Knit Addictions

The Maui Report: Part 1

Wow!  Maui was a gas!  I must apologize for not posting.  The first two nights we slept for something like 12 hours a night.  So I just wasn't going online much.   We stayed here for three nights in a luxurious Deluxe Ocean View Room: Sheraton Maui.  Then we moved to the Hyatt Maui in to a Partial Ocean View room for 3 nights.  (remember, this was all complimentary due to my day job.)

SNORKEL GEAR
Bam and I are BIG into snorkeling.  We'd both rather be in the water than in our room or getting a suntan.  We went with Snorkel Bob for our gear cuz they do nice deals and include a little pictorial fish guide along with snorkel maps for the island.  Plus, their gear is designed so when you are breathing through it, you are getting more of the good oxygen instead of the poisonous recycled air kind.  (i have no idea what i'm talking about and am just badly quoting from their info!!! )  Anyway, their prices are like half of the resort rental rates!

I will be uploading photos tomorrow........but for now........here's my breakdown of those hotels for any of you who might be interested.

SHERATON MAUI
The 130 acre resort sits on a fantastic snorkeling beach right at Black Rock.  We saw a family of Sea Turtles and tons of tropical fish.  The beach is nice and big and the surf is not overwhelming at all.  As far as staff, the Sheraton was tops for greeting us by name and just about everyone had a smile on their faces.  Amazing.

The Sheraton gave us an outstanding room in the Deluxe Ocean View category.  This is off to the side of the rest of the property.  Away from the pool and VERY VERY QUIET. 

However, the food prices at the Sheraton nearly gave us both a heart attack.  An omelette is $18.  Yes, $18.  I wanted to know if the eggs were golden?  So eating became a bit of sport.  We went to the nearest health food shop and bought fruit, granola and yogurt and had that everyday for breakfast.  The health food shop also had a hot bar so we ate there for lunch quite a bit, too. 

HYATT MAUI
Changing up to a 5 star from the 4 star Sheraton, we were excited and thought, okay, this will be even more amazing.  The disappointment started straight away... the queue for check-in was a 20 minute wait.  Not a good start.  We had a "Partial Ocean View" room.  At the Hyatt and most properties on Maui this means, if you stand on your lanai (balcony) you can see a bit of the ocean.  Indeed, in all honesty, we had a view of the parking lot.  But hey, this was a free trip so we're not complaining.  Nevertheless, it's worth noting.

The Hyatt's furniture was made of real wood and the room had gorgeous crown molding.  The only questionable aspect of the decor was why they used a textured cottage cheese ceiling when they went all the way on their furnishings?

But onto the beach..............

The beach at the Hyatt is .......er.......hmmmmm........kinda useless.  This is a resort for 'pool posers'.  It's also cool for kids who are in to the 150 foot water slide in the pool.  The hotel is built on 140 acres but manages to be on the south end of Ka'anapali where the surf is pretty intense and there are no reefs here for good snorkeling.  We ended up walking to Black Rock (Sheraton) and then pulling out our Snorkel Bob map and driving to Honolua Bay for snorkeling. 

Oh, the 'pool posers' are worth talking about in a bitchy sort of way.  These chicks go to a tanning salon at least twice a week, they wear high heels with their bikinis, and the amount of lip gloss was enough to make the whole pool slippery and greasy!!!!  Cah-razy!!  We're talkin' perfect nails, perfect hair and those super cosmetically enhanced shiny lips!  Wow!!!!  I guess some people's idea of a vacation is VERY different to mine.  Cuz ya never see those babes anywhere near the ocean.  Wow. 

Maui overall...........a bit corporate in that Ka'anapali area.  When we drove up to Honolua Bay it was like a different world with evergreens and very lush vegetation.  The town of Lahaina reminded me of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica complete with parking problems.  Just a cute albeit very busy tourist shoppers' haven on the waterfront.  We never made it to the east side of the island as it just involved too much driving and that didn't sound appealing to us.  But I know the east side and area of Haiku are much more artisty and less touristy.

MAHALO
The heart of the matter is that you forget about the tourists, the overpriced mediocre food, the long lines at LAX security, the parking problems in Maui........gone when you're swimming in that gigantic crystal clear aquarium with the moray eel, the sea turtles, the chubs, the jacks and all the rest of them.....
Yeah.  You just have to remember to come up for air!

Just Babblin......

Happy Friday the 13th!
Well, we're back in the smog.  Austin was a gas.  We hung out with our pals from Houston, Willie D, Dave, Rick and Corey.  Can't believe they drove out for one night of hang time!  But I guess that was their way of sayin' .........HEY.  This is Texas hospitality. 

