What is the hardest part?

 People often ask me, 'what is the hardest part of your job?'.  I'm often stymied however; over the last few days I've been thinking about this quite a bit and I have an answer....with a caveat.

Currently, the hardest part of my job is the unpredictable schedule.  I'm almost 60 days into my vacation and I literally Do Not Know When I'm Going Back To Work.  

Here's the caveat:  this is more of a problem on this particular ship - a container ship, a tanker, or a car carrier would have a much more defined schedule.  Granted, even on these types of vessels it can be difficult to commit to an event.  Perhaps your relief misses his flight, perhaps your relief quits at the last second and they can't fill the position, etc.  

Regardless, I currently don't know when I'm going back to work and it has turned me into a little stress ball.  There are so many things that require a schedule.  More importantly, there are so many things that require a BUDGET!  

Ummmm....Hold Up!  What happened to:  What would Beyoncé do?  

Okay.....fine.

I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for new opportunities.  I'm embracing the everyday.  I'm working on some projects that I had previously put on the back burner.  I'm enjoying Hawaii.  I'm chatting with friends.  I'm drinking coffee.  I'm reading trashy romance novels.  I'm listening to Beyoncé's new album on repeat.  I'm eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables as I can stand.  I'm joloking (this is a new word...it means jog, lope, walk...).  I'm channeling my inner Beyoncé.

Sunny and Windy!  Power and Phone Lines down all around town.... 

2014 :: What Would Beyonce Do?

I believe the New Year is powerful.  It's fresh.  It's free.  What I don't totally subscribe to is a list full of resolutions.  It just seems a little empty.  A little too vague.

For the past few years I've chosen one little word to help guide me through my year.  Having a 'word' keeps me focused without the absolutism that resolutions require.  My word sometimes feels like a subtle nudge and sometimes it feels like a swift kick in the butt.  Past words have included Produce, Choose and, Actively.

This  year my word is Beyoncé or more specifically, 'What Would Beyoncé Do?'.

I realize to avoid sounding like a total loon that this years selection requires explanation.

I've always been a Beyoncé fan - I've listened to her music, loosely followed her comings and goings, etc.  Her music is dance worthy and that makes her alright in my book.  It's an added bonus that her music is technically flawless...it does seem we listen to quite a bit of music these days where the artists true talent is questionable.  Beyoncé has never left anyone guessing as to the quality of her voice.  

Somewhere along the line, I began to really respect Beyoncé and her Husband Jay-Z (Shawn Carter).  I felt that they gave back to their respective communities.  I felt that they gracefully navigated their celebrity status.  I felt that their motivation to do so meant they still held some things in their lives sacred.  I felt that they strove to produce quality.  I just had a lot of respect for them as artists, as celebrities, as business people and, as a couple.

A few years back I found the following quote:

Via

At this point I'd like to make a small confession....this was the halfway point of a really, really long post.  Like, the kind of post that had quotes and pictures and lots of heartfelt thoughts and words....and then it went missing....like, gone from the interwebs missing.....I'm going to consider it a sign.  That this is all I need to say and wrap this up succinctly (as in without tears).

“I only allow myself one day to feel sorry for myself. People who complain really get on my nerves. When I’m not feeling my best I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.”

— Beyoncé

Look, Beyoncé doesn't mess around.  She gets shit done.....with style and pizzazz.  She keeps private things private and values the people in her life.  She's original and creative.  She brings home the bacon.  She does her best to turn her negatives into positives.  

Along the lines of Choose I'm subscribing to, 'What would Beyoncé do?'.  Would she quit after a 'meh' performance or would she ensure she killed it at her next one?  Would she let women knock her for not being enough of a feminist or would she release a song and say, 'bow down bitches'?  Would she let people knock 'The Mrs. Carter tour' title or would she release an album full of kink...mmmmhmmmm.  

I'm channeling my inner Beyoncé this year.

Meow!

Nautie Books :: A Tale for the Time Being...favorites...

This book kind of flew under the radar....I'm afraid not too many of you picked it up....I'd really like you to pick it up!  I enjoyed it!

Via

My favorite bits of A Tale for the Time Being:

"...I am a time being. Do you know what a time being is? Well, if you give me a moment, I will tell you. A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be."

“Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!”

“Am I crazy?" she asked. "I feel like I am sometimes."
"Maybe," he said, rubbing her forehead. "But don't worry about it. You need to be a little bit crazy. Crazy is the price you pay for having an imagination. It's your superpower. Tapping into the dream. It's a good thing not a bad thing.”

“Print is predictable and impersonal, conveying information in a mechanical transaction with the reader’s eye. Handwriting, by contrast, resists the eye, reveals its meaning slowly, and is as intimate as skin.”

“And if you decide not to read anymore, hey, no problem, because you're not the one I was waiting for anyway. But if you decide to read on, then guess what? You're my kind of time being and together we'll make magic!”

