'Cause it was saved:

The California Coastal Commission handed environmentalists a major victory and rejected the pleas of motorists Wednesday, voting down plans to build a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach, a popular preserve in north San Diego County known for its scenery and famous surf spots.

Before a boisterous crowd of more than 3,500 people, commissioners decided 8 to 2 that the proposed Foothill South project violates the California Coastal Act, which is designed to regulate development along the state's 1,100-mile shoreline. They reached the conclusion following hours of sometimes heated public testimony that pitted protecting the environment against the need to relieve traffic congestion in south Orange County.

[...]

The vote, which was greeted by an enormous cheer, followed 12 hours of public testimony from the crowd, of whom 2,500 made formal requests to speak, the largest number for a hearing in the commission's more than 30 years of operation.

Some arrived by bus, brought by surf-industry companies opposed to the project. Others came as members of construction unions that support it. Some in the crowd carried surfboards as a symbol of protest. Others dressed as if attending a long-awaited football game.

My favorite sign: "They're paid to be here" (latimes.com)

Admittedly, I was a bit puzzled by this paragraph in a NYTimes article about the proposed toll road:

Some supporters of the road say it would open up San Onofre State Beach, already the state’s fifth-most-visited state park, to people from inland cities. Right now, they say, the beach is dominated by a clique of territorial surfers.

WTF? San Onofre is the most chill place I've surfed. "A clique of territorial surfers" makes it sound like you'll get hounded out of the water for being an inlander. It's a STATE PARK. Everyone's gotta wait in the same line and pay the same fee to get in. If you want a toll road, move to New Jersey.

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Yeah, this is real. Hawaiian tow-in surfers Garrett McNamara and Kealii Mamala catch waves generated by chunks of ice breaking off a glacier in Alaska:

More footage here.

Posted by Lindsay at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments? (0) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

Bay Area surfers were so frustrated with the government's response following the Cosco Busan spill that they took it upon themselves to organize volunteers and clean up their favorite breaks:

Aghast at what he saw as the government-run cleanup's slow pace, Rosas teamed up with two Silicon Valley friends, Byron Cleary and Kathleen Egan. All three are surfers. All three loathe red tape.

Their beach was getting slimed. Oil-smeared seabirds were in a death dance. The friends wanted action.

Risking arrest, they took time away from work to hit the sand -- and get others out there with them.

In a matter of days they had launched a remarkably successful campaign, harnessing both the high-tech chutzpah and the environmental passion of the Bay Area.

Tapping into far-flung communities of techies and surfers, they marshaled volunteers over the Web. They set up a blog. They offered cleanup tips that others posted on Craigslist. They persuaded local businesses to pitch in by providing paper towels, synthetic gloves, even bagels.

As to be expected, some surfers did show up to the contaminated beaches wearing flip flops.

Several thousand miles away, the cleanup continues after an oil tanker loaded with 1.3 million gallons of fuel oil sank in the Black Sea.

It's highly doubtful that this latest incident will lead to any improvement in Russia's enforcement of its environmental standards (or lack thereof). Remember, only non-Russian companies have to abide by those regulations.

Posted by Lindsay at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments? (0) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

Yes, it can be done - on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia's Far East.

It's that giant piece of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk

Be advised that a surf trip to Russia will require cold water wax, a thick wetsuit with booties and hood, helicopter, six wheel drive vehicle, and an AK-47 to ward off the occasional bear. On the plus side, you'll be the only person in the water, a dream come true for those of us who grew up surfing the crowded breaks of SoCal.

I've been thinking about this for a few years since it involves two of my favorite topics: Russia and surfing. A while back I did a Google search on surfing in Russia, but didn't come up with anything substantial. I even traveled all the way to the Caspian, and still, nothing. Surely with all that coastline, though, Russia has to have something surfable?

I recently came across this article from Surfer's Village detailing a Rip Curl sponsored surf trip to Russia, in which pro surfers Tom Curren and Brian Toth found themselves in an old Soviet Mi-8 scouring the coast of Kamchatka for potential waves:

Curren, 40, who resides in Santa Barbara, California is considered by many to be the sport's greatest ever performer, was joined by Toth, on this the most recent chapter in Rip Curl's 'The Search' program, an ongoing series of expeditions to remote and uncharted coastal areas across the globe looking for perfect surfing waves. With the aid of helicopters, specialist six-wheel-drive vehicles and the latest wetsuit technology to allow high performance surfing in sea temperatures around 10° C, the expedition surveyed the coastlined surfing at a series of locations.

