I had a good Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I tagged along with the roommates to some of their friends' house in Aiea. I was the designated driver, so I mostly got to bear witness to the high levels of cheer and good will towards men (and women). In many senses, it was a throw back to earlier times for me. Before that night, I hadn't played beer pong since college. It turns out I am pretty good (or I was the only sober one, take your pick). One of the hosts of the party and I went undefeated for the night, but he still ended up feeling the pain. Playing drinking games while the DD puts a lot of responsibility on your teammates.
On Christmas, the roommates and I had a big breakfast, opened gifts, and watched "A Christmas Story" for the majority of the day. Over and over. Later, I went to Tomollie's for Christmas dinner. Today the plan was to go out on my boat with a friend I knew in Japan, but he wasn't able to make it and the weather is turning south pretty quickly. Instead, I am spending a lazy day catching up on Facebook and listening to the Fleet Foxes on repeat. Kate recommended this band to me and I can't stop listening. If you like alternative folk baroque pop, you will love the Fleet Foxes.
I dropped Kate off at the airport on Christmas Eve after a week long visit. We had a lot of fun. I was able to take a few days off of work the week prior and we took a motorcycle trip to Maui. I was a bit hesitant due to the fact that it is the rainy season and my motorcycle fares even worse in the rain than I do, but luckily the weather was gorgeous the entire time we were there. The worst of it was a 5 minute sprinkling while on the Hana Highway.
The trip itself was a lot of motorcycle riding and a good bit of camping. I am happy to report that the panniers on the side of my bike hold the right amount of stuff for a no frills trip: a tent, two sleeping bags, cold weather clothes (for Haleakala), and food. We got to see a lot of sunrises and ride the entire coast of Maui. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend traveling along the Piilani highway. I think it was the most beautiful stretch of road I have been on. Never mind the fact that it isn't really paved. The slow going gives you a chance to see it more closely. I'm no Ewan McGregor, but some more motorcycle adventures may be in my future.
We also went shark cage diving. It was pretty cool (cold in a literal sense). The weather held for us and we were able to see quite a few sandbar sharks. They were close enough to touch, but not at all threatening. They were sneaky, though. It's like they appeared out of no where. Being 3 miles off-shore in shark filled waters is a lot less intimidating when you are in a floating metal cage. I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable otherwise.
We also did some kayaking (I drowned her camera and killed it dead) and I dragged her to my work Christmas party. Other than that, it was a lot of hanging out. It was her Hawaiian vacation, but it felt like one for me as well.
This weekend is going to be a lot of hanging out and hopefully getting some work done on my car. Without getting too deep into the details, the inside of my car gets flooded whenever it rains. I tried fixing it by chipping the majority of the rust off with a screwdriver and hammer. After that I tried to fill the holes with cardboard, steel epoxy, and sealant, but I may have made it worse because I didn't have nearly enough epoxy and sealant. t won't even start. And the inside, which used to smell like a wet dog, now smells like a dead wet dog.
