2005 November

I took the one hour crash course in scuba diving offered at the Grand Wailea here in Maui. Wow ,was that ever exhilarating! I “passed” and went out on a shallow dive with my instructor. I will admit I was really afraid for some reason. I almost turned back. My dive coach was a pro and he talked me through to the water and hand motioned and stared into my eyes with a “you're okay” until I finally got to my goal - the reef. Wow - what an adventure - you are the one being looked at from the outside in a 'what are you and where are you from ' sort of way by the fish. I think I'm hooked. I can't wait until my next excursion into the new world I've found. There are a few tips I'll offer to the novice. #1 Get used to getting water in your mask and getting it out before going out to the ocean. This was really scary. I learned the “scuba salute” and all was well - after I'd swallowed a couple nose fulls - of course.  Don't smile! #2 Don't swim too much, take breaks so you don't start “double breathing” it feels like you are gasping for air and that makes you a bit panicky. When you're mouth gets dry press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. #3 When you freak out - most people do so I'm told - close your eyes and just regulate your breathing before doing anything. I was told all these things but I didn't remember them immediately. I tugged at the instructor several times and waved to go up but he kept giving me the point at me and ”okay” then the “hang loose” sign.  I kept following. Once I was down for about 5-7 minutes I was okay. Looking back it was watching the sky get further and further away that scared me the most. I kept thinking 'this is not natural'. The reef is stunning and once you are swimming over it you are filled with wonder and all becomes well.

I'm really glad I overcame my fear. Thank you Jeff for all your support and teaching you're a pro and all around nice guy. You were an awesome instructor. Thanks to Charlie as well for his sing song like instruction - it was fun and helped me relax.

I'll take scuba over snorkeling any day! Do any of you scuba?

I've tried to write a post four seperate times now. I keep deleting the words I've written for fear of “getting in touble.” Now I'm not feeling like writing at all.

I will throw in one beautiful thing I experienced today. On the way to go horseback riding we drove by a pineapple plantation and the air was scented with fruit. That was amazing and it has now been added to my list of favorite things.  

I'm in complete shock. I've tried to hold it in. I've smiled and said nice things. I've offered to drive, and point out each and every nice thing to think about that I can. Still all I hear is complaints.

Chris stinks, I don't just mean that literally - although I do mean it literally at times. He is the only person on the planet that can go to Maui stay in a 4.5 star resort have his whole trip planned from beginning to end for him and still complain- nonstop. It's day five and I need to vent. Since I'm completely alone on the island with the complainer I've decided to share with my fellow bloggers anyone else who may decide to drop by my little space on the 'net. Here's a taste of what I've heard while I've been here.

“It's hot.”

“Sigh, do we have to drive into Kihea? (Mind you I'm driving not him.”

“I don't want to fly in a helicopter, we are going to die.”

“Why do you make us spend all this money to be taken into the sky. We are going to die and it's going to be your fault.”

“I'm not doing anything in the water. I refuse to get my head wet.”

Everytime someone asks us where we're from he goes into a rant about how he hates the sun and he loves the rain and that's why he loves Seattle. The locals of course don't know what to say besides “Maui is nice for a week, but the weather is the same all year.” Out of sheer necessity the go into what they don't like about the island. They are so nice after a few “good” statements and hearing Chris complain after each one they finally get it and just go along because that's the only way to pacify him.

“The coffee here sucks, Bad Ass Coffee is just that, bad and it tastes like ass.”

“Okay I'll try snorkeling but I'm going to hate it.”

“The fins are hard to walk in and they keep getting sand in them and falling off.”

“This mask keeps getting water in it. I hate snorkeling. I'm ready to go.”  (Can you say user error. - I didn't dare say it but I thought I would die from holding it in because he yells it at me every other day of the year.)

“I want a massage but I dont' want any of the other “foo foo” stuff.”

“Why did they have to scrub me?”

“Those bath things are stupid.”

“ATV's are boring. I'm dirty and I couldn't see anything because of the dust.”

I just don't get it. How can you be in Maui and not have a good time? The worst part of it all - when ever he talks to anyone else about it he speaks as if it's the best thing since light bread. How does that work? Why does the partner get all the crap and everyone else gets the niceties? I'm now at the point where I can't take it anymore and I need to vent. I spoke to him about it. I said “Honey how come we are in Maui and you are blogging about bad coffee and stupid dreams you had?” So - now for the last half hour he has said he's blogging about the spa experience and he called his Dad and talked about the trip - in a semi-nice way.

Last night the clencher conversation went something like this.

Me: “Honey how do you like the food, what do you have on your plate?”

