Second to Last Prosecco

On 20 March I wrote that when I got back to the condo around 8 o'clock I had texted the others and then went over and got their eggs and peppers. I was there until around 10 o'clock.

The next day was the morning of the brunch that we had planned. I had done a great job of promoting it. The party had little trouble getting in. We had made baked eggs, bacon and hashbrowns and set it all up on the kitchen counter.

At first it was like six people but later there were five more.  The proprietor was there too.  He and his wife were really impressed. The ladies had put a lot of work into the morning. It seemed like every time I tried to get something done I would turn around later and find it was done for me.

After the party was over mom was asleep for quiet time and my friend and I had a sparkly wine at the pool. She indicated an interest in visiting the resorts so I made the suggestion to Kate.

We went upstairs and found the room was still quiet. The ladies said they would go for a quiet walk up the lagoon and then six of us walked to a beach side bar nearby.  The place had a menu for the happy hour and we selected the nachos.

Later when we walked back we learned the party was planning a photo session on the beach. However, my friend and I declined but not before I indicated to them that we would stop by thier room later that night.

By this time the ladies had gone a long way to getting the condo wound down and I helped get them the rest of the way.  Mom was making dinner and when I finished my meal I did the dishes.

We went over to the other tower about 8 o'clock and opened the second to last Prosecco.  We sat with the bride and one of the guests noted how my old college classmate had a way about him and the groom agreed.  It took a long while to say bye to everyone and then we walked back to the condo.

The next morning we went to the North Shore. We were up at the normal time and I made coffee and we packed the van.  Then we rode the H2 up past Shofield barracks to Haleawa where we had drinks at the coffee gallery. After that we went to the shops. We bought some books on tape and I asked about tacos.

We were going to go to the botanical garden but the noise was so loud we decided to go back. My friend was singing the whole time. I was frustrated. When we were near the condo things improved. We went to the condo and had a late quiet time.

I went downstairs to write then. My friend called me to help her with her acquaintance from the other side of the island. So I went up and helped her get ready. Then I returned to the bar and wrote some more. I took a dip – the pool was really loud.

When we said goodbye to my friend’s acquaintance and went upstairs. I received word from a couple in the wedding party, a firefighter and his wife, a biologist, that they would like to see us. I took some time to check in with them about it and later we sat by the pool for a bit talking about dinner. I finished my beer and got some things from their condo.  Before heading over.

They were great guests.  My friend had prepared some great juice cocktail which mixed with the last of the Prosecco. We talked a lot about getting to know each other: their meeting. My friend’s time in the Navy. I tried to get the mom is involved. When the meal was done we stood on the balcony. I had wanted to go on a walk but that wasn’t possible so we said goodbye. I fell asleep pretty quickly.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this we discussed the day and decided to go to a nearby coffee shop. The walk was easy and the coffee delicious.  Later mom and I headed back to the condo. I stopped by the pool to say by to our friends.  They told me that the dinner the night before was great.

I got the van and when we got to Honolulu we sent pictures of the town and parked at the Statehouse. I took a picture of the queen. We were going to go inside the royal palace but the ticket was for later so we killed 45 minutes walking around the city center. I took a few pictures. Mom looked at a shop. We had some bagels and people watched. We took photos of the palace then as we were walking up and then we put on dust slippers and went on the tour.

Mom got a lot out of the experience. I noted that the upper floor of the palace had strange rooms in the corners and there were a lot of servants rooms.  We were upstairs and later to the basement. There were a lot of historic images. For instance the building had had termites and the state engaged in the the largest tenting ever at the time. I really got a feel for how the royal family and the local population had been cut out of American History. On the way out we looked at the banyan trees.

We went and got the car and went back to the H1. I got lost on the way to target but I had simply gotten off the wrong exit. We got gas and then bought some of the stuff we needed.  Mom went to the liquor store when we were on our way back. She had to get macadamia nuts.

Back at the the condo I changed and went down to the pool.  My friend came down later and we used to the hot tub and did laps. Mom was there and we hung out with her. We returned to our room and we were busy for the rest of the afternoon.