[...]

Tom Curren commented; "I didn't actually see where we were going on the map until the day before we came over here and it's definitely remote and I was really kind of nervous that it was going to be really, really, cold, of course it is pretty cold, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. We saw a volcano when we were camping at the first beach, that was pretty exciting I've never seen a volcano erupting before, it's definitely rewarding to go to a new place that you don't know anything about, and actually get good surf, even more interesting is to see surfing developed in places like this where there's potential for a surfing culture to develop".

Footage from the expedition was, of course, posted on YouTube:

Still, Russia's entry on WannaSurf remains sparse. Maybe some local Russian surfers (are there any?) could provide some updates.

Entire photo gallery is here.

I would love to visit Kamchatka...not necessarily for the surfing (although that would be amazing), but I've heard it's the most beautiful part of the country - active volcanoes, a rugged coastline, and lush forests teeming with wildlife. Yeah, Kamchatka's definitely on my travel "to do" list, with or without the surfboard in tow.

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Oh yeah, we all talk like this.

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Oh, California in the summer...friends, family, cheap Mexican food, shrimp tacos from Rockin' Baja, margaritas, guacamole and Coronas on the patio, sun...

A few photos from my short trip to California last week:

Oceanside. Used to spend the entire summer here when I was a kid.

Hello, old friend. It's been awhile

Enjoying a double double on the beach...can it be any more perfect? (El Capitan, this one's for you)

Friar Tuck, "Beat LA!" (and beat LA they did)

The beach in the outfield, for the ankle biters

“Diego Dog” (bratwurst in a Kaiser roll-like bun topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and mustard)

You take your car to work. I'll take my board

Tandem surfers and a crowded lineup

A lot like last year, more regrets that I moved back to DC. I think there will be a change of location in '08.

“I hope you want the same thing I want, freedom to live and ride nature’s waves without the oppressive hang-up of the mad, insane complex that runs the world and this sick, sick war. These are incredible times. Thank God for a few free waves.” - Miki Dora, 1960s. Apropos.

Posted by Lindsay at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments? (3) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

June 21 is International Surfing Day. You're supposed to skip work, go surfing, and help clean up your local beach. Unfortunately I was unable to participate in this unofficial holiday as I am three hours from the nearest beach and my surfboards are back home in SoCal. Luckily, the good people of WaveWatch have installed web cams throughout the US so that you can watch everyone else surf at your local break. Whatever. I need to move. Working in a surf shop would be fun, don't you think? Much better than Office Depot, anyways.

Today was also "Dump the Pump" day in which you are supposed to ride public transit in order to help save the environment or whatev. I did celebrate this day, albeit unwillingly, by riding in a metal tube that sped through the underground hell that is Washington. And while I feel all warm and fuzzy inside for doing my part to save the environment (those polar bears are oh so frickin' CUTE), quite frankly I prefer driving my gas guzzling SUV to being crammed under someone's deodorant-less armpit for the duration of Gallery Place-Chinatown to Columbia Heights. Oh, the things I do for this earth.

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This was a lazy weekend. The laziest of the lazy, except for two hours of soccer practice in which we (my soccer team) found ourselves strenuously running up and down the National Mall, doing our best to avoid the tourists that dared wander onto our field. The weather was perfect (mid 60s). True, it could have been a bit warmer, but after 20 degree temps, I'll take what I can get.

I had a million things to do this weekend, but had an excuse for each of them.

File taxes? Eh, I still have a month.

Register for classes? I'm sure they won't fill up just yet.

Clean my room? Whateverrrrrrr.

Instead, I spent three hours on Saturday researching MD-VA-DE beaches. Any hint of warm weather automatically does it to me. OMG THE SUN! SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! Growing up in California, summers were spent at the beach, which meant surfing seven days a week for two months straight. Summers in DC are almost unbearable. Humid, sticky, and no beach in sight, just miles and miles of asphalt and concrete crowded with thousands of tourists. Last summer I would bang my head incessantly against my desk while watching Surfline's 30 second Oceanside camera (really, quite a productive use of my time). I wanted to go to the beach so badly it hurt. But, two minor obstacles: no car and no board.

