Just Because You Want It To Be Summer, Doesn't Mean That It Iz Summer 062913

Surf Report: 2-3 feet

Water: Freezing

Winds: Marginal

Atmosphere: Marine Layer GLOOM! WTF Sun?? I thought we were friends

First day back from injury… For those of you who don’t know, I got injured June 8^th, 2013.  Prior to that date, I was surfing almost every day, sometimes even twice a day, and that day was a huge SW swell that came in.  I was surfing for about 6 hours – first at Zero’s and then at Topanga, and on my last wave, I paddled outwards with my right hand instead of downwards and I felt my shoulder pop out.  This was a direct repercussion of surfing for 6 hours and exhausting myself.  I didn’t listen to my body at all.  I just remember the Village People’s “Live for Today” song came up on my tracklist as I drove down the PCH and saw Topanga breaking perfect rights, and I had to surf it. 

Well, I paid for being so ambitiously dumb.  But I was thankful that I got injured while surfing instead of some other dumb accident, which, if you know me, I’m pretty good at getting into dumb accidents and injuring myself. 

For the last three weeks, I’ve been rehabbing my shoulder by doing rubber band exercises, yoga, swimming lightly, and getting my friend Dais to massage it (he is an excellent masseuse and does house calls!) so I felt good getting back into the water. 

Unfortunately, no one told me that the water was freezing cold.  There was a marine layer and so I couldn’t see the waves, but I could hear them break.  I called Matt – he was at El Porto finding free parking on Rosecrance Avenue, and would meet me in the water. 

Jimbo, a bald surfer who is loud and plays hockey, was the only other guy with boardshorts on as we paddled out to the line up.  Immediately I knew that wearing boardshorts was a bad idea, since the water hit me like an upper cut. 

I paddled out to a lot of familiar faces.  “Klaude! Good to see you!” said Ray, the guy riding the yellow longboard with red rails.  Mr. Mike was out, so were Orlando aka Rastamon, Toru, Roxanne, Kim, and the rest of the 26^th Street Ohana.  It was good to be back in the water… but FUCK!!! IT’S SO FRIGGIN COLD!!!!!!

I caught some really nice waves early in the session, going right on most of the waves.  Roy told me that I should draw out my pumps longer and higher on the wave, so I’ve been consciously trying that instead of ripping a bottom turn and hitting the lip.  “You look like you’re forcing turns too much.  No style.  Draw out the carves longer, and then worry about turns,” he told me when I was surfing every day.  “Let the board do all the work.” 

After the first forty-five minutes, I was hitting the wall.  There wasn’t any pain paddling or popping up, but it was just cold.  I couldn’t believe how cold it was.  I was paddling constantly trying to find warm spots in the water.  when I would find a warm spot, I would sit there and just wait.  I would hoot people into waves, and wouldn’t take any for myself. 

Finally, I see Tom Yam, and we greet each other.  I give him my injury update and I watch him surf some nice lefts.  He caught this one left that he took off behind the peak.  I hooted for him so a guy on the shoulder would back off.  Then, Tom put the afterburners on and just flew down the line.  He had so much speed his eye lids were getting peeled back from his skull.  He tried to pull in to the barrel but got smashed. 

And then, I see Bri!  And of course, Matt!  It was great to see them in the water.  I’ve seen them out of the water, but it’s different for us to see each other on land than it is in water.  Both instances of seeing each other on land and water are great, but seeing them in the water is way better.  We greet each other, and Matt is wearing boardshorts too.  Hahaha!  We are both the dumbasses who wore boardshorts in the line up.  HUZZAH!

I tell Matt that I probably can’t stay long, because it’s so cold.  He sounds disappointed, but he understands.  Plus, it’s my first day back in the water from injury, so wearing boardshorts was actually a blessing in disguise.  I only lasted about an hour and a half in the water, and most of the time I was just paddling to stay warm. 

I get out of the water after getting a close out and look back at the hazy Ocean.  The marine layer is still lingering, and the sun is trying to shine through… but just can’t.  But the atmosphere outside of the water is warm… too warm.  So weird.

I chill in the parking lot for a while playing my ukulele.  I need to get it re-strung, so I play it like there is no tomorrow.  CC stops by and we chat for a while, and then I give her my parking space. 

Juicy Shrimp with Pork Dumpling

I had lunch with my friend Jian at Din Tai Fung that day, all the way in Arcadia.  Yea, I drove from the cool coast to the hot ass valley for dumplings.  These dumplings are special.  They coagulate the pork broth and wrap them in dumplings, and then they steam them up so that when you bite into it, the pork broth gushes out like a ten inch black cock orgasming.  Soooo good!! 

Gotta have the ginger on it!!  Mouth wateringly amazing

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!  It’s good to be back in you.  I was drowning on land. 

