#46 - holiday boredom

well here i am, sitting on the couch with the laptop. i've been here mostly for the past couple days. christmas came and went and we had a family get together but mostly i've been really bored. i guess not being able to work out, play dodgeball, go to school and hang out with friends kind of leaves me stuck. yeah i am with my family but they are not very exciting. most of the time a few of them are sleeping. a couple of them are sick and don't want to do anything. it's too hot for me to want to do anything and i'm always sweating. yuck! we are going to see "i am legend" soon but i don't know when. i can't go to the beach because no one will go with me (imagine that!) and i can't just take the car. sad.

i know everyone is saying "well you're in hawaii!" but for me that's not exciting. it's not like i can lay on the beach all day/week. i wish. so i am here, listening to music (brandi carlile and now mason jennings). i am making plans for this coming quarter in which i have nothing planned except work and dodgeball on thursdays. i am thinking about playing in the draft league on tuesdays as well. other things i usually do are workout and go to bloody sundays. that's it. so i am trying to plan a few trips.

• seattle to visit cousin kerry
• colorado and utah to snowboard and visit danny and allison
• las vegas to meet up with my sister and her bf matt over spring break

of course i don't have money for these trips but that is why i'll be working a lot. i am only on call at my two jobs so i really have no idea if i'll get to work as much as i want but i'm hoping to get as many hours as i can without going crazy. other things i want to do that involve money are going to shows and watching more movies. i looked at different sites to see upcoming shows but nothing too exciting. i guess fall is the best time for shows. hopefully some good ones will come up though.

after today i have 2 more days of the same, but at least on friday the beavers will be playing in the emerald bowl! go beavs! we're having an emerald bowl party and all our food will be black and orange! hahaha should be a good game. after that it's back on the plane to portland for a night, then to denver to memphis. then drive to new orleans for the sugar bowl and new years. exciting!

#45 - surfing

okay so it's an old picture but it's at the same beach and i look pretty much the same. we forgot to bring a camera this time. the last time i went surfing was probably july when i was here last. i always forget how much i love surfing until i am in the water paddling out against the incoming waves. i curse at myself for not being in better shape and wonder how long i'll last. the water was especially cold and it felt great. matt my surfing partner kept complaining about it but it was so nice!

i have this huge longboard. it's 9 feet long and i realized it's the most expensive thing i've ever bought. i only get to ride it a couple times a year and that's such a waste because it sits in my family's living room. i just enjoy it that much better when i come back. i actually enjoy the pain in my shoulders while i'm paddling! we were out there probably for 90 minutes or so but it went by so fast.

the waves were kinda getting choppy since we went kinda late but there was still plenty to ride. matt of course caught waves left and right. i had to rest a lot between waves/paddling to the right spot. it's amazing how different being in shape and being in surfing shape is. i was not. tomorrow i will wake up in pain but it will feel good.

most of the time when i am surfing, i'm either paddling out to where i need to be or sitting on my board. you have a lot of time to think and ponder life's big questions. usually a song gets stuck in my head and today it was "how bad do u want it" by tim mcgraw. i love that song. but i guess i thought a lot about why i don't live here. i know all the answers to that question but surfing really is one reason i'd move back. a lot would have to happen for me to want to move back but surfing would be a big reason. i'm not good at it but it's not something you need to be good at to enjoy. the time spent out in the water and the pure joy of surfing is unique and special and until you've gone surfing you would never know.

#44 - travel in style

it was just announced that horizon air is going to repaint four planes, one for each of the northwest teams! it's gonna look something like this:



that would be great incentive to fly somewhere! unfortunately i'm not sure if you can choose to fly on a certain plane. i would totally refuse to get on a plane painted in the green and yellow of the -ucks. the article didn't say anything about where the planes will fly in and out of but i'm assuming the uo one will fly out of eugene. the beavers plane maybe out of portland? in any case, that would be one sweet ride!! it would be awesome if they pimped the inside to be totally black and orange! i don't think i'd ever get off that plane.

if i ever got a car i'd paint it orange so i, too, could travel in style. go beavs!

