Aloha from Hawaii—Oahu, to be exact. Doolies and I arrived this afternoon from LAX and IAH, respectively. I’ve just showered after one of the most productive post-trip days I’ve ever had. Thanks to Doolies, I’ve now learned that while I tend to be lazy (and, yes, I want to write a treatise on the whole laziness—and more particularly the conquering of laziness through the “Izol!” methodology—all to be called, The Lazy Monster. But that’s for another time), I’m not really happy actually being lazy. Actually, what makes me much happier is doing things. And, boy, did I do things today.

(I omitted a four-page tirade on giving up seats during airplane flights. You’ve already seen most of it if you read my short story Loud Neighbors. I’m embarrassed that some of those plane stories actually happened: embarrassed and disgusted with myself. I left in the end, because I found it funny.)

…But alas, I’m an idiot who wanted to show that I can stand up to pregnant woman and make their already difficult job even harder.

After we met at the gate, Doolies and I picked up our rental car and after a bit of struggling, we checking into our hotel, changed, ate, and headed for a trailhead with water bottles, a snickers bar, and crunchy snacks. The first part was awesome and tiring—I thought I was going to give up. Lots of steep climbs—it went on forever. The rest of the trip, 30 minutes or so, was all a slight downgrade, for the most part not really as satisfying, but a good warm-up.

We also went swimming in the ocean, a nice warm albeit cloudy, bright blue water. I had forgotten how nice it is to let the water wash over you and carry you where the waves will. We swam near giant sea turtles, not getting too close to avoid missing extremities. Don’t all large turtles snap?

I accidentally almost drowned Doolies; that’s not the right word since she swallowed seawater but was never actually in danger. I was holding her and a wave came. It wasn’t too high, so I just stood on my toes, enough to get my head over the wave. Regrettably, I didn’t notice that Doolies was beneath me and her head didn’t make. I was still joking about the inconsequential things I write here, when she started coughing. She was fine—just swallowed a bunch of salty water. Good job, eh.

We’re off to dinner in an hour. Very nice day and start to my vacation. I think that’s one of the things I never understood before when I traveled or went on a vacation; it’s about the break and ability (opportunity) to experience something. As I’ve related countless times, a food critic I once read relayed profoundly useful advice: sometimes, the best things in life are discovered when you’re dragged kicking and screaming to them. I’ve decided, however, not to kick and scream anymore on my path of adventure/discovery, or something just as cheesy.

Nice job living and writing tonight. It’s probably the hiking energy and late hour. You are a night owl—just a very lazy one.