#3 - Really Catch a Wave When Surfing

I definitely thought that the first thing I'd cross of my list this year would be not eating cheese for seven days. Turns out, I seriously cannot do it.

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.