.ryan so cute.

Kawaii so.
Last night I got bored and, wondering how Ryan had done in this past weekend's longboarding contest searched the internet for results to no avail.
I forgot about it this morning [and couldn't ask Ryan because he didn't surf] until I found this article in the Honolulu Advertiser.
"Families win big at Uemura's meet"
Despite the typical bitterness that would normally ensue when learning that someone who is ALREADY an awesome shortboarder, the heir to the T&C throne, and whose JOB it is to work around and with surfboards all day, goes and wins a longboarding competition after practicing for just one week, Ryan is such a sweetheart [sorry to his wife if she ever reads this and thinks that I'm stalking her hubby] that I will forgive him this small slight against the less-talented surfing population and just bug him for an autograph for a few days. :)
Even his daddy is a shortboarder and still managed to win his division. AND he is 60. I wonder if I'll still be surfing at 60, let alone winning contests [doubtful].


Too bad the article had no pictures so that you could all oggle at how cute Ryan is for an Asian boy. Okay, he isn't really "cute" but did I mention that he was the heir to the T&C throne? And his cutbacks ... *swoon*

.kauai surf trip.

That never-going-to-happen surf trip WILL happen. I'm determined [kind of] and I even have a sort-of date in mind.
MARK THE DATE ON YOUR CALENDER ...
August 18 through August 20 for a fun, Crystal-and-Mari-filled weekend of surfing, playing, and gallavanting around the beautiful Garden Isle [ie. Kauai]. We can play with puppies at the Humane Society, look for washed glass at Washed Glass Beach, eat Hamura Saimin, play in my grandma's cute house, go fishing at Small Boat Harbor, discover fun Kauai-ian surf spots. :)
Tonight's 5 o' clock news advertised go! airlines offer [which extends till Tuesday, but I already checked the site and most of the dates are already sold out! poop!] with interisland roundtrip tickets for only $29!!! Go! airlines is the new love of my life. Even though I don't fly interisland often [or even at all] the fact that they are forcing Hawaiian and Aloha airlines to lower their stupidly inflated prices brings joy into my little heart.

Let me know if you want to surf trip it with me! :) I want to get off my butt [which is hard since I sleep so damn much and it's so hot that I don't feel like moving] and GO PLACES before I am forced to find a "real" job that keeps me from beloved extra curricular activities such as traveling.

Got the latest issue of FreeSurf magazine from Jamba Juice ...


I have to say that for a locally published magazine the quality of writing is quite good [well-written AND interesting which is no small feat when writing about surfing]. I want to write for it! Alas I do not know the right people who know the right people. :(

This issue is the "travel issue" which describes surf trips to Tasmania and Tahiti. Mari and I have been talking about a surf trip to Kauai for forever now and we still haven't managed to pull it off. But we WILL one of these days [if we can swim Waimea we can fly to Kauai for some surf]. I've never been on a surf trip but it's definitely somewhere up there on my "to do list." I envy all the old guys at the beach who go on surf trips/surf cruises with their buddies. I wish I were a guy [I know, surf trips and being male are seemingly unrelated but they aren't too much!].

Morning surfing = Happy Crystal.
There was the ocean junior lifeguard competition which meant that there was a more limited amount of parking spaces than usual [taking into account the group of people that do exercises on the beach, the senior citizens that bring their coffee to watch the h2o, the surfers, etc]. Watched Steve do his Tai Chi and told him he was crazy. Then made him paddle out with me. Had Earl tell me that he would find me a boyfriend. Warren was out early and said that he came out early just to see me because I always go in when he gets out though the REAL reason was because he was going to Kona to go fishing. Caught exactly 5 or 6 waves. Went in. Got yelled at because some kid asked me when I was leaving and I said 10 minutes and when I actually left I was giving my stall away to some other guy, so the stupid lady who claimed that she was waiting for my stall started screaming about how she had been waiting for me to leave when "waiting for me to leave" really just entailed parking her car illegaly until she could snag my stall. BLAH. People are such bastards.

