A Very Surfing New Year

Today’s Music: The Ramones – Surfin Bird
Days Til Spring: 79
I’m generally the quiet type. I don’t talk a whole lot. Because when I do, it invariably gets me in trouble.
Despite the fact that it was below 30 degrees farenheit this morning with a water temp of maybe forty deg F, I’d been saying I was planning on surfing new years day for several weeks. Enough to the point that A Frank Angle, on his list of “national…” days listed wednesday as El Guapo Surfing Day. Enough to the point where my boss sent me a happy new year email, closing with “don’t drown.

Wish I’d been wrapped in a blanket like my board…

So despite the frigidity of the weather forecast, and the fact the the surf forecast was one word – Flat – I’d backed myself into a corner.
To be honest I was still planning on going when I went to bed at 2 last night. I’d cut myself off after two (delicious) beers so I wouldn’t be hung over. I even packed my bag with gloves, booties and hood and pulled out my wetsuit.
I woke up bright and early at 8 am, but my wife (The Most Wonderful Girl in the Universe) was so warm and snuggly that I stayed curled up with her until 9. But then my innate “me”ness kicked in.
By 945, I was in my wetsuit at dunkin donuts getting coffee.
By 1015, I was on the beach, freezing my butt off, looking at an ocean surface only slightly rougher than glass.

Don’t let the ripple in that pic deceive you. That wave, and all the waves were breaking so close to the beach it was like surfing in sand.
But don’t let it be said that I am a victim of common sense!

My wetsuit-clad leg, ready for battle.

The waves were so low, and breaking so late, that I stood a few yards from the beach. When I saw the few surfable waves roll in, I hopped n my board and rode them the five yards into the sand.

Those drops of water on the board are good atlantic ocean drops.

So I stayed in the water about 45 minutes. When I first got in and the water trickled into my glove, it was so cold that it took about five minutes until the water warmed up and I could move my hand again.

The waves? Crap.
The weather? Freezing.
The surfing? Horrible.
But New Years Day, I spent the morning doing something I love – sitting on a surfboard in the ocean on a beautiful morning.
And if that ain’t worth it…well then, the crazies who ran into the water in bathing suits (and a tutu) 10 minutes after I got out was totally worth it.

And you thought I had problems???

Happy New Year to each and every one of you to your families, and to your loved ones.
And I hope every last one of you catches your wave, whatever it might be.

An Adventure Philosophy Post: Being and Doing

Today’s Music: Cab Calloway – (Hep hep) The Jumpin Jive

I’m a skier. Put me in a pair of boots that fit, drop me on skis (rentals are fine), and I’m all set.

El Guapo surveying his domain…

I’m a rock climber. despite being in terrible shape, I can belay with the best of them, and keep your tail from hitting the ground if you come off the cliff. At the same time, I can find some way up the face and warn you if I’m not going to make it.
I’m a scuba diver. despite a depressingly low overall amount of time spent underwater, I’m conscientious with checking and donning my gear. I know how to not panic (trust me, it’s a hard won skill), and I pay close attention to where I am underwater.

Sadly, I’m not a surfer. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely love surfing. I’m planning on putting on my wetsuit, strapping my board to the roof and diving in on 1 Jan, unless the weather is just horrible.
But when I get on a board, I’m just awful. I have no idea what to look for when catching a wave, and no feel for when to stand up on the board. The majority of my rides end with the nose of the board plowing into the water, and me shooting over it like Wile E Coyote in too many cartoons.
That’s fine. It’s still fun.

The pros got nothin on me.

But that line – the difference between just doing something, and being something – is an important one for me. It’s about going beyond being a random participant, and breathing in everything you can about whatever it is.

When I learned to scuba dive, I read everything I could get my hands on. I would go into shops and handle equipment, studying different mounting options, handling features, options and tools. I would play with my depth tables (because some things are too important to leave to a computer), and occasionally wander around the house in flippers (Oh, like I’m the only one who does that).
Under water, I’ve gotten into some odd situations, and remembered that as long as I could breathe, I was still ok. Then, calmly, I figured out how to get out of them.
Scuba diving is also one of the few sports I’ve done where the training actually is helpful.
And thank god for that.

But a new year is right around the corner. And I plan to be in the water on the first, on my board. Maybe I’ll even graduate from a guy who has a surfboard to a full fledged surfer!

How it All Begins

Today’s Music: Sting – Brand New Day

I ain’t sayin’ it was a bright idea.
But it was a really really good idea.
So at 7am, Me and my gear and my hangover left the house on 1 Jan 2012.
And at 8 am, on the beach, ready to surf, this is what I saw.

And that’s exactly how I wanted to start the year.

(No, I didn’t surf that well. But on the first day of the year, I was in the Atlantic Ocean on a surfboard. And that’s all I really wanted.)

Surfing at Rockaway

Today’s Music: The Beach Boys
Today’s Adventure: SURFING!!!!

Let me just start this post by saying I Suck.
Really.
I smoke a pack a day of Marlboro Lights Golds. I do as little regular exercise as I possibly can (though if pushing remote control buttons were an Olympic Sport, well I’d still lose, but not by a lot).
I should not be out surfing.

But God help me, I love it.

