Pictures!

Pictures from my latest trip to Washington DC/NJ, Oct 17-25 http://picasaweb.google.com/heather.gaburo/20091017DC#

it was absolutely wonderful to see everyone. Every time I go back to DC, I get a little bit homesick. I am loving San Diego, don't get me wrong - especially now that it's still 70-78 and sunny pretty much every day - but being together with all my WM friends makes me miss those good ol' college and post-college days up in DC. Looking forward to the next visit - maybe for the cherry blossoms?!

Fall in Southern California & pictures

So the weather out here is cooling off a bit. High's in the upper 60's and lows in the mid 50's. Slowly easing from shorts to jeans, but not really needing a jacket quite yet. This is what I expected from SoCal. I also expect a few intermittent warm weekend days so I can go to the beach :)

The thing that surprised me, though, is that there are a few annual trees around which are changing colors. Definitely nothing like the east coast, but I figured there would only be palms and trees that stay green all year here. It will be a nice change to a bleak winter. After traveling to Joshua Tree NP this weekend and hiking through the mostly brown desert, it was nice to come back to SD where colorful flowers are abundant. Perhaps this is a city of eternal spring. I could get used to this...

Wild Animal Pictures

Went to San Diego's Wild Animal park yesterday morning and went on 'safari' through Africa. So much to see there, and so many things I want to go back and do. Roar & Snore sleepover, Hot Air Balloon ride, Photo Caravan safari...these all cost extra, but are well worth it! Check out pictures on picasa here.

Pointless Nostalgic

Check out iceicebabies.com - it lists a bunch of popular things from the 1990's, like TV commercials & Cartoon Themesongs. The best part is the videos, and shamelessly knowing the words to every single one...

I absolutely LOVED my skip it.

And Duck Tales was one of my favorite cartoons. "Might solve a mystery, or rewrite history!"

Sigh, I want my kids to experience these shows someday. Maybe.

PS - Blog title taked from a Jamie Cullum album title. Looking forward to the new one coming out this fall!!

Officially a CA resident

Thursday morning, I got moving early and went to the DMV to finally apply for my CA driver's license. I've had my car registered for a while, since I could do that at AAA on a Saturday. Unfortunately, they couldn't give me a license. (But they did let me register my car without a CA license, which I thought was a bit strange but didn't argue.) I got stopped a few weeks ago for speeding - it's reeeeeeally hard to go 25 on a main road down a hill on a pretty morning (or ever), but I'm more conscious about it now. Luckily, I did not get a ticket for the speeding but a fix-it ticket for not having my CA license. The possible $365 fine is what motivated me to actually get up and go to the DMV before work Thursday.

Let me tell you, the CA DMV sucks. For many many reasons.

1. No extended or weekend hours at all, EVER: Their hours are 8-5 Mon, Tues, Thurs and ONE Friday a month; 9-5 Wed. Hello budget crisis.

2. Due to shitty hours, everyone decides to "get there before they open". There were 50 people at least, waiting in line outside the DMV door at 7:45am. FIFTY people. I got in line anyway because I had gotten up and out the door this morning and didn't want to pay $365.

3. LONG long long wait times: despite arriving at 7:45a, I was assigned number G31 and waited until 9:15a for my number to be called. It then only took 30 minutes to do the paperwork, pay the fee, get my picture, take the test and wait in line to have the test graded. I was out the door at 9:45a and at work by 10:01a (not late until 10:07a!)

4. Retaking the driver's written exam: They make you take the written test to get a license, even with a valid out of state one. (This point is only a negative because it added time to getting my license and I was almost late for work. I do think people should be restested every so often.) If you fail, you can retake the exam immediately. I got a smiley face on my test because the three people in front of me had all failed, some for the 2nd or 3rd time.

5. Inability to make appointments: Everyone recommends to make an appointment so you don't have to wait. You can conveniently do it online or by phone. However, the first appointment they have available is always a month away and it is impossible to make an appointment for 8am EVER. Plus, the phone system is automated and it takes 10 minutes on the phone choosing options just to hear that the next available appointment is at 3:15p in Septemeber.

6. 'Requiring' that you get a CA license within 10 days of becoming a resident: See #5. Guess all new residents have to suck it up and wait. If you start working right away (as was my case), you are SOL due to #1.

7. No same day laminated license: CA DMV gave me a half sheet of paper with my name on it that is my interim license for 2-4 weeks until I get my CA one. It does not have my picture on it. How ghetto is that? NJ gives you the laminated license 10 minutes after you get your picture taken. Catch up cali.

