3fer

I had Old Orchard for breakfast, Gooch's for lunch, and Higgins for dinner. I'm stuffed.

Had to send the interns packing. It was a tough decision. They were good kids, but just didn't have what it takes.

Hiking season starts tomorrow.

Mo' Problems

My first intern couldn't handle all the responsibilities involved with the position so I took on a second intern. We went to Ogunquit yesterday. I had a tough time figuring out that wave or maybe it was just the post Reggae Blues.

More interns means more problems. They think it's all fun and games. They both slept through the morning session.

After today, the internship program will be terminated. Worst batch of interns ever.

Out Of Control

If it's Memorial Day, then it's Reggae. Woooooooo!!! Peaks was out of control.

The place was on fire.

Workin' From Home

Had a killer session today!!! Really rocked three lefts and two rights. My intern is floored with the hours my job requires.

Hey at least I get to work from home. It's not as bad as it seems.

Job Shadow

Amy & Pat were invited to participate in the Ball-Z Job Shadow Program held at Higgins Beach. They both did a good job and now have a true appreciation and understanding of the hard work, discipline, and dedication involved in the surfing lifestyle. To be blunt, it ain't easy.

Waves were small and not great action. Hopefully we get some photos up, but I think Pat needs to job shadow with a photography company. We are all about continued education.

Peace Out!

Consolation

Nothing but ankle biters today and a bunch of 'em. Finally broke out the Spring suit though.

Water was 45 degrees. Three groups that don't care: kids, Canadians, and dogs.

Stonehenge

I think I figured it out. There must have been some testosterone-driven adolescents hanging around who stumbled upon these large stones and decided to put them up just to mess with people. Alcohol may have been involved as well. At least that's what happened to this driftwood from April 17th.

Vijay put the Board Meeting on a "fast-track" making it possible to surf today. Again, it was high tide. Not as much umph as the past two days, but as you know...Any wave is better than no wave!

Riding High (tide) Again

What more do you want? Yoga in the morning, surf in the afternoon, and Samantha's dance recital tonight. High tide is a cool vibe. Today people were calling out waves for others. "It's yours, woooo!" There was a bunch of sweetness out there. It's much better watching girls paddle out. I think I got caught peeking a few times. Oh well.

The parking cop, Ted, is afraid of me. He musta found out I'm America's Most Wanted (April 20 & 26). He introduced himself and talked to me the whole time I was changing. He doesn't even mark my tire anymore.

Gotta grab 'em when you can 'cause tomorrow is gonna be a wash--Condo Meeting. Booooo!

To answer yesterday's question...You can wipe-out hardcore. I tried to walk the board. I went flying one way and my board the other.

(Sea Gull by Samantha)

Mid-Day Crisis

Waves were comin' in too sweet at noon to pass (high-tide, very unusual). Higgins unveiled their new webcam on Mother's Day. Not as good as the old one, but I could see the waves were rockin'. Sure beats waiting for low-tide at 7:00pm. A bunch of troopers out there today. Good session with a lot of waves. Had a couple where I really had to work the wave. Those are fun. Again, I was real close to taking my first step to try and walk the board. I'm gonna try soon. What's the worst that can happen?

Let's Get Something Straight

"When you gotta job to do,
You gotta do it well"

I'm on call 7 days a week no matter what the conditions. Don't ask, "you goin' out in this?"
Kinda like the post office. Rain, sleet, snow, etc. My boss is a real....

I gained some respect in the line-up today so that was good. Conditions were pretty mushy, but still fun. Still need a lot of work on the kick out. Last ride was real dope.

Have Mercy

"Have mercy, been waitin' for the bus all day.
Have mercy, been waitin' for the bus all day."

The bus never came and neither did the waves.

Greedy

There were a bunch of surfers out today, but I felt the waves were too small. I guess I'm getting greedy after a weeklong of good waves. After a few flat days, I'd definitely take what today was giving.

Speaking of Greed. There is one particular surf shop that I can't stand. They try and shove everything down your throat without offering any sound advice. I only go there when I absolutely need some low ticket item--usually wax. I did buy this leash string there. I shelled out a whopping buck. I vote with my pocket book. That's why you'll catch me going out of my way to buy gear in Ogunquit.

Short Session

It was a tough paddle today. Got up on a steep wave and actually stayed up. Didn't do much 'cause the wave was closing out, but it felt real good going down (like floating).

