Obama's Aides in the Waikiki West Wing

Obama returns to D.C. tonight.

Nick Shapiro, an assistant press secretary who made his second Christmas week trip to the Aloha State, came prepared. Before departing Washington, he purchased a waterproof BlackBerry case to use while surfing. Press aide Ben Finkenbinder had one as well, and the $30 accessory allowed him to e-mail a dispatch from the press pool to the White House press corps while on a surfboard off Waikiki.

Though the options for downtime are better here than in Washington, the workday for the Waikiki West Wing is still largely the same.

Before sun-up, press aides already have read through the morning news and begun reaching out to reporters. National security staff prepare an intelligence briefing for the president, often delivered in person by aides Nick Rasmussen and Ben Rhodes. Advance teams and Secret Service agents have fanned out across the island in preparation for any trips the president may take beyond his rental home in Kailua.

With a five-hour time gap between Honolulu and Washington, the day is sometimes even longer for officials who must tend to concerns in each city. More at Star Advertiser