Maui Top Ten

Just got back from Maui this morning. It was all it was cracked up to be, and just the vacation we needed, what with all the gentle sun, rain and wind, healthy outdoor fun, and time to just be. We did spend a million dollars, though. Perhaps Maui exists to make me appreciate the relatively low prices in the Bay Area.

Here's my top ten, in no particular order:


1. The colors of Haleakala (see above), an inactive volcano that looms over Maui. I think any kind of designer (especially one who loves the '70s) would be inspired. And as an added bonus, we got to experience being inside a cloud while hiking Haleakala.

2. Listening exclusively to CDs from our mix CD group while driving Maui's beautiful highways and byways, with special props to Stag by Reva, Clock Says Now by Chi-Hui, and Summer Fun by Georgia. And me, if truth be told, since I always like my own CDs best.

3. Maui Brewing Company's Coconut Porter. They describe it thusly: "It begins with a malty-toasted-coconut aroma followed by a rich, silky mouthfeel with tastes of dark malt, chocolate, and hints of coffee. It then finishes with flavors of toasted coconut and hoppy spice to balance the finish." Yup. Only sold in Hawaii, but we have four cans in our fridge.


4. Puppies. As we drove the Road to Hana (which was a blast), we took a detour to check out the lovely coastal views in Nahiku. On the road, what should we see but a troop of gamboling puppies, who swarmed adorably around our shoes when we got out of the car. This was on a day that we also saw multiple waterfalls and rainbows.

5. Eating at Mama's Fish House. The most expensive lunch either of us had ever had, and completely worth it. Gently complex flavors, locally caught fish, attentive service, and amazing chocolate/caramel pie for dessert. And an ocean view to boot.


6. Experiencing the soothing effects of asian sculpture. The first place we stayed was Maui Retreat, an off the grid working bamboo farm that offered new-agey services from tantra lessons to psychic readings (we just stayed there). The place made me see rain and wind in a whole new way, because there the rain was nourishing a million green leaves, not pounding on hard surfaces, and the wind was warmly sighing through all of that greenery, not rattling our old windowpanes. Likewise, the grounds were full of some pretty amazing sculpture, and the more I stayed there, with the wind, the rain, and the wise looking figures everywhere, the more relaxed I became.

7. Oheo Gulch. This collection of idyllic waterfalls and pools near Hana is also referred to as Seven Sacred Pools, though it's neither. The water was cold, the rocks were slippery, and the place was just plain gorgeous. We didn't bring our camera because we were needlessly afraid that it might get stolen while we swam.


8. The Shadow of the Wind. I was glued to this neo-gothic drama by Spanish Author Carlos Ruiz Zafon for most of the trip. It's the story of a young boy in post-civil war Spain who finds a book by a mysterious author named Julian Carax, and then realizes that someone is hunting down and burning all of Carax's work. Why? Read this awesomely entertaining book and find out.


9. Snorkeling in Napili Bay. Our next lodging was the Hale Napili, an oceanfront condo where the median age was high, the accomodations were practical, and a perfect beach was right there in front of us. We did some great snorkeling and got lots of sun.

10. Not using a computer or hearing any news the whole time (except on my second to last day, when I heard that Heath Ledger died and was sad).

The Books of 2007, Part 2

My list of books read in 2007 has come to an end, along with the year itself. Above, the brilliant David Mitchell holds my favorite book of the year, Cloud Atlas. My other favorites? The Road, Fun Home, Last Evenings on Earth, The Emperor's Children, and All Aunt Hagar's Children were pretty amazing.

I feel like I've accomplished something--I read 37 books. Why am I so ridiculously goal oriented and obsessed with numerical measures? That is a question for another day.

So here are the rest of the books I read in 2007, from July through December. Once again, the books in bold are the ones that wowed me.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel. This graphic novel deserved to be named the 2006 best book of the year by Time Magazine (even if Cloud Atlas was the best book of the year.) The drawings were meticulous and lovely. The autobiographical coming-of-age story introduces us to a young girl who realizes that her home-decor-obsessed dad is gay, and that she is a lesbian. They live in a funeral home. And yup, they deal with their sexuality in very different ways. Gripping and well-structured.


