Every scene contains a memory

As the nights creep up faster and the morning light casts new hues of orange, I am reminded that summers do not last forever. I wipe a tear as I bid the warmth goodbye. Although I dread the chill of winter, I am constantly fascinated by how it creates a new feel about each day I encounter. As I drive to school, my eyes wander(not for long because the roads are winding) to observe the lines in the rolling hills becoming crisper and glowing with a different shade than in earlier months. The most amazing part about it, is the nostalgia that I feel during this time of year. Each scene contains a memory, which casts me into a constant state of daydreaming. Maybe this is due to the fact that I am a bit brain dead due to the amount of knowledge being thrown at me. But it is more poetic to believe that it is due to these wonderful memories. My friends laugh at how predictable I am when I meet new people. I am constantly comparing them to my friends at home. "you look like a mix between this friend and that friend," is my famous line when I meet someone new. I think it must be because I am trying to find some link between my friends at home and my friends here. Not only am I comparing people, I am also comparing the beaches, the drive to school and the places I frequent. But I swear that when I drive to school I feel as if I am driving to the mountains in California. In my daydreams I am remembering adventures that I have had in the places I feel like I am. Some days I feel like I am in Mexico, other days Costa Rica. I've even had a nostalgic feeling that went back to my childhood. You may be thinking that I am crazy and have been away from home for too long(which is definetely not the case), but maybe it's just the passing of time. As I get older(writing this is making me feel that way) I have more memories to relate each new experience with. You might want to watch out for me though, as I might start saying, "when I was young the world was so much different. We walked to school uphill both ways, barefoot". I will hopefully spare you all from that, but I am feeling like time has become a bit more special to me. I am soaking up all the wonderful memories, however I am aware that I can't live my life in the past. I am enjoying this present day as the gift that it is and looking forward to the warm months that will bring new life.

Cuts and Bruises

I am assuming that my stories about surfing and waves are going to start to get boring soon, but this series of events is interesting. I will warn you that there is some blood involved(not too much though). My last entry ended on the notion that even when you stub your toe and have a bad day, good things(or waves) can still happen. I feel like that has been the story the past few days. Yesterday I paddled out with my brother in law Reggie and got a nauseating feeling when I realized the waves were a lot bigger than they looked on the beach. A couple of sets came through and I felt my jaw drop and my heart beating outside my chest. I considered paddling back in, but decided against it. The first wave I paddled for was huge and I heard a guy cheer me on, so of course I had to go on it. I dropped in and my eyes got big. I looked straight at Reggie and fell. I scrambled to get back out and paddled for the next wave. This time I made it and it was such a good wave. A little later on I got caught inside of 3 huge breaking waves. I took the first one on my head, but came out unscathed. The next one ripped my board from my hands and smacked me straight in the face. I heard a loud crack and I thought that I had broken my nose. Today I woke up with a bruised nose and eyes, not to mention a nice headache. I thought I might take today off and get some homework done. However, against my better judgment, I decided to go surfing after all. I was worried about hurting my face(particularly my nose) the whole time. I caught a couple of fun waves and then dropped into this barrelling left. I looked at this guy who was in my way and knew I wasn't going to make the section and get around him, when suddenly the lip hit me straight in the face, took me down, shot me up and through the wave to be taken back down again and held me there. When I finally came up the next wave hit me in the head(so much for avoiding my bruised nose). When I came up the guy was looking for me making sure I was alright. Luckily I didn't hurt my face more, but on my way back out I cut my leg really bad. I'm not sure how I did it, but all of a sudden blood was gushing out of my knee. Well, not really gushing until I got out of the water. In my head I was thinking about how a shark can smell a drop of blood up to a mile away, so I quickly paddled in. This is surf number three where I have gotten fun waves, but sustained injuries. We'll see what tomorrow brings I guess. I hope everyone is well and that the days are good to you. xobeck

Sometimes a rough morning can turn out to be a gem

Waking up on the wrong side of the bed set me out on the wrong foot the other day. Grumpy and groggy from lack of sleep, I stumbled out of bed and started to get ready for school. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in the car for an hour drive to school and get stuck behind a VW bug with a trailer of hay towing behind them(by the way, there aren't many opportunities to pass cars on the way to school, so some days it takes me 30 minutes to get to school, others an hour). Shuffling through the cupboard looking for something to eat besides oatmeal, it hits me. My class has been cancelled for the day. I am ecstatic at the thought of getting to surf on a weekday without crowds. Then to my dismay, my roommates somehow persuade me to go to surf "the Pass". This is my least favorite surf spot in Australia, mostly because there are 3 trillion people who frequent the spot, of which half of them have probably been surfing twice and have no clue what they are doing. I am surprised that no one dies or comes out with a significant injury each day. The other half of the 3 trillion people there are longboarders who can catch the waves before they even begin to break. Trying to think positively, I suit up to get in the water and remember that it is a weekday and the crowds won't be as treacherous. Unfortunately my grumpiness returned and proceeded to get worse as we walked to the water. I stubbed my toe, dinged my board and cut my leg on the rocks. And the 3 trillion beginners and longboarders had turned into ripping shortboarders who were catching every wave. But I paddled out anyways. And there, with a sour attitude I sat. Until, it finally happened. I got two waves in a row. The second wave was so long that my legs started to get tired. When all was said and done, it took me close to ten minutes to walk back on the beach to where I first started. During that walk I was thinking of how glorious the day was and how the sun seemed to emerge from the clouds for the first time that day. The following pictures display the contrary(my favorite part about them is the scenery in the background, never mind me, that's boring). Moral of the long drawn out story, DO NOT be a GRUMP...and well, that I guess it wasn't even a bad day in the first place!