I was surprised, however, that I needed no "proof of address" to get my license. NJ completely redid their DMV system a few years ago, adding a "6 points of identification" requirement as well as tons of security features to the licenses so they couldn't be faked so easy. You need 2-3 forms of ID, and proof of address to even get in the real line in NJ. When I lost my license last year, I almost couldn't get a new ID because I don't get mail in NJ anymore so I didn't really have a valid proof of address. Thank goodness for joint bank accounts with parents that are never used....

Now I know as a general rule, the DMV sucks. But as I never registered in VA or CT, I have no idea if NJ spoiled me with their effective DMV or if the CA DMV really does suck.

Long story short: I survived the DMV, and am an official California girl, but I will be renewing and changing my address via mail so I never ever have to go back there.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's friday.

Other things I'm thankful for:

Days off from work

Paychecks

Cool weather not requiring AC

Dinner being ready when I get home - yay crock pot

Friends, even though most are far away

Things I could do without:

Loud banging from bathroom next door starting at 7:30am. Please wait until 8.

Dry chicken - need to try thighs instead of breasts!

Hives update

My hives are much better than they were, but I am still getting small flares up occasionally. Unlike before, when I needed cold packs and BenGay/calamine lotion, I can take a Benadryl now and they will go away. I'm really leaning towards the tetanus shot as the cause. I think the fact that the severity has decreased over time but not quite disappeared yet supports that, too. The toxin takes ~2 weeks to be cleared from the body, although the antibodies stick around for years. We're at two weeks and two days. Hopefully the small flare ups will stop soon. I plan on going to an allergist soon to get tested, because I really really don't want that to happen again.

Hives

Have you ever had hives that weren't responsive to Benadryl or cortisol cream? Or hives that caused joint swelling? How did you stay sane and not scratch your skin off?

My body is being taken over by wheals and swollen joints :( Benadryl hasn't worked, prednisone is taking it's time deciding whether to work, and cortisol isn't making the itch go away. Ice isn't even making my swollen knee go down.... The ER doc pretty much told me that if this didn't work, I will just have to tough it out. I may have to start wearing gloves to protect my skin from being ripped to shreds.

Pictures!

Finished uploading all Hawai'i pics on Picasa - check them out! http://picasaweb.google.com/heather.gaburo

Also just uploaded pictures from Huntington Beach 4th of July weekend!

San Diego Living

ok, I know I'm a bit overdue for a post. I've been back in Cali for about 2 weeks now, but it's been super busy! I moved all my stuff from my uncle's, unpacked my boxes, went shopping a LOT, found some furniture, started the process of becoming an officialy CA resident, and started work this past Monday. Now it's the weekend and things have finally slowed down a bit.

The sun was brightly shining this morning at 7:30am, which means that the June Gloom may be coming to an end!! (It's the period in late spring/early summer where the marine layer lingers until midday, causing cool overcast mornings.) I decided to go for a run/walk through my new neighborhood. As I passed the multimillion dollar homes along the coast and ran to every ocean view point I came across (one at the end of every street, and even some hidden ones between properties), I reconfirmed my decision to not only move to San Diego, but to live in Bird Rock. It's a really cute, quiet neighborhood, very close to the coast. I can run by the ocean every morning before work if I want to. And even though La Jolla is mostly cliffs with a few beachs here and there, Bird Rock is far enough south that we're about a 10 minute walk to the sandy Pacific Beach. It's a little over a mile to Windansea beach to the north, which is where my turnaround point was today, so I would likely bike or drive up there. It's a smaller beach, and a little cleaner than PB (there's a lot of seaweed and kelp washed up).

This afternoon I am taking a rowing lesson so I can rent boats on the bay whenever I want. I can't wait!

Surf's Up!

Today I took a surfing lesson with Tara from Girls Gone Surfing. It was awesome! Definitely harder than it looks - I am going to be sore like I just did my first yoga class in a while. It's actually pretty similar to yoga, with lots of upward dog and jumps up. My back was not used to constantly being arched so I could see while paddling. My shoulders and arms also got tired, from pushing up when catching the wave and paddling back in from the beach. But it was a lot of fun! The first wave I was going to catch was bigger than I expected, and I did the one thing you shouldn't do...look at the board - I saw the nose go down. Caught off guard, my arms weren't locked so there wasn't enough weight on the back of the board. I tumbled into the wave and felt the board tug hard at my leg...and then it was gone. The little loop that the leash attaches to broke! Apparently that only happens a few times a year...a first for Tara herself. oops! I surfed one wave without the leash, then we beached it to find another string. Once we fixed it, I caught a bunch of waves (with the help of Tara) and took them all the way in. A few times I headed towards the rocks and/or other beginners and either sat on the board or bailed. A few times I got nervous about someone else being close and I fell off. Got a little cut on my foot from the reef, but kept on going until my knees, toes and inside of my elbows were feeling too raw. Definitely thankful for the rashguard I did have. Oh, I also learned that you should wear your tightest bikini bottoms, or a one piece. I may have to keep learning in San Diego...

