#molokai

[softsoundingsea]

In Moloka‘i, there's an area called Kalaupapa. It previously was settlement for people with leprosy because of how isolated it is. My family and I hiked down to the town and although tiring, it was also a great experience. We got to talk to someone who grew in the community and I, as a teenager at the time (2015), was able to learn about the history of this place that was somewhat unknown to me prior.

I suggest reading-watching, "Huaka‘i to Kalaupapa, a land of living legends" to learn about history pre-western contact.

[lemeoli]

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 13: Molokai

(Or shall I say, for some reason, Moloquai?)

It's always fun to listen to a holiday episode during the holidays! By which I mean Chanukah, of course (I listened to Molokai on an hour-plus car trip between two Chanukah parties). Now, as someone who is not a Christmas person I always judge a Christmas episode by how well I'm able to enjoy it despite not being a Christmas person. For the record, most episodes pass pretty easily. But Molokai is an interesting one, because it passes despite being very, very, very Christmassy.

Why does it pass? Well, first of all, it helps that it's on a British show, which means that some stuff I genuinely can't tell whether it's a Christmas thing I don't know about or a British thing I don't know about (what the hell is a sugar mouse?), and the latter is something I basically have to be okay with to listen to the rest of Cabin Pressure to begin with (I'm still not sure what a Wimpy is over a decade after first listening to this episode, after all). So it's just kind of immersing in another culture, except it's really two cultures, English culture and Christmas culture (as, of course, epitomized by The Auspicious Pig and Whistle of Tokyo).

The second (and bear with me, it gets a bit involved) is that it might be very specifically about Christmas, but it's also just about happiness, community, and, best of all for me, ritual and the way that that can make holidays even better. To a certain extent, that's something that I know is subjective- I grew up in a religious culture which values religious and holiday ritual very strongly, and so that's something that I'll always find to be meaningful, even if sometimes that comes from creating your own meaning or emphasizing the parts that mean most for you. But at the same time- lots of the "ritual" that I prize on various holidays isn't religious at all, but just the product of family tradition in ways that bring us all together. Particularly as an adult, I've found that holidays make only as much of an impact as you WANT them to- and including ritual makes that impact stronger, because it forces you to DO something that separates this day from other days, and that, incidentally, keeps you busy and absorbed.

It's why I found Martin's disliking Christmas in this episode, only to get really into it when it comes to creating the rituals of Christmas for Arthur, so interesting. I don't recall any real REASON being given for Martin disliking Christmas- it could be an affectation along the lines of Arthur's attempt at sounding grown-up by calling Christmas over-commercialized, but it sounds more like, as an adult living in shitty circumstances (we don't really KNOW what kind of shitty circumstances yet because we haven't heard Qikiqtarjuaq yet, but still) who isn't super close with his family and for whom any Christmas he has, he'll have to make for himself, he doesn't have much reason to like it! What, indeed, WOULD make Christmas different than a typical day for him? But as soon as he's given a reason to cling to the trappings and rituals of Christmas, he gets into it, and I really do love that.

Now of course, Arthur is really the poster child for the whole above concept. But- I was going to say that that's almost too obvious, but that's not really it. It's that Arthur is the one who does this ALL THE TIME. We know already that he's the heart of this show, and what it seems to really come down to is that a large part of that is creating a life around rituals or practices that bring joy. On the most basic level we have that list of events and holidays that he likes, all of which are defined by ritual in some way (I admit to not knowing much about Lent). But I think it goes beyond that- first of all, he CREATES ritual: while it's unclear who exactly invented the name Birling Day, he's the first one to use it in Edinburgh and he's the one who creates a "Happy Birling Day" song in Paris. Even more than that, though, we know his life philosophy from Fitton- create meaning and happiness from things that you DO (sinking into a bath at just the right temperature) rather than from things that happen to you (happening to be in the moonlight with the love of your life). In so many ways, that's what ritual is- rather than treating a time of year or a life cycle event as a thing that happens to you, you create your own meaning through your own actions. You're active and in control of your own joy.

So anyway, all this to say, Molokai continues the Arthurian tradition of Cabin Pressure which is that we have power over our joy by creating and expressing it, and just so happens to apply it to Christmas as a specific example. Gah. I have no idea if that makes sense written out- it does in my head.

And I've barely gotten to the actual episode!

One thing I'd forgotten til I turned it on- Molokai is the first post-Sherlock episode to be recorded. I'd heard a lot from people that the laughter gets louder as a result, which leads to the show seeming funnier as you laugh with the audience. I was skeptical- and I was SORT OF wrong. I do think that the show gets funnier in no small part because JF becomes a better and better writer, but at the same time... the laughter DEFINITELY gets louder. Oh my gosh. I'm not sure how I'd never noticed it. Like, it's loud in Limerick, but this is another level. And what's nice is you can kind of hear the actors feeding off the crowd energy, which is yet a third reason why S3-4 might seem even better.

(On that note, I don't know how much JF pre-planned his rendition of Get Dressed, but it is note perfect. It would have just been normal-funny if he'd sung it, but the Chri-i-i-i-i-stmas/Chri-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-histmas Days took it up another level. Kudos to him- and his "you'd better not pout, you'd better not cry" is just as great. Incidentally, as a non-Christmas celebrator I didn't get that joke until way later, but his performance is so funny that honestly it didn't matter.)

