Election Night 2012

Live (kinda) blogging the election:

Here at BellyUp again.

A bit of a different vibe. Not quite as anticipatory. More anxiously hopeful.

Crowd very proud that Colorado is tending towards Obama. (I did hear a little while ago that Pitkin County went 70% for Obama)

So happy to hear that Elizabeth Warren is projected to win in Massachusetts.

Crowd booing Utah for going Romney. Not like it wasn't expecting. Just showing our displeasure.

Look at that beautiful blue Northeast section.  Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.  Love you all!

Ugh, f'ing Ohio. Just get it figured out already.

Room is thrilled with Claire McCaskill, Elizabeth Warren.

My mantra right now!

Cheering Colorado and booing Virginia. 8:29 pm

Hating how close Florida and Ohio are.

Romney up in popular vote? 2000 in reverse?

Waiting, waiting, waiting . . .

Crowd happy with Obama's Broward County performance. 8:44 pm

Sad to see that the library seems to be going down.

Crowd counting down each poll closure clock like it's New Years Eve.

Crowd goes crazy for Blue California. Boos Red Oregon.

228 Blue 176 Red.  Woo-hoo!

John King says he's going to leave Colorado in the undecided right now. Crowd boos! 9:03 pm

Wisconsin for Obama? Ryan sucks! 9:03 pm

Crowd ecstatic over Dems keeping control of Senate. Signing Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American.  9:06 pm

Crowd erupts as Wolf Blitzer calls Iowa for Obama!

Loving the diversity of the Obama crowd in Chicago. 9:11 pm

The suspense is killing us. 9:15 pm

F Missouri. 9:17 pm

CNN finally calls it. Crowd is crazy. 9:18 pm

Obama!!

Fox News called it for Obama. It must be true.

Nate Silver!!!

Now just waiting on the speech. 9:40 pm

As of 5 minutes ago, Romney not willing to concede. 9:42 pm.

That's because he hasn't written his concession speech yet.

Lost battery power on laptop so couldn't continue. I will leave you with this:

Cashew Corn Chowder

Recipe from My New Roots:

Cashew Corn Chowder with Cilantro Cream
Serves 4
1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
2 medium yellow onions
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
cayenne to taste
3 ears fresh corn
4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (4 hours minimum)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add turmeric, cumin and cayenne and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add onions and salt, and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic. If the bottom of the pot becomes dry, add a little broth instead of oil to moisten things up.
2. While the onions and garlic are cooking, husk the cobs of corn. Cut off the kernels by standing the corn on one end and slicing downwards. Add corn kernels to the pot and stir to coat with spices. Cook for 5 minutes then add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the corn is bright yellow and sweet, about 5 minutes. During this time, make the cilantro cream (see recipe below)
3. Once the corn is cooked, remove pot from heat and transfer the soup to a blender, reserving a few tablespoons of the whole corn kernels for garnish. Add soaked and rinsed cashews. Blend on high until completely smooth. Add water to thin, if desired. Season to taste. Return soup to the pot to keep warm if necessary. Serve with cilantro cream, a drizzle of olive oil, a few kernels of corn and plenty of cracked black pepper.

Cilantro Cream
½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (4 hours minimum)
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 cup cilantro (leaves only, loosely packed)
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. raw honey (or agave)
1 tsp. sea salt
pinch cayenne, if desired
½ small clove garlic, if desired

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Season to taste. Store leftovers in a sealed glass container.

My alterations: add unblended corn to the finished soup for additional texture.

Kodak Gallery is closing

This makes me sad.

I've used Kodak Gallery for calendars, Christmas cards, books, prints and wall decor for years now.  They're moving all my photos over to Shutterfly but all of my projects will be gone.  So, as a last hurrah, I've ordered 4 collage wall hangings of my wildflower photos just before their July 2, 2012 shutdown. 

Here they are:

I think they turned out rather well.

