Anyone else out there watch Game of Thrones? I seem to hear a lot about it, but I rarely watch shows on premium channels because I'm not used to having them.
We recently switched from cable to satellite because our cable company told us something different every time we called for help during our move ("yes you can have cable a both places" then "no, as soon as you activated at your new how we cut off your old house" and "yes it's a free self install" then later a bill for $119? for new service installation). We got tired of the half-truths and just opted to switch to an new company. I sure that won't be headache free either, but it seems we are addicted to TV so we've got to have some fix.
When I was single I just used whatever that thing is were shows already aired are automatically saved -- it's one network, I think, but it's the one with all the forensic shows. So on my weekend binge of a couple glasses of wine, pizza and an evening of TV I would go out and watch one series all the way through -- whatever 4 or 5 shows had accumulated since I last watched. One weekend it was CSI:Miami, another was CSI:NY, the next Numb3rs, etc. And sometimes Becca and I would swap DVDs for other shows like Bones. I liked it because you could watch a whole series in a row and see the storyline unfold without the annoying weeklong lapse between them. Like reading a couple of chapters in a book but in a passive, more visual way. But about the time I moved in with Iggy, I had basically caught up on all the DVDs and they'd replaced my favorite character on CSI:NY and CSI:Miami seemed like all bikinis and soap opera drama so I was looking for new distractions.
Iggy and I have established a routine of recording shows and watching them as a "wind-down" in the evening. I switched to some of the comedies he likes (Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother) and probably eliminated from his list the shows I didn't feel like getting caught up on (Weeds or Entourage). At any rate we both have a couple of shows that we don't watch together but for the most part we have some joint shows we watch in the evenings. Summer is a slow time for shows I have come to realize. I have been sucked into the reality show vortex, much to my chagrin, and we watch Big Brother. Sometimes I will consent to watching cooking reality shows but mostly I hate the yelling and I get sad when they send home someone I am rooting for, so I mostly avoid them. I love Storage Wars and Pawn Stars, but they're a little formulaic, I guess, because I feel like I've seen the episode even when I know we're watching a new one.
Which brings me back to Game of Thrones. I had been hearing about it and was starting to feel a little left out. We discovered that we can see season 1 from the equivalent of "on demand" for satellite. So we watched the first one and I was hooked on the storyline. But 2 beheadings and a couple battles where guts spill out all over the place and what seemed like an excessive amount of sex even for an adult cable show that's not a porn network had me wondering if I was cut out to watch this show. And also wondering what the script looks like...during the "wedding scene" does it say "Man 1 engages in gratuitous but very fake fucking from behind with Woman A. Man 2 pulls him away and takes over, while Man 1 pretends to reel from the force before..."? And who do you write the choreography for both fighting/fucking?
Anyways...I kept thinking about the story. I was bummed that the 10-year-old boy probably died, wondered if, by some Hollywood miracle, he survived, wondered if his family figured out he was pushed out the window instead of falling. I wasn't quite sure I understood the blond woman/man (not the white-haired brother/sister). I thought they were brother/sister but then they get caught ... getting it on (I've probably over-used the other word). And I thought she was the queen...of the one guy who asked Ned to be his right hand man. I can't remember half the names yet and I would probably have a hard time spelling them anyways. Iggy and I were talking about the plot and he'd read a plot summary somewhere - turns out the blond chick is the queen and she is having an affair with her brother. Which is good, I guess, because it means I wasn't quite as befuddled as I thought I was. The summary also said they were twins -- oh, ok, good to know, and I probably did miss that clue during the show.
So I decided I'd give the show one more try. Season 1, Episode 2 didn't have as much of the beheadings/gut-spilling/fucking but at the end they have to kill an innocent and very cute dog. So I'm sitting there with tears streaming down my face thinking of the irony that cable networks will show humans being gutted and beheaded but won't show them stabbing a dog to kill it. I don't really understand that. But the episode did clear up a few things and we turned on the closed captioning so I can start to remember names.
Episode 3 was even milder -- did anyone even die? I don't remember...
But the plot continues to captivate me, so I guess I'm hooked now, for better or for worse. I don't really understand my attraction to the show just yet but at least it really does live up to the hype (so far) of being captivating. I feel a little guilty for spending my time thinking (and blogging) about it. Most of my other shows, I just watch and as soon as they're over I am done thinking about them.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Search Engine Serendipity
In a strange piece of serendipity I found an old mystery book online while searching for a painting I saw on pinterest where the link was broken. I forgot what words I was using. At any rate, the words "yellow dress" we're a part of my search.
The book had a yellow dress on the cover, but it wasn't prominently featured. The story does pivot around a murder victim found without her dress on - and later you find out that it was a bright yellow dress. So I am a little amazed and intrigued by how the book came up and how the search engines work. Not probably enough to do any research, but the thought did cross my mind. I used to know some of that stuff when I worked closer to web development and web content.