The Emperor's Children, Claire Messud. I have heard a lot of people hating on the supposed superficiality of this book about the intertwined hijinks of liberal, ambitiously literary New Yorkers. What does that say about me? Because I ate up every minute of it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling.

Ghostwritten, David Mitchell. This book was absorbing and brilliant, but can any book ever be as good as Cloud Atlas? Not likely.

The Happiest Baby On The Block, Harvey Karp. Someday when we really do adopt, this book is going to come in very handy, if I haven't completely forgotten the five S's by then.

The Whole World Over, Julia Glass.

Imagining Argentina, Lawrence Thornton. I liked the premise (a man can see the fates of the disappeared in Argentina, during that country's Dirty War) a little better than I liked the book, but it was worth reading. It was strange that the author never visited Argentina before writing the book.

Imperial Life in the Emerald City, Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Excellent book about the debacle that has been the American occupation of Iraq. I was torn between horror and schadenfreude. For the 1,000,000th time, yes, real life is more surreal than fiction.

The Last Life, Claire Messud. Messud's first novel, about the travails of a French/Algerian/American teenager, came off as precious and navel-gazing, and was a bit of a slog.


The Dissident, Nell Freudenberger. Satisfying and readable book about a dissident Chinese avante-garde artist who goes on a residency to the United States and gets involved with a crazy rich family. I would never have learned about the fascinating East Village Chinese art scene without this book.

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler. I had always wanted to read Octavia Butler. Like a lot of science fiction, I suppose, the ideas in the book were more interesting than the plot. I think the main character was Octavia, though, and I really liked her.

The Crazed, Ha Jin. This was an (intentionally, most likely) dreary book about a demented Chinese professor who reveals the emptiness of his life to his protege, who must then make some decisions of his own. In the end I was glad I read it, because it went to unexpected places.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill, Lemony Snicket.


All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward Jones. This author fascinates me. He seems so monastic and committed to his work. Just look at his glasses! And his work is brilliant! Each one of these stories, which are mostly about African-American life in DC, paints a rich and vivid world. He gives Alice Munro a run for her money.

Collected Stories, Amy Hempel. Okay, I really, really didn't like this book. It took me months to get through, and it annoyed the hell out of me. It was just so damn quirky and idiosyncratic. The strange thing is that I had the terribly mistaken idea that I would love it.


Exit Wounds, Rutu Modan. This graphic novel, set in Israel, revolves around the disappearance of an elderly man who, at first glance, no one seems to care much about. Was he killed in a suicide bombing? His cranky taxi-driving son and a very tall young woman try to find out, and reveal a lot about Israeli society in the process. I loved it.

Love is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield. I got this for T for Christmas, and we both read it in a day or two. It's a love story (and a loss story) built around mix tapes and the music the author shared with his late wife. Sometimes it was annoyingly clever and rambling, other times it was geekily epic.

A Sad Phone Call

When you are adopting in the way we are, you have a 1-800 number. If a "potential birthmom" happens to see your website and wants to get in touch, they can call that number, or email you.

In the time we've been waiting to adopt (10 months now) no one has ever called us out of the blue to chat on that number. Nor has anyone (except easily identifiable scammers from Cameroon) ever emailed us. We've had two contacts (one a potential match that we turned down, and one a match that led to our failed adoption). Both were arranged by our adoption agency.

Tonight I got a call on our 1-800 number. It was a teenage girl, and she said she found our website and thought we looked nice. She started telling me a really sad story, about being abandoned by her mom, then living in a group home, and not getting along with her family. I listened and asked some questions, and then I said, "So you're pregnant?" "No," she said. "I must have misunderstood your ad." Oh no. She wanted us to adopt her. What a brave and lonely call to make for a 13 year old.

All I could say is that I was glad she told me her story, and that I would be thinking about her and hoping for her to grow up strong, and to take care. I am sitting here hoping she will find her place.

So long, holidays!

The sock monkey, an adorable Christmas gift from T, tries to comfort the sad clown, who seems to be asking his stuffed friend why he even bothers.

The crisp, sunny weekend between Christmas and New Year's was a perfect time for brunch at The Cliff House and a walk along the seawall. I had the Johnson Omelet.

A long afternoon hike at Chabot Regional Park. Walking among tall trees with friends was the perfect way to start the New Year.


Someone was a bit suspicious of our group, and I don't blame her one bit.