As Jen drove us to the airport, I said I was about to spend five days with Harold and Kumar. Tommy and Karl's most excellent adventure was underway. I was pleasantly surprised at how advantageous TSA PreCheck proved to be. I was through in 60 seconds, while they took upwards of 20 min or longer before Karl's bag was removed and rifled through to pull a violating jar of face cream out. Sigh. I tried to tell them both. Karl seems like a decent guy, but he's the sort of guy that carries takeout boxes at an angle and lets all the sauce drip into the bag. I'm saying that because that happened tonight. I don't know what their friendship is based on, but I think, in part, it's based on assuming parents don't know shit. Our first-class experience was decent—worth the extra $ for the space alone, for sure. The service was great too. Food was decent but sparse and carb-heavy and/or sugar-heavy and I gave most of mine to them. I did enjoy a couple of glasses of Meritage, though. Nothing excessive and nothing noteworthy but it was pleasant enough and gave me a privileged sense of gratification. The rental agency would not let Tommy be authorized to drive the car and he was bummed but rolled with it. He's a bit of a prick when it comes to entitlement and he's somehow come to think all rules are for fools. I wanted him to be fearless and always try for what he wants in life but… not like that. Not by pressing hard on clear regulations and thinking you can pressure your way past "no". In any event we got to the resort, the "Waikiki Resort Iliaka", which was apparently featured with Jack Lord in the opening montage of Hawaii 5-0. It's that old. but it's fine. It's decent, clean, well located for the surrounding points of interest and our room is perfect for our needs. 2 double beds and a sofa sleeper means we're all able to sleep in our own spaces comfortably. The view is nice, too. We have a reasonably view of the ocean and although it's not wide screen due to being blocked on both sides by hotels, it's still a good chuck of visibility of boats, surfers, waves and more. The resort is next to the Hilton Hawaiian Villages which has a lot of cool spots too, and this place has a nice open space, resturants, and lots of other amenities. But it's crowded. Honolulu is like Disneyland, it's just all one big tourist destination and like Vegas, it's over the top and feels superficial. I want to return within a year with Jen and go to a quiet island where we can just "be". My idea of fun isn't the crowds and chaos or the "attractions", it's people, and it's downtime. I got some downtime in while they did their JetSki thing. I sat poolside and listened to more audiobooks as I did on the plane. One in particular was really inspirational as far as my desires to write about the past 8 years leading up to this past one. Tommy said tonight that he was "having a hard time" and "feeling guilty" about being in Hawaii and missing his mom. I don't know quite what to make of that. I'm not sure what he's feeling guilty about. I'll need to see what more I can glean but for the time being I'm trying to focus on letting go of everything I can't control which is everything external o my own reactions. This journal is filled with that struggle. It's a constant one for me. But this trip is one I have choose to see through and ensure he, and I, have some shared experiences adn memories that might be worth something in the years to come. Tomorrow I ride along while they go out for a 4 hour diving excursion. I'll hang out on the boat but I want to be there as a supportive observer. A silent, supportive observer. I hope to see his excitement at the clear waters and things they'll see including a sunken ship or two as I understand it. I think I'll have some stretches of time for more audiobooks and hopefully more inspiration as a writer, a parent, and a struggling introspective human being just trying to figure out how the world works and where I fit in.