The book is written in the late 1950's and several "time period" things amused me.
One was when the lead detective/narrator is thinking about possible suspects for the murder. He goes through each in turn listing the listing the pros and cons. For one he mentions the irony of this person and that it would be comparable to a cheap dime novel from the discount store. I had to go look at the cover for the price of this novel. I know you are scrolling up to see the cover again now! I was pleased to see how high my standards apparently would've been 50 years ago.
Another thing that got me thinking was this passage:
Is this hopelessly out of date because of the social norms back then? Or are we just too blasé today to actually care enough to help out? The recent "movie theater massacre" and the outpouring of sympathy, visits by celebrities, foundations, donations, etc. lead me to think it isn't the latter. But it is hard for me to be objective about this since it is my hometown currently and, while we are always one degree away from personally knowing someone, we have been to that theater and Iggy's work is close to it.
The other thing that was continually fun about reading this book was the old library smell it had. It is a slim book (less than 200 pages, but I actually mean it is small in size since it was slightly bigger than a 3x5 photo and about as thin as my iPad). But the smell never went away in the 3 months I've had the book or the week it took me to read it. I wonder when they will have smell-o-vision (I already have a 3d tv so at least smell-o-vision movies can't be far off) or smell-enhanced e-books.
I did find the painting I was looking for, by the way, but it wasn't anything I saved or thought about buying. But I did enjoy reading the old book I did end up buying. And I look forward to my next Search Engine Serendipity.
The book had a yellow dress on the cover, but it wasn't prominently featured. The story does pivot around a murder victim found without her dress on - and later you find out that it was a bright yellow dress. So I am a little amazed and intrigued by how the book came up and how the search engines work. Not probably enough to do any research, but the thought did cross my mind. I used to know some of that stuff when I worked closer to web development and web content.
The book is written in the late 1950's and several "time period" things amused me.
One was when the lead detective/narrator is thinking about possible suspects for the murder. He goes through each in turn listing the listing the pros and cons. For one he mentions the irony of this person and that it would be comparable to a cheap dime novel from the discount store. I had to go look at the cover for the price of this novel. I know you are scrolling up to see the cover again now! I was pleased to see how high my standards apparently would've been 50 years ago.
Another thing that got me thinking was this passage:
Justice and vengeance were no longer the motivations of this manhunt. The women who had yesterday scolded their men, "Al, [or Ray, or Joe,] if you think you're going out chasing into that swamp half the night for that lunatic you've got another think coming. Let the Sheriff get him. He's paid to do it," would now be silent in the face of yet another killing. The men would, most of them, not even have consulted their women. They would have quietly listened to the news broadcasts and as quietly gone to the closets or the attics for whatever weapon they happened to own. The women would have understood that this was, after all, a man's world and that men must band together for the defense of their homes and their women...
Is this hopelessly out of date because of the social norms back then? Or are we just too blasé today to actually care enough to help out? The recent "movie theater massacre" and the outpouring of sympathy, visits by celebrities, foundations, donations, etc. lead me to think it isn't the latter. But it is hard for me to be objective about this since it is my hometown currently and, while we are always one degree away from personally knowing someone, we have been to that theater and Iggy's work is close to it.
The other thing that was continually fun about reading this book was the old library smell it had. It is a slim book (less than 200 pages, but I actually mean it is small in size since it was slightly bigger than a 3x5 photo and about as thin as my iPad). But the smell never went away in the 3 months I've had the book or the week it took me to read it. I wonder when they will have smell-o-vision (I already have a 3d tv so at least smell-o-vision movies can't be far off) or smell-enhanced e-books.
I did find the painting I was looking for, by the way, but it wasn't anything I saved or thought about buying. But I did enjoy reading the old book I did end up buying. And I look forward to my next Search Engine Serendipity.
Mixed Emotions
My mom waited until 6:45am to call me on the Friday after the shootings at the Aurora movie theater. Oddly, I was already up and working, but I hadn't opened a web browser to see the news yet, so I had no idea what she was talking about. After I did read the story I was amazed at her restraint for not calling the minute she heard (I will always be "her little girl," I suppose). During that day several of my coworkers (who are all over the country, but not in Colorado) IM'ed or emailed to see if I was ok, which was cool. I tried to not obsessively check news updates or Facebook, but it was hard not to look at Facebook especially. I felt relief each time I saw someone post that they weren't at the theater. Mostly I was probably just like everyone else: numb, shocked, confused, outraged and sad.
I had to fly out Monday after for work and I had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand it turned out that my friends most likely to be at the midnight release of batman were all at other theaters and we didn't personally know anyone there. So there was no reason that I couldn't go. But Iggy's work is close to the theater and a large portion of the people he comes into contact with regularly at work could've been directly affected. I didn't really think he would need emotional support after his first day back at work but I also really just wanted to be at home with him. Not for him, but for me.
