water spouts surged from all sides, and our poor little precious copepods were jostled to death by the swaying of the boat. I thought poor Agnes was either going to get sea sick or fall off the boat every time she had to pull in a tow. We finally called it a day, with few copepods and even fewer spots of dryness on our sea- and rain- soaked bodies. Fritz, our boat driver, calls the rain a "fresh water rinse". I like that euphemism a lot.

The good news? Kona winds bring volcano smoke from the Big Island. Actually, this tends to cause allergies in people, but it makes for beautiful sunsets. So, today I plan on going down and enjoying the weather after work. If you would like to read more about the winds, or see pictures of the "devastation" look here.

What do your genes say about you?

2007-01-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

This week, the University of Hawaii had the honor of hosting arguably one of the most famous scientists in the world, J. Craig Venter. I went to his talk on Wednesday afternoon, entitled, "Genomes, Medicine, and the Environment". I was pretty excited about the event; it's not everyday you get to be in the same room with a scientist that receives over $100 million in funding every year. A real businessman, which is why I really like this picture. Dr. Venter and Mr. Hyde...

The introduction to the talk, given by our interim med-school dean, Gary Ostrander, summarized Venter's various awards, papers (33 pages in total for his CV), but also interesting tidbits like how Venter is on the Sci-Fi channel advisory board. When Venter finally got to speak, he began with a history lesson of every genome he has ever sequenced which includes a bacteria, a fruit fly, a mouse, his dog, and himself. It turns out he is more related to his dog than a mouse; of course, he used this information to break out the ol' "I look like my pet" joke. Perhaps he will enter in the contest next year, but instead of a photograph, he'll send the DNA sequence alignments.

In the "environment" part of his talk he summarized his new task of taking water samples all over the globe and sequencing whatever he finds. He does this by traveling around the world on his sloop, putting a bucket in the water, size-filtering said water on the boat, freezing the samples, and then fed-exing them to the sequencing facility in Maryland when he reaches a port of call. What a life! The results so far are kind of interesting: there is a lot of genetic diversity that has likely evolved as a result of the environment in which the animal resides. For instance, things that live around the turquoise blue waters of Bermuda have different photoreceptor genes than things that live in the fresh, green water of the Panama canal. Pretty neat.

Eventually, Venter would love for everyone to be able to sequence their own genomes, and we would all be in a data base showing all our sequence alignments. Thus, we could determine which part of the genome is responsible for X and Y diseases by looking at what sequences people with those diseases have in common. It's probably not this simple, but the implications of the way we address disease with designer genetic tools are very exciting. At this point, everything Venter is doing has been determined to be ethical and lawful, but who knows what the future holds. I think our generation will probably be treated with designer genetic tools. Will we live longer? Venter addressed the question from the "youngest" member of the audience (>65 year old man) with the statement, "We are not directly looking for longevity genes, no". Too bad.

Our one year Hawaii anniversary!

2007-01-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

K, G, and I have been here one year now. Living in Hawaii has been both amazing and amazingly frustrating, but after one year we are finally getting a grip on island living. So, in honor of the year in paradise:

The top 5 amazingly frustrating reasons not to live in Hawaii:
1) The streets are too narrow for our large automobiles!!! As illustrated in this picture, taken at Bellows Beach after my unfortunate run-in with an ill-placed garbage can on a narrow street last Wednesday night (note the passenger side mirror):

2) The ticks are relentless....poor Gaffney
3) It is the most expensive place you will ever live. Ever.
4) We can't go for long drives on the island. First, it is an island, so there are no long drives. Second, the traffic is here is miserable since every family has an average of 2 cars and it is an island with not many roads.
5) It is 2,500 miles to our nearest friends and family.

And now....The top 5 amazing reasons to live in Hawaii:

1) You can camp on the beach, any time of year. The picture to the right was taken at Bellows this weekend. I would have taken more pictures, but the battery in the Cannon Powershot died (has anyone else had this problem with their Cannon battery? It doesn't hold a charge anymore.)
2) The food is incredible. I mean, just incredible. Japanese noodles (udon) are my current favorite thing to eat ever.
3) The people we work with are amazingly nice and accepting
4) The weather is perfect. You get to wear slippers (flip-flops) to work everyday of the year.

and finally,
5) It is amazingly beautiful here. I feel like we have just begun to discover all the intricate details of this place, but I am not concerned. It took about 4 years of Tucson to appreciate all the back country, all the twists and turns of the light during the different seasons, etc, etc. We will be in Hawaii at least another year, and I hope in that time, we will grow to love this place and ignore the top five frustrations! Aloha!

