Just returned from a wonderful night out (aka bachelor party) with my great friends Matt, Steve, John, Nils, Dan, Ryan, and Chris! We went to a great place in Maple Grove called Dave & Buster’s — featuring food, bar, and full gaming area. I came home with the prizes from the night — Gophers fan hand, Dave & Buster’s novelty soccer ball, and poker chips + cards + box! Awesome! So, it was exactly the kind of night I had in mind — nobody puked, nobody was naked, and everybody will be able to get into work tomorrow! I need to get out with these guys more often.
“Minnesota Nice” is real. It’s why you see seed art at
the Minnesota State Fair, a popular local art form,
expressing all kinds of political and cultural thinking.
It’s hard to think of another state in the union where
you’d see gay-themed art made out of mix of flax and corn
seed.
Mykala says that, 3 years ago, each one of these rooms had a $100,000 renovation. From the Royal Lahaina website:
Guestrooms and suites feature tasteful décor and exquisite appointments hand-selected by Hawaii’s award-winning design firm, Philpotts & Associates. The Island-inspired guestrooms are designed to connect guests with their tropical surroundings while still maintaining a contemporary look and feel. The rich, teak custom furnishings portray a classic and timeless elegance. In-room guest amenities celebrate the artistry, environment and culture of Hawaii. Custom local artwork and a hand-crafted wall-mounted canoe paddle accentuate the Hawaiian water sports theme present throughout each room.
A Canon-toting tourist with a massive diffuser-capped flash and an L-series lens took our picture with my camera. Location: along Front St. in Old Lahaina.
He thought my flash was too small. It is. Thanks, Mr. Photograph Man!
During dinner, a hula dancer and guitar player provided some delightful dinner entertainment. Quiet, soft, beautiful — a wonderful end to an amazing day.
UNBELIEVABLE. We ate at Mama’s Fish House just North of Paia, Maui — and this was the view as we dined. We were essentially on the beach. Just ridiculously spectacular.
This is one of the scenic overlooks on the road to Hana in Maui. It’s a 4 hour scenic drive over narrow, winding roads skirting the cliffs. Crazy-wonderful views. We didn’t make it all the way to Hana, but the roads we did take were dramatic and beautiful.
For our wedding, we received an air freshener called “Clean Linen” by White Barn Candle Company. Mykala plugged it in today, and I realized that 5 years ago, someone (Dan McKeown?) in the dorms at St. Thomas had an air freshener that had the exact same scent.
So, according to my limited memory from my neuroscience course (ha, irony!), olfactory (scent) memories are quite intense, due to the proximity of olfactory neurons to the emotionally-intense limbic system. Soo, this scent is dredging up these fond, weirdly conflicted college dorm transition memories while I am simultaneously feeling these newly wed making-a-house-a-home transition feelings.
Outside, her husband, Allahdita, was grieving but
philosophical. “It is God’s will,” he said, shrugging.
“There is nothing we can do.”
That’s incorrect. If men
had uteruses, “paternity wards” would get resources,
ambulances would transport pregnant men to hospitals free
of charge, deliveries would be free, and the Group of 8
industrialized nations would make paternal mortality a
top priority. One of the most lethal forms of sex
discrimination is this systematic inattention to
reproductive health care, from family planning to
childbirth — so long as those who die are impoverished,
voiceless women.
