#46 - Surf at Least 12 Times

Way back in 2011, when I first started this list endeavor, I had as an item: "Surf... for More Than One Second."  I'm not sure what I accomplished on a board counted for more than one second, but it was real surfing on the ocean, so I counted it.  That was on a visit to San Diego.  Now that I live here, I own a surfboard and a wetsuit.  I have constant access to the ocean.  I enjoy surfing despite my lack of natural talent and skill.  Yet, I rarely went.  I wanted to change that.  So I added "Surf at Least 12 Times" to my list this year.

My list is partly about trying new things, but it's also about doing things I've always wanted to do... or at least have spent some time wanting to do.  I would love to be a surfer.  My next step is making actual time in my day for surfing and going regularly.  Writing this goal down on my list worked swimmingly.  (Yay puns!)

1 - Monday, June 28
I don't know how much time I have left in San Diego, so I decided to max out all of my San Diego activities.  I put a few on this list.  That wasn't good enough, so I put them on my to do lists.  That worked a bit, but I still wanted to do more, so I planned my workouts, at least for the summer.  Sunday: beach volleyball; Monday: surf; Tuesday: yoga; Wednesday: more beach volleyball (that's my sport); Thursday: swim; Friday: hike; Saturday: run.  Beach volleyball and yoga have been in the plan.  I started swimming last week.  This week I would start surfing and hiking once a week.  I got up on Monday, dragged my board, wetsuit, and towel to the car, and headed to Ocean Beach.  I suited up and headed into the water at dog beach.  I waded out at low tide.  My first wave, I just rode lying on my stomach to just enjoy the moment and remember just how fast a wave can take me.  I headed back out and just missed a few good ones.  Then I hit one and just couldn't get going.  When I slowed, I looked down and saw a huge thing under my board.  I inwardly panicked a bit, even though I was only 4 or so feet deep.  Then I realized the thing was white.  Then I realized it was part of my board.  Then I realized my board was busted, the whole front bottom of the fiberglass peeled back.  It had only been 10-15 minutes, so I half-heartedly tried to catch another wave, but there was so much drag there was no chance.  And I stepped on something squishy that swam away from under my foot.  So I went in.  I'm trying to think of a way to get a new board, but I'm so broke, that I'm not sure it will happen.  I'm so bummed that my board busted right after I acted on my weekly surfing plan.

2 - Monday, July 13
I was hanging out with my buddy Erin Gillespie on Friday night and told her the tragedy of my board.  She offered to let me use her extra board.  In fact, she said, I could just hold on to it for now because she only used it when taking a friend surfing, and they always had to at least rent a wetsuit anyways, so if I was going to use it...  So kind.  So Monday morning, I checked Surfline, picked up Erin's extra board, and headed to OB to continue my Monday morning surfing "routine."  I went for the dog beach again because of the proximity to the lifeguards.  I rode one wave to get the feel and then headed back out again.  On my way out, I stepped on something that moved from beneath my foot.  I convinced myself it was just sand.  I managed to kneel consistently and stand at the end of one wave.  But then I stepped on something else, and I swear it was squishy.  This time I convinced myself it was seaweed.  Then I stepped on something else that was squishy and, I swear, swam out from under my foot.  I told myself I was fine, there was no point in worrying about something that wasn't hurting me, but I decided to swim instead of walk out.  Which meant I only caught small, broken waves because I was too exhausted from all of that swimming.  I stayed out as long as I promised myself I would because I decided, in that moment, that I didn't want to be afraid of surfing, especially when the scariest thing so far had been squishy things, which were probably not stingrays because it's dog beach, and it would be stupid to have a dog beach in a spot with that many stingrays that I stepped on 3 in 30 minutes.... 3 that didn't sting me.  However, I think I'm going to try the pier side of OB next week, just to shake that squishy fear.

3 - Monday, July 27
I missed a week due to rain.  We don't surf here in San Diego after a rainstorm due to water pollution and risk of infection.  I got back out there the week after though.  This time I went to the pier in Ocean Beach, which is where I took my swim lesson.  There are plusses and minuses to this location.  I like the waves better, but there's a strong undertow, so it can be exhausting to walk in the shallows.  There are also a ton of surf lessons going on, especially with kids, so I feel safer, but there are also way more people to avoid, people like me who don't know what they're doing.  I managed to stand once, but I didn't have a ton of time, so I didn't get my flow going.

4 - Monday, August 3
Back to the dog beach this week to overcome my fear of the squishy things.  I have decided it's just sand moving beneath my feet with the tide and the undertow.  I was a little braver this week but the waves were small.  I can consistently catch a wave and kneel but by the time I get my feet under me, the wave has petered out, and I just hop off.

5 - Friday, August 14
Today I had my surfing buddy Tara Edberg back.  We went to the OB pier, where it was crowded, but the waves were decent.  I found myself catching faster, deeper waves, probably because I was a bit braver with a buddy to distract me.  I need to get just a bit braver and faster because even though I was deeper and had longer to ride the wave, I was so concerned with balancing before standing that I still wasn't standing until the wave was dying out.  Next goal: stand up quick when I catch a good one and just fall if I fall.

