Turkey Eve

See

This is my office. I've been spending 7-8 hours per day, 5 days a week (minus holidays and vacations) for the past 2 years and 2 months. It's a really nice office.



I'm really lucky in that I get it all to myself. That other desk you see is used for excess paperwork, boxes and an old copy machine I never use.

I often stop to gaze out my window:



Not a bad view. I feel really fortunate to be surrounded by so much beauty in my workplace. It makes all the emailing, number crunching and paper-pushing less monotonous.

Eat

Tomorrow morning we will be hosting a Thanksgiving brunch for the Garlingtons. Dan put together a menu that incorporates the tastes of the big feast:

sweet potato biscuits with turkey gravy
turkey bacon and gruyere quiche (made last night - and it looks wonderful)
turkey sausage
yam home fries
orange & cranberry scones
pumpkin bread
cranberry juice



My mouth is watering!

Drink

Each day at lunch (usually) I go work out at the gym on campus. When finished showering and back in my work clothes, I often stop at the little juice bar/cafe to grab some food to bring back to my desk. I'm often very, very thirsty. My love of all things sparkling led me to this new item:



What better way to refresh after a tough (or medium) work-out than with an all-natural, no-calorie soda that comes in a variety of interesting flavors. So far I've tried the tangerine-lime, black-cherry-apple and my favorite thus far, the mango-peach.

Each one also has different ingredients that give it that extra something to qualify for the name (ie, ginseng is in "Focus"). Similar to Izze, but a smaller portion/zero calories and, according to their website they "do good, too, with a commitment to social and environmental causes."

Read

I am now on Chapter 4 of Francine Prose's book, which I first mentioned in Monday's blog. Chapter 2 was all about words, chapter 3 was all about sentences and chapter 4 -- anyone? -- that is correct, is all about paragraphs.

Chapter 3 ended with a wonderful quote from Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, a great little memoir I read in my late twenties (or, uh, last night).

Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going...I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written.

Pretty great words, huh? The author then brings up the interesting concept that Hemingway and others have consistently confused truth with beauty. In art, are they one and the same?

Remember

This year for Halloween I recycled a Daniel Boone costume, made by the talented and resourceful Daniel P. Garlington for one of his costume parties. I had just returned to the Mainland the night before my friends Jason and Jayson were throwing a combination Halloween/housewarming party at their swanky new pad in the up-and-coming South of Madison neighborhood (maybe it deserves to be called SoM?).

Here I am with my good friend Spencer, who went as an Ewok. After some champagne I told him he looked more like be belonged in a nativity scene. Without the mask, it would make more sense.



Worry

Sooner or later my luck with technology is going to run out. Yesterday my iPod nano froze up (this has happened before), but my beloved was able to fix it after I went to bed so I awoke to the familiar joys of a symphony at my fingertips. I wonder, though, if I'm hard on these things. I ruined one while running in the rain and this freezing thing has happened at least three times.



What next? Digital camera?

I must remind myself, especially now at Thanksgiving time, that these are simply ridiculous things to worry about. So I wouldn't have music to listen to while I run? Big deal. We have yet ANOTHER iPod in the house. So I wouldn't be able to take picture for a while. I could go take polaroids and scan them.

Sometimes I drift toward the increasingly popular idea that technology is only making our lives more stressful. But then, without it, I wouldn't be here.

"Icy Hot"

See

Last night's viewing on the Dembiczak-Garlington big screen was Deathproof, the Quentin Tarantino portion of Grindhouse. I now wish I had seen the whole thing in the movie theaters earlier this year, or at least have the opportunity to view the whole thing on one DVD. The Robert Rodriguez portion is #3 in my netflix queue.

It's a pretty simple plot about a guy (Kurt Russell) who likes to kill young, sexy women with his "stuntman" car. While it didn't come close to the brilliance of Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, it was a really enjoyable ride. I enjoyed the second half better, with more believable and engaging characters, though the payoff at the end really was tied to the structure of the first half and it being so true to the horror genre.

That Tarantino sure creates some kick-ass female roles! Whatever people say about him in terms of violence/exploitation, I think it's more than evident that he loves women if you look at his body of work. With this movie, I also came to realize that Rosario Dawson is kind of interesting.