I wasn't sure what to expect from my client or my coworkers while on-site that week since they all know where I live. The client was silent. I am not sure if this was out of respect or because they didn't make the association or if they only recognize drama directly involving themselves. My coworkers all asked quietly, unobtrusively, on their own, and at different times about it. When talk would come up about the movie I would have a slightly jarring hiccuping in my emotions but hopefully it wasn't apparent to others. I am trying not to have the association with the movie or the theater itself.
I wonder if the theater can successfully reopen or how businesses at the mall will be impacted over time. I have mixed emotions about seeing the movie (I want to, but I don't want to, and I don't think I would enjoy it at the theater now, but then I feel like maybe I should force myself just so I get over any issue I have).
One of the days I was on-site I saw this ad in USA Today at the hotel.
http://www.demandaplan.org/ad-large
I was shocked, probably a little angry at first, but almost as immediately was glad for free speech giving these people the right to print the ad, and the paper having no reason to censure it. Then maybe a little guilty because these people have certainly fallen off my radar as I know, eventually, even the ones in my hometown will. And that makes me sad too.
Last week, on vacation, when asked where we are from, Iggy and I say, "Denver" out of habit. (Everyone assumes Denver, Colorado, but it used to be that people either didn't recognize Aurora as being in Colorado or first thought of an Aurora in another state first. So it was always easier to go with the name recognition and the habit formed.) This had the nice side effect of allowing whoever was asking to bring up the Aurora incident if they wanted to or not. By this time I am less sensitive to the conversation. And probably about half the people think of (or mention) the fires this summer in Colorado first.
I am glad the Olympics are on this week to take some of the focus away from negative events and give us something to collectively get behind. But then I wonder if this is already making the victims feels forgotten. I am still seeing news stories about the suspect or gun control laws using that as a springboard, and while I have a need to know more in hopes of eventually gaining some understanding, I fear the media making too much of the negative pieces of this story.
No answers, just lots of questions. Let me know what you think.
I had to fly out Monday after for work and I had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand it turned out that my friends most likely to be at the midnight release of batman were all at other theaters and we didn't personally know anyone there. So there was no reason that I couldn't go. But Iggy's work is close to the theater and a large portion of the people he comes into contact with regularly at work could've been directly affected. I didn't really think he would need emotional support after his first day back at work but I also really just wanted to be at home with him. Not for him, but for me.
I wasn't sure what to expect from my client or my coworkers while on-site that week since they all know where I live. The client was silent. I am not sure if this was out of respect or because they didn't make the association or if they only recognize drama directly involving themselves. My coworkers all asked quietly, unobtrusively, on their own, and at different times about it. When talk would come up about the movie I would have a slightly jarring hiccuping in my emotions but hopefully it wasn't apparent to others. I am trying not to have the association with the movie or the theater itself.
I wonder if the theater can successfully reopen or how businesses at the mall will be impacted over time. I have mixed emotions about seeing the movie (I want to, but I don't want to, and I don't think I would enjoy it at the theater now, but then I feel like maybe I should force myself just so I get over any issue I have).
One of the days I was on-site I saw this ad in USA Today at the hotel.
http://www.demandaplan.org/ad-large
I was shocked, probably a little angry at first, but almost as immediately was glad for free speech giving these people the right to print the ad, and the paper having no reason to censure it. Then maybe a little guilty because these people have certainly fallen off my radar as I know, eventually, even the ones in my hometown will. And that makes me sad too.
Last week, on vacation, when asked where we are from, Iggy and I say, "Denver" out of habit. (Everyone assumes Denver, Colorado, but it used to be that people either didn't recognize Aurora as being in Colorado or first thought of an Aurora in another state first. So it was always easier to go with the name recognition and the habit formed.) This had the nice side effect of allowing whoever was asking to bring up the Aurora incident if they wanted to or not. By this time I am less sensitive to the conversation. And probably about half the people think of (or mention) the fires this summer in Colorado first.
I am glad the Olympics are on this week to take some of the focus away from negative events and give us something to collectively get behind. But then I wonder if this is already making the victims feels forgotten. I am still seeing news stories about the suspect or gun control laws using that as a springboard, and while I have a need to know more in hopes of eventually gaining some understanding, I fear the media making too much of the negative pieces of this story.
No answers, just lots of questions. Let me know what you think.
Maui - Day 9 - Leaving
I managed to get up after only one snooze. I am not ready for vacation to be over, but I am looking forward to being in my house, sleeping in my bed, eating regular food, seeing the dog and catching up with Becca (who was on vacation when we started our adventure). After unzipping the extender on my suitcase I can fit in most of the souvenirs.
