WWW 2001 Winter Trip Report
By Dan Nakagawa (a.k.a.
danimal)
I wasnt really planning on going this year. I really wasnt.
And I cannot explain why. It wasnt the blues , and it wasnt feeling
blah.
Work was getting to me.
I was being assigned more and more classes, and the demands on my work
time were eating into my private time. I
was getting swamped. My boss, the
one who asked me to put off my first trip to Hedo till the Winter had quit.
Shes no longer a teachershes the HR manager at a corporate
headhunting firm. People I knew
were leaving and new people I didnt know were coming in, and others who had
left long ago emailed me saying are you STIL there?
I was going to make the trip to Chicago. And maybe to Seattle to see my sister.
I thought about it a long time. Then Patty (of Rupe and Patty), emailed me saying that she hadnt seen my name on the WWW list and wondered if I was going. Then, other messages came---Rupe, Denny, Diane,are you going to make it to WWW this year?
Not judgmentally, not forcefully, but lovingly, caringly.
Patty emailed me again and in her message she said we need this
trip. After all that has happened this yearpersonal stresses/problems,
daily life, work, and of course 9/11, we NEED this trip.
And at that
moment, I realized that she was right. I
realized that I was feeling low and stressed and I was about to pass up the
one thing that would have any possibility of curing me.
I signed up. I was going. And like before, I told people in the office WHERE I was going. People laughed, one girl even yelled out in the middle of the office whoohoo!
Dans gonna get naked on the beach!!! I smiled and ignored her. If there was ANYTHING that could tell me that I had made the right decision THAT WAS IT.
I wasnt going to just get naked on the beach.
I was going to see my friends. People
I knew who gave a damn about me. People
who respected me.
How could I NOT go?
What was I thinking? I began smilingon the outside AND the inside.
Okay, CUT TO December 10, 2001.
I took the American Airlines connection from Chicago to Montego Bay via Miami (mental noteNEVER do that again. I had to do it this timethe airfare package from Tokyo to Montego Bay, with stops in Chicago and Seattle was just too good to pass up. The downside is, that it ALL on American Airlines.)
I also took the busride from hell. It was me, a couple going to Grand Lido, and a guy who worked at Breezes, taking a little R and R. When the Grand Lido couple found out where I was going, their first question to me was Is it as wild as they say it is?
I thought about what I was going to say, and without
batting an eye, I looked at them and said Yup, it sure is.
I finally got to Hedo, and experienced what must have
been the quickest checkin I have ever had at Hedo.
I was put together with Jim from Vermont, another single WWW
member. After that, I knew
the drillstrip, grab your towel and head for the pool.
It was SO GOOD to see everyone! A lot of folks were on
the Magical Mystery Tour, so I didnt see all the WWW crew right away, but I
did get to see a lot of youse guys as the Captain of the catamaran
cruise would say (only a Jamaican could get away with using youse guys
and yall in the same sentence.)
I got into the pool, started mingling, and it was as if I had never
left. Bill, of Bill and Anniethe barbers of Negrilput it
best, I think: Hedo is realthe other 51 weeks is like a really long
commercial break.
Okay, I am going to now cheat and go over the highlights
of what struck me personally.
The ConstructionNice, and I can see why theyre
doing it, but not really necessary. I
swear, if Hedo were reduced to just the nude pool/hot tub, nude beach, the Cat
Cruise, Veronicas and Roberts grill, I would STILL go every year.
The construction was not that much of a pain for me (but then I didnt
go to the prude side that often.)
PJ NightI hadnt planned on participating, but I bumped into rupe on the way back to the hot tub and he convinced me to join in (by the way, the loincloth that I was wearing is the traditional Japanese underwear, and its called fundoshi. So if you ever wondered what the samurais wore under their kimonos, thats basically it.) I had a GREAT TIME.
Again, what was I thinking in NOT participating earlier?
the Cat CruiseI hit a milestone event. I am slightly aqua phobic. The past two WWW winter trips I did the same thingput on the mask and life preserver, went DOWN the ladder, and came RIGHT BACK UP. This time, I decided to try going all the way.
At the first place where we anchored, the water was kind of choppy, but I decided to go for it. I was doing ok, till I noticed that the boat was drifting AWAY from me. That is when I panicked. I frantically tried to paddle back to the boat, but it kept moving further away. I was hyperventilating and that made me more tired. I finally made it back to the boat, but couldnt climb up. It was then that I felt Brians big hand grasp mine and help pull me back onto the boat. (Brain, If youre reading this, to me, you saved my life. Thank you again. I will never forget that.)