After shopping and surfing in Lahaina, I headed north to Ka'anapali for dinner. I ate my first meal at a sit down restaurant alone and it wasn't that bad. Tried the Lava Flow & Lanai Sunset drinks and had a grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich with jerk seasoning & pineapple salsa, with a side of delicious fresh pineapple and strawberries. I watched a Tiki man jump off Black Rock in front of the Sheraton after lighting tiki torches along the way. I saw a beautiful sunset. I shopped more (but held back - thank goodness I know I have no paycheck coming for a few more weeks).

Tomorrow I am driving around Haleakala on the road to Hana. It's supposed to be a very wind-y, slightly scary drive that goes to lots of waterfalls. Then I leave paradise in the evening :( It was been an amazing vacation and I can't wait to come back to Hawaii. There is so much to see and do!! I really didn't spend too many days just lounging on the beach...I haven't even finished my first (of 3) book! I will be posting all the pictures from the trip in the next week or so, once I get my apartment in San Diego set up with internet, cable, a TV, an air mattress, all my stuff, and no furniture :) For now, here are pictures from today (out of order)!

Tiki man gracefully diving off Black Rock

Sunset

Palm tree

What I should look like when riding a wave

Resting

That's me with my arm up, keeping my balance

Paddling out

Now an official surfer girl!

Sunrise at the top of the world

I woke up at 3:30am today. On purpose. After a quick stop at Zippy's for french toast and hash browns, I made the ~40 mile drive to the summit of Haleakala crater at 10,023 ft. I arrived at the park entrance at 4:45am - and there was a line to pay the fee! There were sooo many cars and tour buses going up to the top. Luckily there weren't cars going down - the roads are narrow and windy, plus it was dark. It took about 30 minutes to get to the summit, and the sun was coloring the sky a bit. I made the mistake of following the cars to the visitor center lot, and not continuing up to the summit lot. If you ever go, turn right at the VC and drive up to the summit. There's a nice little enclosed viewing area. Also, dress warmly! It was about 50 on the summit but extremely windy! I was in jeans, sneakers, an under armor fleece, long sleeve T and jacket. I was warm except for my hands. I would also recommend a hat other than a baseball cap - not only does the brim make taking pictures difficult, but it's not very warm. Better than nothing though!

Anyway, sunrise was beautiful. I climbed to the top of the Pa Ka' oao overlook, where the crowd was sparse (down at the VC it was a mob of people in shorts wrapped in beach towels). The sun came up over the clouds, and you can see the peaks of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea on the Big Island as well. It was worth losing feeling in my fingers :) Once the sun was up, I got my stamps and decided to hike down into the crater on the Sliding Sands Trail. It was 2.6 miles each way to the first cinder cone, Ka Lu'u o ka' O'o, with an elevation change of about 1500ft. Similar to Angel's Landing, except I did the easy down part first. I'd much rather go up first, then come down at the end when I'm tired. The trail isn't called sliding sands for no reason...the entire trail is covered by 1-3 inches of sand. Imagine hiking up a 2.5 mile sand dune. It was worth it though. Once I reached the cinder cone, I could see old lava rivers and the clouds in one of the gulches. I just sat on a rock, watching the clouds below, with no sounds other than the wind. It was beautiful.

After the hike, which I finished in 3 hours 15 min, I was pretty tired and it was getting close to lunch time. I started to drive down the mountain, and pulled over to eat lunch once the clouds took over the road. Whenever I fly, I always think how fun it would be to be in the clouds. So I got out of the car and walked through the clouds :) Then I spent the rest of the day by the pool, reading and napping. It was a good day!

Peaks of the Big Island in the distance

Up on Pa Ka'oao

Sun peaking over the clouds

Close up of the sun (zoomed in blindly so I didn't burn my retina)

Sunrise

Last night was a full moon, and it was still up in the west as the sun was rising in the east....pretty cool!!

self portrait with not so good aim

Sunrise at the top of the world

Better self portrait with moon and observatory

The top of Haleakala is the 4th best place in the WORLD to view the night sky, hence many observatories and scopes

I think this is the highest I've ever been outside of an airplane

Looking down on Maui & the sugar cane burning

Into the crater

Self portrait in the crater desert

Looking back on where I came from

Made it to the crater!

0.6mi trail to the cinder cone - it looked so close but wasn't

Horseback crater tours - next time I'm doing this!