Sometimes I miss the desert

2007-01-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

Snowed in Tucson, ya heard? The picture is from the Computer science webcam, on top of Gould-Simpson. I bet the skiing on Mt. Lemmon is superb today. Some of my favorite days of playing hooky from grad school involved driving up Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow, ski, eat pie and drink cider, even mountain bike. I miss you Tucson!

Colt doesn't bolt!

2007-01-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

The big news in Hawaii this morning...University of Hawaii quarterback, Colt Brennan, decided to stay and play his senior year! Taking advice from his old high school teammate, Matt Leinhart, Colt decided that $25 million dollars was tempting, but not as tempting as the glory that will come when Hawaii beats Boise State next year for first place in the WAC. I guess this was really a hard decision for him, as you can tell from this picture where he is CRYING! Now, I am sure it is a bit disappointing to turn down money. But don't worry, Colt. Next year is going to be fun! Maybe K and I will actually dish out the money for season tickets to see the glory!

Not much else going on in the Aloha state. It snowed on the Big Island a week or so ago, but from the sounds of it, y'all have been going through actual winter so I will not bore you with the details of our camping on Bellows beach this weekend. Pictures to follow if you so desire!

Home again

2007-01-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

Aloha, everyone! I hope your holiday season has been as amazing as ours. I will indulge with you some details, and try to reassure you that K did not spend his whole holiday putting together the "Best of Christmas songs" YouTube video list. Don't worry, there's always next year...

Christmas eve was spent on the North Shore with the straggler Sally crew (our frisbee team). Lisa (the girl in the Santa hat below) rented a condo up there and invited all the people who stayed on the island for a nice pot luck dinner overlooking the beach. It was an amazingly good time full of Secret Santa surprises, rubber band balls, and lots and lots of cookies. (Thanks to Buffy (green shirt) for the picture).

K and I had a nice Christmas morning with our newly acquired gingerpeople ornaments made by Megan, complete with Ultimate frisbees. They were hung nicely on our "Christmas tree", which was actually some pine branches I found on the side of the road. Christmas trees are ridiculously expensive here.

On the 27th, Kyle dropped me off at the airport for my big trip to Georgia to see my now 9 month-old niece, Megan. I took a red-eye to Dallas, via Maui, and then landed in Atlanta at 11:30am. I met up with Chuck Derby, who works at Georgia State. We toured his lab and downtown Atlanta, since I had never been there before. My brother, Sam, picked me up around 6pm and we attempted to leave Atlanta. After two hours we finally passed the first exit for Jonesboro, Brian's hometown (me thinks!), which is probably 10miles south of Atlanta. Our bellies and bladders finally got to us a half hour later, and we got off at the next exit in Jonesboro and we looked for the Chick-fil-A advertised on the side of the road, which unfortunately we could not find otherwise I probably could have eaten in, if I'm not mistaken, one of the first places B ever worked! Ah well, maybe nextime! The slow traffic was due to a burning truck we found out much, much later, but eventually we arrived at Sam's house, south of Warner-Robins.

I spent the week playing with the baby and all the neighbor's kids as well. My parents came down for a few days, so it was nice seeing them too. I'll post pictures later, when Cheryl, Sam's wife, sends them to me. Kyle apparently spent the week actually working. Oh, and watching a lot of football too. And Arizona Wildcat basketball. In case you hadn't heard, the Wildcats are amazing this year, minus the Wash State loss of last evening, in overtime. Bear Down!

I arrived home last night at 10pm. No problems with luggage, and all the Bermuda rum and ginger beer (yum, Dark and Stormy's, yum) I bought made it home safely. And then I got to see Gaffney's super wiggling, squirmy smile greet me in the car. When I got home, Kyle had another surprise, waiting in the recess lighting in the kitchen:

Isn't it beautiful?
It's nice to be home again.

Top Tracks 2006

2006-12-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

How deep are my powers of procrastination?

So deep they can drive me to this, my list of the best tracks of 2006.

