Successfully Avoiding Anything Planned
Tag Archives: Hawaii
39 to 40 (Day 2): Hot Cakes and Vintage Sinks
Hot Cakes
You know that part in Back to the Future when Marty speeds through the mall parking lot away from the Plutonium villains and cracks into 1955 almost hitting a scarecrow and driving into a barn?
Of course you do.
Sometimes life feels that way doesn’t it? Like you’re in 1985 one second then the next you’re being interrogated by a confused farmer and his family.
We’ve all been there.
39 to 40 (Day 1): One Doughnut at a Time
Today I woke up and my wife Christi said “Happy Birthday! You’re 39!”
The first part I was excited about. Birthdays still remind me of cake and the roller rink and awkwardly singing the birthday song in staff meetings to people I don’t know.
The second part though, the 39 bit, whoa. Hold on, is that even possible? 39, that’s a year away from 40. I don’t care how many times you say 40 is the new 21 and cackle and high-five your friends and lift a drink to the sky, 40 is officially old. I’m no longer a Spring Chicken. I’m a Late Summer/Early Fall Chicken with only one place left to go: Winter Chicken.
I know I’m getting older because I have a daily regiment that includes trimming nose hairs taking a thyroid pill and spraying my feet. If I stop any of these things even for one day I will die. Fine I won’t die but I’ll have a hard time breathing through my nose, staying awake, and walking due to my sweaty dogs. Oh, that’s gross? You know what else is gross? Not being able to stop the hands of time! I’m 364 days away from 40!
You know what else is crazy? I woke up this morning for the first time as a resident of Portland, Oregon. 24 hours ago we lived in Honolulu. Oh you think I’m making this up? Just look at me 24 hours ago:
And look at me now:
Freezing with a creepy look on my face in a picture I’m kind of ashamed I even shared with you.
(That top picture is actually 6 months ago, you probably figured that it wasn’t really 24 hours ago, but I’m almost 40 so I don’t have time for ambiguity. Plus the beard.)
We looked at apartments today with these strange things in them:
On the reals, (an expression almost 40-year olds use to sound younger) we’re SO excited to be here. Living in Hawaii was amazing and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue our careers, passions, and hopefully start a family in Portland. Christi is continuing her nursing career and I’m taking a sabbatical, a fancy word for “help I need a job.”
Can’t wait to explore the city, get together with friends, and see how this adventure unfolds.
I thank God for our time in Hawaii and want to learn how to walk in faith in greater ways. In other words, try not to freak out when I don’t have all the answers to what neighborhood we’re going to live in or what I’m going to do just yet.
Until then I plan on walking over a lot of bridges and eating plenty of doughnuts.
Today’s life lessons:
- Don’t get lazy and copy and paste the same text to multiple people even if it’s your birthday. Today I called my mom Camille.
- One doughnut per sitting is enough. You’ll try them all in good time.
- If you have a maple bacon doughnut for lunch, plan on walking over a lengthly bridge to ensure your heart will continue to beat for years to come.
Cheers,
A
Japan Part 3
Just when we thought we probably wouldn’t have another opportunity to return, Christi and I received a call from our friends Dave and Beth Kanelos asking if we’d volunteer as leaders for their Club Beyond youth camp in Japan.
Hmmmm, we’ll have to chec……OK.
We flew into Tokyo and made our way to Mt. Bandai. We spent a few days hiking, canoeing, and discovering vending machine delicacies such as waffle ice cream sandwiches with students and leaders from Misawa and Yakota Air Force bases.
(Click pics to enlarge)
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- Kendo Demonstration
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- I’ll have another
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- Mt. Bendai hike
After camp we spent some time in Misawa:
We then made our way down to Sendai and caught some views of Okama Crater near the summit of Mt. Zao:
Oh no…here it comes….brace yourself….an inspirational quote:
I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.
