Now that's something you don't see everyday

When Mark and I went running in New York we always went in the morning. Mostly this was due to the fact that for most of the year that was the nicest time of day weather wise. It was also convenient with our schedules. Really morning just worked for us.

One of the things we were really looking forward to when we moved here was the fact that we would be able to run outside all year around. No more trips to the gym in the dead of winter for us. We started with a similar morning running routine here, which worked out at first since we were jet lagged beyond belief and the sun was coming up at 6am. Pretty soon though we were starting later in the morning and it was getting a little uncomfortable to run. We would start in the cool morning air but as soon as the sun came up we would feel the heat. A couple people had told us that the best time to run here was in the evening. I was hesitant. I’ve never been very good at running at the end of the day. I really just want to change straight into my pjs when I get home from work and do nothing.And besides a run at night in Central Park quickly turns into a run for your life in Central Park so we never really did it in New York.

One evening in late October we decided to give it a try. We were careful not to eat too much in the late afternoon (that was another one of my worries, my body was use to running on an empty stomach) and set out around 5ish. It was amazing. A serious revelation. I think that first night we ran 4 miles. It was truly amazing. As you start running the sun is just getting ready to set so the temp starts to go down and as you get closer to the beach (btw we run right along the beach) you catch a bit of a breeze. As the sun continue to sets it gets cooler and we also get to enjoy the sunset.

We've been trying to get out for a run a couple times a week and we've been hitting 3-4 miles each time. Last Thursday I really wanted to break the 4 mile mark and we ended up running about 5.2 at a 10:30 pace. It was so great. I felt so great during and after the run. I've now decided that I want to keep improving. There is a great half marathon training schedule on marathonrookie.com that I used when I was training for the Baltimore half marathon so I thought why don't I use that as an outline. Then I got to thinking why don't I train for an actual half marathon. The Honolulu Half Marathon is the second week in March which gives me plenty on time to get my distance up. There is also an 8 mile run on President's Day that I think I'll do as well, to get me in the racing mood.

I really love running here. It isn't Central Park but it will do.

So This is Christmas(?)

 Well, thanksgiving came and went here and I have to admit, it almost seems like it didn't happen. We were invited to a big group dinner (I brought rolls) and had a really great time with friends and meeting new people. Because we weren't directly involved with the preparing we didn't have the usual bounty of leftovers. The hosts provided to-go boxes for everyone and we were able to bring home enough for a meal or two but not having the days and days worth of leftovers made Thanksgiving feel shorter than normal.

As with the mainland, people here are beginning to decorate for Christmas and the radio stations have begun playing Christmas music. It all seems so out of place. There is a Christmas tree vendor that we pass on the way to the beach and the smell of Christmas trees mixing with the salt air is so weird. I was saying to Mark the other night that I don’t think it will every really feel like Christmas. I suppose I will eventually get use to it. I think part of it is the weather. 

Our Christmas this year will be very low key. We're still recovering from the expense of moving as well as getting use to a lower income than we had in New York. We won’t have a tree and we really don’t have any decorations. That's probably another reason why it doesn't feel like Christmas time. I've got the time off but chances are pretty high that Mark will have to work. In all honesty we’ll do what Mark has been bragging about since before we moved here: spend some of the day at the beach.  I’m sure it sounds unbelievably wonderful and on some level it is but I am going to miss “normal” Christmas.

Official

I now consider myself an official member of the College of Social Sciences, they put my picture up on the website. Everybody knows that is the point when you know you've made it. A picture on the contact us section of a website. What more could a person want out of life?

My new job is going well. Due to Election Day and Veteran's Day I have yet to work a full work week. With Thanksgiving next week I'll have another short week. I think the last week in November will be the first full week for me. At this point the only downside to my job is how incredibly cold it is in my office. There is an AC vent right in front of my desk. I've decided that all my cold weather clothes are going to get some use after all.

