I'm back-sorta

It's been so long since I sat down and wrote anything down as far as an update in my life and there's a reason for that. I've been sidetracked in being busy. It's not a good reason but it is the reason, partly. I was so wrapped up in work and just generally enjoying life that I didn't take the time and quite frankly, I got lazy.

Maybe part of it is that even though I love my job and have been at it for the last 3 1/2 years - but it isn't a job I can write home about, so to speak, in that it isn't terribly exciting to anyone who doesn't do what I do. And maybe it isn't even exciting to those who do.

I am good at what I do and I get immense satisfaction from it but honestly there is nothing I can say about sitting at a micrscope building tiny underwater microphones that would likely interest anyone.

I lost track of people I use to keep in touch with quite frequently, online and off and to say I regret it would imply that it was wrong, but in truth it wasn't wrong it was just how it was and regret is a negative thing I try very hard to avoid. If I could go back and do it differently I would but you can only fit so much into any one day so something else would have been missed. Such is life.

I did do some fun things and have much to show for it and took on projects that even amazed other people as well as myself. Sometimes I am so very creative and then I feel like spring cleaning and starting all over again. Perhaps this makes no sense if you haven't a clue what I'm talking about but at the moment I am living in limbo. I decided to move but in the middle of the move I broke my back in the place I was moving from and ended up having movers pull the stuff that was already moved and put it in storage. Where it still is. But I know it is just a temporary thing and I will eventually move and not wanting to unpack only to pack again, I leave it there. SO I lost my mojo at home.

On the upside I did get Nala, a beautiful Persian from a ferel rescue. She had been dumped with a litter of kittens and the kittens were to wild to rescue and rehab so they fixed them and returned them to wherever they were but Nala was tame enough to catch. She isn't terribly friendly and she is funny about being held but she will tolerate it in short periods if only to get food :-)

I hadn't owned a pet of any kind since I moved into Waikiki after Gizzy died in 2007 and though she is as beautiful as he was, she is certainly no lap cat like he was. Oddly, she sleeps with me. And wakes me up in the mornings. Here she is:






And I did find a live aboard boat for rent at the begining of the year as a place to get away on weekends. I really enjoyed my time out there, too. Peaceful and I slept so well! I haven't been out since I broke my back in July but then things have changed since then, too. I have taken on several projects and have been pretty preoccupied but I am enjoying life and that is the important thing. And since I now have the cat and no housemates I would feel guilty leaving her for a couple days. But I will eventually get back out there again.

And then there is Facebook. I spend far too much time on there, it's no wonder I don't write creatively anymore. I really miss it but when I try to write I can't really get started so I just haven't written. Swiss cheese with a door--that is my brain. Although I do find most things amusing and I laugh about the silliest things, at least I am happy most of the time--when I don't try to think too hard LOL.

Well it is almost bedtime so I will try to do better at writing. Until later,

Love love to ya.

I've been busy?

Okay, so it's been almost 2 years since I last posted, I have been doing other stuff and forgot to peek in.

I just came across the link to get me here yesterday and then I spent today thinking about you, Jody, and I don't know if you ever pop in here anymore and I have lost touch but you are frequently on my mind and I want you to know that my life was richer when you were in it. Yep, I miss you so very much and wish we could connect again. I would like to bless you because you blessed me.

That's it for now, all that was on my mind.

I love and miss you my friend.

Love love to you.

Whales

It was a great whale day today and sadly I was not first up on pic duty so I didn't get any shots today, by the time I got camera time there was nothing going on. So I was YMing with an old friend tonight and sharing whale pics and he was telling me about his new twin lambs--they are black and his ram is denying fatherhood (LOL). So he e-mailed me this:


a whale is hanging out with his girlfriend when he sees a boat that he recognizes as the one that killed his parents.
so he talks his girlfriend into helping him exact his revenge. they get on either side of the boat and alternately spout water out of their blowholes until the ship starts rocking and then tips over. the whale then starts eating the sailors as they jump off. he looks around and doesn't see his girlfriend anywhere. later he finds her and asks her "what happened?"
she said, "look. i let you talk me into the blow job, but i never agreed to swallowing any sea men."