As much as I wanna walk the board, I gotta learn to kick out. This will allow me to pull out the backside of a wave before it closes. By doing so, I won't have to paddle through all the junk.

Yeah it was a short session, but hey...it was a session and I had a couple good ones!

Share The Road

Thursday May 12th (blogger was down yesterday)

Big Wave lived up to his name yesterday. Hit a couple big waves. Actually a wave must be at least 20 feet to be considered a big wave. It was fun paddling over good-sized incoming waves and falling down the back. I was out in a hardcore lineup--way outside. Caught my first ride which was, I know--hard to believe, my best. It was awesome. Almost back to the lineup a shortboarder takes off. I have to bury myself in the whitewash which brings me all the way back in.

Paddling back out a stand-up paddler signals me. I guess a set must be coming so I hold tight. After seeing nothing I continue paddling. Again nearly to the lineup a shortboarder takes off and is real ticked at me. Had I not paused 'cause of the SUP I woulda been out there no problem. So I grabbed the next wave in--also a real good one. Then I took off. These shortboarders are crazy. I mean WTF! I had to bail on a ride when one was in my way. Share the Road.

That's the problem with a beach break. At least in California there was a clear zone to paddle out. Not so at Higgins. People are taking off all over the place.

No Fluke

Although not as good as yesterday's session, I held my own out there today. I was in the heart of the lineup with some good surfers and grabbing my own waves.

Had my best bottom turn. Often underrated, all surfing begins with the bottom turn!

"I don't wanna work,
I just wanna bang on the drum all day"

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Kookville

Parked at the Higgins Beach Inn to avoid the hourly shuffle. The owner of the Inn hates surfers taking his spots, but I asked. Also last year he told me it was no problem during the off-season and off-days.

Approaching the beach, all I see is blue (foam) torpedoes--good gawd! A local surf shop is holding lessons. There are 12 newbies spread throughout the entire beach. I ask the girl if this is a result of her Groupon campaign. She apologizes for taking up the whole beach. I tell her no problem, there's plenty of room (not really). She tells me not everyone feels that way, but I think she got the point as they left pretty quickly after that. I have no problem with the lessons, we all start somewhere. Just don't take up the whole surf zone. It's not even that. New surfers are supposed to stay on the inside.

Alright, enough about that. My new fin ROCKS!!! Man, what a difference. I was catching waves early (not the usual late drops),gliding, trimming, turning... I mean you can pound a nail with a rock, but a hammer is much more effective. You need the right tools for the job.

Not only did I have my best session yet, butI also caught my best ride. I was so locked in to the wave that I was considering walking the board, but I didn't wanna ruin a beautiful ride.

A Gift From The Sea

The storm of April 17th brought this into shore. This driftwood has provided fun for all. A few days ago a guy cut off 3 feet and carted it away. Yesterday a couple lined it with sea shells and took pictures. Kids surround it, beach walkers rest on it, seagulls perch atop it, and dogs dig under it. I'm sure once the lifeguard stands go up the tree will be gone. Nature brings it in and man takes it away.

If only the sea would bring me some waves. I'm dying to try out my new fin!

Mean New Fin

Got a mean new fin...I doubt it will make much difference considering my ability, but it's 'spose to be ideal for down the line and start-up speed while the reduced sweep angle makes for easy tight arc turns. We'll see.

I tried a longboard skateboard in the parking lot (forget about bombin' down Union). I think I might be a little too old for that. Besides, they didn't sell knee pads, elbow pads and helmets which I would definitely need. Maybe next year.

I told Mark that I just got back from Cali and he was telling everyone in the store that I am the most stoked surfer he knows (little does he know, probably the worst). He was telling them that I go to Indo, Hawaii.... I had to correct him about Indo. Got a lot of good info from Mark. Especially on turning where apparently I am too evenly balanced and have to shift my weight to the back foot.

Hope you guys checked out the Lowers Pro. It's pretty cool how they do the webcast.

Say What

Once again everyone bailed on me. Looks like I'll be having Mint Juleps at home since no one wanted to make the trek to Kentucky.

Conditions were real choppy this morning. I'm so confused upstairs. Do I arch, don't arch, lean back, hand up, hips, eyes, shoulders????? I caught a couple good ones where I had to keep the ride alive and drop back down a few times--pretty cool. Also received excellent door service from the Taylor's. May have to hire door men along with a driver.