Speaking of cold weather the last couple days here have have actually been kinda cool. At night it's been getting down to the low 60s and then today I don't think we broke 80! Added to that it rained a good part of the morning and then was overcast the rest of the day. I think I have acclimatized. We have a church meeting tonight and I am totally wearing my boots. I also pulled out one of my heavier cardigans to wear in the overly air conditioned room.

these boots are made for walkin'

 When I was in France I bought these amazing boots. They’re perfect. They fit over my calves (finding a pair that did was no small task), they have a nice low heel and they are just plain gorgeous. I think I wore them non-stop the first 6 months after I bought them.  I kept wearing them when we moved to New York but it soon became apparent that they were in need of some TLC. I was wearing out the heel and some of the stitching in the back was coming undone.  Into my closet they went for almost a year as I kept meaning to get them repaired. I finally got around to fixing them last spring. When I first got them back they were really stiff and slightly uncomfortable to wear. The more I wore them though the softer the leather got.

When we were packing to move to Hawaii there was discussion as to what to do with our winter clothes. We got rid of a lot, mostly stuff that we hadn’t really worn/used and decided to bring the rest of it with us to Honolulu. We knew we would be traveling back to the northwest for visits and unless we went in late summer we would need jackets and sweaters. My boots fell under that umbrella as well.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to pull my boots out and wear them to work. It was a little cloudy when I left home and as per usual I knew my office was going to be freezing. I posted a picture on Facebook of me wearing boots and got all sorts of comments about wearing them in Honolulu. Before I wore them to work I don’t think I had seen anyone else wearing boots. I have since seen a few other women wearing them. I wore them again to church on Sunday and when I was complimented on my outfit I mentioned that the boots were probably an odd choice but I wanted to wear them. The girl I was talking to replied that she had a pair of boots but she only wore them at night because she felt funny wearing them during the day when the sun was shinning. I wore them again the other day and received all sorts of compliments. Mark and I have decided that everyone is simply jealous of my gumption and wish they too could be on the cutting edge of fashion.

I have decided to throw caution in the wind and single-handedly make wearing boots in Honolulu acceptable.

Phew

Wow, what a week.

Last Saturday we took the bus up to Laie. It was Mark's birthday and we wanted to get out of Honolulu and we really wanted to go to the temple there. We took the bus up, which while convenient it was kinda long. It was nice seeing more of the island though. For the last 45 mins of the trip we were right along the water. As per usual it was a beautiful day. After the temple we went to a plate lunch place where Mark got $15 worth of steak, shrimp, rice and mac salad. It was his birthday after all.


When we got home we were planning on a nice quite evening. I made Mark his birthday cake and we were peacefully watching a Les Miserable concert on PBS when suddenly it was interrupted with an emergency notice of a tsunami warning! To be perfectly honest the threat of tsunamis was something that I didn't even think about before moving here. We flipped around the different news channels but it seemed like no one really knew what was going on. There were sirens down at Wakiki and other beaches that we could hear at our apartment. We eventually found out that we're not in an evacuation zone but we still stayed up until after the tsunami had meant to hit us. Nothing really happened but it was exciting.

Monday I had to go all over Pearl City trying to find some random clinic so I could get a TB shot for my job. Apparently all state employees have to have a shot. The clinic had just changed locations to a temporary place way up in the hills of Pearl City. What I thought was only going to take me an hour and a half tops ended up taking me almost 4. Needless to say when I finally went back to my temp job I was more than a little flustered.

Monday night and most of Tuesday was spent worrying about all our friends and family on the East Coast. I still can't believe how much damage Sandy cause. It's hard to think about New York shutting down.

Wednesday morning I had to go back to the TB clinic to get my arm looked at to make sure I didn't have TB (I don't). This time I left really early in the morning and managed to only show up 2 hours late to my temp job. Mark had a job interview at Safeway. They him right there and he starts training on Monday. In celebration of his job and of my new one starting the next day we went to this burger place called Honolulu Burger Co. It was super yummy. Mark got this huge burger that had a 1/3 lb patty, black forest ham, kalua pork and bacon on it. Yes, it was obscene as it sounds. They have possibly the best sweet potato fries at this place.