I was amused, as is usual with my friend Chuck, and thought I'd pass it on. I would post pics of my whales but was told I cannot share them online due to the copyright (oops my bad before) but they are posted in my tmobile album and if you can find the way into it from my post from my last vacation in July 2006 and unlock with "nalo" you can see them there. Yeah, I know, vague hints and clues game.

I am loving my new little housemate in Waikiki and her tales of her time spent recently in Korea. I just adore her, she is an incredible lady and very intelligent and we talk about all kinds of topics when I get home at night. It has been nice to have her here. She is starting school in a couple weeks and is only a temporary housemate but I hope she decides to hang a while.

It is getting to be sleepy time so will part for now.

Until later, love love to you all.....

It'a Sunday and I worked all day

I usually refuse to work Sundays but on the ship I'll take whatever I can get. So I filled in for someone on both cruises today. Yes, I am tired but the whale watch cruise was a buy out for tomorrow so I will have the am off. This means someone booked the boat for that cruise and no photos are required for them. Tonight I actually sold my photos fast and had time to catch the sunst:












And Diamond Head:



That was pretty awesome actually and I had time to talk story with (one of) the Captain(s).

I have spent some time here:

http://www.wayn.com/waynprofile.html?member_key=11032407

as well, someone invited me and I have found that I enjoy building web pages in my spare time (what little there is) and hopefully the link works, not sure if you have to join or not to view. WAYN stands for "where are you now" and connects folks by where in the world they are, visitors and locals alike. Kinda cool but some serious trolls there spouting love messages which is kinda creepy but I just block them.

I'd like to say I got some great whale shots today but sadly I don't know what I got with all the glare, though I was told the collage today was shots from everyone. Light colored eyes, sun on water = bad combination. I was distraught because I couldn't see a thing. And felt badly that I had deprived one of the others from getting the most amazing shots of a new baby and its mom. Although Ryan did get a shot of the baby, eye and all---beautiful and incredible shot.

I am sleepy so will close here for now but until later, love love to you all....

A funny

Things are strange here since my bronco left me stranded the other night (Saturday) and with the holiday, getting it fixed has been a small issue since I am busing and biking to the parts store. I did put on 3 pounds of muscle though and still swim in my clothes but am not really too bothered by all of these facts. Just tired and can't seem to get the old girl running yet so when my friend sent me this I couldn't help but laugh:

EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 55:

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.

Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.
Then try 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.........



Bwahahahaha....

Until later, love love to you all

Post #201

I am a slacker! This is ONLY post 201 in however long I have been blogging here. I know many people are way ahead of me in their counts but I'm okay with that. It has been the hardest week I have had in a long time, some bad breaks, some loneliness, some desperation, alot of tears and then on the plus side: WHALE WATCH! Christmas was so depressing for me and I was a puddle of mucus and tears that day and the next day whale watch cheered me up.

Last night I came off of 2 cruises (whales during the day and sunset in the evening) and my car wouldn't start. I fiddled under the hood and got it going and was half way home, going uphill, hit a stop light and was thereby stranded. And holding up traffic. For an hour while I waited for a tow truck and threatened a popo if he called in his tow truck as I didn't want to be left stranded in the dark, on foot, by myself and told him I would be delighted to hit him if it got me a ride to county lockup for the night and off the road. He saw the humor in it and my desperation and giggled and generally helped me make light of the situation until both trucks arrived at the same time and I was able to use mine, which is covered by my insurance.

I made it home late, tinkered some more, talked to a friend in Colorado until 2 am and was exhausted so I went to sleep pretty quick. Ahhh, but then work called this morning and they needed me for whale watch so I explained the car situation, said I would try to get a bus and be there before they sailed. Upon calling the BUS and discovering that I had just missed it and would have to run (yes, on foot) to get to the bottom of the valley, I took off without so much as my first cup of coffee or ciggy and although I made it to the dock on time, I was not the happiest camper and said as much when I arrived.

