Category: Life Happenings

6 Must Haves for Summer 2019 at the Beach

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I’ve compiled a list of what I deem essential items for the incoming season: Summer. 

A Filled-to-the-Brim Hydroflask

(Yes I know it is missing in the photo.) Hydration is probably one of the most underrated aspects to living a healthy lifestyle. Whether it boils down to getting your daily 100 ounces of water to reduce inflammation and ensure peak physical performance, or just guzzling gallons after a big night out, water can be your best friend. Also, the single use plastic epidemic is getting scarily big. It is guaranteed when walking the beach you will stumble upon thousands of water bottle caps, and even just the full empty water bottle. Do your part and also ensure you can be your best self and invest in a reusable water bottle. Hydroflask makes one that is pleasing to the eye. I suggest getting the 32 oz Wide Mouth, since all you need is ~3 to hit your 100 ounces and get in the “bonus realm” (100+ ounces of water a day).

A (Soft) Surfboard

It is never to late to pick up surfing. All you need to do is try one surf lesson and you will realize how much fun can be had trying to learn something new that revolves around summer. After a couple of goes, you might want to try it by yourself, and if you have the bills purchase your very own surfboard. While there are levels in price to this item, a soft surfboard tends to tick all the boxes. Durable, check. Cheap(er), check. Stylish, check (depending on the brand). A soft surfboard is a board that everyone can learn on, and even the experienced fellow can have a go and grin from ear to ear. My preference might have a slight bias, but Catch Surf makes a damn good soft board, and cater to beginner and expert riders. My quiver consists of two, the 54 Special for fun in a small bundle (you can for sure rip on these) and the stand up boogie AKA the black ball battler (you can for sure rip on these, if your name is Kalani.)

A Good Pair of Sunnies

In a perfect world, the sun is shining all summer long. You need to protect your eyeballs. You need to also be looking A-1 at the beach, driving, or pretty much doing anything outdoors. You could flex these inside, but I wouldn’t recommend it (unless suffering from a >tier 3 hangover, but how about instead you scope this). This is a staple pair of sunnies. Whether it’s one old reliable all summer long, or a couple of styles to switch it up with, it’s hard to leave the house without these on. While I dabble in all brands, I found Otis Eyewear makes a pretty nice pair, both durable (glass lenses make them tough to scratch) and fashionable. The only downside to this item is it might run you a couple blue faces and they can be gone in an instant (deaths including dropping, sitting on, loosing, drowning). My personal favorite is the Winston.

A Stylish Sarong/Towel

Probably one of the most multi-functional items on the list is the sarong/towel. If you have ever frequented Coachella, you might have seen a bunch wrapped around people’s heads or necks, and then doubled in use as a matt to sit and listen to the sounds. These could be used also at the beach, in the same exact way. A very easy to fold and lightweight one works best, ensuring it will fit in your beach bag and be easy to tote around. The cherry on top for this one is you can get some pretty aesthetically pleasing ones, with fun and foreign patterns. I purchased 2 for Coachella and am anxious to get them some use at the beach. You can find them all over the place, mine are from Amazon.

A Gritty Grill

It’s getting to that time of the year where sunsets are as late as it was when you would cuddle up in bed and read a good book in those colder months. Little is more euphoric than grilling with some of ya mates with a blazing sunset in the background. You can potentially get some good Instagram content and are going to end up with a delicious meal. It’s for sure a win win. When it comes down to which grill, I have no idea. Ours is pretty average and in rougher shape, but that just adds character. Maybe a Traeger?

A Classic Beach Cruiser

Living in a beach community that ramps up in traffic over the summer has always been a blessing and a curse. While on one hand there are many new people to meet and it makes the town a little more exciting, the flip side of the coin is overcrowded roads and lines at coffee shops. Getting in the car can be a real drag when it is a beautiful day, and a normal 10 minute commute can turn to a 20 or 30 minute commute. A bike helps solve this problem, making it easy to move around in the crowded streets. Get some fresh air and take in some sunshine while moving from A to B. I always opted for the garage sale bike that needs a little bit of love, just for the culture. A little elbow grease it’ll be looking like new. I also did this since I never locked up my bike, and they tend to get stolen often.

BONUS: Half-Day Fridays

Maybe just a California bias, but these definitely don’t suck. When the sun is shining, nothing feels worse than being inside. Working can make it tough to get out and absorb some vitamin D, but with this awesome holiday(?) it makes sure everyone has an equal opportunity to earn a tan.