Despite my efforts to the contrary, the list is weighted heavily toward tracks I heard first this fall and thus are at the sweet spot for me. Since my hard drive on my laptop is pretty small, a lot of older stuff gets put on the big drive and is a pain in the butt to search.

I am not including links to the songs but I think all of the songs are either on the Summer Mix or the soon to be emailed Winter Mix.

20. Decemberists. The Perfect Crime #2. Crane Wife just missed this album list because I really haven't given it a good listen. I just listen to O Valencia! and this track.

19. Easy All Stars. Let Down. So these raggae guys decided to recreate OK Computer! song for song but in reggae fashion. Sounds awful huh? I would have thought so but then Pitchfork told me it was cool so I got to listen to it. C and my brother were not convinced by the argument. Anyway this song is the best. No Surprises is - ironically - surprising.

18. Medeski, Martin, Wood, and John Scofield. Julia. Yes. It is a cover. But what a cover.

17. Professor Murder. The Mountain. This song is nice but I think it needs a little more cowbell.

16. Phoenix. Consolation Prizes. See the video included for their #1 album.

15. Herbert. We're in Love. So very smooth.

14. Malajube. Pate Filo. In 2006, I redicovered music videos. I think I thought I was too cool for them but then we rented a DVD of Spike Jonze's old videos and I was hooked. Before he was wiping the tears from Sophia Coppola's eyes, he directed the awesome Happy Days themed Weezer video, Buddy Holly and some amazing videos for the Pharcyde. Anyways - I found this video on Youtube and I was hooked on the tune.

13. Asobi Seksu. Thursday. I download a bunch of Japanese stuff because Pitchfork says I should. And then I can't bring myself to listen. I am getting old and new sounds frighten me. Especially after I listened to Boris. But I think you will be pretty happy with this little track.

12. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. Bobby Malone Moves Home. This year, I got into some sad music. Okkervil River tricked me with some upbeat tunes on their first album but the majority of the album is just hilariously sad. Then I finally listened to SilverJews after initially judging it "terrible." Caroline was justifiably ticked as she had pushed it a long time before I listened again on the advice of Ace Steamroller. Finally - this album. It's sad and gay as hell. What's not to like?

Here is a hilarious video someone made of their own sad life with the sad song over top:

11. Gnarls Barkley. Smiley Faces. I will assume that if you are reading this, then you are alive and therefore have heard this song.

10. Tilly and the Wall. Lost Girls. This gets me every time they get to that chorus.

Warning! This video contains tap dancing.

9. Final Fantasy. He Poos Clouds. I honestly don't know which is worse. The name of this band or the name of the song. I like the video though.

8. Lupe Fiasco. Kick Push. Finally - a great hip-hop song about skateboarding. With this song and an I pod, I might actually give it a go.

7. Whitest Boy Alive. Golden Cage. That bass line to start is just too much.

6. Gil Manteras Party Dream. Emotion Road. This is the song Rant sang for us. I do not know the actual lyric, but it sounds like "No more monkeys jumping on the bed. Grab a piece of chicken, rub it on your head." That can't be right.

5. Soulwax. NY Lipps. "I'm getting loud with you!"

4. The Pipettes. Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me. Hetreosexual males, try and control your emotions here:

3. Girl Talk. Bounce That. Breeders sample. Stevie Wonder sample. Garbage sample. It is all about transitions.

2. Vetiver. I Know No Pardon. Try not to get choked up listening to this.

1. Royksopp. What Else is There? (Trentmoller Remix). C and me saw Royksopp in Hollywood with a good man. And this is the version of What Else is There that they did. It came out in Dec. 2005 but screw it. If it can score this high this many months later, it deserves the top spot.

Favorite Albums of 2006

2006-12-19T17:25:00.000-05:00

15. M. Ward. Post War. When I think back on the opportunity to attend the Bright Eyes / M. Ward show at Plush in 2004, it makes me growl. Especially because I would have cried through Bright Eyes's set and then punched him in the face. Support the Troops!

14. Joanna Newsome. Ys. At this point, I still prefer Milk-Eyed Mender but 2006 was the year I finally came around to Joanna. After someone told me she was cool, of course.

From Milk Eyed Mender:

13. Lily Allen. Alright Still. What do you know? I am listening to it right now! I knew a feisty little 9-year-old girl who was going to get a (burned) copy of this in her stocking, until C pointed out the lyrics focus exclusively on flaccid penises and getting in cat fights.

