Sweet sweet Fiji. If only we could always be on island time….

Slow though my progress is, every so often I find a secret of life that really does work wonders. All throughout my short lived business career, I always wanted two contrary things. One, to start a wonderful startup, change the world, and eventually make bank, and two, to have a little Kristen time. They really don’t go together, and one boss even told me “You should never work for a startup”. Well, I did, and he was right. Thanks Darren.

Well, silly me, I decided that medicine would be much more fulfilling on a daily and permanent basis, which is where this story really begins. I went from one time crunch to another. This week however, I learned my lesson. It is ok to have less time to yourself to achieve other things, as long as you make sure that the precious time that you do have is proportional to the square of your forgone time. I don’t know if the math is right, but cramming way more fun into a smaller amount of time is equally if not more satisfying.

So next time you are feeling pressed for me-time, get out there! Run like a demon in the mountains (perhaps a demon with a broken leg), have a glass of wine, watch a little OC, or whatever it is that helps you keep loving life!

I met him on Saturday.  With his dark tan, belly full of joy, laid back attitude, and penchant for sneaking into hot tubs, I was instantly drawn to his character and we became fast friends.

Tom is a middle aged surf board renter on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.  The most touristy of all beaches, the rent he pays for the small area to keep his plethora of boards in a mere $25,ooo a month!  Not only did he give me a smashing board at a nice rate, he became one of my three buddies for the day, including two models from Hong Kong, Chris and Rosemary.

In The Sorcerer’s Stone, when Harry finds the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore sagely tells him that the happiest man in the world would look into the mirror and see only his own reflection.  It is official, Tom is that man.  He loves his life so much!  His early morning surfs, encounters with pretty ladies, breathtaking scenery, and making a living out of hanging out at the beach all day makes him unwilling to leave the island, ever, even for love.  It was so refreshing meeting someone totally satisfied with their life.  I hope to take a leaf out of his book and be completely satisfied with myself and my life, whichever point it may be at.

I have had some strange dreams lately. All sorts of media plays in my head, specifically movies and news reports. Upon further investigation, I dream movies and news stories in great deal (well produced and directed ones at that) that only exist in my brain. So a few nights ago, it was a Matt Damon thriller in the time of Ichabod Crane, and last night it was a news story about the best runner in the world who dropped dead.

I can’t remember his name, but he was definitely a slender individual that was only made of muscle, and he held many world records for distance running. He was trying to compete in an IronMan of sorts, but a self induced one. Two and a half days of running, straight through, was his goal. He had been rolling along through different countries and as he was running along the edge of a field in Greece, two days and a few hours into his plight, he slowly dropped to his knees, toppled sideways and died. The best runner in the world. His death was peaceful in the tall grasses, but the world was shocked. How could the best runner in the world drop dead while running?

I immediately wanted to read more about this tragedy in real life, at four am, and possibly conduct cardiac research upon him with all of my expertise. Then this morning I realized that it didn’t really happen. Oh well.

Aloha! I have just returned from a nice trip to my glorious dreamland island chain, and I thought that I should post some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Sunrise Day One, Ocean

Kilauea Iki Crater, Hawaii

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

Ke’e Beach, Kauai

Sunshine, ?

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Hokipa Beach, Maui

Paia Bay, My Mom, Maui

Me at Hokipa, Pants-free

Ah. The start of a new year. As a compulsive list maker, I relish the chance for a fresh start and a new set of goals. Maybe even too much. So, after debating all day, I have finally come up with my list. A lot of it came about as a result of my run today- it was 20 degrees (and felt like 8 according to the weather) and Ryan and I took a little trip out to the Mallory Cave. It became painfully apparent that I have a lot to make up for since my lungs started seizing immediately, mucous production quadrupled, and I didn’t appear to be moving much at all for the given level of perceived effort. Anyway, with the help of my YakTrax, it was glorious all the same. I am off topic though. Here are the resolutions, I tried to make them goal oriented and SMART because that is how they should be:

Health and Wellness:

1. Stretch every day- goal: be able to do splits again by end of year

2. Take 30 min each day for self

3. Drink enough water each day- 8 glasses worth

Onward and Upward:

1. Rock school- 4.0 all three sessions

2. Complete 500 hours health related experiences and community service

3. Make $5000 for my IRA contribution

Because life is fun:

1. Don’t take things personally (enforce 2 minute minimum on dwelling upon any given situation before moving on)

2. Go visit a friend in a far away place

3. Try more things that I wouldn’t normally do