6 - Friday, August 21
I tried out a new spot today: South Mission Beach.  It's more a spot for beach volleyballers than surfers, but since it has a huge parking lot, and I was going in the evening, I thought I'd try it out.  The waves were tiny but somehow I got up consistently and had the longest rides I'd ever had.

7 - Thursday, August 27
I met Kai & Tara in Mission Beach for a late afternoon surf.  The waves were rolling and tough to ride, but the dolphins playing all around us more than made up for the bad surfing.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and Kai & I stayed until sunset, chatting and having photo shoots.  She even made a collage of all the sweet shots of the day.

8 - Thursday, September 2

Waves weren't great today.  I floated around and got up a couple times, but dog beach was a choppy mess.

9 - Friday, September 18

Things started well at South Mission Beach, but then the ocean got ROUGH.  I tried to stay where I could still touch, but the undertows kept changing the depth of the sand, and the waves were coming from multiple directions and were at multiple heights, so every now and then I'd be walking in waist deep water, hit a deep spot where I couldn't touch, and, hanging onto my surfboard tightly, would brace for a 3-4 foot wave to come crashing down on me.  I still managed to get up a few times, but the waves were so scattered and there were so many swimmers now that summer is over and there aren't as many surfing-only-area regulations, so I had a rough go today.  Still, any day getting beat up by the ocean is a good day.

10 - Thursday, October 1

Today was my best day of surfing yet.  I stood up at least 10 times.  I probably would have fit in more rides but there was a line of even-more-beginner surfers just a bit shallower than me, who, I swear, were doing their best to block me from any waves.  It felt like every time a good wave would come, I'd check to see if there was anyone in my way, and there were like 4 people in my way, with boards parallel to the shore, like a defensive line.  I immediately felt guilty for every surfer I've blocked because, dang, it's so hard to get out of the way when you don't know how.

Then, sadly, I had to return the board I've been using because it's owner moved back to the coast and wants to use it.  I've grown to love my weekly surfing excursions, and I still have 2 more rides to complete this item, so I hope I can figure something out!

11 - Thursday, October 8

It hasn't even been a week, and 2 nights ago, after finding nothing on Craig's List, I was on Yelp, searching for surf shops that had high ratings and mentions of used boards.  I found quite a few.  But then yesterday, I was in Linda Vista for a meeting at USD with my dissertation chair, so I stopped in Bird's Surf Shed.

The owner's son, Jackson, listened to my experience and heard that I was looking for something a step up from a foam board but still inexpensive.  He showed me a few boards but told me that a Torq would be a good next step for me.  They were in the $400 range, which is very reasonable for a surfboard; they increase in price with size, and the bigger the board, the easier it is.  The foam board I'd be using was an 8'.  He then showed me a 6'10" "used" Torq that was only $350 and didn't look used at all.  I told him I'd picked up some extra shifts at work, and I'd mull it over.  Before I left, he brought me to the back, pulled up a beat-up, foam-top, 6'6" Torq.  He told me it was a demo board and that I could take it out to see how I liked the style.  Like, could just try it before buying anything.  AWESOME.

I took it out today (the next day) and had a blast.  I only got up once, but after 30 or so minutes, I was getting the feel of it.  I kept riding too far back because I was used to seeing a lot more board in front of me, but I knew that's what I was doing and was adjusting well.

I lied in the sun for a bit then went back to Bird's.  Jackson chatted with me a little longer, and then, on request, left me along in the aisle to think.  I mulled over a few options, but my choice eventually came down to 1) working a lot of extra shifts at my 2nd and 3rd jobs and coming back to buy a new board over 7' or 2) buying the 6'10" used board for $150 less.  I decided the used board would be a smarter grad-student decision, though buying a board at all was a stupid grad-student decision.

As Jackson took me to check out, someone told him to check on the status of the board, and I was nervous for a hot second that the board had already been sold.  It turns out someone had called about it 10 minutes prior to come look at it.  But, since I was there ready to buy, the board was mine.  One of the staff put on the fins and polished it up for me while Jackson helped me pick a leash, got me some wax and a t-shirt, and rung me up.

I have a new board.

12 - Sunday, October 11

Friday and Saturday were so packed with work that I had to wait until today to take out my new board.  I drove down the coast after a Torrey Pines hike and lunch in Encinitas with camp friends.  I stopped at South Mission Beach because there's easy parking there, even on a weekend.

And we lived happily ever after

The waves were huge.  The board (nickname: Bae) was fantastic.  I had a great time.  It's definitely going to take some getting used to, but I was already getting up.  I stuck to the white water because the waves were around 5 feet, which is a bit above my experience, but with waves that big, I got some decent rides.

It's funny.  I wrote this list item to get myself to surf more often, and somehow this 12-installment story had some twists and turns and has a happy ending.

13 - Monday, October 12 (Epilogue)

I don't know that I'll update every time I get out to surf, but this is the first time I've ever done 2 days in a row.  I love my new board, and my arms are exhausted.

