bunny fish

uhh, you could come help me eat this avocado?

it's as big as my head!!! i had to have him, but then i was all, wtf am i gonna do with him? I could make california rolls fo days...

but no, the only answer is guacamole. check it out, that thing filled up a whole mixing bowl.

so what's everybody doing for MLK day? I'm working. yeah, sometimes that has to happen. i got a day off last week in exchange, though, and I am now a Hawaii driver, and am also registered to vote here in HI. it feels kind of official. i had to turn in my LA license which was a little sad, except i looked like a serial killer in that photo. my HI one is better.

check out the snow on mauna kea! i really need to get up there. I think next weekend I'll rent a 4WD (they have an economy one now! it's the cheapest car you can get, so $40 will save the wear and tear on mr. jeep) and take that sucka to the summit and also down into Waipi'o Valley and hike around. or maybe ride a horse around. we'll see.

somebody needs to come visit me! c'mon now! whale season ends in april. betta hurry!

Happy New Year!

or Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new), as they say round these parts. I am happy to be ringin' in the New Year with WIRELESS INTERNET, which means that it no longer takes me six hours to upload one stinkin' photo. So for those of you who are still actually looking at this thing, there may be more frequent updates. if there aren't, i don't have a good excuse.

photo captions: there go my christmas tree. my mommy got it for me at the farmer's market. and the seal you'll hear about in a moment, and my favorite new objet d'art. (thanks summer!)

So i hope everyone had a mele kalikimaka (*the* catchiest christmas song EVER, in my opinion. damn you bing crosby! get out of my head). I certainly did. Kaari came on the 14th of december and mom and pop arrived the 16th. we played in Kona and in Hilo, and I got to do my favorite thing -- play Tourist on my own island -- and i saw all kinds of neat stuff. including a monk seal. there are an estimated 1200 of those buggers and they mostly hang out on the remote and unpopulated northwest islands -- and i saw one chillin at Onomea Bay when the folks and I went to the botanical gardens there. good stuff.

we also hit laupahoehoe point where there is a tsunami memorial to a whole bunch of people that got washed out to sea in 1946, including a McGinnis lady from NC (any relation, Leah?), a schoolteacher who'd arrived in Hawaii one month earlier. she lived to tell the tale, and married the guy who rescued her. she'd had a date with him scheduled the night the tsunami hit but never made it because, well, she was swept out to sea by a tsunami. all's well that ends well, i reckon.

we also checked out Waimea, the headquarters of Parker Ranch, where they have a store with the most fabulous cowboy gear ever. i saw a blue spangly cowgirl shirt that i know belle would die for. i mean. i'm going back there when i need some new duds.

what else is goin on. work's still good, got a glowing 6-month performance review (especially in the areas of Communication and Safety, ha) but I'm a little anxious because not only am I on soft money, but so is my boss. so i'm looking for something more secure/long-term, and if I find that here, great. but if not, i may actually hit the mainland again. don't tell the doodle. hopefully i'll find something here. but it's all about the green in '08. tired of bein po'!

well that's enough babbling for now. but can i just say that No Country For Old Men has *still* not come to theaters here? i am so behind the times....

xoxo,

k

mr. splashy-pants!!!

okay, so i didn't take this picture. but i totally saw whales yesterday at onekahakaha! kaari got here friday night and yesterday we met some of my co-workers in downtown hilo, and it was kind of cloudy so we picked the closest beach park to the sunshine. well as soon as we rolled up, we got a whale show! flippers waving at us, big jumps.... no tail action, tho -- apparently that's for the deep water and these guys were really close to shore. like 100 yards close. of course i didn't have my camera, but it was awesome anyway.

yay, whales!

mom and dad fly into kona today but i can't join them until Friday cause i got to work all week. Kaari is going over there tomorrow to enjoy the timeshare jacuzzi while i slave away...

merry christmas to everybody! maybe i'll post again before then, but just in case.

new orleans

shoo! i meant to post as soon as i got back from the Big Greazy while things were still fresh in my mind. but that time has past and now i'm packing my freshly unpacked bag to attend my grandmother's funeral in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday. She passed away peacefully, in her own house, in her own bed, on Saturday morning, with all her faculties about her -- just like she wanted. she turned 91 years old October 4th. she was a great lady. sassy right til the end. so i'm going to pay my respects and be with my mama and the rest of the family. but especially my mama.

