Let's Have a Poem Shall We

Someone got me started thinking about poetry today. Here's one I've always liked:


Alone
By Edgar Allen Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

Clap Three Times

Our newest roommate Ashley arrived last Wednesday and it has been a great addition to the crew out here! On Friday night Ashley and I met up with some of my SBC coworkers at Hula Grill for Kava Tea Night. Kava is a traditional polynesian drink that was customarily consumed by Hawaiian royalty. It has mild sedative effects:

Pharmacodynamics

Effects of kavalactones include mild sedation, a slight numbing of the gums and mouth, and vivid dreams. Kava has been reported to improve cognitive performance and promote a cheerful mood. ^[6] Muscle relaxant, anaesthetic, anticonvulsive and anxiolytic effects are thought to result from direct interactions of kavalactones with voltage-gated ion channels. ^[7] Research currently suggests that kavalactones potentiate GABA_A activity but do not alter levels of dopamine and serotonin in the CNS. ^[8] Heavy, long-term kava use does not cause any reduction of ability in saccade and cognitive tests but is associated with elevated liver enzymes. ^[9]

Desmethoxyyangonin, one of the six major kavalactones, is a reversible MAO-B inhibitor (Ki 280 nM)^[10] and is able to increase dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. This finding might correspond to the slightly euphoric action of kava.^[11

To drink Kava, which is a cold brewed tea, you first clap once, drink the entire cup immediately and then clap three times when finished. There was a great singer at the Hula and I took a video of him singing IZ's "Over the Rainbow" but I can't figure out how to load it onto here...

I have neglected this blog

I kept meaning to write in here but something always distracts me. That, and the fact that we all have to fight for internet time with our one plug in. Living in Waikiki has been a great experience so far, and I am finally beginning to adjust to the constant and almost oppressive heat (poor me). I have been working at Seattle's Best Coffee and am really liking it, the only trouble is the money: it doesn't pay as well as Cruisin and I am living in an expensive city, so I may have to look around for something a little more lucrative, and by that I mean something that pays more than $11 an hour.

I am very excited for people to come visit! I would even be excited if some people called me back (you all know who you are) because we don't have that many friends out here yet...

Last week C and I went to North Shore, a little town called Haleiwa (pronounced Hala - eva) which is reputed to have some of the best surfing in the world and the best sno-cones. We found it is a little difficult to eat them before they melt though... as for surfing, well I haven't tried it yet. Maybe when people come to visit.

What else is there to do besides lay on the beach? I spend a lot of time relaxing, playing yahtzee, reading, and doing crossword puzzles. I know that sounds grandma-ish, but it's fun! We have found some of the best drink specials in Waikiki and, my personal favorite, the best dessert in town. Did I mention you all should come visit?!

KJ(Not Dub)

I have spent the better part of thirty minutes surfing through one of my favorite sites (dictionary.com) in hopes of finding the perfect adjective with which to describe my Waikiki building manager KJ when we complain to his boss. Here are a few that I thought were appropriate:

Petulant: moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, esp. over some trifling annoyance

Curmundgeonly: brusque and surly and forbidding; "crusty remarks"; "a crusty old man"