~~~
The lei ceremony is nice. I like the history our hostess includes and I tear up when she talks about how the 9/11 events stranded people on the island and changed tourism. One old guy next to us, who was late to the ceremony, whispers to his wife that he thought they were getting a special lei and that this is a boring, typical one. I guess I am too gullible and soft because I leave less inclined to be grumpy about the little things and add-ons which have been annoying me so far (no wi-fi in the room and Internet charges are $10/day, parking is $9/day, etc.). But I also remember the beach rental guys letting us use an umbrella and chairs late one afternoon free of charge and extending our snorkel rental from 2 to 24 hours without charging us the extra.
~~~
We leave the hotel on time and have no problems getting to the gate. We have time for one last drink and lunch before the plane boards. Our plane is late taking off and we once again are trying to connect to the last flight of the day with a 30-minute window. We didn't do the research to know we were taking "last flights of the day" and we figured that if American Airlines would sell the flights then they were reasonable layovers. We will know better next time...not sure how today will turn out...but I am sure it will all be fine in the end (just not maybe exactly as we planned it).
~~~
Aloha!
~~~
The lei ceremony is nice. I like the history our hostess includes and I tear up when she talks about how the 9/11 events stranded people on the island and changed tourism. One old guy next to us, who was late to the ceremony, whispers to his wife that he thought they were getting a special lei and that this is a boring, typical one. I guess I am too gullible and soft because I leave less inclined to be grumpy about the little things and add-ons which have been annoying me so far (no wi-fi in the room and Internet charges are $10/day, parking is $9/day, etc.). But I also remember the beach rental guys letting us use an umbrella and chairs late one afternoon free of charge and extending our snorkel rental from 2 to 24 hours without charging us the extra.
~~~
We leave the hotel on time and have no problems getting to the gate. We have time for one last drink and lunch before the plane boards. Our plane is late taking off and we once again are trying to connect to the last flight of the day with a 30-minute window. We didn't do the research to know we were taking "last flights of the day" and we figured that if American Airlines would sell the flights then they were reasonable layovers. We will know better next time...not sure how today will turn out...but I am sure it will all be fine in the end (just not maybe exactly as we planned it).
~~~
Aloha!
Maui - Day 8 - Luau
We realized sometime yesterday that we hadn't figured out when to go to the luau and that we had only one night left here on the island. While we fear that this is simply a tourist trap we feel sorta obligated to participate. Not knowing what we missed out on would bug me after we left. So the first order of business today is to see if there are any last minute spots available at any luau on Maui. As luck would have it the Royal Lahaina Luau, just a 15 minute walk from our hotel has spots open. So we swallow our objection to the price and buy the tickets.
-:-:-:-
We spend the last afternoon unintentionally burning ourselves in a short beach layout/swimming session and going back to Leilanni's on the Beach for individual portions of those fabulous pork nachos (diet to start in T minus 2 days and counting). The waitress comments that we must've been here before since we ordered so fast and starts to walk away after I order my nachos. She is a little surprised when Iggy orders his. I tell her, "I am not sharing this time!" She laughs and says she likes my style. Back in the hotel I start organizing the scrapbook we have brought along (my first/paper anniversary present from Iggy that we didn't use since we canceled last year's anniversary trip). I had only put stuff in for day one so far and I did that on day three. So I feel a little bad for making Iggy pack it for the trip. (But I also packed 2dresses and 1shirt that I didn't end up using. Either packing isn't my strong suit or I like having options...). I don't paste anything else in but I do get my bits torn our of magazines/brochures and put in between the pages where they go.
-:-:-:-
It isn't long until its time for the luau. We arrive later than we wanted to because I am dilly-dallying. There are maybe 20 people behind us in line and we hear someone say that there are 600 people in attendance. The women taking receipts and handing out table tokens skip us, but we figure it out and ask them before we get to the seating area. Once there the hostess tells us to go to a certain person in costume for seating. We do, but when we get there he walks off. (I think he was trying to find 2 seats for the couple in front of us.) We wait for a bit then try to chase him down. I am irritated and not looking forward to the crowd. I ask Iggy if we can just ask for our money back. I debate asking him this again after we are seated at a table where they sorta split up a family to fit us in and there are 5 adults with 6 children on our other side (2 of which seem to be screaming or crying at any given moment - the kids, I mean, but a couple of the adults don't look too far away from some sort of outburst themselves). I am not particularly hungry since we had lunch a little late. At one point the mom of family next to us with 4 kids sends the dad off again to the restroom with one of the little boys and the dad says, jokingly, "Boy is this fun! We should have another one! Oh wait! We are!" ai yi yi.
-:-:-:-
The dinner is pretty good, but the uniquely Hawaiian items like poi and the coconut dessert we have already tried at other restaurants. The big hit for me were the chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese that I took off the kid's buffet. Just kidding! At one point the mom i mentioned earlier asks her oldest boy if he ate the icing off her chocolate cake. He vehemently denies it, and she asks me if he did. I actually have no idea since I have been watching the rest of the crowd and am working on my 2nd or 3rd mai tai. The sorta split up family on Iggy's side is interesting to talk to. They were on their family vacation to the big island earlier this summer. But his work sent him here for a conference, so he brought the family again. He tells his teenage boys they are spoiled and they laugh good-naturedly.
