Looking Forward to Hawaii and Healthy Knees

Taro farm outside of Princeville, Kauai. (Elisa Michelson)

Five weeks is a long time to go without writing a new blog post. It's not long enough, though, to heal a knee. I haven't done any running since the last time I wrote, but this week and last, I did some dead lifts at the gym. The first session was fine, but this week the knee wound up sore for a couple of days. It didn't feel bad for long though, which makes me want to try some light squats next week, just to see if a little bit of easy lifting will help to build strength and aid recovery.

In travel news, well ... there isn't much. And there won't be much until January, when I go with my girlfriend and her family to Kauai for two weeks. That should be an interesting trip, to say the least. I get along well with her family, but the thought of spending two straight weeks on an island with a small group of people intimidates me. As an introvert, I need time by myself to collect my thoughts. And as a task-oriented, independent person, I have trouble avoiding the need to check things off of my mental and written lists. In fact, this blog post is something I'm checking off of a list right now. I'm always open to personal growth through new experiences, but at the same time, there are certain personality traits I have that will never change, and I'm at an age where I know who I am and I'm comfortable with that person.

Most of the traveling I've done in my adult life has been by myself. Some has been with my family, which doesn't always work out well, because of the vast differences between my brother, sister, and me. And some has been with friends, which is usually OK, as long as the others in the group don't spend too much time hemming and hawing over what to do, avoiding activities I suggest, or doing activities I have no interest in (e.g. attending The Phantom of the Opera in Vegas, 2006).

My hope, of course, is that everyone on this upcoming trip will get along swimmingly, and we'll have nothing but fond tales to tell upon our return. And really, I'm sure this trip will be a lot of fun. So that's what my outlook will be in the 74 days between now and takeoff. And if the trip is a disaster, at least I'll have more to write about than "well, my knee still hurts and nothing new or interesting is happening that's worth blogging about. Boo hoo hoo."