?? - Friday, November 21

I have surfed several times in between these posts (with a break because of my tattoo), but I wanted to give credit to my family for going to the "beach" I wanted to visit so I could attempt to surf in Hawaii.  The surfing itself didn't go so well.  The surf report only had 1-2 foot waves, but I figured I'd catch a few baby ones just to say I
 surf in Hawaii.  My dad rented me a board at a friendly shop near Kahalu'u Beach Park.  There, I learned that the bottom is incredibly rocky, full of coral, and swarming with creatures, not all friendly.  Getting to the break requires walking carefully (read: awkwardly stumbling over lava rock of deceptively varying heights) out until at least consistently waist-deep water so as not to damage the board on the rocks, then swimming a good 250 yards to the break against the waves.  I was instructed to belly flop whenever falling off in order to avoid the dangerous bottom.  Slightly different conditions than wading into the soft, beachy sands that I'm used to and taking breaks in waist deep water whenever I feel like it.  By the time I got out there, I was exhausted.  Then, the break was itty bitty.  Being a novice surfer, when the waves are small, I stay shallow and then jump into them to catch them around low tide when they're still semi-rideable.  250 yards out in who-knows-how-deep water, that strategy wasn't going to work.  The break was so tiny I just couldn't catch anything.  I was too tired to paddle fast enough to catch any break that wasn't right on me, which none of them were.  So I floated for a bit.

"Surfing" in Hawaii

The water was incredibly clear, so I could see a ton of brightly-colored fish under me in the rocks and coral, definitely a different scene from cloudy San Diego beach water.  The other surfers there seemed pretty experienced, but even they weren't catching much.  They were just messing around on foam boards, which may have been the only way to get up in those conditions.  They did give me a shaka and an "Aloha" as I paddled up and were friendly and fun, so even though I couldn't catch a wave, I enjoyed visiting the Hawaiian surfing community.  My brother had much better luck with snorkeling in the area, seeing a barracuda, a sea turtle, and several other creatures.  I would have taken a turn but by the time I got back in, I was nauseous from riding the swells and staring down or back.  It was still worth a try though!  Thanks for renting me a board, Dad, and to the rest of the Krones for coming with me!

#58 - Become a Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer

Ever since I was forced to watch that dang Fundamentals of Instructor Training video in 2001 to become a Water Safety Instructor for the American Red Cross (which I was forced to do through my undergraduate major), a piece of me has wanted to volunteer through Disaster Services.  Each subsequent time I watched the video (for my Lifeguarding Instructor certification; for my Water Safety Instructor training observation, practice co-teach, and practice teach; for my Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer practice teach; and then probably a thousand more times each time I taught an instructor course... This list now sounds like a brag list of my certifications, but really it's just leftover frustration that Fundamentals of Instructor Training was ever a course and my jealousy that now instructors do some online thing that seems way better), my interest and desire grew a little more, because each time, I felt mentally, emotionally, and physically more capable of responding to an emergency.

My first two American Red Cross certifications are laughable to anyone who knew me pre-physical-education major.  I was not a strong swimmer growing up.  I could swim, but my strokes all needed some major work.  My parents still need some convincing sometimes that I can even swim.  I think it was 2010 when they oversaw me playing water polo, and said, "We didn't realize you were such a strong swimmer!  At the time I had worked full-time in aquatics for 5 years and had both my swim instructor and lifeguarding certifications for 9 years.

However, aquatic certifications are desirable in the world of recreation.  When I applied to be a day camp counselor in the summer of 2001, they told me they'd love to hire me... as a swim instructor.  When I explained that I had never actually taught swimming, they told me the certification was good enough.  So I taught swimming.  And lifeguarded.  For the next 15 years.  Every summer.  And, for 7 years, also as part of my full-time job working in aquatics.

I still cannot believe I worked in aquatics for 7 years.

In that time, I not only became a very strong swimmer, I taught others to be very strong swimmers.  I also responded to a lot of first aid emergencies and non-emergencies.

I splinted bones and joints.  I controlled bleeding.  I managed seizures.

I don't believe I ever responded to something truly life threatening (except pulling people out of the water prior to their situation becoming life threatening), but I saw some things that scared me.

The scariest emergency I've ever witnessed involved a lot of blood, and I won't go into any more detail for the privacy of the victim.  I found the victim with a friend, both of whom I knew but not well.  I helped them to a safe, private room and alerted someone to call 911.  I sent someone else to gather towels.  I told her help was on the way, and while we were waiting, we'd do some paperwork.  I then pulled out an accident report form and calmly asked the two what had happened as well as some personal information required on the form.

The next day, the friend saw me in passing and said s/he was so glad they'd found me because s/he had been freaking out and asked something like, "How'd you know my friend was going to be okay?"  And I responded with an emphatic, "Oh, I didn't.  I was really scared.  Have you heard from your friend?  Is s/he going to be okay?"  The friend couldn't believe that I had been scared and told me how calming I had been.

What I've learned through teaching and real-life experience is that I am really, really good at recognizing my own panic, packing it up into a little ball, setting it aside for later, taking action to help victims, managing all aspects of situations, and appearing very calm and relaxed on the outside.