Well, problem number one was solved back in October when I bought the XTerra. I had been mulling over the idea all summer, but it wasn't until I went back to California for Labor Day weekend that it really occurred to me..."If I had a car...I could drive...to the beach. Perhaps I should buy one." Effin' brilliant, Lindsay, just, you know, putting that education to work.

Now that problem number one is solved, I just need to buy a board, so I'm planning to hit up a few shops in April. I have three boards in California but it's not worth it to ship any of them back here, especially if I end up moving back someday. By far my favorite is my 6'10" egg, which I'll be looking to duplicate out here, but maybe add a few inches to make it 7'.

As for where to surf, everyone says Ocean City, MD or the Outer Banks in NC. Both are pain in the ass drives (3 hours for OC, more for NC), but not much you can do about that. I've been intrigued by Assateague National Seashore, which is near Ocean City, but not at all developed (and therefore, less crowded), being a National Park and all. From what I've read, there are some surfable, albeit small waves in the summer that work best if you've got a longer board. If you've got a 4X4 you can drive on the beach, and if you want to camp, they will let you do that.

I've been drilling every local I can about the beaches they go to, especially Assateague.

"Oh yeah, Assateague. There are ponies there." (Apparently there are wild ponies that populate the island)

"Forget about the ponies! What are the waves like?!"

A useless question if you're asking someone who doesn't surf. Better to just ask Google, wannasurf, and Surfline.

Anyways, Assateague looks like it could have some good days:

Now you know where to find me this summer.

Posted by Lindsay at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments? (6) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

This recent post by Cincy prompted me to write about my own experience teaching foreigners English (albeit, in my case, indirectly).

Back in the summer of 2003 I took Russian language classes at Moscow State University's Center for International Education, a division of MGU formed to teach Russian to promising young foreign Communists back in the days of the Soviet Empire. As for me, the American, what better way to spend my summer than sitting in a stifling hot classroom (no air conditioning, comrades!) cramming my head with verbs, vocab, and cases for five hours a day, five days per week.

Moscow State U. - breeding ground for future party bureaucrats

Our only respite from this constant barrage of language was our lunch period, which was spent in the stolovaya, or cafeteria. The decor was strictly Soviet - this was, after all, an educational center for the proletariat. The food, as you could imagine, thoroughly sucked, yet the Russian teachers, police officers, and soldiers seemed to enjoy it. We instead chose to purchase chips, candy, and soda from the outside kiosks, much to to the chagrin of the surly cafeteria ladies. I usually opted for a Fanta and large bag of bacon or chicken flavored chips (yes, they really have chips with those flavors). Nevertheless, it was a time for us to just relax and speak some damn English without our teachers yelling at us. We were an odd bunch - a few Yanks, some Brits, a couple of Spaniards, a south Korean, and a pair of Pakistani diplomats. Most of us were college students with an academic reason for spending the summer at CIE, while others were there because their oil executive or stockbroker fathers thought it best they learn the local language.

So one day we were sitting there when a CIE staff member comes barreling through, speaking so fast I could barely understand. Something about a computer, I dunno. Liz points her finger at me, and the next thing I knew, I was being dragged to the director's office.

"They want you to fix a computer or something. I told them you knew stuff about computers."

"WHAT! Windows is going to be in freakin' RUSSIAN!!"

I got to the office and there was no computer for me to fix. I was thoroughly confused, until they introduced me to a representative from a language software company. She said her company was developing a new program to teach young Russians the vocabulary of their American counterparts and they would just need my help for an hour, hour and a half tops. I agreed, still unsure as to what exactly I would be doing, until she e-mailed me a list of subjects we would possibly be discussing. Oh man, I thought, they're going to record me?!

I had spent the following weekend in St. Petersburg, and arrived back in Moscow on Monday morning, stumbling off the train and rushing to make it back to CIE, all while ridiculously low on sleep. Oh yeah, I could already tell that this "interview" was going to be stellar. I met up with the software representative and we hopped on the metro. The "studio" was located in a stereotypical crumbling office building/factory of some sort. Man, that place must have been buzzing with economic inefficiency back in the day.