But tomorrow it should be smaller so my ankle and I are overjoyed.

I think that I have special powers.
All the hoping/praying/special wave-reducing dances worked and the swell forecasted for Monday is not going to be the 4-6 feet that they forecasted but has now been downgraded to 3-5+ and 3-6.
Either no one on this island can forecast swells or I'm magical. Yay.

SERIOUSLY! As if my poor body wasn't suffering enough [and emotionally too, from lack of surfing! wah!] I go and tumble down the stairs and hurt my ankle. GRRRRRRRRRR. At least I didn't break it but it's probably sprained [I don't know for certain since I haven't seen a dr]. Which means out of surfing comission for who-knows-how-long.

Kill me. Kill me now.

.paw paw.

Overnight my poor bee sting became this [and I suffered the entire night stuffing my hand beneath my pillow so that I wouldn't scratch it]. I took some Ibuprofen and iced it all morning [which is what the information I got from the internet said to do] but it still looks like a fatty animal paw. Attractive, huh?


In case I was ever wondering, I now know exactly what it feels like to be a sausage. If my finger swells anymore it will surely explode.



I was planning on surfing this morning with Dars but seeing as how I can only close my hand *yay* much, it would make holding onto my surfboard a bit difficult. I heard it was small this morning anyhow [and stupid yellow longboard haole girl was out with a bunch of other people] so I didn't miss much. G. said that Ryan asked where I was in front of G. and he made a snorting/chortling sound. How is it possible that 40-something year old men can act like such pre-schoolers? Goes to show you, surfers never really do grow up ... 

.mellow yellow.

Today was by far the most mellow day thus far. Nice waves, only a handful of guys out, AND Glenn's second to last day. LOVELY. And since Ryan is training for China's contest this weekend he was longboarding it [as if he didn't catch enough waves on a shortboard!] and I got to try the board.

I don't think this is the exact board [maybe it is] the dimensions [9'0" x 21 ½" x 2 ¾"] are similiar but this neato board had a thruster AND four-fin setup. Today Ryan had the four-fin setup and it was a very different ride than my pretty little 8'6 that I'm accustomed to. G. is going to purchase the board after Ryan uses it for the contest and has said that I may use it, hooray! Either that or I'm going to cave and go purchase it for myself ... so much for a new shortboard.

I also got stung by a stupid bee today. I saw something fly into my hair [and in my head, even kind of thought it was a bee] but quickly reached up and brushed it out anyway. Just as Ryan opens his mouth and says "Don't! I think that was a bee!" I can feel the stinger in my finger. Lovely, just lovely. So Ryan pulled the stinger out for me and I nursed a slightly swollen hand all day. Weasels! This made up for all the mean-ness that had taken place earlier when Ryan mocked me for putting sunscreen on on my stomache [since it gets on the board and makes it oily].

Ryan [as he climbs onto my board]: "Do you oil your board?!"

Me: "No, but I wear sunscreen."

Ryan: "On your stomache?"

Me: "Yes."

Ryan: "So Potagee, you!"

I guess I need to start wearing shirts again so I can continue to wear my sunscreen and prevent skin cancer! [I still love Ryan]

.after my 2 day hiatus.

It felt WONDERFUL to get back into the h2o today. Got to the beach before the sun came up and dragged slow-poke Steve away from his friends to paddle out with me [buddy system!]. It was small but all that mattered was that I could surf again ... yay!

Several of the old guys said they saw me on the gallery's website and on the news. Figures, since they're the only people I know who would pay attention to such things. One guy said he recognized the pink board and then realized, "hey, that's the girl that surfs Concessions!" Steve wanted to know if they put my face on the body of someone who could actually surf. Pft. Oh well .. only old people are so brutally honest.
G. was grouchy today and yelled at a boy for "getting in his way." They SAY they're not territorial at Concessions but they ARE and they will bite your head off if you piss them off. Eek. Fortunately for me I am beloved by all [hahaha, yah right].

