Sunrise & Shine: Cold waves or hot coffee?
Been pretty brisk the past few mornings in Florida.
It looks like it's already warming back up, but still, the idea of a dawn-patrol dip doesn't exactly get me excited right now.
The thought of that cold water and crisp air just makes me want to slipper shuffle back to the comfort a warm blanket.
In reality, I'm of course desperate to surf, but that cold-water plunge would definitely demand a little extra commitment, and I'm not sure how long I'd last out there.
The thought of a post-surf hot coffee or hot-tub session sounds pretty amazing though. A little pleasure after the pain, and a chance to relish in the surfing memories just freshly brewed.
It gets me thinking about the enduring question: experience or the memory of an experience?
Which one's more important, the actual act of doing something or being able to come back to that experience in your memories.
Kind of a chicken-and-egg dilemma. You can't really have one without the other, and thank God we don't have to pick only one, but which side really moves you?
We obviously chase that feeling surfing provides—that connection with the water, that drive and the push of a wave, the satisfaction of a well-placed turn, harnessing everything a section has to offer.
That feeling—the actual act of doing—is the drug we chase, but how much does the memory of that feeling drive the chase?
You could probably spend a lifetime exploring that question without ever really answering it, so more thoughts to come on that in the future for sure.
But in the meantime, I'm just glad I can have my cold waves and drink my hot coffee too.
Mind if I join?
The folks at Compound picked a good cold week to host their Snowboarding competition and Christmas party. Still doesn't look like snow in the forecast for Sarasota, but I think they planned for that and will be making their own. Dec. 2nd 6-9PM.
Space Coast Boardriders Grom Fest Dec. 16th at Pelican Beach park. Looked like a good time last year!
Vans Pipe Masters Dec. 8-20. Can east coaster, Balaram Stack defend his title?
Talk surfy to me
Surf Splendor: Nat Young. "Surfing is a state of mind. Everybody goes, "does that mean you have to surf everyday or does that mean you have to be a really good surfer?" No!" [...] It's an addiction, we have to do it as much as we possibly can, but also the balance there comes when there's no waves." Experience + Memory = State of Mind.
Pre-shredded
Clip of Cam Richards getting sucked into the Upside Down, then spit out into a full air reverse. A teaser from his new film, Free Time, screening now along the east coast and coming to Florida soon.
Congrats to Michael Dunphy for winning the O'Neill Cold Water Classic last week, bringing the trophy back to NSB.
Gear garage
Old fishing nets. New Futures fins.
Live longer with a little weekly laugh
"You surf 2-3 times a week?! You must be really good!"
I can't remember if I value the experience or the memory more. What about you?
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