12. Best of Death Row Records Vol. 2. You may not know this about me: I missed the beginning of white folks listening to rap music back in 1989. I was listening to the oldies station. So imagine hearing 2Pac for the first time after all these years. Yeah it's pretty fantastic.

11. Belle and Sebastian. The Life Pursuit. Welcome back to my year end list guys. See you back here next time you make an album.

Sorry about all this but damned if I don't love Youtube. This is from the (incrediblyibly good) Coachella DVD. Old song but check that sky.

10. Herbert. Scale. This is the future of electronic music. Sounds a lot like the past of pop music. Good for a party or headphones.

9. Oh No! Oh My! Oh No! Oh My! This list is a bit contrived in that I just don't really listen to albums much anymore. My I did listen to this one. Because it was the only unscratched disc in the car for a while. And it is testament to the consistency of this pop gem that I was able to do this for at least five listens. It's a new world.

8. Gil Manteras Party Dream. Bloodsongs. OK - so this technically 2005. But I have a big (figurative) stack of late 2006 albums here that I haven't listened to so late 2005 entries get counted. Besides, I didn't hear them until this summer when I actually saw it lip-synched (with routine) by one Ranty McDingDong. And I liked it. Immediately.

What is it? Ummm. Check it out here:

7. Girl Talk. Night Ripper. Guaranteed crowd pleaser. No multiple listens required. Pop it in and enjoy. Mashes appeal to our basest desires. So it is nice to see this, the musical equivalent of the Carl's Jr. Six Dollar Burger. That is - the very best of the worst. And if I have made myself unclear - this album is completely wicked.

6. Tilly and the Wall. Bottoms of Barrels. More Tilly and the Wall to cry over. Especially that Lost Girls track I put on my Summer Mix. Gives me the chicken skin.

5. Rock Plaza Central. Are We Not Horses? Called by some wags a mix of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Shins. It is a concept album about android horses ala Blade Runner . . . wait . . . come back . . .

Here's is their awesome cover of Justin Timberlake's SexyBack set to the video of same:

4. Band of Horses. Everything All the Time. Like My Morning Jacket? High Lonesome Sounds? High Altitude grasslands? Awesome - me too.

3. Hot Chip. The Warning. What no more horses? Top three are always tough to sort out. Fortunately, my top three are all overly clever white males my age making pop music. And I fall hard for it.

2. Whitest Boy Alive. Dreams. Straight up, Erlend Oye is my fricking hero. Every song he touches is pure gold. This is basically a Kings of Convenience album with a little more bump. Every song is perfect.

1. Phoenix. It's Never Been Like This. Look - I don't make any excuses. I love pop music. And several times this year, I have turned to Caroline and said: this is the freaking album of the year. 2006 Phoenix is 1995 Guster. And not 2006 Guster who, I think it is safe to say, are done now.

Interested in owning these albums? Drop me a line and I will provide. Stay tuned for the top tracks of 2006.

And please tell me what you think would have made my list if I had just listened harder and/or had your refined tastes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAFFNEY!!!

2006-12-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

Today G-fresh turns the big 4!!! That is 28 in human years, which means Gaffers and I are the same age! Yeah!

Please enjoy this photo gallery of the most wonderful, good-looking, well-mannered (well, at least around people, not other dogs), most popular, well-loved dog on the island of Hawaii and beyond!

And happy birthday also to all you December babies! I have been to three birthday parties already this month, and I know of at least two of you readers who are nearing their third decade! What's up with all these December birthdays?!?

"We keep them fit to fight"

2006-12-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Today is the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Memorial services are being held today in Hawaii, and all flags are being flown at half-staff to remember the service-people and civilians who died that day.

The NY Times sent a reporter to follow the rebuilding of the fleet after the attacks. Apparently, all his reports were sequestered by the government at the time, and only have recently been released. The paper published some excerpts from the stories today. The Honolulu Advertiser also has a nice story about a man making what will likely be his last trip anywhere to visit the memorial today.

I find it really eerie that all of this took place 15 miles from my door. Could it happen again? Maybe. People at work like to scare me by talking about attacks from North Korea. Another high price for living in paradise, I guess...

In other Hawaii news, Colt Brennan, the UofH quarterback, was not considered as a finalist for the Heisman award. Better luck next year, Colt!