Surfnewsnetwork "forecasts" another "swell" for this weekend. HOPE, HOPE, HOPE. I'm getting sick of this pansy 1-2 foot surf. 2-4 on Friday? We'll see ...

.cholo's 2000.

I swam, I wasn't eaten by sharks or beaten too horribly [physically or emotionaly] by other swimmers, I survived.

Mari and I found the North Shore [poop on anyone who mocks our wonderful navigational skills!] and scored some excellent parking right above the Bay. The Hongies were already there so we frolicked about the beach and rolled in lots of sand for a good two hours until the 9:00 am start. [Excerpt for Kathrine, Florence and other friends who know me well enough to know that I don't smile. I was walking back from the showers when a man stopped me and said that I looked like I was walking to my execution. Grrrrrrrrr]

The event in and of itself was longer and much more painful than I thought it would be, quite possibily because I had to lie to myself in order to be convinced to go through with the ordeal. At 9 am [after the briefed us on the contorted course which started in the front right hand corner of the bay, had us swimming diagonally across of it, between a channel, and circling back around] we walked down to the h2o's edge. The women were in the first group, men in the second, and as we walked down to the beach, people just started to jump into the h2o and swim. Mari and I took it as the race was starting, however, they were just lining up at the start point [which apparently is in the middle of the ocean and requires a lot of h2o treading and jostling to not have your personal bubble invaded - NOT RECOMMENDED IF YOU'RE NOT STRONG SWIMMER/CANNOT TREAD H2O IN CLOSE QUARTERS/HAVE A VERY SMALL PERSONAL BUBBLE.

Eventually the race started and I lost Mari in the first two seconds but managed to keep close to my little cousin [and even then I was only able to recognize her because of her purple cap and bright pink goggle straps]. The first leg, diagonally across the bay and through the channel was the longest. Particularly since I've never done an open h2o swim [and since the h2o in Waimea appears from the shore, deceptively tranquil] I thought it would be like swimming laps in the pool sans flip turns but I was WRONG. Whenever we got close to land [like through the channel or near Buoy B which is against a cliff] the waves would throw us all over the place. At one point someone swam over me, a few times I hit peoples feet and arms, and I kicked someone [hopefully not in the face]. The whole time I was swimming I told myself I would never, ever do it again. But a good ten minutes back on land, and I changed my mind. Not only do I need redemption after having my little cousin beat me and Mari stealing the third place finish, but I think that better prepared [and with more training] it would be fun. Granted it's not the walk in the park, look-at-all-the-sea-turtles-and-clear-h2o that other's had depicted it as, but it's a fun little tryst in the h2o nonetheless. I got to talk about swimming and surfing with Mari [like how if we ever get pregnant we're going to have to have our babies cut out of us prematurely so that we can get back into the h2o and/or also plan the months of conception - conceiving in August/September is ideal so that we'd only be missing winter surf] eat Matsumoto shave ice, roll around in the sand, look at cute haole surfer/swimmer guys, etc. Next year I think more people should play with Mari and I. If we can do it so can you [maybe ... we are pretty damn good ... KIDDING].



Mari placed 3rd in our division for women 20-24. Sucker was supposed to take out the 2nd place girl so I could have a cool little coin too!


Everyone checking the results after the race.

Lesley and I ... after the breather I took collapsing onto the sand. :pCOOL ankle tags! I thought they were used to find us [and/or our bodies if we ever got lost at sea] but they're REALLY used to track your time once you go over the mat at the finish line. I wanted to take mine home with me but the guys are very careful that no one leaves with their tag ... sad.

.results from Cholo's 2000.

Overall I placed 102 out of 396 swimmers and 4th in my age group. Next year, right???


And a text that made my heart smile:

It felt empty without u. Even Delbert asked about u.

YAY. Tommorow I'm getting up at 5:00 to be in the h2o by 5:30 am ... gotta make up for the past two surfless days. 

.gallery808.