Yes, indeed.  The folks we met were unbelievably nice and friendly. 

Have we decided to move?  Hmmm.....still not sure.  But at least I can picture the city now when we talk about it.  The music scene is awesome.  There is tons of great blues and punk which is what we're all about.   And there is no question that what you get for your money in terms of rent or real estate is unreal next to Los Angeles!

AIRPLANES/AIRPORTS
Now, let me ask you this?  I've been on airplanes a ton in the past year.  I'm not even gonna talk about the inconsistent new updated 'security' measures...or the complete lack of knee room let alone leg room on the planes.  No my complaint is much simpler....What I wanna know is this....how come with all the advances in technology, whenever they make announcements both in the airport and on the plane, it sounds like someone speaking in to a Marshall guitar amp with the distortion knob turned up and the treble knob cranked to make them as nasal as possible.  Can they just get it together to use a PA system that you can actually understand?????????!!!!!!!!!  ha ha!!!

Alright. 4 days to Maui.
Aloha.

The View From Austin, Texas!

Hangin' at Jo's cafe in South Austin.....yes, good cappuccino.....and a free wifi connection.  But my internet seems to come and go so this will be short n sweet.

THANK YOU to everyone who left all those comments.  You really know how to make a girl cry/feel good/get through the rough parts of life.........and just generally.........not feel alone.

My mom emailed me to let me know they changed her pain meds and some other pill and she has zero pain now and has energy and an appetite.  So that made me very happy. 

On to Austin...........it's been hot and humid and fun and crazy and we've gone up and down regarding our feelings of moving here.  From initially thinking no way Jose............to .......hmmmmmmm..........maybe?  ............to ......hmmm.....this is looking pretty interesting.  We've seen some houses now.......hung out with friends....went to the Alamo Drafthouse for an insanely unique and fun cinema experience.....and have a bit more of a vibe of the town.  It IS indeed super cool and laid back.  Agrees with the hippie side of me/us.  But relocating is no small decision.  So we're takin' it slow.  It deffo feels more possible now. 

Well......as I said.......gotta keep this short.........so more later.

The Mom News....

Well, it's been a heavy week.  My mom battled lung cancer 4 years ago and they removed part of her lung.  She had radiation treatments and everything was fine for quite a while.  But now, it's back.  The cancer has reappeared with a few tumors in her spine, one in her liver and one in her stomach.  The doctors have given her a 6 month - 14 month life expectancy.  She is in quite a bit of pain already and is starting radiation right away for the pain from the bone cancer.  The liver cancer is beginning to bother her now too.  So I guess they are going to try a 'targeted therapy' for that.

Sigh.

My dad didn't open his eyes at any of my visits.  He is sooooooooooo frail. 

So, I'm gonna keep this post short cuz I'm just trying to get through it all.......minute by minute. 

Saw Hitchhikers Guide.......loved it.
Going to Austin tomorrow.
Still rockin', knittin', livin'..........lovin'.

Tune Me......

Into the wild side of life........-Bernie Taupin for Elton Johns' "This Song Has No Title"

Yeah.  I'm alive!

First the parent news: My mom gets the results of her biopsy tomorrow.  So we will know what to expect in the coming months.  She had to take her first pain pill today.  She is one helluva tough lady.

All of your emails and comments have made such a huge difference.  Thank you!

My dad is pretty frail these days.  He sleeps through most of my visits now.  He rarely opens his eyes. He seems to hear some of what I say when I attempt to babble at him.......so hard to see him like this and in pain on top of it.  argh. 

LIFE STUFF
Bam and I are going to Austin on Saturday!!!  We're spending three nights there to 'check it out' and see if we can come to any sort of decision about the possibility of moving there.  I can't wait!!!!

BAND STUFF
We've got a band coming in to our studio the day we get back from Austin. 

AS IF THAT ISN'T BUSY ENUF...
Then......we leave for Maui on May 17 for a free 'all expenses paid' trip courtesy my excellent performance in the day job world. 

Whew!
I reckon we're gonna need that trip to Maui to relax a little with everything else that's going on.

KNIT STUFF
Doctor's offices are a great place to knit......no phone calls, no internet distractions......so I have completed a couple more projects for the book.  Hooray! 

I don't have a pic yet........but good pal, Catheryn made me the most stunning bag for my bday.  She used the Bubble icons and knitted it up all super cool and felted it.......Of course, she used some pink in there to make it so moi............I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When I get back, I'll take some snaps and put it up. It's nothing short of gorgeous!!!!!!