Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink
Hijinks On The High Seas… And Beyond
Tag Archives: surfing
Diplomas and Splints and Snow
You: Up to speed. In brief:
12.10.10
After showing my outta-town friends what the Jersey Shore is really like, I tumbled down some stairs and broke my finger.
I maintain that the culprit was the extreme lack of light by which that staircase may have been seen.
12.17.10
NYU threw us a graduation fete. The best way to say, “Congratulations on completing your master’s program!” is really to dole out oodles of free wine, and that they did. My mom got drunk and wrote “Viagra” on a white board–we have no idea why:
Soul Shaper: Check Out Rich Luthringer on The Inertia
Click here.
New York Surf Film Festival 2010
An Experiment in Time Traveling.
2:00 p.m. Sunday (September 26, 2010)
I just evicted a gang of empty, green bottles that was squatting on the kitchen counter. They had overstayed their welcome; they reeked of last night’s party.
9:08 p.m. Saturday
As Lori and I watched Always Sunny, I tried to push a hundred thousand thoughts out of my brain. First and foremost: My brother Taylor and his friend Moe were not yet here–we were running behind schedule.
4:30 p.m. Saturday
SENT To: Lori Higginbotham: “do you think it would be better if i skipped the first movie then we could get some food and take taylor with us in the taxi?”
10:03 p.m. Saturday
By the time the driver deposits us at Canal and Varick, the free beer has been depleted, but we don’t know that yet. Outside the theater, I tap Christian on the shoulder. He turns around, blinks, and says, “Hey! Welcome home!” as he gives me a hug.
Inside, our remaining complimentary beverage options are Seven Tiki rum and Barefoot champagne. We opt for champagne. To start.
All good things…
I left San Clemente on August 30th. It was a Monday. I woke up early and drove down to the jetty at Oceanside, where I found not-so-excellent waves. Carlsbad wasn’t really any better. The water, however, was probably warmer than it had been all summer, and ridiculously clear. Initially, there was one other guy in the feeble lineup, presumably trying, like myself, to squeeze in a mediocre (but still satisfying) morning session. He soon got out and left me in the company of an enormous lone seal. Later, everyone I told this to would say, “Oh. They can be nasty, you know.” or “Seals attract SHARKS!” But at the moment it seemed pretty incredible. And it was definitely a first for me.
Back in SC, I returned my rental car and shipped some cargo to the right coast. I still had a few hours to kill, and I spent those hours surfing super fun waves with a bunch of enthusiastic, long-haired 12-year-old boys. It didn’t matter that the time I had alloted for packing and showering was fast dwindling; I just didn’t want to get out of the water. When I finally did, I’m sure I looked like a crack head: bloodshot eyes and a blissed out expression on my face.
—
Dearest California,
I think I might be in love with you. I didn’t want to leave you, but it was something I needed to do. Let’s make the best of this separation and reassess our situation in a couple of months.
Yours with unwavering adoration,
CB
How I Came To Be Boardless. Count To Zen.
On Sunday, I found myself sitting on the beach. Reading. No surfboard next to me. A weird combination of factors and events contributed to this unfamiliar scenario. Read on.
numberONE: The water temperature was freakishly low:
“Holy fuck! The water is freezing today!” — Actual text message.
I believe 55 degrees is a confirmed figure.
numberTWO: “Now once upon a time not too long ago,” I hid out at Strands for an entire day (after strong-arming a hoe) and enjoyed the departure of June gloom. Yes, it’s August. Anyway, I spent the day surfing some fun ant hills. On my first wave, my ancient leash snapped. I took the opportunity to teach myself what everyone from California and Hawaii seems to know: how to surf without one. In other words, properly. With “situational awareness.”
numberTHREE: Within a few days, I was actually feeling comfortable without a leash. I was also feeling disgruntled the following Tuesday afternoon and all I wanted to do was surf–despite the fact that the waves were miniscule. I headed to Creek, which I thought might be better than the Pier (SC), which wasn’t even breaking. Creek was the least crowded I had seen it all summer. So there were about 6 guys in the water. The only rideable waves were to the south, by the rocky point that I usually avoid… you see where this is going, do you?
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink 