Obey Zolac!

The aftershocks of the earthquake are still shaking Japan at magnitudes of up to 6.3. The Japanese government estimates at least 1000 casualties; 500 people are still unaccounted for. California towns are still experiencing surges; docks have been destroyed, boats are sinking or floating loose and floating out to sea or running into things, causing more damage. In northern Mexico they are experiencing high waves, but no damage thus far.

( Videos of tsunami damage in Japan and Hawaii. )

( Photos of the flooding and damage in Kailua-Kona, where the worst of the Big Island's damage occurred, taken by the friend of a friend of my sister-in-law. )

Magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan, bad tsunami waves there. It's 5 a.m. in Portland, and the waves are supposed to hit Hawaii in one hour? Two hours? I'm getting mixed reports. I can't find any predictions of wave height. Evacuation is well underway and my family is not coastal, but I'm nervous obviously. Wave will hit West Coast later.

Wish I knew more.

EDIT: Biggest earthquake in Japan in recorded history. Death toll 60, 56 missing, numbers still rising. Oh god you guys.

EDIT: Guam reported no waves an hour after expected. Still within possible window, but... maybe it will be okay? ...Japan is not okay.

EDIT: There's some kind of problem with a nuclear reactor in Japan that was damaged in the quake? ...Fuck, I have to get ready for work, but.... DDDDD:

EDIT: Oh good, Dar woke up and says she can take me to work. Looks like no big waves in Marianas, 2.5 feet in Saipan, 1.5 feet Wake Island, 8.2 feet Midway, biggest waves in Hawaii could be more than 6 feet; biggest waves expected in Haleiwa and Hilo. Of course. Thank you Hilo Bay and your damn tsunami magnifier. First waves have hit Kaua'i and O'ahu, not too bad yet, 1.5 feet at Nawiliwili Harbor and rising, surge apparent from Diamond Head cameras. First waves are not always the worst, so we'll see. ...Some people were refusing to evacuate, wtf.

EDIT: Death toll in Japan now 200-300. Jesus fuck.

EDIT: First wave in Hawaii 3 feet. Not bad. So far. Could get bigger.

EDIT: Listening to NPR at work. 6 foot waves reported in Hawaii. Waves up to 5 feet in Aleutians, no reported damage. Over 300 dead in Japan, people still missing.

EDIT: Surges of more than 7 feet in Kahului Harbor, yikes. The gauge at Nawiliwili Harbor showed a 2.1 foot surge; Haleiwa recorded a 3.6 foot surge; and Hanalei recorded 2.8 feet. The weather service says a gauge at Hilo Harbor showed a 2-foot surge. Kawaihae saw a 2.8 foot increase. No damage reports have been received yet, but damage is expected in Kahului, obviously. The all clear will not be given until dawn.

EDIT: Over 400 dead in Japan, hundreds injured or missing. The wave was 23 feet high and surged several miles inland. Fires are still burning out of control in Kessennuma and other towns. Seems like they might have that nuclear power plant situation under control... the plant in question lost some cooling water and remained hot when the others shut down automatically; they've evacuated 1000 people from the immediate vicinity, but so far there have been no radiation leaks. Senator Inouye's wife was in Tokyo, she's fine. Tokyo's pretty much fine, although there are some fires and some people were injured in structural collapses. Oregon coast is seeing surges up to the high tide mark; there's still time for bigger waves.

EDIT: The streets of Tokyo are packed with people stranded in the city and trying to walk home as all of the trains had shut down. Some trains are starting up again.

WALP, my brother got married yesterday. SURPRISE! :DD

...As usual, I'm much too busy getting up to things to go into detail about what I've been up to. I'll get on that sometime. I promise. When I'm taking a break from nonstop partying.

Happy New Year, guys!

*O Lorin Gill, we will cherish our special love for you

Kink's Obit:

~ ~ ~

About 38 years ago, Lorin Tarr Gill took Samuel Gon to the barren summit of Mauna Loa, opening the teenager's eyes to the unique environment of Hawaii.