Yesterday morning there was a dudeman from Gallery808 shooting pics at Concessions. I'd love nothing more than to post pictures of myself in awkward and unflattering angles, riding teeny tiny waves HOWEVER they block their site from such fun things [they want to charge me $35! sad!] so everyone [here] is spared the cruelty. There are also pics of Dars, G., and Glenn pretending that he can surf [scoffs].

Apparently there was also a jellyfish influx the past few days. I wouldn't know because no one got stung at Ala Moana [while I was there] yesterday and I DIDN'T GO SURFING TODAY [@(@#$*!]. Boo. The newspapers said that they closed Hanauma Bay because of all the poor silly tourists that got stung [don't they know that all the jellyfish like to play 10 days after a full moon?]. Hopefully there are no more jellies by Sunday. However, I will eat my word on jellies if there is even the remote possibility that Glenn could be allergic ... dream, dream, dream.

Tomorrow is the Waimea. Hopefully I don't drown [and see at least twenty sea turtles, five monk seals, a large pod of cute dolphins, sixteen to thirty attractive boys, as well as a variety of other cutesy endangered creatures. :)




Funny.
As I was writing this silly thing [which is taking much more effort out of me due to the lack of sleep and still-hangover] Mommy screams from the couch that I'm on tv. I tell her that it's not but I go to have a look see and lo and behold the pic from that 808gallery nonsense is being used during channel 9 news' surf broadcast. Pft. What silliness.

For the first time in so-many-days-that-I-can't-even-remember I didn't wake up before 5:30 a.m. to go surfing.
Argh.
And now I'm grouchy.

.learn to surf.

I am seriously one of the worst surfing teachers ever. I blame this in part, on the person who taught me to surf, who would take me out on a longboard and leave me on the inside to play by myself and flounder in whitewater whilst he went out and surfed in real waves.
If you've ever paddled out with me, or had me "try" to teach you to surf, then you should know that I have no patience. I have patience in very few aspects of life, and surfing is not one of them. Ask Dars [look Dars, I mentioned you]. She has suffered multiple "You're not trying hard enough!"'s and a few "Try harder!"'s. It's tough love, baby.
However Surfline [after discovering the site I'm semi obsessed] offers a nifty "learn to surf" section which if you aren't Kelly Slater I recommend you peruse in your free time [yes, I'm reading it as well]. In particular, I concur with it's advice to learn to swim well before learning to surf [as they say, surfing is 95% swimming ... ] and taking CPR though this is probably only useful if you surf with people you care about saving [since you can't save yourself and I can think of one person off the top of my head I would enjoy not saving]. The site also goes into depth discussing currents, breaks, etc.


Read, read, read.

.twelve days.

Just twelve days till July 28th [thank goodness for public schools going on a year-round schedule and starting a whole month earlier!].
Twelve days till I don't have to see Glenn's stupid face paddling out at 8 a.m.
Twelve days till complete and utter surfing bliss.

Grrrrrrr. One of these days I'm going to hunt down a mug shot of Glenn and post it on here for people to throw darts at and/or use to find his place of living [may it be the side of the street or garbage can or what not] so that they may hurl smelly eggs at his car and person.


They say "surf with aloha."
I say "surf without a leash and lose your board and have to swim over dry reef for it."

.surfology sounds like Scientology.

Due to lack of entertainment on a Saturday night I found myeslf perusing Surfline's Surfology section [yay for alliteration]. It's actually quite interesting and chock full of useful surfing information tidbits.

Like what to eat before surfing? : Apparently, the correct answer is to consume NOTHING [which is what I do since I'm too lazy to forage for food stuffs early in the morning]. H2o and/or foods that are easily digestable such as fruit or energy bars] are all they recommend.

Or.

What to do if you're stung by a stingray? [though I've never heard of any cases of stingray stings in Hawaii...] : Apply very, very hot h2o to the sting site.