They sat me down in front of a mic, gave me a mug of scalding hot tea (it was July, mind you), completed the sound check, and the questions started to roll in. The interviewer was a very nice fellow, and explained we would be discussing sports. Sports, hey! I can talk about sports!

Q: What are your favorite sports?
My favorite sports are soccer, baseball and surfing.

Q: Do you go surfing in Washington?
No, no opportunities for surfing in Washington, only when I go back to California.

And so on and so on. They had me explain the equipment you need to go surfing, so I covered the various types of boards, talked about the importance of a leash, and mentioned that wearing a wetsuit was probably a good idea. This was critical information that young Muscovites needed to know.

The next set of questions centered around a typical day in the life of Lindsay Fincher, student at George Washington University:

Q: What is your favorite place to eat?
We have a favorite place, called 'Lindy's Red Lion', and it's a bar and restaurant, and they have some... some very, very good hamburgers. I eat a lot of hamburgers, so, if a place has good hamburgers, then I like it.

Brilliant, Lindsay...just brilliant. If hordes of young Russians descend upon "Lindy's Red Lion" while strolling around Foggy Bottom, now you know why.

Q: Do you have a vacuum cleaner?
I don't have a vacuum cleaner myself, but each dorm has a vacuum cleaner in it, and if you want to use it, you can go downstairs and get it.

What kind of bizarre question is that?!

Q: What time do you go to bed?
I usually go to bed at two in the morning.

Q: Is this time enough to sleep?
Yeah. It's enough time.

After the interview was finished, they handed me a nice, crisp 500 ruble bill (around $15 back then) as payment for my time. Ooh yeah, I ain't reportin' this to those suckas at the IRS. I promptly spent it on cheesy Russian souvenirs, like Soviet leader stacking dolls and propaganda posters.

I hadn't given the program much thought after I left Moscow. I never knew if they had actually made it until, out of curiosity, I checked the company's website about a year ago and found that it had indeed come out under the title "Frankly Speaking: Real American" (cue theme song from Team America: World Police, please). You can even buy it online for a mere 816 rubles ($30), just make sure you have at least a Pentium 200. Or, you can read the script that I found online (and from which I grabbed all the dialogue from while simultaneously reminding myself of what an idiot I must have sounded like). I'm listed as Lindsay Fincher, USA, George Washington University, студентка по специальности Political Science and Russian History in sections Спорт от софтбола до серфинга and День, как день. (Sorry if you can't see the Cyrillic, but whatev, download the language pack if you are so inclined).

You know, I don't think I've ever told anyone about this...except for my friends at CIE, obviously...but not even my parents. It's just one of those things you forget about, and then remember and think to yourself, "That was pretty odd."

Nevertheless, I hope that at least one Russian learned something from this program...maybe picked up a hint of a California accent, got a craving for a Lindy's Hawaiian burger, or is now poring over a map looking for Russian surf spots. I dunno, surely the oil and gas mecca of Sakhalin has some waves? Just gotta watch out for those ice floes.

Posted by Lindsay at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments? (4) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

The smell of surf wax and neoprene. A double-double from In-N-Out. The taste of salt-water. Homemade tortillas at the Old Town Cafe. The sound of crashing waves. Joe's Crab Shack at Oceanside harbor. Tanned, happy people. Wiping out.

Oh, God, I never realized how much I missed all of it until this weekend.

I left DC Friday evening on a direct flight to San Diego, and arrived in "America's Finest City" at 8pm. My family picked me up and we headed straight to Old Town San Diego for Mexican food. We have been frequenting the Old Town Cafe since I was a kid, and the place hasn't changed much since then. They might have added another dining room or two, but the "tortilla ladies" are still there, making fresh tortillas while tourists watch through the windows. After dinner we drove down to our place in Oceanside. It's a small place, but all you have to do is walk out the gate and you are on the beach. It doesn't get any better than that. We've been coming to Oceanside since I was born. I know the place pretty well, and have seen it change a lot over the past 24 years. The last time I was in Oceanside was two years ago, before I left for London. I was a bit disappointed to see that the city is now becoming indistinguishable from its northern Orange County neighbours. The new townhouses are beautiful, but where did Robertito’s Taco Shop go?!

