After a Long Hiatus

Back in Honolulu, and chillin like a villain. Kinda.

Off to the Big Island tomorrow for a few days, to play some taiko and perform and possibly earn some money. That should be exciting, especially since it'll be a (supposedly) chill three days.

Everything has been different here now, with the roommates gone, more free time, and a little less money. But mo' money, mo' problems, right?

First, the house. Kind of lonely, since I'm by myself until new roommate (a taiko girl) moves in next month. Lots of cleaning up, and a few traumatizing cockroach incidents. Or, well, one. A real physical run-in with a large sized cockroach scampering around my room. Clear out more furniture to refresh the look of the place, and you can add a few more cockroach bodies and a gecko skeleton to the equation. (The roaches are gone but the skeleton is still here. I am way too freaked out to touch it.)

Yeah, it's freakishly dirty up in here because a lot of the furniture and things around the house haven't been moved/cleaned in way too long. Strictly speaking room and board-wise, I can't wait to get back to LA. But I make do, and this IS home, for now. My room is clean, at least, once the cockroach was subtracted.

Second, a new volunteering gig teaching at-risk and incarcerated youth. Definitely the experience of my life right now, working with youth who have had it rough and either dropped out of school or ended up in youth prison for whatever reason (read: drug dealing, robberies, even shootings). I basically am helping out this nonprofit with providing job readiness trainings for these kids, most from 15-18, so that they can get out of a detrimental routine and earn a living for themselves.

Kind of a reality check in life, once again - about my own privilege. Also an unfortunate reminder of the pretty f-ed up nature of the system, Island-style.

It's almost like a new life for me here now, different than what I was experiencing and living from August to December. Not different bad or better, just - different, I guess.

But things have been good - met a great group of people outside of taiko, and it's always thrilling to widen my social circle out here. I'm grateful for them.

Taiko itself is great, kind of feel like I'm more on my own since Kels and Dave are gone and I don't have them to go to, but all in all I can't complain. Just trying to get in the groove of teaching taiko classes on my own this time, and then of course trying to, well, get GOOD at taiko itself. Like, really good.

The high school teaching gig starts again in a week, so that'll be fun, I hope. After last semester, via trial and error I definitely have a better idea of how I should run the class, so that's nice to have. It'll also help pay the bills so I can stop living off of canned food for lack of money! (Okay, well, it's not THAT bad. But - kinda.)

Also trying to work off that holiday grubbiness, haven't been able to drag my lazy ass on a run yet (shame) but the ab workouts have been productive, and I try to choose active alternatives to travel and transportation (i.e. walk that shit).

Listening to my brand new pink iPod shufflies helps too.

The mosquitoes have already gotten me. 7 or 8 leg bites and counting.

Thanks for the welcome home, Honolulu.

(PS Happy MLK Jr Day, and Happy Obama Day tomorrow.)