Surfline also provides readers with a glossary of terms. Beside the more obvious ones [like the defintion for bamboo or beach break, both of which are self explanatory] they also provide defintions for words such as "bathymetry" [The measurement of depths of water in oceans, seas, and lakes. The topography of the ocean floor or underwater bottom] and "beavertail" [Early wetsuit design in the '70s with a large flap affixed to the suit's lower back, wrapped under the crotch and secured in front. Designed to hold the suit in place, the innovation didn't really work and surfers took to letting the slab dangle. (Hence the term, "tail".) ].

I'm seriously considering totally scamming their glossary idea [because it's so cool] and making my own glossary with words I have not yet invented or discovered.


In case you forgot [like me, procrastinator/idiot/lazybutt that I am] and didn't mail in your Cholo's 2000 application the deadline was yesterday and you will now have to pay $40 as opposed to the $30 it would have cost you to send it it yesterday. GRRRRRR. Oh well.

.toying with my emotions.

Sorry, I've [obviously] been quite lazy of late. Therefore no interesting/intriguing/thought-stimulating posts for your reading pleasure. You can hit/bite/kick me if you want to. But you'd have to find me first [hah!].



As if my life weren't complicated enough, stupid Surf News Network needs to stop toying with my emotions! They can't promise 2-3+ on Saturday and Sunday and then two days before, strip away my hope. Boo! Blah, I suppose it's okay though. Less waves equals less people. Right? One can hope.

.love me, dammit.

Dear Diary,

Today I went Left.
Twice.
End of Entry.

Love,
Crystal

Yes, it's true. And one was even so that the other guy who was paddling for the wave could go right. I'm so sweet [particularly considering all the icky boy drama swarming around me]. Love me, dammit.

.waimea bay swim.

What are you doing on July 22?

Even if the answer is something somewhat legitimate such as "playing with my new puppy," you should still cancel these plans and swim the Cholo's Waimea Bay event with me.
[please, pretty please?]

It's the third [not to mention shortest, only 2,000 meters] of four open water North Shore swimming events held annually each summer [obviously, when the north shore is flat and there aren't 20 foot waves breaking at Waimea]. Back in the day [ie. 8-10 years ago] Rainbow Aquatics used to help host the event. Those were the glory years when I used to actually be able to swim 6,000-7,000 meters a day without breaking a sweat and foolishly, refused to swim Waimea Bay and the Waikiki Roughwater. Now I actually have to do silly things like "train" [which for me is swimming 2,000-3,000 ... because that is an actual challenge].
For the past few years I believe that Surf n' Sea and a few other North Shore venues have taken up sponsoring the various races. It's $30 to register [I know, quite pricey considering the fact that I don't even think you get a t-shirt anymore] but I think it's worth it granted there's nice weather [hope, hope, hope].

Reasons #9,230 and #48 to swim Cholo's Waimea Bay include "spending more time with Crystal" and "having the privelege of watching Crystal flounder in the water for 2,000 meters, having her butt soundly beaten by a bunch of in-shape 10 year olds." Sounds like fun right? And if I can sacrifice surfing on a Saturday morning to drag my butt to Waimea for the 9:00 am start time, you can too!

Entry deadline is July 14. I say this to remind myself more than to remind you.

Application for all 4 races.

.2006 travel accessory guide.

Also in Surfing magazine, the 2006 Travel Accessory Guide. Most items are items that I absolutely cannot live without [and have no idea how I’ve made it this far in life without].

For starters the dockslocks. It safely locks your board to your vehicle so that you can run around leaving your board unattended. Since I have so little trust in mankind this means that I can now run and purchase food after surfing and do little errands without a second thought to my beloved [board]. It also has much larger implications, meaning that one day I might get so brave as to leave my board in the back of my truck while I’m at work [so that my lazy butt doesn’t have to cart it back and forth from the parking lot to the pool and back]. Of course that would mean it sitting in the blistering sun all day [and wax melting all over the place] but we’ll see. I WANT ONE.