I hit-up Surfride boardshop the next morning to buy some surf wax. I also decided to purchase a neoprene top because I heard from reliable sources that the water temp was dropping. When I got in the chilly water I was amazed at how warm I was. I should have purchased one of these years ago! I spent the day surfing, bodyboarding, and frolicking in the waves (yes, I was so happy to be in the ocean again that I will admit to actually frolicking). By the end of the day my arms were KILLING me from all the paddling. (I need to work on my upper body strength or something...maybe lift weights? I don't have a pool here in D.C. so any suggestions on how to get the arms back to strength would be appreciated.) Later that night we met up with some family friends for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Joe’s Crab Shack is incredibly tacky and cheesy, but I love that place.

We were up early the next morning for the drive home to Palm Desert. My grandma hasn't been doing well health-wise these past few years, so I went for a visit. I was in PD for maybe an hour and a half. Went home for a few minutes. No dog. New fountain thing in the front yard. New artwork. One of my walls was painted a maroon color. I picked out two books and a pair of soccer shorts and left. Back to the beach. Sorry I didn't tell any of you guys I was back in town. I was in a bad mood that morning anyways, so it was probably for the better. On the way back to Oceanside we stopped at In-N-Out. I devoured my burger and fries in less than 5 minutes. More surfing in the afternoon and a BBQ with some family friends that evening.

Monday was my last day in California, so I went to the beach for a few hours and then we went down to San Diego. That evening, before my 10pm flight, we went to a Padres game at Petco Park. I hadn't been to the Padres new stadium yet and wanted to cross it off my list of ballparks to visit. The stadium is beautiful. If you visit, be sure to have a “Diego Dog” (bratwurst in a Kaiser roll-like bun topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and a sauce with a hint of mustard). Also, check out the little kids playing wiffleball on the mini-diamond behind left-field. With the addition of Petco park, the revitalization of the Gaslamp Quarter, and the new condos and apartment buildings, it appears that downtown San Diego is actually turning into an area worth living in.

My flight left at 10:20pm. Redeye. Didn't sleep at all on the plane - I never really can. Landed in Dulles at 6am. Welcome back to a rainy and cold Washington. It took me over two hours to get home using the bus and metro. I took a quick shower, ironed my shirt, and was out the door and off to work. It was pouring rain, and there were pools of water half a foot deep collecting on the sides of the streets (typical DC incompetence). My pants and socks were soaked with putrid gutterwater. "Oh Lindsay," I thought to myself "you made a terrible mistake coming back here." Why, why, why did I move back to this goddamn hellhole swamp city?! It’s no secret that I despise this city, but I'll be here for a few more years at least. Maybe I'll go back to California after that, or overseas, or maybe even Houston. Who knows, it’s not really worth pondering right now.

This trip to California was exactly what I needed, but now I’m hurting for some more time in the water. I want to continue surfing, and I want to get better. I was really sucking it up this past weekend and it’s clear that I need a lot of practice. Therein lies the problem, however. The nearest beach is a 3+ hour drive and oh yeah, I don’t have a car. So, I’m going to start looking into purchasing a vehicle so I can take some weekend trips to Ocean City or Virginia Beach or the Outer Banks or wherever the hell the east coast surf is. I’ll probably buy some sort of gas-guzzling SUV, because didn’t ya hear, Chevron found all this oil out in the Gulf! Pretty sweet, eh?

Second, I’m looking into taking a surf trip to Costa Rica next summer. I know, I know…Lindsay might actually visit a country that wasn’t part of the Eastern Bloc. I’m about as surprised as you are.

So in a few months I guess we’ll find out if I’m a) going to buy a car; and b) going to Costa Rica.

New Baku post will be up in a few days.

Posted by Lindsay at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments? (4) | TrackBacks (1) |  Subscribe in a reader |

As the Washington Post reports, Clark Foam, a Southern California company that produces over 90% of the foam blanks used in surfboard production, is shutting down its operations:

Boards costing between $300 and $800 have soared by as much as $200 at some smaller shops. Manufacturers are scrambling to secure the last supplies of the polyurethane foam blanks, customers are hoarding custom-made boards and thousands of specialty board shapers, air brushers and workers who coat boards with fiberglass face unemployment almost overnight.