-:-:-:-
The show is good; the emcee is mildly entertaining and the dancers are good. There is considerably less belly-aching from the kids next to us now that they're fed and the show has started. The guy who seated us is introduced as the Polynesian Prince during one dance. Iggy jokes that he's disappointed that a prince has to do a menial job like seating us. I like the New Zealand dance where the dancers wear face paint and do all the posturing intended to intimidate strangers. I especially like the parts where they make their eyes wide and crazy-looking while sticking their tongues out. There is one dancer who reminds me of The Rock who seems to really be getting into it and there is a lady close to the stage with a big camera who seems to particularly like taking his picture. The fire dancing seems pretty good but with all the hype I was expecting more (supposedly this show has the most). I guess the other shows must just walk a torch across the stage and call it good. (kidding) All in all, I am glad we went but I don't think I would go again unless I was with someone who had never been or a big group of people that wanted to go.
-:-:-:-
Back at the room I am not interested in packing...so uncharacteristically I decide to get up early tomorrow to do that.
-:-:-:-
We spend the last afternoon unintentionally burning ourselves in a short beach layout/swimming session and going back to Leilanni's on the Beach for individual portions of those fabulous pork nachos (diet to start in T minus 2 days and counting). The waitress comments that we must've been here before since we ordered so fast and starts to walk away after I order my nachos. She is a little surprised when Iggy orders his. I tell her, "I am not sharing this time!" She laughs and says she likes my style. Back in the hotel I start organizing the scrapbook we have brought along (my first/paper anniversary present from Iggy that we didn't use since we canceled last year's anniversary trip). I had only put stuff in for day one so far and I did that on day three. So I feel a little bad for making Iggy pack it for the trip. (But I also packed 2dresses and 1shirt that I didn't end up using. Either packing isn't my strong suit or I like having options...). I don't paste anything else in but I do get my bits torn our of magazines/brochures and put in between the pages where they go.
-:-:-:-
It isn't long until its time for the luau. We arrive later than we wanted to because I am dilly-dallying. There are maybe 20 people behind us in line and we hear someone say that there are 600 people in attendance. The women taking receipts and handing out table tokens skip us, but we figure it out and ask them before we get to the seating area. Once there the hostess tells us to go to a certain person in costume for seating. We do, but when we get there he walks off. (I think he was trying to find 2 seats for the couple in front of us.) We wait for a bit then try to chase him down. I am irritated and not looking forward to the crowd. I ask Iggy if we can just ask for our money back. I debate asking him this again after we are seated at a table where they sorta split up a family to fit us in and there are 5 adults with 6 children on our other side (2 of which seem to be screaming or crying at any given moment - the kids, I mean, but a couple of the adults don't look too far away from some sort of outburst themselves). I am not particularly hungry since we had lunch a little late. At one point the mom of family next to us with 4 kids sends the dad off again to the restroom with one of the little boys and the dad says, jokingly, "Boy is this fun! We should have another one! Oh wait! We are!" ai yi yi.
-:-:-:-
The dinner is pretty good, but the uniquely Hawaiian items like poi and the coconut dessert we have already tried at other restaurants. The big hit for me were the chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese that I took off the kid's buffet. Just kidding! At one point the mom i mentioned earlier asks her oldest boy if he ate the icing off her chocolate cake. He vehemently denies it, and she asks me if he did. I actually have no idea since I have been watching the rest of the crowd and am working on my 2nd or 3rd mai tai. The sorta split up family on Iggy's side is interesting to talk to. They were on their family vacation to the big island earlier this summer. But his work sent him here for a conference, so he brought the family again. He tells his teenage boys they are spoiled and they laugh good-naturedly.
-:-:-:-
The show is good; the emcee is mildly entertaining and the dancers are good. There is considerably less belly-aching from the kids next to us now that they're fed and the show has started. The guy who seated us is introduced as the Polynesian Prince during one dance. Iggy jokes that he's disappointed that a prince has to do a menial job like seating us. I like the New Zealand dance where the dancers wear face paint and do all the posturing intended to intimidate strangers. I especially like the parts where they make their eyes wide and crazy-looking while sticking their tongues out. There is one dancer who reminds me of The Rock who seems to really be getting into it and there is a lady close to the stage with a big camera who seems to particularly like taking his picture. The fire dancing seems pretty good but with all the hype I was expecting more (supposedly this show has the most). I guess the other shows must just walk a torch across the stage and call it good. (kidding) All in all, I am glad we went but I don't think I would go again unless I was with someone who had never been or a big group of people that wanted to go.
