A Day in Kapaa

1. This post will primarily be about my day yesterday, but first I want to fast forward to this morning.  Today, for the first time in a week or so, I let myself sleep in and didn’t use my alarm.  I was shocked when I woke up to find that it was 10:00… when I don’t use an alarm, I usually wake up naturally between 6:30 and 7:30.  I guess I was sleep deprived?  And because I let myself wake up naturally, I remembered all of my crazy dreams from last night.  I haven’t remembered any dreams this week except one in which my Hawaii friend Dillon accidentally murdered a girl and then, out of fear of punishment, hid the evidence by chopping her into pieces and burying her in a sandy forest.  His twin somehow knew what had happened and kept taunting him by insinuating that he was going to hell, so finally Dillon confessed to the crime… but the police thought he was covering for his younger sister, whom they had arrested for the crime, so they wouldn’t accept his confession and justice was never served.  It was tragic.  There was a flying bamboo dragon in mixed in there somewhere, too.   

But last night my dreams were even more epic… my YWAM friends and I were in a bloody crash during a fall hayride, my friend Sam dressed up patriotically as Uncle Sam and gave me the nickname “Bubby,” and I had a secret, passionate fling with Sawyer (from Lost) while working as a security guard at a petting zoo full of mystical creatures.  Anyway—the point of talking about sleep was to say that I fly home in under two weeks, so starting tomorrow I’m going to try modifying my sleep schedule by going to bed early and waking up early in hopes that when I get home the time difference won’t affect me much.

2.  I have two exciting (for me) pieces of news.  I’ll backtrack to yesterday morning, when I played chauffeur for my employer during an errand-run in Lihue.  The car ride provided for a productive discussion in which he offered me a substantial raise effective in January.  Woot!  The second piece of exciting news will come shortly—I want to progress chronologically now that I’m finished blabbing about my weird dreams.   

3.  At midday I drove myself to historical Kapaa and ate at Ono Family Restaurant.  The restaurant got great reviews… so it was my own fault that I wasn’t crazy about my meal.  I somehow forgot that Ahi is tuna, which I only like when I’m in the mood.  So I ordered grilled Ahi with steamed veggies, fries, soup, and iced tea (but it wasn’t my fault that the iced tea was watery and tasted like koolaid.)  Regardless of my picky palate, it was a pleasant restaurant and I didn’t mind the tuna too much. 

4.  Then I shopped around downtown historical Kapaa.  There are all sorts of boutiques, eateries, and small art galleries.  I saw a couple empty storefronts that be perfect for small art studios/galleries.  One was in a corner nook of a second-story walkway, and the other was an octagon-shaped, two-story, completely-windowed building painted bold teal with black trimmings.  It sounds cheesy, but it was weathered just enough to look antiquated and charming.  The walls are ¾ windows overlooking downtown Kapaa… it would be a perfect place for a studio apartment loft and an art gallery below … maybe someday I’ll have the money to invest in something so blissful.  Here’s are a couple shots of the building (it’s the wing on the right in the second picture.)  

Also in downtown Kapaa, I found this beautiful mural painted by artist Robert Wyland, who is famous for his marine murals and conservation efforts. 

5. I Stopped back at Ono’s on the way back to my car for a treat at their outdoor Shaved Ice stand.  Shaved Ice is popular here… I was never very fond of it back home—but this stuff is amazing.  I ordered the Kauai Java (flavors: coffee, vanilla, and coconut.)  Inside all the shaved ice was a scoop of coffee ice cream, and top was drizzled a rich vanilla cream.  It was HUGE. 

6. I drove around for a bit and stopped at small park with a baseball field, basketball courts, and a small skate park… I think it was all on high school property.  I took a few pictures here and there… but really, I haven’t been all that motivated to photograph here.  Or rather, I haven’t been inspired… which is odd, considering all the beauty by which I’m surrounded.  I suppose it’s all just… too beautiful to photograph?  The glorious glimpses of nature I’ve experienced here are all pieces of art in and of themselves—brilliant masterpieces able to be documented, but not artistically reinterpreted.  Anyway, I had a nice chat with the school baseball coach—he’s a photographer in his spare time… he said that when he used to shoot portraits with film a decade ago, he would put grease and sugar on the lens to create a glittery effect that, quote, “made the subject look like he or she were in heaven.”  Either that tactic is as weird as it sounds or I know even less than I thought I did about photography.    

7.  On the way back to Kilauea, I stopped at an outdoor flea market.  There were tents filled with souvenirs and one small art gallery.  Here comes the second piece of good news.  I talked to the gallery manager for quite a while… he just finished writing a 700+ page novel that he’d like me to edit.  Lately, I’ve felt like good fortune just falls straight into my lap.  He’s a nice guy, and his novel does admittedly sound like a mainstream bestseller.  It would be a great freelance project on the side.

8.  To end the day, I came home and worked hours before receiving a surprise phone call from my (former [sadly]) roommates Julie and Heidi.  We’re declaring December to be Roomie Month and will spend every available moment with each other.  AND… if everything works out, they might come visit me during Heidi’s Spring Break!!! (She’s in grad school—I’m so proud of her!)  I’m not sure anything could be as great as that.  Spending time with my besties IN PARADISE?!  I can’t wait to be reunited with them in a couple weeks for Julie’s wedding! :)

Aloha! :)