The people boarding were grumpy and rude, too and I was thinking it was not going to be the best day but I was on the board as first up with the camera for whale watch so that made me feel a whole lot better. And when the naturalist said "whale", I was on deck with camera in no time flat. And I got some of the most amazing shots. AND I was NOT thinking about all the shit that is disturbing my sense of mental health and well being. So what if I don't know how long it will take me to get home after work or that I am swimming in my size 6p's or how I am logistically going to get parts for my little bronco to fix her? I am capturing nature at its finest, moments in time and loving my job more than any other I have ever held. And THAT is saying something.

And even though I was getting some great shots I longed for something more, so I said "God let it come up right by the boat so I can get an eye shot, I want a shot of its eye" and not more than 2 minutes later, it surfaced right there and I was scrambling with the focus to get a closer shot since the 400 lense made it look like something you couldn't figure out and I was still shooting and even though I didn't get my eye shot, I got the most incredible shot of the hump and every single little scar on the back of that mammal and man I was thrilled. Then I said I wanted a blow shot and the mother and baby did indeed blow and I caught it!

When it came time to put the packages together of the best whale shots of the day, the majority of them were mine! I cannot describe the emotions that go with having your photos be sold as the best of the day, considering the owner, who is a professional photographer, was the person on the other side of the boat taking shots. And she IS good. And maybe it was just God answering my prayers or her being kind to me or both, and it doesn't really matter in the end, but the most sold pic was of the hump and scars, combined with my double blow, my mom tail and my bosses baby tail shots (all on one large photo, I'll try to get it on here soon so you can see how the layout is) but it all made my day.

It may be a couple days before I am able to get back here because I have to work on my bronco and work every day, tomorrow I am doing the sunset cruise, then we go out for dinner before getting back on for the NYE and fireworks cruise. This week will no doubt fly by and as long as I am on board, life will be good indeed.

So until later, love love to you all.....

In Hawaii

I am apparently too tall for my weight. I am 117 pounds soaking wet and 5'1.5" but I cannot find a pair of pants that actually fit me well. If they aren't too big then they are too short and vice versa. I ended up buying 6 petite to have the lenghth but I have to keep hiking them up as they start sliding off.

I had the morning off and felt at a loss for awhile since I forgot what that was like and decided since I finally had some time I should go in search of new clothes as nothing I own fits me anymore and people were looking at me funny. I am not complaining about swimming in my clothes, I just absolutely HATE shopping for clothes, especially alone. I used to enjoy it with my kids but not so much for me, by myself.

So I get dressed for work and when I got there I walked over to the Aloha Tower to get my parking validation and heads are turning to watch me and I am wondering what the heck they are looking at so I went into one of the little stores in search of a mirror and did the once over and realized how tiny I actually am and how great I looked despite the pants sliding down around what use to be hips. I have NEVER worn my slacks, skirts, shorts low and it is taking getting use to not having all the fat there to hold it all up.

I could have worse problems than this and I do, for sure, it's just weird to try and comprehend when you've always thought you were kinda big. And I feel fine, a little of the seasonal blues but they are passing, as they always do, and work is good so I believe this coming year will be a wonder filled one for me. Even in my loneliness at times I know there are people who love me dearly and that gives me comfort. I do miss talking to my Jody and I know she is very busy but I still miss her. I am thinking a Boston trip is in order this summer.

Just rambling but that is the strange and wonderful way my brain works and I am tired but waiting on laundry. Guess I'll sign off for tonight and try to get back in a day or two or three :-)

Until later, love love to you all....