ID card official

While Disaster Services is quite different than responding directly to emergencies and/or being a professional rescuer, I believe that my ability to be still amidst chaos would translate well.  I like being the personification of reassurance.  Everyone is more level headed and makes better decisions when someone can confidently reassure them that everything will work out for the best if we can all take the actions we can right now.  Disasters are inevitable, but good decisions and comfort
can save lives, physically and emotionally.

This summer, I convinced myself that since I am done with classes and "only" working on my research and working part-time, I would have time to volunteer.  I finally signed up for a Disaster Services orientation and it was surprisingly informative and painless.  '

I still have a long way to go before I work my first gig, but having a name badge and next steps certainly crosses this one of the list for now.

I'll be sure to update this blog post (or post new ones) as this item progresses through the year.

#53 - Stand Up Paddle Board

Corry & me loving our jobs

I cannot believe it has taken me so long to try out this very pleasant outdoor activity.  While I do not have direct access to the necessary equipment, it is incredibly easy to rent in San Diego, I have a
friend who owns a board, and I've lived here three years.  Silly.

I finally had the opportunity shoved in my face when my job forced me to spend a Sunday afternoon on the bay, hanging with athletic college students, with free access to a variety of aquatic sport equipment.  That's right.  I had another opportunity to hang at the fantastic Mission Bay Aquatic Center (earlier this summer I took Advanced Sailing), and this time I was paid to do it.

Most of they day was filled with lectures, workshops, and round tables with the SDSU Sport Club presidents, but at the end of the day, the gang had two hours to play on or near the bay: grass volleyball, sailing, kayaking, and yes, stand up paddle boarding (also known as paddle boarding or SUP).

The water-loving students rushed out and grabbed all of the boards and stayed out on the water FOREVER.  I later learned they were doing fun studenty things like cramming everyone onto one board, lining the boards up and attempting to run across them, and mid-water trading equipment with the kayakers.  I love my job.

Killin' it

I played some grass volleyball with the remaining students, stupidly turned down a ride on the Hobie Cat, and impatiently watched the cluster in the middle of the bay, hoping they'd come back in time for me to take a ride.  (I kept my complaints to myself as much as possible because this event was for them, not me.  Playing on the bay is just a perk of my job.)

Once they came back, I took a board out and was surprised at how easy and pleasant paddle boarding is.  It felt like taking the most calming walk in a breathtakingly beautiful place.  I paddled into the bay, admired the beauty of Mission Bay and its shores, and paddled back.

I cannot wait to go again.





UPDATE


My next SUP session was in Hawaii!  One morning we headed over to the Marriott to take advantage of a deal one of the rental companies has: $35 for 4 hours of any of their water activities.  Chris, Casey, and my mom quickly formed the Snorkel Squad: "Snorkel Squad looks out for each other."  I told them Dad and I would be the SUP Squad.  I turned around and Dad was already heading to the boards.  "SUP Squad: Every man for himself."  We paddled.  It was pleasant.  The water was a little rougher than when I first paddled in San Diego Bay but still fun.  At one point a sea turtle swam right under me.  Casey soon joined the SUP Squad though the rental folks gave her a really skinny board, so she had a rougher transition.  I eventually tried her board out and quickly fell in.  It was a lovely morning.

A few days later, my buddy Nicole Green had arrived.  We tried to go SUPing on her second day there but the rentals were expensive and the weather was not cooperating.  We managed to squeeze in about an hour before she had to head to the airport the next day though.  The entry and exit were a little rough, but the paddling was nice.

If I were planning to stay in San Diego, I'd definitely be investing in a board.  It's just so dang pleasant.

#68 - Go to a Book Signing

This was another item that I did, and then, while I was there, thought, "Oh yeah, this is on my list this year."  I guess I'm now living the life I want to live and doing fun things without truly keeping track anymore.  I love that.  But I also love this blog, so I plan to keep documenting and listing.

I wrote this item, "Go to a Book Signing" with the attention of going to a book store, hearing a reading, and standing in line to get my book signed like I've seen in movies and on TV.  While I realize now that this isn't a totally "new" experience for me, I'll likely include this item every year with a different author because I now recall 3 authors I've heard speak, and all 3 were incredibly memorable experiences, though none were the scene I had pictured in my head.

The first author I recall hearing speak is Rick Moody, whose most famous work is The Ice Storm, a book I was assigned in my freshman English course at the University of Michigan.  I am an avid reader and took literature and creative writing courses all through college even though I planned to pursue my career in physical education.  (That's right, I was to be a PE teacher, but that's another story.)  My favorite creative writing instructor always gave us extra credit for attending the Hopwood Awards for writing.  In 2003, Rick Moody read his short story "Boys," which I came across again in The Best American Short Stories series.  Which year, I cannot recall and am having a bit of difficulty locating via the internet, though I do recommend the entire series as they are filled with beautiful examples of the undervalued medium of the short story.  The story "Boys" is brief and has a strange narrative style, but I remember a few lines to this day from that initial reading, and the emotions it stirred flow back even as I type these few sentences.  