Off to see the guys in Ogunquit. I think I'm gonna pick up a new fin. I'm definitely gonna pump 'em for information.

Yo Black, I'm Not Playing

I was out there with a girl who was killin' it. I was getting killed. She gives lessons so she was giving me some pointers. She was also telling me that I should get a longboard skateboard and go bombin' down Union Ave. I like the idea until I start thinking about eating it.

Girls are funny. We're out there talking and outta nowhere she says, "yeah that's what my boyfriend tells me." Whatever. That's when I tell her...."Yo black, I'm not playing."

Cinco De Mayo Or Not

No Don Julio before the surf. It was sheer glass out there. Or maybe that was just my eyes. Either way, good stuff. In honor of Cinco De Mayo, the Ball-Z Corporation will be releasing a special brew, Tres Equis (Triple X), for a limited time.

Now Hiring

Everyone at Higgins is asking me if they are enforcing the new parking laws--like I know. Funny thing is, I do. The cop told me you can park for one hour then come out of the water and move your car five feet and you are okay. I mean how lame is that?

When I win the PowerBall, I am going to buy a bunch of RVs/Motor Homes and line up the street so no one can see the beach. I'll hire a guy to shuffle the RVs around every 45 minutes. Any surfer (except the snake) can store their boards and gear in my RVs as they will be there around the clock. Until that time comes, I am hiring a person to move my car every hour.

I hope no one is having their board repaired because Eugene has been in the water the past two days. If he has your board--No Surf For You. Caught some good waves today and it looks like there will be some action tonight also.

Observation

We are more connected than ever before, but I would argue that we are more disconnected. While smashed into a pill box, my captain says, "enjoy your flight." Is he kidding me? I have a window seat and there is this guy who sets up shop in the aisle. Trying to get to the bathroom is an Act of Congress. I have to get him to move his entire office. People are listening to ipods, reading their kindles, playing with ipads while others are texting the entire flight. Communication and interaction is at a loss. When I finally work up the nerve to go to to the bathroom, there is more pressure than there was asking. Now this guy is waiting for me to return so that he can set up shop once again.

I go to the Red Sox/Angels game and the girl next to me finally decides to watch the game in the 7th inning. She had no choice. Her battery was running low. Her parents got a chuckle when I mentioned this. She had front row seats and starts watching the game only when her smart phone was about to die.

Finally I'm rockin' out at the Circle (jerk) in SaMo. There are hotties everywhere, but they are all texting. It's not til I'm in the bathroom that I realize that I too am guilty of this convenience. We are so connected that we are disconnected to our immediate surroundings.

Enjoy the pleasures of a conversation with a stranger. Enjoy the moment. Don't let life pass you by. You're connections will be there when you return to them.

It's A Long Day When...

The morning swell doesn't hit. Good thing it came for an evening session. All shortboarders at Higgins tonight. I fear the shortboards (since nearly getting my head chopped off at Lowers) because I don't know which way they are gonna take off when I'm paddling out. One guy told me, "don't worry, I'm not an angry surfer." There's a way cooler vibe out here! It's funny because many of the guys I see in Old Orchard (really good surfers too) don't go to Higgins because they're sorta intimidated. Fortunately for me I have gone there from the beginning, so I'm kind of a local at both spots.

I was gonna stay out longer, but I had a really nice ride at the end and decided to call it a day. My hand was dragging on the face of the wave. You're supposed to do this to slow down. I did it for no reason. I was just low and rockin' the wave--it just felt right.

I Can't Believe...

I was the only one out there today. The sets were comin' in real nice. After about an hour and about to call it quits another surfer came out. So I stayed. You always get juiced when there are other guys out there. He told me I was doing good for only surfing a year so that was encouraging. I asked him how and when to turn down the line. He told me it's a feel. Well for me it's pure luck, but when it happens it is AWESOME. Had one real sweet backside ride down the line!!!!

(for whatever reason my link to the lowers pro is not working so if you are interested in checking it out you will have to type it in the address bar. www.nike6lowerspro.com)

Lowers Pro

I just got the latest Surfing Magazine. Lowers Pro, a professional event, is going off at Lower Trestles May 3rd-May 7th. You can watch it live at www.nike6lowerspro.com The event starts at 8am PST. I was just there. Had I known, I would have adjusted my schedule. They must use 4-wheelers or something. I can't imagine they make those guys hike down to Lowers.

Oh well, time to go catch some waves of my own.