I found fresh fruit for breakfast. Accompanied by two waffles and some ice cream.
I am thinking I was looking very approachable, or very tired, or secretly wealthy, because I was accosted by a man with stunning cheekbones and no pores, and told I needed to use some under eye thing, (and called gorgeous, which was a trip) which was carefully applied only under one eye, so I could tell the difference later on. The nice (and also gorgeous) young lady applying the glue wanted to know what my “usual routine” was and when I told the absolute truth and replied “nothing, really” she asked “busy or lazy” (which I am still wrapping my head around?) and was so disconcerted by my telling her I did not care that they never once told me the cost of the secret solution, and let me amble out without further incident.
I took a sketchbook and a bathing suit to the beach, but I only used one. I couldn’t quite figure out the logistics of leaving something on the beach while I swam, even though I had a towel from the hotel, and also it was a very high tide (Hawai’i has tides! New Info!) So I attempted to sketch three views of Diamond Head, which is scenic, but also none of my colored pencils are the right color – they work for Maine!
A restaurant called Basalt provided dinner, preceded by charcoal colored? flavored? Hawaiian sweet rolls, which tasted no different. Also a gin thing with some jalapeno in it, and two appetizers with All The Flavors, including some Hot.
My mental map is broken. I am completely certain I am facing north, but the sun is in my eyes, or I finally suss out east, and the setting sun disagrees with me. This happens every time I sit down to figure out which way is, well, anything. The streets are fine, I can navigate my way from my hotel to most of the walkable things, but when I decide I have it figured out? I do not.
The moon is GORGEOUS. The ocean is a lovely and ridiculous color. The stars, in between the small puffy decorative clouds, are stunning, although they will be better at sea. There is a steady north-east wind, so it is a lovely temperature in the shade, and the palm trees rattle in a very tropical fashion. It feels very far away from everything else? and still utterly American, but also the proportion of non-white people makes it feel different – faintly foreign, or not entirely absorbed.
Lee Thomson 