I realized on Monday I had not eaten cheese for two days without even trying, so I decided that I'd go Sunday to Sunday with no cheese. I'd say the hardest part was not putting cheese on sandwiches. I love cheese. Then I went to the grocery store Monday afternoon and bought things to make quesadillas. Damn. But I didn't make them. The tortillas still sit empty on the shelf. Then on Friday, I grabbed a burrito after beach volleyball practice. There was no cheese on or in the burrito, but there was a bit melted on top of the beans, which I really wanted. So I ate around the cheese. Until I realized that I was just eating around the yellow cheese and totally eating the white cheese also sprinkled on. And then I remembered that I had eaten a piece of pizza the night before when out celebrating a new San Diego friend's 30th birthday. Then today, I was talking to Angela about my failed efforts. Her phone dropped the call as her train went underground and when I got back to my desk, K Rob had left me a snack. "K Rob, what are these?" I yelled to the other room. "Cheese puffs," he responded. Eff. Apparently I will not be healtifying my diet by giving up cheese. Ever. (The cheese puffs were delicious.)
So instead, my first list item completed was to actually catch a wave when surfing! Last semester I bought a Groupon for the Ocean Beach Surf and Skate shop for a 3-hour surf lesson.Quick history: I once tried surfing in Lake Michigan in New Buffalo. The waves were too small to do anything. I then went surfing on my road trip with Nader in 2011. Since moving to San Diego, I have gone for a few times with John and Dan but just really jumping over and getting beat up by waves while holding a short board.
Today, I took a lesson. Travis and Timmy spent the first hour discussing center of gravity, staying in a low position, and having us practice our balance. What a super helpful way to start even thinking about surfing. Plus, I totally want an Indo Board now.
Then, we slowly peeled on our wetsuits and headed for the 60-degree ocean in 65-degree weather. Lucky for me, wetsuits are awesome, and I have a pretty high cold-and-wet tolerance thanks to my 10 or whatever years of teaching swimming. (Never in that cold, obviously. The wetsuit did most of the work.)
It definitely took me a while. Travis and Timmy helped us catch the waves at the right time. It took me many tries but then I finally found my groove and was able to actually stand and ride a few waves, one all the way to the shore. Such a cool feeling. And then my arms and legs turned to slugs and I couldn't get more than a knee and one foot up. It's cool though. I'll be here a few more years to keep practicing!
Lesson learned: Take a lesson.