-:-:-:-
Back at the room I am not interested in packing...so uncharacteristically I decide to get up early tomorrow to do that.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Maui - Day 7 - Exploring the Island
We tried snorkeling in the morning, but the current was strong and it was hard to get anywhere. Plus the people who were out were oblivious. A paddle boarder almost ran into us, one woman that couldn't swim and was using a wake board to help her float while snorkeling was all over the place, etc. We did see a couple of eels and a ton of fish. Where the current was strongest it looked like a fish parking lot -- they were all hovering on the ocean floor a couple of inches away from each other.
~ ~ ~
The first stop on our island adventure was The Maui Tropical Plantation. It was more of a tourist trap than I wished for, but it was cool to see all the different plants and the coconut husking demonstration.
We had lunch on site at a BBQ place - good food, but the chickens wandering around were a bit unnerving. The highlight of lunch was listening to a teenage girl talk about how cute the baby chicks were before ordering her chicken sandwich. We left before she got her food - I was afraid Iggy would ask her if her sandwich was also cute.
We took the train ride, but probably could've seen all the sites walking. It was fun to see the zip line stations on the plantation. They seemed positively tame compared to the zip lines we did in Jalisco, Mexico...wonder if the safety regulations are different?
A couple of shots from the plantation:
~ ~ ~
The second stop on our island exploration was the Ali'i Kula Lavender farm. This was less tourist-y and more off the beaten path (read as the roads leading there were narrow, windy, and we were not really sure we were on the right path). I wanted to see the purple fields like you see in pictures from the French lavender fields (which we did see) but the bonus was the view. The farm is at 4000 feet and you can see the "skinny" part of Maui with ocean on both sides.
We had lavender scones at the gift shop before continuing on our adventure.
~ ~ ~
Next was a little random driving. We stopped at a farm stand to buy bananas and a papaya for breakfast tomorrow. We drove through Paia (cute town - maybe a place to stay next time), stopped at a scenic overlook and drove a little bit of the Hana highway.
~ ~ ~
Last stop was Mama's Fish House for dinner. It was highly recommended and lived up to the hype. It was even worth the hour drive back to the hotel. We were early and didn't really get to watch the sun set from our table, but we did have a nice beach view.
~ ~ ~
Back at the hotel we watched the Olympics again (Michael Phelps 3-peat! Gabby wins gold!) and then the local news. Local news is an adventure regardless of where you are. There was some news on a guy who got his foot bitten by a shark while surfing (minor injuries, he'll be back out there again ASAP he says) and a beach where some palm trees were mysteriously cut down. The beach regulars blame the guy across the street and made a sign saying so. The guy across the street took the sign down and says the forest service cut down the trees. The forest service says "not us." Wheeeeee!
~ ~ ~
The first stop on our island adventure was The Maui Tropical Plantation. It was more of a tourist trap than I wished for, but it was cool to see all the different plants and the coconut husking demonstration.
We had lunch on site at a BBQ place - good food, but the chickens wandering around were a bit unnerving. The highlight of lunch was listening to a teenage girl talk about how cute the baby chicks were before ordering her chicken sandwich. We left before she got her food - I was afraid Iggy would ask her if her sandwich was also cute.
We took the train ride, but probably could've seen all the sites walking. It was fun to see the zip line stations on the plantation. They seemed positively tame compared to the zip lines we did in Jalisco, Mexico...wonder if the safety regulations are different?
A couple of shots from the plantation:
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The second stop on our island exploration was the Ali'i Kula Lavender farm. This was less tourist-y and more off the beaten path (read as the roads leading there were narrow, windy, and we were not really sure we were on the right path). I wanted to see the purple fields like you see in pictures from the French lavender fields (which we did see) but the bonus was the view. The farm is at 4000 feet and you can see the "skinny" part of Maui with ocean on both sides.
We had lavender scones at the gift shop before continuing on our adventure.
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Next was a little random driving. We stopped at a farm stand to buy bananas and a papaya for breakfast tomorrow. We drove through Paia (cute town - maybe a place to stay next time), stopped at a scenic overlook and drove a little bit of the Hana highway.
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Last stop was Mama's Fish House for dinner. It was highly recommended and lived up to the hype. It was even worth the hour drive back to the hotel. We were early and didn't really get to watch the sun set from our table, but we did have a nice beach view.
~ ~ ~
Back at the hotel we watched the Olympics again (Michael Phelps 3-peat! Gabby wins gold!) and then the local news. Local news is an adventure regardless of where you are. There was some news on a guy who got his foot bitten by a shark while surfing (minor injuries, he'll be back out there again ASAP he says) and a beach where some palm trees were mysteriously cut down. The beach regulars blame the guy across the street and made a sign saying so. The guy across the street took the sign down and says the forest service cut down the trees. The forest service says "not us." Wheeeeee!
Location:Maui, HI
Maui - Day 6 - Beach Day
Snorkeling in the morning - we say 3 spotted rays and a huge turtle! I was pretty surprised because we went in the late morning and there were probably 25 other snorkelers in the same area. (Luckily it is easy to spread out a little and the first bend in the shoreline weeds out most of the snorkelers.) It was so good we extended our equipment rental from 2 hours to "all day" so we could go the next morning too!