Tofu with Basil and Red Curried Couscous

Tofu with Basil and Red Curried Couscous

1 pkg NEAR EAST Pearled Couscous Basil & Herb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, pressed  and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup eggplant, diced 1/2 inch
1 cup red pepper, dices 1/2 inch
2-1/4 cups water
2 teaspoons red curry powder
1-1/2 cups coconut milk
pinch of salt

1.  In medium saucepan, heat oil on high and saute tofu, eggplant and red bell peppers. Set sauteed tofu and vegetables aside.
2.  Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
3.  Add Pearled Couscous and Spice Sack and stir thoroughly.  Bring back to a boil.
4.  Simmer uncovered at a medium boil for 7 to 8 minutes.
5.  Mix in curry, salt, coconut milk, vegetables and tofu.  Continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until pasta is tender and most of the water has evaporated (a very small amount of water should remain). Stir occasionally.
6.  Remove from heat and let stand covered 4 to 5 minutes before serving.  Stir well and serve immediately.

5 1/2 servings (1 cup each)

Fiji! - So Close

Fiji! - So Close April 2, 2012 10:08 pm (April 2, 2012 4:08 am in Aspen) Breakfast - scrambled eggs with tomato, lunch - fish tacos, dinner - veggie curry We actually stepped foot into the Nadi airport today. Long enough to learn that all of the rest of the flights for the day were canceled because of Tropical Cyclone Daphne. We started out this morning hoping that we could get a helicopter over to Beqa to pick us up but they just kept putting us off. I had read in one of the travel guides that the Fijians don't like to disappoint so they don't say no. I kinda felt like that's what was going on with the helicopter. They didn't want to disappoint us so instead of flat out refusing, they kept saying call back in an hour or so. While we were waiting to get put off again, we found out that the road to the Nadi airport had been opened. The staff suggested that we go over tomorrow morning but we didn't see why we shouldn't just go right away. So that's what we did. We pushed lunch up an hour, they brought the boats back from Pacific Harbor where they had moved them for safety, we threw our luggage together and headed off. It was a really nice crossing and we had what we thought was a goof omen, a pod of dolphins swimming along with our boat. We got to Pacific Harbor and almost immediately boarded our waiting shuttle. The drive to Nadi took quite a while and as we got closer the devastation became more and more obvious. Houses still flooded, landslide debris stacked up on the side of the road, bridges that were being held together by a prayer, I even saw a dead horse in a ditch by the side of the road.  We opted to go directly to the airport and let out a cheer as we pulled into the airport, only to have our high hopes dashed when we looked at the departure board to see the LA flight had already been canceled. After waiting a short time on line to try to get a flight to Sydney, we learned that all the rest of the flights were to be canceled because of Daphne. We were able to hop back on our shuttle to come to the Novotel.  The rooms here are nice and it's close to the airport. The restaurant kinda sucks but it was interesting sitting there listening to the stories of all the other stranded travelers. Right now we're confirmed on tomorrow night's LA flight but we're also going to keep our hotel room as a backup. The bummer is that the LA flight is about the last one to leave each night, so if it's canceled at the last minute, we won't have any opportunity to get on another flight to somewhere else. 

Fiji! - Still here

Fiji! - Still here April 1, 2012 8:31 pm (April 1, 2012 2:31 am in Aspen) Breakfast - French toast, lunch - veggie stir fry, dinner - grilled opah (I think) No charter today. At various times, we were told the Nadi airport was closed, the Suva airport was closed, the LA flight was canceled (only, according to the Air Pacific website, the LA flight had not yet been canceled)  . . . We're at the point where we don't know what to believe. We do know that the flooding is really bad. Nadi town is under 6.2 meters of water.  At breakfast, we were told that the charter was a no go. We were then offered the option of going to Suva to the Holiday Inn there, where we would be close to the airport if Pacific Sun was able to resume flights to Nadi. We were tempted but the seas were really rough so we waited.  Next, the Internet went down.  At that point, I called the US embassy in Suva to see if they had any advice for us. Mostly it was if you're safe, stay put. Wayne Schmidt, the Consul, did tell me that there are two more storms behind this one, one that looked to be relatively mild but wet and the other that has a high probability of developing into a cyclone by April 3rd. Of note, the staff here already knew about them but hadn't told us.  After a few hours, the Internet came back up and we at least felt like maybe we had some access to information.  We were trying to get a helicopter over here but by the time they finished their prior engagement, the winds had gotten too bad in Nadi and the government wouldn't let them fly. It calmed down here after a few hours but they still couldn't fly. It's possible that the LA flight went both last night and tonight but we really have little way to find out. At this point, six of us are trying to get a helicopter first thing tomorrow to take us to Nadi where we will try to get a international flight to just about anywhere. Our hope is that if we can get to any major international airport, our chances of getting a flight back to the States will be better than it is here where there's been a state of emergency declared. But, we're also very nervous about leaving the group.  In fact, as I write this, all of my certitude that this is the best course of action is melting away.  As tired as we are of being here, there is comfort in the familiar. The staff here has been wonderful, so kind and thoughtful. The ladies from the spa did complimentary foot, hand and scalp massages today. I got a foot massage. Our main concern with the resort is that it appears that the acting manager is out of her depth in dealing with all of this. She's trying really hard but isn't really ahead of the curve. We're also feeling abandoned by Bio-Bio, the trip operator, which didn't have a representative here except for the physician paid to lead the CME course, who left the island on Friday.  So, Happy Birthday to me. Won't forget this one anytime soon.