#43 - golf is for sissies

i never thought i would like golf because it seemed so lame and boring. it didn't seem like a sport because it was so damn slow. i loved mini golfing but knew it wasn't really like that. my dad tried to get me to go golfing as i was growing up but i refused, i think mostly due to my rebellious nature.

when i went to college my friend got me to try it and it was so fun! i was amazed at how fun it was despite being my first time and me sucking. usually i'm pretty competitive and hate losing but golf was different, i could be horrible and still be competitive because each hole was a new game. it's a game of striving for perfection but never getting there. although that might seem frustrating it isn't. the only time golf is frustrating is when you aren't playing well and mentally can't get it together.

so i've been golfing now for 5 years, mostly with my dad when i come home to hawaii. we have this course out in kahuku that we go to, it's right on the beach and cheap. only $10 for 18 so it's pretty sweet. i really hate going with other people that i don't know because they make me nervous and try to give me tips. someday when i can afford it i'm going to golf on a regular basis and then that consistency will make me a better player. for now it's just fun to hang out with my dad and try to beat him.

today we played at the course in my town and started late. we played till the sun went down and coming up to the last hole i was one up on match play and he was one up on stroke play. so it was an exciting finish and we ended up tying the last hole. so it was just fun. although i could've done a lot better and so could he, there were spots of brightness. there's nothing better than sinking a long putt, hitting a perfect drive or getting your ball out of a tight spot cleanly. i now understand that it isn't a boring game. it does take awhile and is slow but the challenge and striving for perfection (but never getting it) is what makes it a great game.

#42 - never give up

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." -H. B. Stowe

my mom sent me this quote after i wrote her saying i need to take my class over again that i didn't do well in. although i know they are disappointed in me, i know they are supporting me and that is making all the difference. basically what happened is i didn't get a 75% so i need to take the class again but can't until the spring. i also can't take any other classes till i take this one. so then instead of starting my second year of school in january, i can't start it till the FALL!! this means i won't be able to graduate until spring term '09. this is devastating and i feel like a loser. but it'll all be okay. it's not the end of the world.

i have a lot of things i've thought of that i will be able to do now that i don't have a class next term (to make myself feel better about the situation):

• work more and make some money
• workout more consistently
• dodgeball draft league on tuesday
• read more books
• go to shows
• cook more
• see the vanebo's new house at the coast
• new job maybe
• going to vegas with my sister
• take the train up to seattle!

it's hard for me to be positive about this but i am trying. basically all my plans for the next year have changed and been postponed. it is sad. i will still be a nurse eventually and a great one at that! it's just going to take a little longer. i have a few friends in the same position as i so i'm not alone in my misery.

oh well what am i gonna do? can't change it, just gotta roll with it!

#41 - new years trip!

i've been looking online for stuff to do on my family trip this coming month - to the south! i'm going to be leaving hawaii for portland on the 29th and arrive late at night, then catch a flight at 6am the 30th to meet up with my parents in Denver and take a plane to memphis. from there we're driving down to new orleans for the game.

new orleans - there is so much i want to do in NO but we won't have very much time. we'll get there late on the 30th and leave early on the 2nd. so that's only 2 full days, one of which we'll be watching a football game. i really wanted to go on the haunted history tour at night but we might have to go during the day. i want to see all the cemetaries and voodoo stuff. of course seeing the french quarter, bourbon street, jackson square, st charles avenue and magazine street. it all sounds fun and hopefully we'll be able to fit it in.


we're planning on new years eve on bourbon street and maybe jackson square! i've heard it's one of the best places to be when the ball drops, hopefully i won't be too claustrophobic with all those people. january 1 is the sugar bowl, the whole reason we are going. but it is at night so we have the whole day to do stuff (nurse the hangover). eat beignets and drink cafe au laits. why not?!



nashville - just found out we won't be able to go see a show at the grand ole opry. =( so sad!! they only have shows on tuesday, friday and saturday and we'll most likely be there on a wednesday or thursday. BOO!! we were going to drive to nashville just for that. hopefully we still go there cause i want to go to the country music hall of fame! also the RCA studio b, where elvis, dolly parton, waylon jennings and roy orbison recorded.

memphis - the most important thing here would be graceland, home of elvis. my mom loves elvis and i think he's pretty cool too. he's the only musician in 4 hall of fames - country, rock&roll, gospel, and rockabilly. i think we're gonna spend a lot of time there so she can get her elvis fix. i have a feeling we'll be playing a lot of elvis on the drive there.



we'll be driving over 1000 miles on this trip so it should be interesting. luckily it will be 5 of us, me, parents, uncle, and dad's friend. so it won't be just me and the 'rents. regardless, it's a lot of time spend in a small area without escape. hello ipod.