- - -
Lunch at Leilanni's on the Beach - this time we got the nachos! Surprisingly they surpassed our expectations after thinking about them for 2 days! They had a chipotle sour cream and a habernero salsa (not overpowering) and we added the shredded pork option. I would recommended it (if you like nachos).
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Beach time
- - -
Dinner at Paradise Grill. The opposite of our dining experience last night. I asked for a glass of cabernet. The waitress brought me the cocktail menu (which says "ask your server for seasonal wine selections"). I decided a cocktail might be safer. The waitress was difficult to understand, flighty and made me nervous. The pizza was great, though, and we got to watch the olympics on the TV near our table as we ate.
- - -
Lunch at Leilanni's on the Beach - this time we got the nachos! Surprisingly they surpassed our expectations after thinking about them for 2 days! They had a chipotle sour cream and a habernero salsa (not overpowering) and we added the shredded pork option. I would recommended it (if you like nachos).
- - -
Beach time
- - -
Dinner at Paradise Grill. The opposite of our dining experience last night. I asked for a glass of cabernet. The waitress brought me the cocktail menu (which says "ask your server for seasonal wine selections"). I decided a cocktail might be safer. The waitress was difficult to understand, flighty and made me nervous. The pizza was great, though, and we got to watch the olympics on the TV near our table as we ate.
Maui - Day 5 - Anniversary!
We started the day with cheerios in our room (to avoid the expensive and over-indulgent buffet downstairs) and a quick "swim" in the ocean but then got ready for our big plans. We were taking a helicopter tour of west Maui and Molokai! Plus we had dinner reservations at a local up-and-coming restaurant.
It took just under an hour to drive back to Kahalui where the airport is. Once there we had to weigh in (eek!) so they could balance the helicopter. We had to go through some safety items - similar to when on an airplane - but this time it felt a little more real. I'm not sure if that was because I had to wear a life vest in a pack around my waist for the whole trip or if I think helicopters are less stable or if I just actually haven't heard 100 times how to jettison helicopter doors in case of a water landing.
Our pilot was Shaylan. Iggy thought that he "just looked" like a helicopter pilot. Since I was sitting next to him he started by showing me the controls on the floor and making sure I knew not to bump them with my legs. He told us about what we were seeing as we flew over it and often told jokes that only he really understood. He would ask us questions and try to read our lips as we answered (he was the only person miked).
The views were spectacular - so many waterfalls and so much green in the landscapes and blues in the water. It was a little hazy since there seem to be clouds sitting on the tops of the mountains here a lot.
As we were driving back to our hotel, we got a little lost, but had the happy accident of stumbling across Wow Wee Maui - a local sushi and burger place. We stopped in for lunch and bought a Wow Wee Maui Potato Chip and Milk Chocolate candy bar (yum!).
* * *
After a little nap and looking through our photos and a little balcony time, we got ready to head over to dinner at David Paul's Island Grill in Lahaina. We sat on the patio facing the street and the beach and had a nice view of the sunset. We watched the couple at the table next to us argue and the lady at another table complain that the tart she ordered for dessert wasn't a pie. There was a table 10 people close to us that had one guy who seemed to constantly be talking louder than anyone in the restaurant. And the table next to us was a quiet family with 2 kids (maybe 3 and 7) who were really well behaved. We tried the sashimi (paca paca) bruschetta as appetizers. Iggy had the steak oscar and I had pork 3 ways. We had the signature berry pie (not tart) for dessert. The food was really good and our waiter was nice - knowledge about the wine I wanted, knew the menu, and was all about the ambiance (when he saw me taking a picture of the sunset through the shades he ran back to the switches to open them).
It was a nice anniversary - a little adventure and some fine dining!
It took just under an hour to drive back to Kahalui where the airport is. Once there we had to weigh in (eek!) so they could balance the helicopter. We had to go through some safety items - similar to when on an airplane - but this time it felt a little more real. I'm not sure if that was because I had to wear a life vest in a pack around my waist for the whole trip or if I think helicopters are less stable or if I just actually haven't heard 100 times how to jettison helicopter doors in case of a water landing.
Our pilot was Shaylan. Iggy thought that he "just looked" like a helicopter pilot. Since I was sitting next to him he started by showing me the controls on the floor and making sure I knew not to bump them with my legs. He told us about what we were seeing as we flew over it and often told jokes that only he really understood. He would ask us questions and try to read our lips as we answered (he was the only person miked).
The views were spectacular - so many waterfalls and so much green in the landscapes and blues in the water. It was a little hazy since there seem to be clouds sitting on the tops of the mountains here a lot.
As we were driving back to our hotel, we got a little lost, but had the happy accident of stumbling across Wow Wee Maui - a local sushi and burger place. We stopped in for lunch and bought a Wow Wee Maui Potato Chip and Milk Chocolate candy bar (yum!).
