Tag Archives: driving

Almost Needing To Take A Test (or At Least An Appointment Made This Quick)

Posted on June 24, 2022 | Comments Off

I don’t know if it matters how many times you move, I feel like there are always a few things that you forget to change your address on. But I feel like I have more of these forgotten things because it has been so long since I moved. One thing that I did remember to change before I moved was the address on my driver’s license. That was a very simple change to make and I was able to do it online. But they said they wouldn’t be sending me a new license at that time. I didn’t think too much about that at the time because I don’t think they actually need your address on your license for much, and if someone official needed to look things up, I feel like it would be noted in a system that it was changed and they didn’t send me a new license.

But maybe the reason why they didn’t send me a new license was because mine was going to expire this year. I didn’t realize that until I got the renewal notice mailed to me (fortunately, mailed to the new address), but it made sense when I thought about it. And because you will need a Real ID soon to fly domestically (or bring a passport), I figured I might as well get the Real ID when I was renewing anyway.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to do anything with my license, but it was easy enough to do most of the work online and I made an appointment. The only downside is that all of the hours are during work hours, so I had to arrange to take some time off. But I was hoping that it wouldn’t take too long.

I got to the DMV and had to wait a bit for my number to be called up. I know it would have been longer without an appointment, but it was still about 30 minutes from the time I checked in until I was called. I gave all my paperwork to the woman behind the counter and she asked me if I had already taken the written driving test again. I was so confused because I had no clue I would need to do that again and I was not prepared at all. She stepped away and had to get some more information about my renewal.

I guess the policy is that if you get a Real ID within 60 days of your license expiring, you don’t have to retake the test. If it’s more than 60 days before the expiration date, you do have to take it. I submitted my paperwork and set up my appointment 62 days before but my appointment was within 60 days. So I guess there was some debate about which date they had to go by. Fortunately, it was decided that they should use my appointment date so I was saved from having to retake the test. Honestly, if I had to take it again, I have no idea if I would pass. The questions they ask are really specific like how many feet away from a stop sign can you park and then the choices are all similar answers. But I don’t know if many people would know if it’s 25 feet or 30 feet since most people just park so far away.

After that was settled, I had to pay for the ID and get a new photo. I have no clue how it turned out because it’s not on my paperwork and I won’t get my license in the mail for about a month. Then I had to get a paper temporary license to take with me and that line was in the testing area. There were so many people taking the test and looking so stressed out, so I think a bunch of them were people who didn’t know they would need to take it that day. I’m glad I was able to escape that, but I think that in the future I might review the written tests online before going in just in case I have to take it again.

Even though I had to wait for my appointment and there was a bit of a delay with figuring out if I needed to retake the test or not, I was out of the DMV within an hour, so I didn’t have to take extra time off and was able to just use my lunch break early. And I know the appointment could have been much longer if I needed to take the test. So I was probably pretty lucky.

Hopefully, whenever the next time I have to renew comes up, either I don’t have to take the test then or I will be notified enough in advance so that I can really feel prepared for it.

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Tagged driving

Finally Able To Drive Again (or Feeling Like I Have Some Freedom)

Posted on November 25, 2020 | Comments Off

When I came down with vertigo, there was no question that I couldn’t drive. I mean, for the first few days I couldn’t even stand. I was barely moving from beyond my bed. So there was also no reason for me to think about driving or doing anything. And for the first week of vertigo, I pretty much felt the same way. I wasn’t doing much at all and I didn’t even think about anything outside my door. Even just going across my driveway to do laundry seemed like a journey.

The second week with vertigo, I was making more and more progress. I still knew I couldn’t drive because of how often I was experiencing dizziness. I was feeling a bit more stir crazy that week because I wasn’t going anywhere and I hadn’t really been going anywhere for the few weeks before I got sick because I was quarantining to prepare to see my family. I wanted to get out and just do something. Even driving around aimlessly for a little while seemed like a treat that I wanted. But I couldn’t do it until I felt confident enough that I could drive.

Finally, over this past weekend, I was starting to feel almost normal again. I still occasionally experience moments of swaying, but it’s very different from the dizziness I was having for the two weeks prior. So I decided it was time to push myself a bit more. I wanted to be cautious with driving, so my first time driving again was only 3 blocks to run to the store for some things. I knew that I could always pull over and turn off my car if I had to. But I was not really experiencing much vertigo when I was sitting still. It was pretty much only when I was standing up.

