nekkid beach

this weekend i went to a different black sands beach, which is more popular than the last one and is "clothing-optional". (yes, i wore my suit, thanks for asking.) i heard that on sunday they have a big drum-circle thing there, so i went on saturday. you have to clamber down a pretty steep slope to get to it, but it's easily navigable even for clumsy haole girls in flip-flops, i mean rubbah slippah. one dude even carried his bike down there, but i can't for the life of me figure out why. maybe he forgot his lock. the whole beach is about 1/4 mile and surrounded by steep cliffs. the sand is nice and soft, but apparently is being lost quickly: someone told me the sand just a few years ago was up to the horizontal roots you see on this dead tree about six feet off the ground. the ocean was choppy and full of big rocks, so no swimming, but it sure was pretty. (a lot of the beaches on the island have been closed this week due to dangerous surf and high waves.)

i also hit the salvation army for some tunes on cassettes, so now i have options (sort of) when the radio gets annoying. i got hall & oates' greatest hits, johnny mathis, til tuesday, greatest hits of the 40s, glenn gould, glenn miller, david bowie (let's dance) and some hilarious-looking dudes called "3 local boyz". the parental advisory label was the deciding factor on that purchase. had a great time driving to hilo with "You Did it in a Minute" blaring. i haven't heard that in ages!

it looks like the Durian Project is going to have to wait til next week. i'm feeling a little puny (sinus stuff again, i think i might be allergic to the Jungle). or maybe it's psychosomatic cause i'm afraid of durians. i have conducted a survey and the consensus is: smells bad, tastes good. i can't get a firm answer on whether the taste is worth suffering the smell for. but that's what experiments are for, right? i did see a guy on the travel channel eat warm raw calf brains with gusto in an open market in morrocco, then later eat a durian and immediately get sick. so hm. if i don't like it, i have to figure out what to do with the rest of it. perhaps hurl it into a lava flow or off a cliff into the ocean. i don't want it stankin' up my jungalow, that's for sure!

speaking of the jungalow, it looks like our time is coming to a close, and i am signing a 6-month lease on a leetle-bitty place in hilo. it's a great location, walking distance to downtown and all the adorable shops and tasty restaurants. i've also been placed on the eligible list for a State job, and have discovered that this particular State gives 55 leave days per year to start. 56 on election years! hot diggity. so keep those fingers crossed for me, okay? i miss you all!

alohas,
k