Seriously now!

Stickers are still not here!

Work is going beautifully... and I am almost operating at full speed. Full speed is pretty much the only speed I like... and it takes quite a bit to get me there. It used to be multiple cases on the go, people to be detained and files to be prepared for hearings... all before the morning shift arrives.

The surf team thing is a little fizzle-y this week because some people are away and the conditions are not good... but that will change. There was a fierce wind out there, and Cox Bay looked horrible. Even at my most desperate (okay, maybe not my *most* desperate), I wouldn't have gone out there today. I went to Long Beach... and got chatting with Simon in the parking lot. I didn't know he was Simon... because I only know Simon as a guy in a wetsuit with a blue Santa Cruz longboard... 10'2", maybe. Ralph let me take it out once, when he was selling it. Without the blue Santa Cruz, Simon could be anyone... and this guy has normal clothes on and his board in a bag... how could I possibly tell?

We were talking about my new 11' board (because I cannot shut up about it), and Simon told me that Ralph really was thinking of buying the Bluepath... and that I had in a way pulled the rug out from underneath him. Later on, when I decided to go out... and Simon saw the board, he said "I know that fin! I was going to buy that fin!" As it turns out... I got what could have been Ralph's board and what could have been Simon's fin. I snaked two Tofino longboard icons on acquisition! And apparently, Miki Dora used to ride on almost the exact same fin.

That the Bluepath is awesome is no news to me, of course.... but today... I had another reminder of its awesomeness. I caught this super awesome ride on the green-- it was the biggest, fastest ride ever. It was long distance-wise... but it was SO fast! As I was riding the wave, I was thinking "Why am I going so fast? This is really fast... what's going on? How am I able to go this fast? It's fast! Really, really fast! And I'm on it... going really fast!".... and on and on.

I am so in love.

I went back out and over and over again... but I still could not get over how awesome and how fast that ride was. I still can't. And if I hadn't been chased out of the water, I would probably still be there right now. While sitting on my board past the break, I saw two sea lions about 40 feet away, out and to my left... which was too close. That pair disappeared into the water, and I was prepared to get out of there. Not 10 seconds later, two sea lions popped up 20 feet from me, directly between me and the coming waves... then two more popped up... and there were four sea lions in a row, not 20 feet from me, looking at me, close enough for direct eye contact, making menacing grunting noises. I got the hell out of there... and fast!