"He refused to teach me the plants on the way up the mountain because it would be too confusing, so we hiked all the way up to the top," said Gon, senior scientist and cultural adviser for the Nature Conservancy. "He taught me the plants, one by one, as they made their appearance as you're coming down the mountain.

"He was the one who awakened me to a real appreciation of the native plants and animals and ecosystems in Hawaii and the need to conserve them that led me to a career in conservation," said Gon, 54.

Gill, a naturalist, founder of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club in the 1960s and considered by many as the father of environmental education in Hawaii, died of cancer Friday at his home in Pohai Nani in Kaneohe. He was 82.

As director of environmental education at the Moanalua Gardens Foundation in the '80s and '90s, Gill helped create the curricula and outreach programs to teach geology, natural history and botany to schoolchildren.

As a social worker and director of the Palama Settlement in the 1950s and 1960s, Gill introduced thousands of youngsters to camping and hiking.

Although he had no children of his own, Gill nurtured many Hawaii youth who showed an interested in the environment, some of whom, like Gon, went into the environmental field.

Gill began the local Sierra Club's High School Hikers Program and the Hawaii Service Trip Program, which was initially for college students.

"It was his belief the way you protected the environment was to educate the young and what was in their own back yard, so when they were old enough to understand it, they would protect it," said Ken Kupchak, longtime friend and early Sierra Club leader. "A lot of kids went into protecting the environment."

Gill was also like a second father to brother Tom Gill's six children.

Gary Gill, son of former Lt. Gov. Tom Gill, said, "When my dad was in the heat of politics, my uncle often would take us on trips to the neighbor islands," trekking the Na Pali Coast, Mauna Loa and Haleakala. Their appreciation for native plants and animals and the natural and cultural history of the islands was shaped by their uncle, he said.

Gary Gill attributes his uncle's interest in cultural uses of native plants and Hawaiian history, in part, to Lorin Gill's mother, also named Lorin Tarr Gill, a writer for the Bishop Museum (as well as the Star-Bulletin) whose museum books and periodicals were at his disposal.

Annette Kaohelaulii, 71, a former Sierra Club outings leader, said, "Lorin was an inspiration to me. I think that was Lorin's greatest gift: He could share what he knew. I think he was an inspiration to a lot of people."

His teaching ability was enhanced by his photographic memory, she said.

Rick Barboza, co-owner of Hui Ku Maoli Ola Native Plant Specialists and founder and director of Papahana Kuaola, a nonprofit dedicated to natural history and cultural education of which Gill was a board member, was amazed at his ability to retain knowledge, even of the obscure locations of plants in the wild.

Barboza said Gill was in his 70s when he accompanied Gill to his favorite hiking spot, Wailau Valley, Molokai.

Gill's commitment to protect native plants also led to the conveyance of 4,000 acres of conservation land in the Honouliuli Preserve to the state, Gary Gill said.

Born in Honolulu, Lorin Gill graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1946 and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from the University of Hawaii.

He is survived by hanai son Harry Lee Kwai and the family of late hanai son Pat Murata.

Memorial services and a celebration of his life will be held 5 p.m. Nov. 20 at Palama Settlement.

Contributions may be made in Gill's name to the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, P.O. Box 2577, Honolulu, HI 96803.

~ ~ ~

Source at the Honolulu Star Advertiser has some lovely comments. I got teary-eyed at one of the Palama Boys' wish to Kink for "Fair winds on a following sea", for some reason.

Also, Sierra Club Hawaii has a nice memorial and tribute page. People have written some lovely oli and mele for him.

I need to start making travel arrangements for November.

...In other news, yesterday's big cooking project was grilled tilapia with blackened cajun seasoning and garlic aioli, purple mashed potatoes, steamed kale with lemon juice, and sweet vermouth with mango juice.

Thanks, btw, to magusronin for bringing this to my attention.

...So last week during a brushfire in Pohakuloa on my very own Big Island of Hawaii, state workers recorded footage of A TORNADO OF FIRE.

