Book 15 - Unfamiliar Fishes

I spend a lot of time thinking about what I would do were I to meet an author I love in a social setting.  I like to imagine that I would be incredibly blase and ask them really erudite questions, perhaps about the oxymoronical irony of using the phrase "erudite questions" - however in my heart of hearts I know I would probably just get embarrassingly drunk and ask if we could be best friends.

The exception to this rule is if I ever meet Sarah Vowell.  In this case, I will force myself to stay sober and do whatever I can, even if I am creepily hovering, to listen to every word she says.  Then maybe, when its all said and done, find out if she would ever even consider being like, just a regular-see-you-ever-two-months friend.  Aiming low, so I won't set myself up for disappointment.

image (via)

It took me longer than I expected to get through  Unfamiliar Fishes. But then I realized that Sarah Vowell books always take a little longer than they should (based on thickness, lack of pictures and size of font) - but that is because she crams so much knowledge into each moment I find myself reading passages over and over to get every nugget of information out of it.  This book was no exception.

I was lucky enough to spend some serious quality time in Hawaii a year or so ago, and I went in as a tourist with an embarrassingly WASPy lack of interest about the history of this particular state.

In fact, if I am going to be totally real, my knowledge of the history of Hawaii is based mostly on the Saved By the Bell Hawaii Vacation mini series.  In that fine piece of cinematic history, Mr. Belding dresses up as a professor and spews made up crap to save Kelly Kapowski's grandfather's hotel - anyway, he talks about King Kamehameha and how he mandated this hotel be saved back in the day.  Every time I saw this movie I was far too interested in how 17 year old Zach Morris thought that he was ready to be a parent and how we had no idea how old Rena Sofer was (also, this maybe one of the best things she's ever done - which says a lot about all the crap she's done over the years).

ANYWAY - when we were driving around Hawaii and I saw the word Kamehameha on all the road signs and finally I verbalized it the same way Principal Belding did and Maimees was impressed that I had gotten the pronunciation right on the first try.  I was impressed that something from Saved By the Bell had a modicum of historical accuracy.

It was time to learn something - and any time I can pair learning good conversation-at-parties knowledge with the kind of dark, subtle humor that makes me giggle on my morning commute, I feel like I've won the from-now-until-the-acknowledgements lottery.

It was a difficult and satisfying read, that left me all at once smarter and more at a loss than I was before I started.  I now know so much about Hawaii but am helpless about what to do about the incredible douchebaggery of the generations before mine.   The story of Hawaii only reiterates what we all already knew about the selfish manifest destiny mindset that America can't seem to kick. But the maple syrup sarcasm that Sarah Vowell pours all over everything makes it that much easier to swallow. 

I wish I could be even a fraction as smart and dedicated as Sarah Vowell is - her books are so intricate and wonderful.  I want to wear a scarf, brown boots and carry them around - hopefully drawing in funny one-liners and a deeper awareness of how this country really is by osmosis.

Or maybe I'll just get drunk and ask her how she does it.

In Review

I had this dream that I would write 100 blogs this year.  Once every 3 or 4 days seemed like an obtainable goal.  But no dice.  I did write more this year than any year before - which feels like progress.

I want to write more.  That's a good thing to think of for 2011.

I have been thinking a lot about 2010 this morning (in the 20 minutes since I woke up) and I have come to the realization that this may have been the hardest year yet.  While all years have had their obstacles, it seems like 2010 was the first that really put me through the ringer.  But here's the thing - I don't want to dwell on the hard and the crappy and the sad - I want to focus on the wonderful and amazing:

I got to go to Hawaii.

And Italy.

And Paris.

And Nantucket.

 

AND New York.

My baby siblings both got it done - graduation wise.  My lovely T-bone got engaged. My dad got married. I re-met wonderful, local family.  It goes on and on.

And now I will clean my house in preparation for a few lovely people to come celebrate.

In 2011 I would like to:
-revisit the whole gym 5 times a week thing (I am hoping I can join a gym closer to where I live to make this much easier)
-write more  - a blog post every 3 days should be easy...
-read more - a book every two weeks.  With reviews on this blog!  Huzzah!

Happy New Year.

Back, baby

Okay - sorry about the blog drought. I just realized that my Hawaii posts were extra double lame because I was trying to write them while watching Lost, and if you have ever watched Lost, you know that doing anything while watching that show is pretty damned near impossible.

