Pretty much the story of my life, when I go on a trip: I keep up well near the beginning, and then things happen or I have a busy day and then I fall behind and have trouble getting back. There are still several empty pages at the end of my journal from my trip to Zambia in 1999, waiting to be filled. On this trip, I haven't told you yet what happened this past Monday, and that was two islands ago.
For now, let me say that I'm safely ensconced in (on?) Oahu with my friends Ron and Patience, who let me stay over last Friday night when my plane was delayed. It's so nice to be rescued by friends. They are perfectly lovely people to be with, so friendly and funny and kind and interesting.
Yesterday I was up for about 20 hours, from waking at 4 AM to drive the two hours to Mt Haleakala to hike the crater, and then doing some shopping on my way back; arrived at my conference a few minutes late (all grubby and dusty), then went back to the condo to shower and get ready for a magic show for which I had tickets. I would love to detail this adventure for you but I won't do it now. One nice thing about blogging is that there isn't necessarily a chronicity to it. I can write retrospectively, and often do.
As for this morning (Saturday), I woke later than usual, probably because of yesterday's 20-hour busyness. Or perhaps I'm getting used to this time zone, just in time to go back home tomorrow night. Sigh. The weather was nice initially, and then got grey and rainy in the afternoon. I had 5 lectures this morning with my conference (still) and had to check out of my condo. Unfortunately in my rush to get everything out and get to lecture in time (about 2.5 miles away, but 10 minutes by car, plus walking a block or so from the parking lot), I put my keys in the key drop, drove to the conference, and realized with dismay that I'd left a box of stuff back at the condo.
The lecture was due to begin at 8; it was about 7:30. I had already pulled into the paid parking lot when I missed the box. It was strange; I had this nagging sensation, and when I stopped to look in the trunk of the car and didn't see it there, I realized I'd have to return to the condo. Unfortunately, the front desk wasn't scheduled to open until 8. I had to go back, though. I think it took a while for my ADHD medication to kick in this morning, because I had a big blank as to where I might have left it, and a moment of panic. But the idea popped into my head, "Be anxious for nothing." So I tried to get my shoulders out of my ears, and relax. Since the front office wasn't open when I got back, I ran up to the room to make sure I hadn't left it in the hallway. I hadn't. Nothing for it but to wait. So, I sat down on one of the (mildly wet) lawn chairs by the ocean, and watched and listened to the waves for 15 minutes. There are worse things that one can do while waiting, certainly, and listening to waves is one of my favorite things in all the world to do.
Happily, the front office staff showed up 10 minutes early. I explained my (idiotic) plight, and they smilingly returned my key so I could retrieve the box. Side note: the after-hours "key drop" into which one is supposed to place one's keys if checking out early is a doorknob-sized hole drilled into a half-door. It is big enough for the keys to go through, but not big enough for the large circular condo key ring attached. Mine was not the only key ring separated and abandoned on the sill next to the key drop. The staff person said, "Yeah, they're going to make the hole bigger." Good idea.
So, box in hand, I drove like blazes (well, in a 35 mph zone, not really, but it felt like it) back to the parking lot, grabbed my syllabus for lecture and headed in. I was only 10 minutes late, although I missed the physiology of post-synaptic targets for anti-depressant medication. Oh, well, I'll look it up. The lectures this morning were very good - depression, eczema and other dermatology issues, pain control in the elderly, symptom management in end of life care, and "The skinny on good-looking skin" - protecting one's skin from the SUN. I think I've seen this dermatologist before; I really liked her style. She said she's trying to make it a fashion once more to wear broad-brimmed hats. She said that sun protective clothing has a lot of benefits - don't need to reapply, saves money over time (goodness, she's right - have you seen how expensive sunscreen is these days?), and 100% effective. "You can't put on 1/2 a hat." (The statistics show that we put on 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount of sunscreen that is tested in the lab, so higher SPFs are better, because then if you put in a 60 SPF, you might get a 30.)
During the break, I went back to my car to get the box I had worked so hard to retain. On Thursday, I did a bit of shopping at the mall (past which one has to walk to get to the parking lot), and found a lovely little store where I bought some things for my kids. The shopkeeper was a friendly lady whose name I will not give here, to protect her. :) She said they ship (and their price for a flat-rate box was cheaper than the post office). I had asked her where the nearest PO was, and we got into this conversation, because I didn't want to check a bag to Oahu and then check it again home ($50). She said, "Tell you what - you put whatever you want in the box, and I'll ship it for you." That was so sweet. I did make a few purchases there, so I didn't feel too bad that she was bending the rules for me. Last night I packed the box she gave me, and took it in this morning. Of course, I found a few other things to buy, so I asked her for another box, and she willingly gave it to me. When I thanked her yet again for her kindness, she said, "My mother always told me, 'Do unto others.'" She also gave me change, including shiny pennies, for the rolled penny machine. My elder daughter has begun to collect them, and they had a machine right in the mall.