And that first outing was a success! I did have a few moments of swaying while I was in the store, so I just leaned on the shelves for a moment to let it pass. But it was almost nothing compared to what I had been dealing with. And driving back was just as easy as driving there. So I finally felt more confident about driving.

On Monday, I did some more driving again. My phone has been dying lately. It’s pretty old in terms of how smartphones age, but the biggest issue I was having was a lack of battery power. I would charge it and unplug it at 100% and it would be dead within an hour. While I’ve been home, it’s not a huge deal because I can always charge it, but it’s been an inconvenience when I wanted to do something on my phone and not have to be next to a wall charger. And I had been wanting to get a new phone for a while. I know it’s not the most financially responsible thing to do, but at the same time I use my phone for work stuff and I think having a small thing that makes me happy is worth spending a bit more than normal. This isn’t something I do often. I try to use technology until it’s really dead. So I got a good phone in the hopes that this one will last me several years.

Driving to get the phone was a bit further than the store, but it was just as successful as my other drive. Again, I was driving on surface streets and not freeways so I knew I could always pull over if I needed to. But I’m glad I didn’t. I did have some moments of swaying at the store getting my phone, but I was also there for 2 hours (there were some weird things on my account that made take a bit longer to finish the purchase) so standing for 2 hours is a pretty long time considering what I’ve been doing for the past few weeks.

I also did some more errands yesterday. These were things I needed to do like go to the grocery store (I do use grocery delivery, but there are some things I have to get in person). I’m not planning on driving every day, but that’s how things worked out for the past few days. Although the more I think about it, maybe doing a little driving or outing each day would be good for me. I don’t have to do anything that involves me getting out of my car to keep it safe, but not feeling trapped in my house is nice.

And besides not feeling trapped, I feel much more free knowing I can drive again. It’s not just the freedom of being able to drive, but the freedom of being able to do things for myself. I have gained a little independence that I didn’t have while I couldn’t drive. I can go out and do errands myself and not depend on others. I don’t like having to ask other people to do things for me. It’s a little bit of pride and a little bit of not wanting to be a hassle or problem. I know it’s not a big deal to ask people to help me and I’m always happy to help my friends. I just struggle with letting myself ask. And while I do want to work on that, I’m glad for now I can do things for myself again and I can feel a bit more normal.

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Posted in Tough Stuff

Tagged driving, health issues

Driving and Voting (or Having A Fun Afternoon)

Posted on October 20, 2020 | Comments Off

I don’t leave my house that often these days. I do drive my car every few weeks so the battery doesn’t die, but those drives are usually just driving around with no purpose. It gets me out of my house, so I guess that’s something. But I rarely have something I have to do. But this past Friday, I actually had a few things to do and it got me driving around LA.

First, I had to drive to the valley to see 2 different friends who both had things for me. We still kept our distance and wore masks, but it was so nice to see friends in person. That’s really a rare treat these days. And even though I didn’t see either friend that long, the minutes I did spend with them was really nice. I got to catch up with them both and just feel a little bit of normalcy.

I have chatted with friends through social media, texts, phone calls, and video calls. But there is no substitution for seeing someone in person. And it was weird not being able to hug them or be closer when we were talking (plus the weirdness I still feel wearing masks), but this was better than nothing. And it was something that I had been looking forward to for about a week, so it was nice to have something fun in my week to keep me going when I wasn’t feeling so great.

Both of my friends lived within a few minutes of each other, so it was easy to go from one place to the next. And I lucked out with finding great parking at both of their places. Again, the little things make me happy.

Then I drove back home to my side of town for one more important errand. Last week, I worked on my ballot and made sure I got it all done. I always vote by mail, and I usually mail it back. But with the mail being slow these days and how many people might be mailing ballots back, I decided to drop off my ballot. I never have done that before and I didn’t actually realize there were drop off boxes that were not in voting places. I just thought if you dropped off your ballot that you were going to where people voted and there was a box there. I think the boxes are somewhat new to LA, but I’m not sure. I never looked into other options besides putting my ballot in the mail.

