the boob tube June 28, 2007

so julie and i have started
a tradition.  at the end of
our day we go up to the
tv, sit, watch,
laugh and..
e n j o y

the zap 2 it program
guide has hawaiian music
over it and we can successfully
sing along without knowing
any of the songs by simply
moving our voices up and down
and making different vowel 
sounds. 
ps. don’t tell any hawaiians 

dog the bounty hunter:
beth’s permed look is my fav.
baby lisa unfortunatley has the
face of a unicorn.
moral of every story:
“cook rice not ice.”

hawaii hair club for men:
it keeps alluding us.
every night we are too
late, too early, or it’s a
different show entirely
(what?)

cosby show:
classic
funny
constantly on…yet
never on enough!!
denise’s hair…enough said

Wimbledon:
go serena!
i heart andy
julie hearts carlos
get it over with already,
moya and henman
my bets are on federer
and mauresmo

we scan between three channels:
espn
cosby channel
variables (my personal
fav – miami ink)

there are two kinds of
tv watchers. jules represents
one and i represent the other.

scanner, never watches the
commercials, misses portions
of the shows, but doesn’t care
(“and sees a lot”…julie says)

chooses one show and
watches that show all the
way through…even
enjoying the commercials

the hawaiian way June 28, 2007

computer training for my
new hospital.

lbrn’s way:
get up early
leave for work early (might
not be parking…must be
prepared)
wait…
wait…
wait…

the hawaiian way:
“Oops. we told you the
wrong time and place.
it starts at 9am, not 8am!”

starting work on my unit

lb’s way:
call my supervisor days ago
wait
call again
wait
call another contact
wait

the hawaiian way:
“oops.  the supervisor had
surgery and no one is taking
care of this for you.”
“so lisa, my schedule said you
were supposed to be orienting
with me twice this week. i was
wondering where you were. i
guess no one told you. how
about next week?”

are you catching on?? 
i think i am.

for all you worried about
my fashion crisis, (by crisis
i mean…the overdressing)
i am working on it and have
found a few things. but i must
say that me and shorts have
never had a very happy
relationship.

local or tourist? June 27, 2007

i am the only person
over 2 years of age and
under 45 years of age that
owns/wears a one piece
swimsuit…in this state. 

so jules and i were at the
beach yesterday and it
happened to be portugese
man of war day. (that’s a type
of stinging floating thing in the
ocean) we had occasion to
meet the lifeguard when he
sprayed down a stung girl
with a vinegar solution.
(shortly thereafter the mom
heisted the bottle and sprayed
from head to toe the girl..again
and also julie who as standing
downwind)

sean, the lifeguard asked us if
we were visiting to which i
replied in a panicked manner
“no! is it the one piece?”
he said, “no, it’s the accents.”

then julie and i laughed about
it like two little schoolgirls
while he stood by awkwardly…

ps. i’m going shopping today

driving with aloha June 27, 2007

…with what?!!

that’s what i said when
julie gently told
me not to honk my horn.

for three days i’d been driving
without aloha and with new
york “style“. driving with aloha
means that you never never ever
honk…it’s worse than throwing
the bird. you should always let
others cut in front of you when
merging. when someone kindly
lets you in you throw them a
shaka. (the hawaiian version
of a wave) you always yield to
the pedestrian…always.

traffic in hawaii is terrible.
driving with aloha probably
doesn’t help the situation.

lbrn’s reasons for the
difficult driving on Oahu:
*many many cars on the island
*streets suddenly become one way
*a high percentage of the streets in
the main cities are one way
*street signs are small
and hard to read or bent and
twisted the wrong way.
*traffic lights are not over the
street but on the sides so they
are hard to see. (i’ve run three
red lights already…oops!)
*aside from the freeway and
highway the speed limits range
from 20-35mph. ridiculously
low right?!
*parking…there is not enough!
*there are no numbered streets
just words. most of them hwaiian
and difficult to pronounce like
punaho
kapiolani
keeamoku
kamanianiole
and these streets are in the
antithesis of a grid. they curve
and turn and become different
streets and then go back to being
what they started out being.
can you feel my pain?
can you see the humor in it all??

despite all of this it’s fun to be
behind the wheel again. i will
complain no more.

ps. I’m driving the coolest little
93 toyota carola. it’s a grayish
color and has muffler problems.
it like it.  it think it sounds like
lilly (the car is named after queen
liliokulani) is giving the road a zerbert.

hawaii- initial observations June 27, 2007

muumuus are here and here
to stay! They are all the
rage among the older
generation  and those wanting
a loose flowy alternative to
actual fashion.

after living in new york
none of my clothes are
casual enough to blend
in here.
my sweet friend julie
tried her best to break
it to me gently.
“um… lisa… well… you might
be a bit overdressed at the
dollar movies. do you have
shorts instead of the skirt or
a t-shirt you can put on?”
“no. i don’t do t-shirts or shorts.”
was  my answer.  
i’m working on this issue.

