May 28, 2015......

Tonight was a Frisbee night.  I regret a bit letting that title go out there, instead of calling it an Ultimate Frisbee night.  People only seem to register with Frisbee golf when you say that you are playing "Frisbee tonight".  It is incredibly different.

Regardless, it was a great night.  Unfortunately, lately, a great night for me at Ultimate is leaving it all thinking I might have taught our mentally indigent player a little bit about sportsmanship.  I don't know where he grew up, but he just doesn't seem to get it.

After the games, 5 of us sat around doing a new Friday thing which involves drinking beer and just chilling and talking.  It's kind of nice and relaxing right there on the field in the spiky little Kwaj grass.  Ted, an MIT employee, James (from my San Juan Lab), Ray (also from my San Juan Lab), Phelia, a school teacher, and I just kind of chill and talk about the game and have a few beers.  Its very nice and relaxing.

Its funny because tonight before the game, I was just laying there because no one was there yet.  James comes up and says "get up, trust me just get up and let's throw the Frisbee" ...so I get up, and he tells me Brandi is coming.

We went to the Vets Hall after the game and after the cordial after the game.  James, Ted and I.  Brandi, Midori, and .....well there was only about 6 people in there.  Brandi was drunk, she tried to fix me up with Amy (long story, short story).....

The cool thing, besides having drunk Brandi hanging all over me, was the ride home.  I wish I had pictures.  It's good every time.

Tonight, the moon was lighting up the puffy random cumulus clouds that looked very surreal.  It sounds incredibly weak to describe them that way, but it was hard to stop looking while pedaling back to my shoebox.  It's always hard to pay attention to the road on the way home later at night here, but tonight it wasn't just beautiful stars and moon, the clouds added to it all in a great way I'll never be able to describe.  It could be that its always like that and its just the euphoria of a few beers after a great day that makes me take it all in....in a more positive way.

5-29-15

Saturday night.  I went to the Ocean View Club, or better known as the Snake Pit.  I was talking to Sandra.  I think she's the head of the kitchen, but she also lives in the shoebox next to mine.  She's a large black woman who came from Alaska.  Super nice, very easy to talk to, and of course fun to be around.  We were talking about the weird social dynamics around this island.  It's weird in the sense that you have to get along with people, you're kind of forced to.  You work with them, or they serve your food, or they are your client, or any other example you can think of.  Even if you don't really like them, you just can't completely blow them off and be done with them, as might happen on a more populated island (ie the States).  Superficial politeness abounds, even with those that actually like you, but haven't exactly accepted you for one reason or another.  Subtle blowoffs are common.  As an example, I tried to buy (the young leader of the "non active clan"...that's what I'll call them) a drink while I was buying one of the helicopter maintenance guys I know a drink.  He says "No, I got it".  The same guy earlier at dinner said he had been making homemade salsa all day, and at dinner, while sitting directly across from me, told my roommate, not me, that he should come try some.  Subtle.  I watched him interact with another co worker tonight who asked if he could borrow his golf cart that he rented, and he told the guy that the place he wanted to go was closed, rather than just saying "no"(everyone knew the place was open).  Sandra and I both agreed that everyone does it, including both of us.  Maybe its just easier to keep things civil rather than just be downright honest.  Some might say its lack of spine not to just call it like it is.  Maybe it is, but the guy who cooks our breakfast, runny eggs and he never gives you enough of anything.  Do you say "Hey man, do you mind cooking the eggs a bit more?" Do you risk insulting him and end up with some fecal matter in your eggs or do you just eat the runny eggs?  Do you tell the idiot you play a sport with what you really think or do you ostracize him from anything else you can?  I've told a lot of people back in Ohio, about the meetup group that I joined 8 years ago, and finally started participating in 6 years ago.  There were 3000 members, most of them not active, but in the six years of being in that group I can safely say there was none of the weirdness that is here.  There might have been one ....kind of asshole, but he wasn't even that bad.  Everyone was accepting, everyone tried really hard to be polite and get along.  There were some odd people, but completely nice and polite and easy to be around.  The only difference is ...that the meetup group was completely a social group, while this island is mainly about work for most people.  I guess too, that its that we are so forced upon each other here...

That all sounds terribly negative, but it really isn't.  I mean Sandra told me at the end that "you probably don't notice any of it cause you are always running around doing your thing...you don't let any of the negativity catch you because you move to much".  My roommate, and coworker, James, wants to go to our island thrift shop and buy $1000 worth of kids stuff and take it to Ebeye and give it away.  Sean the guy I surf with, actually everyone I surf with is completely cool and accepting, but Sean and his girlfriend have made me like a brother inviting me to dinners,and movie nights.  Tim helped me get my b boat license.  There's a ton of great people here, just not enough like I had in Ohio....