Fiji! - Show Me the Way to go Home

Fiji! - Show Me the Way to Go Home March 31, 2012 8:45 pm (March 31, 2012 2:45 am) Breakfast - apple pancakes, lunch - swordfish kebabs w/fried rice, dinner - potato gnocchi w/melted tomato We are over it. Spent the day waiting. Waiting to hear what was going on on the mainland. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting to hear if flights were getting out. Waiting to find out how we would get to Nadi. Waiting for websites and emails to load. The news just kept getting worse. No flights coming in. Looting and a curfew in Nadi. Flooding deaths on the mainland. Queens Road still closed and now a bridge washed out.  And yet, other than the rain, things here are fine. Some people kayaked today, some snorkeled. The spa was half price. We have power and Internet, albeit abominably slow Internet, but Internet nonetheless. Plenty of food and drink. Just lots of uncertainty.  I spent a lot of time online trying to get info and then Kim and I watched Today's Special, one of the movies I rented from iTunes. Did some crossword puzzles. And ate. And then ate again.  And again. Kim was way more active than me, going out to collect litter and then working out to an exercise DVD.  I couldn't bear to go out in the rain. We're both so tired of being wet. The plan now is to take the boat at 7 am to Pacific Harbor where we will get a bus or van shuttle to Suva where we will get a flight to Nadi where we will get a flight to LA. The obstacles are that all the flights from Suva to Nadi are booked so they are trying to arrange a charter but, as of now, still do not have one confirmed; it's still raining so who knows how long the road to Suva will stay open; and there's a moderate to high chance that this storm will develop into a cyclone (read hurricane) so we might get stranded anywhere along the way or might not even leave Beqa. We're not sure which would be worse. One of our group is planning to email the State Department to let them know we're here and ask their advice on a recommended course of action. I'm skeptical that they'll have anything useful to tell us.  Kim did arrange a little birthday celebration for me this evening after dinner which I almost spoiled by leaving early. There was a little band serenading me and a cake with a candle and a silly hat. It was very nice.  Happy Birthday to me. I guess I won't be forgetting how I spent my 50th anytime soon. 

Fiji! - Stranded?