My leg at the end of the hike - my jeans and sneakers are super dusty

Clouds take over the roads

Maui - Day 1

Today was my first day on Maui. After waiting an excessively long time for my rental car (the woman in front of me insisted on inspecting 3 cars and picking the cleanest), I set out towards Wailea and the South Maui coast. Coming from the Big Island, Maui feels so small and everything feels super close. It took me about 30 minutes to get to La Perouse Bay, at end of 31 past Makena. There is just rocky shore here, but supposedly the snorkeling is good. I took a few pics then headed off to a sandy beach a few miles back up the road. Big Beach is about a mile long, with life guards, and overlooks Kaho'olawe island (uninhabited) and Molokini crater (snorkeling area). It wasn't super crowded when I got there, but the waves were crashing right on the shore so I didn't go in the water. However, some surfers showed up to surf the breaks and I got a couple pretty sweet pictures! After a long period of clouds, I decided to move north again. As I was leaving the beach, two lifeguard vehicles and an ambulance came screaming down the road, so I hope no one got hurt at the beach. Next stop was Po'olenalena Beach, which was quieter, calmer, and offered a view of Lanai. It was a perfect mix of sun, clouds and warm water. I napped a bit, swam a bit and tanned a lot. Then I headed back across the island to check into my hotel, which is right on a little sandy beach, next to a popular windsurfing spot (we are on the windward side). Didn't see any windsurfers today though. After unpacking my things (which felt amazing), I headed to Safeway to grab some Ahi Poke (raw tuna with seaweed, sea salt and green onions), passion-orange-guava juice, and potato wedges for dinner. I drove back to the west side of the island in hopes of catching a sunset. I stopped at Kihei harbor and watched the sun go down over the windfarm on the west maui mountains. The rays of sunshine made for some beautiful pictures. Hopefully from Lahaina on Tuesday I will witness a beautiful ocean sunset! And now I am going to sleep early, because I'm getting up at 3am tomorrow. Why? Not just to begin my transition back to PST, or because fog prevented sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, but to witness the sun rising from the summit of Haleakala mountain, at 10,000ft. Pictures below!

Haleakala from plane

South Maui coast

Uninhabited island offshore

La Perouse Bay

Molokini crater from Big Beach

Surfers

Po'olenalena Beach

Sunset in Kihei

Sunset

Big Island tour - day 1

Our first day on the Big Island, Lauren and I hit the South Highway around the island. We first went down a very bumpy, one lane road past two windfarms (one old, one working) and many cows to South Point, the Southern-most Point in the US (not the Florida Keys). We then stopped at the southernmost bakery for sweetbread. On to Pulanau'u black sand beach, where there were a few turtles swimming in the cove. The black sand made pictures tough. Afterwards, we had lunch with some of Lauren's family and then continued on to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We felt the heat of the volcano at the steam vents, walked through an old lava tube, drove down a road that was covered by lava, and watched the current crater emit a plume of sulfur dioxide. Definitely my favorite NP of the islands. I will be going back to camp there and hike into the Kilauae Iki crater (not the one with the plume). Before sunset, we headed down to the oceanside lava viewing area. It was pretty awesome to see the glowing plume plunging into the ocean and the surface flow glow brighter and brighter as it got dark. Once it was dark, we headed back up to the crater to see the glow of the lava. According to the AP,

"The summit of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is glowing brightly as molten lava swirls 300 feet below its crater's floor, bubbling near the surface after years of spewing from the volcano's side. The expanding vent of Halemaumau crater helps confirm scientists' belief that the lava is close to the surface of the summit, said Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Kilauea has been erupting for more than 25 years, with its lava creating a plume of steam as it spills into the Pacific Ocean. But this recent activity is coming from the top of the volcano, not its sea-level side. This is the strongest glow coming from the crater since October, but scientists don't know if lava will ever erupt in a fountain from within the crater, Babb said."

One goal of this trip was to see lava. Though I wasn't able to get close to it, what I did see was still pretty awesome! Hopefully when I come back, nature will have brought the lava to a place with easier access.

'Diving' off the southernmost point in the US

Old Windmill and cows

Southernmost Bakery in the US

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach

Aloha!

Feeling the heat of the volcano at the steam vents - groundwater pools on rocks, which is heated by the lava and evaporates into steam. It's hot!

Me and the Halema'uma'u Crater

Crater and plume of sulfur dioxide

Mauna Loa and our ugly silver PT Cruiser (same car I had on Kauai)

Thurston Lava Tube - did you know lava is porous, so there usually aren't waterfalls in area of new lava formation? The water seeps down into the tubes.

Lava flow that covered Chain of Craters road a few decades ago

Life comes through the porous lava rock

Smooth lava aka pahoehoe lava (jagged is aa)

I conquered the lava field (it was super windy)

Driving down 130 to the lava viewing area, there are still houses standing in the lava field. If your house survived the lava flow, but everything around you was destroyed, you wouldn't be able to collect insurance since the house is still liveable.

Steam plume as the lava cools in the ocean. These rocks are younger than I am!

Brightest the crater has been since last October - great timing!!