random good stuff

Good things are happening. Those positive affirmations are working nicely. : )

*I answered a random ad on Craigslist for a part-time position as a production assistant for a local film production company. I've never done anything with film before, but I figured 'what the hell,' it'll be a new experience. I start getting trained this upcoming thursday!

*I might soon get hooked up with a paid internship at the Honolulu Academy of Art as the sustainability coordinator. yay.

*I'm on the energy and events team at the university and we're doing all kinds of cool projects including wind turbines and solar on campus as well as the Sustainability Fest with (possibly) Jack Johnson!

*I've gotten to go sailing a bunch more, and met some cool people in the process. It's been amazing.

*Going to finish my SCUBA cert. this upcoming week, hopefully! It keeps getting pushed back.

*There's a natural building workshop coming up in March that I'm hoping to do, possibly for free or half-price. I'm negotiating a work-exchange for the course.

*I still work at the Kokua Market Co-op, but people keep getting let go all around me. I don't know if I'm next. Hopefully, it won't matter, cuz I'll have those other part-time jobs.

*Frisbee's great. Lots of pickup, good people, and prep for Kaimana coming up. Wooo Hooo!

*I might sing onstage next week at a bar in Waikiki called Tikis. I know a guy.

*I'm moving this weekend into the new place with Maggie. Saying goodbye to the 3-month work exchange. Goodbye over-indulged teenager and moody adults, hello autonomy, seahorses, a nice view, and paying rent (yuck). Maybe, at least, I helped someone get into college and pay for it. We'll see.

transition

It's been a pretty eventful week. I've been putting off telling the family that I was moving out for awhile. Call it cowardice. Call it a fear of confrontation. Call it whatever, I just wasn't doing it, despite wanting to give them plenty of notice. But, they helped me out this past Wednesday. First, random, but I got offered the position as one of two waste auditors for the Coast Guard here in Hawaii (like I've mentioned previously). As it was described to me, I would be responsible for doing a comprehensive waste audit assessment for a few of their ships and buildings. Then, I would help produce a five-year plan to significantly reduce their waste stream, including researching the economic viability of on-site composters, trash compacters, and major recycling initiatives. I probably don't have to mention that this would be an incredible experience, as well as a major jolt to my sustainability cred and resume. Call me crazy, but while I was having this described to me, a feeling of certainty came over me that I wasn't right for this position and that I should definitely not take it. So, I turned it down, and said that I thought someone else would make a better candidate. The University coordinator said that was fine and we would keep looking for other opportunities that better suited me (since I had told her that my strongest interests were in energy generation/conservation and green building). Perhaps it was fear of failure or tackling something completely foreign to me, but I still feel like I did the right thing. I can't explain exactly why, but it's done. So, I'm hoping another great opportunity comes along that feels right.

Ok, so after that, it was Wednesday. The day before ALL of Ariel's college applications and supplements were due, save one. I've been on her for a month to do these before the last minute, but she just wouldn't. So, come Wednesday, she was feverishly writing as I feverishly edited what she sent me. Then, I get a gchat asking me if I would come in to the house so her and her mom could talk to me about something. I was thinking, "oh, shit," they're gonna beat me too it!. They're gonna give me the boot." So, I go in and they want to talk to me about something that Tony was pissed about. For some reason he was under the impression that I had employed the carpenter doing work here to do some of my work for me. Which, was a simple matter to clear up, cuz I didn't. Then Debra says well, maybe I should give you a clearer list of tasks anyway. To which I responded, maybe know is a good time to bring this up. I told them that I was moving out, to which they were fine with. She mentioned that the timing would work out well, because they had someone interested in renting my space in March. So, looks like they would have asked me to leave soon anyway. After that, I ended up working with Ariel til 6:30 A.M. in the morning to get all of her applications and essays in. I was wiped for the next couple of days. But, except for one last app. they're all in. Now it's just more scholarships til I leave, and after that I told them I would still offer my assistance over email for editing and questions and what not. So! At least that chunk of it's done. I just hope she's learned any kind of lesson, and won't pull the waiting til the last minute thing again. We'll see.

SO! First week of February I'll be moving in with Maggie at the top of a pretty hill with a nice view, a small room, and an aquarium of sea horses. : ) I'll just keep working at the health food store for money and see if another sustainability opportunity comes along. If not, I'll just keep volunteering, working, and playing frisbee. Not a bad life.

Oh! and some random cool stuff I've gotten to do. I started my SCUBA certification and just need to do my final dive to be finished, and I got to go sailing in a regatta at the Waikiki yacht Club. I didn't do much but be the "rail meat" to balance the boat and hold the boom to keep the mainsail out. Regardless, it was an amazing race, sunset, and new experience. I hope to get to do it again soon. They race every Friday, so I think I definitely will get the chance.

holy monkeys

holy monkeys, I have been lax about keeping this thing up to date. Sooo, unfortunately, the sustainability volunteering stuff has hit a slowdown because it was all through the university and they're on break right now. BUT! a couple cool things I did learn are: there's a good possibility that I will be working part-time for the coast guard for a few months starting in mid-January, because they want a waste audit done on their ships. So, that could interesting. Also! Jack Johnson usually does a big green festival called Kokua Fest, but this year they're handing it over to the program I work with and I am on the planning committee! It's going to be awesome. We're planning a huge event with an "eco-village" of sorts for the whole day and at the end Everclear will play (they're bringing a solar stage!) and then Jack. Jack and I will probably become best friends. We'll see. :P

I've still been working at the health food store. That's going pretty well, lots of food perks. I'm thinking about giving my notice for this college/scholarship/landscaping work exchange I've been doing. It's just not working out, and I'd really like to be closer to town. I'm going to move in with a friend that I met camping on Kaua'i. Her name's Maggie, she's a teacher and she has pet sea horses! : )

I hope everyone's holidays were great. Not many of the people I know here were in town for Christmas, so I ended up hanging out with my host-family/rents. It was nice, they invited me to open presents with them in the morning. My family hasn't done that in a long time, and it felt good. A very warming atmosphere. New Year's Eve was pretty fun. I went out with a guy who I met at a 70's funk-themed prostate cancer fundraiser party and his girlfriend. On our way to Waikiki, he announced that his buddy who captains his parents boat wanted to take it out to see the fireworks, so we changed plans. We picked up two other guys, who ended up being a helicopter flight instructor on Kauai and a Scottish guy that had a London accent. Then we went to the Waikiki Yact Club and met up with the boat captain and two very drunk young women, one in stripper heels. hmmm. After another group joined us, we boarded the boat and spent an amazing time at sea watching the fireworks up close. We just circled the barge where they launched the fireworks from. It was wonderful! I wish I had pictures.

Frisbee league ended, and pickup has been dwindling BUT the great news is that Kaimana is coming up and so many wonderful people from GA are coming. It's such a great tournament, I can't wait to see everyone!

So, that's my life right now. I'm actually really happy. I still plan on coming back to Atlanta in late Mayish to re-access and plan the next move.

I love and miss you guys! Call and write, I wanna hear how everyone else's lives are going!

Jennifer

Below are some pics of my current host-"family" and some hikes I've been on here.