Fiji! - Stranded? March 30, 2012 21:09 pm (March 30, 2012 3:09 am in Aspen) Breakfast - French toast, lunch - veggie frittata, dinner - veggie crepe Well, things are getting interesting. It rained again all night. We woke up at 4:30 am to get ready for rafting but after breakfast, as we were waiting to be told to board the boats to take us to Viti Levu (the mainland), we were told that the rafting company had called to say that the trip was canceled because the road was impassable. We were not terribly disappointed as we had spent the morning questioning why we were doing this. What we didn't fully comprehend was what an omen this was to turn out to be. I did mention that it was possible that if it kept raining the road to the airport might also close but I didn't really believe it would happen.  Silly me. After rescheduling our massages for an hour earlier, we went back to our bure and went back to sleep awaking again at about 9:45 am to pouring rain, the import of which was still failing to register. We read for a bit and then watched Hugo, by which time it was time for lunch so we headed over to the dining room. It was there that we got our first inkling that things were going awry, upon being informed that the road to the airport was out and that some of our fellow travelers who had left this morning were still stuck on this side of the flooding trying to get to Nadi. Hmmm.  Realizing that there was nothing to be done, we watched the cooking demonstration after lunch and then took short naps before our massages. The massages were the bright point of the day. I am still sore from my jet ski ride yesterday so welcomed the chance to have my sore muscles worked over. After massages, a quick shower and then dinner, preceded by a Fijian dance performance. The performance was fun but once again, the trip to the dining room brought more bad news. Now, the roads AND bridges were reported to be impassable. All incoming Air Pacific flights have been cancelled and it's forecasted to continue raining. So at this point, we really have no idea when we'll be able to leave. To top it off, the internet is abominably slow and I can't tell if any of my outgoing emails are being received. We have no phones so don't know how we're going to deal with our United flight on Sunday. Who would have thought that travel difficulties would arise, not on the Aspen end but on the Fiji end? Although I was trying mightily to have a relaxed attitude, it all became just a bit too much when I went to leave the dining room in the rain only to discover that someone had helped him or herself to my umbrella which was clearly marked with my bure number. Not wanting to compound one wrong with another, rather than taking someone else's umbrella (even though Kim and I were about the last ones there), I walked back in the rain. Could be a problem in the morning if it's still raining when it's time for breakfast. It's looking like we're going to miss the Cirque du Soleil show that we have tickets for in LA. Kim and I are ready to be home. But, hey, it's shaping up to be a memorable 50th birthday . . .

Fiji! - Around the Island

Fiji! - Around the Island March 29, 2012 9:21 pm (March 29, 2012 3:21 am in Aspen) Breakfast - coconut pancakes, lunch - salad with grilled fish, dinner - grilled fish with a fruit/citrus chutney. (We pre-order lunch and dinner at breakfast and it's been really hard to remember what I ordered by the time dinner rolls around.) It rained all night and we awoke to clouds and wind but no rain. It was really choppy out so I wasn't sure if we were going to go out on the jet skis. I waited a bit and one of the staff, Vasiti Ratulevu, who had said last night that she wanted to go with us showed up and shortly after, Kelly (his nickname - Fijian names are impossibly long)showed up with some paperwork, two life vests and two jet skis. Kelly and Va climbed on one and I climbed on the other and we were off.  We headed around the island clockwise and for the first quarter of the loop, it was extremely choppy with rather large waves. I was exhilarated and concerned at the same time.  What had I gotten myself into and was I going to be able to pilot this thing all the way around the island? It was tough holding on and steering in the chop, not to mention the fact that the majority of time there was so much spray in my face I was functionally blind. But we stopped for a short rest just past the northerly point and Kelly said the worst was over. Suddenly I'm thinking, "Oh! That wasn't that bad!" We headed off again and after a little Keystone Cops moment where Kelly and Va were switching drivers and both ended up in the drink with the emergency stop lanyard still attached to the waverunner, we headed on with no incident. We circumnavigated a small island in an inlet, motored through some relatively calm water, ventured out into a bit more challenging stuff and then stopped for another, longer rest and a snack, at which point we encountered a a few from our group, taking a counterclockwise boat tour around the island.  After a bit, we headed out again, detouring though a small bay and stopping to drop Va off at her village. Kelly and I then proceeded back to the resort, stopping to do what I called donuts in the parking lot on the way.  Excellent way to spend the morning.  After lunch, we visited the largest village on the island and had an audience with the chief. They took advantage of the tourists, parting us from our money, but it was still interesting seeing their homes. Pigs, goats, dogs, a fair amount of litter and small one story buildings except for the three churches in this little village. Aki, our tour guide, keeps joking about how they're Christians now, so they're no longer cannibals.  Another beautifully subtle sunset with the colors peaking through the breaks in the clouds. Cloudy all day but no rain which was actually kinda of nice since it cut the temperature a bit. Tomorrow up at 4 am to take a boat to the "mainland" to go rafting.  We had a bit of a debate about whether we just stayed over on the mainland for our flight on Saturday, rather than making the crossing two more times in less than 24 hours but finally opted to schedule massages tomorrow evening here instead of spending the money on a hotel room in Nadi.