On Thursday I started my new job at University of Hawaii. I'm working in the College of Social Sciences. When I applied for this job I was so excited about it and out of all the jobs I applied for it was one that I really wanted to get. I work in an absolutely beautiful building and I get a Mac! They asked me when I got there Thursday morning which I preferred and totally jumped on the chance to use a Mac at work. I really like my office. There are about 10 of us and it seems like everyone works together really well. It is so great being back on a college campus. I was temping at a bank and I felt totally out of place. UH feels a lot like NAU which I really like as well.

Friday was actually the chillest day of the week. Mark made some seriously tasty pad Thai for dinner and that was about it.

This morning we woke up early to help clean the church building. We got there 5 minutes late and most of the work had already been done. Apparently some men show up super early and do most of the cleaning then.

We met up with some friends to go on a hike a little later. There are a bunch of hikes really close to Honolulu. We went on one called the Makiki Valley Loop. It wasn't super hard but it was beautiful. We went up into the rainforest that is literally minutes away from the city. A couple of times you could actually see the city through the trees. You'll notice the hazy sky, that's due to the vog. Yes, that is a real thing, just look it up. It gets really bad when we have winds from Kona on the Big Island. Once the trade winds come back things will clear up nicely.


Tonight we are kicking back with a movie and popcorn. I am definitely sleeping in tomorrow!

The Aloha Shirt

I have news for all you mainlanders, the aloha shirt isn't just for awkward corporate luaus, awkward high school phases or vacations to Florida. They are worn here on a daily basis by everyone. They are the uniform for grocery stores like Safeway, all the bus drivers wear them and they are totally acceptable work attire. I've been temping at a bank here and on the first day they gave me the dress code and it explicitly said that aloha shirts were "appropriate business wear". I think on any given day I see more men wearing aloha shirts than I do regular dress shirts.

One of the coolest aloha shirt shops here was visited by Anthony Bourdain when he came to Honolulu. Fast forward to about 2:40. It's about 3 mins long. Mark really wants the airplane one. We actually walked past this store a couple of weeks ago. We didn't go in but we will make in it there eventually.

time to catch a limo...?

I have seen more limos in the last month than the entire two years I was in New York. Granted I wasn't in prime limousine territory living what Mark calls "basically Harlem". Usually when we went down to Time Square we would see one. Mark's uncle, who's been coming to Honolulu twice a week every other week, says they (the limos) try and pick people up for fares like cabs. As long as the limos here don't start honking at me like the town cars did in New York I'm fine.

We've decided that one reason for all the limos is that Honolulu is all about the destination weddings. Speaking of weddings we see so many couples (mostly Asian) posing for pictures on the beach. We once saw 5 couples in matter of about 90 minutes.

trust no one

Since leaving New York Mark and I have noticed a few things about ourselves. Out of many one we noticed recently is our heightened suspicion of those around us. Saturday night Mark was walking home from the church building (we live about 5 blocks away) and he grew more and more suspicious of some guy walking behind him with a grocery bag. He was convinced that the guy was going to mug him and take his electronics and put them in the grocery bag with all the other electronic devices he had taken. Mark got himself all worked up until it hit him that the guy was probably just walking home from the grocery store (there are 3 within those 5 blocks).

When he got home and told me about it I totally understood what he was feeling. There is something about walking alone down the street that makes a person really pay attention to anything that goes on around you. In New York you do that constantly. An empty street most likely meant that you were going to get mugged. Here people just don't walk around as much.