Him: (Sticks toungue out to show food on mouth and continues eating.) <  Why doesn't he understand this is funny once and maybe when a young boy does it every once in awhile but not at at a luau with your fiance on Maui when she is filming video clips for memories to look at later?

Me: “Babe, I got a gig of movies of the luau to show everybody!”

Him: “I don't even think my movies are going to come out.”

Me: “So are you saying if your movies aren't going to come out then mine definitely aren't?”

Him: “No, I'm saying your camera does 320/240 at 15 frames a second and mine does 640/480 at 30 frames a second.”

Me: ” Okay so say it - just say what you mean. There is no way my movies are going to be any good because if your movies aren't good and you have better equipment then of course mine couldn't be worthy of viewing.”

Him: “I didn't say that.”

It's only 9:16am and I'm tired already this morning. All the bad attitude has now rubbed off on me and I'm not sure I can smile and bat every throw he zings at me today. Now I just want to sit on a beach with my ipod on.

At 10am there is a free scuba class here at the Grand Wailea Resort. I really want to try it. Chris is anti- water because of his ear problems. He had many ear problems as a child and now hates putting his head under water. I on the other hand am a total “water baby” and always have been. As much as I want my Chris with me all day everyday I totally want to participate in the water fun too. The only question is - which activities. I will only pick a couple since Chris isn't into it but I want to pick the right ones! The other choice over scuba diving is snubaing. I hadn't heard of it either. Basically it means snorkling and “scubaing” together. You don't have to carry a tank on your back, instead you get a hose and take air from that in order to stay under longer periods of time. Hmmm. We'll see, I'll tell you which which I opt for. Maybe Chris will decide to go along just to experience it. We both rented snorkle gear for the week, “just in case.” We also heard about “turtle town” yesterday. The locals call it the “shell” station. Supposedly the turtles line up to get their shells cleaned by the fish. It total reminded me of the “whale wash” in A Shark's Tale. :)

Chris and I are having a ball here in Maui - wish all of you were here too. Tuesday was an interesting trip over with late flights and true running from plane to plane. (I'll never look at running people in the airport the same after that ordeal.) We started our day lazily around 9am and had bagels/cream cheese and bananas for breakfast. The only thing we were missing was coffee, Chris was excited to try the recommendation from our concierge but in the end he was trully “yucked out.” He doesn't like Honolulu Coffee or Bad Ass Coffee - we tried both. After the coffee and picking up our week of tickets at Expedia's Activity Center we had to take our rental car back because of a gurggle it was making. That actually worked out well because we returned it and opted for a convertible. It's totally worth the extra 30.00 a day. We rented a fridge for 25.00 (for the whole week) so that is saving us a ton of cash. We are stocking our own breakfast and snackage. So I figure we are compensating for the difference. :) After the car exchange we headed over for our helicopter trip around the island. Wow - that was phenomenal. We rode with “Rick” who's been giving tours of the island several times a day for the past thirty years. It totally showed, he loves this island and you can feel it. He's funny too - we flew around the small island that was filmed at the beginning of Jurassic Park and he played the music and took the same route. Cute and a little cheesy all at the same - I love it. After that we came back to the hotel and freshened up then took off for sushi at Sensai - yum - it was worth the wait - half hour. We sat at the sushi bar and met “Al” who introduced us to amazing “treats.” Chris tried sea urchin - sashimi style! I was totally impressed, not being an urchin fan myself. The panko ahi roll was to die for. We will definitely be back - maybe tonight.  On our trip back to the hotel we stopped for fresh heavy cream and coffee filters because Chris has decided to make his own Kona. Last but not least we went to the bar and had drinks and ended up in the jacuzzi for a “back rub” before bed. What a day!!!

Sunrise is in another five or ten minutes… I better go brew some coffee if I think honey is going to join me on the balcony for a viewing! Aloha and mahalo!

Thank you honey for buying me the IPOD of my dreams. I love you. Please note that the above sentence does not mean you are getting out of going snorkeling in Hawaii. :)

Part One: Chris bought me a video Ipod. Can you believe it? I was in shock, pure shock. To be honest I've been drooling over them for almost a year. I was trully jealous when my friends pulled out sleek Nano's. The clencher was when Andru came over with a video Ipod. I was totally hooked the moment he handed it to me. The simplicity of design and ease of use factor is pure genius. (I shouldn't have held it - that's when the fight was over.) The set up manual is only 6 pages long. That was enough to make me want to throw the box away! Did you read that people? I said 6 pages… 1,2,3,4,5,6 pages and you're done.  With 60 GB I can have *all my music and *all of my 6783 photos. Now I can browse and laugh and be sentimental over them when ever and now where ever I want. I love it, I love it, I love it. I totally set up and synced the whole thing myself. :)  < can you see me cheese grinning? Itunes was really easy to sync with. Today I went off to run errands and I felt empowered to be able to do several things at once. For instance, I listened to NPR  via podcast and a couple of other podcasts while I was shopping at Wholefoods. This worked out well as I stuck to my list exactly and wasn't tempted to buy anything not on the list and I got caught up on the news and had a couple laughs to boot. Apple is my new best friend. They made it easy as having a sony walkman. Remember those? Remember the yellow waterproof ones? Too bad my Ipod isn't waterproof.

