10-4 Officer Buzz Kill

I got to thinking a lot about how lucky I am to be doing what I set out to do so long ago. If I had taken that job as a video game engineer for EA Sports in San Diego things would have been much different today. I guess it helped that they never actually offered me a job after 3 interviews.

I could have been a videographer for a new action sports video start-up, but my VW camper van broke down on the way to the interview. Then, while at the VW dealership test driving a new Passat wagon so I could "make it to work every day and on time", I realized I wanted to spend my money on a school bus and a boat instead. Now, 8 and a half years later, I'm reliving these life choices and happy about it all.

Since we set up the new WRSC facebook page it has been amazing to see the photos that other people have been posting and tagging.


WRSC in 2004, when we were building the first 12 rooms of the hotel. Its hard to believe that it only used to be a beach house. Its also hard to believe that I live in it and am raising my family here.


This is Sailor Dave, with a skimboard he made for little Jack (who is now 8 years older!). I remember Dave making it, those were good times back in the Playa Coco beach shack before we even opened up in Tamarindo. Sailor Dave sunk his sailboat shortly thereafter and moved on to Nicaragua to train boys how to overthrow the government. He still lives there today, above Playa Madera, though the San Juan del Sur locals call him Crazy Dave instead. Dave was a bro, a sailor, mechanic, boxer, carpenter, and great surfer from San Clemente. He reminds me of the timelessness that surfing has been and always will be. So does this video clip I saw online recently.



I've been reading a lot of Surfer's Journal lately. If you don't subscribe, you should start. Go out and buy a copy, you'll see what I mean. Lots of surf history, recently its been about Tubesteak and George Greenough. I love surfing and I want to do it forever :-)

The WRSC Reservations Office got an email from a guy in La Jolla complaining about the WRSC stickers that were placed around his neighborhood. Larry started a conversation with the guy, explaining that we give out stickers for free, and sorry if it caused any negativity in his life whatsoever. And by the way, how are the La Jolla reefs breaking lately? His response was a copy of the San Diego city codes, showing the $100 fine for every sticker placed in public. This is a guy who took the time to research WRSC on the internet, find out we were in Costa Rica, and contact us about a few stickers he had seen and taken the time to take down. La Jolla is so stuck up you can't even put a "for sale" sign on your house. I grew up only ten minutes away and went to college in La Jolla, and obviously I must have some friends in the area that had some WRSC stickers. Officer Buzz Kill, I'm truly sorry about your bad sticker experience.

hell yes

Finally I'm feeling a little bit relaxed. Finally things are ironing themselves out, not so much pressure. Swine flu seems like forever ago, but in reality everyone in America decided not to travel because the news said that swine flu would probably get them. Even the Tamarindo Automercado has a section dedicated to swine flu, with masks and gloves, the whole lot. My neighbors with businesses in Tamarindo talk about how slow its been, I say yeah its been slow. The economy sucks anyways, and to top it off you've got the vice president saying that he wouldn't fly on a plane. I think the travel industry will look back on swine flu and say that it had a bigger affect on travel than the 9-11 attacks did. The good thing has been that we've had great waves, and no crowds at all. I always tell myself that no matter if I was tending bar or fixing a van or cleaning the windows of my own hotel, I'm way better off. No cubicle for me. I'd hang myself with my own tie. I would. I just couldn't do it. Especially now, after living down here for so long. I'll find a way to sell coconuts like señor Pipas did. I'm so fortunate to be living with my family on the beach in Costa Rica. it doesn't matter. it all works itself out in the end. Fortunately people realize that swine flu was a passing fad, to be replaced by a pregnant woman in Laos possibly getting the death penalty for smuggling heroin, or the NBA playoffs.

I have to give props to my boy John Cheshire. Check him out this morning when we went surfing:

This is what the outer reefs look like. Which one? I forget. Come down here and we might take you here, or to one of the other 20 places like it that the rest of the surf world hasn't figured out about yet. Here's some more pics that Rafa took:

http://www.witchsrocksurfcamp.com/dailysurfphotos.php

I've been hanging out with Greg Gordon, the owner of CRsurf.com. We surfed the rivermouth today mid-day, tomorrow he and John and I were talking about trucking it down to Nosara or Camaronal for a day session. Yeah, I know its mother's day in the US, but mother's day in Costa Rica is on August 15th. Holly should have ten mother's days as it is, she's the best mom. Should I feel bad for going surfing with my friends instead? Somehow I remember situations like this coming up in my life for as long as I can remember.

tired rambling response

I'm worn out. It started when I contracted swine flu a few days ago. The waves were small, so I guess my body decided this would be a good time to feel sick and make me relax enough to recover. Too bad swine flu fever hit the rest of the world, making people not want to travel. When people don't want to travel I have to work harder, not less hard, thank you swine flu. OK so now its agreed upon that swine flu doesn't actually kill any more people than regular flu does. I'm not sure why it became such media hype. Does it have less calories? is it less filling? God who knows.

Today was such an interesting, amazing day. I had the longest barrel of my life today in the Tamarindo Rivermouth. I also saved two lives today.

Yeah, thats right. A great tube ride and saved some lives. #1 the barrel: oh shit, it was deep. I was on my Walden 9'0 longboard, completely slutted out with WRSC and Skullcandy stickers. The swell hit today, the rivermouth looked pretty good. I didn't realize it was bigger, and since I'd been riding the longboard these last few days I took it out. Some bigger sets came in, one wave hit the sandbar just right. I got a little barrel and made it out, started pumping down the line to keep up with it, then it opened up and I saw a sight few get to ever see. The wave was pitching past the front of my board, I was on the tail, charging for no less than 3 seconds before finally getting axed. I didn't care. The view of Tamarindo from that deep in a barrel is religous enough. I could try to explain more but you wouldn't understand. It was just the best, lets leave it at that. #2 as if surfing 3 hours in the AM wasn't enough, a PM session at Casitas with mi amigo John Cheshire was the call. It was just us and my neighbor Joey who owns Casa Bambora, we're surfing, we hear some awful schreeching sound. Joey thinks its a bird, I say it sounds like a woman shrieking, ends up being a woman shreiking. This couple had been trying to swim across the estuary, they got sucked out to sea and were drowning. If we hadn't been there they would have died. We drug them in to the beach. They lived. I figured I got an insane barrel and I saved 2 lives, so anything else that happens today is just a bonus.

Other things?

Somehow I now own a cat.

My wife and I have stupid arguments where I'm the smart ass and she's the one who yells.

You can only kill swine flu with 3 second tube rides.

I had someone stop being my friend on facebook, which kindof felt like being broken up with until I realized that it was nothing like being broken up with and nothing more than office space bullshit to fill free time.

My new intern Elizabeth is the bomb.

I am already preparing for my surf trip to panama even though its 5 weeks away. That reminds me, if you didn't get the WRSC newsletter we're offering a WRSC school bus surf tour down the coast August 15-29, only costs $700/week/person.

I'm so stoked to finally have a tv and dvd player in my bedroom. No more Barney, Mr. Maker, Animal Mechanicals, Lazy Town, Charlie and Lola, or any of that other crap they play on Discovery TV. Its all about Death Race tonight.

buenas noches

woo hoo!!

a swell is on the way!!

random clips from the road