Must have numero dos : freestyle audio waterproof mp3 player. I know that I’ve been saying for the past year that the invention of underh2o mp3 players is pure frivolity, but I’ve amended that statement and now know that my life will never be complete without one. Not so much for surfing [since I don’t surf with boardshorts and would lack a safe place to keep it] but for swimming [where I could just attach it to my suit or what not and be on my way] it would be a wonderful thing. I could swim for hours rocking out to whatever new music that I eventually download [I need new music inspiration by the way]. Which would mean longer/better workouts. Which would mean less flab. Which would mean world peace.

And the GoPro, well this I only want because it’s new and shiny [I’m kidding]. My California friends [awesome people that they are] got me the non-digital version for my 21st birthday and though someone [actually I do know, but I love him and don’t want to point fingers … muah] lost the little blue tabby that keeps the camera from flapping all over the place, the idea in and of itself is actually good. And it does stay to the wrist which means that I don’t have to paddle around with a camera dangling from my mouth or attach to some bodily appendage! This one is digital, runs off of one AAA battery and can hold up to 250 pictures or 30 videos. And it comes at the very affordable price of $79.95, Now if only I’d win some kind of lottery …

.a surf spot named Crystal.

"250,000: miles of coastline on the planet. Only a fraction of which is actually surfed."

Seeing as how I only surf 0.10385 miles of all that open coastline I'm not one to talk. I am such a damn creature of habit. But at least for everyone else that means less Crystal in their lineup, which is almost always a good thing ...

I was reading Surfing magazine [hence the quote] and saw that they're offering a nifty prize [a prize pack AND tagging along on a surf trip to that spot with surfing "professionals"] to the person who discovers the best undiscovered surfbreak using Google's Earth satellite imaging program. If I was at all technologically "ept" I might attempt such a feat. Then again, if I were able to accomplish such things I would find the place, christen it Crystal and travel there all on my own without ever telling a soul about it.

I don't perform [well] under pressure.
Read : Reason #29485 why I can't/won't date a surfer [who will tell me when to catch waves, which way to go, etc].
I hate being "molded" though God knows I need molding.
Hmphf.

.sharky.

Yesterday there was an article about the increased number of shark sightings on the North Shore. Yikes bikes. Though the likelinhood of myself ever being attacked by a shark are [I'm hopeful] relatively low I don't care to push my luck. With the exception of Herman [the very very large shark that I've seen at Ala Moana] and the little baby shark that plays around in Concessions at sunset I haven't had that much interaction with the sharky kind. Hopefully they keep to the North Shore [and Kauai, where all the major shark attacks that we usually here about take place] and leave me to my little stretch of beach.

In the article they interview a man who claims that this is the most "shark sightings he's heard of in 40 years." But wasn't it only a year or two ago when all the shark sightings were taking place in Kailua? Hmmmm?

My favorite article quote.
"When people start seeing sharks, the word gets out and people start looking for them," said shark expert Randy Honebrink of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources. "And the more you look for them, the more you see them." Which is true, I suppose. But it sounds like common sense to me, not something that you'd have to ask the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources. My grandma could have told you the same thing. I was hoping for a "real" reason such as that as a result of increased toxicitiy levels following the sewage spill sharks have an increased resistence to illness and other natural predators and therefore have increased exponentially in numbers.

I'm not for having an open season on sharks but isn't there a way we could catch a few of the key procreators and ship them off to an aquarium or give them their own little wildlife preserve? Maybe with the monument that President Bush just declared all the sharks can move over yonder. According to the article though, we have nothing to worry about. Those "experts" claim that some years there are just more shark sightings and attacks than others. That next year it will go back to normal. One would hope.

.i grew here you flew here.

@#*$(&@!
I really, really @*#$(&% HATE Japanese tourists. I hate that they can't surf. I hate that they travel in packs and that when you yell and @#*($& at them they don't know what the heck you're saying. I hate that they're stupid @#*($&&% who should go back to Japan where they came from.
In a perfect world I'd tell them, "I grew here, you flew here," but they wouldn't know what the heck I was saying and would probably just smile and nod at me like idiots. Grrrrrrrrrr.