Oh my goodness

It's been awhile. In my typical Aquarian fashion of being distracted by shiny objects I have found a million things to do besides blogging. I confess it is pure laziness on my part and subtle addiction to craigslist is not a big help. I have had quite a wild ride this year and as it nears a close I ponder how much better off I am than this time a year ago or 5 years ago. And then I look at these:





and I know that my life is richer in different ways. Yes I bailed on the Ferry after they laid me off but got a different job on a different vessel and I have to say that when I am out on the bow of that ship watching the whales play and learning to take professional pics of them, I say to myself "and the greatest part of all is I get paid for doin this" :-) I do the sunset dinner cruises as well and PH a couple mornings a week but have been somewhat of a malcontent there. Sure I leave at 10 am and don't get home until after 8:30pm but my days on the boat go so very fast.

I did move (mostly) to the penthouse in Waikiki but I still spend time most days up in my valley visiting my cat and living between two houses and 2 jobs makes my life full although I am not sure that the exclusion of people to make it fuller is entirely healthy.

I have a few dear people who I talk to on a regular basis but no local island friends and sometimes I feel a little alone so I answered an add on craigslist for a guy looking for a place to stay a few days and he turned out to be the most amazing friend. It also doesn't hurt that he is a flight attendant and my hooking him up with housing has hooked me up with travel passes. And he has recommended me to other flight attendants and pilots so I have company on a regular basis but I don't spend a lot of time at the penthouse (with my work schedule and such) but it is nice to have someone else around even when I don't always run into them. I? am the perfect housemate ;-)

I am trying to remind myself over the next week that I am blessed and that my seasonal blues are temporary and the best part about these holidays is one thing and only one thing: EGGNOG!!! Need I say more? I think I will run over to Jackinthebox and get me an eggnog shake now, it is a great remedy for the seasonal blues that I have been suffering today.

Oh, yeah, and I am mysteriously 30 pounds thinner than I was 4 months ago, doing nothing to lose weight, not even thinking I needed to. Now I look in the mirror and go "man I am tiny". If only gravity didn't wreak such havock on the excess skin, *sigh*.....

Until later...lovelove to you all

What a long, strange trip it's been....

Cute, huh? Made me think of you OT peeps and you may share it with the rest of them if this hasn't already surfaced there. :-)


Where do I begin? So much has been going on here and though I am wonderful at going with the flow, wherever it may take me, I really thought I would have a definitive answer today about where the flow would go. But no, this is not necessarily the case. We, of the Hawaii Superferry bunch, have been held up in port for over a month while the lawyers duked it out in court. Basically the ferry owner said last Friday in court that if the ruling went against us, they would pull out and leave the islands. Today the judge called their bluff and ruled against them. But the Governor has asked the legislature to convene for a special session to change the law and allow us to sail while the EIS is done, thereby voiding the judges' ruling. That process could take close to a month so I still don't know if the ferry is going to keep us or not, more news from them at work tomorrow. So in the simplest terms we still don't know what is going to happen.

Life has been good, busy, but good and I am preparing for a small move to Waikiki. In my heart I don't want to be there but I go where God says to go and I got another housemate so I won't have to contribute financially to keeping my house in the valley that I adore so much. Plus, I can come "home" here anytime I don't feel like staying in touristville and I don't have to really move anything or ship the cat away to the mainland. This is good. I will be here part of the week and there part of the week and it'll be interesting and I'll see what I am supposed to be there for in the great scheme of things that God has in store.

I really need to think about acquiring a scanner since I got the new school pics of the 3 oldest grandkids. I'd love to share them here. Friday is payday, I may have to go to WalMart this weekend so I can share them with you all.

I can't really think of anything else to share at the moment as it is late and I am fried so until later, love love to you all........