There are so many drop-off box locations around LA. I could have found one in the valley near my friends’ homes, but I didn’t think about doing that until after. I just did a search online to find the one closest to me (if you live in LA, you can use this page to search for them) and saw a few options. And the one that I knew would be easy to get to and have easy parking would be at the library near my house. Besides being near my house, it was right off of the freeway that I would be on to get home. So it was the perfect stop for me on my afternoon.

I know there are still people who will be doing in-person voting, but I think a lot more will be doing voting by mail. And that was clear when I parked at the library to drop my ballot off. There were at least 20 people that I saw while I was there (I did sit in my car for a few minutes to finish a phone call). Everyone was standing back and waiting for others to drop off their ballot to give a little space. And most people were doing some type of ballot selfie or photo when voting, and everyone was patient for that too. I waited until there wasn’t anyone else waiting and then went to take a quick voting photo before putting the ballot in.

I also have signed up for text alerts so I will know that my ballot has been received and counted. I don’t know how often they pick up the ballots from the boxes, but there’s still plenty of time so I know I’ll get those texts soon.

I know I could have spread out these different outings on different days to have more excuses to leave my house, but it just felt right to have a full afternoon. I felt relaxed knowing that I got things done that I needed to do and I felt so happy that I got to have a bit of social time. I am really learning how to appreciate all the little things so much more. 8 months ago, voting and seeing friends would have made me happy but not this happy. Now, doing these things really made my week.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged driving, election, friends, vote

Driving To Nowhere (or Just Getting Out Of My House)

Posted on September 23, 2020 | Comments Off

Over the past 6 months, I’ve done some random drives around LA. These drives do have some practicality. I need to make sure I drive my car every so often so that the battery doesn’t die. It’s not horrible if the battery dies because I can call AAA (or ask a neighbor for help). But I’d still prefer not to do that. Sometimes I have to drive places for real errands, so I don’t have to do these random drives all the time. But when it’s been over 2 weeks and I haven’t driven anywhere, I usually take my car to just drive with no purpose so that it gets some use.

But these drives also are a bit for my mental health. Looking at just the walls in my house can be maddening. I have said this several times, but I am very lucky that I love where I live. It’s not perfect and it’s small, but I’m very happy. And I have made improvements over time that has made my home even better for me. And even though being so isolated and lonely is a struggle, I also know that I am lucky that I don’t live with a roommate or partner that annoys me. My home is a safe and peaceful space for me. But it is only about 400 square feet and I need to see things outside of it.

So going on drives changes what I am seeing. Even if I’m not driving to somewhere that is scenic, any change is nice. Seeing crowded normal city streets is a change. It is also weird because I do see people doing things that I don’t know if they are safe (like eating at restaurants or not wearing masks), but I try not to focus on those things. I just try to enjoy being outside my house and feeling grateful that I have the ability to drive somewhere in a car that is safe.

I had to do one of these random drives this past weekend. I will be driving my car this week, but I had realized that it had been a while since I had driven and I didn’t want my car to have a dead battery when I actually needed it. And even though I just had gotten a car wash for the outside of my car not that long ago, my car was very dirty. With the fires and changing weather, my car was covered in dust, pollen, and ash. I don’t know if it’s worse than normal or it seems that way because I’m not driving most days so everything is just sitting on my car. But I decided to do another drive-thru car wash to get my car looking a bit cleaner when I did my random drive.

I can’t remember ever getting my car washed so close back to back, but I guess when I’m not spending money on much else it doesn’t matter. And the drive-thru car wash is much cheaper than the nice car wash place that I normally go to. So 2 of the cheap ones still are less than 1 of the nice ones. I guess that makes it not as bad.

I’ve seen jokes online about how humans are like dogs now. We pace around our homes looking for things to eat, we have to be reminded to stay away from others, and we look forward to car rides. I guess this is pretty true (although I don’t need the reminder to stay away from people). Going for a drive really is something that brings me joy these days. It isn’t a chore, it’s an adventure. Even when I’m just driving around the neighborhood and going for a car wash. I’m sure that once I’m driving more regularly again, going for a random drive won’t be as interesting to me and I doubt I’ll do them that often because technically they are a waste of gas. But for now, I see more random car drives in my future so I can continue to change things up.