everything……everything
is beautiful! the ground
outside of the apartment
is always sprinkled with
plumeria blossoms.

most adult males wear
aloha shirts…called hawaiian
shirts on the mainland. they
are muted and don’t usually
have hula girls or surfboards
on them…the tourists wear
those.

rainbows: vivid, bright,
full (from end to end),
and they sometimes
come in pairs!

driving…
i’ll tell you more about that
later.

i’ll share more as they come
to me.

but be asured, i’m loving it all.

let the good times roll June 26, 2007

my last few days in ok
were wonderful… 

good times were had
by all at the driving range
with my grandfather,
dad and cousin alex. my popi
(my grandfather) is impressive.
he showed me how each club
should be used. then he
demonstrated…perfect
e v e r y   t i m e!!

my favorite glof clubs:
wedge, driver, and 7 iron

   
i call the picture on the right
my interpretation of drunk
golfing.

the family bbq went well.
almost everyone came!
piles and piles of food!
i hosted my little heart
out. “would you like
peaches or strawberries
on your shortbread? whipped
cream?”

favorite moments:
*the morning and afternoon
long pre-party prep with
my mom.
*the picture with my mom
and ALL of her brothers
and sisters.

            

                 
i have a good looking fam don’t
i? me and my cousin jason, my
mom and her siblings, my cousin
arhmad and my second cousin
emma.

sunday lunch with steve
and carol is always a given.
every dish(save one) was
from a barefoot contessa
cookbook.  we were testing out
the books. every single
thing we made was
d e l i c i o u s !
especially the frozen
berries with white
hot chocolate.

    
this is not the barefoot contessa
meal. it was a meal of
‘lisa’s favorite things’

i had good (better than good
really) times with
the ‘rents. (mom and dad):
*nice dinner at home for father’s day.
imagine all three of us snuggled
on the couch watching some
program on the discovery
channel.  dad just can’t get
enough of the discovery
channel.  who can really??
*fun times at the movies
with mom.  she’s a good
movie viewing partner!

meals with sweet friends:
lunch with debbie clem.
pre-lunch i roamed through
her amazing garden and
was wowed!
lettuce
asparagus
squash
beets
tomatoes
leeks
strawberries
herbs
and more

 
this is sqush!!  did you know
that the squash flower is a
delicacy?
for lunch we went to a
cute little tea room in
edmond, oklahoma.
to our surprise we found
out that the hat rack full
of fun big hats are for the
guests to wear during
their lunch.  we saw the
hats on our way out.  we
did have a jolly laugh in
them anyway.

there were many more
treasured moments that
i enjoyed during my time in
oklahoma. the good times
were plentiful and abundant.

(thanks for mailing my
camera cord mom!!)

a drink of cool water June 15, 2007

…for my spirit.

i went to ft. worth, tx
yesterday and today
to visit emily, willie,
and eva. emily and i
live together overseas
for two years.

connecting with her was
like diving into a pool
on a blazing hot summer
day…
refreshing
satisfying
happy

we shared the depths
of our hearts with ease
and comfort. to be near
a sister from my east
asia days is love, life,
and rest.

quick and easy June 14, 2007

i did not tell you how
the pain ended…

all the pain was over in
less than 12 hours. i
awoke the next morning
like nothing ever happened.

w e i r d

from play to pain June 13, 2007

June 13th 

9:00am
awake. in the front yard
with snickers.  calm and
p e r f e c t
          

12:00pm
to the post office.
no line ..none!
in and out in 5 minutes!
a m a z i n g
12:30
lunch with a dear friend
from college, Christy Brown.
One sweet little girl. 
One baby on the way.
(she is due this week).
She is so challenging
and encouraging to me.
b e a u t i f u l

 

4:00pm
swimming with my nieces and
nephew and my cousin’s
wife (they are really my
second cousins, but they
call me aunt lisa)
f u n
       
        

7:00pm
dinner with my friend
Bryce. (here is where the
pain comes in)
pre-dinner my stomach
was feeling weird and
my dad gave me some
pepcid.  it didn’t help.
the pain grew so strong
that i could not finish my
sentence and had to go
to the bathroom.  i thought
i was going to pass out
before i got there. after
hanging out in the bathroom
for 10 or so minutes i
gathered my strength to
go back. i could hardly hear
what he was saying. he noticed
my distress.  the look of fright
in his eyes is very funny to me
now. he quickly pain, got my
uneaten meal packed and
he took me home. he
suggested that i not drive
so i left my car there.
i went inside got in bed and
did not leave it until this
morning. I only had lots of
abdominal pain, but it was
like it never happened this
morning. i had plans to see
more friends post-dinner and
had to cancel. 
 p a i n

10:30pm
my mom checking on me
every 15 min offering water
or medicine of some sort.

oklahoma June 11, 2007

i got into town two nights
ago.  i enjoy myself more
each time i return home to
oklahoma.