Foji! - Firewalking in the Rain

Fiji! - Firewalking in the rain March 28, 2012 9:12 pm (March 28, 2012 3:12 am in Aspen) Breakfast - raisin pancakes, lunch - fusili pasta with vegetables, dinner- ceviche (although they didn't call it that) and yellow-fin tuna. Today, it pretty much rained all day, alternating between drizzle and downpours.I got a pedicure this morning and then read until lunch. After lunch, I got a massage (the back and mini facial special) and then showered in time to see the firewalking demonstration. Six villagers actually walked across and stood still on hot rocks which had been in a fire pit most of the day. As the guys were standing on the rocks, we could see the flames shooting up between the rocks.  Watched an atmospheric sunset where we couldn't see the actual sunset but could see the colors of the sunset breaking through a small opening in the clouds.  Also saw the fruit bats which are larger than the magpies (not an exaggeration) back home flying around and alighting on or really under branches where they then literally hung out before flying around some more. Two of them got in a little fight, screeching at each other and flapping around while hanging from a branch until one of them got tired of it and flew off. After dinner, Aki (the local who did the coconut weaving demonstrationa nd who emceed the firewalking demonstration) performed a kava ceremony, explaining the hierarchy of the village and passing the bowl around for every one to sample. It's a bizarre watery silty drink which does make your tongue slightly furry and numb. Kim and I snuck away as Aki was starting a second round. Once was enough for us. Glad I tried it, don't need to do it twice.  Tomorrow for the first time since I arrived, I'm actually going to need an alarm set as I'm doing a jet ski tour around the island. We leave at 8 am and will be back in time for the village tour at 2:45 pm. Hopefully, I'll still think this was a good idea in the morning.

Fiji! - Starfish Blue

(again with the formatting issue. To be fixed later) Fiji! - Starfish Blue March 28, 2012 8:53 am (March 27, 2012 2:53 pm in Aspen) Tuesday meals - French toast for breakfast, swordfish vermicelli noodle salad with chili dressing for lunch and wahoo with Provençal sauce and parmesan risotto for dinner Another day of sun worship with a couple of breaks for rain. Read Vanity Fair cover to cover before lunch. I brought a bunch of magazines, People, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, and on the first day, one of the staff asked me if she could have the one I was discarding so as I finish each one, I leave it on the table for her to take.  After lunch, Kim and I want for a short kayak and saw a blue starfish, some pink coral and a half dozen flying fish. They were all very cool but the last made me laugh out loud in delight. I had seen a couple of solo ones on Monday where I'd be paddling along and all of the sudden a fish would appear on the surface of the water in front of me, bouncing along like someone was skipping rocks. But yesterday, Kim must have disturbed a school of them because all of the sudden there were six or more dancing atop the water from all different directions. It was as is they were putting a show on for us. It's amazing how far they can travel on the surface and how many hops they can take. I am still having trouble paddling in a straight line and am still not sure if it's the kayak or the conditions which are giving me trouble. There were times yesterday when I was paddling on my left and the boat, rather than turning right, was making counterclockwise circles. It was confounding. As we were returning, it started to rain again which was an awesome feeling, the warm rainwater rinse.  What's nice about the rain and clouds is how quickly they pass and then it's sunny again. Not getting shortchanged in that account.  After a shower, watched another glorious sunset while enjoying a glass of wine and listening to the Bula Band at the Bula Bar before dinner. I definitely can't say that I'm not getting enough sleep as we're going to bed around 9ish each night and I'm getting up around 8 each morning.