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Tagged car, driving

Driving Around For No Reason (or Finding Places That Make Me Happy)

Posted on May 29, 2020 | Comments Off

Before the pandemic hit, I didn’t drive my car a lot. I did drive to my workouts and random things, but I didn’t have a long commute each day or put a lot of miles on my car. I add so little mileage each year on my car (typically around 8,000 miles a year) that my insurance needed proof because they didn’t believe I was driving so few miles. This is probably extra weird since I live in LA, where everything seems to require driving.

But since the pandemic hit, I have been driving even less. I don’t go to my workouts. I don’t meet up with friends or go out to do things. I have driven to Santa Barbara once and have done some random errands, but it’s still a fraction of what I used to do. I still am doing a lot of errands through deliveries (like groceries), so I’m not even going out to do that much. I can’t remember a time that I drove so infrequently since I got a driver’s license.

And with not driving that often, there is a new car-related issue that I have to keep in mind. I need to make sure that I don’t forget to drive every so often because I don’t want the battery to die. I know if it does die, I can call AAA and they can jump the battery, but I want to avoid needing to do that. I’m sure AAA has other issues to worry about that they should focus on, and I want to help limit the exposure the truck drivers have. I don’t necessarily want to test how long I can go without driving, so I’ve been looking online at how often I should drive. Most things say at least every 2-3 weeks. So I have tried to remember to drive at least once every other week. And if I am only driving to do a quick errand, I try to drive a little before the errand just to use my car a bit more.

This week, I was coming up on 2 weeks without driving my car. I didn’t have any errands that I had to drive to or anything that would require me needing to use my car. But I needed to drive to make sure the battery didn’t die. I had debated doing different things, but I couldn’t decide on where to go. Originally, I was thinking about driving to the beach again. But now that the beaches are open, I figured it would be harder to find parking. I realized if I tried to figure out where to go before I left, I probably would not get out that day. And since I wanted to get this task done, I didn’t want to put it off. So I just got in my car and started driving.

I drove the direction I often go to do different things. I had no plan in my head about where to go, but I just drove. I thought about maybe going to a fun neighborhood and looking at houses, but that didn’t seem like fun and I didn’t know how crowded some streets might be if everyone was parked (some streets aren’t really designed for people to be parked there plus driving). I thought maybe going to Hollywood to see how empty it looked by places I love, but that also felt a bit sad so I skipped that. Then I tried to think of places that make me happy and figured out a fun place to drive to.

I don’t have to go to my union’s national/local headquarters that often, but I do go there quite a bit. And the stuff that I’m able to do when I’m in that building does make me happy. I get to be a part of amazing things or watch the union in action. So driving to the union seemed to be the perfect place to go. Plus, it was a good distance for me to drive. Since there wasn’t a lot of traffic, I got there pretty quickly. I found some parking and decided to take a silly selfie to commemorate my random driving adventure.

And after taking the photo, I got back in my car and drove home. It was nice to see something familiar that makes me happy. I was a little sad thinking about all the things we haven’t been able to do because of this pandemic, but I was also reminded of the work we are doing so we can make sure we can get back to work as quickly as possible while still being safe. And knowing that my union is working hard for all of us is inspiring. When we are able to get back to work, I know we will all be grateful for what was done.

And hopefully, soon enough, I will be able to be back inside my union’s building and won’t just have to see if from afar.

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Posted in Acting, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged driving, isolation, SAG-AFTRA, union

Trying To Help (or An Adventure In My Car)

Posted on May 5, 2016 | Comments Off

The other night, I was driving to my friend’s birthday party. To be honest, I was planning on writing about the birthday party on this post. But what happened on the way is more interesting and was a lesson for me.

I wasn’t that far from my house when I got stopped in traffic. The cars weren’t moving that much and I assumed that there must be an accident ahead. I wasn’t worried about how long it would take me to get to my friend’s party, so I wasn’t thinking too much about it. Traffic finally started to move slowly, and after a few minutes I was able to see what the issue was.

The street I was driving on was a pretty major street (2 lanes in each way). Besides the cross walks at the streetlights there are also some crosswalks not where there is a light. There is a cross walk button for pedestrians to push so lights flash and cars stop. The lights weren’t flashing but there was a woman in the cross walk.

