Goings on

Tales and anecdotes with no rhyme or reason to the presentation

The day was overcast and cool, rain piddled down on us while we scoured tide pools for signs of life. The rowdy ocean crashed behind us, alerting us to our intransigence and folly at being so close to a shelf and rabid water, backs turned against the power. Finally good sense took over and away we moved. The ocean sighed in relief at the return of good sense. Back in the Civic, attempting to pull out of the parking spot a minivan taxicab cut us off, the driver yelling out the window as he parked alongside. A coffee cup, forgotten on the roof had impelled the kind stranger to overtures of helpfulness. Once the wayward cup settled back into the bosom of safety we thanked the kind sir. With a giggle he said: "Of course! Now it's time for a smoke!" And up he lit his pipe, not of the normal kind. With acrid smoke lingering in our noses off we went to another safer set of tide pools.

A single hour of work had passed by. In the yard rakes collected lava rocks and leaves and detritus from various tropical creations. These piles made their way into a wheelbarrow by way of my gloved hands, thence conveyed into a large pile of rotting rubble at the property's edge. Moving into a solid groove we steadily cleared the yard in preparation of renewal. Until the wind picked up. And gray clouds not so much scudded as bullied their way into the sky overhead. Eventually, cold rain drops began to fall and a nodding of heads conferred the wisdom of a hasty retreat onto us. Within minutes of driving off the property the rain began to fall in earnest. Winds pushed the car from centerline to edge line and back. Makai, a water spout over the ocean caught the attention of drivers who paused in their forward progress to gawp. We arrived home, grabbed our gear and madly dashed into the ohana. As the screen door wicked shut the storm gathered in intensity and started began to try. Sheets of rain cascaded off the roof and into the pool. Leaves and branches and the random farm fowl flew past the windows. Nary a drop of rain entered the windows so there we stood, taking it all in. Gray clouds turned black; lightning strikes bounded forward and ricocheted off the surrounding hills. Winds of horrible strength threatened the trees and the cows moaned in agony. One "ping" preceded another and then another and soon the yard filled with marble-sized balls of hail. And then it ended. Much too soon for our intense-storm deprived psyches.

New Years Eve 2009 in Hilo, HI. A pregnant woman and her husband, me and my lady. A dinner of daal and flat bread followed by several games of Wii Mario Cart. I'd not played the game since college, when it served a worthy distraction from class. Video games have come a long way since then. The ladies deferred from playing; Jimmy and I went to town. Just when I'd reached my limit, his pregnant lady said: "no more," and off it went. Did I mention that the game was played not on a tv screen but projected onto a pull-down screen. In place of the game came the movie: "The Fall". Quite good. Just writing about the night makes me feel old, as it bears little comparison to last year's loud dance party at the Holocene. Instead of dancing and boozing each couple reclined and cuddled on a couch while the movie played inside, and every house in town lit off fireworks outside. As midnight neared the movie we moved outside as the intensity of banging out-gunned the movie's sounds. Sparklers and pictures (see below) entertained us for a while. Midnight bonged, the frequency of serious explosives increased and we kissed. The year 2009 ended, the year 2010 began. Amazing. Since the outside noise now diminished, finishing the movie was possible though only two of us made it through. Are we old? Perhaps. I'm ok with that. A reflection on the amazing year that was 2009 is yet to come.