Mini-Boards, Sand Sculptures and High Times

The surf has been pretty fun the last several days. The later part of last week Bob Miller let me take out a 7' egg/fish shaped board. It's pretty wide and I had no trouble catching waves due to it's hull-like volume. I had a great time on it and can't wait to try on some bigger/steeper waves. The pic on the right shows the Wee Board next to the Princess Cruiser. (The Wee Board already has a name and it's not even mine... yet!)

Speaking of the P. Cruiser, I've been going back and forth as to whether I should sell her or not. She has some minor dings here and there and I keep having the reoccurring glassing issue with the area around the fin box. She also has a delam bubble on the deck. So, I think her life with me is over, but I do love the shape and feel of this board. The thing is, this is an "off the rack" board and I can go to the Arrow Shop and get another one just like it. Or have Bob shape me a nice custom performance board like it, and pay the same price. Maybe I'll call it the "P. Cruiser II".

I took the Orange Dream Machine out this morning, after a couple week break. The weight of that board is just perfect! I love throwing my weight around on it and the beautiful, elegant delay/glide that comes with a heavier board. The stabilty this board has when cross-stepping and noseriding is exactly why I had this board made!

Last week was very normal and back to routine and I am happy for it. It allowed me time to really settle into my new place and find a new routine. Finally, I bought lights for my bike... a must if that's going to be a primary source of transportation! I've been biking to Trader Joe's and the Farmer's Market. Yesterday evening I rode over to the beach, parked it the bike and went for a stroll. Came across a creative sand sculpture:



It's just been great cruisin' around and most of my friends have come by, since they all live within walking or biking distance. I do have a nice yard and deck and bought some roses and palm for those areas. Maybe by the spring I can get some planting boxes and get a garden going. Speaking of growing, when I was in Border's looking for surfing magazines, I saw this special issue of High Times:



The funny thing is, I ended up purchasing this issue for a friend who loves women in bikinis and ganja! I told her it was almost like buying porn, but I had to, since rarely do you find such a thing to fit someone's demographic so perfectly. I think the girl ringing the sale was the one who was embarrassed as she kept trying to cram the receipt into a page that had a naked chick with pot covering her privates. I laughed and thought it funny as she turned bright red and laughed uncomfortably.

That's how we roll here... Leigh out!

Rise of the Phoenix

Last month was quite eventful. I almost feel like I've lived a life time, emotionally that is. Since I've started writing posts for this blog, I've always had been interest in the concept of how a person becomes who they are... the concept of the journey and reaction to environment.

First off, I moved. I live in town now, all of Santa Cruz at my front door. The move itself was fairly easy since I had a pretty good layover. I trickled in all my stuff and my dad came and helped me with the few bigger items I had. The neighbors are all very sweet and welcoming, so the neighborhood is great. It was the cost of moving that really did me in with this move. I was in the hole for awhile and the bank had held two of my checks, making for a very stressful situation. Fortunately, that has been resolved this week.

During those stressful several days, two things happened. First my aunt, my uncle's wife, passed away. She was 71 and had a wonderful, full life. She's the mother of 6 of my cousins and the hardest thing was watching them go through the loss of their mom. I traveled with them to the Philipinnes and met up with them in Rome, so I have very fond memories of my aunt. We just had the funeral on Tuesday, and it was just beautiful. I got to see my cousins and relatives which always makes me happy.

The other event that took place was that I had to take my housemate to the ER for a kidney infection. She had a transplant long ago, so it was pretty intense when I took her in. She was in the ICU for about a day and a half. She is home now and her mom is staying with us for the week. Everything seems to be fine so far, except her blood sugar is still high.

Now, as I write this, things are semi status quo. Oh, I think I forgot to mention I had gotten pulled aside by a couple of the managers in the centers I work in and got a talking to about spending too much time with a coworker (the one I had been involved with last year) and that I am distracting her from her work. There were no facts involved, just hearsay and info from "people" complaining. Sounds like jealous "people" to me.

Hopefully all the turmoil that has happened since June 2007 calms down and gives way to a more peaceful period in my life, filled with people who very much want to be a part of me and will contribute positive energy to my life. I'm looking forward to shedding this skin that I have outgrown and am ready for another serene and happy time to come.