She was maybe 5 feet off of the curb into the street. She wasn’t moving forward or back like she was trying to cross (or scared to do so) but she was swaying and blocking traffic. Cars were stopping thinking she was trying to cross, but she wasn’t moving. And cars had to go around her to be able to drive so that was causing a traffic jam.

When I drove by her, I could see that something wasn’t right. I don’t know if she was drunk, high on something, or mentally unstable but clearly she wasn’t ok. I was able to pull over about half a block away from the cross walk and called 911. I felt weird calling 911 because I wasn’t totally sure it was an emergency, but I was terrified that a car would hit the woman and I knew I had to do something about it.

The 911 operator was pretty amazing. I was able to give her the exact location where I was and since I could see the woman in my rear view mirror I was able to give her a full description. While I was on the call with 911 the woman started to walk back and forth on the cross walk and occasionally stopping in the middle of the street (and almost getting hit by multiple cars). I’m sure that I was making the 911 operator nervous because I kept saying under my breath “don’t get hit by a car” and “stop doing that” while the operator was getting the information over to the police.

I kept apologizing for calling 911 because this might not be an emergency, and the operator kept reassuring me that I was doing the right thing and that I shouldn’t worry (I was also worried about getting a ticket because where I pulled over my car was parked illegally).

After being on the phone for maybe 5 minutes, the woman stopped crossing back and forth and stayed on the side of the street that I was parked in. I relayed that information to the 911 operator and then noticed that the woman was walking down the sidewalk toward me. The operator said not to do anything and just to keep updating her on where the woman was.

Then all of a sudden, the woman stopped at my window. She was looking in and staring at me and eventually was knocking on the window. I started to freak out little bit, but the operator said to not engage with her and to just stay on the phone and update her as needed. Then, before I knew it, the woman was pulling on my passenger door trying to open it.

I totally freaked out at that moment. I’m so grateful that my mom taught me to always lock my car doors as soon as I get inside so this woman was not able to get into my car. But I was still terrified and I know the 911 operator was trying to calm me down. All I could do was just keep saying “why is she trying to get into my car?” and watch the woman as she kept trying the front and rear passenger doors. The 911 operator told me that the police were on their way with the sirens on and they should be by my car soon.

After less than a minute of the woman trying to get into my car, I saw the lights of the police cars coming down the road and when they stopped behind my car the woman was still pulling on my car doors. Once they got her away from my car, the 911 operator said that I could hang up with her and that the police would probably need to talk with me.

I told the police exactly what happened and why I called 911. They took notes on my statement and took my name and phone number and sent me on my way. I took some time to calm down (I didn’t know it at the time but I started to cry when the woman was pulling on my car doors) and when I finally drove away the police were talking with the woman by the cop cars.

I have no clue why this woman was trying to get into my car. I have no idea what was happening or if I totally overreacted and there was a reason for her to be in the middle of the street. All I know is that if I had heard of a woman getting hit in a crosswalk on the news that I would feel terrible that I didn’t do something. So I had to do something. By the time I got to my friend’s party, I was still shaking a bit and coming down from the excitement of the drive over. I kept thinking that maybe I had done the wrong thing (I still don’t know what happened with the woman). But the more I think about it, I know I did the right thing. Worst case, the woman explained to the police why she was doing what she was doing and she was sent on her way. But if she was in need of help, someone had to get the help to her.

I know that we all drive past things that don’t look totally right and don’t think twice about it. I was lucky that I had the time to pull over and call 911 about this, but hopefully if you encounter a similar situation (or if I encounter another one) you will be able to help out as well.

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Posted in Tough Stuff

Tagged car, driving, help

A Bit Over-Scheduled (or Starting To Stress Out)

Posted on November 17, 2015 | 1 comment

For the past few weeks, my schedule has been pretty crazy. Every weekend is filled with something (sometimes something fun and sometimes lots of working at some of the day jobs). A few weeks ago, I realized that my next day off without having something on my schedule like work, class, or hosting an out-of-town friend would be Thanksgiving. I’m not used to not having a day every so often to just relax and do what I want to do. Right now, every day has something important and on a specific schedule. And that freaked me out a bit.

Now that my Thanksgiving trip is about a week away, I’m still extremely busy and I’m starting to worry about how I will get everything done before I head down to San Diego to be with my family.

