It’s the way I see everything I need, it’s the way to be. Higher and higher and higher.

On the eve of the weekend that most of this country will be celebrating the nations independence, I find myself gearing up to head back west (although not in a covered wagon).  I’ll have been gone from May 20th to July 7th, not as long as my excursion last summer, but long enough.  I’ve visited many of my good friends and family as well as many of the places on the mainland that I love. I had a fantastic time every step of the way (and I thank you all for that), but I’m ready to head back and figure out what it all has meant to me.

I’m not sure if it’s the distance at which all my friends now reside from me, or that I’m getting older and softer (don’t people usually get harder as they get older and more steadfast in their ways? Wouldn’t be the first time that I progress against the grain), or a combination of several factors, but there really isn’t anything better than being surrounded by those you love (well maybe the only thing better than that is if you are eating at the same time). Wow that was a long sentence.  You stop writing for a few weeks and you forget your manners. Shit.  Not only did I manage to see more of you this time around but everything was an upgrade.  More friends, more destinations, longer road trips, longer music festivals, less rigid planning, more food, more fun, more smiles, more laughter, more comfort, more happiness, more going with the flow, and more independence.

The year is only (already?!) half over, I’m going to canoe 18 miles this weekend, go camping, barbecue, and then fly home where one of my best friends will be moving into my home with me for a year or so.  Since flights are getting cheaper, I’ll be sure to have even more visitors stopping by for good times in Hawaii, and I’ll be making more frequent trips to places that warrant further marination and exploration, LA being at the top of the list (a story for another day). Sure I should be saving, my money and my miles. Sure I should be focusing, on my work and furthering my career.  Sure I shouldn’t need to adventure so much, since I live in Hawaii and everyday is a vacation.  But I just can’t help myself. It’s the way I see everything I need, it’s the way to be. Higher and higher and higher.

When I informed my friend Suzanne a few months ago that I would be visiting L.A. for a short while on my journey westward, she shared a little known tidbit of wisdom that she had gained while she lived in L.A.  She said I should pay attention when walking/driving around because there always seems to be an abundance of mattresses on the streets in L.A. It was some kind of unnatural phenomenon that took place in the city of angels.

I was only there for a short while, maybe a week total, and most of that time was spent within the confines of Venice.  I think I saw one mattress while I was there.  I was there in the late fall (not sure if this phenomenon is a seasonal thing), but maybe any readers who reside in L.A. can fill me in on whether or not there is any truth to what Suzanne told me.  Otherwise I’ll just have to return soon (maybe the spring for spring cleaning), or submit it to Snopes or something.

So, today as I was pulling up to the beach hut with Amy in the passenger seat (giving her a ride home from work), she noticed the toilet on the curb outside our neighbors apartment.  She turned to me and said “there sure are a lot of toilets on this block”.  She was right.

I pride myself on my ability to notice small details, so I’m not sure if I’m just slipping in my old age or if this detail was so obvious that it was overlooked (it’s always hard to find what is right under your nose).  But over the course of the last few weeks there have been a ridiculous amount of toilets on the curb of my street.  The street I live on only extends one block (hits a canal on one end, and a large shopping/parking complex on the other), but there must have been four or five toilets out there in the last six or seven weeks.

It would be understandable if they were all from the same apartment complex, and a floor or a few apartments on a floor were being renovated, but they were all at different spots on the block.  I don’t know if there is some new strain of porcelain eating bacteria going around, if people are eating too much spicy foods during the summer or what.  All I know is next time anyone says they are going to come visit Waikiki, I’m going to let them know that as they are walking/driving around they should take note of the abundance of toilets lining the streets, a bulk waste event only rivaled by the infamous mattresses of Los Angeles.