June 19th, 2015

I woke up at 8 am when the landscaper started up his lawn mower right outside our window. I made breakfast and started packing to go home. We left the apartment at 11 and drove to the Iao Needle, which is a 2,000 foot peak of solid rock in the middle of a lush tropical Forrest valley. The “hike” to the needle took 7 minutes at a slow pace, and then we drove to the Waihee beach park and walked along the beach for a while.

We then decided to drive to the Hookipa beach which is said to be one of the best wind surfing beach in the entire galaxy. I’m not quite certain they have inspected all the beaches in the galaxy to legitimize this title, but who am I to argue. There were only a couple of wind surfers, but there wasn’t much wind, or surf. With 6 hours to kill, we decided to see the new Jurassic World movie again. It was one of those theaters in which you pick your seats when you buy the tickets. I mistakenly bought two tickets in the front row, reserved for someone in a wheelchair and their handler. We ditched the seat, as there was only one, and headed to the back row where we were shooed away by an usher. We moved to the middle of the aisle but were forced to move when the people who had these seats showed up. We ended up in the very front row, on the far corner of the theater having to look straight up and to the right to watch the movie.

The movie ended at 4:45 and we headed to drop off the rental car and tried to catch an early flight to Oahu. We had just missed the earlier flight so we waited in the terminal for 3 hours. The 30 minute flight was bumpy and terrifying. I don’t much like flying, and being in a propeller plane makes things worse. We landed, got our luggage and walked to the bus stop and took two busses to get home. I showered and threw all my luggage in the bin. When Rebecca came in with the mail, I had received a package of Tim Tams from a family in Australia who had sat in my section last month. I never thought they would actually send them, but I now have 5 packages of delicious Tim Tams in flavors you can’t find outside of Australia.

June 18th, 2015

Happy Birthday to my Dad, thanks for teaching me how to be a man.

We woke up at 8 and had leftover pizza for breakfast. We didn’t feel like having to get ready for the beach, so we headed down to the pool to relax. I swam a little bit, but mostly sat in the chair reading. Around 2, we went back inside to have lunch and then we drove into town and decided that the weather was too stormy to be doing any outside stuff so we saw a movie about superheroes fighting a robot.

After the movie, we drove to Paia and had flatbread pizza for dinner. I surprised Rebecca by ordering a salad as an appetizer. We drove home and watched an episode of Conan while we packed up all of our stuff. I’m sad that we have to head home tomorrow.

June 17th, 2015

We woke up around 9 and after breakfast, headed out the door. We drove up the coast to Kaanapali. We parked at a hotel and walked almost 1 mile through sand that was only 3 degrees away from becoming glass. I tried walking without my sandals, but quickly put them back on. Now the molten sand would get stuck between my sandals and my feet. When we finally arrived at the perfect spot, I cut through a hotel and walked back to our car to move it closer to where we had set up our chairs. Once I got back, Rebecca and I went snorkeling. We sway around the rocks and into a hidden cove filled with fish. There was a school of fish huddled together on the sea floor swaying with the current.

After about an hour of stalking fish, Rebecca went back to the chairs and I stayed in to play in the waves. I was staring there minding my own business when a turtle swam up next to me, poked his head out of the water, winked at me and went back under. Once all the tourists saw the turtle, they swarmed around it, forcing it to retreat out to the relative safety of the open ocean.

I went back ashore and sat in the sun for reading a while. Rebecca had brought a book to read for the next school year about a boy who goes to Alaska to live in the wild, but ends up dying alone and hungry in the brush. Around 3, we went to find a taco truck and even though I spent nearly two years ordering food in Spanish, a wave of shame washed over me, preventing me from ordering lunch in my adopted tongue. The pain of regret was washed away by the taste of the bacon wrapped hot dog and shrimp burrito.

We drove into Lahaina and found an ice cream parlor and walked along the beach before heading home. We stopped at the store for more soda and t drop off the snorkel gear we had rented for Rebecca. Once we got home, and showered it was nearly 8. I realized we had not eaten dinner yet, so I drove to a pizza place in town. Not until I had ordered and paid did I learn that everything in the restaurant was 100% gluten free. I was worried because gluten free foods have the reputation of tasting like cardboard. I got the pizzas home and was pleasantly surprised.

June 16th, 2015

I woke up at 8 and had 3 doughnuts and 2 sodas for breakfast before Rebecca even woke up. Once she finally awoke, we made lunches and headed out the door. We drove to a place called Big Beach, which isn’t really that big. I made my way into the water and after about 2 minutes of wading, I saw a wave rolling my way. I began to paddle and kick with all my might hoping to ride the wave in. I was lifted up in to the air and landed right on the sand right on my arm which I immediately thought I had broken in the fall. The force of the wave rolled me around on the sea floor and ripped the sunglasses from my face. I was wearing a strap on my sun glasses to keep them on my head, but they were gone in the blink of an eye. Once I stood up, and realized nothing was broken, I headed back in the water to find my sunglasses which I never found.