Here's some pics...

This is  James.  I am Groot

Emily,  The drunk guys replacement

The rest  of them

 

May 24th, Sunday (of Memorial Day)

One, long standing resident, tried to start the "first annual Kwaj beer mile".  He used a public email list to promote it.  His name is also Ben.  He's a bit older, but in great shape.  He did the "Rustman", which is the Kwaj version of the Ironman.  1000 yard swim, 26 mile bike and a 10k run.  So he has all the credentials needed to make a successful running "event".  Apparently, the colonel didn't feel the same way about the whole deal.   The "First annual Kwaj beer mile" included running a quarter of a mile, drinking a beer (at least 5% alcohol), then continuing on like that for a mile.  It sounded perfectly, sophomorically fun to me, and also a bit "loose" for this Island.

Turns out it was.  The next email I received was a complete shutdown of the event. Mostly for all the reason you might suspect....stupidity, insensitivity and the like.....throw in Memorial Day weekend into that mix and well, you get the idea.

I think I have pink eye.  I have one eye that, well, isn't right in the morning, or all day for that matter.  I also have some sinus thing going on.  There is something going around here that is taking people out for days.  I think I just had some ocean water shoved up my nose so far it caused a little sinus infection.  I talked to my buddy Josh, in Corpus Christi Texas the other day (his birthday), and he told me about the troubles he's had with his sinuses learning to paddle board in bigger surf.  Sometimes, after an evening of surfing, I'll go home, go to bed later, wake up at three am in a puddle of water around my face from where it just drained out of my sinuses.  Kind of weird, but when the surf is big, and things don't work out, as far as getting on the board, you get rolled.  It happens a lot to me.  It's happening less, but it still happens.  On the surfboard, you sit out there, Oceanside of where it breaks, so it doesn't break on you, and you just look out to the ocean waiting for the right wave.  The right wave for me, is a nice rolling 6footer that doesn't build and dump in an instant.  It travels for a bit before coming to a peak and dumping on you.  I have been here nearly 6 months, surfing for 5.  I have found the "right wave" for me maybe 6 times.  Surfing is brutal, unless you have it figured out like the rest of the bastards I go out there with seem to have.  People say to me "wow, I thought we would be taking pieces of you out of here after that" or I've heard "Damn, that didn't work out".  When I first approached one of the guys about buying his surfboard, well, it was his wife at the bar...I told her I'm a strong swimmer, and she shot back "swimming in a pool ain't shit".  She doesn't surf, but I think she was looking out for the rest of the surfing community, because if someone gets hurt doing any activity, the activity gets shut down, or at the very least highly scrutinized.  I got the same thing when I talked to someone about Kiteboarding.

Getting slammed in the surf here is scary.  The waves can get big, real big.  Well, double the size I want to see.  It's not like the "Pipeline" on the North Shore of Oahu big, but its scary big to me.  I paddled out Thursday evening.  I got halfway out and punched thru a few big white washes, then looked up as a big set started rolling in.  It's a wall of water, I mean this huge.....ok so its hard to put into words.  I've gained respect for these monsters coming in, but apparently, I'm still stupid enough to keep paddling out because I see two others out there that I know.  The big set subsides, and I make it out past where they break and another huge set comes in.  As it approaches, my freakout begins.  I get scared that I'm not out far enough past the break and its going to break on me (it has happened), so I lay down on the board and paddle my ass off towards the wall of water.  I paddle, it grows, I paddle, it starts cresting.  Most times I make it, a few times I haven't.  Sean, the friendliest guy out here, got 30 stitches because he didn't make it, and got slammed on the reef.  The bigger the wave, the more water it sucks off the reef.  I slid off the board once, because the wave in front of me was cresting, and I was trying to avoid getting slammed while on the board, but my elbows hit the bottom.  At high tide, when there should have been 5 feet of water on the reef, there was only about a foot in front of the wave.

When you are going with the wave, paddling to catch it, but the timing is not right and you bite it.....it's like...literally like being in a washing machine for ten or fifteens seconds.  I try to just go with it and relax, because I know it's going to end and I'll get some air eventually, but it's a tough roll.
Anyhow, I think that is how I got my sinuses screwed up.

Today was my first day out with my boating license.  I rented a  boat from the KRS small boat marina to take some people out snorkeleing.  Phelia, Emily, Ray, James, and myself went.  Sherri got too drunk the night before to wake up and go.  Here are some pics......

Its a German boat they sank out here in the fifties
 

the side of the boat

Ray

Phelia

Free diving....I'm not sure why they call it that....of course its free
 

um the same

posing
 

again posing

There  is a sea turtle in there ...
 

May...something...15th maybe, 2015

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”

Ellen Goodman.

