Time:
0730-1000
Crew: Bri
Conditions:
1-2 FT, sunny, consistent.
Back to
School:
Now that I’m back in school, writing about
these sessions are a little difficult with the homework that I already have. If
I’m to survive my last year in the masters program, I’m going to have to cut
some of these posts short. I’ve already broken my oath (to this blog) by
leaving out one surf session, which was a session that I had the day before I
left to Wisconsin. When I had returned home, I couldn’t recollect any of it. My
memory was fuzzy, but I only remembered that it was at Manhattan Beach and that
it was small.
Anyway, what I mean to say is, to stay
above the waterline of my assignments and to prevent myself from submerging, I
have to find a way to make these posts shorter. Unfortunately, writing short
was never my style, but for this session that I’m writing about from nearly a
week ago, I can barely remember it.
#
The forecast says that the surf will be
small today, so I pack Rick’s Zippifish. As Bri and I walk down towards the
beach, our expectations are minimal, at least mine are. Of course, down at the
water, we see some small, crumbly shoulders rolling through.
We paddle out, and to my surprise, even
though the surf is small it’s consistent enough to keep us busy. Bri and I
trade off on waves, going left and right but without many turns. The best I can
do is trim and try to draw as much distance as possible.
During the lulls, we have a lot of space
between the other sporadic patches of surfers. Closest to us, on our right, is
a longboard couple. Some guy’s trying to teach his girlfriend how to surf. He
calls his chick into waves, and she flails her arms and legs like she’s
drowning in the two inches of water on the deck of her board. She doesn’t catch
shit. Her boyfriend’s not doing so great either. Every time Bri and I get into
waves, they look our way, probably wondering how we’re getting so lucky. Back
at the lineup, Bri says, “He’s on a stand up paddle board.” I take a look, and
she’s right. His board is abnormally long, but he’s riding his SUP like a
surfboard. Why the hell can’t he catch any waves on that thing?
We take a lot of waves in the half-filled
lineup. Turning this fish is hard, but I pull off a couple finishing floaters,
not pretty but good enough for the shape that’s been given to me. Back at the
vehicle, I feel satisfied that the go out was worth it. I think about the past
week when I didn’t surf because the forecast said it was too small. Was I being
too picky? I’m sure that Manhattan Beach was still crowded with surfers, size
or no size. Regardless of the swell, I need to have that beginner-surfer’s
stoke, where every paddle out is worth it. Lucky for me I have Rick’s Zippi for
the time being.
Back home, I unload the board from my wagon
and put it on the shelf, but I notice that the board is still dripping wet. I
take a closer look and see that water is dripping out through the small, spider-web
cracks on its nose. Waterlogged.
#
Since school starts tomorrow, I go into
shitbag mode for the rest of the day. We go to McDonald’s, pick up some snacks
from the value menu, and head to the movies. Finally, I can see Elysium
starring Matt Damon. It’s a good movie, but it gets hella cheesy at the end.
After that flick, we sneak into another theater and watch Kickass 2. Damn, I
love catching the early movies on the weekdays. No motherfuckers sitting in
front of me, being loud as shit, and no assholes behind me, kicking my fucking
seat.
The night ends with me staring at the
ceiling, both fans blowing over my body at full blast. That’s it, summer is
officially over. Where the fuck did it go? Indo, home, Wisconsin, a couple
weeks off, and school. Summer 2013, I’ll remember the good times we had. I
close my eyes and mentally prepare for my last year of college.
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