Oh, and I bought a “new” used ukulele!  Happy birthday to me~

Pono Ukulele Mahogany Tenor Body - so sexy

Happy Mother's Day 051213

Surf Report: 2-3 feet with the occasional 4

Water: Cool

Weather: Overcast and Glum

Winds: Light on shore

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Surf was meh this day… I don’t remember much.  Except… DA BOYS were out!  Dais, Khang, and I think Tom was even out there too. 

The waves were pretty shitty, but hey, when all your friends are out, it makes the surf session a hundred times better. 

I do remember Matt being stressed out like crazy and shutting himself out from the world since he had lots of school work to finish up.  He is leaving for Java on May 15^th, so he wanted to get everything done before then and leave free of any stress and unfinished business.  He said he took a page out of my book for this sacrifice.  Good for him… it’s a big sacrifice, and it sucks, but it will be all worth it in the end when he gets the job DONE!

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!  

On an ending note, I went to a Dodger game later that day!  I initially invited my mom, but she said:

"Is there anyone Japanese playing?"

Me: "No.."

Mom: "Then I don't want to go."

Mom: "Oh, but I heard you get a free Tote back, bring that home!"

sigh.  

It's ok, I took my extended family, the Morimoto's, out! 

Quentin, Maddie, and Mama Morimoto!! It was HOT!!!!

Short Term Memory 051113 - 26th Street

Surf Report: 2-3 feet with the occasional 4

Water: Warm!

Weather: Sunny

Winds: Light on shore

It’s been a hectic week going out with friends, new and old, catching up with them and thanking them for all their support during my CPA exam time.  I was super glad to be able to finally go out and not worry about anything!  My boss is set to leave for his vacation, so work has been nothing but clean up and organizing for the both of us.  He hasn’t taken a vacation since last year May, so I’m glad he is finally taking a long vacation. 

So Saturday, I get to surf my heart out!  I was wearing a 3/2, and it felt toasty… my god, it was so hot this day!  I couldn’t believe it. 

Not too many memorable waves though.  No power in them!  And none of Da Boys were out.  Yes, the locals are there, and I know them, but it’s just not the same without DA BOYS.

Oh well, Mahalos Mother Ocean!!

The Extent to Which I'll Go To Surf 050513

Surf Report: 2-3 feet
Water: Warm for Ventura County
Winds: Slight off shore
Atmosphere: Kloudy

I was hungry for surf.  Khang and I got skunked yesterday, and I thought I was ok with it, but it turns out I wasn't.  I need to be in the water!! 

I drove to 26th Street, and the waves looked bleak.  Hideki was calling me seeing if it was worth driving down to paddle out.  The place looked like the biggest lake ever.  I told him no, it isn't, and I'm going further north to see how the waves were. 

5/5 is Children's Day in Japan.  It's a day to celebrate the children that are in your family by flying carp kites outside your house and of course, gorging yourself over copious amounts of food.  I was on a time table, but I needed to surf, so I made my way back up to Zuma beach. 

Roy was already in the water, and we surfed here for about twenty minutes, until he said, "Let's just go to 0's!"  I was hesitant, but then I just started to paddle in and yelled at him, "See you there!"

It was starting to drizzle a bit, but hey, at least it wasn't as windy as it was in the South Bay.  We drove to 0's, and we watched it for a while.  there were only 3 guys out, and there were some small sets coming in every fifteen minutes. 

I decided to park up on the PCH since my credit cards were being denied at the pay station.  My pleasure, I thought to myself.  I can save $8 for stupid beach parking. 

I only had a 3/2 because I wasn't planning on surfing outside of the South Bay, let alone all the way up to 0's.  I was a bit weary about the cold water, since it tends to be a few degrees colder up here, but once I got in the water, the water was pretty amazing. 

I had a few memorable rides this day.  I do remember trying to hack off the top and realized that my stance is too wide for any sort of aesthetically pleasing turn on my back hand. 

I caught a fair share of long rides, and headed out.  I had to get back home and make guacomole and cilantro pesto with black beans for Children's Day. 

The day continued with lots of food, family, and fun.  I had to leave early because I had to coach a basketball game.  My boys were in the championship game of the South Bay FOR Tournament.  The team was a tough match up, well coached, and nitty gritty to the end, but we came out on top.  We can finally call ourselves "Champions."  So proud of them!! 

So, this weekend, I drove from LA to San Onofre, back to LA, then from LA to Manhattan Beach, from Manhattan Beach to Zuma, from Zuma to 0's, and then back home.  This is the extent I am willing to go to find surf.  Crazy? Definitely.  Love?  Passionately.  

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!!

SKUNKED 050413

Surf Report: SKUNKED

Water: Didn’t go in

Winds: Strong South wind

Atmosphere: Sunny yet kloudy?

There’s south swell in the water.  The hills of Los Angeles are burning.  And I have all day to score some surf.  Khang has a day off, so I tell him, “Let’s do Trestles!” He obliges. 