last night at sunset my mother,
father and myself…oh, and my
sweet old dog snickers lingered
lazily in the front yard. me and
mom examined the blackberries
on the bushes on the side of the
house.  we found only one perfectly
ripe.  my dad came over, plucked it
mercilessly off the bush and popped it
into his mouth and said “mmmm
that’s good!!”  me and mom were
horrified! he said, “if we don’t eat it
the bugs will!!”  we fed the fish in the
small pond and looked at the tiny
babies clumped together and
barely visible in the evening light.

yesterday afternoon I watched a thunder
storm roll into town… big bumpy
dark clouds filled with soothing
rumbles of thunder.  it poured down
it’s rain in thick sheets and fat drops.
then it rolled off to the north
and the sun came out for the
rest of the evening.

“oklahoma where the waving wheat
can sure smell sweet when the wind
comes right behind the rain..”

Goodbye June 11, 2007

my last few days in new york
were full of goodbyes.  i feel
like anne shirley saying goodbye
to things as well as people.
i need closure. 

goodbye apartment
googbye empire state building
goodbye central park
goodbye citerella
goodbye cosy
goodbye M11 bus
goodbye kitchen at the Cates’
goodbye view from my bedroom window
goodbye 4 tower medication room
goodbye brianne and meghan’s apartment
goodbye upper west side
goodbye c train
goodbye madison square garden
goodbye old, yet reliable blender
goodbye lincoln center
goodbye lush
goodbye fairway

i could go on and on.
having said goodbye to
the people and things i love
in nyc has helped me
tremendously.

The Last June 11, 2007

I’ve had several lasts
in the past week.

The L A S T . . .

time to see my roommate 
(goodbye lynne)
shakespear in the park
(romeo & juliet was AMAZING..sniffle sniffle)
late night trip to the deli
with erica and meghan
(so long sweet iced coffee)
meal at Land thai restauraunt
(i heart chicken curry puffs)
night of work at NYP hospital
(thanks for all the good times
4 tower!….and all the bad times!!)

(this is at breakfast after the
second to last night of work…
that’s right…we are matching!!!)
shopping adventure at fairway
(i will miss you chocolate grahms)
subway ride
(mass transportation is dear to
my heart)
gray’s papaya hotdog
(there is none like you!)
meal at the Tibetan Kitchen
(vegetable dumplings….G O O D)
taxi ride in the city
(“someone is going to die!”
“why are we going this way?”)

…just to name a few.  i might
post a few more as i yearn for
the city in the future.

instant death June 2, 2007

last weekend i was on my
way into grand central station
from the shuttle at times square.

i am happily half skipping along
beside meghan.  I was laughing at
something we were talking about.
my head tilted upward in glee,
when a drop of water/liquid
from the ceiling of the subway
station dropped into my mouth!!! 
I immediately spit onto the
ground (yes in the middle of the crowd).
then my next reaction was to begin
naming the things i wanted
meghan to have when(not if, but when)
i died.  i expected to die before we
bought our train tickets, but i did
not.  i know death from the nasty
subway ceiling water is coming. 

so when it comes i would like
for rebekah to have cheryl, my ipod, maren
to have all of my clothes, my mom to
get my journals and fozzy bear,
julie to get my ring,
brianne to have my pride and
prejudice dvds, meghan to have
my scrubs, nancy gets the red
chairs, kari jo will get my necklace…
there is so  much more to
give away.

if i haven’t told you lately, i want
you to know that i love you and am
glad for your investment in my life.

“Lay me out in my wedding dress.”
can anyone guess what movie/book
this quote is from??

The Work Bag June 2, 2007

i carry a bag to work.
in it i usually have the same things.
today is no different.

small flashlight
pens (blue and red)
post it notes
a book (Anne of Avonlea)
sweatshirt
calendar
cereal (two kinds, I must be prepared)
microwave popcorn
kashi pumpkin granola bar
cocoa butter chapstick
cheryl, my ipod
pencils that say (we love you LBRN)
keys
title nine catalogs
small lint brush
pink water bottle
phone
wallet
jimbo (my new companion, a toy ‘gator.
he has a brother named Jimmy that lives
with Meghan and Brianne…long story) 

it was really hard not to comment on
each item and explain why I have them
or who gave them to me.  But, I held it
in.  Just image it all on your own.

Fun in Jersey City June 2, 2007

we’re taking a picture?
I love this pic because Sean is
the only one ready.

meghan, erica, sean (erica’s Fiance)
me and zak. we are all enjoying our drinks and
sean is cheesing for the camera.

 

so, on monday we all went to jersey city
for dinner at erica and sean’s place.
brianne, who is not pictured came as well.

erica and sean are taking 6 months to travel
the US of A after sean finishes his phd in march.
we shared all the places we have traveled and made
suggestions for their trip.

my favorite suggestion was the woolly worm festival
in kentucky.

we had a great time! thanks for the
yummy cashew chicken and brown rice!