Mood: antsy-in-my-pants-i-just-wanna-get-wet
One word to describe my day: introspective
Tunes: Your Hands in Mine - Explosions in the Sky
It has been quite the week since I last posted. Lots of studying, coaching, and socializing. I am officially tired today. This week was midterms week, but I only had one midterm. haha...not much of a midterm week. I've had quizzes here and there and I've got a project due next week. San Francisco this weekend. San Diego in 2 weeks to run a judges clinic. Sacramento to celebrate Chinese New Year the next. Regional Championships at the end of March and a 5 hour comprehensive exam the week before that. Rough. The next 6 weeks are gonna be a doozy.
I have thus limited my time in the water. I have only been allowing myself one surf sesh a week. And of course this month is packed with swell after swell. Not to mention the killer weather. I almost wish it would rain more so I'd be more inclined to stay inside and study. But then again...surfing in rain is pretty magical. But, of course there are many things that are taking the front seat to surfing right now. And that is okay. Mother ocean will always be there.
So I choose Super Bowl Sunday for my surf day of the week. I had a super packed Saturday with work, a team/meeting gathering in the evening, and then a night out for a friend's birthday. I was runnin from 8am to 2am. So I decided that I needed an alarm clock-less Sunday. I woke up fairly refreshed at around 10am and it was beautiful and sunny out. I took my time getting up. I took my bowl of Trader-O's out to my front porch to soak up some morning rays. I took my hibiscus plant out with me as well. It had been a while since she'd been outside for some sunshine. Her leaves were gettin' a little depressed sitting on my kitchen counter on the windowsill. But, the windowsill was definitely a better choice than sitting outside in the cold. So there I sat next to my hibiscus and ate my morning meal.
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| The last bloom |
Sunday, I was catching the tail end of a WNW swell, I think. I'm not sure what I'm surfin these days. I pretty much go to get out, get wet, and try to dance around on my board. I check to report to see which day looks best and drive out that day regardless. So I paddled out, and 38th was semi-crowded with some beginners and a few friendly experienced locals.
Ashley Lloyd was out, and it looked as though she was teaching a friend to surf. For those of you who don't know who Ashley is, she's a SC local chick and is a pretty amazing person. She's been in quite a few surf documentaries. She shapes boards and has her own line. She's a musician. And of course she has a beautiful presence and style out in the surf. It's always nice to see her out in the line up.
Klaude discussed his hero's in his previous blog, and I have to say, I don't really have one hero -- I have many. The people in the water that have the most impact on me are the ones who have a great balance between many things. These surfers are subtly assertive and expressive of their love for surf. They don't always sit in the line up at the peak, but they still enjoy a set wave here and there. And by doing so, they set this sort of...tone, and project only positive vibes. They may not talk much, but might exchange a friendly smile, or not paddle battle you for a wave and let you take it. They are there, like you, to enjoy the ocean, the company of people, and to forget about everything else in the world.
There's not much to say about how I surfed this day. I got a handful of fun nose-ish rides. But, what made this sesh good were the people, and the beautiful day that it was. There were more than enough smiles and laughs to be shared. Waves were about chest high. No wind and glassy. The clouds had all sorts of warm hues of reds, oranges, blues, and purples reflecting from the setting sun. It was a wonderful day to be out surfing. Much better than watching the Super Bowl...hahah sorry for all ya'll football fans...but I think I had a much better time outside than inside watching the game.
So I think I'm going to try and get out for surf on Friday. Surfline has estimated 8-12 footers...which means maybe some good head high waves. I think surfline over estimates it a little bit sometimes. It might even rain on Friday, which would make my day if it did. Nothing like surfing in the rain.
It's been a great day of reflections. Commuting to SF 3 days a week definitely gives me some good down time. The commute isn't so bad knowing that when I get out of class I have this to look out to...nature and ocean is beautiful, but we can't forget human creation :)
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| Like stars :) |