HOW TERRIFYING COOL IS THAT?!

Oddly enough, a similar fire tornado was also caught on tape in Brazil, also last week. SIGNS OF THE APOCALYPSE, Y/Y?

So, today was good fun. Again. And, another stunning day, despite the vog. I met up with Fluffy and family in downtown Hilo, then took them to Rainbow Falls. The falls were pathetic, man, I've never seen it so tiny. And Boiling Pots was more Pots than Boiling. But I told the appropriate myths and legends, and we saw three i‘o soaring over the Wailuku River, and Fluffy and I climbed the massive banyan tree back under the mangoes.

Mom played hooky from work and joined us for a Thai food lunch at Chiang Mai, next to Kalakaua Park. Then we stopped by Kope Kope to pick up some sandwiches for dinner, and so Carol could get some local coffee (ProTip: the owner of Kope Kope Espresso, coffee expert and longtime Kona resident before moving to Hilo, says that, despite the celebrity status of the Kona coffee brand name, people who try Hilo or Ka‘u coffee never go back to the Kona). Then we all piled into their rental Suburban and headed up the hill to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Mike and Emily hit the Visitor's Center and Steaming Bluffs while the rest of us did the Kilauea Iki hike. Much natural history was lectured upon, much steam was vented upon us, and much ‘ohelo berry was consumed. We saw a bunch of ‘apapane as per usual, but nothing truly exciting in the wildlife department otherwise, although Fluffy did find a Kalij pheasant in some ginger. There were some pretty dramatic views from the edge of Kilauea Iki of the Halema‘uma‘u steam plume joining up with the lowering clouds in the late-afternoon light. We joined up with Mike and Emily for Nahuku/Thurston Lava Tube and a quick trip to Jagger Museum to see Kilauea Caldera and Halema‘uma‘u in the last of the failing light. Truly, truly dramatic looking, all billowing steam and lowering clouds.

We headed back down the hill and drove out to Kalapana to view the lava ocean-entry. ...I have seen better shows (oh gods, I sound so blasé about the lava). The lava was a quarter, half-mile off beyond the County's safety ropes (unapproachable due to the potential collapsibility of the lava bench); it glowed, and billowed, and did its quiet, meditative, land-building thing in the distance. I'm glad we brought the binocs. At least with the spotlight full moon we didn't even need flashlights on the black rocks. Seriously, the thing was so freaking bright. I had color vision.

So anyway. That was fun. I had a big happy grin on my face the whole day. Oh man, I love love love love love my island.

Happy Old Year, guys. Here, have a meme. Or something. Stolen from sirona_gs.

( What seme or uke are you? )

Hey, so check it out, I've got a few minutes of internet time, sweet.

Made it to Honolulu okay. Alex actually ended up on the same flight as me; he volunteered to change his flight in Minneapolis-St. Paul for a voucher and a first-class upgrade. So I hung with him briefly in the airport, before he got back to his comfy reclining seat, free gourmet meals, and mai tais, and I went to the back of the plane with the other peons. The in-flight movies were 17 Again (so yay, I've finally seen the first half of that movie) and Duplicity, so that was okay. We had a bit of turbulence, but otherwise the flight was fine.

I woke up this morning and it was bright and sunny and blue sky and warm and humid and OHMIGOD I'm so happy to be here. TT_TT It's been beautiful all day... it just started clouding over, but I'm wearing a tank top and shorts and LOVING IT. Alex, Mikey, his girlfriend Elena (sp?), and I came down the hill to hang with Gary and ohana in Pauoa. We played some ping-pong, then Alex, Mike, and Elena went off to have lunch with Alex's friend and do some last-minute Christmas shopping. I stayed and played some Uno, ate some lilikoi and Gary's sawdust cookies. Now we're all hanging in the living room listening to Lorin's iTunes while she scrapbooks, Darian plays his friend's DS, and I troll the interwebs. Tonight is Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma's; we're having More, which I'm so excited for omg we haven't had that in years. ..."More" is this sort of casserole thing, involving ground beef and pasta and olives and cheese and Worcestershire sauce and who knows what else. It's delicious and you can make a big pan of it and feed ten million people, and it was a huge part of my childhood and family visits to Tantalus.