65 hrs in the past week

And I have a day off today. It feels really odd and I have been unsure what to do with myself. Yesterday was a 17 hour day, beginning when I got up at 2:30 am to be to work by 4 and finally ended a bit after 8 pm. Much of it is a blur at the moment but this was the sun rising over the aft of the vessel:




This was leaving the harbor at 4:45:



We went to Kuai to do an open house and it was uneventful, despite the best efforts of the protesters (which brought in the federal marshals as it is a federal offense) and I must confess that the presence of so many guns was refreshing ;-)

After getting home and turning in early (for me anyway), I slept through until 10 this morning. I was exhausted. Now I am all relaxed but I have forgotten what that feels like, so it seems unsettling.

We did some 7p-7a shifts this week, running back and forth between islands and finaly one day (I forget which day it was) we got to cruise during the day and actually see the other islands. Although much of our time was spent cleaning and in classes, I did get a tad nauseous at one point and stepped outside for air as we were going past Molokai and got this pic:



Tomorrow begins a week of "dry runs" with family and friends on fun little trips out to nowhere, so we can practice our skills on passengers who are being comped and non critical before we begin our journeys with paying passengers next week. Maybe then things will mellow to a normal kind of schedule.

I can't say there haven't been days when I didn't have the overwhelming desire to quit, but I have managed to hang in there. I realize that even if we get no encouragement from our superiors (but quite a lot of the "bad dog" verbal slappings), they are as tired as the rest of us, if not moreso, and I personally got a "thank you, great job today" when I was leaving last night. I can't express how good that felt.

I have a deep feeling of satisfaction now and life is getting better and better. Yep, life is good :-)

I gotta go buy some more uniform stuff today, I am missing some things, so until later, love love to you all..........

Sure, it's all in good fun, until.........

They tell you to put your air mask on. Then, the claustrophobia kicked into high gear and Chrissy freaked out.....just a tad.

So, this week we are up at Barbers Point (starting early in the mornings), learning firefighting, search and rescue, first aid/CPR and a whole lotta water stuff and I love the classroom stuff and learning. I'm even really good at observing. But when it comes down to the practical stuff (where firefighting is concerned) I no likey so much. The physical activity part of it is even fun to learn, but the suit, the air tank and then the mask--not so much my cup of java.

Tomorrow we will actually be in full gear and fighting a fire (controled, no worry) and I am thinking the only way through it is with my eyes closed so I am not seeing the darn mask enclosing my face. I don't even know why I have this phobia. Nothing in my memory bank is telling me of some horror I have previously survived. Prayers are welcome for this event on my behalf.

Meanwhile, those who already have their certifications are sailing the ocean blue, going to the other islands *sigh* and generally enjoying their week on the water. Maybe next week (if I can pass these classes) I will be having fun sailing, too.

Now I must go study and practice my steps for my turns on the fire hose, so that at least I look like I know what I am doing tomorrow. I'll try to get back after class if I can get someone to take a pic of me, if not, then Friday after the water classes.

Until later, love love to you all....

I may be.....

A bad blogger, but I am an awesome individual. Just sayin.... I have been so busy with the 2 jobs, a new housemate, a grieving kitty and my studies, that I really haven't had time to figure out how to get into my blog lately. I liked it better, before the whole google thing, it was so much easier for me.

I have been enjoying the ship and the learning and reading their "bible" and made so many new friends. I am so looking forward to the crew "dry run" day on Saturday, when we will board our beautiful vessel at 6:45 am and depart for Maui, return to Honolulu, then depart for Kuai and return at 7 pm. Yes, it will be a long day, but to finally get out to sea and go to our other ports is very exciting indeed. The next month will be insanely busy as well, as we prepare to go on our first voyage, with real passengers aboard.

I am sticking with Pizza Hut for awhile, probably until the end of October, when I will be moving into Waikiki (because it was offered) and then I may not want to commute clear into Salt Lake. I dunno, I'll see. I really do enjoy my time there now, even if it is only once or twice a week. It's the people, in reality, that I miss.

About the move.... My brother offered me the pent house in his building for next to nothing and in order to get debt free I am willing to compromise and move somewhere I don't really desire to live (I love my valley..sigh) to accomplish that goal. Plus, the good Lord put it on my heart to go through the door He opened once again and maybe I am supposed to be there for a reason I am unaware of. So I will see where He leads me.

