and I don't know how they got there but they started biting me on the drive to Kapoho. They were nasty little red things hardly larger than a period, and I had to pull over and strip down and hunt and kill them. Luckily I was in Puna, and given all the local color I probably wouldn't have stood out much if anyone had seen me.
I was in Puna to lead a public meeting on a development proposal we had received that local cultural practitioners were lining up against. I was hoping to head off a conflict, and the boss gaveme permission to go down and let me hold a meeting, my style. We met in a tent on the grounds of Kalani Honua, and had a couple hours of finger pointing and dramatic speeches and a fair amount of tears. It went well. I have real hope now that the final proposed plan will be something the whole community can back. We'll see.
Otherwise, my life is now about the Moloka`i crossing. I'm nervous as all get out. At home, at work, I think: I don't want to do this. This is too much. Sure I did it last year. And I suffered. But during practice, once we're on the water with the guys, I think: I want this. I'm ready.
There are 20, maybe 22, of us for 18 seats. Roz will name the crews on Monday. We have one more hard practice on Saturday - four hours! We'll paddle for an hour along the coast, then take the canoes out to sea for an hour, then turn around and head back. Next week is all about sleep diet. Three days of protein loading, and three of carb loading. And Friday we fly out to Moloka`i, and Sunday we race back home.
I was in Puna to lead a public meeting on a development proposal we had received that local cultural practitioners were lining up against. I was hoping to head off a conflict, and the boss gaveme permission to go down and let me hold a meeting, my style. We met in a tent on the grounds of Kalani Honua, and had a couple hours of finger pointing and dramatic speeches and a fair amount of tears. It went well. I have real hope now that the final proposed plan will be something the whole community can back. We'll see.
Otherwise, my life is now about the Moloka`i crossing. I'm nervous as all get out. At home, at work, I think: I don't want to do this. This is too much. Sure I did it last year. And I suffered. But during practice, once we're on the water with the guys, I think: I want this. I'm ready.
There are 20, maybe 22, of us for 18 seats. Roz will name the crews on Monday. We have one more hard practice on Saturday - four hours! We'll paddle for an hour along the coast, then take the canoes out to sea for an hour, then turn around and head back. Next week is all about sleep diet. Three days of protein loading, and three of carb loading. And Friday we fly out to Moloka`i, and Sunday we race back home.
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