Yesterday, chopped my own hair (again). It was getting long and needed a certain kind of layer. So, craft scissors plus cheap disposable razor blade and we’re off. Result? Excellent, best ever. Cutting your own hair seems like one of those things reserved for really punk rock anti establishment ladies, totally not something I’d out myself on in most circles. A number of ladies have super religious attachments, in my experience, to their salons and particular stylists and this blasphemy is better kept private. But, I’ve gone everywhere from the recommended temples to the discount beauty schools without ever finding a life changer.
To be fair, my hair is straight, there is a lot of it, and I wear it long-ish.
Salon Pros: head massage, nice smelling shampoo different from my own, pro blow dry, possibility someone will make you fancy tea and be nice to you (neither ensured), no work for me other than making an appointment and getting somewhere on time.
Cons: training does not equal aesthetic sense, costs, difficult to tell how it will wear everyday when everyday is not an extensive blow dry/straightener process, difficulty in speaking Stylist, having to travel somewhere, the internal debate about whether or not to wash and style before visiting the salon so as to assist the stylist in figuring out wtf to do with your hair.
Self Cut Tips:
-make use of a digital camera with a timer for a better view
-cut when brushed out and totally dry (probably a beauty school faux pas, whatevvvs)
-figure out ideal shapes via pictures, side profiles are esp. helpful for ideas
-think about: face shape, head shape, hair texture, hair volume
-cut with scissors first, soften with razor second
-be bold (not, like, crazy, though)*
*biggest mistake in earlier attempts at cutting – fear of cutting off too much resulting in undersized layers
This is not saying never again. I’m not anti-stylist. There are a lot of styles that are clearly Do Not Try This At Home. But I like my hair better the way I cut it myself right now. So why not?
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Already a lessening participant in the online social media sphere (six years later), admittedly today a series of pictures posted by someone living somewhere that was a dream to live when I was about ten made me realize how much my life actually looks like hers right here, right now. So, inspiration, to document more for archive purposes and enjoy what’s going on right now
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Adapting to a new board. Shortest ever, a find at LG’s family home. Tip: when learning to surf start dating someone in a surf-y family who allows you access to a hand-me-down quiver that equals expanding your repetoire with limited personal investment.
The venture yesterday was marred by a fin flash that could have been a lot of things. Today I read, in the local mag, about a three meter great white spotting last month right around the spot. Hello, Charlie. On the upside, the shark was apparently spotted on a day with a lot of action in the water and didn’t attempt to chow anyone (including some swimmers), so everyone was a winner. I miss my dolphins an hour up the road, though.
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Listening: Opus Orange – Crystal Clear (via wolves.co.za march playlist)
1) Sadness for loss of life/destruction.
2) What it would be like to be hit by a wave that powerful and how I would fare in the situation.
3) Considerations about where waves will hit producing very memorable surf.
4) Guilt about #3.
The thing is, waves are partially the product of storms or other disturbances out in the ocean. Bad weather, for us, means potentially good waves. It is hard to reconcile the outcomes.
Yesterday, a little shark cruising around my current favorite point break. I saw the fin, LG saw the shark. This happened at the same time the plug attaching my leash to the board was one big wave away from popping out. The thing about sharks is that most of them aren’t so bad or particularly dangerous, especially the little ones. Even Great Whites don’t tend to chow people until a certain maturity. But, at the end of the day, most sharks have sharp teeth and strong jaws and even a little nibble by mistake…
The plug removed, I experimented on the beach break with tiny waves and no leash. It’s been awhile, and a longboard, since I gave that a go. It feels pretty free. I’m still going to patch up my plug and put the leash back on pretty quickly.
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Television stations here often play whatever they want and somehow make mistakes in what is supposed to be broadcase and what actually plays. For example, this morning the only show I would watch during the day is mysteriously absent. It may come back later this week, it may not. The weekly guide is no help, often containing any number of errors. Sometimes they accidentally play last week’s episode of any given program. It keeps it live, I guess.
Filed under: waves
Craving ocean. Early morning glass-offs, used and tired muscles, wet hair, bobbing around with friends, sandy walks everywhere, night air, watching the sets in the dark from above, quiet waxing to keep the masses asleep and get the first three all on my own.
Going to get a massage, thank you benefits, but I can’t help but think if I didn’t occupy a desk chair so much things wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable.
Asparagus and mashed potatoes and a gravy-like sauce.