I went up and sat on the beach for a while and then the clouds filled the sky and the wind stared blowing the sand in our faces. We packed up and headed to the end of the road just to see what was out there. We drove back to the apartment, showered, changed clothes and headed out to look for new sunglasses for me. We then drove to a shrimp truck and had the best shrimp plate lunch I have ever had. I chose the spicy pineapple flavor and even though I was full, I wanted to order a second plate.

After dinner we drove up to Haleakala, which is a 10,000 foot mountain summit. I hear the sunrise from up there is amazing, but neither of us want to wake up at 3 am, so we watched the sunset. The drive up took about an hour, the temperature dropped as our elevation increased. We stopped at the rest area and put on warmer clothes. I finally have a chance to wear one of my hoodies. As we broke through the clouds, they looked like a field of cotton balls that you could walk across. The view was really quite spectacular. We parked at the summit 10 minutes before the sunset and perched ourselves in the best picture taking place possible. The cold, crisp air was refreshing, ad reminded me of skiing when I was just a wee lad. I was hoping to stick around to look at the stars without all the ambient city light, but there was a layer of high clouds that blocked the sky. We drove down the summit and back to civilization, stopping for gelato.

We were both pretty tired so we went to bed around 11.

June 15th, 2015

We woke up at 8, made breakfast and packed a lunch and then we were out the door by 9:30. Today we were doing the road to Hana. It is only 50 miles from the hotel, and the only road in to the town is 30 miles. Everyone had told me to expect it to take all day, but I could not see how this was true. It was 30 miles of hair-pin turns and switchbacks, many with only enough room for one car. We stopped at the halfway point and I got a loaf of banana bread, and further down the road we got iced cream. When we finally reached the town of Hana, nearly 3 hours later, I was completely underwhelmed. It was a gas station, some art galleries and a small restaurant. The road to Hana is why people go make the drive. There are tons of scenic look-outs and waterfalls, but I have become spoiled by such things since moving to Oahu. We drove on and reached the 7 scared pools. We swam in the refreshing water for a bit and then started to head back. On the way omen, I started to appreciate the view a little more. I think driving in made me stressed because of all the turns, and wondering if we would ever get there.

We stopped on the way out to visit the black sand beach. Rebecca drove because the car is rented under her name. I tried to close my eyes to keep the banana bread from splashing across the inside of the windshield. Each sharp turn pushed the food further up my throat. With one stop at Krispy Kreme doughnuts, we made it back to the hotel at 6:30. We showered, changed and then headed down the road for the “best fish tacos in the country.” They were really good, but I’m not so sure about best in the country. Top 5 for sure.

We got home, and watched Conan O’Brien and then went to sleep.

June 14th, 2015

We woke up at 6:30 and quickly got ready. I had chips and salsa for breakfast and Rebecca finished off the rest of her burrito. We were at the bus stop waiting for the 7:30 bus to the airport. The ride was uneventful, and the 12 mile march from the bus stop to the terminal was less than pleasant. I have a fear of both heights, and confined spaces. I also do not like waiting or being told what to do. Air travel is not fun for me. I took half a Xanax before we boarded the tiny aircraft. I had to sneakily listen to music because the flight attendant strictly forbid electronics during takeoff and landing. We spent more time waiting to take off from the runway than we spent actually flying. As the plane began it’s controlled plunge, I noticed the surrounding countryside looked a lot like when I flew in to Panama.

We landed and got our luggage and rental car and then we stopped in Paia for lunch. Rebecca was here 6 years ago for the summer, so I trusted her when it came to places to eat. We then drove to our vacation rental in Kihei. We dropped off our luggage and went to get groceries. We dropped off the food and went across the street to check out the beach. The park beach was also a fish pond, and not much to look at. We went back inside, changed clothes and went to Lahaina for dinner. We walked down the main road, which was like a much less developed Waikiki. There were a lot of the same stores and restaurants, but no huge hotels blocking the view of the ocean. We almost bought a hammock, and now I’m wishing we had.

After being told by a few people that Cool Cat Café had the best burger on the island, we decided to check it out. It was not the worst burger I have ever had, and that is probably the nicest thing I can say about it. After dinner, we walked along the main street and watched the sunset and then headed back to the hotel. We watched TV for a while, which is something we haven’t been able to do since we moved here. I forgot what its like being able to watch more than one show at a time, and also the agony of commercials. We fell asleep around 10.

June 13th, 2015

I spent the night dreaming about being at work, so when my alarm went off at 6:30 I felt like I had been working all night. I got ready and was at work coffee in hand by 7:30

There was a lot to do, and it was hot outside. I had just finished cutting all the fruit when my first table arrived at 10:45. The next bartender showed up at 11, and the third at noon. 

