My dad recently complained that I hadn't blogged lately, and the truth is that I was enjoying a really cool labor day weekend. On Saturday, Leslee and I played tourist and went to the Art Academy for lunch, the Waikiki Aquarium, the Kahala Resort, and the funky neighborhood of Kaimuki for dinner and a tarot reading (yup).

At the Art Academy we had a decent gourmet meal, which was served way to fast. Literally 2 minutes after ordering, our meals arrived, yet it was quite busy. I wouldn't think I would complain about service being too quick, but when you are sitting down to eat in an environment meant to be enjoyed, service that fast just seems rushed. There was a beautiful post modern fountain babbling near the outdoor eating area and that was quite peaceful.

The highlight of the meal for me was a superbly presented dish of vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream was great, but I ended up spending five minutes taking photographs. The color of the chilled ceramic dish complemented the ice cream perfectly.

Afterwards, we skipped the exhibitions ($10) to tour the grounds ($0). Leslee fielded a call from her best friend Amy (who was recently in a car crash and was already scheduled for surgery for a really bad sinus infection). While Leslee was on the phone, I was practicing portraiture on her. I took many photos on the grounds, but lamented not taking my macro.

We ditched the Art Academy for the Waikiki Aquarium, and actually found a parking spot right near the door (there are like eight parking spots at the Aquarium - most people have to scrounge for street parking, which is nigh impossible in Waikiki). The Waikiki Aquarium is considerably smaller than the Sydney Aquarium, which is my only place of comparison. There were some cool displays, including jellyfish tanks, seadragons, cuttlefish (Leslee made friends with a cuttle that was interacting with us through the glass - really smart creatures), and a huge take full of very large, people sized fish. The latter was my highlight, since I scored a fantastically composed photo of Leslee in silhouette against the tank (I think it might just be the best photo I've yet taken).

After the Aquarium, Leslee drove down Diamond Head Road so we could ogle the houses in the most expensive neighborhood on Oahu - the beachfront community of Kahala. The road ends at the Kahala Resort, the only five star hotel on Oahu. We stopped and had our car valet parked (we tried to act like we were wealthy, but that's hard to do when you are stepping out of a Ford in hiking sandals and pigtails).

Leslee took me past the lobby and through two colliding wedding parties, and out into the grounds where there were several lagoons, filled with dolphins! I had never seen a dolphin in person, so this was a really cool surprise. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can go on at length about dolphins and their bigger-than-us brains. Apparently, this is one of two places on the island were you can have a "dolphin experience" and actually swim, interact, and touch them. In the open ocean it is illegal to do that.

We stayed at watched for a bit (didn't get any good photos of them), but it got a bit thick with wedding-goers so we went inside and Leslee showed me a really cool staircase lined with living orchids! One of the orchids is called a Sherry Baby, and smells exactly like chocolate (which made me seriously reconsider my aversion to gardening).

After an impromptu photoshoot on the staircase (getting a great portrait of Leslee which she calls "The Rich Bitch" shot), we went to the outdoor bar and ordered drinks and an appetizer and listened and watched the surf as evening approached. I had a mai tai for the first time, which was not at all what I was led to believe it was from the movie "Blue Hawaii". It was more alcohol than fruit juice and was really quite gross. Apparently the Kahala is the place to go if you want to get blasted in an elegant setting.

As we sat there, we watched one of the wedding parties tromp through the sandy grass to get photos taken. We both were appalled that the wedding photographer was dressed in tee-shirt and shorts - totally unprofessional. A wedding shoot for a party that formal requires a suit or at least something black and artsy. Worse though, the bride looked about to burst into tears - this further strengthened my opinion that marriage ought to be avoided at all costs by women.

When our drinks were depleted, we contemplated jotting a room number on the bill, but paid and went out to the beach. A ways down there was a hammock strung between two palm trees and it turned out that Leslee had never sat in a hammock before. I told her she should try it but she was nervous so I got in to show her how to do it without flipping out of it, blissed out for a few moments, then as I got out for her to take her turn, a couple of rude little wealthy brats ran up and snuck into it instead. Leslee was miffed, and we continued our walk/chat. On the way back, Leslee did get to lay in the hammock and was able to experience that simple joy.

Leaving Kahala back for town, we decided to go to Kaimuki, a neighborhood that was originally settled by Japanese immigrants but is now quite Haole. I began to realize I'm getting quite familiar with the layout of Honolulu because I was able to tell her where a hidden public parking lot was. This was the same place that I came one weekend to find a camera shop that sells 120 film (Kaimuki Camera). Across the street from the camera shop is a funky little coffee shop that makes a really great tart lemonade.