Eat

Looking for a low-carb, light and healthy dinner? Take one package of Caesar-Lite (salad-in-a-bag) and add shrimp, smoked salmon, tomatoes and avocado. Go light on the dressing and only use one tomato (two makes it a bit mushy). You can even throw out the croutons if you're feeling uber-Atkins. Serves two.



Drink

It being the season of all things cranberry, I've been in search of new ways to enjoy cranberry juice in beverages. I recently bought some cranberry-pomegranate juice and added it to unflavored Talking Rain sparkling water. Very refreshing - and - wow, non-alcoholic. Great for an Autumn brunch or if you're the designated driver or for your friend who's come out of rehab to visit for the holidays!



Read

I recently read these two memoirs from survivors of Hansen's disease. Both were exiled to Kaluapapa on the island of Molokai.


While both are worth reading, I found Henry's story more compelling and inspiring. It also seemed to have the benefit of a stronger editor/collaborator. Olivia's story was touching, but the timeline was jumpy and the tone was very angry. Henry was able to move past his diagnosis quickly, to make the disease only one part of his life while ultimately reaching out to educate so many different people (almost, it seems, by accident of his very giving nature).

But what is really striking is how both lived (and continue to live) such long lives, far surpassing so many of their loved ones after being given a death sentence at such a young age. Both were lucky (and unlucky) in love, were able to travel, learn, and grow old with such a remarkable perspective. And after all the confinement and mistreatment, both came to find that Kaluapapa would always be home.

I recommend reading both.

Remember

Last month when we were in Kona I attended my very first real Luau (the only other one I attended was in Vegas at a casino).

Here you will see two men unearthing the pig from the imu, or underground oven.



It is wrapped in banana leaves and has a smoky flavor to it. Along with the kalua pig, other traditional luau foods include lomi lomi salmon, teriyaki chicken and beef, ahi poke (or other seafood), poi (a paste made from taro root), and haupia (a stiff coconut pudding).

There is also an open bar with mai tai punch along with other beverages. After the food is served, performers take you all over Polynesia with different forms of dancing, chanting and costumery. It's a gay old time.

As you can see, we enjoyed ourselves.



Worry

Hate crimes rose by 8% in 2006. Read about it here.

Sometimes I worry about random acts of violence, especially around the holidays or surrounding some other joyous occasion. It's like that part in the movie where everyone is laughing and dancing around and then there's a knock on the door. "Oh, that must be Blank, late again, ha ha."

But it's not Blank. It's a man in a policeman uniform. There's been a shooting.

Stuff like that.

New format

See

On Saturday we bought this:




I'm a wee bit embarrassed for spending so much on such a monstrous television, as it has often been something I've snickered at in the past. But, alas, here we are in our thirties living dangerously close to the city limits. Basically, I love it and I can't believe we waited this long. We told ourselves we'd use our tax return for it and now it's become our early (and only) Christmas present to each other.

Eat

Yesterday I decided to make caramelized apples as a seasonal Sunday treat. It turns out it is very easy. You just slice up some apples (I used Granny Smith) with plenty of butter and then add in some brown sugar. We decided to get crazy and add vanilla, cinnamon and oatmeal. Then top with five times suggested serving size of Cool Whip and add more cinnamon. It's like breakfast!


Drink

On Friday night my friend Ruth came over and other Dan made her a Pumpkin Pie cocktail. I dislike the taste of pumpkin, but those who enjoy it seem to think this is a hit. It is made from pumpkin-infused vodka (homemade!) and amaretto. Shaken and poured into a martini glass.



I chose to drink vodka sodas and then way too many Coronas as the evening went on. I ended up singing Yaz's "Only You" at the Beacon Hill Pub's karaoke night.

Fun time!

Read

I received this book from my parents for my birthday and began reading it yesterday:



The author's point-of-view is that she finds the acamedic approach to literature disheartening and political. She dropped out of graduate school because she found that her peers didn't even enjoy reading books and felt that their job as students was to pick apart the Greats based on contemporary societal trends and politicial correctness. Instead, she wants to focus on the written word and the stories as they were intended by the authors.

So far, oddly, I'm getting waves of nostalgia for my college lit courses. We'll see how it goes. Not a bad read so far....

Remember

Saturday afternoon (prior to purchasing Monster TV) we checked out the new toy store on 12th Avenue on Capitol Hill called Izilla Toys.