so. new orleans. Hoo! New Orleans looks GREAT! I know you're supposed to say that about people you haven't seen in a while, but wow. Everyone had their best Halloween trimmings on the house and yard. Here are a few of my favorites:

Tim and I spent our first night back in the legendary Columns Hotel. Here's our room:

and of course we had folks over for cocktails in the Columns' equally legendary bar. we had the added luxury of having an upstairs patio all to ourselves.

let's see if i can recall what happened after that. we had a lovely Columns breakfast, then made our way over to Miz Smarty Pants' lovely Fountainbleu retreat. Let me tell y'all, Miz Smarty Pants, a.k.a. Laura, could give that Martha Stewart a run for her money. We had a smashing guest room with fresh roses, linen sprays, and candles galore! *And* she threw a fabulous soiree for Timmaay that evening with the chiminea blazing, dozens of candles, jambalaya, a cheese torte i'll not soon forget, and various and sundry other yummies. which were later augmented by Beth Oubre's bananas foster bread pudding. yes, you heard me right. it was heaven. we were serenaded by Tim's friend RJ, who did a mellow rendition of Beck's 'Loser", in addition to other tunes. Summer and Gary arrived from Jackson, Emily made a rare appearance, and a very good time was had by all.

at some point Laura and Tim and I all started talking like y'ats. (that's folks from deep in the Parrish for you yankee types.) Actually it was more like a cross between y'ats (almost a bronx accent) and the way New Orleans people talk in movies. Sort of Gone With The Wind-y/Blanche DuBoise-y. It was very odd and none of us could stop ourselves even when we tried. It was like after Katrina, staying with Gary (a Glaswegian) and Summer (a Jacksonian)-- everyone began to adopt a Scottish lilt. these things just happen.

Tim left on Halloween, and I went to stay with Chris and Brandy. Or was it Yaggy? They all put me up and were wonderful hosts. I've always depended on the kindness of.... see, there i go again!

This will be the longest post in the world if i don't start condensing. Here are some highlights:

- turn-down service with chocolates on pillow at Laura's;

- fog machine, bubble machine, strobe light, creepy halloween music, and wine on Laura's fantastic porch;

- going to Folahan's school and seeing all the children dressed up for halloween and jacked up on candy and soda;

- seeing the New Pornographers with Ian and Yaggy on Halloween;

-a lovely day at the zoo with Brandy;

- many drinks with Belle and Husband and Amy and Blake, esp. cocktails Chez Buchert/Woodruff;

- QT with Emily and Jerrilynn; down-slash-q-time with Chris and Brandy;

- Cocktails with the monkey house crew;

- Lots and Lots of great new orleans food (the 5-pound weight gain I foretold did indeed happen): Frankie and Johnny's, Crepe Nanou, Rivershack, Coop's, Langenstein's, Crabby Jack's, Felix's, Acme... i think i just peed a little remembering it...

- St. Joseph's Plantation tour in the Earth F***er (rented Ford Expedition), full of sightseers;

- and last but not least, of course, being reunited with my beloved Timothea.

The bad news: my suitcase broke shortly after arrival. piece of crap. it was only its fourth voyage. then it REALLY broke just as i was getting ready to leave! it had no handles and brandy had to haul it downstairs from the 5-9-4-1 for me! i left it with yaggy in case the Suitcase People wanted proof that it was all fooshed up, but when i emailed them, they said oh no problem, we'll credit you back, just throw that sucker out. they've also given me discounts when they run sales on things i just purchased at pre-sale prices. So that's my little plug for the suitcase people.

At the NOLA airport I saw something I'd been meaning to get on my stay: Barbeque Shrimp Mix!!! So as soon as I got home (Molly and Corinna picked me up, and they brought me a lei!! how sweet is that???) and got my wits about me, I went and got 6 pounds of scriuuumphs and made BBQ scrimps for the neighbors, catsitters, and colleagues. I also was hell-bent on recreating Langenstein's creole potato salad at home, and I am happy to say I cracked it! and, while that is happy news indeed, I must report that it, like all great food, has a Context. What I made tastes damn good, but it doesn't seem right eating it in Hawaii. I'm gonna, tho, every time I make potato salad!!

