7 Creative Ways the HONOLULU Staff Copes With Hawai‘i’s Horrible Smoke, Vog
Seven ideas to survive the Hawaiian vog.
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Ugh, it’s that time of the year again. Plumes of smoke and vog are smothering the clear skies of Hawai‘i, thanks to Madame Pele. It’s hard to breathe. Your nose is stuffy. You’re in a bad mood. How do you deal? We polled our staff at HONOLULU Magazine for some ideas on how to cope with the temporary air pollution.
1. Surf’s Up!
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“Surfing always helps me, whether I’m stuffed up from sulfuric dioxide in the air or suffering through a vog-induced headache. The salty air, the cleansing ocean, catching waves—that’s a cure for a lot of things!”
—Catherine Toth Fox, food and dining editor
2. Stay Put
“I don’t have air conditioning, so I just sit and suffer and try to avoid flights of stairs. Vitamin C also helps my throat feel a little better.”
—Katrina Valcourt, associate editor
3. Medicine
“Zyrtec-D. Nothing works better to stop the runny nose/sneezy thing that vog brings on.”
—Alyson Helwagen, publisher
4. Hydrate
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“Drink lots of water, stay (relatively) cool and take a nap when I get a vog-induced headache.”
—Kelsey Ige, art director
5. Get a Massage
“I went to see my massage therapist Norm. He did energy work on me. It was an uplifting, positive experience, and my vog headache went away—just like that.”
—Kristin Lipman, creative director
6. Hang Out at a Coffee Shop
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“I enjoy hanging out at my favorite coffee shop. The fresh smell of roasted coffee beans and tea leaves are overpowering. What vog?”
—Diane Lee, digital media manager
7. Watch a Movie
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“There was a whole week of days when you couldn’t see Wai‘anae from Diamond Head and I got too claustrophobic sitting in a little air-conditioned studio at home. That’s it, ‘I’m going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ I said, after lunch on Saturday. My wife was horrified. ‘Not Star Wars!’ she said, as if I’d announced I was going to Club Hubba-Hubba. She was right, but never has a bad movie done me so much good.”
—Don Wallace, senior editor