We've got a bunch of things lined up for the weekend that I'm looking forward to. I'm making with plans to meet up with Jen (OMG YAAAAY!!) tomorrow for lunch and Sherlock Holmes (WITH A SERVING OF YAAAY ON THE SIDE!). I'm also planning on bringing Mom, Alex, and Jolie to Aki No No on Saturday night before we go to Stomp, so Jen can cook for us. Tomorrow night is, of course, Christmas Dinner, which is going to be really small this year... we're actually all going to fit at one table! That never happens! Uh, I think we plan on going to the beach Saturday (yeeeesssssss!!), and... who knows what else. THINGS WILL HAPPEN. IT WILL BE AWESOME. And then I go back to Hilo and see Fluffy and ohana, and Dad and everyone, AND MORE AWESOME THINGS WILL HAPPEN.

So anyway, on behalf of President Obama and myself, Merry Christmas from Hawaii! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a good time anyway.

<3 <3 <3,
Angela

P.S. Completely unrelated... btw James, you're right, the Sleepyhead music video is totally awesome, and really does fit the song. Which is funny, because I couldn't picture what could possibly fit the song. Passion Pit fans, check it out! Those of you not Passion Pit fans, check it out anyway, and get with the program!

I woke up on a warm and stunningly beautiful Saturday morning and stumbled out into the kitchen to join Gary and Susan for a breakfast of English muffins with guava jelly, boiled eggs, sausage, and fruit salad made of fresh pineapple, apple bananas, and dried cranberries and some half-awake pondering of the stories in the Honolulu Advertiser. Eventually Gary decided some drastic measures needed to be taken to get Lorin and Alyssa out of bed, so he put on Eric Clapton Unplugged and carried the wireless speaker into Lorin's room.

Once we were all up and fed and dressed in grungy clothes, Gary and Alyssa and Darian and I piled into the car and drove up to Tantalus. There we joined the rest of the massive Gill family workforce prepping for Grandpa's memorial. Ian and Tim were making banners, Alex had taken Granny down the mountain to get a haircut, and the rest of us were set to work cutting flowers and foliage from the Gill family jungle. I cut about three buckets of lau‘a‘e ferns and a few stalks of kahili ginger. We had tons of kahili ginger, red and green ti, several varieties of heliconia, red ginger, torch ginger, anthuriums, and peace lilies. It was so cute to see tiny Na‘oi carrying a heliconia stalk that was several times taller than he was. After cutting several buckets and coolers of glossy green leaves and red, orange, yellow, and white flowers we ran out of time and, really, had almost more foliage than we knew what to do with, and still there was so much more on the property, you couldn't tell we'd cut anything at all. ...I love our valley. Anyway, it was pleasant to be up on the road, filling bucket after bucket with glossy green ferns, standing in the breeze and the sun and the shade in alternation, and not even minding the swarm of mosquitos around my legs (lol I have so many bites today, is it weird that I think that's wonderful?).

( More Memorial stuff )

On the airplane I watched The Soloist, which is amazing, I highly recommend it to everyone. It's beautifully shot and directed (same director who did Pride and Prejudice, and Atonement), Robert Downey, Jr is brilliant as usual, and Jamie Foxx does an outstanding acting job as Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless, schizophrenic Julliard dropout who's a genius on the cello. The mix of absolutely gorgeous Beethoven mixed with the noisy, dirty, concrete jungle of Los Angeles was kind of amazing. If you love music, if you love good acting, if you love quality film-making, watch this movie. It was so lovely.

...Then I passed out, woke up long enough to get off the plane and into Dar's car, then came home and passed out again, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. I've done absolutely nothing today so far except take a shower, poke at the internets, and post this (while petting a sleepy cat with my toes). ...I should probably got on with things.