Au Revoir, Aloha

My mother just asked me to keep her 70th birthday, tomorrow, a secret.

Up at camp, the May schedule is already christening our dry erase board. My departure date is up there and it spooked me a little something. Just when I'm settling into my groove it's time to up my moors and hit the friendly skies. I'm not exactly George Clooney in Up In The Air, wait, I'm not exactly George Clooney, but life on the road is my kinda life. It pains me to be a nomad and always worry about not being happy while being still. But moving is exhilarating. Focus!

And I do like the kids! Go figure. Here's the biggest thing though; the kids actually like me. That's it! A discovery. I've applied to teach youngsters how to ride bikes in New York over the summer. Might have to see that through. But not before I drive cross country. Ask me what country. What country, you ask? Canada! That's right. It looks like I may just get the opportunity to drive a Camry from Vancouver to Toronto before finding another means of transport onwards to Montreal to get my car.

And the summer has already promised me Bonnaroo and Rifflandia 3! Generally speaking, spirits are on the uptick. May and June are going to be helluva great times. I hope I don't lose my shirt trying to keep my wheels spinning.

Great experience; yesterday we did a program at Camp Mokule'ia. When we finished, I swiped a low hanging coconut off a tree and brought it back to Timberline. There I spent perhaps 15 minutes husking this thing to get to about 16 ounces of coconut water and jelly. Well worth it! Food is work. Life is fodder for memories. It's all about the memories.

Shortimerz Syndrome

My time here in the Aloha State is on the decline. It's almost May which to me is synonymous with Mainland. I'm looking forward to another summer of crazy parties, music festivals and bicycles. Fingers crossed.

The other day I got to venture to the Big Island... but that was literally the other DAY. Yup, we (myself and a couple workmates) were there for a little less than 48 hours. It sucked everything out of my meager bank account BUT we got to buy papayas at 4 for $1, stay in the hippie enclave of Pahoa where Ning's cooked up the best Thai food I've ever had the pleasure of savoring, met all sorts of Big Island crazies AND swam in a warm spring (a tidal pool/hot spring). The Big Island is the best thing to happen to Hawaii in about 300,000 years.

And like that I'm back on Oahu inhaling red dirt and overspending on Newman O's and trinkets. And every time I watch that sun set I get to itching for the day I hop on the plane and retire from island life. That's not to say that the Big Island is not in my future. There was at least one bar in Hilo with an actual sign of life there. Go figure. Go 'head fool, compute!!

Phantom II (Soulwax Remix 2) by Justice is PUMPING in my earbuds. I'm seeing triple at Bonnaroo as I write this. Thomas Mars just crowd surfed by me again. He's got a tiny pimple on his chin. And barely any facial hair. It's over. I'm driving up north for Osheaga! Crap, it's over. That's okay, I've got Rifflandia 3!! Summer, you must really miss me.

Random randomnositude: My most recent school group at camp, an all-girl 5th grade class that included Dwayne "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman's daughter, had students named Sunshine and Liberty. Is the pakalolo making a come back?

And I sunburned the right side of my belly a couple days ago. Just the right side of just my belly.

Kukua!!!

Living with 5 or 6 women does have its disadvantages. In fact, I think it only has disadvantages. One girl admitted today to having Seasonal Affect Disorder. Which is fine and dandy for the rest of us except that she called a ROOMATES' meeting to tell us all. There are so many feelings floating around you could swat them with a fly swatter. She wants to conduct a bitch session, now, once a week. In other words, she wants to meet once weekly to bitch about the living situation. She's also a girly lesbian what dresses like a bike dyke and despises guy folk. Needless to say, she's troubled with herself and her identity and feels it necessary to impose her degree of lost and confused on us all. But of course, the girls are all more than willing to jump on board and I'm corralled into our weekly cry and moan meetings. Not that I didn't suggest we do this thing monthly instead; just, our lost child needs all eyes on her once a week instead of once every full moon.

In other news, I'm really digging this Hawaiian pidgin. It's akin to Canadian, really. Today I sat in a medical office and listened to a guy throw "ehs" around like it was the Vancouver Winter Olympics (which just ended gloriously for the Maple Leaves up north). My favorite thing about Hawaii, however, is Bangkok Chef! Their yellow chicken curry is to die for with potatoes and white meat chicken and ginger and STICKY RICE! Best part? It's only $6.5o. I'd do it everyday if I could (which I can't, it's in Chinatown, far far away from my home in Makakilo by island standards).

As nice as all THAT is, I'm still looking forward to my next 3 visits to beautiful Canada (to visit my gal pal on the way back to New York, to grab my car in Montreal, and gal palling it again whilst attending Rifflandia 3 in September). I feel good. Good.

Sobriety on Oahu

It feels like soooo long ago since I was chasing Quebecoise all over Montreal. Now I'm sitting outside of Safeway, eating up their free wi-fi, with my eyes set on a prize in Victoria, British Columbia. My how things change.

I've been away from this blog thing for quite some time and there is quite a bit of catching up to do but put simply I'm covered in red dirt, on and island on an island and feeling like I'm doing hard time.

I've also developed, serendipitously, a pretty obtainable goal of visiting all 50 states. Not to sure what to call the ones I've only driven through. Does driving through entail a visit? Or do I have to relieve myself for it to "stick"? Hmmm? Anyway, I've only got a few to go considering I've gotten the 2 non-contiguous states out of the way. I've also had Amazon.com ship products to me in both Hawaii and Alaska.

Other notes on Hawaii: sunscreen is toxic stuff, stuff is expensive, tropical fruit is not readily available ANYWHERE in America (Unless, of course, you're willing to SPEND), and pakalolo is Hawaiian for the jolly green mood alterer.