The logo is right; it is fun for everyone! Apparently it had a previous location in Madison Valley and has now moved digs. The space is deceptively large and they are about to expand next door to include a separate book section. The owner is incredibly helpful. I told him I was shopping for nephews ages 2, 4 and 7 and he knew exactly where to take me, asking all the right questions and pointing out that their products are all made in safe conditions (not in China) with natural woods and stains.

I easily found 3 gifts, and spotted something very exciting from my own childhood: Smurfs are back! They look a little different, though, and it is cause for some concern as to how much my current stash is worth...but good to know the little blue guys are getting back in the game.

Worry

My right eye was twitching earlier, but now it seems to have stopped. The strange symptom that I thought was dizziness seems to be doing away.

Worried that soon I'll have something new to worry about as it's a somewhat low-anxiety day....

Worry-free zone

So I started this blog to focus primarily on the absurd amount of worrying I do. I thought that by documenting each day the insane things I get myself worked up about, I would thus feel more relaxed.

I was quite worried before leaving for Hawaii that I would not be able to enjoy my vacation because I would be so worried about work (as has been the case in past vacations, though it seems to pass by day 2 or 3). It's been a while since I took 2 weeks off from work, and so I expected to have a hard time letting go.

It really hasn't qualified as a worry! I've thought about it a few times and as we get closer to returning home (sadly), I think a bit more specifically about projects. But the thoughts come and go and fortunately do not latch on.

So what have I been worrying about for the past 8 days?

I did convince myself that Dan was dead when we were snorkeling on the Kona side of the Island. I lost him and the waves were picking up. I wondered how I'd get his body back to Seattle, if they were able to find it. Morbid. Temporary.

I worried briefly about getting eye cancer after seeing a segment on Entertainment Tonight about some actress who had a kid with it and one eye had to be removed!

And that's about all I can think of at the moment! (besides the initial freak-out with the luggage, of course)

Progress on my part. Simply enjoying a vacation. What a concept.

Right now I'm sipping a mai tai up on the "whale tower" of the house we're renting. It's a balcony up on the roof and overlooks the tops of the jungle and the Pacific. I've spent quite a bit of time up here, reading, drinking and sunbathing (no one can see me!).

Hawaii inspires me. I won't go into it too much, but I feel a sense of stillness and peace that I don't experience anywhere else. I look in the mirror less. I get fewer headaches. I enjoy fruit. I smile more. Part of this is vacation, sure. But it's different than being on vacation in Vegas or New York. I can just sit and stare at the ocean or a tree for hours. Normally I would think of that as a stoner/hippie activity.

The day after tomorrow I get on a plane back to my busy life of a 45-hour work week (plus commute time), a gym regime, a social calendar, bills, errands, chores and a dark and dreary climate. Hopefully, I can take some of this home with me and not lapse right back into anxiety. I really do look forward to the coming months of birthdays, holidays, and spending time in our new home.

big island

I haven't posted yet because, well, I've been very busy and preoccupied. I had all the best intentions of starting fresh with my new perspective and intent to share.

And here I am. Sunday night. October 21st. I've been on vacation for 5 days on the Big Island of Hawaii, under the pretense of it being a "working vacation" to find a place for my wedding next year. It's my third trip to Hawaii, in 3 years, and 3rd island. Spent 3 nights on the Kona side and then drove to this house near Kehena Beach on the Hilo side on Friday.

I'm in love. Hawaii just feels right to me.

I'm taking a lot of pictures and will soon post and narrate.

A few highlights: Kona Brewing Company (yummy beers and pizza), kayaking and snorkeling and seeing dolphins near James cook monument, swimming in the pacific ocean, eating fresh passion fruit, my first real luau, a trip to the zoo and drinking a bowl of kava at, yes, a Kava Bar.

And...think we found the perfect spot for the ceremony today. Fingers crossed!

Aloha Air did lose my luggage on the flight in and I did not receive it until 9:30pm that night at the hotel, but aside from that...no drama. It sucked, but I think it's made me appreciate this trip even more. And, for the record, I did reach a point in my bitching/worrying/catastrophosizing where I realized I had no business complaining about losing STUFF when I had reached Paradise. But honestly, I'm really happy to have my clothes, shoes, shaver and cell phone cord back.

aloha!

kana
(dan)