We went to dinner at the 12th St Grill, which from the outside looks like a hole in the wall, but on the inside it is completely posh and New Yorky (but actually kinda reasonable). The menu was really cool in that they offered small plate dishes and large plate dishes. This is wonderfully intelligent, as you can get a yummy entree that won't completely stuff you to the gills. The small and large plates were different, so there was a lot of choice. We both had a small plate of handmade cheese and sauteed mushroom ravioli. It was so incredible! I love mushrooms, and these weren't the standard button mushrooms, but the funky-shaped fungi (haven't a clue which species, but sliced and butter-seared to perfection).

After dinner we walked across the street to a metaphysics shop Leslee's been wanting to show me. We opened the door and were greeted by a strong waft of incense. There were lots of interesting things, but this is much more Leslee's milieu than mine. The owner was there, who happens to do tarot readings. I'm up for anything new, so I decided to get a reading.

The owner, this slightly squirrelly old dude who was reading science fiction when we got there, led me back to the plush reading room. He was very nonchalant, almost bored. He brought out his tarot deck which he had designed himself using 20th century imagery. My familiarity with the tarot deck is middling so I can't tell you which cards I drew (what I know of the archetypes is fascinating just from a psychological point of view - my favorite being the Magician (which I drew from Leslee's new deck after I joked I would draw it - and it was the very first card ever drawn from that deck so Leslee took it as a good omen)). The reader made me draw 22 random cards, placed in a pile face down. After the cards were chosen, he turned the pile over and began to lay them out in a modified celtic cross formation (that's what Leslee said it was anyway).

Supposedly, the first card drawn represents my view of my own personality. I drew the queen of swords (I remember a few of the cards). He said that this card means that I see myself as a decision maker constantly analyzing and critiquing (the swords suit represents the mind and thinking). I'd say that's pretty true, but I might have agreed with any number of cards.

The second card I drew had something to do with strife (it had a bleeding WWI doughboy on it). In that order, this meant that others see me as a troublemaker - too critical, too opinionated. That's definitely something I've struggled with! I don't remember the next few cards, but they all had to do with my personality traits. After this first set, the reader asked me if I was a writer! I said "Um, yes.." and then he told me I would finish a work within the next 4-6 months, that I would find my voice as a writer (which is kinda already happening since I started reading Bukowski), and that people would finally recognize my maturity (a great concern considering everyone I meet here asks me if I am going to school). Hmmm. Then he placed the five of pentacles (I think the pentacles suit is associated with creativity) down by itself and told me to get my butt in gear and start writing in earnest. Double hmmm. After that he laid out a column of cards that supposedly represented my expectations for the future, and he told me that the theme of my life is oppression, and freeing people from it. Only those closest to me know how true that is! Wow, my life has a theme...cool.

He laid out some more cards. I don't remember much about those, but one in particular stood out because it represented unconditional love. He asked me if I was in a relationship, to which I said "No...", he went "Hrmm" then "you will be in one soon with either someone you already know or someone that when you meet will feel as if you have known them a long time." Yeah right, though that did get me thinking about getting a dog - that's the only true unconditional love there is in my opinion. Haven't a clue what the next card was, but apparently it modified the previous one, and he said that the relationship would be "mentor-student" which I thought was kind of icky, though that could fit a lot of situations (including dogs - the best mentor I ever had was a dog - Sookie, my third parent).

There were some more cards, then he laid out another by itself in the formation with great exasperation. It was the death card. He remarked that "everyone" was drawing that card in that spot lately, and he exclaimed rather boldly "the economy is going to crash." Hrmm, yeah (Leslee drew the same card in the same spot in her reading later).

The next part of the formation represented the fulfillment of my expectations (matching the previous column). Apparently I am not going to be able to relieve the world of oppression - didn't think there was much chance of that - so guess that prediction is true! However, he said I will find public accolade and be able to report on oppression, which is certainly feasible and definitely a goal of mine. The last card I drew was the lovers card. To this he said that I would get married within the year to the unconditional love/mentor guy. That was truly hilarious!

One thing I have been thinking about lately, and the tarot reading brought up again, is how metaphysics is really interested in qualities of things (the what), while many religions are concerned about morals (good behavior/bad behavior), and science is concerned primarily with the how and why of things. Science and religion are often portrayed at loggerheads, but I wonder if the dichotomy could be softened if consideration of metaphysics is thrown in the mix. Hardcore scientists will bristle at the thought of that, but from a philosophical perspective I think it could add a bit of objectivity - thinking of the could-be's instead of just "this is this and only this and everything else is wrong".

Oh, this is completely tangential, but I think it is awesome that a Wiccan finally won the lottery and attributed the win to the several deities he prayed to - you always hear that it is a Christian (how "Christian" is it to gamble?) thanking God. So ironic!

All in all, it was an interesting, well-needed, very different day :-)