I must have seen either Heather McHugh or Nancy Willard at the Hopwood Awards as well.  I had the same professor twice (Professor Tish O'Dowd, one of my favorite teachers of all time -- again, another story) and remember attending two award readings, but I guess I just don't have as good of a memory for poetry.

The second author I recall hearing is seeing Temple Grandin last year at an event at my university, the University of San Diego.  Tonight, I realized that one probably counts as a book signing.  I didn't think of it because it was more of a lecture followed by the opportunity to have a book signed.  I probably did not consider it a book signing also because Grandin did not talk about her writing nor any particular book as she was there to lecture about working with students with autism.  Regardless, she was incredible.  The way she so honestly answered questions at the end of the lecture was particularly moving.  I had brought a book with me: Animals in Translation, which my dad recommended and loaned to me -- maybe I'll actually remember to give it back to him one of these days as I had it signed for him.

Book nerding out here

Tonight, I attended a similar book signing, and since this was a little more like what I had in mind, I'm counting it.  I had the incredible opportunity to attend a conversation with Salman Rushdie at the University of San Diego.  This summer I read The Satanic Verses for the second time, before I knew he would be visiting my campus, and much like the first reading, I was confused a lot of the time and yet still very moved by his prose.  His depth and whimsy draws me into the story enough that the 500+ pages somehow fly by and probe my curiosity about the content and its author.

The event certainly qualified as a "book signing" as it was an event on Rushdie's tour for his new book Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.  While there was no reading, the event included a copy of the book, an hour-long conversation facilitated by USD professor Avi Spiegel (author of Young Islam), half an hour of question and answer, and a signing.  

The new book

Spiegel did a fantastic job facilitating an intriguing conversation about the book, knowing full well that most of the audience, sitting with the book in their laps, had not read it.  We were there to see Rushdie, not necessarily to dwell in the specifics of a book we had yet to read.  Spiegel's questions were so thoughtful that Rushdie was able to both delve deeply into the book and to transcend the book, discussing the larger themes, including time, love, education, religion (of course), and the process of writing.  The conversation revealed such fascinating details that I cannot wait to dive into the book (which I will once I finish at least one of the 5 books I am partway through.  I read a lot but I like reading a few chapters from different books each day.)

My favorite bit was when Spiegel bravely asked Rushdie about how he was able to carry on with his work when he had faced such hardships and even personal danger in doing so.  Rushdie responded quickly, explaining that it was nothing to be admired as it was the only thing to do.  After some poetic explanations, he told us, 'Bad writing is a matter of talent. Self censorship is a matter of choice.' (I'm reluctant to completely quote that as I may have mis-remembered the exact words, but it was close to that.)  It was a beautiful moment and his words resonate with me deeply.  I often hold my true feelings and opinions in to avoid conflict or tension.  Rushdie puts his words down and shares them with the world, knowing they will cause conflict and tension.  I plan to meditate on this idea.

Rushdie was incredibly receptive and engaging.

Rushdie signed my copy of 2828 and The Satanic Verses

I am so honored to have met such a globally influential person who speaks so boldly and poetically.  I look forward to reading 2828, and I even ordered Midnight's Children as I have yet to read that one either.  I have a feeling Rushdie may official become one of my favorite authors as I delve deeper into his work.

#19 - Spend a Day in LA.

I've been to LA many times before, but all of my trips have been as an uber-tourist, passing through, for professional events, and once for birthday trip that included a night out in Hollywood, which I hated.

Hated is a bit strong, so to clarify, I had a great time catching up with the friends who took me out for my birthday and included me in their plans, but that section of Hollywood was not my scene.  We couldn't decide where to eat and needed a reservation to go literally anywhere, which, having lived in the third biggest city in this country already, was completely bizarre to me.  Since it took so long to get from my friend's place to Hollywood, we just stopped and got Subway instead.  Then, my friends' had family and friends at a birthday party at Hemingway's, which was a visually cool place, but made no sense to me whatsoever.  There was no line outside, just a crowd of people, and a woman in a large, fur hat (in 60-degree, slightly rainy weather) pointed at who she wanted to let in every now and then.  Eventually someone convinced her that we were part of the party already inside, but then she didn't want to let me in because the party was mostly people of Persian descent, and she didn't seem to believe that they'd brought me along.  It was obnoxious.  Inside, it was decorated like someone's personal library.  A really tall ceiling, walls lined with bookshelves, and chairs spaced around for lounging.  But then there was a DJ.  A really awesome DJ named DJ So Super Sam.  We kept trying to dance, but there wasn't really a dance floor.  And everyone sitting in chairs seemed super annoyed if you bumped into them, even though it was really just terrible chair placement, and they were so low it was hard to see them in the crowd.  At one point my friend got bumped and spilled a little water on someone sitting in a chair.  She apologized profusely and explained that it was only water, and the girl was like, "SO?!" and was super pissed and rude.  Oh, and the drinks...  Once we got in, my friend took me straight to the bar to buy me a birthday drink and to apologize for picking a place that made us wait so long.  I asked for a Jameson on the rocks.  She ordered a double because she felt bad we'd waited so long to get in.  The bartender looks at us, leans forward, and says, "You know that's $24, right?"  TWENTY-FOUR DOLLARS.  My friend looks at me and says, "Is that normal?" And I said, "No.  That is not normal."  And she said, "Well, it is for LA.  Yeah, that's fine."  I didn't order another drink the entire time.  Then her cousin whose party it was had a table and bottle service.  She kept telling us to help ourselves but then this other guy with them got super weird about it, like just picked up the bottles, held them, and wouldn't speak to us except to explain that they'd ordered that vodka to drink.  Like we were some kind of party crashers just there for the free booze.  Eventually we did make some space to dance and have fun, but all of the work it took to get there was so unnecessary.  Why would going out ever be so serious?  It's supposed to be fun.