I have to work while I’m in San Diego (I work the day before and the day after Thanksgiving) so I need to make sure I pack all of my work stuff. That ends up being very last minute because I will be driving down to San Diego right after a work shift next week. So I need to wait to pack everything I need until I’m logged out of my shift. But I’m starting to work on a work related packing list so I don’t forget anything.

I also have a few food things I need to make and bring down to Thanksgiving. I won’t have time to make them until after my class on Monday next week (that alone is stressing me out), but I’m starting on my shopping lists now and I’m hoping that I can get the ingredients this week so everything is ready for me to go Monday afternoon.

I also have gifts for a couple of people. I have a Hanukkah gift for my mom (I’ll write about that next week because it’s an awesome gift that I think you all might love), a Hanukkah gift for Ross and Krystle, and a birthday gift for my Dad (he got his Hanukkah gift back in April because I knew he’d want it as soon as possible). I’ve also got face paint for my cousin’s kids (it’s tradition) and I’m still thinking about bringing something else to maybe help decorate the house. Fortunately, all the gifts are all wrapped and in a bag with the face paint. It’s ready to go in my car but again it’s something else to have to remember to pack.

And of course, I have to start thinking about what clothes I want to bring with me. I’ll be doing another Thanksgiving morning workout with some of my family so there’s that checklist too (can you tell that I’m checklist obsessed right now?).

With all that I have to do plus lots of work do to for my day jobs, I know that when Thanksgiving day comes and I have the day off to spend with my family I will be very grateful. I’m trying not to get overwhelmed by everything I have to do, but that’s just who I am. The checklists are helping me because I can see exactly what I’m planning on bringing and when I’m packing up my car and I make sure that I don’t forget anything.

I am very happy that I can drive to Thanksgiving and don’t have to worry about flying because I can bring a lot more stuff and it’s easier to pack my car with several random small bags instead of trying to make sure everything fits into airline regulations. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to stress about.

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Posted in Celebrations, Family, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff, Travel

Tagged busy, driving, family, San Diego, scheduling, stress, Thanksgiving, travel

Driving Around East Maui (or Crossing Things Off My Maui Bucket List)

Posted on September 11, 2013 | 1 comment

This day was all about East Maui. My Aunt Nancy decided to join me and my parents (my brother was spending the day with his friends), so the four of us headed out around 9:30am to start the big drive we had ahead.

One of the tourist magazines had an article on driving to Hana. We knew we weren’t going to go all the way to Hana and back (it’s like a 3 or 4 hour trip each way), but we decided to do a bunch of the stops that the article suggested. Also, I had a list of things that I wanted to do while in Maui (take a driving trip, see a waterfall, go snorkeling, drink from a coconut, have shaved ice), so this was going to help me do a bunch of those things.

Our driving adventure was on the Hana Highway and our first stop was to Twin Falls. This was a hike through the jungle and water to get to some waterfalls. The hike there was pretty much all uphill, and when you got close to the waterfalls, you had to go through some knee-deep water.

But the end result was totally worth it!

It was so nice and relaxing back there (after I got over my fear of slipping and falling into the water and ruining my phone and camera). We didn’t wear bathing suits so we didn’t go swimming, but just wading out in the water to get to the waterfalls was quite refreshing after the hike uphill.

After walking back through the water and downhill to the parking lot, we decided to enjoy some fresh coconut water.

I’ve never drunk out of a coconut before, and I have to say that this was so much better than the coconut water you can buy in the grocery store! My mom, dad, and I shared one and it was the perfect after hike treat!

The next stop we made was at Garden of Eden, an arboretum and botanical garden. We drove up to the waterfall viewpoint area.

And right next to that were some picnic tables with one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen!

We had packed some fruit, pita chips, and spinach dip in the car; so we had a snack with a view.

Next on the Hana Highway tour was Puaa Kaa to see another waterfall. You didn’t have to get into the water to see this one, but my dad decided to do it anyway.

After that, we headed back towards where we started. We made a quick stop at Halfway to Hana for some shaved ice.

I have to say, I was expecting something very different from what we got. I’ve seen photos of Hawaiian shaved ice where it looks really fluffy and almost like ribbons of snow. This was more like a normal snow cone (but still yummy). I got half strawberry and half banana and shared with my parents (we still couldn’t finish the whole thing).