Part Two: We are off to the wonderful world of sunny beaches and clear waters - Hawaii, the island of Maui to be exact. I sure can't wait to be in a swimsuit and snuggle my toes in the sand. I love Seattle but I seriously need a good dose of sun. Wish you were going too!

Oh and I have another thing I want to share before I take off. I'm a post card freak and always on the look out for cool ones. If you collect 'em like I do drop me a line and I'll send you one from Hawaii. Chris' mom Judy set me up with a nice collection binder and clear sheets so I can look at all the love my friends sent to me over the years when I'm old. Isn't that the sweetest thing? Cool inexpensive little mementos. If you feel like sharing in on the fun let me know! My email address is ponzi@lockergnome.com 

Don't you hate it when you're out shopping for your loved ones and “it” hits you and you -”gotta go now” only to find your only choice is a yucky bathroom?

Check out the bathrooms here they are all clean. some are worthy even if you go just want to be a “looky loo.” Ha, Ha Ha - I crack myself up. Enjoy and don't forget to flush..

I just read an article about a 22 year old who married his pregnant 14 year old girlfriend. Do you think this is child abuse?

I'm torn on the subject. What is acceptable and not acceptable is very different in rural areas than it is in areas with a higher population. Behavior in each place can be at complete odds. I've learned that first hand. I was born in North Carolina and moved to California and now Washington in my adult life.

The differences in culture is so drastic it's almost impossible to explain in words. I've witnessed many relationships in the south that began at these early ages and went on to be wonderful marriages. I also have to say now that I'm in a different environment I can see how “outsiders” could never agree with such beginnings. Now that I don't live in a rural area my ideas of right and wrong have changed - a lot. Some of those ideas are better because I've been educated through experience. Unfortunately, I can't say the education has all been good. The more people you are around the more you will learn and be like them. The more strangers you put in the mix the higher the percentage that you will run into “bad” people. Because remember “bad” is different to each individual and every community.

As for the 22 year old man and the 14 year old girl, my heart goes out them. This is a subject that has many issues at play and the majority aren't  fully recognized and addressed at least in this article. Context is crucial and should be considered heavily before judgments are made and pushed. It matters a lot what the backgrounds of each family is. We are taught from our families and our communities what is right and wrong. What's your opinion on the subject? I'd love to have a dialog about this with a wide range of people.

I love it when my Aunt Punon packs me goodie bags to take home after a visit with her. Tonight's goodie bag included the following take home stuffs.

1.) One wraparound sarong for a bathing suit cover-up for the trip to Hawaii Chris and I have coming on Tuesday.

2.) One chocolate chip cookie. (She smiled and said “delicious” when she packed it in my sack.)

3.) Seven satsuma mini oranges.

4.) A bunch of giant grapes you peel the tops off take a bite, seed and then eat the rest. (Yes, I was taught the correct way to eat these grapes when they were given to me.)  :))  (would you like a video demonstration?)

5.) A bag of fresh spinach and homemade peanut sauce (like you get when you order satay from a thai restaurant) to cover it  in… yummy. Note: this sauce is also yummy on toast points.

6.) Two beautiful tiny crystal shot glasses. Not for shots mind you - for holding any vitamins or pills that Chris and I need to take at dinner (or any meal) at the table.

7.) Last but not least mini candy bars for my purse and my car. (I suffer from low blood sugar from time to time and a hard candy or two doesn't always do the trick fast enough.)

A) three mini musketeers B.) two mini milky ways C.) one mini kitkat D.) one mini twix

Ah, what a lucky girl I am to have an Auntie who loves me so much. Thank you Aunt Punon for all the extra love.. oh yeah - and thank you for the story about the “Rapist on the loose in Federal Way” while I was putting my shoes on by the door. It made me double check all my windows and door locks as soon as I got home - especially since Chris is out of town.

The only problem is I'm scared to take the dogs out to potty before bedtime now. And,I left my bags in the car because I was chicken to leave the garage door open and walk back and forth between the car and the house at 11pm.

Hmmm it's 1:15am - I wonder if Wicket and Pixie would go in the toilet if I held them over it?