"I think it's important to have clearly defined goals in life, don't you?  Especially if you don't have a lot of life left.  Because if you don't have clear goals, you might run out of time, and when the day comes, you'll find yourself standing on the parapet of a tall building, or sitting on your bed with a bottle of pills in your hand, thinking, Shit!  I blew it.  If only I'd set clearer goals for myself!"

"The sea was always heaving things up and hurling them back:  fishing lines, floats, beer cans, plastic toys, tampons, Nike sneakers."

""Each gyre orbits at its own speed," he continued.  "And the length of an orbit is called a tone.  isn't that beautiful?  Like the music of the spheres.  The longest orbital period is thirteen years, which establishes the fundamental tone. The Turtle Gyre has a half tone of six and a half years.  The Aleut Gyre, a quarter tone of three.  The flotsam that rides the gyres is called drift.  Drift that stays in the orbit of the gyre is considered to be part of the gyre memory.  The rate of escape from the gyre determines the half-life of drift...""

“That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it in order to write it down, I change it, and I can't ever get it back.”

“I helped Jiko to her feet and we walked back to the bus stop together, holding hands again. I was still thinking about what she said about waves, and it made me sad because I knew that her little wave was not going to last and soon she would join the sea again, and even though I know you can't hold on to water , still I gripped her fingers a little more tightly to keep her from leaking away.”

Red Skies

You know what they say, 'red sky at night sailors delight red sky in morn sailors be warned'.

I wonder what's in store for Hilo Town!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Happy New Years Nautie Friends!

My family had a small fire - and we all put in a piece of kindling and made a wish - and then I was in bed by 10pm.  The fireworks got crazy around 11pm and then I was up for quite some time listening to the booms and cracks and the never ending padacadacs.

I hope you rang in the New Year with style!

fire.

Surfin' Safari 2013

When I was in college my family decided there was no point in having a big Christmas time extravaganza.  The decorating, the gift giving, the sense of obligation seemed a little empty and everyone felt like it would be a good time to phase in a new tradition.  Hence, the annual Surfin' Safari was born.

Between being in college and shipping out I've been present for about three out of eight.   My other five Christmases have either been spent stuck elsewhere or on a ship.  Nowadays, I do my ultimate best to make it home for the Surfin' Safari because I just love, love, love it.

What does it mean to go on a Surfin' Safari?  Well....it's essentially a stay-cation.  We book a condo or hotel on the other side of the island (Kailua-Kona or Waikoloa) for a few nights.  We wake up every morning and hit a beach.  My Step-Dad surfs, my Mom cruises the beach for treasures and I take photos....and join in the treasure hunt.  The whole thing stays super low key.  We pack lots of food and eat out of coolers.  We don't give gifts (instead putting the money towards our accommodations).  We hang out and enjoy each others company at the beach.  

I believe in the spirit of Christmas.  I agree that it's fun to feel festive.  I enjoy seeing Family.  I enjoy Christmas Caroling with my church.  I enjoy making wreaths.  I enjoy rum and eggnog.  I enjoy sending Christmas Cards.

I don't enjoy feeling obligated to buy gifts.  I don't enjoy wiping out my savings.  I don't enjoy seeing copious amounts of plastic and paper waste lining the streets on the 26th.  I don't ever want those things to be part of my life again.  

I don't have kids and I know there are some of you out there who are rolling their eyes thinking, 'easy for you to say you don't want a big Christmas to do'.  I just hope, hope, hope that my Kids can't wait to go to the beach!  (As a side note:  I read an article about a Mom who implemented 'something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read'.  I thought it was genius and a way to keep gift giving mindful.)

surf.

On this years Surfin' Safari we hit the following beaches:  Anaeho'omalu Bay, Kekaha Kai State Park, Mahaeulas, Kealakekua Bay, Ke'ei and, Kiholo.  I joked later about how our trip could have been called Island Appreciation Day.  We started in Hilo and drove over Saddle Road - the day was gorgeous.  After spending three days on the Kona Coast we drive home via South Point.

toast.

We spent Chrismas Evening on our lanai celebrating the day with a sunset champagne toast.  (A shout out to the champagne sender - I can't thank you enough!)

ornaments.

For me, one of the highlights of the Surfin' Safari is constructing a 'christmas tree' at the beach.  This year, my Mom and I remembered to bring raffia and hunted for ornaments at the beach.  Our tree was a total winner - the best one ever!  

snow

I also had a blast photoing Kona Snow (coffee tree blossoms).  They were so fragrant.  They were crisp and clear.  The bees were actively making honey.  I just snapped and snapped away!

memories.

Needless to say, this trip was a memory maker and isn't that what Christmas is all about?  I hope you all had a glorious holiday season!

There are more pictures!  Click through at your leisure!