[...]

Clark Foam supplied the unshaped blanks for about 90 percent of all custom-made boards purchased worldwide _ and those boards make up nearly three-quarters of the total international market, said Bjorn Deboer of Stewart Surfboards, a major custom-made retailer and designer in San Clemente. The rest of the $200 million U.S. market is made up of machine-produced boards mostly churned out at factories in Asia and Eastern Europe.

[...]

Customers reacted by hoarding boards at stores up and down the coast and some requested multiple boards.

Jefferson Wagner, owner of Zuma Jay Surfboards in Malibu, upped the price of his custom boards by $100 within a day of Clark Foam's closure. He said people were calling with requests to buy 12 or 15 boards at a time.

"I've got every dealer in the book calling me, I've got customers running into the store buying them," said Deboer, who said he sold a record of 14 boards in one day. "It's a panic mode."

The L.A. Times followed up with an article that says surfboards, like almost everything Americans consume now, will increasingly be produced in China, a country well known for its, uh...surfing?

This week's closure of Clark Foam will help fuel the offshore production of surfboards, a trend that has been accelerating in recent years, industry experts say.

The Laguna Niguel factory's closure Monday roiled the surfing world, leading to price hikes and a run on surfboards amid fears of shortages.

Some surfing enthusiasts say the shutdown could threaten a California tradition of custom surfboard shaping if the industry shifted toward boards that use polystyrene foam and epoxy resin, known as epoxy boards, mass-produced in Asia.

The most recent surfboard I purchased (summer 2003) is actually an epoxy board, most likely produced in China or Thailand or wherever...who knows. Although it may lack "soul" because it wasn't lovingly shaped by a fellow Californian, it's much better than my other two boards and overall I am very satisfied with it. Still, Clark closing down is bad news...most of the guys that are in the water every day like to order custom boards and aren't the type to settle for a factory produced epoxy. So, R.I.P. Clark Foam, and let's hope several companies will step up their production quickly and diversify the pool of suppliers so something like this doesn't happen again.

Posted by Lindsay at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments? (0) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

You take your car to work, I'll take my board

Well, I'm back in the hell know as Palm Desert...was in Oceanside for a week. Accomplished quite a bit while I was down there:

- went surfing
- bought a boardbag for my surfboard
- visited the USS Midway (photos up soon)
- ate at Joe's Crab Shack (it holds a special place in my heart) and the Old Town Cafe (best tortillas EVER)

OK, I'm ready to go back to school now.

You dont get this view with football! (Photo from Surfer magazine)

"What are you laughing at, girl?"

So, Katerina and I were on our way to my cousin's going away party (his National Guard unit is being sent to Iraq) when we were pulled over by a sheriff's deputy. Apparently, the deputy was not impressed with Katerina's ability to stop at a certain location that was marked with a stop sign. I, of course, thought the situation was hilarious, and couldn't stop laughing. So the deputy looked at me and said "What are you laughing at, girl?" Katerina assured the deputy that I was laughing at her, not him. The deputy told us that the old people in my neighborhood have been complaining about people running the stop sign and speeding (omg, seriously, I think the only thing old people do is COMPLAIN about everything...that's all they would do at Office Supply Hell). The deputy then asked where we were headed (methinks he eyed the large vegetable platter that was sitting on my lap...good thing I had the veggies instead of the two large bottles of tequila and margarita mix). The conversation went something like this:

Deputy: "Where are you going?"
Kat: "Going away party."
Deputy: "For who?"
Me: "My cousin."
Deputy: "Where is he going?"
Kat: "Iraq."
Deputy: "Business or pleasure?"
(eh, WTF?)
Kat: "Army."

And guess what? No ticket.

My cousin was showing me all the equipment he was taking over there...damn, that stuff weighs so much...and I'm just talking about what the soldiers are wearing, not including a backpack they may be carrying and their rifle and ammo. Even the body armor is insanely heavy (and yeah, he is taking his own in case the army is slow to issue to his unit). I really couldn't imagine walking around in the desert heat with all that gear (plus combat boots, BDUs, helmet).