– Mary Anne Radmacher
Here’s to moonshine…..wait…yeah, that’s what I meant,
A
Recording the HaHa
For the past month my behavior has been odd. I’ve been mumbling words to myself. Missing exits while driving. Spacing out while spacing out. Pacing like an Umpa Lumpa in skinny jeans. Visualizing each beat of a story about being at a party where a tiny bread crumb projected from my mouth and landed directly into the tear duct of the woman I was talking too. A tragic tale of dating dreams crushed by rogue bruschetta.
Why relive such a mortifying moment (over and over and over)? This is a question everyone who performs comedy must answer and it’s not an easy one. While I’m still seeking why I’m compelled to stand in front of friends and strangers and share these bits and pieces of my life for their entertainment, one thing was certain: I was recording a comedy album on October 23rd and I needed to mumble my way into cohesiveness.
Camping @ Bellows Beach
I’m not what one would call an outdoorsman. I mean sure I could grow out my beard, wear flannel and carry an ax with the best of them but I’d probably fall over backwards trying to chop down a tree. I’ll leave the wood chopping’ to the pros. Can’t say I’ve ever been much of a camper. Camping reminds me of poison ivy. Poison ivy reminds me of the time I thought I had acne on my nose and used an oxy pad all over only to wake up the next day with my eyes swollen shut and entire face enflamed in itch. It wasn’t acne. Spent the next two weeks of that summer soaking my head in oatmeal baths and yelling at that Quaker guy on the label. What are you smiling at with your big hat!? To this day I can’t look him in the eyes without scratching my cheeks.
20 Years Later
I’ll tell you what’s really strange, seeing a band play live 2 decades after seeing them the first time. I’m sure many Rolling Stones fans have had this experience. Boston/Journey/Chicago fans. Huey Lewis and the News who is playing with Jimmy Buffet next week fans. Even Up With People (Yes, I saw them in 6th grade and to this day still catch myself humming their signature tune from time to time mostly when I’m nervous).
There are plenty-o-acts still around 20, 30, and even a few 50-years later. A testament to the staying power of music in a person’s soul once they begin to make it. And in some cases, a testament to a good plastic surgeon.
St. Baldrick’s
Walking into my first St. Baldrick’s fundraising event for childhood cancer research I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew by the end of it I’d be bald. It’s one of those things that sounds awesome until you realize, oh wait, I’m actually doing this. This is happening. This was a great idea about a month ago when it was WAY in the future. Now I’m about to go all Uncle Fester upstairs and there’s nothing I can do to stop this shave train. Then I walked into the St. Baldrick’s registration room at Dave and Buster’s and everything changed. Continue reading
Kalaupapa
When I first heard the word “Kalaupapa” I wondered why someone was telling me to call my father. I never could have imagined the depth of history, torment, heroism, and bravery this place encompasses. Kalaupapa, meaning “Flat Plain,” is on the island of Moloka‘i and beginning in 1866 under King Kamehameha V, was the site where people with leprosy were forced to relocate. Separated from the rest of Moloka’i by magnific cliffs and once only accessible by boat, this peninsula became home to those with what’s now called Hansen’s Disease. They were sent away to be quarantined from the rest of society. For over a century, men, women, and children were permanently torn from their families and friends and sent to live in isolation. Continue reading
Solitude on the North Shore
I used to only associate the word solitude with monks and monasteries. Silent retreats where you sleep in a small room with nothing more than a bible and a view of deer sipping from a babbling brook. And that somewhat depressing painting of a white-bearded man praying over soup. Solitude sounded more like getting punished for staying out after curfew than a spiritual practice.
I’ve come to understand solitude as simply time set aside to recharge. An observance that promotes rest, peace, and renewal. It sounds so easy, yet I often neglect my need for it. It doesn’t have to be quiet or involve wearing a brown hooded tunic, as nice as it’d be not to have to choose your clothes everyday. Continue reading
How Improv Makes Me a Better Chaplain
In November of 2009, I became a full-time hospital chaplain and it’s no accident that by January 2010 I was enrolled in improv comedy classes. I think it was about week two…or hour two…that I realized I was going to need a healthy outlet to bring life balance to the intensity of the job. I was going to need a good dose of self-care as they encourage in the healthcare biz. I’m not sure being on an improv team called The Homewreckers is what they had in mind. Continue reading