So I went out today with my surf bag (prepacked and ready to go) and my board. I had all the tools I needed. Except my contacts.
Fortunately, that wasn’t a problem.

Not the batmobile, but it'll do...

I made it to the beach in good time, and unpacked my gear. I was smart enough to wear my wetsuit on the drive, saving me an embarrassing 10 minutes trying to wriggle into it on the beach.
Waxed up my board, and in I went.

It was beautiful out there. Light wind, 1 – 3 ft rollers coming in and breaking cleanly. A perfect day for surfing.

I paddled out to where the other surfers were, about half a dozen or so, and took my place in the line-up. I sat up on my board and started looking for waves.
In came a beautiful one, I laid down, started paddling to turn myself around and… missed it.
Tried again. Same thing.
I called out to the surfer next to me
“Hey, let me ask you something”
“Sure”, he said.
“How do you turn your board around” I asked.
“What do you mean?” he answwered.
“Well, we’re all sitting here on our boards, facing out” I explained. “When I see a wave, but can’t spin around fast enough to catch it.”
He thought a moment. “Sit all the way on the back of your board” he said, demonstrating. “When you see your wave, a couple of quick paddles will get you around”.
“Oh, Thanks”, I said, understanding.
And it worked. Next wave I saw, I slid back on the board, spun around, laid down and paddled to catch it. And pearled.

For those that don’t know, Pearling, in surfing, is when the surfer dismounts his board by sliding off the front of it.
Hilarious. Not fun. But hilarious to watch.

My Superhero-Surfer gear

The next two that I caught, I managed to “kneeboard” in. I went back out, hoping for one more ride before I packed it in.
In came a big one, maybe 4′. I was set up on it, paddling furiously, but I guess I was a moment too late.
The wave crashed down on me, knocking me off the board, then a surge of froth washed down my throat and pushed me under.
I waited a moment for it to pass, then popped up, caught my breath and started for the shore. Wheezing. Like an old lady. Or a pack-a-day smoker.
I couldn’t get enough air in. At all. I was gasping.

I stood on the shore for the next five minutes, trying to catch my breath.
When I had it, I started to take off my wetsuit. And falling on my ass. Twice.
Hey, you try disentangling yourself from six feet of neoprene tangled around your ankles, and when your arms and legs have turned to jelly.
Hmph.

With that finally done, I loaded up the car, and headed off to Tap & Grill for fish tacos. But they don’t open till noon.
But I’ll be back.

So what did we learn today?
– Sit on the tail of the board to turn around fast enough to catch the wave.
– Stop smoking!!!!
– Do a pushup, for crissakes!

Learn from my mistakes, folks. Lord knows I won’t…

Random Notes

Today’s Music: The Wombats

Haven’t posted in a few days.
Just thought I’d throw out some of what’s going on.

Music –

The Wombats are again Today’s music. I had tickets to see them last night. Couldn’t make it. A little grumpy about that.

Health –

The sick relative has been moved to a post-op facility and is getting better. Doesn’t mean they are good yet, just not quite as bad.
That means that instead of trekking out to Long island every night and on weekends, I will be hauling to the wilds of Queens.
On the bright side, there is the chance of a good restaurant nearby, so that’s something anyway.

And my wife (most wonderful girl in the universe) is getting over a cold* that only lasted 2 days. For her, that is ridiculously short. And there was only a minimum of chasing her under the blankets or up to bed. (mostly because I’m exhausted and probably just barely holding off a cold myself).

*Her being sick and me almost being sick has not stopped me from kissing her. Some risks are just worth the reward.

Cooking –

Still going with the “cook like hell” on Sunday so my girl and I have food to eat during the running around weeks of work and healthcare visits.
Cooking 3 or 4 meals at once on the weekend makes it a lot easier during the week. It’s nice to know that we will have something good to eat when we get home, and I prefer bringing my lunch to work so that A – I don’t throw away 10 bucks for a bad sandwich, and B – I know what I’m eating.
I believe there is beef stew and chicken soup (yes, from scratch) on next weeks menu…

Mental –

You know, I’m kind of run down.
It’s not just the sick relative. Work has been busy and the peanut gallery has been getting more worked up than usual. I’ve gotten to the point where I pretty much ignore everything they say
unless it is directly related to work. Which means I’m ignoring about 95 percent of the noise they make. They are in a different office, but close enough that they don’t have to go to far out of their way to try and piss me off.
There’s a reason I don’t own firearms folks.
I’m also a bit concerned about money. We’ve bought many of the prescriptions the sick relative needs, we were driving out to see him daily when the rel was on long Island, and there have been too many days/nights where we had no prepared food, so lunch and or dinner had to be bought.
We aren’t falling behind or on the verge of going broke, but I do worry about it…

Bright Spots –

I have my health (such as it is).
The rel is getting better
The wife is getting over her cold
The weekend is coming and surf conditions might be good if the wind comes down a bit
Doctor Who Series 6will be out on DVD next month
I have been subjected to almost no Kardashian/Gaga/Michael Jackson/Britney news lately, and Lindsey Lohan should be fading from the spotlight again shortly.

Now if we could just make the politicians be civil, that would be fantastic….

Hopefully I’ll be a bit more coherent after Friday and will be back posting, updating, and above all, babbling more regularly soon.

How has your week been?