Aloha!

It's not quite 8AM in Waikiki. I've been up since 5AM, going over email and trying to catch up with work.

I'm behind in several projects and some days this creates a lot of stress. But it's hard to hate your job when you're enjoying the ocean breeze from the 27th floor of the Hilton. Someone suggested that I should stay extra days to have a vacation, but there's no way I can afford the hotel and meals if I had to pay for it.

Fortunately, I had responsibilities on Tuesday and Thursday, so today is mostly free. I have a meeting with our contractors this morning and then I'm going to attend the annual luncheon for the Oahu Visitors Bureau. Why? Because I'm here. Then it's off to the North Shore to the Polynesian Cultural Center and a luau and show featuring beefy Hawaiian boys twirling fire while wearing grass skirts. Nice.

Tomorrow I speak at the Hawaiian Ag Conference. Presentation? What presentation? Yeah, that's still not quite complete. But it will be by 7:00 tomorrow morning.

I get a generous federal-rate per diem for "meals and incidental expenses." For Honolulu, it's $100/day. Yesterday I bought a latte, a bottle of water and a pack of gum. Lunch was on the Hawaii Dept of Ag and dinner was the leftovers. I think this justifies the $130 I spent on a new pair of shoes. Which I needed. And they're both cute and comfortable, yet business like.

In fact, these shoes could be the start of a whole new look for me. The stylish, put together Eliza. The opposite of the frumpy, just scraping by in black jeans and clogs Eliza. Naturally, Zappos carries these same shoes --so you can buy a pair, too.