Each visit I've had to LA has allowed me a little taste of real LA life, some of which I liked, but I still always left with an overwhelming dislike of LA: the traffic, the hurry, the rudeness, the traffic, the sprawl, the shallowness, the pretentiousness, the seriousness, the traffic...  I know so many lovey people who like LA though, so I put it on the list this year to take a day trip and really do some exploring of the cool stuff that I know is there.  Plus, I really love LA radio stations.

I found myself up in LA for FYF Fest, and on Sunday, there weren't any artists I really wanted to see until 6:30pm.  So my fest-mates Sarah Molitoris and Shaun Spalding and I did a little exploring, enough that it would certainly qualify as a day in LA.

Just as I was arriving in LA for the fest, I thought to myself how "See the Hollywood sign" should be on my list next year because it seems silly that I never had.  Within 30 minutes, I was arriving in Hollywood where Shaun's friend Andrew Kamphey graciously hosted me so that I could afford to make it to the two-day fest at the very end of summer when my student funds were at quite a low.  As I walked to my parked car to head to the fest, the Hollywood sign beamed down at me, perfectly visible from Andrew's street.  Well, check that one off the life list but no points awarded here.

Sunday morning I got up, prepped for the fest, ran some errands because I'd broken our washing machine at home the day before, and then took a driving tour of Hollywood, including a drive up the hills to the observatory, which has a great view of the Hollywood sign.  I took a lot of inadequate selfies before deciding I was satisfied.

I then met Andrew, Sarah, and Shaun for brunch at Andrew's brilliant suggestion of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  I thought I took a picture of my food, but I guess I was too hungry and didn't actually push the button.  It was quite delicious and provided just the stomach full of protein, fat, and waffle that we needed for a long afternoon/evening of rocking out.

Whenever you are
we're already then.

#spacecave

As we were leaving, I mentioned how I wanted to stop at 826LA: The Time Travel Mart because ever since I started volunteering at 826Chi, I have wanted to visit all of the 826 locations.  I was introduced to 826 at 826 Valencia: The Pirate Store.  I then learned there was an 826 in Ann Arbor.  It drove me nuts trying to think about what store's existence had always driven me crazy only to look it up and say to myself, "Duh.  The Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair store."  For years I'd wondered if there were truly enough robots in Ann Arbor to necessitate a whole store for supplies and repairs.  I then started volunteering at 826Chi: The Boring Store (which is DEFINITELY not a super secret agent store).  Sarah & Shaun were down, so we headed to the Echo Park location and were magically transported through time.  My favorite part was when I introduced myself to the store volunteer, explained I'd volunteered at 826Chi, asked him how long he'd been volunteering with 826, and he very seriously responded, "Since the beginning of time."  Visiting additional 826 locations will definitely be on my list for next year.  Sarah and I both registered for orientation at 826LA.  I'm not sure it'll work out for me living in San Diego, but I love 826 so much, I'm willing to give it a shot.  I highly recommend volunteering for this organization!  It's just so fun, creative, and full of fun, creative people.

Since it was around 3:30pm, we decided to head to the fest.  I parked near USC's campus, and walked the long way around to the fest entrance, passing the back entrance to the National History Museum.  There was a huge aquatic skeleton hanging in the back vestibule, so I doubled back and asked the volunteer standing on the path to the museum how much a day pass for a student was.  She said usually it was $9 but since they closed in an hour, it was half off.  I was like, um... $4.50 to go see some dinosaurs?  YES.  I did a quick tour and missed the special exhibit because of my dinosaur fascination that may fight or feed my dinosaur fear, but it was a pretty impressive collection and well worth a visit.

Listening to Battles

When I had texted Sarah about my unplanned stop, she said they'd wound up wandering through the Rose Garden.  We all wound up heading to the fest around 5pm.  Over the 2 days I saw Run the Jewels, Kanye West, Bad Bad Not Good, Battles, Belle & Sebastian, Flume, a wee little bit of D'Angelo. and a few others.  It was a decent fest, but I still can't figure out why they started so late on Sunday, only a couple bands playing in the afternoon, and then some heavy hitters not going on until after 10pm.  I had to make the drive back to San Diego, which is why I only caught a little bit of D'Angelo.  The highlight was probably running into my old Chitown buddy Gabby Merrihue during Flume and having a bit of time to catch up with her, which we should totally do again soon.