Fiji! - Coconuts & Kayaks

(Still having formatting issues with paragraph breaks which will be fixed upon my return) Fiji! - Coconuts & Kayaks March 26, 2012 9:44 pm (March 26, 2012 3:44 am in Aspen) Apple pancakes for breakfast, ordered roti for lunch but switched with Victoria (?) for her fish taco since she didn't want the fried fish (tried both but liked the taco better) and mahi mahi for dinner.  Another excellent day in paradise. Went kayaking (after a brief rain shower after breakfast) which was awesomely difficult. Awesome because it was gorgeous (wow, that word looks funny) and difficult because I have never had such a hard time paddling a kayak in a straight line. I don't know if it was the wind or the currents or the tide but I was going in every direction but the one I wanted to.  I've kayaked in California, Mexico, and Hawaii and I've never had to work as hard at reaching my destination. More strokes were spent on course correction than on forward motion. But I'm still planning on going out again tomorrow and it'll be interesting to see if I run into the same phenomenon.  Sat in the sun for a hot second before it rained again by which time it was time for lunch. The dive boat wasn't back yet so the non-divers started without the divers who rolled in just as we were finishing. Everyone got caught up on everyone else's day and then we attended a coconut/weaving demonstration.  There is some sort of borderline cheesy tourist local event scheduled for each day and the cynic in me rolls my eyes but the coconut thing was actually very cool. The local guy showed us how to open both a brown and a green coconut to drink the coconut water and then how to split it to get at the meat. First time I've ever eaten coconut meat straight out of a coconut. Yum. He also wove a "men's" basket right before our eyes. Incredibly complicated and skilled.  Next, Kim went to her Wilderness Medicine session and I went to my spa session. After a sugar scrub and a lomi-lomi massage while listening to the wind and the third brief rain shower of the day, I had just enough time to shower and change before dinner. Tomorrow, Kim's getting up early to do a mountain hike, but I just can't get motivated to venture into the hot, muggy, buggy so I'm skipping that. There is a school visit in the afternoon that I might venture out on.

Fiji! - Bula!

