It always astounds me how gorgeous Hawaii is. You think you recall the beauty, the weather, etc – but your memories just don’t do it justice.

Came on Monday with Sydney, and Pam came down from Seattle (after doing well with sister Angie in a mini-triathalon in Seattle) and we’ve just been doing all kinds of stuff. The hotel (the Fairmont Kea Lani) has everything – including a 150 foot waterslide, that Sydney has been on no less than 200 times. I’ve done it 30-40 times myself. Boogie boarding, scuba lessons, hula lessons, and a Henna tattoo were all on the menu for Sydney.

Played some reasonably nice golf today at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Playing Wailea Emerald tomorrow, then a Luau tomorrw night, Snorkeling Saturday, then home Sunday. Good GOD. What a great time.

As I sit here on the verge of creating something truly great (and not just for money – to to build something that will truly last), it occurs to me that the reason most people don’t start their own business is pure fear. Afraid of the risk, afraid of failing, afraid of the lack of stability. What they don’t think about is the downside of not venturing out – assuming you have the idea and the means to make it happen of course. What about:

– Working somewhere forever for a company you don’t believe in
– Working for a company that sells a product that doesn’t really benefit anyone
– Working for a company that knowingly steals from people
– Working for a boss who has no original ideas of their own – and doesn’t reward anyone else for theirs
– Working for a rampaging idiot of a boss, who yells to make people feel small – and make himself feel more like a man
– Spending your whole life doing something for which you have no passion whatsoever

All of those sound MUCH worse than any risks I can think of.

It reminds me of my flight training – the first flight instructor I got yelled at me in the plane, having explained nothing to me in advance. There hasn’t been much yelling with Steve, but he’s also not giving me a lot of data to start with. Diet, milestones, future plans – all a mystery to me. The timing worked out that I would need to start working out in the afternoons (for weight training – cardio is still in the morning every day), and Steve couldn’t do it then. So I decided to try someone new – Brandon Charls.

We started by talking about how to eat in general – what to eat before and after workouts, general diet guidelines (the only eating for me after 6pm now is raw carrots and celery) and he even suggested – suggested – that I have a day of junk food to allow my body a bit of variation and my mind some reward for killing myself. Not sure I can go back to Del Taco ever again – but I’ll certain give a hamburger a try.

Then came the workout. Harder. Much harder. Faster, more intense, and pushing myself to a level beyond what Steve ever did at his wost. Legs hurt for 3 days after. I’m glad. I’m not in this to be coddled. I want to get in shape, and as quickly as possible. Will post results in a month. Currently down to 227 (from 245), with 25% body fat (down from 31.1%) – but looking to get to 210 and under 20%.

If I believed in God, I’d ask for prayers.

Tomorrow marks 9 years of my being a father. If you don’t have a child, you must think the phrase “They grow up so fast” is the biggest cliche’ of all time. Well, yes. But it’s true. I’m telling you – she was learning to walk YESTERDAY, and now she is asking when she can get a cell phone. (Answer – when her whereabouts are not know to me or her mother at every single minute of the day)

So big party tomorrow at the house. BBQ, swimming, music, etc. Should be a great time. I’ll be quietly worrying about the fact that she is now exactly half way to 18. EGADS.