Etc.

I missed the Bartolo Colon Russian stacking doll giveaway at Angel Stadium! Dammit!

Big5 has the Mosin Nagant M44 on sale this week...$79.99 (+ the $20 required by the state of CA...argh). So...tempting...

Posted by Lindsay at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments? (5) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

...and now in the hell known as Palm Desert.

We spent Saturday at the beach. The weather was a bit gloomy, but it was a million times better than the 110 degree heat we left behind in PD. I didn't take my surfboard since it wouldn't fit in Kat's car, but I had a good time body boarding (aka boogie boarding...yeah, being a damn "sponger") and generally frolicking in the waves. Ah, Oceanside, how I love thee...

On the drive home to PD we stopped at the newly opened Krispy Kreme in Temecula. It was actually the opening day of that particular Krispy Kreme and it showed. We pulled up to the drive thru and ordered two donuts and a medium skim milk. The girl operating the drive thru window said they only have bottles of milk...and no skim, only 2%...ok, fine, we'll take that but you might want to take the size and type of milk options off the menu. The girl then said "Your total is...ummm...we'll tell you when you pull up to the window." Haha, OK. So we pull up and the guy at the window says "Your total is $16.83." What?? For two donuts?? Well, I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious. All the workers were a bunch of kids...16 year olds and such, and this is probably their first job in customer service. I wish them well and welcome them to the wonderful world of customer service.

Kat and I have also decided that Temecula is really the perfect place to live. You have everything Palm Desert has, plus more, and it's not 115 degrees outside. You are only a short drive from the beach, there is no congestion (well, compared to LA and San Diego), and the housing prices aren't ridiculously high.

We stopped at Vista Point to take pictures of the Coachella Valley. Here is one:

A view of Hell.

There was a German motorcycle gang at Vista Point when we arrived. Alright, so they weren't a gang, but it was a group of German tourists that are touring the U.S. on motorcycles. Kind of odd...yeah, let's drive motorcycles across the desert in the middle of the summer. Oh well...

While driving through PD on the way to my house, Kat spotted this:

Ummm...yeah....welcome to Palm Desert.

Tomorrow I go back to Office Supply Hell. If you couldn't tell from my previous post, I gave my two weeks notice to my asst. manager at Office Depot. Two weeks...10 workdays...at most, another 80 hours of hell.

And to all you lucky bastards that are at the Democratic convention in Boston, I hope you are having fun right now.

Posted by Lindsay at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments? (0) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

I found a place to go surfing in Moscow...well, kinda...

I was reading an article about how Muscovites manage to stay warm during the incredibly cold Russian winter, and it mentioned that families with a few extra rubles to spare can spend a day at Moscow's indoor water park frolicking in the wave pool and the controlled temperature of 86 degrees.

What? Moscow has an indoor water park? Now that would have been nice to know last summer...

Apparently, it's called "Transvaal Akvapark" and it features, among other things, a Flow Rider. A Flow Rider is a machine that gives inlanders the chance to sample surfing without having to make the trek to California or Hawaii. Unfortunately, Transvaal's Flow Rider only allows for body boarding - not real surfing, but I'm sure the Russians get a kick out of it just the same (and really, you gotta start out on the sponge boards).

From what I gathered from the website, Transvaal wants to hold a "surfing competition" of some sort...I'm willing to fly back and show the Russians how we do it out here in California. It would make a good story for Surfer magazine, I swear.

Posted by Lindsay at 02:11 AM | Permalink | Comments? (2) | TrackBacks (0) |  Subscribe in a reader |

Last night a group of us saw Step Into Liquid, the new surf film by Dana Brown, the son of Bruce Brown of The Endless Summer fame.  You MUST see this (preferably not at DuPont Circle 5, though...that theater is horrible).  It was an awesome surf movie - surfing scenes from Hawaii, Maverick's in NorCal, Tahiti, Vietnam, Cortez Bank (100 miles offshore of San Diego) and believe it or not, Great Lakes surfing in Wisconsin and oil tanker surfing in Texas.  Amazing.  Unfortunately, I'm still stuck far away from a beach....not for long, though.

Posted by Lindsay at 08:09 PM |