(there are paragraph breaks in this that aren't showing up for some unknown reason. I'll have to fix it when I return and have better internet connectivity) Fiji! It's really 8:48 am Sunday, March 25, 2012 (the iPad still thinks it's 2:48 pm, Saturday, March 24, 2012). At least that's my understanding.  Jet lag from overseas travel seems to vary wildly, depending on how far you, where you go and when you travel. For this trip, we left LA at 11:30 pm and arrived in Nadi at 5 am. It was a 10+ hour flight and I was able to sleep a lot so didn't feel like I was up all night. Kim wasn't so lucky as there was some turbulence and her motion sickness worked against sleep.  The flight was almost full. It was a big-ass plane and we estimated there were between 500-600 people on board.  The seats were tiny which wasn't a problem for either of us since Kim offered me the aisle and I could straighten my legs enough. Getting from our seats on the plane to Beqa Lagoon took approximately 7+ hours. Immigration, baggage claim (even though we were basically traveling with carry-ons, we checked our bags from LA to Nadi), customs, waiting for the other travelers going to Beqa, bus ride, temple stop, tourist trap stop (betting the bus guy got a big commission for that), and finally a boat ride to another island and we arrived. Because of the impending boat ride, Kim and I both applied scopolamine patches which made the ride quite pleasant but the side effects were killer, exacerbating the exhaustion and giving me god-awful cottonmouth. So, my patch came off (purposefully as opposed to Kim's which fell off) right after lunch and right before my nap.  Before I go any further with Fiji and Beqa Lagoon Resort, let me backtrack to our day in LA. We had hoped to check our bags in for our Nadi flight before heading out of the airport but we got shut down on that. After we walked over to the international terminal at 9:30ish, we found out that the Air Pacific ticket counter didn't open until 6:30 pm (although later I did overhear some fellow travelers say that they were able to get rid of their bags at around 1pm. Not us!). So we hailed a cab and headed into LA, dragging our bags behind us. Our first stop was the Beverly Hot Springs in Koreatown for massages.  We're pretty sure that the cabbie ripped us off since the ride from the airport was $65 and the ride back to the airport was $40.  The ride from the airport took much longer even though there was way more traffic on the ride back. I do have what was purported to be the first cabbie's information so am still mulling over a possible complaint when we return to LA.  The spa was nice enough but certainly not 5 star. Definitely pales in comparison to the Spa Castle in Queens. We enjoyed the hot springs and both got body scrubs and bamboo massages. The body scrub was very similar to the one I had had in NY. No modesty allowed. Korean women in black bras and panties scrub practically every inch of your body with a loofah and some sort of scrub.  You're then bathed, head to toe. The best part is when they take a pail full of hot water and splash it over your entire body.  I laid there, thinking do it again. Again!  The bamboo massage was nice. It reminded both of us of a hot stone massage. Not the best massage i've had (thinking about it, I don'think I can identify the best massage I've had) but quite nice.   (break for cool down dip in pool) After another dip in the hot springs and a shower, Kim and I walked to Larchmont Village, schlepping our bags. We must have made quite a scene. Not only are pedestrians unusual in the not very nice neighborhood we were passing through, but to be pulling luggage on top of it? Yep, we got some looks. Larchmont is a really nice stretch with boutiques and nice little restaurants with tasty fare. We ended up eating outside at a little Italian trattoria whose name I'll have to look up on my credit card statement (Louise?).  Then back to the airport to find an outlet (in the relaxation lounge), wait in line to check in, go through security and then watch a movie (Happy. Eh.) while we waited to depart. Yesterday afternoon between my nap and dinner, Kim and I got jet lag massages.  Two massages in two days (or three if you factor in the time change), can't complain about that.  The jet lag massage was better then the bamboo massage, both because of the massage itself and because of the locale.  Here at Beqa, the massage "room" is an open air bure right on the water, so I was listening to the waves and the breeze during my massage. Definitely plan on doing that again.  Lunch yesterday was fish kabobs and dinner was polenta cakes with melted tomatoes.  French toast for breakfast and veggie stir fry for lunch. Lamb shank is on tap for dinner tonight.  Jet lag is working in our favor for the time being. Went to bed relatively early last might but fell asleep easily since it was something like 2 am at home. Got up early too, again because it was much later at home. I'm betting that the jet lag on our return will be much more challenging.  Spent the day today laying around the pool, looking at the ocean, writing this (when the iPad wasn't complaining about how hot it was) and reading about Fiji in the Lonely Planet guide.  The resort is very remote but very peaceful. Kim and I have a two bedroom suite with a living area and a porch/balcony with a view of the ocean. There are beautiful lily pad ponds and an abundance of hammocks strung between palm trees.    The staff is all very friendly and eager to please and the food is well prepared. There are activities planned for each day but almost everyone is here for the diving (except for me and a couple of others). I'm a bit intimidated by the thought of straying too far from the ocean into the interior of the island to do some of the suggested hiking.  Hot, muggy, muddy and buggy (which is how someone who's been on one of the hikes described it) isnt really my thing. Jet skiing, on the other hand, I'm totally down for! Maybe tomorrow. We are talking about rafting on Friday, even though that requires a boat trip back to  Viti Levu. Bula is used to say welcome and hello. It literally means life.    Signing off for today at 3:30 pm. 

The Aspen Blind Cafe

What a unique experience.  We were led through multiple layers of heavy draping into a completely dark room in a line, each with a hand tightly fastened to the shoulder of the person ahead, a blind guide (not a guide for the blind but a guide who is blind!) at the head of the line.  Together, we all followed along as each person was led to his/her chair, until, one by one, we were all seated.  Our food was already plated and served but due to a miscommunication, I had Kim's vegetarian plate which in and of itself wasn't easy to figure out in the dark.  "Does the chicken feel like a piece of chicken?"  "I don't have anything that feels like chicken on my plate."  We figured out how to gingerly swap the two plates by lifting them up high above the table and gently reaching out in the dark until our fingers made contact with the hovering plate.  Finding food on the plate with the fork and knife was a challenging prospect and many opted for eating with their hands.  The food, prepared by the Sky Hotel's star chef, was all fantastic, a three course meal consisting of

First:

Baby Bibb with Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Shaved Green Apple,

Black Pepper & Buttermilk Dressing

Second:

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast, Roasted Tomato Jus, Toasted Garlic Haricot Vert,

Cheesy Polenta

Third:

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Mousse, Vanilla Biscotti.