I am missing my Gizzyman, Saturdays are the toughest, and Liwa is still trying to get through it, too. I am glad to see that she is eating like there is no tomorrow and putting on weight. This is a great thing, she has always been so tiny and thin. She is still a small cat but she is starting to look healthier. If I can't manage to get on the board of directors of Rich's building and change the no pet rule before I move, she will be flying to California to live with Travis, who left her here in the first place. I would miss her but as much as I am gone, she would probably like living in the company of his other cat better.

I learned this week that the reason we yawn is because our brains are overheating. Much like a computer, it starts to heat and if we don't breath through our nose (which for some odd reason keeps it cool) we will yawn. Natures way of cooling the human computer that is our brain. Now ya know.

Not much else new from my little part of the world but if you want to see or read all about my new home away from home, you can go to www.HawaiiSuperFerry.com and see some pics of her and learn about her history and new routes and fares and all sorts of things :-) Sorry I don't recall how to make links. But if you do the copy/paste thing, I highly recommend clicking on the KGMB9- Tour of the ship link first. Then you can get a glimpse of where I actually spend my days :-)

So until later, love love to you all.....

P.S. Jody, I love and miss you.

I am alive

And well for the most part. It has been a chaotic month, losing ( well not that he is lost because I know where he lives now but...) Eric and taking on a new job on Hawaii's new Superferry, Gizzy died on 7-7-7 and I have a schedule that allows me to breath about once a week. Today is that day. That is to say this afternoon anyway since I had my Coast Gaurd stuff to do this morning and had to get a vehicle inspection so I could get my truck registered and now I really should be doing the domestic stuff that has been neglected. Yes, I am still with PH too but not so much at the moment with the training on the ferry. I am mentally saturated.

And because of this new career choice, I had to forfeit my vacation plans for the summer but I didn't really have any options available to me at the time. I am just bummed that I didn't get a drunken phone call from the peep meet peeps over the weekend. And such is my life at the moment. Plus my brother called and my mom is now in a nursing home, so I have been overwhelmed, to say the least. And no time to really grieve any of it, though Liwa has been doing enough for the both of us, she so misses Gizzy.

I must say, however, that I am getting in better shape and have cut WAY down on the smoking since I don't have time and it is prohibited on the vessel and anywhere near the terminal. Heck, I am even seriously considering quitting altogether. The first time I climbed the 50 stairs to the ship, I was in agony and thought my thighs might implode, now I don't even pause and the burn is no more. Not to mention my butt is all tight now :-) On the other hand, when I had my physical, they said I was only 5'1" and I said no way have I shrunk 3 inches. Oh well. Aging at its finest.

I do apologize that I have been absent and out of touch and it looks like it may be that way for the next month, but I can pop in to reply to any posts.

MM, thanks for checking on me *smooch*

Until later, love love to you all...................

I'm baaaack!

Been puterless for awhile and not happy about it with everything else that has been going on here. Where do I begin? With the impending loss of my housemate, Eric? With the Extreme Makeover Home Edition frustrating my life? With the bank losing my deposit and setting me back 2 weeks financially? Or maybe with the blessing of my Gizzyman still hanging in there with me? So much to share and so little time at the moment. But I believe that the good Lord has something incredible in store for me. I mean, it can't just be one big downward spiral. And it is always darkest before the dawn, right? Or is it darkest just before it goes completely black, I can't recall. But I think it is the dawn. Anyway.....

It has been a real test of faith the past 2 weeks and at times I thought I might lose it but then I tell myself to trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding. I know that this is somewhere in the bible, even if I don't know where it is in there. I just know that something bigger than I have dreamed is on it's way right now. Great things are in store, WOO HOO!

It may take me awhile to catch up with everyones blogs and my own as well, but I'll get there eventually. In the meantime, I have stuff I need to get done. So until later, love love to you all....