Overall, it was a great 36 hours or so in LA.  The city finally impressed me.  I will definitely try to take another couple day trips before I move away from San Diego.  Suggestions about places to go are welcome :)

Some DJ

#87 - Visit 3 New Museums

Museum #1: Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)

When I wrote this list item, I intended to make some visits to Balboa Park, which is just a mile from where I live.  I can even bike, or walk, there.  I probably would more often if my neighborhood didn't rest on a steep hill, Balboa Park didn't rest on a gradual hill, or there were some sort of bridge in between.

Instead of strolling the mile away, I flew across the country to Boston.  Well, really, I flew across the country to Boston to celebrate Patriot's Day and to watch the Boston marathon.  But since the list founder Alan Fortunate resides in Boston, we had to cross a couple additional things off my list.

Sadly, we stayed out too late the first night in town, and I had trouble rallying the next day.  However, the day after that, Al took me to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).  We both are apparently fans of contemporary art because of its ability to incite one of two reactions: 1) "Wow, this is really innovative, beautiful, and thought provoking," and 2) "What."  We saw both on our Sunday afternoon, just-before-closing visit.

Sonic Arboretum

My favorite "Wow, this is really innovative, beautiful and thought provoking" piece was titled Sonic Arboretum.  It is a collaboration between sculptor Ian Schneller and violinist Andrew Bird who plays an original composition.  The room is filled with colorful phonographs, large and small, some spinning, playing "Echolocations: Canyon."  Just walking into the installation I felt a warm, vibrating energy.  I woke up and smiled.

Vegan Arm

My favorite "What." piece was titled "Housewife."  It was made of a stripped manikin frame and pieces of an old timey vaccuum cleaner.  It made me done one of those close-lipped, through the nose kind of breath giggle.

I also really liked Vegan Arm, which was part of a collection with a whole morality myth story.  I don't know which category I'd put it in, which made me like it even more.  Even the description couldn't decide: "For Hancock, Vegan Arm possesses a ritualisitic -- almost miraculous -- quality.  The arm can be interpreted as holding the bucking in front of viewers as if fishing for souls, or offering the liquid to viewers, like holy water at an altar."  Awesome.

If I lived in Boston, I'd probably be a member of the ICA.  What a quirky place full of beautiful things.

Museum #2: San Diego Firehouse Museum

My second museum visit did happen in San Diego but it happened by surprise.  I was half-way through working an event for my second job when I thought, "Oh, this event is in an museum!"  I mean, I knew I was working an event in a museum, but I forgot that I had a list item called "visit 3 new museums."  I'm counting it as a visit because it was so tiny that I managed to hit every room.

The event was a wedding full of happy, friendly people at the San Diego Firehouse Museum.  It was a sweet, unique venue full of interesting firehouse artifacts, including old timey engines.

"Have an escape plan."

We never take photos of the event as that would violate the privacy of the guests' celebration, but I did snap a few in the back room, where no one was, just to document the visit for my blog.

I also captured the creepy children's room, where children can practice escaping from a fire from a very deconstructed house.

Museum #3: San Diego Museum of Art

I've been hearing for awhile now about this great event at the San Diego Museum of Art called "Culture and Cocktails" that happens every few months at museum in the aforementioned Balboa Park I had planned to visit when I originally added this list item.

While out at Mother's (again) after another day of Vavi beach volleyball, we were talking about upcoming San Diego events.  I mentioned wanting to go to Culture and Cocktails but that I never bothered to look up the dates.  My teammate Mark Mora then told me that it was that week and they were going.  Since tickets were $20 and membership starts at $45, which includes entry to all events. I just joined as a member in hopes that it was actually a decent museum and I'd want to go there more often.  I suppose that was a silly spontaneous decision, but at the very least, there were a lot worse places to throw my money at.

The bummer is that we had championships that night at work, and I'd promised to work them.  The good thing is that I was now a member, so even if I showed up late, I didn't feel like I'd wasted money on a $20 ticket when I could only go to half of the event.  I changed at work and headed to the park.

The event was quite a scene.  People were done up and drinking heavily.  I thought a few of my lady friends were going to the event, but none of them ended up going for various reasons.  Luckily, Mark Mora and Mitch Barnes let me tag along with them and their friends.

The theme for this event was "Coney Island" because of the current special exhibit, which was all kinds of art focused around Coney Island.  There were circus-type performers, Coney Island decorations, a Coney Island-themed drink with cotton candy melted into each one that was made to order, and Coney-Island themed photo booths, where this happened.

#nevergiveup

That was the highlight of the night for me and probably for everyone else who saw it projected on the wall in the main room.

A few of us actually did explore the exhibit until we were ushered out for closing.  It was really captivating, and I may go back to have more time with it.

I will definitely go back to see the other exhibits.  When I entered, the museum seemed tiny and the collection small, but as I wandered later in the evening, I realized there were much larger galleries tucked away through hallways that were choked with drunk people who were not interested in art.

Despite the crowds, it was a fun event, and I look forward to the next Culture and Cocktails on November 5!