It's just one more thing we have to get use to.

the space-time continuum

With any travel comes the greatly feared and much talked about jet-lag. Mark and I were hoping with the stop over on the west coast the transition would be easy. It didn't. Now we're just stuck on pacific time. The first couple mornings we were here we were waking up at about 3am. I usually went back to sleep but Mark was not as lucky. Added to this problem is sunset here happens at about 6:30pm, right about the time we would be going to bed in Oregon. Oh and it goes down fast. By 6:45pm it's totally dark. Forget about twilight here. Tonight after dinner I picked up a few remaining items that still don't have a home in our new place and then settled down on bed at which point Mark reminded me that it was only 7pm. Talk about disappointment.

Water Sports

Spearfishing. Mark has been talking about wanting to learn how to spearfish since we first decided to move to Honolulu. As luck would have it Zak's (we're staying at his house until we get our own place) son loves to go spearfishing. We met Jimmy on Sunday and he invited us to go with him on Monday. I had not anticipated going myself but somehow I ended up in the water with a snorkel on and a 3 pronged spear in my hand. First off, before Monday I had never been snorkeling. When I first put on the snorkel and tried breathing I had a mini panic attack. I wasn't really sure how to breath. I came up out of the water for a minute or so until I figured out how to breath solely through my mouth.

Once we got going to was incredible. We went just off Waikiki along the coral. There were so many different kinds of fish, they were so beautiful. I just didn't have it in me to spear any of them. I did try a couple of times but I couldn't do it. We were out for about 2 hours and the time passed so quickly. I took a picture of Mark in is slightly too small wet suit but we can't find the cord to connect the camera to the computer so that will have to wait.

My view

Yesterday we met up with Mark's uncle who was in town for the day to go surfing. Well Mark went surfing. I sat myself down on the beach, slathered myself with sunscreen and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Mark had a blast. I took another picture of him but like I said before, no cord. We were down at Waikiki again and while it's a nice beach I don't think I'll make it a habit to go there often. There were so many tourists. All the big hotels are right there. By the time we left a little after 10:30am it was packed.

Today we signed our lease and moved into our new apartment. We went with the 2 bedroom basement apartment. We really love it. We're not sure what to do with the space yet but as soon as we have furniture we'll play around with it and make it work. Maybe once we have more stuff in our place I'll post some pictures.

So they really don't have sidewalks here. Especially in the residential areas. I took this picture as we were walking to the bus yesterday. There is grass all the way up to the curb and you just walk on it. Coming from New York it's more than a little weird.

Gone Fishing?

We're going spearfishing tomorrow...well Mark is going spearfishing. I'm going to snorkel. Earlier I saw this video. I think I'll stick to snorkeling.

Day One

Our first full day in Hawaii is coming to a close and it has been a great day. We tried sleeping in this morning but Mark and I were both wide awake at 5am. I was able to doze back to sleep but Mark was up for good. We had an appointment this morning to see an apartment. It was...small...and kinda dirty. We didn't like it. We had another appointment to see another apartment later in the morning and we were really hoping it was nice. We had our doubts after the first one.

The second place was really nice. It's a 2 bedroom basement unit with a full kitchen (no dishwasher :/ ) shared laundry with the nice lady who lives upstairs and all utilities included. We really liked it. It's a little more than we were thinking we wanted to pay but with all the utilities included (electricity runs $125-$150) we're ok with it. They are doing a bit more work on the place over the weekend (new tile in the shower) and we're going to go back on Tuesday and make a decision.

We saw a third apartment this afternoon that was nicer than the first one but not as nice as the second. It's pretty unlikely that we'll take it.

Ala Moana

For lunch we walked around Honolulu a bit. We went to a hot dog place called Hank's Haute Dogs. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Here is a link to the segment on you tube). It was really good. I got a chicken dog with mango relish and Mark got a bacon wrapped, deep fried hot dog. After lunch we walked down to the beach. We went to Ala Moana State Park. It was so nice. It wasn't crowded and the sand was nice without a lot of pebbles. We walked along the water for a bit and then found a shaded bench where we could relax.