Thanksgiving with the Hamptons

2006-11-27T23:44:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Turkey day. Here are some pictures of our adventures at the Mushroom house, our home away from home for a few days while Kyle's brother, Keith, and his wife Christina, were in town visiting. The house was on the windward side of the island in Kualoa Valley, home of the velociraptor scene in Jurassic Park (which, incidentally, was showing on AMC Thanksgiving evening!) The house was gorgeous, and luckily there were no tsunamis from the mini earthquake Thanksgiving morning. Mad props to the service we rented the house through: Vacation rentals by owner, which you can use to rent places anywhere in the world for reasonable prices. I can't wait for the trip to Maui (hint, hint, Keelay...)

Overall, Thanksgiving with the Hamptons was a rocking good time. I can't wait for the next visitors, but currently we have no scheduled guests...Who will be next!

Oh, I almost forgot!

2006-11-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to Barno!

For he's a jolly good fellow!
For he's a jolly good fellow!
For he's a jolly good felllllllow!
Which nobody can deny!

SUV's cannot go everywhere

2006-11-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help but giggle when I saw this story. I am guessing the driver was intoxicated.

I am taking a small hiatus from blogging for awhile so I can work on Christmas presents. Enjoy your Turkey day!

Hopu time!

2006-11-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all. K and I will be partying, Ultimate style, out at Waimanalo this weekend for the Hopu Ka Lewa Tourney! I am really excited. Camping on the beach, boat races at dawn, 4 games of frisbee per day....K is not so excited about that part, but I think we have enough male subs that he'll be fine. And how can you complain when you get to wake up to this each morning:

Gaffney's favorite part? Chasing these little guys!

Enjoy your holiday weekend.

2006-11-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Medeski, Martin, and Wood have a new collaboration with John Scofield.

I only mention it because their cover of Julia just gave me the chills.

Has anyone heard of this?

2006-11-02T01:04:00.000-05:00

Today in the mail, I got a copy of this book, Pro Evo. Apparently, I am not the only one who has received it or been totally weirded out by its presence. From the few internet reviews I found, the book is a religious and/or political statement sent out randomly to people, especially emotionally fragile women (thanks "Mad_scientist", the sole Amazon reviewer of the book). Besides my obvious delicate nature and need for careful handling, I do wonder how I got on this mailing list. Was it you, Dacks?

Tomotom Stiftung, the author, has some interesting things to say. His main premise is that what you should be doing makes you feel joyful, and what you should not be doing saps you of energy. Your purpose in life, you may wonder? "To be a transition and step in the course of evolution." Can we live forever? Only if we evolve ways to "transplant healthy brains from their dying or hopelessly damaged bodies" and thus reach "such a high level of consciousness that (our) further development would proceed more rapidly and efficiently without death."

Intriguing, and I have only just skimmed the contents. It sounds at least entertaining. If anyone is interested, I will gladly send you the copy when I'm done with it. Or maybe, if you are female and emotionally excitable, you will be sent one of your very own!

Halloween traditions, a guest post

2006-10-31T12:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! I got a lovely email last week from Miss Meg regarding the stellar tradition of making Halloween gingerbread houses. Who better, then, to do a guest post for today's events. Here are Meg and Shiloh's thoughts on the spookiest day of the year:

Hello, all!!

Please enjoy our Halloween haiku:

First gingerbread house

Cayman bound girlfriend and I

Happy Halloween

OR, if that doesn’t work for you, then perhaps a short narrative will.

It could have started as a Nightmare on Elm Street, had I not moved to Blacklidge and then Dale Avenue most recently. This Halloween, we Saw the opportunity to make a gingerbread house on Friday the 13^th. Even though we wanted to kill each other at times, we resisted the urge to Scream or have her Lone Star self yield the Texas Chainsaw out in the shed. The Scary Movie in our kitchen played out quickly enough that we finished the house, pictured below. Since she leaves in a week, we will not replay this Nightmare Before Christmas. Our first gingerbread house may be the last for quite some time.

(Personally, it’s getting harder and harder for me not to bite off a corner.)

Meg and Shiloh send out a Happy Halloween to all. Go Orange!!

Thanks, ladies! I sure do miss you. And good luck in the Cayman's, Shiloh. Island living is AWESOME!