BONUS!  Museum #4: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

I was in Los Angeles for FYF Fest, and on Sunday, there wasn't a ton going on during the day.  My buddies and I did brunch at Roscoe's, hit up the Time Travel Mart (826LA), and then made plans to meet at the fest.  But as I was walking to the fest from my car, I longingly glanced at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and the giant skeleton hanging in the lobby of the back entrance.  I asked the gate monitor how much entry for a student was, and she told me that since they closed in the hour it was half off, so it was $4.50.  $4.50!  Sold!

 I wandered the museum for the hour, mostly hanging with the dinosaur bones.  Even though I have often had dinosaur-themed nightmares, I find them fascinating.  It was quite a collection, possibly the largest I had ever seen.

Bummer that the butterfly pavilion was closed because of the festival.

I couldn't tell you if the museum as a whole is "worth it," but if you're a student, it's half off, or you're way into dinosaurs, I highly recommend it.

BONUS #2!  San Diego Air and Space Museum

Thanks to Yelp! I got to visit a fifth new museum this year.  Each year, Yelp San Diego hosts a big Halloween party for Yelp Eliters, and this year they brought it back to the San Diego Air and Space Museum.  While we didn't do a ton of learning, we did wander through the exhibits and saw a lot of things that used to fly.  It was a really cool space for an event, especially an event with a ton of free, really great food and drinks and tons of creative people in costumes.  (Friend me on Yelp! http://captainfun.yelp.com)

#2 - Sail on the Ocean

Sunfishing on Brant Lake

I grew up sailing Sunfish on Brant Lake, NY, at my beloved Camp Michigania East.  Every year, upon arrival at camp, we change into our swim suits, head down to the water front to take our swim tests, and then walk over to the sail beach to take our skipper tests.  Upon completion, we immediately sail directly to the "castle house" until some poor, new counselor hops into the speed boat, chases us down, and says in a British accent, "You've gone too far!  It's time to come back now!"  And we play dumb and agree.  It's a tradition I treasure.  We also have a song we sing, but I'll keep that between my camp friends and me.  I say this in the present tense because even when I was back a couple years ago, we did a version of this very thing, even as very much full-grown adults.

My classmates on the last day of class

Cold, wet, and sore after the capsize test

Several years back, one of my former staff hooked me and a couple friends with a cheap beginner sailing class through the Northwestern Sailing Center on Lake Michigan in Chicago.  There I finally learned the hows and whats of rigging a boat, including the variety of knots needed for 420's.  It was a bit intimidating sailing a boat with 2 sails into Lake Michigan, but once we did a capsize test, I realized the worst that would happen is a freezing cold dip into the gross lake.  (We wore wetsuits for the capsize test so that we didn't need to get treated for hypothermia after swimming in Lake Michigan in May.)

A friend and I then made friends with some Match Race sailors one evening, who told us to come out and sail with them.  So we biked down to the Chicago Match Race Center for a pleasant afternoon on a boat... or so we thought.  Match Race sailing is... something.  The first time the 2 boats raced full speed towards each other only to do a 90 degree turn at the very last second, so close to the other boat that we could have reached out and touched the other crew, I questioned my judgement for jumping onto a boat with some sailors we met at a dive bar.  However, it turns out they were great sailors and it gave me a much higher tolerance for speed, proximity to other boats, and heeling (when the boat is angled laterally, sometimes more than 45 degrees, for less resistance, maximum wind, and more speed).  

Skippering

Despite having a few different sailing experiences, I was not feeling confident in my sailing abilities, so when I looked at classes at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, I wasn't sure what to take.  Their courses go from beginner to advanced and then offer specific courses for specific types of vessels.  I e-mailed the sailing coordinator and he responded quickly, advising the Advanced Sailing class.  I was a little hesitant because I certainly don't feel "advanced," and I was positive that sailing on the ocean would be infinitely more difficult than any lake, even Lake Michigan.  He seemed sure though, so...

On my first day of class, I was sure I was in the wrong one.  Our awesome instructor Nick reviewed all kinds of terminology that I was sure I had heard at least once before but couldn't iterate any of it.  However, when we each shared our sailing experience levels, I found out that the other 4 students had only ever sailed in their beginning class, so a total of 2-4 days ever.  Then I felt better.

Beautiful Mission Bay

Our first day was a lot of review, which was great.  Since there was an odd number of us, I wound up in a boat with 2 sisters, who were very sweet but got nervous each time we heeled a bit.  The second day we learned a little more technique.  The third class we learned what to do if a crew member fell off the boat and then did our capsize drills.  Righting a holder is WAY more difficult than the Sunfishes and 420 I had righted before.  I ended up bruised and sore but pleased that I knew what to do if we somehow tipped.  The fourth class we sailed right up the channel from the nearly to the open ocean.  It was so pleasant.  Then we sailed back and had a nice little cook out by the bay with the class and Nick.

Yes, you read correctly that I never made it to the open ocean, but since I actually learned to sail a larger boat on the bay, I am counting it for the intention of this item.  (I would have also counted sitting on a sailboat in the ocean.)  

I'm so pumped that I'm all checked off and can rent a boat from the fantastic MBAC whenever I want.  Let's go sailing!

Nick grilling us some burgers to celebrate the end of class.