This anger stems from trying to shortboard in teeny tiny waves.

However, I did try G.'s 5'8 T&C fish. I like it. However, not enough to actually try and consistently ride it. G. said that my problem is that I shortboard like a longboarder. Duh.

Today probably set shortboarding and I back another 6.3 months. But I swear I'm going to learn to shortboard one of these days. Really. Maybe.

I actually [and surprisingly!] woke up this morning for my 4 am wake up call. We actually found parking in Ala Moana park [though it was at the very, very entrance, beggars can't be choosers] in one of the last five open stalls. The police [or city, or whoever the powers that be are] changed their minds and let vehicles into the park earlier than 5 am [which is what the signs said they would be doing] so that by 4:50 everyone was parked and ready. Grrrrr. I wish I was there just to watch the mad rush for parking. It must have been pretty funny, not to mention that the line waiting for parking on Ala Moana must have been pretty rediculous for the police to start letting everyone in earlier than advertised.

The sun still wasn't up when we got onto the beach so I got to lie on my board for a while [and proceeded to get wax in my hair]. That was probably ten extra minutes of sleep that I could have had in the car! Walking down the sidewalk were kids in sleeping bags, on the concrete and on the sand, looking quite homeless-esque. We eventually paddled out [and it was still dark] but the sun did [as G. said it would] come out by the time we got to the break. Those guys are crazy, cause I don't know how I'd ever find Concessions without other people already out as my landmark. I followed Steve hoping that if a shark attacked me - as the like to do at the crack of dawn - I hoped it would eat him first and get full before he got around to me. However, Steve said that he is old and would taste badly whereas I am young and would taste like sashimi. Urgh.

It was small but pretty. I think I've only seen maybe one other sunrise before. The h2o looks quite pretty in the morning light, especially when it's breaking in front of you. I need to follow Neal's example and purchase myself an underh2o digital camera but I think I'd be too lazy to ever take it out. Ho hum.

I keep telling myself that I'm going to start shortboarding but I REALLY AM. I promise. Sometime soon. I'm just too lazy to paddle around on such a small board and not catch waves that I'd normally be able to get. However, G. said that he would "teach" me how and let me try one of his boards so perhaps I will get the hang of it. *cough cough* I want to go to Tropical Blends and purchase myself one of their cute little shortboards but I think my parents would have a fit [though when I asked if I could get a surfboard or a puppy, Daddy did say that I could get a surfboard]. I also need to teach myself to duckdive [better].

Happy 4th of July! I hate the crowds at the beach but love the Law and Order marathons!

It was all the guys in the h2o could talk about today. How unlike last year, the state was allowing people to camp out at Ala Moana beach and stake out their area for tomorrows 4th of July festivities. When I pulled up at 6:15 am. there were already groups setting up on the grass strip in front of the key. Obviously people without jobs and real lives to attend to on a Monday [I'm oh so slightly envious].
And though they're allowing people to stay over, the state is forcing people to remove their vehicles from the beach area between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am [quite rediculous]. They're throwing them half a bone which will only result in a mad rush for any and every parking stall at 5 am. on the dot. I predict that by 5:15 not a single parking stall will to be found. People are so crazy and I hate it. All I want to do is surf in peace on the one Tuesday I have off from my internship! Grrrrrrr.
Not to mention the message that this is sending to the homeless community. What does it say that the state is willing to open up the beach and bend the rules for the bourgeoise in times of celebration but conduct sweeps and kick the homeless from their "homes?" Granted, that tomorrow night I'm sure even the homeless will be able to sleep over at the park, however it's obvious who this event is catered towards and the fact is that afterwards, the rules will once again be reinforced and the homeless kept at bay.
Oh, who's kidding. I just don't want people having parking stalls at my beloved beach.

Yay for G. agreeing to pick me up tomorrow if I awake at 4 am. when he calls. :)

Do our actions in the h2o mirror those on land?
Or is it the other way around?

Either way, I hope that on land some people are less of the *******s that they are in the h2o.