We cleaned and tidied. My friend went running and when she returned we decided what to do about winding the house down. The pizza arrived around then and I was between the room in the living room a lot. Later I ate some of the pizza.  We went through our stuff to pack for the trip back to California and I started writing.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Diving for Fish

On 19 March I wrote that I was at the pool and my friend and I returned to our condo. I didn’t notice when she snuck into the bedroom to nap during quiet time. I got a text from the groom a short while later and he said he was going to the beach when he got back from a hike. I woke her briefly and asked about it.

Later I texted him from the pool. My friend had had trouble getting to sleep and I learned mom woke her up only a short while later.

I ended up in the groom’s room and they gave me some flippers. I was only slightly troubled by the idea of swimming in the Pacific. We jumped in their van with the bride and their roommate and drove to the beach.

There were fire engines because the snorkeler had nearly drowned. We dropped our towels and put on our trunks. One of us saw a turtle. I was convinced they were headed out too fast so I tried to go faster. I had no snorkel but I did have goggles.

I saw fish. I thought it was glorious! I kept having breathing issues and fog blurred up my goggles. Also, the distance between me and the others bothered me. However, when the groom said he had spotted the pipes from the power station it was a relief because I knew we were at our destination.

I was trying to stay afloat at that point. The groom told us he had dove a few times and got shot out to sea by the pipes. The roommate was mostly head down with his camera. The bride was diving for fish.

I lost sight of the guys and was a little worried. However it was a moment later that they showed up and it was time to go. I thought my ears were full of water but it turned out they were fine when we got back

We packed up and left after 20 minutes of talking and drinking beer. They dropped me off at the condo before going shopping.  They had to the go to the store because they were going to make tacos for their families. It was nice that they had done so because I was late to meet my friend.

We were supposed to meet her old running partners friends at the restaurant.   I returned to the condo to find that I was just in time.  I put on my linen jacket and walked with my friend and the moms to the back gate.  There we saw the wedding party getting ready to leisure at the large pool.

We walked through the local resorts and then to the restaurant. We stood there and waited for my friend's buddies from the old days.  When we had a quorum we left our carts out front and I followed the crowd to the table. Noisy chairs were fine until more of our party arrived. The discussion concerned the their running group. I learned that my friend had an alter ego which everyone made jokes about. I didn't understand. I also learned that a few people had returned to HI for work reasons.

The mom’s left with a bunch of noise and we were left with our empty glass. I said we could share. Later when my extra showed up I found she too thought we could share. We shared our fries while everyone discussed running with the group.

The discussion was really involved and I suppose it got old. My friend probably got sad or nostalgic. Eventually my friend’s old roommate and his family had to go home. That was when the group said goodbye and we all started to leave.

The two of us went to the store but saw nothing for the brunch we were planning in the morning so we decided to return to the condo.  However, we walked through the nearby resorts and decided to have a drink. I had thought that the place was off-limits but it turned out to be fine. The place we chose turned out to be cut back and forth by waterslides.

I had a long island iced tea and she had something interesting. We made conversation and forgot our responsibilities. We had fun on the walk back and at the condo we found that the ladies had had an alright on the walk back from the restaurant.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Floated to The Breakers

On 17 March I wrote that when I finished writing the day before I bought some new sandals and coffee for the ladies. We walked to the condo and found the place clean and tidied. I was a bit lazy and the ladies left me in the room. When I finally got myself together enough they were enroute back to the room. I was a bit bummed but pretty quickly I bumped into the party at the beach.

We sat at the pool and I saw some of our party pass by a few times. There were several people from the party headed to the beach as some of us and I were headed to the pool. I made a drink and when I got back hung out on the beach.

My friend and her mom came down and met us after that. They set up on the beach a distance from the others. We were loudly sitting in the shallows. Later some of us floated to the breakers and then swam around. A few more showed up after that and someone lent me his goggles. We went around four times but I only went twice.

When we got back everyone was breaking things down. I was with the bride and groom for a short bit. My friend had returned to the room.

I ended up at the pavilion later and tried to get my friend to come down. I spoke to some of the kids and a bunch of others. I remained in the pavilion for sometime and then at 7 o'clock. I sat in the condo for an hour and the ladies went to the store. My friend and I had a small snack before we went to bed at 11.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I was up at 6:45 and about 8 o'clock I had coffee and then took a nap. We would go to the pool and eventually I got more coffee.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

There Were Toasts

On 16 March I wrote that we drove to the shops then. We started at the health food store and I ate toffee. The ladies found stuff they liked and I got them coffee. We discovered there were things missing from what we needed so we drove to Target across the parking lot.