* * *
After a little nap and looking through our photos and a little balcony time, we got ready to head over to dinner at David Paul's Island Grill in Lahaina. We sat on the patio facing the street and the beach and had a nice view of the sunset. We watched the couple at the table next to us argue and the lady at another table complain that the tart she ordered for dessert wasn't a pie. There was a table 10 people close to us that had one guy who seemed to constantly be talking louder than anyone in the restaurant. And the table next to us was a quiet family with 2 kids (maybe 3 and 7) who were really well behaved. We tried the sashimi (paca paca) bruschetta as appetizers. Iggy had the steak oscar and I had pork 3 ways. We had the signature berry pie (not tart) for dessert. The food was really good and our waiter was nice - knowledge about the wine I wanted, knew the menu, and was all about the ambiance (when he saw me taking a picture of the sunset through the shades he ran back to the switches to open them).
It was a nice anniversary - a little adventure and some fine dining!
Location:Maui, HI
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Maui - Days 2-4 - Relaxing
Saturday we walked over to Whaler's Village and shopped a bit. We had appetizers and happy hour at the Hula Grill where they had live music. The music seemed mostly Hawaiian and the lead singer encouraged us to all learn to the the "oo-ka-lay-lay." Or, if we had kids, to buy them a real souvenir (not the toy version from ABC Store).
We had dinner at Maui Fish and Pasta (including a yummy cilantro infused margarita) and got our feet in the ocean walking back to the hotel along the beach. Iggy bought me a lei but it smelled so strongly that I couldn't wear it while eating. It was very nice while walking back to the hotel though!
Sunday we went for a morning "swim" and then to the champagne brunch at out hotel. Even the woman who rented us our car recommended it. True to her promise, there were 3 walls of food and while we only had one glass of champagne each, that glass was refilled every time you took a sip making it a little difficult to track how much you were really drinking. There were hula dancers with the live music -- and we heard Iggy's favorite song again (Hawaiian Superman).
This was followed by a nap, a pedicure for me, then reading on the beach. In the evening we wandered back over to Whaler's Village so I could get an anniversary present now that I knew what he wanted and dinner at Leilanni's on the Beach. This was a very nice meal, but we had been wanting to the nachos we saw on the menu. Sadly Leilanni's has 2 restaurants and we were in the fancy one, not the bar one and the menus don't cross over.
Monday we went to the hotel orientation breakfast (Saturday at 8am was too early after or late arrival Friday night and they don't have it on Sundays due to the champagne brunch). The talk was pretty informative and the food was free. After that we booked our anniversary day activities and then drove over to Lahaina to look around. The Banyan tree was pretty cool.
And we had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.
That night we tried appetizers and happy hour at the other Leilanni's, but sadly we were way too full for nachos. The happy hour margarita there had to be the worst one I've ever had - all mixer. We wandered around the shoreline for a bit checking out a craft fair at one of the hotels and then down to the black rock where we want to snorkel eventually. Then we decided on sunset on out balcony and pizza in the room and a movie (Mission Impossible 4).
I think we've got the relaxing part accomplished!
We had dinner at Maui Fish and Pasta (including a yummy cilantro infused margarita) and got our feet in the ocean walking back to the hotel along the beach. Iggy bought me a lei but it smelled so strongly that I couldn't wear it while eating. It was very nice while walking back to the hotel though!
Sunday we went for a morning "swim" and then to the champagne brunch at out hotel. Even the woman who rented us our car recommended it. True to her promise, there were 3 walls of food and while we only had one glass of champagne each, that glass was refilled every time you took a sip making it a little difficult to track how much you were really drinking. There were hula dancers with the live music -- and we heard Iggy's favorite song again (Hawaiian Superman).
This was followed by a nap, a pedicure for me, then reading on the beach. In the evening we wandered back over to Whaler's Village so I could get an anniversary present now that I knew what he wanted and dinner at Leilanni's on the Beach. This was a very nice meal, but we had been wanting to the nachos we saw on the menu. Sadly Leilanni's has 2 restaurants and we were in the fancy one, not the bar one and the menus don't cross over.
Monday we went to the hotel orientation breakfast (Saturday at 8am was too early after or late arrival Friday night and they don't have it on Sundays due to the champagne brunch). The talk was pretty informative and the food was free. After that we booked our anniversary day activities and then drove over to Lahaina to look around. The Banyan tree was pretty cool.
And we had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.
That night we tried appetizers and happy hour at the other Leilanni's, but sadly we were way too full for nachos. The happy hour margarita there had to be the worst one I've ever had - all mixer. We wandered around the shoreline for a bit checking out a craft fair at one of the hotels and then down to the black rock where we want to snorkel eventually. Then we decided on sunset on out balcony and pizza in the room and a movie (Mission Impossible 4).
I think we've got the relaxing part accomplished!
Location:Maui
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