However, he is not feeling well when I pick him up.  He has had a sore throat since Friday night and is not feeling himself at all.  With this, we decide to say screw you Trestles, and head to Huntington.  We call Hideki to see if he’s in the water.  Hideki calls us back as we are passing Westminster that the surf sucked and that it wasn’t worth going at all.  The winds are too strong, the current is ripping, and the high tide washed out everything.  Ok, to Trestles we go! 

We get to Trestles after an hour and a half of driving.  When we pull up, we see that there are no surfers at Old Man’s.  The wind is howling from the South, and there are just NO WAVES.  We couldn’t believe it… we got completely SKUNKED.

I had to laugh.  We’ve scored Trestles the last few times we came here.  Heck, Khang scored it on Thursday.  But oh how the winds have changed.  We got completely and utterly skunked.  The water looked clear and beautiful.  The waves were being knocked down by the wind when they did come in.  There were four surfers out there, all beginners, and they drifted about 30 yards in 30 minutes. 

After 40 minutes of watching the Ocean and playing my ukulele, we decided to go grab some Pho at Pho Vie.  We laughed saying how we got skunked as we ate our warm, life-giving Pho.  We went next door to Lee’s Sandwiches to grab some baguette sandwiches, and then to the supermarket next door so Khang could grab some fish for his mom.  They scaled, gut, and deep-fried these two Jumbo Tilapia for $9.00.  What a fucking deal!!  I got to get me some of that next time. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!  It’s not about the destination, but the journey. 

But man, we got skunked so hard. hahah

Back to Blogging 26th Street 050313

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Surf Report: 2-3 feet and sloppy

Water: Cool

Winds: Slight on shore and trade winds

Atmosphere: a bit kloudy

Back to blogging again… I just want to take a moment to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my arduous CPA exam.  I’ve thanked most of you in my life in person, but for those of you who I haven’t been able to thank, thank you always for your support!!  I did my absolute best… if you saw me in the last two months, you would know that I was obsessively studying for this damn section of the four-part CPA exam that I failed four times.  Over the past two years, I've sacrificed so much of my life for this exam... friendships, would-be relationships (one girl that I was catching up with told me, "Don't wait two years to contact me,") surf trips, camping trips, parties, sanity, and my own personal happiness... all sacrificed for the one goal that I never thought possible... This time… this time, I know I did my absolute, 110% best, so I am happy with my results.  This was my version of Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points in a single game.  He doesn't recall scoring 81, he just remembers "We have to win... we have to win."  I put in the work, I put in the effort, I put in the blood, sweat and tears.  Anyways, thank you all.

So, back to surf:  this day is kind of hazy now… I talked to Khang and Dais the day before as they drove back from Trestles, and telling me how they scored.  They invited me to dawn patrol Friday morning, which I kindly obliged.  I woke up kind of late, and got to 26^th street around 700 AM.  I see that there’s surf, and I see Khang’s car.  There are a lot of people in the water this morning… but I find Khang in the line up.  He’s on his New Flyer model from Channel Islands. 

The surf is a little wonky, with the high tide ruining the conditions.  I didn’t really care.  I was just so happy to be surfing on a work day!!  It’s been far too long since I got to surf on a work day… I was just happy to be in the water in my 3/2. 

No memorable waves this day really… I just remembering being really happy to be in the water.  Khang and I leave the water and talk to Don and Ross.  They said that the past two or three days were much better.  “Should have been here yesterday.” 

I’m still getting back into the swing of things on this day… it finally struck me that I have my life back, and that I should do what I’ve been wanting to do this whole time.  I’m just taking life by every moment, since for the last two years I was locked up with handcuffs on my small wrists. 

Mahalos Mother Ocean!!  I am happy. 

Stolen Boards -- HELP FIND THEM PLEASE!!!!

Hi Fellow Bloggers:

Over this past weekend, Matt aka Donny Duckbutter organized another trip to San Onofre.  It was a great weekend of surfing with friends and spending time with friends away from the hustle and bustle of LA, except that on Sunday, we had a rude awakening while packing up.. FIVE boards were stolen from us, right on the military base of Camp Pendleton.  Here is a list of the boards stolen:

1.  A 5'10" Yellow Zamora Quad Fish 

2. Brand new 6'0" DEV motor boad round pin tail. The 6'0" DEV was a custom epoxy board shape for "Ricky."

3.  Brand new 8'0" Becker with some red on the rails

4. 6'2" Channel Islands Flyer

5. 5'10" Quad Entrophy Fish W/bambo deck & a light green bottom. 

We have put an RSS feed up on craigslist to track any of the above key words.  If any of you bloggers have found anything in your local surf shop, please let us know!!  

We will never make the mistake of having our boards out, unattended, even on the military base.  It's a horrible thorn on our sides to know that someone that was on the military base would do such a heartless and shameful act, but it is what it is.  

Mahalos!!!