Hawaii post #2

A few more pics from vacation.

After the surfing lesson I took a bath with Speedy Gonzales. Not too shabby being able to stare out at the ocean while you soak. Then Steve came over with dinner, a red snapper. He cleaned the fish and told me to give the guts to the crabs. I held a funeral ceremony on the cliffs. Leah had a drink. Steve made an amazing spread, he made us let him have the head (we didn't argue) and Pono fell asleep. Adults are boring.

The next day we went to the volcanoes, walked through lava tubes and went to Aunty Cindy's place to partake another masterful dinner by Steve. We also had my new favorite thing, poke. It's cut up pieces of raw fish. I'm certain I now have mercury poison from all the ahi I consumed.

The next day we went to Waipio Valley. Hands down the most amazing place I've ever been. Wild horses just waltzing around down in this secluded paradise. You have to have four-wheel drive to make it down the death-defying hill. I did the boogie boarding with Steve and Pono. Much easier than surfing. We finished up the day driving up the mountain to watch the sun set into the clouds.

Hawaii post #1

Two important things to know about Hawaii:

1. It lives up to the hype tenfold. I’ve heard how great Hawaii is from Leah’s family since the late 90s. Maybe you have that person in your life. The one who is all, “Hawaii this and Hawaii that.” And you’re all, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Well, I promise, it’s about a million times better than any hype-monger will ever monger. Go there as soon as possible. It will change your life. No joke.

2. No matter what you’ve heard, using US dollars there is suuuuuuuper easy. You don’t have to mess with conversion rates or awkwardly shaped coins. Just straight up greenbacks. (I drove Leah crazy with that hilarious joke.)

So, I’m not sure how to go about talking about this trip. I’ll just share some pics. And tell you to go Leah’s blog. She’ll do a much better job than me.

We went to Pearl Harbor. Did you know that there’s still oil bubbling up from that day? I guess they refilled all the tanks right before the attack. More than anything else there, seeing that oil really struck a chord with me.

We went to Waikiki Beach (down the road from Honolulu). We saw Duke (the five-time Olympic medalist in swimming and grandfather of surfing) and ate at his restaurant. I had a fruity drink. Leah questioned my manhood. I ignored her and ate my pineapple garnish.

We left Oahu for the Big Island. Leah’s aunts Cindy and Adele greeted us with leis. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast on the lava cliffs in our backyard. I was sleepy. The sun rose up from the ocean. Fruit flies rose up from the lava.

That day Cindy took us around the island. I drove. In a Mustang convertible. Best decision ever upgrading to that bad boy. It’s like being the captain of a rollercoaster.

The next day we drove through mango groves for surf lessons from Steve (uncle) and Pono (cousin). I stood up for 1.5 seconds. Surfing is hands down the hardest sport I’ve ever tried. We then popped over to Steve’s co-worker’s beach house for some snorkeling in their pond. It’s naturally heated by lava tubes.

Alright. That’s enough for today. I have to go get a new TV remote from Time Warner. Lola ate ours while we were away. If you’re not too bored I’ll share some more pics later in the week. Aloha.

Aloha Means Goodbye

I have bad news for the internet. Dare I say epic tragic bad news. I'm unplugging for ten days. I'm going rogue. Off the grid. Amish style. Leah and I will be in Hawaii until October 23rd. I'm going to unlearn digital connectivity and go 100% analog. I'm leaving my phone and computer on the mainland. I know what you're thinking. How will you survive without me? Two words. Tuba Wolf. While I'm away, robbing you of my connectedness, I hope this award winning dance video provides you with some level of solace.

Happy Lil' Video

We Built a Fort

Welp. We did it. We made a feature film. It's kind of hard to believe that it's over. I feel a little like I did after my (and Leah's) wedding. Months and months and months of planning and then boom...it's done. Am I the only one who expects the thing you plan for to last as long as the planning? I'm not sure how to really process the experience. It's going to take months I think. But I want to attempt a quick reflective thought.

For me, making a movie felt like building a childhood fort in the woods. It was hard work full of challenges, missteps, hurdles and conflict, but every day I woke up excited to march out through the wet grass and keep building. We had a common goal, a purpose, a mission with a deadline. We had goals to hit hour by hour in order to accomplish a day's work. But it didn't feel like work. It felt like a group of friends, collaborators, builders all pooling their talents and resources to create something together. And honestly, our motivation was purely that. Sure we hope the movie will be good and find its way into theaters or DVD players. But the real reason we spent 12 hours a day working our tails off was because it's a magical thing to collaborate. We were building a fort together in the middle of a tall forest, completely lost in a project.

Cah Wash

Indie movie making tip #2: write scenes that benefit you personally. I needed a car wash, so...

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Paper, Rock, Chainsaw

Indie movie making tip #1:
When these guys roll up next door as you begin a scene, a $20 handshake and muffins beats chainsaw.

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