Filed under: waves
[Obvious L.G. Hiatus]
December and January, so far, led to making plans. There is a question of how long I can do this/here. I think I will make it to the end of September, a one year run. I don’t really know, given where I’m going, when I will have this kind of steady, reasonable income again after that point, but I think I’m okay with the temporary indeterminacy.
I’m thinking about spending early October to late February at my home on the other side of the world. L.G. finishes his licensing exams, hopefully, at the end of November, and then will join me a while down the road for a couple months of low key surf life. Christmas away. Then we might go spend a couple of years in Aus/NZ, banking on him getting actual work and the fact I can work there for two years with the right paperwork.
Starting in October, creating opportunity to surf every day, for two and a half years. Because that is what I want to do before I’m 30.
This requires eight months of semi monastic voluntary poverty. Given how bleak this town is lately, not so impossible.
Filed under: waves
We used to sit around making up shirt slogans.
In the hypothetical where I quit my job and sling beer for another winter off the point I am going to make one that says:
I have a boyfriend.
He surfs better than you.
Regardless to the state of my romantic situation.
Filed under: waves
How amped should Canada be about this?
Very.
Anyone who’s caught a Pete Devries video has known how long he’s been ripping and generally proving that despite harsh weather and slop summers, Canadians can surf.
As a sidenote… writing about the ASP is boring because everyone does it but this year is awesome. It is hilarious to see everyone rate the JBay event as such good waves, writing things like “as good as JBay gets.” Uhh… the talk amongst those who actually surf there more than a few days per year was one of constant doubt and regular disappointment at how long the sets were taking to come through. JBay when it’s as good as JBay gets is double overhead and clean sets that don’t stop. There’s a reason it’s the mecca. Oh, right, the tour. I hope Parko wins.
The Billabong crew has amazing style. QS finds good competitors but I’ve never felt the same watching Kelly surf as I do Andy, and I’ll never feel the same way about Dane as I do about Parko. In the end, I’m still massively a layperson in a field of seasoned journeymen and rocket scientists, but if you’re reading this you just have to deal with it.
Filed under: waves
This is one of my favorite segments of video ever – quasi hypnotic, Andy, an obscure Mickey Avalon track. The video is highly commercial and expensive (heli-shots anyone) but still fantastic. I was at a launch party for it a couple of years back and still love it even though I’ve seen it at least thirty times.
The polar opposite appears to be this, which I haven’t seen yet:
An entirely different category of wave lust. Unfortunately, it’s unclear how and when digital distribution will go beyond the USA.
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Tonight instead of doing work as planned I’ve created a draft of my fifty list. A small group of music addicts are putting together fifty tracks from the past decade, in order counting down to the number one favorite. Each person picks their fifty and orders them. I have a feeling mine will garner disapproval as I by no means shun mainstream pop music and have a longstanding nodding approval of pop punk. Whatever, I recently admitted to a friend of mine Ryder Strong was my pre-teen crush. I can handle disapproval.
I’ll publish a final draft when this goes live.
Filed under: waves
To try and recap the last three months is highly problematic, let’s cut to the highlight reel.
Surfing.
My progression has been and likely will always be fairly slow. I still don’t really like anything over three feet and my takeoffs are uninspiringly rough. But, for all of that, there were the great moments. Getting out back on the six to eight foot days. Catching that first wave and having a bunch of the guys yell “nice one!” Riding some pretty ugly, kind of shallow reef and keeping my board ding free. Just testing out a lot of new situations and conditions and making it out okay.
Injury catalogue: seriously black eye; broken tooth (but not an important one). Less bruising and no bad cuts, however.
New spots: at least six.
The ASP far exceeded any expectations. I’m not sure I need to see it again (other than Andy’s supposed return next year), but it made me understand in a way no video can what is possible. The after parties were overrated but the surfing was not. However, like they discuss in one of the Drive Thru movies, being close to some world class perfect waves and not being able to surf them (or, for me, having to deal with far more crowding and kooky dangerous behavior than I’m used to)… sucks.
Camp Reunion.
It was really good to see everyone again. People change, and I don’t mean that in a bad way whatsoever. Maybe the better phrase is: people grow.
It was a party of note and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Someone cut a deal with the universe and we had the ideal long weekend, swimming, biking, appreciating the finer qualities of Blue Moon beer.
Future.
I’m at my parents house for about ten days sorting everything out and getting nervous about starting work.
I talked to G. on the phone just now, a million miles away, and we talked about a possible upcoming visit. That would be amazing.
Underthecurrent 