Start All Over Again

Aloha. I am now Hawaiʻi. I have been here for two days and am still forming initial impressions. It's all pretty good so far, though. Ōʻahu is beautiful. Honolulu is kind of crazy. Itʻs all very hard to put into words, and different neighborhoods vary kind of extremely.

Mānoa, where the UH campus is located, is an idyllic valley, lots of nice homes, waterfalls, winding roads. Palolo is another valley, also attractive, rather more quaint, reminding me vaguely somehow of Jessup, PA, where my momʻs family is from. Mākiki is a hilly neighborhood full of family homes (and once home to the Obama family) and a large cemetery. McCully/Moʻiliʻili is an urban neighborhood near UH, roughly analogous to the U-District back home; a little rough, lots of cool shops (including an awesome natural market where I will be getting many lunches I think). And then thereʻs Kaimukī.

I think Iʻm in love with Kaimukī. It has two comic shops, lots of food, a very nice coffee shop (from which I am writing this very entry), a (somewhat barren but thatʻs okay) music shop, and lots more. It has all the charming quality of an old downtown like in Ballard, or downtown or Fairhaven in Bellingham, or even the more likable aspects of old downtown Edmonds. If I can get a place to stay around here, I will be a very happy camper.

Other positives Iʻve encountered so far: lots of tiny geckos and mongooses running around; friendly stray cats on campus; quality bus system (likely more on this later); good people; surfer dudes; plate lunch.

So, put simply, Hawaiʻi status: developing.

Metal Is Here!

Well what do you know, I done made some METAL!

It was a hell of a process but Andrew and I finally finished this thing. Just in time too, really; I definitely wanted to have copies available to give away to people before leaving, and if you've seen me lately you have probably gotten a copy.

I have minor regrets about some things, and have thought a bit about "oh man, I should have done x or y instead of z," but really I'm extraordinarily happy with the whole thing. I really like the songs, and they came out super well. Everyone's contributions were really fantastic, especially Andrew. A good producer is a very important thing to have.

Anyway, everyone give it a good listen and tell me how great I am. Now I have to freak out about moving three days from now.

Last Week in Seatown

So this is going to be an interesting week. Seven days from right now I will be on a plane to Honolulu. In the meantime I have to get rid a lot of things, say goodbye to a lot of people, and clean a lot of crap out of my car (and when I say a lot of crap, I mean a fuckshit ton of crap). I'll also be getting some copies of my finally completed solo album tomorrow. Let's discuss these several things!

Things to Lose
I will be getting rid of a fair portion of my movies, books, and clothes, as well as a bass speaker cab, bike, and acoustic guitar. If any of my couple of readers want some of these, let me know! A lot of this is likely to end up at Goodwill.

I feel somewhat liberated by the extent to which I am having to get rid of things. I have accumulated so very much crap over the years, I'm sort of hoping I don't just start accumulating at my old rate once I've started over. I'm also sort of stressed about the amount of things I'll need to get once I move (furniture, bed, etc.). Having absolutely nothing but clothes, a bass, a guitar, and a couple books will be strange. Plus you can't really sleep on those things.

People to Leave
I've already said my goodbyes to a few people, but there's quite a few more still. People whom I've known for years and are extremely important to me, people whom I've only gotten close to recently, people who I can't wait to not have to deal with, and casual acquaintances all. I am going, they are staying (or sometimes going in the opposite direction). I will keep in touch, but as I have no real intention of moving back here as of now, this is decidedly goodbye.

I really have the best wishes for all my friends and family here. I think you guys are all pretty much on the right track. Keep up the good work. And I love you and stuff.

This is the shitty part.

A Nightmare to Face

Okay, I lied. Cleaning my car is going to be the shitty part. Fuck.

The Sound of Mike

My album is finished! It's mastered! A bunch of copies are arriving tomorrow by UPS! Oh man oh man oh man. I've poured so much time and work and blood sweat and beer into this album. I am really happy with it. I hope people like it.

I'll be putting the music up on here too within the next week. I want people to hear the album. It's gonna be great.




I hope this week goes well. I hope I don't just break down some time before Monday and have to spend the rest of my life crying in my room. This probably won't happen. I hope it doesn't.