24 July 2016 - Surf Wax America (CA)

I've been home for a week and have finally gotten around to work on my surfing hobby. This journey represents getting over many of my fears as well as pushing my physical and mental health to better levels. I took my first surf lesson nearly 5 years ago...it was free...basically a few friends took me to Pacific Beach in San Diego, gave me a board, a short verbal instruction, and then left me to fend for myself. I've tried on my own 2 other times over the last 3 years, renting a board at the beach and giving it my best shot.

My favorite surf song:

First, learning to surf is difficult. One reason includes proximity to a decent location (moving to CA helped as Ohio was low on the list). Another is physical fitness level; moreover, I have the endurance and strength, but lack the balance and also have muscle imbalances created by excessive running. Then, there is the Ocean, the most unpredictable act of nature that this sport is dependant upon. Finally, you don't know what you don't know. Sure, I figured a few things out on my own and by observing others. But until today I felt kind of lost.

I got up super early and carpooled with a random stranger, John, to San Onofre State Beach close to Camp Pendleton. I've been to this beach once before to watch a sunset. It has a really rocky bottom starting where the sand meets the water. At low tide you can see how crazy it is. You have to do this sort of "parents walking barefoot through a living room of legos" walk to get out to the deeper water. Being a Sunday morning, this place was packed!

Here is a live cam:

The Point at San Onofre State Beach Live HD Surf Cam. Check out more Surf Cams at Surfline.com

John turned out to be a really great instructor. He was suggested to me through a meetup group I joined. He is currently working on earning his Nursing certification for retirement healthcare centers. He teaches surfing lessons on the side. He fit the mold of what the stereotypical surfer talks and looks like (tan where the wet suit did not cover; speaking the slang). Here is what I learned:

1. There is a Right-of-way (give way if someone already has the wave)
2. Observe the waves before starting...
3. Pop up-
1. gotta center on the board
2. don't stand straight up - stay low
3. arms out - don't T-rex
4. too far forward (gas pedal), board dives
5. too far back (break), the wave rolls under you
6. don't keep your feet together
7. don't position your feet too wide
8. don't lean at your waist over the edge of the board.
4. Get the correct sized board

The last one is the greatest lesson for me. John may have very well saved me nearly $1000 buying the wrong board in the future. The 8 foot fiberglass longboard we used proved to be too small for my weight. Next, I am going to try an 8ft foamy (soft top; more density for floating). I may have to buy a wider thicker 9ft board.

Right now, for me, surfing is not graceful and mostly involves me falling off the board a whole bunch. Here is a youtube video of a similar animated experience:

12 July 2016 - Thunder and Lightning - Something Frightening

One thing I don't see very often anymore is Thunder Storms. They are kind of rare along the beach cities of southern California. The only thing you do hear about is the fires that get caused by lightning strikes further inland.

With the removal of the all electronic devices must be off during the flight rule, a new age of captured experiences has begun. On a recent travel day I had the fearful prospect of having to fly through/around a storm or having all my flights cancelled. (It happens) What is the last thing I like to see before my flight boards? Well, besides crying babies, it is:

Luck was mine as the flight was not delayed or cancelled. I think that we beat the storm front rolling in such that the pilot was able to fly over/around the bad weather. That being said, as the sun began to set I managed to record what a lightning storm looks like at 30k feet. The quality isn't the best, but it was really fascinating...

Travel Tips: How to pack?

I've been traveling frequently now for about 6 years and I am still tweaking my strategy for how to pack for a trip. There was a great scene in Up in the Air that speaks to this topic:

For most of my early trips I relied upon a 28" checked bag and a laptop backpack. I've had airline status in one form or another all this time so I rarely have to pay for a bag. As for the rest of the unwashed masses most people try to use a roll-aboard to avoid these charges which has created a frustrating system of uncivil boarding and disembarking procedures.


Expensive or Cheap?

I still can't win here. I have purchased a bag at Walmart for $30 that lasted me 3 years (Ozark trail; have never found it again). Currently, I am using a $230 Osprey 19" roll-aboard (with lifetime warranty) and it is fantastic as well. I've also had the Target $40 duffel wheeled bag survive only 3 trips.

The fact of the matter is, if you check your bag, then "throwers" are going to abuse it. In the end I recommend reading the reviews on FlyerTalk. I got a good recommendation for a 19" expandable Delsey Helium, about $120 at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Bigger or Smaller?

Some of the best advice I have ever received about packing for a trip is "remove half the cloths, double the cash". I have found that I really don't need to take every possible thing I own. My recent move to a 19" bag has really forced me to be smart about packing. I no longer worry about a big winter coat. Instead I have 3 or 4 articles that I can combine in layers to get the same effect.

The biggest challenge for me with a smaller bag is when I go on vacation I really don't have room to bring back souvenirs. That's probably a good thing. But it breaks my heart to find a really good bottle of 12 year aged Single Malt Scotch Whisky and realize that the TSA (you have to recheck your bag on international arrivals so the Duty Free Stores dont work) will not let me carry it on board an aircraft. Sure I could check it in my 19" bag after throwing away a few items of clothing, but I have seen the dreaded leaking bag of another passenger at baggage claim.

I remember hearing broken glass and seeing brown liquid dripping from the corner of that poor soul's suit case.

1 Bag, 2 Bag , 3 Bag, blue...

To this day I still laugh at people who show up at an airline ticket counter with a cart of 5-10 bags. It is usually a family moving and they are chained to their possessions. Clothing can be replaced.

I tend to switch back and forth between 1 or 2 bags.

Current approach:


Contrary to the movie clip at the start of this post, I almost always check my clothing bag. It's really just sheer laziness as I don't want to cart it around the airports. Also, with the advent of baggage fees, people will fight you for overhead bag space.

Alternatively, I use my Osprey 60 Liter hiking backpack for vacations where I will be hiking and leveraging mass transit.

For every other trip it is usually for work and requires a laptop. For the dual bag scenarios I have a High Sierra backpack provided by work. I also have a Slappa shoulder bag I like to switch out when heading to LAN parties. For my cloths and toiletries I am currently using a 19" Osprey High Road LT. It can hold about 5 days worth of clothing meaning I will have to find a laundromat or do sink laundry for trips that last longer.