Summer Vacation Oh-Ten: August 10th-11th

Damn it, I got lazy again. I just can't be bothered to write an in depth analysis of my vacation in any semblence of a timely manner. I know myself better than I thought because at about this point in my journal I get lazy and stop writing details anyway. I anticipated my own lazy demise. Thus, let me continue the best I can.

August 10th

On this day, as I was running across the street to catch the bus, some SNICKERDOODLE yelled out at me, "That's a hundret n fiddy dollar fine!" He was referring to the fact that I was crossing the street when the red hand was telling me not to. This is the kind of crap I don't miss. Don't be so uptight. If I get hit by a car or something, it's my bad. I'm not going to sue anybody and I'm not going to complain to my congressman about how unsafe the streets are. I am the idiot who got hit by a car. Let me do it if I want to. I think since I've earned a college degree, I am perfectly capable of discerning when it is safe to cross a street without the help of a machine. Anyway, kudos to you, guy.

Where was this bus going, you ask? We hit up Pearl Harbor. This was actually one of the things I was most excited about, being interested in history and all.
I was not quite as excited about the entry fee. Or that the boats out to the USS Arizona were not running due to high winds. All that CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH aside, it was still really interesting and educational. We began with the USS Chinook, a submarine active during ol' Dubya-dubya two. It even came with an audio guide! It wasn't quite up to the Steve Buscemi narrated tour of Eastern State Penitentiary standard that I now compare all audio tours to, but it did have some old dude talking about his time on the sub. Close second, to me.

The best part about our trip to Pearl Harbor was the USS Missouri. This towering battleship was the same ship where the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender, thus ending World War II. Look how full of freedom that ship is!So much freedom. The only thing missing is a majestic bald eagle perched up on the bridge and a big "Mission Accomplished" banner hung from the guns. It was almost as difficult as the previous day's gigantic maze to try and find our way to the top area for a view. But, once we found it, it offered a pretty solid view of the harbor as well as the Arizona memorial that nobody was at. Those white things popping up out of the water are the centerpieces of "Battleship Row," where much of the attack was centered. The Arizona was obviously on this row and was one of several ships that was sunk that day in 1941.

It was really neat when I came across the placards that described the logistics of the attack, as in where the Japanese planes came from (including pictures) and what course they took during the attack. Speaking of, I wonder what all the Japanese tourists think of Pearl Harbor. I mean, I imagine I'd get pretty choked up if I went to the Hiroshima or Nagasaki Memorial (but then again, that is a much larger and more devestating attack on innocent lives), but I wonder if they see it as a tragedy, a distanced military attack, or a secret victory for the motherland. "Yeah, we'rr do it again, too, shirry Amelicans. Kambai!" Oh, uh I got a little Team America juice on my shirt again. I drool it out every time!

Evening was same same and I'm lazy.

August 11th

I think this day was my favorite in Hawaii. It's not every day I get to drive a Pontiac around Oahu. I'd like to personally thank my Aunt Sue for making that possible. I hope that she and my dear mother enjoyed being chauffered around a tropical island. It's funny because after 6 months of not driving anything, operating a motor vehicle that is capable of inflicting serious damage on everything around it came quickly back to me as though I was continuously a conscientious, sympathetic driver.

Our first stop outside of Honolulu was Diamond Head. The hike up wasn't too bad, taking less than an hour each way. At the top, after passing the guy selling certificates stating you indeed did just hike up a dormant volcano, you are met with a bunker thing that you climb on top of and look out over Honolulu and greater Oahu. The views were impressive.
We eventually made a big circle of the island over the course of the day. Highlights:

Eating Little Caesar's cheese pizza. I haven't done that since I was about ten or eleven. Also, the Yokozuna statue outside of Little Caesar's. Classic.
One of the beaches we hit up, pictured in the distance here:had such harsh waves that they physically knocked you off your feet. I had never been in such rough waves before. There were signs everywhere warning of certain danger because the waves were so intense. It's a wonder I didn't lose a contact. You'll put your eye out!

We continued on, and I got a nap in at some other beach. We ate dinner at a Shark Bay shack that had pretty good "Fresh" Ahi sandwiches, cats, and chickens walking around and/or sleeping.

All in all, Oahu is much bigger than I originally thought it was. I guess it's about 120 miles from end to end, which is sizeable. On a globe it's just a little dot, but dots can be misleading. Certain dots could mean ill health or death if you don't get them checked out by a doctor. I'm just saying. Dots are more meaningful than a map gives them credit for.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be more prudent this week and finish up my vacation posts. I'd like to move on to what I did this weekend and some other themed posts I've got lined up that I may or may not get around to due to laziness. Cheer me on, like a fat kid trying to finish a race after everyone else has already gotten showers and changed and is going home with their girlfriend or whatever. Fat kids need love, too.