Imperious: domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing

Thank you dictionary.com. Let me tell you a few anecdotes to help you understand:
1) I am minding my own business in the elevator when KJ boards. He turns to me and says, "You know, the pool guy had to clean up your mess today." "What mess?" I reply. "You know. All those cigarette butts you and your friends have been dropping from your lanai. Are you all about through with that?" Wanting to clear this up quickly I say, "Umm, KJ, my roommates and I don't smoke, none of us do..." "Sure," he quips back, "None of you would do that. Just keep in mind that someone ELSE has to pick up these things" Sensing his obvious disbelief in my innocence, I scramble to defend my reputation and find myself saying, "KJ, three of the four of us have severe asthma, we definitely would not smoke in in our apartment!" As unbelievable a lie as it is, KJ seems relieved, "Oh you do? Good. I'm glad to hear that."
2) Harrison leaves his keys in the elevator. It may be important to note here that you cannot go up or down in the elevator without keys, meaning that Harrison spent the weekend waiting outside the building for someone else to let him up, and was unable to go down in the elevator without one of us going too. Keys are extra important here. After searching for them over the weekend to no avail, Harrison visits KJ's office Monday afternoon to ask if anyone has turned them in. He tells KJ that his keys are on a key ring with a bright orange flip-flop key chain (a gift from our landlord) so they are hard to miss. KJ says he hasn't seen them, but that he does have the mail key our landlord sent him for us. As he opens his top desk drawer to retrieve the mail key, Harrison spies a bright orange flip-flop. "Hey!! That's my key!" KJ, caught, hands Harrison the missing keys on the flip-flop key ring saying, "Yeah, someone turned them in Friday, I just wanted to teach you a lesson." Let me also note here that KJ lives in the building and could have returned them over the weekend, and that at least once a week there is a note in the elevator from some tenant who left his or her keys in the elevator lock. Why does KJ pick on us? I don't know, these are a few small examples of our encounters with KJ.

Waikiki

Okay okay, finally a new post (finally internet). Have been in Hawaii for about three weeks or so, and so far, it's great! Obviously I miss a few bham things: my family, the better lovers, the beav, and yes, even the rain. My translucent skin and I are still trying to adjust to the constant sunshine and 80 degree weather. So far we haven't ventured too far outside of Waikiki, but Celina and I did visit a nice quiet beach the other day called "Sandy Beach," creative eh? It is also known as break-neck beach because the waves break so hard on the shore that if you get caught up in them you can literally break yourself. Don't worry, I already experienced the unseen wave and my subsequent underwater tumble through the sand onto shore. When I got home not only was there sand in my bottoms, but I found a rock the size of marble had also made it in there somehow. Don't ask me how I didn't notice that until I got home. I think I was too water logged and confused from my wave ass-kicking.

I want to learn to surf. I told a few people this (ahem, Sarah) and shortly thereafter received a wall post linking me to an article about "Surfer's Myelopathy: first time surfer's go paralyzed in Hawaii" Thanks.

I got a job as a barista for Seattle's best. I like the girls who work there a lot and the location (across the street from Waikiki Beach) but tips haven't been as good as they were at Cruisin'... I am told this is normal for coffee houses as opposed to coffee stands. Hopefully I can support myself on what I am making so that I don't have to get a second job. Milk out here costs $8, and I like milk.

I also am dependent on public transportation out here. It's quite an experience since I have never had a bus pass and very rarely ever took a bus in Bellingham. I find it's a pretty great spot for people watching. Today I saw a very old lady fall asleep on the bus, and I thought maybe she had died. I started to get pretty worried but she woke up after the bus came to a sudden halt. I wondered what buses do in case of on-board emergencies. Does the whole bus detour to the hospital or do they pull over and wait for an ambulance? I also saw two Germans in wacky outfits and a cute curly haired kid who liked to read out the names of all the stores we passed. People on the bus often smell, and it is difficult to go grocery shopping without a car, but other than that I really like it.

Well, there is a really nice sunset going on that I can see from the Lanai, so I am going to wrap this up by saying, our condo has plenty of couch and floor space, so come visit!

First Amendment Still Rocks

One more reason I am ever grateful for the first amendment. What if we lived in a country where you could be sentenced to a year of labor for petitioning the government to peaceably assemble in protest?

Fall is Coming! Fall is Coming! Fall is Coming!

It starting to get to that point where you can feel it in the air. I love fall for many reasons: the smell of the air, the crisp breeze, warm sweaters, cozy fireplaces, and best of all; new beginnings. The onset of fall is even more a "fresh-slate feeling" than the new year. Maybe we are conditioned to think that way because that's when each new school year began, but even now that I'm out of school, it still feels that way. I also know I am a true Pacific Northwesterner at heart because all the rain makes me feel good, fresh and secure, I find myself looking forward to those drizzly days. Yay fall in Bellingham, I heart you. I hope I get to experience you before I go.