At Target we got some shirts for the wedding and I got eggs and cream. I couldn't find good coffee. We returned to the car. My friend’s mom texted some pictures. She was strolling on the beach. We went to a coffee shop near the resort and I got a call from the commission. I had been hired for a job I wanted.

I told mom and my friend and called dad. We tried to check out the small store across from the café but just drove to the room. When we got upstairs we helped my friend’s mom with some noise.  I spent some time trying to figure myself out and after a short while I went to the only bar to drink and write.

The grooom came down and we hung out until nearly 230. I got a lot of writing but I had to quit when we ran out of time. We discussed the night before. He described some of the choces he had to make in the near future.  One decision would help others and the second would make things easier for himself.. I returned to the room a short while later and my friend and I got organized to go to the wedding.

We made good time organizing and my friend’s mom called off. We walked up the coastal path but we're told we couldn't continue by Four Seasons staff. We continued on the road then and the wedding party called me. It looked like we were late. We had some disagreements about the route but we made it. The cart got mired in the sand.

We made a minimum of noise during the event and I took a lot of photos. A bit later I introduced mom to the groom’s mother and aunts and when we were about to depart she got a ride from them. I saw the groom’s cousin.

The dinner was all set up when we arrived. I got all of us water and we sat down. There were some announcements and then each table went to get food. We ate for a bit and I remember hearing my friend as she made her mess. There were toasts. My old college classmate - the groom’s brother - toasted to his brother and his wife took over for the bride of honor who couldn't be there.

The bride and groom thanked everyone as the caterer came to sit with us.  We voiced our pleasure over the meal. I sat in the grass for a bit making the noises I tend to make. There a lot of children around.

When we were done we went upstairs and wound the condo down. The moms agreed to take over and at eight my friend and I went to the beach to dance with the wedding party. I talked to the father of the groom about the new job and later we sat at the beach hut drinking wine. I was invited us to the groom’s room and when we got up there we hung out with everyone that was still awake.

We were checking out the fan in the bathroom. The groom was pretty drunk and the men were a bit rowdy. They were remembering wedding fights. The bride wanted to go to the beach and my friend and I ran off to get dressed for it but when we got to the back gate it was locked so we gave up.

Later I saw the groom walking back from the beach from the balcony. I called to them but it was time to go to bed so they called back good night. I was in bed at midnight.

We were up at 5:30 but got up at seven. I spent an hour fretting. Mom made coffee from the horrible stuff we found in the cupboard. My friend’s mom and I decided to walk to the coffee shop. I got grounds. I start writing and I saw the groom’s cousin. I texted an old coworker about my new job and we talked on the phone.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

The Roundabout Was Full

On the morning of 15 March I wrote that I had gone to bed late on the 13th. My friend and I had made lists and tidied. We gave up and slept and it was around 545 when my duck started quacking and at 6:15 I made myself some tea. My friend and I sat in the living room. We looked at our lists until seven.

We have decided on a meal and cleaned.  I made breakfast and did the dishes. Things went quick after I had tidied and she finished packing.  I caught some air downstairs and we left around 945. We set up our equipment and walked to Four Barrel and onward to 16th to catch an SFO train.

At the terminal I texted mom. She and dad arrived and we made a bit of noise. We made a bit of a mess as well.  We went through security and I left everyone behind looking for my friend’s mom. I found her nearby and found a seat while they were at the deli.

When the ladys sat down we took shifts. We went through our stuff loudly and talked. I went to the ATM, bought a coffee and later some whiskey. We sat in a different spot a while after this and our neighbors voiced how impressed they were. I was made doubly happy.

We boarded and a mixup in our seats cause my friend and I to complain. We got mom seated near us and my friend was in the wrong spot. Her mom was still behind us but there was an extra seat after we had complained. So it was OK.

I was really loud in my seat and my friend was too. The couple behind me and her left were understanding. So it worked. There were no TV screens. Mom gave me the deli sandwich she had purchased. The lady next to my friend didn't like me sitting there. When my friend got up because I was so loud – trying to nap for quiet time.  I poked around in the galley a couple of times. I had whiskey and as the flight wore on coffee. my friend's neighbor offered us Cheetos.

