July 29, 2003
Hello Everybody,
I never remember all that I want to say with one email letter so that is why my messages seem rambling. Also, new experiences change my plans. Today, it was a burst tire, which depressed me further than I already was. I was trying to get to work very early in order to send mail. I was off on Monday and didn't come to the hospital. I could not find my jack or lug wrench and it took 15 minutes for a guy to finally stop to help me. This is my third flat in three months of owning this car. I had hit the same roadedge pothole before but it is hard to see in the dark with a vehicle approaching. Most vehicles are much higher than mine so it is more difficult to see the nuances of the road. There are thousands of potholes. It has been raining everyday (sometimes with thunder-but not the very loud thunder that we have in Maryland). Some days it rains almost all day and it pours. Most of the rain is in bursts. There were stars out when I left the house at 5:45 but it was sprinkling lightly when I was standing waiting for assistance. A nice Japanese-American in Marine Research stopped to change it for me. Fortunately, he had good equipment. I was so grateful This is supposed to be the dry season but it obviously is not. I was told that it was El Nino. But the good side is that the temperatures are usually 74-78 degrees. When it rains here people don't bother with it because they do not get cold. Only in the ER where the temp goes down to 65, do people get cold.

I found some peaches at the store and patiently waited for them to ripen. I had some yesterday. Pretty good! I really miss all of the peaches that I bought in Western Maryland and in Boise. I ate peaches every day for 6 weeks. I have never seen a list of fruits that ripen off of the vine or tree. I found out that papaya ripen after being picked and am learning when to open them. Mangos will be available here in another month. I have also discovered oka. It is a fish salad made with small pieces of raw fish, tiny diced cucumbers and tomatoes in a coconut dressing. I loved it immediately and am only sorry that I hadn't found it before. I love all of the dishes with coconut, from pani po-po (rolls with coconut sauce that they are baked in from the coconut in the spinach(or ti) leaves to coconut soup. People here eat much meat and little in the way of fruit or vegetables excepting green banana, breadfruit and taro, all of which taste the same-very bland. But here we are in a fruit heaven. I am expected to prepare a sort of lecture in two weeks and plan to do it on basic dermatology. I believe that a good diet would prevent the skin infections which are epidemic here. I diagnosed one of the physicians here with herpes zoster. He had pain and had no idea that he had shingles. I don't know how I will do it yet. I went to a party of Masons and Shriners very close to my house on Saturday. It was a potluck picnic. The owners have a small hotel. Their deck overlooks the ocean. It is high up and quite beautiful. He is palongy (sp?) or not natives like me. The party was mostly Samoan but Colleen's husband is a Shriner and Colleen stopped by suddenly to ask me to go. Fortunately, I was making deep fried eggplant with the young eggplants that are so good here. My first attempt at this, so I took some along. Sunday was very depressing with Nasty Nurse recruiting another nurse to heckle me. I really needed Monday to recuperate. The gym was closed on Sunday so I waited for 45 minutes to no avail. They changed their hours. No one told me though I have been going there every other day for 3 months. I am reading Eric Lustbader right now. Interesting. I appreciate hearing from you all. Thanks. I will try to write individually when I get the time. The email that I get constitutes most of my social life, still.
Miss Mensa, dancing and you, of course.
Love, Genie