Random Thoughts Roundup: The Beginning of May Gray

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Gloom

California has an interesting take on the beginning of summer. Back east, May signifies lots of neoprene shed, the slowing down of surf, and the warming up of the land. This was one of my favorite times to be home, since it was beautiful and far less crowded than summer (I sound like a grumpy loc). While it isn’t on the cook like winter can be, we still get plenty of surf. In contrast to this, May and June in California signify May Gray and June Gloom. Weirdly cloudy and colorless days fill up more than half the seven days of the week. While we do get closer to my favorite surf season out here (south swell season = lined up barreling lefts), there is still even a funk in the ocean. Often there is morning sickness that takes forever to go away, and most of the first south swells tend to be more walled than lined up. May 1st is this Wednesday, so it is right around the corner and we are slowly inching closer to summer. Closing out the month, I thought it appropriate to touch upon the last 2 weekends to regurgitate some random happenings and thoughts around my brain. I swear after this post, there will be more structure and thought put into them (still fuzzy from Coachella). Speaking of that lets enter rambling number 1:

Coachella reminds me how fun festivals are.

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My pal Noah feeding into the festival vibes.

Whether it is the actual festival itself or the company you surround yourself with during the weekend, it really is hard to match the kind of carefree attitude and sounds of a good festival. The sheer amount of good music and people all in one place makes it almost a dream. If my amount of Instagram posts doesn’t tell you enough, let me literally say it: I had a great time. With artists across all genres, awesome guest appearances, and the morning recaps (and rallies) before entering day 2 and 3, it truly is an experience I long to replicate literally one day after it is over. I sound pretty basic, but why isn’t there a weekend 3?

Bells ran in massive surf; goofy footers showed up.

I am really bad at fantasy surf. I currently am in 2 leagues, but refuse to pay for both purely because my passion picks always end up not working out. I had surfers I like on for Snapper, then took them off and put a more realistic bunch in for Snapper. All of my passion picks from snapper did well at Bells. After I took them off. While I ended up doing ok this contest, I was stoked with the sheer surfing done, specifically by my screw footed brethren. By the quarters, it was equally 4:4 regular to goofy foots. Ryan Callinan smashed lips smoothly while Medina and Italo surfed with speed and poise. I am going to save my finger dexterity by not going into detail on my opinion on the interference call. That rule needs to change. Anywho, the vertical angle Ryan was achieving and the backhand floaters that Medina was tagging sections with made me a proud goofy footer. While we didn’t see back-to-back goofy wins (Italo won last year), John and Filipe were looking in form the whole event. And plus, an all Hurley final should make the office on Monday buzzing with stoke.

Tons of new music.

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Current lineup: I have already played through CrasH Talk a bunch, hence the song playing.

On top of gaining new music to listen to from visiting Coachella, there have been quite a few notable album drops in the past 2 weeks. One major one that might not be my cup of tea is the Beyoncé live album and Lemonade making Spotify one of its new homes. The beehive is definitely buzzing after this one, and you’d have to think there could potentially be a new album coming with this type of rollout. On my side of things, we have new projects from two vets in the game. ScHoolboy Q has returned from a 3 year hiatus with CrasH Talk, and it is sounding like a good rap album. Just lots of rapping. And I love that. Other notable favorites from me include a new Wiz Khalifa album and Blackbear album. The couple I have not got around to listening to yet are Pivot Gang’s You Can’t Sit With Us and Hit-Boy/SOBXRBE Family Not A Group.

Boardie season is upon us.

As the season begins to change, so does the water. The times of no wetsuit tans and nipple rash (sorry for that image) are upon us. This one I will keep short sweet and to the point: nothing feels better than scoring (or just surfing in general) in boardies.

That about wraps up all the ramblings I have in stored in the membrane. I noticed some people checking out the site today, in hopes of a new post, yet I am lagging on this one thanks to last night. In the future, let’s shoot for 1PM PST for a new post to be live. I know the anticipation just kills.

Random thoughts regarding desert da(y)ze.

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It is that time of year again. Thousands flock to the desert in search of good music and a weekend to let loose at. The outfits alone couldn’t even describe the hectic nature of it. Coachella 2019 is halfway over, and I am stepping up to the plate next weekend. The anticipation really didn’t start hitting me until early last week, when I was jamming out at work to potential acts I will see (if everything goes according to plan, which it never does). Oh, the stoke! It really is unlike anything else I have experienced, in so many different ways. That was super cliché. But I digress. What will follow this light introduction are some thoughts I have had stirring in anticipation to the desert days and wildness that will ensue.

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Sick Sets (Not waves, which look like they will be good when we are dancing in the desert. Sad face.)