I decided to try again at the Pickled Parrot, and the
swimming was a lot better. I went
from the boat to the PP dock, and back again.
I will admit that I was a
bit fussy about the life jacket I was wearing.
Upon reflection, I dont know why I was so worried.
I didnt have just ONE life jacket protecting meI had the best
life preservers availableYOUSE GUYS.
Toga NightOkay, I cheated.
But you have to understandI have SEEN pictures of myself in those
Hedo sheet togasI look like a guy wearing a diaper. I decided to try
something different. I brought a
traditional summer kimono (called a yukata) with me and bared one shoulderit
KIND OF looked like a toga. Heck, if anyone complained, I could say, well,
maybe THATS what YOUR ancestors were wearing as a toga, but THIS is what
MINE were wearing!
Talent NightI did another song, but not the one I
wanted to. I was going to do the
Elton John song Daniel, but when I gave
the band my request during rehearsal, they told me we dont know that
song. WHO THE HELL DOESNT
KNOW DANIEL ???????? ITS A CLASSIC!!!! Okay, no problem.
I mentioned Crocodile Rock.
Didnt know it. Dont let the sun go down on me.
Nope. Finally I said Okay,
what DO you know? Can you Feel the Love Tonightthe theme from the
Lion King. I sort of knew that,
but not 100%. Fortunately, I had
the foresight to bring my laptop and I did have a database of song lyrics, one of which was that song.
I spent the evening from rehersal to dinner practicing the songI
even made crib notes. I still flubbed a couple of lines, and to those
listening, I apologize. (Mental
Notenext time pick a Bob Marley or Jimmy Cliff song-they SHOULD know
those.) A side noteI didnt
want to do the Lion King song because I knew that Paul, the bartender always
does that song---but hes the one that encouraged me to do it, so it was
kind of like getting his blessing..another personal memory for me.
VeronicasWhat can I say that I havent said before.
Its one of the reasons I keep going back.
Dave, the Piano player, remembered me this time. Along with the songs
that were in the book, I did some original parody songsI was inspired to do
so by Kevin from England parodies and Doug from Phillys immortal Hedonismville.
Another highlight this time was doing Silent Night with Suzanne
from Chicago (along with her husband Bob, two of my many newfound friends.)
THE Chris Santilli (and Doug from Philly)This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Ive read both editions of her book, cover to cover. I have the honor of being quoted in her second edition. I found her to be as warm and as charming in person as she is on paper, with just enough zaniness and craziness to be great.
And DougYou Da MAN!
His jokes kept me in stitches, and hearing Hedonismville from the
authors own lips, was an extra special treat.
The MealsWanna find me in the mornings?
Just look for a table next to the bar.
My favorite morning routine is to find a table near the bar, looking
out towards the prude pool. I can
usually be found there sipping coffee and downing a big plate of scrambled
eggs, crisp bacon, ackee/saltfish and hash browns, and a big plate of fruit (I
promised my Mom that Id have fruit at least once a day.
Before he passed on, my Dad found out that I was going to Hedo (this
was wayyyy back in 1985) Mom was
shocked; he wasnt. He knew
that I wouldnt get myself into any trouble. He knew that I practiced safe
sex(on those few occasions that I actually got to DO IT.) I dont do
drugs. His only advice to me was
I know how you get when they put a BUFFET in front of youjust try not to
overdo it, okay? All-you-can-eat is just a SUGGESTION, not a COMMAND.)
YOUSE GUYSI saved the best for last. On the final episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the entire news crew is getting laid off. Lou Grant (Ed Asner), Marys boss, in a final goodbye to his staff, looks at them all and says I cherish you people. You all make it worth traveling 14 hours by plane to meet up with you every year. People keep telling me
it must he grueling, traveling so far for so long!
Believe me, its NOT. Not when I know what good times and good people await me at the end of my journey.
So to all of youse guys, far, far too many to mention hereThank you for making my trip worth waiting for.
And to Dennythank you for introducing me to such
wonderful people thru your websiteyourself included.
I wasnt really planning on going this year.
What was I thinking?
Peace, Love and Joy to all
Dan Nakagawa
danimal