Today was not a great day because I lost my keys in a snow bank. On the coldest day of this season. 0°F (before windchill), and I’m on my hands and knees outside the Rec Center, with my red bike tail-light to light up the dark, snowy ground, trying to figure out what the heck just happened.
On our honeymoon, I trapped a moment in my mind when I was standing behind Mykala with my arms around her waist, on the beach in Hawaii, at sunset. And I said to myself then, “Never ever forget this moment; carry it with you as long as you live.” It’s nice to visit at times like this. Times when I just spelled “systemic” like this: “cystemic.” A little weary, but holding up still.
When I look back at what I wrote when I got into dental school, I now realize, quite plainly, I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into. No. Idea. Reminds me of some of the letters from Confederate soldiers when they were going off to war — they had this romantic idea of what war would be like… and they were (1) completely mistaken and (2) grossly unprepared.
And THAT was the best nap with my new wife Mykala ever. Best. Couch nap. Ever. George slept on my left leg, for added warmth and general cozy-ness.
While an awesomely amazing nap, I do think we might brew a pot of coffee to prevent such a thing next Sunday. Gotta make the most of our weekends together.
Mykala learned that you can produce an ice cream substitute using just a banana and a blender. The frozen delicacy apparently feels quite similar to ice cream in one’s mouth. She puréed an entire banana down to a surprisingly small amount of brown sludge… probably 2 tablespoons. So, Mykala’s first attempt went like so:
I’m a lucky, lucky, lucky man. Dinner: homemade potato salad featuring farmer’s market fresh potatoes, stoneground organic mustard, organic sour cream, and Mykala’s special blend of herbs/spices. Fresh organic eggs in a tasty Rudi’s sandwich. All prepared by my lovely wife.
This is a picture of Mykala and myself on Front Street in Old Lahaina Town, Maui. (If you want to get technical, we were standing right in the middle of this map). It was our last night in Hawaii; the last night of our honeymoon. We watched the sun set together, and this was one of the last pictures my camera took before the battery died. The honeymoon was perfect.
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.
Mykala: “Maui onion rings with banana ketchup!”
Alex: “Sounds delicious!”
Mykala: “Sounds like a toot storm.”
We rented a car for a few days — here we are on Highway 30, on our way to Paia.
More fun on the otherworldly-nice beach in front of Mama’s Fish House.
Our first morning — things to do in Maui!
During dinner, a hula dancer and guitar player provided some delightful dinner entertainment. Quiet, soft, beautiful — a wonderful end to an amazing day.
Mykala’s Mai Tai umbrella was a bit too small to shield us from the dinnertime showers coming off the mountains.
I love my wife Mykala because she points out wonderful articles in the NYTimes for me. Independence Days - Al Franken and the Odd Politics of Minnesota:
“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.
It’s raining outside (without thunder) and Mykala is gone on a long Iowa dance working trip, followed closely by a camping trip. When she’s back, we’ll be close close to our wedding wedding. In the meantime, I just wish she was here… we’ve been enjoying the too-short minutes we’ve had together lately, and this is quite the unwelcome interruption. I’ll go on and finish the last of my summer classes, and she’ll take care of work things.
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