The lecture was due to begin at 8; it was about 7:30. I had already pulled into the paid parking lot when I missed the box. It was strange; I had this nagging sensation, and when I stopped to look in the trunk of the car and didn't see it there, I realized I'd have to return to the condo. Unfortunately, the front desk wasn't scheduled to open until 8. I had to go back, though. I think it took a while for my ADHD medication to kick in this morning, because I had a big blank as to where I might have left it, and a moment of panic. But the idea popped into my head, "Be anxious for nothing." So I tried to get my shoulders out of my ears, and relax. Since the front office wasn't open when I got back, I ran up to the room to make sure I hadn't left it in the hallway. I hadn't. Nothing for it but to wait. So, I sat down on one of the (mildly wet) lawn chairs by the ocean, and watched and listened to the waves for 15 minutes. There are worse things that one can do while waiting, certainly, and listening to waves is one of my favorite things in all the world to do.
Happily, the front office staff showed up 10 minutes early. I explained my (idiotic) plight, and they smilingly returned my key so I could retrieve the box. Side note: the after-hours "key drop" into which one is supposed to place one's keys if checking out early is a doorknob-sized hole drilled into a half-door. It is big enough for the keys to go through, but not big enough for the large circular condo key ring attached. Mine was not the only key ring separated and abandoned on the sill next to the key drop. The staff person said, "Yeah, they're going to make the hole bigger." Good idea.
So, box in hand, I drove like blazes (well, in a 35 mph zone, not really, but it felt like it) back to the parking lot, grabbed my syllabus for lecture and headed in. I was only 10 minutes late, although I missed the physiology of post-synaptic targets for anti-depressant medication. Oh, well, I'll look it up. The lectures this morning were very good - depression, eczema and other dermatology issues, pain control in the elderly, symptom management in end of life care, and "The skinny on good-looking skin" - protecting one's skin from the SUN. I think I've seen this dermatologist before; I really liked her style. She said she's trying to make it a fashion once more to wear broad-brimmed hats. She said that sun protective clothing has a lot of benefits - don't need to reapply, saves money over time (goodness, she's right - have you seen how expensive sunscreen is these days?), and 100% effective. "You can't put on 1/2 a hat." (The statistics show that we put on 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount of sunscreen that is tested in the lab, so higher SPFs are better, because then if you put in a 60 SPF, you might get a 30.)
During the break, I went back to my car to get the box I had worked so hard to retain. On Thursday, I did a bit of shopping at the mall (past which one has to walk to get to the parking lot), and found a lovely little store where I bought some things for my kids. The shopkeeper was a friendly lady whose name I will not give here, to protect her. :) She said they ship (and their price for a flat-rate box was cheaper than the post office). I had asked her where the nearest PO was, and we got into this conversation, because I didn't want to check a bag to Oahu and then check it again home ($50). She said, "Tell you what - you put whatever you want in the box, and I'll ship it for you." That was so sweet. I did make a few purchases there, so I didn't feel too bad that she was bending the rules for me. Last night I packed the box she gave me, and took it in this morning. Of course, I found a few other things to buy, so I asked her for another box, and she willingly gave it to me. When I thanked her yet again for her kindness, she said, "My mother always told me, 'Do unto others.'" She also gave me change, including shiny pennies, for the rolled penny machine. My elder daughter has begun to collect them, and they had a machine right in the mall.
When I returned from all this business, I was a bit late for the lecture, but everything I needed to do before I got to the airport was done. Whew. I left for the airport after the last lecture with plenty of time to spare, just how I like it. (I don't like being rushed.) It was good to be early, because it started to rain harder during the 50-minute trip to the airport, and traffic always slows down in the rain. I dropped the rental car off in the agreed-upon spot; by the time I got my luggage out and walked the 100 yards to the terminal, I was soaked. I had to print out a new boarding pass because I had been holding it in my hand and it got a bit waterlogged. I wasn't sure if the soggy barcode would scan.
For some reason, I qualified for "TSA Preferred" with my boarding pass, which meant I didn't have to take off my shoes (which were flip-flops anyway) or my jacket (which I did because my phone was in the pocket). The line was a bit shorter as well. I heard the TSA agent (who looked about 17) tell the person in front of me that certain airlines are "trialling" it; if one wants TSA Preferred, one can register online. It costs $85 but that lasts for 5 years (pays for the background check, anyway). If I knew I would be flying more, I might think about it.