In the early evening Zak (he's the guy we're staying with. We knew two of his grandsons in New York) drove us up to Makiki Round Top to see the view of the city. It was beautiful. You can see all of Honolulu. The picture included is looking out over Manoa Valley. University of Hawaii is in the middle ground and Diamond Head is the crater in the background.

A few differences I've noticed so far. There is an actual parking attendant to take your money as you leave the airport parking lot. There is actually a Hawaiian accent

For the most part it was a good day. I am still coming to terms with the fact that we've actually moved to Honolulu but I'm getting there.

On to the next adventure

Well we did it. We left New York. All of last week I was extremely nervous and apprehensive about leaving. I think most of it came from the stress of packing and knowing I was going to have to say goodbye to our lives in New York. We left early on Saturday and got into Seattle right about lunch time. We spent a lovely afternoon with Mark's family and then drove down to Salem that evening. About 20 hours after leaving New York we finally went to bed, completely exhausted.

Now that the actually leaving of New York is over I am feeling so much better. I am so excited to get to Honolulu on Friday. We might have two apartments to look at on Saturday already! The joys of having people in Honolulu that are so willing to help us. We aren't even there yet and we have met some really amazing people. We still really want to spend Saturday at the beach. We still will try but we really want to find a place to live.

Honolulu is going to be really fantastic. We are both so excited to start this new chapter of our lives. I am going to try and post on here more so we can share all the fun and new experiences.

running

Mark and I recently (January) joined a gym. While New York is a great place to run the cold, dark, and windy days of winter made it really hard to get out in the mornings. It's been great going to a gym 3 times a week (when we do) and I love getting exercise first thing in the morning. As spring has started we have ventured outside again and I can say with much certainty that I prefer running outside to spending 30 minutes on a treadmill. There is something so mind numbing about a treadmill. While running outside I can see my progress rushing past me. On a treadmill I am exactly where I started when I finish. Sure the thing says I've run almost 2.5 miles but that isn't enough.





This morning it was light enough and warm enough to go for a quick run. We went to Morningside Park which is only a block or so from out apartment. Morningside Park has quite the reputation. It separates the beginnings of Harlem from Columbia and many students are told to just avoid it completely. I've never felt particularly unsafe there but I am usually with Mark or it's the middle of the day. I think in the last few years its become a better place than it was but the reputation as stuck. It is certainly full of interesting people. This morning we saw some guy peeing next to a tree while having a conversation with a lady walking her dog and some other guy taking practice shots with a pile of golf balls and a nine iron.



It really is a beautiful park

 I am really looking forward to the days when we are able to go out and enjoy the parks more (even with the weirdos).

Birthday

Today was my birthday. On the advice of a coworker I decided to take the day off. Great call. Mark and I were able to sleep in which was great as it was a gym day so we would normally be waking up at 6 am. Since I wasn't working we could take our time. I woke up at 6:45.

We've had some great weather but instead of the beautiful sunny day we woke up to overcast with a bit a drizzle. Luckily the drizzle didn't stick around. I convinced Juliana to take the day off as well so we all went down to the West Village to an area called Little Britain to a restaurant called A Salt & Battery for fish and chips. There is another British shop/restaurant next door called Tea and Sympathy and they have a real London cab complete with left hand drive and an UK license plate. It was pretty cool. The fish and chips were really tasty. We walk around for a bit and then headed home for a nap. For dinner we went to a really tasty hole in the wall that serves amazing fresh sandwiches and wraps. We got it to go and took it home and watched The Muppet Movie. Hilarious.

All in all it was a really great birthday. Super chill, just the way I like it.

Brunch

Brunch is a quintessential Manhattan experience. Mark and I had never been, so after our run yesterday we went to a place called Manchester Diner. Now, a lot of the major restaurants do brunch on the weekends and its no joke. There is even a website brunchinnewyork.com where you can go and read reviews and make reservations etc. Manchester Diner is a small neighborhood diner so they aren't on that site. They are also decidedly cheaper than a lot of places in the city.