Of the two plot lines (each with its own set of Chekhov's Guns) in this episode, I vastly preferred the Secret Santa plot. Not that there's anything wrong with the Mr Alyakhin plot- but the resolution, however clever, is just a LITTLE bit too unlikely and over the top. Which, again, sounds weird to say about Cabin Pressure, a show where in a few episodes they'll be dragging a piano to a pub in Devon, but I do still believe that it's all about proportionality- a crazy antagonist justifies a crazy resolution, and this resolution was just a trifle too crazy for the antagonist (and relies a little too much on him missing some major red flags). But it genuinely doesn't matter, because it's still hilarious and sweet, and ends on just the right outrageous note- in particular, the note in Roger Allam's voice (playing to the audience beautifully) as, after an almost-too-long pause, he says "mulled it." Just beautiful- all of the setup and the pitch-perfect payoff.

There's probably other stuff, but please excuse me, I have some latkes to eat. Tomorrow, we're off to Newcastle, one that I haven't listened to in AGES- and I'm dying to know what I'll think!

[picturespoetry-n-prayers]

February 2020

Puakenikeni Tree at Aunty Sissyʻs home

[akaremayaro]

Akaremayaro 2023 IG

[robemmy]

[denbo66]

May 10th - Feast of Saint Damien De Veuster of Molokai (1840-1889)

Missionary and Carer of the Lepers. Often known just as 'Father Damien'. Beatified 1995. Canonised 2009.

[tourolia]

Best of Molokai Hawaii

[besttravelplanners]

Top 10 Things to do in Molokai, Hawai If you want to support me and my channel the best thing you can do is Subscribe on https://www.youtube.com/@BestTravelPlanners?sub_confirmation=1

Click here to watch this Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq5NTqcKRdQ

[kkdas]

Towering sea cliffs, untouched wilderness, and deep history. Kalaupapa Peninsula, Molokai,

photo credit: @andystenz

[ghostaris]

reading about Moloka'i history in an academic stance is so horrific and it solidifies how western ideals are a fucking plague.

[lemeoli]

[herbivorepr]

Secret Summer

Wailea, Maui • Makapuʻu Lighthouse, Oʻahu • Pelekunu Valley, Molokaʻi

In June 2011 I went to Hawaiʻi for 2 weeks to hang out with THE GREEN and experience the Aloha.

One morning on a Maui beach Ikaika taught me about native plants. On my last full day Zion drove me around the entire island of Oahu after a dolphin boat cruise. Grateful 💚

“even before the tide washed away, the sand from the shores

and even before the valleys were carved out by the rain”

[picturespoetry-n-prayers]

Jan. 2017

[sanctobin]

Anthony Bourdain in Hawai'i. 'Aina. Ohana.

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

Somehow, female bears can dive rather well themselves

Scene: On a pontoon in the Open Water Practice Area for Peter Potamus' dive camp just outside La Jolla, where we find yours truly, Huckleberry Hound, Peter Potamus--and no less than Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee, lovesick and rather passionate she-bears as turn out being fond of diving as well. High tide has just started ebbing, more or less, and there's about 25 feet of water beneath.

In getting our gear on, Peter couldn't help but notice just how enthused the ursine guests were; Emmy Lou was quick to remark "We may not exactly be from Jellystone or thereabouts--"

Which prompted Peter Potamus to note their Southern accents, and Jenny Lee, the younger one of the pair, to add "--but somehow, we bears can certainly dive!" To which Emmy Lou noted, "She may be a bit precocious, mind y'all, but it can get to be rather worthwhile!"

On jumping in, our entire party could only sense nothing but wonder at what it feels like to enjoy diving, and most natural diving even ... and yet for some reason, we couldn't help but notice the butts of Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee especially, as if something fascinating was about to ensue approaching bottom. The fascination, it emerged, coming as much from the sight of a rock reef with early signs of coral turning up, such being more or less the shift in the Pacific's waters in that area between the warmer, more tropical-like waters supportive of coral reefs and the cooler such where rock reefs predominate, as the almost spontaneous show and feeling of vaginal arousal such as Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee can't resist letting come to their bodies on diving.

And as Peter Potamus, wonderfully naked in many diving scenarios such as circumstances permit, started kneeling on the ocean bed, Huck and I were wondering whether an Underwater Hippo Hug such as Peter Potamus is fond of deploying to especially worthwhile divers joining him would be awarded Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee.

Which it did ... and judging by the sight, confirmed by a later on-boat debriefing, the feeling as came over both she-bears as Peter Potamus, ever the charmer, hugged their hearts out (even allowing for full SCUBA gear and such fascinating feelings between the legs) was just so ... sensual. "Nothing to be ashamed about," Peter was bound to note, "because a mermaid once explained to be that modesty is rather unlikely in Nature!"

"I assume," Huckleberry Hound noted, "this would those there Polynesian exploratory adventures." To which Peter remarked, "How right that is, Huck; after all, such Polynesians of the still-unmapped reaches can't resist just wearing themselves ... especially in the water, and even more so in the company of dolphins for some reason or another! And I've witnessed an occasional episode of underwater love most naturally fascinating, such where a young gal and her lover of the moment are swimming in some coral reef and they can't help but sense desire most fascinating--imagine, lovemaking most pure and yet so primitive diving in a coral reef and not feeling ashamed about it!"

Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee were quick to concur, even recalling of one time where the pair were off the Hawai'ian island of Molokai in the company of a Native Hawai'ian diver preparing to show them an especially beautiful underwater coral cave and, when the two managed to pass through, even considering Emmy Lou's size, they were somehow surprised to have such aroused feelings between the legs that they couldn't help but mutually play with themselves underwater, "which surprised our native guide; he was quick to explain that until Western influence and suppression of native customs came along," Jenny Lee explained, "native wahine out diving were fond of suddenly masturbating and rubbing their vaginas underwater, and not feeling ashamed of it!"

Emmy Lou remarked, "Even if such an experience came oh so suddenly over us, our underwater guide much appreciated what had overcome us!"

"Even for bears like yourselves," added I.