One Week!

It's been one week since I landed in Hawaii and I've just finished my first week of work!

As much as I was apprehensive about moving here (and by "was apprehensive" I mean "sobbed like an infant pretty regularly"), I have to say that I'm generally happy.  There are still things in my brain/heart that are still a little off/weird/sad, but I'm a lot more okay about this transition than I thought I would be.  I like Hawaii and I think that I'll only like it more as time goes on.

Enough about Hawaii though--I really, really, really love my new job.  Granted, I haven't started any projects yet, it's a lot of training and administrative stuff right now, but it's awesome.  At the CIL there's a library, and the first time I went through it was something akin to the scene in Beauty and the Beast where the Beast shows Belle the library and she's all like, "OMG...LOOK AT ALL THE BOOKS!!!!!"  Seriously, every book that a forensic anthropologist could ever wish for is in that room, and it's amazing.

I know this isn't the scene I'm talking about, but the size is more comparable to the CIL library.

Also, I love putting on my "CIL Scientific Staff" lab coat and going into the lab to study the specimens.  That's right, study.  Not only will I be doing casework for this fellowship, but I'll be studying and learning so much!  It's basically like I'm getting paid to become the best forensic anthropologist I can be.  I am so glad that I'm here.  I love that I get to be a forensic anthropologist, to be part of the (relatively) small group of people who can look at a skeleton and see more than just a pile of bones.  Who can reconstruct someone's life out of bits and pieces of minerals and proteins.  

It's really, really, really awesome.

Aloha! (For Reals This Time)

Guys, it's official (like Facebook official):  I live in Hawaii now!  Surprisingly, the six-hour time difference between Boston and Hawaii has not kicked my trash yet, but that could be because on travel day I was awake for 24 hours straight so I basically forced myself to adhere to a new system of time.

Observations thus far:

• It's freaking hot.  Except when it's not.  It's basically mid-eighties and sunny every day, but yesterday we did get some rain while at an outdoor polo match.  I'm going to have to adjust my New England wardrobe a bit and be pretty proactive about the sunscreen, but generally, I'm sure I can handle it.  
• It's freaking beautiful.  Before I got here I was skeptical that there would actually be palm trees, but there are.  It's amazing.  There are hibiscus flowers everywhere and really cool birds that I've never before seen.  Anyone who is Facebook friends with me will see lots of pictures.
• Food is freaking expensive.  People have told me this, but again, I didn't quite believe it until I saw boxes of cereal for over $6.  Between the hot weather and my not wanting to spend a fortune on groceries, I think I can probably count on getting pretty skinny this year.  Unless I eat these; then I might die:  

Honolulu's answer to Cambridge's "Live Poultry, Fresh Killed," I guess.

Aloha! (Almost)

Chilling at the SeaTac Airport (note my haggard appearance--a mix of "I've been up since 5am and on a plane for the past several hours" and "I still haven't figured out how to take good webcam pictures").  Nine-ish hours and I'll be in Honolulu!

Also, this is the first time I've ever done the whole WiFi thing at an airport!

I'm Afraid I'm Going to Be Terribly Boring...

My blog posts these days have been either very short or very impersonal (e.g. restaurant reviews).  I'm trying out using paper and pen (a traditional journal--something I haven't done since college) as an outlet for my every thought and emotion, as tempting as it may be to release every wave, pang, and ache of feeling onto this blog at 75 wpm*, where I know it will be seen and by whom.  Until I can achieve some type of post-catharsis equilibrium, I'm afraid I'll be taking a break from blogging anything less than generic.

Hope to be back soon.



*Thank you, Mavis Beacon.

Confounding Variables

Something feels weird.  It's a melancholy feeling, but I don't feel that it's sadness*.  And I cannot empirically say why I feel like this.  There's too much going on.  If it were just the one thing, no matter which one thing, I could say, I feel sad(-ish) because of ______.  But there are at least three, probably four things, and I can't figure out which one is tugging at me the most.  It's weird.  I don't like feeling weird.

I wish I had another week, but at the same time, I wish that it was next week already.  Or two weeks from now.  Or July.  Yes, in fact, I wish it was July.

*Should it be?

In Lieu of Emo Song Lyric Facebook Statuses

I share with you the following two music videos:

"Goodbye to You" (Michelle Branch)

"Brave" (Idina Menzel)

I think that's the extent of what I'm going to force upon the internet.

Restaurant Review: The Gallows

I promise this blog has not turned into a restaurant review blog!  I will write other things shortly, as soon as I can figure out how.  After my previous post about a contender for the Worst Burger in Boston, I must review about one extremely good burger, eaten a day later.

Dave and I went to The Gallows, located at 1395 Washington Street in the South End, on Wednesday evening to try the Burger, which had been highly recommended by strangers on the internet.  The recommendations did not disappoint.  The decor of the place was quite charming, a mix of antiquity and DIY industrialism (in lieu of purchasing a $20K chandelier, the owners constructed light fixtures out of iron rebar and concrete reinforcement, with blossoming branches reaching out into the space*).  The crow/raven pictured on the sign above is a recurring theme in the restaurant--one is even perched in the ladies' restroom next to an antique lace wedding dress.

Our server was excellent--he took great care to explain to us the process by which their burgers were made and how "medium-well" is actually the best option given the natural inherent juiciness of the meat.  We ordered the burger "Our Way" with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and (actually) caramelized onions** ($10).  Our food was served to us extremely quickly, and by golly, was it delicious!  The burger was dripping with juice--not blood and grease (well, there was a little fat, but it wasn't overwhelming)--and tasted amazing.  It was served with fries which were a bit too salty, but crisp and tasty nonetheless, and homemade ketchup which was essentially tomato jam with hints of cloves, cinnamon, and allspice.  The homemade ketchup was interesting, but I prefer Heinz with my fries...call me a traditionalist.  Thankfully, it was present at the table as well.

We declined dessert, as the only option was some type of fancy Fluffernutter (peanut butter, bananas, marshmallow, and chocolate ganache), but as we paid our bill, our server presented us with tiny soft-serve ice cream cones!  I almost wanted to ask for six more, but it was the perfect little amount of sweetness to top off a great meal.

The most remarkable thing about The Gallows (aside from the delicious burger, of course) was the service.  Our server was extremely attentive and friendly and succeeded in creating two happy guests.  The manager conversed with us about the decor, and a server who wasn't even our server stopped to clear some glasses for us upon passing.  Five stars.  Everyone should go here.

*We knew this because the manager, upon noticing us noticing the light fixtures, came to our table and told us about the whole process.

**You all know what a big caramelized onion kick I'm on lately.