It was a slow shift, I was able to keep running to the back to stock everything so by the time my relief came on at 4, I didn’t have much else to do. 

I was in the beer cooler changing a keg, and when I went to hook it up, I was immediately showered with sticky cold beer. I never went to college so I don’t really know how to change a keg. I had to get a manager to assist me and then I spent 20 minutes cleaning the floor and walls. 

I got home and showered and then Rebecca went to the new burrito place by our house and then drove to the mall to eat and see a movie about dinosaurs eating tourists. 

We got home at 10 and I finished packing and we went to bed at 11 

June 12th, 2015

I woke up around 10 and had rice and gravy for breakfast. I did a load of laundry and then went for a run. 

20 minutes and a mile and a half later, I was outside watering my grass seeds hoping it would sprout into a lawn quickly, like it does in the cartoons. I was whistling the song from Rocky hoping the seeds would think it was an action movie montage and want to grow faster. 

I took a shower, had rice and gravy for lunch and then went to work. There was a fire in the food court 30 minutes before I had arrived, and the bottom floor of that section of the mall had been evacuated. My restaurant was not effected though. 

It was a moderately slow shift for a Friday. I ended up talking to my tables more than usual which helped. One of the girls whom I had trained last week was repeating her training stage with another trainer. She showed up late, hadn’t studied the menu and did not check ID’s for alcohol purchases on multiple occasions. 

I left around 9:30 and went home to relax before going to bed at 11. 

June 11th, 2015

I woke up today and was shocked to see Rebecca. I have become soused to waking up alone, it startled me. I made some eggs for breakfast, and got ready for work. I arrived to find a fun situation evolving.

My restaurant, lets call it Restaurant “A”, is owned by a company I’ll call Company “B”. Now company “B” owns restaurants “A” through “L”. Many different restaurants all owned by the same guy. Some employees at restaurant “C” are starting a class action law suit against company “B” saying that the company is taking money from their tips and using it in a tip pool to tip out hosts, bussers, food runners, and bartenders. The employees are saying that their restaurant is taking too much, and paying them below minimum wage while they do tasks that do not earn them tips. Most restaurants do pool tips, and there are times when I am doing side work, or doing deposits in the back office for hours at a time, making less than minimum wage and not earning tips.

When I arrived to work today, the managers had been going around getting people to sign a release stating that they will not be a part of any class action lawsuit against company “B”, and they will choose to use an arbiter instead. Many employees signed the release, not being told what it was for, and not being made aware of their options.

I started my shift in the bar at noon. It was a rather slow day until 3 when the basketball game started and the bar filled up. I didn’t finish until almost 6. When I was having my drawer counted, the accountant, who fancies herself to be a manager asked if I had signed the arbiter agreement. I laughed and said no. She suddenly got very serious and asked “So you refuse to sign?” The tone in her voice was thick with intimidation. Almost as if she were saying “sign this, or get fired.” I told her that I wanted to take it home and read it over before I signed anything so important and proceeded to crumple it up and throw it away on my way out the door. The very fact that they were so quick to come out with these arbiter agreements, and so adamant that we sign them makes me suspicious.

I stopped at the hardware store on my way home any bought some grass seed to fill in my patchy section of “lawn”. I got home around 7, went for an 11 minute run and then planted and watered my garden. Rebecca made hamburgers and we watched an episode of Lost and then I had to rush back to work to grab the bottle of baby powder I had left. It wasn’t there, and it has been dreadfully muggy as of late, so I went to the drug store to buy more. Once I got home Rebecca and I played a card game called Spite and Malice. We both won two games and decided to play again later. She went to bed and I stayed up to research the lawsuit.

June 10th, 2015

I woke up at 8:30 and saw someone going through my wallet talking money out, once I realized it was Rebecca getting money for lunch, I was relieved, but still managed to yell out “get out of there” like one would yell at a pack of wild raccoons digging through a trash bin at 3 in the morning. I tried to go back to sleep but I was now up for the day.

I made breakfast and watched another episode of the show about the 8 people being connected mentally. The first 4 episodes were great, but right in the middle of the 5th episode things got… uncomfortable. I shrugged it off and went to work. I started off in a slow section but managed to talk myself into a busier section halfway through the shift. I won two contests today. The first one was like bingo. Each time we sold an item that was on the card we crossed it off until we had 5 in a row. It took me an hour and a half to win bingo. The second contest was to see who could sell the most items from our summer promotional menu. I ended up leaving with a $20 Starbucks card and a free lunch.

I left around 5, I took the lunch home in a to-go box and went for a run. Rebecca was asleep when I got home. I guess she didn’t sleep well last night, and wasn’t feeling well. I ran for 12 1/2 minutes and then spent sometime outside watering the grass behind out apartment trying to get it to fill in. I ate the lunch I had won and then when Rebecca woke up I took a shower and settled in to watch more of the show. Rebecca went to bed around 9,and I stayed up playing Tetris on my phone.