Since I couldn't quite bring myself to plunge my fingers into the polenta but also didn't want to sweep my food off my plate in the dark, I developed a strategy of holding my left hand at the edge of my plate at about 7 or 8 o'clock and using the fork in my right hand to push the food in that direction.  Many times the fork was lifted to my mouth in anticipation, only to encounter the empty tines.  Oh well, dig in again.  Cutting the chicken in the dark was difficult to say the least and as I found myself stuffing too large pieces of meat into my mouth, I was aware of how ridiculous I must look, appreciative of the darkness which meant that no one could see me and in awe of every blind person who manages to eat in public without looking like a slob.  The scene from The Miracle Worker where Patty Duke as Helen Keller runs around the dining room, helping herself from everyone's plates and stuffing food into her mouth was on all of our minds.  Wine was identified by smell and taste and, while the majority of us had white wine, we're still not sure if some of us at the table had red wine.  

While we were eating, Rick, our server who has been blind since birth, and David, another gentleman who went blind at age 37 due to a viral infection, answered questions from the diners.  All of the questions were intriguing, although some were presented less pretentiously than others.  It struck me that being in the dark removed the ability to judge the questioner in terms of looks, age or attire.  A particularly good question regarded dreams.  Rick dreams aurally with no visions since that's how he experiences the world.  David dreams in 20/20 and often wakes up disappointed to find himself still blind.  Rick also recited a love poem that he had written at the beginning of a relationship.  I particularly liked an image he created about encouraging his girlfriend to venture outside rather than staying inside to talk on the phone with her mom who had waged a "war on her confidence."

I was for the most part very comfortable and calm sitting there in the dark.  The only time I got anxious at all was when there were a series of unidentified noises immediately behind me at the edge of the room.  Objectively, I knew that I was seated near a door and another room so also knew that the noises were likely emanating from kitchen workers or some such but I still experienced a quickening of my pulse and a rise in my anxiety level exacerbated by the uncertainty of the darkness. 

As dining wound down, the musical performance by Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken began.  Curiously, during the short musician warm up, I felt a strong urge to check my BlackBerry (cell phones were absolutely verboten due to the light they cast).  Once the music began, sitting there in the complete blackness, I was irrationally irritated by any extraneous noise, even resorting to kicking Kim under the table when she persisted in rustling chocolate wrappers.  In an effort to remain as self contained in my own personal space as possible, I found myself at various times during the performance sitting with my arms draped over my head or holding my glass of wine with both hands to my forehead, again acutely aware of how ridiculous I must look and appreciate of the fact that no one could see me. From that perspective, the darkness was liberating. The music, a mix of guitar, violin, cello and vocals, was very much intensified by the absence of any visual cues.  There were a couple of opportunities for audience sing a longs and I was impressed with how I was able to pick out Brad and Rachel harmonizing with the musicians.  The performance included a wonderful cello solo by Phil Norman entitled Paintbrush, which you can hear at gravitycello.com or via direct link at ReverbNation.

With the entertainment coming to a close, we were split on whether we wanted to be led out in the dark or if we wanted the lights to come up so that we could see our surroundings.  The latter occurred and we discussed how the realities of the space differed for each of us from what we had pictured in our mind's eye in the dark.  Some thought the room was larger, some thought the ceiling higher and some thought the room smaller or differently shaped.  We were all pleased with how well we had done cleaning our plates or avoiding whatever food we didn't want to eat (absolutely nothing for me, it was all so good).  Rachel, not being a fan of bleu cheese, had tried to shake it off her salad on its way to her mouth but had been unable to avoid it entirely.  She noted how in combination with the other flavors in the salad, the bleu cheese wasn't as offensive as she finds it when she has tasted it alone and I was pleased that the darkness had forced her broaden her experience.

When I had originally seen the flyer for the Aspen Blind Cafe, I was immediately excited for the opportunity to engage in such a unique experience and I am happy to report that it absolutely lived up to my expectations.  For more information on Blind Cafes in other cities, visit theblindcafe.com.

I dragged my family along and then prevailed upon them to write up their reactions.  Rachel's thoughts are at Giggles and Musings  and Steve's thoughts are at Americonoclastic.