Our last stop of the day was something that casting director Marci Liroff suggested to me on twitter. We drove up to the top of Haleakala Crater to watch the sunset. There were a couple of viewpoints on the drive up the crater that we stopped at.

But we made it up to the top (over 10,000 feet above sea level!).

As you can see, we are all wearing sweaters up there. It was so cold! It felt like the winter in Lake Tahoe (minus the snow). We found an amazing spot to watch the sunset, and it was fabulous.

And as we headed back to the car, the sky on the other side was so colorful.

Finally, it was time to head back down the crater and back to West Maui where we were staying. Once we got home, we had been out for about 11 hours, so we were all pretty tired!

But I did get a lot of stuff done on my Maui list! Only snorkeling to go (and we are hoping to maybe do that on our last day here).

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Posted in Family, Fun Stuff, Travel

Tagged adventure, driving, Hawaii, Maui, sunset

Exploring West Maui (or My Dad Found A Coconut With Jesus On It)

Posted on September 10, 2013 | Comments Off

Day 2 in Maui was all about going around West Maui (the side of the island that we are staying on).

My brother and his almost wife arrived that morning, so my parents and I went for a walk around the neighborhood while waiting for them to arrive. Just walking down the driveway there were gorgeous views!

We saw some really nice flowers.

And as the title of this post suggests, my dad found a coconut with Jesus on it (at least we think that’s what we see in it).

When my brother and his fiancée got to the rental house, they stopped by to say hello, had a quick snack, and then they were off to spend the day at the beach and at a bar to watch the USC game.

And my parents and I went driving around West Maui to do some sightseeing. My parents have been to Maui before, but this is my first trip to this island (and my first trip back to Hawaii since I was 11).

Our first stop was at Honolua Bay. We just parked at the overlook and checked out the view from there.

There were a bunch of snorkelers in the water and even from up high we could see lots of fish!

Next, we went to this blowhole that my parents saw on their last trip here. We got a little confused on where we were supposed to park and walk down, but we eventually found our way (with a little help from this sign).

The blowhole was pretty cool, but it was not easy to photograph because the mist coming up wasn’t too strong.

We also did a little hike around near the blowhole, but I slipped in some mud and hit my hip pretty hard. I didn’t take pictures there because I was in a lot of pain (3 days later, I’m feeling better but still very sore).

After that, we drove on the “forbidden highway”. It’s called that because it’s a one lane road (meaning one lane for both directions to share) and most rental car companies say that if you drive there, you void your rental agreement.

The road was pretty easy. We didn’t see a ton of cars going the other way, but if we did, one car would always back up to a turnout to let the other car pass.

For that driving trip, we actually went around the entire circle of West Maui. It was a nice day and I loved getting to see a lot of the island.

We did a BBQ at the rental house that night and enjoyed another wonderful sunset.

And just after sunset, the moon was super bright and right about the water.

It was a nice full day of adventure for me!

Coming up tomorrow: East Maui, waterfalls, and giant craters!

Comments Off on Exploring West Maui (or My Dad Found A Coconut With Jesus On It)

Posted in Family, Fun Stuff, Travel

Tagged adventure, driving, Hawaii, Maui

What I’m Listening To (or I’m Not A Music Person)

Posted on October 12, 2012 | 2 comments

I spend a lot of time in my car. I work 6 days a week at one job, and I never know when I’ll be driving to an audition somewhere across town. I like driving (I get that from my mom). I don’t even mind traffic all the time.

I have a cable that I got installed in my car so I can play music from my iPhone through my stereo speakers. I love having this. But most of the things I listen to aren’t music.

I don’t particularly love music. If I have a visual memory tied to a song, I love it. So most of the music on my phone are soundtracks from musicals, tv shows, or movies.

But what I love listening to are podcasts. I’m obsessed with podcasts. And I’ve had some friends ask me in the past for some recommendations on podcasts, so I figured I’d put them all up here.

So here they are:

Entertainment Industry Related-

Inside Acting Podcast (yes I work from them now, but that just started so I’m not totally biased)

KCRW The Treatment

KCRW The Business

KCRW Film Reviews

KCRW Hollywood Breakdown

How I Met Your Mother Podcast

Making it With Riki Lindhome

News Related-

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me

KCRW LA Observed