We were the last to deplane and we had no trouble finding our equipment – it was just lying on the street next to the loading zone. I had trouble finding both the edge of the secure zone as well as the car rental.  The gates forced all of us into the street when we got the luggage.  The rental was expensive. Upstairs the equipment wasn't all there but we were able to get it together before we left.  I noted that my friend was really excited about the opportunity to be in Hawaii again.

The drive was all traffic. However, I appreciated the chance to drive in a new place. Highway is in Hawaii were a quaint departure from San Francisco. The wedding party left messages asking about our estimated arrival.

At the resort it was still light but I hit the speed bumps too hard. At the complex it was dark. The roundabout was full of cars. There was noise and the ladies tried to get unpacked. The brother of the groom, my old classmate, and I talked with the attendant and then we parked before going to the room and at the ground floor my friend to get into the room.

We went up with the ladies and I went to the rehearsal dinner.  It was confusing because everyone was saying “Hi!” to me but I didn't know how to grab a bite and get in contact with my party which was all in the condo. When people did come down to have some ribs it was only the moms. There was ahi at that point also. I had to actually go upstairs at some point to find my friend and then we headed off to the party as the rehearsal was breaking up.

I found a conversation with the father of the bride. I made fun of one of the guests from Minnesota.  An old acquaintance sat down at some point and then we all agreed to go to his room later. Later I discovered it was also the groom’s room. My friend had gone back to the condo.

We walk to the elevator while my old acquaintance made provocative comments. His wife was not amused. The groom's room was really great and I got to know their roommate. The Minnesotans were also there. I was able to look at some of the rooms. The air was really bad so the groom used a hairdryer.

My old college classmate and I sat on the balcony for about 40 minutes as people left. I left at 11. The groom had already gone to bed. The bride and my old college classmate had been talked about stuff. I asked her about work. I noticed that my old classmate knew a Sacramento friend but later I discovered it was because of me.

I went to bed and fell asleep around 2 o'clock in the morning. My freind made a bunch of noise at around four and I had to help her till 530. It was fine though. At 8:30 I went into the condo to look things over and really quick it was apparent that we needed to go shopping. We asked my friend’s mom to keep the condo quiet while we were at the natural food store.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Ticket and The Boat

On 13 March I wrote that I got my bike and left for the ferry building on the test ride for the #Ride2Larkspur - Learn more here. I was a few minutes late but I knew no one was meeting me.  I figured that since anyone would meet us it would be at the Sausalito entrance any new post would have to say something about Peet's or the Sausalito entrance. After considering how to represent myself to the public I decided that a picture of myself would be the best idea.

I was at Peet's with a marker so went to a kiosk and got a cardboard for a sign. There were people at the Sausalito entrance. They were interested in new ideas for doing things. I saw the line as a potential source of Publicity and ask people about they are destinations on the boat.

I had a whiskey and finish my coffee with a donut. I was near the front of the boat washing the islands in the bridge. At the terminal I sat looking at Twitter and also went to Starbucks. I then rode Bridgeway to Richardson Bay pretty quick and from watching the faster cycles found that the Bay Model route was better. I stopped at Bayshore park near the sewage plant.

I made an FB post that should be useful in the future and also thought about meet up and other things.  Unfortunately the tweets were really bad so I had to remake them. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to sit and rest though. I decided I wanted to use Meetup and or Urban.

I rode over Horse Hill and after Meadowsweet realized I was going to be late for the ferry so did the rest of the ride as fast as possible.  Near Bon Air I started taking photos to the 101 and Corte Madera Creek. On Cal Park Hill Bridge I discovered they were too many rights of way to easily find Landing Circle.

I went to the brewery for a picture, headed to the ferry, got a ticket and the boarded the boat. While boarding I spoke to three people and one seemed interested in the May ride. If I had had flyers it would've helped. I read through Bay Crossing's magazine and discovered that there may be some potential there.

I had a beer and some chips and I also grilled the attendant about the boat configurations. He said very little but the bartender indicated catamarans were likely going to start in April. She told me to look at the service schedule.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.