But I am back! And I am jet lagged! And I am sun-burnt! And I am bruised!

It was by-far the most active vacation of my entire life. Where I come from the most aerobic activity you get while on vacation is turning over so you tan evenly. This time I hiked and climbed and got beaten up by surf and hiked and climbed some more.

It was amazing, even though I am pretty sore all over, both from the climbing and the falling down a volcanic rock face. I did not fall far, and the damage wasn't too severe, but man are these bruises serious.

And we Lost-nerded. it. up. Like Whoa. Let's be real folks, if you let yourself get into this show, it will get you. It will take you in and beat you up like a Pimp named Slickback. And you will crawl back begging for more.

I spent a lot of my time wondering why in the world Maimees would ever even consider moving back to the Chi, but then I remembered my life in Nantucket...and how having true, amazing friends is what it takes to make an island a home.

And now some more pictures - the rest will be posted on Picassa in a hot second -

Luau and Ohana

Lost locale searching, and Hawaii experiences continue. I went to THE swap meet, and A Luau today both were amazing. Blogging seems like a waste of my time as I have a lot of other things I want to spend my time doing - like sleeping and watching Lost.

Blue Crush

So. First of all, I am fine. You may have heard that there is a tsunami warning for Hawaii, which ironically, is exactly where I am.

At 5:15 AM (Hawaii time) my mom called to wish Boyfriend a happy birthday and to tell me that an earthquake in Chile and now there was a tsunami warning for Hawaii and that uh, she loved me and go back to sleep.

Luckily, we had been planning to get up at 5:30 or 6 anyway to start our Boyfriend Birthday Adventure...so going back to bed was not really option. Simply because that was enough to scare the ever loving crap out of me. So we're up and terrified.

R- "So you live up in the Mountains right?"
Maimees - "Uhhh, I live eight blocks from the beach."

Maimees's roommates are up and there is massive confusion for about an hour. What to do? Boyfriend and I had already pretty much decided that the only option was to get the eff out of the 8-block from the beach house and up into the mountains.

After what seemed like a lot of dilly-dallying we peaced out with our stuff (holla back for packing light) half of Maimee's pantry a few bottles of water, some doughnuts and two half-full bottles of wine (we like to be prepared).

And then we got the eff out of there. We are in the cushiest evacation situation ever. At a very nice private school with wireless internet, running water, clean toilets. And so we've just been waiting for nearly 4 hours now. Which is pretty weird. We know that something is about to happen but we don't know how big or how bad. And we don't know how long it is going to affect us but it is pretty exciting. And terrifying.

Happy Birthday Boyfriend. Its a once-in-a-lifetime one.

Mahalo

So it seems super dumb to blog from Hawaii, but I made a promise.

I love it here. Mostly because its Sunny. And hot. And there is an ocean!

I've done fun things like shop and eat and go in the ocean. For the next little bit we're watching Lost and losing some of the sand before dinner. Then it is early to bed for us because we have a day of crazy things to do.

Aloha

After 14 hours (without time change bull honkey) I am in Hawaii. It is wonderful. I have a teri(yaki) beef sandwich and onion rings and I am watching Lost.

Good Night.

Travel Bugs

As you probably know if you've talked to me in the past three months - I am going to Hawaii tomorrow. My excitement is really beyond comprehension right now. I'm so excited that I've looped back around to sedated and calm.

I have a lot of work to get done before I leave, but of course, I'm too excited to work! So instead I'm playing on the internet. Typical.

I'm excited to go to Hawaii, because I get to cross another Ocean off my list. So far I've hit the Atlantic and the Indian. After this I might have to go to Nova Scotia or wherever the Arctic Ocean hangs out.

Also I get to go west! We have a 5 hour layover in Seattle. I have not decided if this is long enough to get to leave the airport. Probably not, but I'll get to wave at it. While catching up on as much LOST as possible on my computer.

I realized today that we're really only going to be in Hawaii for 4 days. Which does not seem like enough time. I did London in 4 days though and I feel like I got a very British experience. And I have to keep reminding myself that there is no goal to this vacation except to get as tan as possible in 4 days. And no matter how long we were there, its not going to seem like long enough.

Mostly, I'm excited for February Flip Flops.