The best part about Coachella is how much good music is surrounding you. Last year, some of my favorite band sets were from bands I didn’t know, and ranged along a large spectrum of genres. This year will be no different most likely, but there are definitely some acts I am stoked to cross off my concert bucket list. First and foremost, Kid Cudi, who I have been listening to since my brother was my age and living in Red Bank, NJ. (Shout Preston). Along with him, I will cross Diplo and DJ Sanke off the EDM side of things, along with a slew of other electronic artists I like. I will see my guy Wiz Khalifa for the third time, and am also jazzed about Anderson .Paak since it is following the release of his new Ventura album, which is quite good. Also, Pusha T will be performing, and most likely dishing out those classic Daytona verses.

A True Test In Opportunity Cost

Do I stick with the crew or drift off into the abyss of people to go see someone I like but others may not? This is also a question, since there are so many conflicts and often a lot of people I may like way more than others. Last year I only adventured once solo, for French Montana (while he is one of my favorite artists, the set was sub par). This year, I am going to just go with the flow, but definitely see a couple more sets solo. While it is definitely different being alone than with a mob of 30 people, it is really cool to think you have thousands of others around you all connected because of one person’s music. That was pretty deep. But it’s true!

 

Great Company

The sheer amount of people that go each year is pretty ridiculous, and it is a great place to reconnect with old friends and also new ones. In a way it is similar to a family reunion, with much of my alma mater (Chapman University) in attendance, it will be awesome to catch up over great tunes, even if it requires yelling the same thing 3 times. I am also staying in a house with some of my closest pals, and will be bringing disposable cameras in the festival and around the house to document all the great moments that will ensure. (Scope this IG post to see a recap of last years. The lesson learned, use the flash since half of my exposure did not turn out.)

 

Gues(t)sing Game

One of the marquee features of Coachella is the amount of surprise guests that come out during performances. This is often something I think about when weighing out options of who to see. Last year, pedaling back to French Montana, he brought out Ty Dolla, who I had seen before. Kind of a bummer. This year, I am keen to see who comes out with certain acts. I swear the best surprise guests come out when you aren’t at that set. Hopefully this year packs some heavy hitters for on stage guest appearances.

Return to Form

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TLDR(if 3 paragraphs is too long): I will be posting weekly on Sunday Nights.

I have not been writing. Not by choice, but by inevitable circumstance I (kind of) cannot control. I work 8-5 Mon-Fri, and then either surf or workout after work, eat, and then take time off and relax. Saturday comes around and I work and surf. So I decided to make Sunday my day to put pen to paper. This has been quite unsuccessful, considering I usually wake up a little hazy, take a dip in the ocean, and then hang at the beach all day. Come nighttime, I am at an all time high of friedness.

But I want to keep writing. Expanding the craft. I should be able to make time for something I like to do and cram it somewhere in between all the other things I like to do. While my life currently is very structured and time is allotted to the same things almost every day, I have much to talk about. Summer is coming around, Coachella is about a week away, and there is plenty going on in between to ensure that some words can be spat out that are at least a little bit meaningful or fun.

So this is my return to form. I will be jotting down words and phrases on Sunday and will try to keep it as consistent as possible. I woke up before the sun came up to pen this peasant piece, sipping a nice cup of joe on my left with a bowl of oats on my right. It feels good to be back. Hopefully I can keep up and stay true to my word(s). Look for a pre-coachella piece this Sunday

Disclaimer: No post 4/21- I will be in the desert dancing.

Sunday Scaries Turned Monday Motivation: The Case for “Working” 7 days a week.

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For most Americans, 9-5 corporate hustles take up the 5 days of the week people refer to as the weekday. We go in and out of the office, and sometimes even get productive before and after entering the building. Whether it is a gym session, surf, good breakfast, or a walk, it feels good to do something before or after work. When Friday hits, corporate America gets hit with two days of open agenda, and with it two nights of no restrictive wake up times. Some people hustle 7 days a week, some people work two jobs. For most, the grind never stops.

When someone hears working 7 days a week, the idea is often gawked at. “Everyone needs a break.” Do they though? Think of an athlete or entrepreneur. There is limited days off. Success is definitely not bred from laziness. Most people have it or they don’t. And it doesn’t even have to be literal work. Work 5 days a week then train hard for something Saturday and Sunday. Work 6 days a week and dedicate a day to the passion or skill you wish to excel at. Work 7 days a week and build that brand or sling your sales to achieve maximum success.

The proof is in the pudding. And the pudding tastes good. No matter how tired you can end up, there is nothing sweeter than knowing a day was spent well. A good night sleep and early bedtime are signals of squeezing all the goodness out of a day. And I am not saying ditch the late nights. Let loose Friday or Saturday (or both). Meet new people. Get a little reckless. Especially while young. Obviously try not to push it, but everyone needs a little vice in his or her life. You just have to promise one thing: this won’t stop me from doing what I planned the next day.