#40 - sony w80

my new baby.

my beloved digi-cam finally kicked the bucket. well, not really, but the flash decided it was too tired and stopped working one day. i don't know what that's all about but i knew i needed a new camera anyway. it didn't really take long for me to decide on this cute little camera. i knew i wanted to stay in the sony family, mostly because of the memory card issue. i've had good luck with sonys so far and so why would i go away from them? i didn't.

i haven't had a chance to really play with my camera yet so i'm not sure how awesome it is yet but it's cute, shiny, new and fast. we'll see how fast pretty soon. some specs include 7.1 megapixel (my previous was 3.1!), 3x optical zoom, carl-zeiss lens, face detection!, anti-blur, movie setting, and 2.5 inch screen! it's a pretty cool camera. i love taking pictures so this will be a great new toy! i'll have to take good care of it, obviously, but it should be FUN!! it's so small and can pretty much fit in my pocket. i heart my new camera!!!

#39 - sugar bowl

i am going to new orleans for new years!!! since hawaii got into the BCS sugar bowl, my parents and i are going up for the game! hawaii will be playing the georgia bulldogs at the louisiana superdome! i've never gone to new orleans or louisiana so it should be a great experience! i wonder if i can convince my parents to take me to emeril lagasse's restaurant. he used to be my favorite cook to watch on tv and his food always looks great! creole/cajun style...mmmm. yummy! of course it always has to come down to food.

i wonder what we'll be doing new years eve. somehow spending it with my parents in nawlins doesn't sound like the most exciting thing but i am sure it will be fun. i wish i could bring some friends to party with me and unfortunately my sister won't be able to make it =( so parents it is. well our current plan is to fly into memphis the 29th or so then drive down to n.o., watch the game (new years day) and then drive back to memphis, visit elvis then fly back on the 3rd i think. i'll actually have to leave hawaii early which really makes me sad...but this is a once in a lifetime chance, probably.

i love traveling to watch football games! i've gone to a bunch with oregon state as a student trainer - UW, cal, USC, insight bowl in arizona. went a bunch to see games as a fan - UW, stanford, fresno state, hawaii. even saw a UO-UW game in seattle. i haven't ever traveled to watch hawaii play though, should be awesome!! tickets are going like hotcakes. there's gonna be a whole bunch of hawaiians in louisiana - watch out! i'm so excited!

i don't know anything about georgia. well i know about georgia the state, i've been there. atlanta was pretty cool, i went for a 4-H thing and met lots of fun people. they have the world of COCA-COLA! that was awesome. but the football team i don't know anything about, i'll have to do some research. this is knowshon moreno, the SEC freshman of the year, tailback for georgia. he rushed for more than 1000 yards this season so sounds like a pretty good back. we'll see.

#38 - bowl games

congrats are in order.

i read that washington losing to hawaii this weekend was the reason that arizona state didn't make a B-S game, which in turn put them into the holiday bowl and oregon state in the *gasp* emerald bowl in san francisco. the beavers deserved the pac-10 #3 spot which was the sun bowl but since we got there last year we were bumped down and the -ucks got into the sun. imagine that, losing your last three games and being invited to the sun bowl?! although i am not pleased with that decision and it's slap in the face to my beloved beavers, it is okay. why? because the university of hawaii rainbow warriors are playing in the BCS sugar bowl in new orleans!! i am pumped up and will be watching with my family in hawaii.

warriors performing the ha'a, the hawaiian version of the maori haka chant/dance:


although the warriors had the easiest schedule in the country (119/119!) it is difficult to go undefeated in the regular season no matter who you play. UH is 12-0, WAC champions and playing in the sugar bowl. there could not be anything better! colt brennan is a superstar and loves hawaii. he loves the people and that is why he came back for his senior season. he may not have been a top pick last year but he would've gone and done well in the NFL. he has all the tools. but he stayed and lead the team to the best season EVER!



he is an outstanding quarterback and was nearly perfect against UW - 42/50 passing for 442 yards and five TDs which puts him at 38 for the season. that is playing partial games due to warriors being up by so many TDs and also being hurt for parts of the season. what a magical season for the bows. yes, i am still calling them rainbows even though officially they are the "warriors". i am in denial. there was nothing wrong with rainbows.

why change from this:

to this?:


yes maybe more masculine but lame. just like oregon state changed from cute adorable benny:

to angry rabid beaver.

#37 - elves are fun

i never had the desire to become an elf (especially a dancing one) but my friend sent me this link and that all changed:

the original dancing elves

from then i just went crazy and did my family and just went wild with it. it wasn't hard or time consuming and i did a few of them. i am easily entertained. enjoy it like i did and you'll lose a few pounds laughing!

my family
dancing cousins + sue
silly faces
just me!