Flight to Oahu was uneventful. I think the rain helped me not feel as sad about leaving the island as I might have if it had been relentlessly sunny. I sat next to a lady who was one of the managers of the Aston hotel chain; she had been on Maui for a meeting. Her daughter just passed the bar; she had been in the Peace Corps in Benin, and while she was there her sister was going to get married. Because they "wouldn't let her off the continent" in her first year (though they would let her go to a different country), the sister had her wedding in Africa - a safari in Tanzania, followed by "a real Masai wedding" in Kenya. Elegant solution. Everyone has a story, if you only ask and listen.
I was picked up by Ron and Patience shortly after arrival (they have their 8-year-old grandson Ezra with them this weekend too), and whisked off to their home. It was raining on Oahu too, and Ron told me to be on the lookout (from the car window) for the scores of waterfalls that would appear in the mountain crevices as we drove by. I have no idea if any of my photos turned out (no safe place to pull over on the highway) but it sure was cool to see them all. We drove through a 20-foot long area at the bottom of the ramp that was quite deeply flooded; a car behind us got stuck Ron's van was tall enough not to worry about it.
We went to the 5 o'clock service at their church, which I had attended 2-1/2 years ago. The sermon was excellent. Isn't it weird how messages often seem to parallel what one is going through? I guess it shouldn't seem that weird, if someone is in charge. :) The series is "Verses you can't live without," and tonight's was on "A Well-Rested Life." Excellent.
We went out for Chinese food after the service. I tried to buy dinner, but Ron wouldn't hear of it. "I thought you were Dutch," I said. "I used to be." Ah. Then we came back home and talked a bit, and then watched a BBC show called "Call the Midwife." Sort of a Downton Abbey of midwifery, I suppose. So very interesting.
And now I'm here writing. So hooray! I only have to talk about... oh, Monday, and Thursday afternoon, and Friday. Whoops. Well, Thursday's is half-written; we'll see how things go from here. Time for bed, though.
Rest and peace to you.
wb
For some reason, I qualified for "TSA Preferred" with my boarding pass, which meant I didn't have to take off my shoes (which were flip-flops anyway) or my jacket (which I did because my phone was in the pocket). The line was a bit shorter as well. I heard the TSA agent (who looked about 17) tell the person in front of me that certain airlines are "trialling" it; if one wants TSA Preferred, one can register online. It costs $85 but that lasts for 5 years (pays for the background check, anyway). If I knew I would be flying more, I might think about it.
Flight to Oahu was uneventful. I think the rain helped me not feel as sad about leaving the island as I might have if it had been relentlessly sunny. I sat next to a lady who was one of the managers of the Aston hotel chain; she had been on Maui for a meeting. Her daughter just passed the bar; she had been in the Peace Corps in Benin, and while she was there her sister was going to get married. Because they "wouldn't let her off the continent" in her first year (though they would let her go to a different country), the sister had her wedding in Africa - a safari in Tanzania, followed by "a real Masai wedding" in Kenya. Elegant solution. Everyone has a story, if you only ask and listen.
I was picked up by Ron and Patience shortly after arrival (they have their 8-year-old grandson Ezra with them this weekend too), and whisked off to their home. It was raining on Oahu too, and Ron told me to be on the lookout (from the car window) for the scores of waterfalls that would appear in the mountain crevices as we drove by. I have no idea if any of my photos turned out (no safe place to pull over on the highway) but it sure was cool to see them all. We drove through a 20-foot long area at the bottom of the ramp that was quite deeply flooded; a car behind us got stuck Ron's van was tall enough not to worry about it.
We went to the 5 o'clock service at their church, which I had attended 2-1/2 years ago. The sermon was excellent. Isn't it weird how messages often seem to parallel what one is going through? I guess it shouldn't seem that weird, if someone is in charge. :) The series is "Verses you can't live without," and tonight's was on "A Well-Rested Life." Excellent.
We went out for Chinese food after the service. I tried to buy dinner, but Ron wouldn't hear of it. "I thought you were Dutch," I said. "I used to be." Ah. Then we came back home and talked a bit, and then watched a BBC show called "Call the Midwife." Sort of a Downton Abbey of midwifery, I suppose. So very interesting.
And now I'm here writing. So hooray! I only have to talk about... oh, Monday, and Thursday afternoon, and Friday. Whoops. Well, Thursday's is half-written; we'll see how things go from here. Time for bed, though.
Rest and peace to you.
wb
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