the sequester

When I moved away from DC I was not at all sad to leave all the politics behind. Living there a person can't avoid the daily conversation of politics and living there during an election year magnified it all. I really haven't paid too much attention to the politics of Washington in the last 3 years. Since leaving DC I've felt very removed from what goes on there. But now our lives and what is happening in them are directly tied to what happens there in the next couple of days.

Mark is currently in the hiring process to become an air traffic controller, something that he has been working towards for the last 2+ years. Last May he received his tentative offer letter which told him where he would be working and it also started the hiring process. We have since been waiting for him to be placed in a training class in Oklahoma City and from there he would begin working full time doing something that he loves. We've never know exactly when he would be placed in a class. There are many variables that go into the whole process but for the last few months it has been our understanding that he would most likely go into a class sometime between April and September of this year. That was until it appeared that the sequester was going to happen. The FAA is going to implement a hiring freeze along with furloughs for current employees. They will also need to close the training center in Oklahoma City. There is now no indication as to when he will received a final offer letter and be off to train in his dream job. He is not the only one. There are literally thousand of others who rely on the government for employment that face similar situations.

We had made a lot of plans based on Mark beginning his career. We moved 5,000 miles last fall to a new city with just our suitcases and some boxes. We've put off buying a car, relying on public transport and friends to get places. We've also, and this is probably the hardest thing, put off starting a family. Something that we both desperately want. There are many other things we would like to be able to do, things we want to buy and places we want to visit but all those things are now placed on hold. We are now forced to live our lives in a state of stagnation.

There is a lot I don't know or understand about the sequester, budgets and the economy. All I know is that Mark and I are facing a terribly depressing turn of events. The worst part is that we have done nothing to bring this on ourselves. Many people try and point fingers in an attempt to place blame. The fact of the matter is, the game of politics is being played by both sides and those who will be hurt the most are simply spectators.

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.