Any who. We sit down immediately which is nice. I was afraid we were going to have to wait but apparently most people are still hung over from the night before and don't make it in before noon. When we first sat down they just gave us the normal breakfast menu so Mark had to ask for the brunch menu. The first thing listed was eggs Benedict. I knew that was it for me. It was a fairly simple menu with 3 different kinds of eggs Benedict (normal, smoked salmon, and crab cakes). There were a couple frittas, a Greek yogurt parfait, a Mexican wrap and a few other things.When the lady came up to take our order Mark decided he was going to be "that guy" and after asking for the brunch menu order something off the regular breakfast menu because he wanted pancakes. The food was really good. I am always slightly wary of ordering eggs Benedict because of the hollandaise sauce. But these eggs Benedict were just amazing and the hollandaise was perfect.

Brunch is definitely a new favorite and if you've never been before I would suggest it.

Right Outside My Window

This week marks 2 years since I've moved to New York. It's been fantastic. New York is an incredibly original city with a very diverse population. You can always find something to do here. I have really enjoyed living here and I've never really worried about living here. That is until this past week...

Last Friday Mark and I had just left the gym when we heard a loud crunching sound behind us. We turned to see that a minivan had run into the back of a parked city bus and was then subsequently t-boned by a FedEx truck. You would think living in a city with as much traffic that New York has a person would see more accidents. Well, in the two years I have been here that was the first accident I have ever seen. Mark went over to check on the guy and he claimed to be doing alright despite spitting a suspicious amount of blood.

The night before last we were rudely awoken by the sound of gunshots. There were 4 to start followed by a couple more. I think Mark would have slept right through them had I not jostled him awake when the last shot went off. He will say otherwise, that he was awake and alert, like a "jungle cat" (his words, not mine). When I looked out the window there were two cop cars down the street and they looked like they had been there for a while, their lights weren't on. Mark told me to go back to sleep and then turned over and did just that. I had a harder time falling back asleep. I realized that though I knew and heard about shootings in New York I never expected one to wake me up in the middle of the night. Yesterday I scoured the web trying to find any information about what had happened to no avail. We'll probably never know what happened, Mark thinks it was a drug bust gone wrong but I'm not sure about that.

While my first experience isn't anything too shocking the second causes a person to pause. I don't think it's change how I feel about New York, I still love this city and I am so amazed that I have been able to live here. After all of this the next logical step can only be a giant gorilla attack. I'll let you know how it goes.

the weird things you see...

...on a New York City sidewalk. I was walking home from work the other night and I walked past a livery cab driver spray painting some random piece of something next to his car and I realized that New Yorkers will do just about anything on the sidewalk or the street. New Yorkers don't have front yards or backyards. They don't have their own garage or drive way. Many things that would normally get done in those places occure instead on the sidewalk.

When I got home the other night I asked everyone what the weirdest thing they ever saw someone do on a sidewalk and the popular answer was pee. There is a lot of public urination that happens here. One hopes, as they are walking down the street, that the puddles of pee are from dogs not humans but you can never be sure. My personal favorite is the curbside car wash. This may just be in my neighborhood but it makes me smile whenever I see it. Basically some guy has a shopping cart that's full of buckets of soapy water, rags and squeegees and he will wash cars wherever they are. The best is when they are moving from one car to the next pushing their shopping cart full of sloshing water managing to not spill a drop. Just imagine what this guy does but mobile.

I usually walk the same 10 blocks to and from work so I see the same things everyday with little variety. Mark has been temping for the University as a messenger so he really gets around the Upper West Side. He'll tell us about the things he sees and in the last few days he has told us some really good ones. A personal favorite is when he saw two hobos fighting over the same street corner. The so called owner of the street corner was accusing the other hobo of stealing the spot and subsequently any change to be earned. He even went as far as to try and take the change the spot stealing hobo had in his cup. It's a pretty funny image.

I think all of the weird things that happen on the streets help make New York what it is. Without them, it wouldn't be the same.