Laupahoehoe Point (or, Why did I decide to go to Chemistry Boot Camp?)

I'll start with Chemistry.  I found out that I needed one more Chemistry course a while back, and of all the classes I knew I was going to have to take, this is the one I dreaded the most.  I had hoped that I finished all of my core math and science courses 12 years ago when I tortured myself through three semesters of Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry.  Apparently I didn't torture myself enough.  I needed one more, and to make matters worse it's the second class in a two-class series, one building off the other.  As mentioned, I took the first one 12 years ago and had forgotten about 90% of it so that meant I needed to re-learn most of that material as well.  Oh, and the term is only 5 weeks long, so it's kind of like a Chemistry boot camp of sorts.

So, here I am, 4 weeks into one of the most grueling courses I've ever taken, and on the verge of a week filled with 3 regular exams and a final exam.  If all goes well, next week at this time I'll be enjoying the fact that I'll never have to take another Chem class again!!  Still a big "if" at this point though.

So that's why I haven't blogged in a while.  I really shouldn't be blogging now because I should be studying but I'm so sick of Chemistry I had to take a break from it for a little while.  Let's talk about something else, shall we?

Many of the breakwaters or seawalls here on the Big Island are constructed of these oddly shaped concrete blocks.  I think they look pretty cool.  I have no idea why they're shaped this way and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the way they're stacked.
(After reading this post my niece Christine sent me a text asking if maybe they were shaped like that to dissipate wave energy, and she was exactly right!  Good job, Christine.  I'll send you an official "I Lived On A Boat" T-shirt and coffee mug as soon as I have them made.  Each block is called a Dolos, plural form is Dolosse, not to be confused with Accropodes, which are a slightly different type of oddly shaped sea-wall block.)
(People keep chiming in on this one.  My brother Dan responded saying they resemble Tetrapods.  He used to see them all over the coasts when he lived in Japan.  Nice guess, but from what I can tell the Tetrapod has a slightly different shape, same purpose though.  No t-shirt or coffee mug, Dan, but thanks for playing.)

I took these pictures at Laupahoehoe Point.  This is yet another incredibly scenic area on The Big Island.  The water here is an amazing looking foamy-blue/green color.  It looks so inviting, but you can't just jump in anywhere because you'd probably get smashed against rocks and pulverized, but like I said, looks inviting.

This is just one of the many beautiful detours on my way to the bank.  I was telling my sister Renee that I love going to the bank here.  The closest branch is 45 minutes away from Hilo in a town called Honoka'a, but the drive there is amazing.  And, if I choose to, I can drive an extra 10 minutes further and see one of the most picturesque views in all of Hawaii, Waipio Valley.

Welp, that's it for today.  Just wanted to say hello to everyone, bitch about Chemistry a little, and share some pics.  Back to the books!