One thing I won't miss about Hawaii

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.

The Moaʻa are back

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!

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!

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

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.

ʻōhio in Hawaiian means to fart

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

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....

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!

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?

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)

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....

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...

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...

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!

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!!!"

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"

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...

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):