I've been fortunate.  Great, incredibly great parents, who thought to get a place kind of in the country at the time.  They both were the youngest in their respective families.  I was the youngest in mine, and have two awesome sisters whom I am sure would do anything for me, and pretty much already have.  I would do anything for them too.  I am hoping with all this working out and taking care of myself will leave me the best man standing and I will get to return the favors they have extended me.

That being said, and thanks to all, I feel like I am not part of that above quote due to them.....I am not part of the matrix...and haven't been for a while...

May 8, 2015

May 8, 2015

If you haven't seen the movie "Idiocracy" you should.  There is also this quote from confucious that goes something like

If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.

 

So this self absorbed idiot I work with, has been teaching me, well, more like reassuring me that I am doing the right thing.  This is a bit of second hand knowledge, and in no way encompasses even a half of his self absorption, but, I hear, he sent his young 17 year old daughter some of the texts that he has sent women to explain to her that all guys want to do is get in her pants, and they will say anything to get there.  I cannot believe someone would do this.  "Hey look what a creep your dad is". Hopefully she is wise enough at a young age to know that all guys aren't idiots like her father.

 

End of rant, I will leave this guy to the karma he creates.....

May 8th, 2015

Last Friday we had 9 on 9 playing ultimate.  This Friday, it rained from noon on, kind of off and on, with no promises to let up.  Phelia said she would show up....she didn't.  This is the email I sent her.  I really really wished there was someone there to take pictures.  It seriously rained so hard that it messed up everyone's vision.  Completely awesome that we still had enough to play!

WE had soo much fun!  honestly....Ted, then Reuben and Liam showed, then it got really really windy...and started downpouring hard, then to my surprise Ray showed up....it was Ted and Ray against Liam, Reuben and I......raining so hard you couldn't see the Frisbee coming downwind cause the rain stung your eyes....Then James showed up.  It was a good night!  Sorry you missed it Phelia, cause you were afraid of the rain.....

Then Ted, James, and I sat around for another hour after talking and drinking beer in the park.  You can do that here.  Ted is married, a father of two and a great guy.  He says this is his only exercise out here.  He is great competition.  James is, as I have written, one of my lab partners.  He is my age, single, with no kids, 6'4" and around 230.  He's not as loose as Ted or I am for running but he's very good at catching the Frisbee and fun to have out there. 

Here's a blurb from facebook about the two kids that were there....

for those who don't know Reuben is 14, maybe 15, a stellar defensive player and not shabby on offense, and Liam is a long haired 12 year old maybe, but about 4 ft tall, and good both sides despite his height. You don't want him guarding you....trust me.

So Ted, James and I sat round for a bit drinking beer, James left to go to the store, then came back later cause Ted and I were still sitting there drinking, so he joined us.  Ted is pretty interesting.  He's worked in Greenland, the Antarctic, and a few places in Europe.  Completely cool and down to earth with what appears to be a great family and life.  James and I headed out to the camp talking about a great night until we got to the Vet's Hall and I stopped while James continued on.

There was a KPD (Kwaj Police Dude) in there in civilian clothes.  I'd been in there several times and he's been in there always in the uniform at the bar, no drink, talking to others at the bar.  This time he was in civilian clothes and for the first time since I've seen him, smiling.  He told me he's working for the dock something deal now.  It must be better cause he's smiling now.

Then there was Brandy, sitting by herself at the end of the bar.  Brandy is about 6ft tall, blonde, and pretty, but mostly because she is always happy.  She captains the ferry over on Roi.  She was over there last weekend when James and I went for a visit.  Sunday night, before I left, in my insobriety, I went over to her group of people and said "thanks for having us on your island" while looking straight at her for no real reason.  We talked a bit tonight.  She told me the Outrigger Bar on Roi hasn't been that busy in months as it was last weekend when I visited.  The band playing there is playing here Sunday....

Yep...another good weekend is on its way.....



May 9th...maybe?

There was a MOM golian bbq charity deal at the Vets Hall tonight.  One of the guys , one of our clients, gave me a $40 ticket.  It was for a lady on the island that was fighting breast cancer, and had won that battle, but was fighting the complications from it.

The band from Roi was there.  "Smells like fish".  I gave my ticket for the food away, drank too much and met a bunch of new great people.  There was so many people there from both Roi and Kwaj, mostly Kwaj of course, but still a lot of people.  I spent a lot of time recruiting people to Frisbee and to beach volleyball on Sunday evenings at Emon (beach).  I also did some recruiting for snorkeling trips off island, since I now have a boating license.

I'm going surfing tomorrow.  Well I'm going to take my board out and hang out and watch others surf.  The swell is way too big for me.  It's just plain dangerous.  I'm borrowing Jame's camera to do a little documenting .....because no one can understand what a big wave is until they see it from the perspective of being out there....

Life.....is great...

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