Yup, so now it's off to Iowa (BRRR! I was cold even in New Orleans! I packed better for Iowa, though. I even have a pair of grandma's leather & cashmere gloves to wear. yay!)

Hope all's well everywhere, and that happy halloweens were had by all.

puppies and froggies and more weird fruit

first, let me say how interesting it is to me that i used to post almost Every Single Day, and now it's every month at best?? jeez. oh well.

the neighbors have a breeding pair of miniature dachshunds. that means little wrinkly hot dog babies!! here's one of them at 6 days old (with worried mama in the background). awwuh!! the puppy neighbors, incidentally, are moving away so they can be the caretakers of Kenny Loggins' big self-sustaining homestead he built for his family in Hawi on the north side of the island. It was a Y2K retreat, apparently. Kenny's apparently been yacht-rockin' lots of benefit concerts for schools and environmental protection organizations. (wonder if he does Footloose?)anyway, he's going to pay my soon-to be ex-neighbor lots of money to keep up his solar power station and to eat organic fruit from his hippie wife's orchards. sweet.

but i digress. in other Cute News, another coqui frog got in the house. I got to this one before Doodle did (unlike the last several, who became Cat Toys and then Dead Cat Toys). I suppose i really should let him have them, since i'm working on the invasive species and all, but look at those sticky feet! i just can't bring myself to do it.

dragonfruit are pretty. see?

but they taste like nothing. watery and a tiny bit sweet with crunchy poppyseed-esque action. no more dragonfruit for me, thanks. i'm still eagerly anticipating meeting my first mangosteen. and i have discovered that lilikoi, or passionfruit, a fruit once too strong for my tender taste buds, has become super-addictive. it's a megadose of vitamin C. really perks ya up. and the homemade ice cream place up the street makes sorbet out of them. i never tasted anything so yummy (especially when paired with mango ice cream).

i haven't posted a picture of the doodle lately. he's getting fat again! gained 2 pounds last month. we're going to have to take measures if this trend continues. south beach diet has been suggested. i'm going to have to make him his own naptry! there ain't no room for me!

arright kids, i'm off to the tidepools to molest the marine creatures. i'm trying to make sure i hit the mainland with some semblance of a tan, but i may disappoint some people. since that burn i got, sunscreen is my friend.

happy rocktober, everybody! special birthday shoutouts to amy (oct 2), grandma (91 on oct 4), and molly (oct 5). october's a big birthday month. so happy b-day in advance to: kee, eleanor, rob, summer, ian, brandy, and ME!!!!!

six months already??!?

yes, today is my 6-month anniversary! doodle and i may have some sashimi to celebrate. things have been a little tight moneywise, and i'm still acclimating to the job, but all in all i'm happy about the way things are going. i just got an advancement at work, i am now an Entomological Research Associate instead of a mere Assistant, and i get more money for that, yay! in addition, the project i'm leading is in full swing and i'm happy to be doing it. this month we get 3 new interns which means i will have 5 gung-ho helpers to do my evil bidding! i can just sit back and eat bon-bons and make them do all the work. not. they are an enormous help, though. i can't imagine what the lab would do without them.

i don't have much to share picture-wise, but check out these purple sweet potatoes. they are so tasty i can't even believe it. i don't like the orangey kind, but these ones? they have crack in them.

i said i'd report on the jaboticaba. they were good, but there's not much to them after you get rid of the slightly bitter skin and the pit on the inside. yummy, though. one dollar well spent. here's the current fruit situation at Hale Snook:

that is a tiny little 2-pound pineapple grown here on the island. organic white Puna pineapple. 79 cents a pound. i think he's adorable. he's for the chopping block today for sure. he'll probably turn into pineapple salsa with a few chunks reserved to garnish the mai-tai. all i'm gonna do today is eat and go to the beach. i think that's a fitting anniversary present!

i'm coming back to the mainland at the end of October (happy birthday to me), but instead of the cross-country extravaganza i had planned, i'm only going to new orleans. i'll be there the 25th of october till the 4th of november if anyone wants to come have a nawlins halloween with me!

this week has had its share of bad news, though: kelly lost her mom, laura her dad, and amber jolene her grandmother. i'm thinking about all three of you, ladies. i wish i could be there to give you all big hugs.

that's it for now. everybody take care and remember the ppl you love won't be around forever. love 'em as much as you can now.

xoxo,

k