Tag: Life

Seasons Change

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I really have been hammering home the idea of change. When things stay too constant, it tends to turn real dry. We love to get ourselves into routines, but every once in a while we start to dislike the order of operations or even the certain practices we jam into an already crowded schedule. While routines and change can definitely be spearheaded by us, as we are in control of our life, many changes are out of our hands. Sometimes they might be in other peoples hands. Hopefully those peoples hands are tender and loving. Wishful thinking. There are also changes that neither us nor anyone can control. These changes usually are depicted by our ecosystem or are constructed by a set of norms that have been in places for centuries.

If you happen to also live in California, you have noticed something the past couple of weeks. Right after we passed groundhog day and Phil didn’t see his shadow, it was predicted that an early spring is upon us. With this, the past couple of weeks have been nothing short of beauty. Warm weather. Sunshine from sunup to sun down. Strong sun, heating up the climate and what felt like the ocean water climbing backup. Sunsets that have been beautiful, and that are also getting later and later by the minutes. South swell has poked it’s little head out from hibernation, but only to show us it’s still there. It seems like people have just had more pep in their step. Just because a slight change in weather (in comparison to my home state, NJ, which features severe weather changes that actually do lead to people going from insanely grumpy to happy). 

You can start to tan again. You don’t need to layer up for the office or a work commute. You can go out to the bars in a T-shirt again. The boots are almost nocked off, and the neoprene is only getting thinner and thinnerYou don’t need to sit in your car with the heat blasting before a dawnie.  Soon enough beach days will be upon us. For those that don’t indulge in the coast, you will leave work at five, six, even seven, and still have at least an hour of sunshine left. This is maybe one of the greatest feelings yet. While you don’t need sunshine for everything, it sure gives you a little bit more enthusiasm, especially if what you are trying to do is based outside. As adults, most of our days are spent confined inside. Getting out of work with the sun still high in the sky is a great feeling. 

With Spring and Summer, we have a lot more to look forward to (especially in California). Easter. Coachella. The Del Mar Racetrack. Memorial Day weekend. The Fourth of July. Labor Day weekend. The month span of April to September just seems so much more eventful than that of October to March. While this is totally personal, I feel as though most would agree with what I am saying. Unless you like cold weather, or really just love Christmas and New Years. To each his own. We are ushering back in the months of sunshine and fun times. The months where every second we have we want to spend it outside. The months were the days reach their maximum length. When the beach sounds like a great idea no matter what the time is. Oh, what a time it is. 

 

Lovers Day

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Valentines day. A day to dedicate to your significant other for putting up with your shit. Whether it’s spending too much time with your friends, you bailing on plans because the waves look fun, or just about anything, Valentine’s day is a great way to reset for the year and show your partner how much you love them. It doesn’t need to be a flashy gift or extravagant date (although most probably wish for one or the other, or both). It’s a day to celebrate new love, old love, and love that has been up and down like the waves. 

But Valentines day doesn’t just need to be for those in a committed relationship. Tell the girl you might be talking to happy valentines day, even if you met her a week ago (note: this might be a little much to some, so tread lightly). Say happy valentines day to your parents. Say Happy valentines day to your close friends (more of a girl thing, but fuck it). Say happy valentines day to your dog. Or cat. Or any pet. Post on social media about valentines day and your valentines (so far I’ve seen friends, family, and pets on my feed). Or don’t post, that’s fine too.

Do something you love. Whether that is as easy as going on a bike ride, playing video games, eating junk food, or all of those things at once. Go for a swim in the ocean (for my west coasters, but people in NJ are welcome to take a polar plunge). Read. Write. Draw. Take a nap. Do nothing. Scroll Instagram for an hour. It doesn’t matter to me. Or to the person next to me. If you don’t have anyone to share the day with, share it with yourself. Share it with nature. Share it with someone over the internet. Share it with someone new. Share it with someone old. 

If there’s one thing to do on Valentines day, it is to love. Person, place, thing, it does not matter. Maybe you are some weirdo and you don’t love ANYTHING. If in that case you are, how about you spread and show love. Talk positively. Compliment people you wouldn’t normally. Smile at people when you walk past them. Hold the door open. Buy someone their coffee. Give someone a set wave (unless you really want it, then you are expressing self love and they will get that). The 14th of February is a day mostly associated with love for a single person, but let’s change that. Love everyone. Try it just for one day. Then maybe next year the whole week of Valentines day. Then the month. Then just do it. 

 

A Great Way To Spend A Saturday: Road-tripping North

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Piggybacking off of 2 blog posts ago (if you recall, we were talking about being open-arms to change in life, and almost seeking it rather than loathing it), one great way to spend a Saturday involves getting yourself out of your normal zone. We often grow accustomed to the same routine, whether it is the weekend nightlife destination or even just the local beach. From coffee to coastline, we tend to stick with what we know. And often this can leave us in a rut. Jumping in the car and heading north or south can help us alleviate the normalities of everyday life. And there are limitless possibilities in the path you can take whether it’s north south east or west (typically I like north and south, staying coastal and avoiding being on a boat in the middle of the ocean [unless it’s in Indonesia or French Polynesia]). So what did I do this past weekend? I got out of the bubble. It is far too easy to stay put over the weekend. Usually by Friday you are cooked by the workweek, or maybe you work weekends and have to stick around. But this go around I decided it was time. I used to flee the OC scene far more often in my early California years, but now more often than not I find myself anchored down in Newport. I hit the 405 and headed north to SB. Here are the tips and tricks (applicable to any location) from a Saturday spent north of helLA. 

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Driving up

One thing that can really hinder the stoke-factor of your trip is traffic. Maybe not as big of a complication outside California, but miss-timing the traffic on a little road trip can add on hours upon hours of time in the car. While half the road trip is the time in the car with your pals, every extra hour or even couple minutes where you can be out of the car already feel like salt in an open wound. The problem especially with going north on any highway coming from Orange County is grinding out the LA portion of the drive. Time it right and cruise through it without going under 40 mph. Hit peak traffic time and prepare to be shifting between park and drive while furiously skipping through songs and checking Instagram. The tactic with avoiding traffic is dodging the prime time work commute hours. This means really early in the AM or after 7PM. If you can take the day off, cruise it between 11-3 and it’s smooth sailing. 

Morning Sip

Every great morning starts with a great cup. A bad cup of coffee can really throw your day off the rails, and dialing in coffee in an unknown area can be tougher than you think. In 2020, it is pretty easy to hop on google or yelp and search “coffee shop” and get pointed in the right direction. Still, the litmus test is the actual first sip. That first drip of joe to travel through your mouth is the real tell tale sign of a good or bad cup. Getting up and starting your morning off on the right foot is essential, so if you are in the SB area (although it is on the southern end) Lucky Llama is the zone. Owned by the son of local surfboard shaper and surf shop owner Matt Moore, this place is always busy and filled with happy customers. With delicious coffee, acai bowls, and baked treats, this is the perfect pit stop for before the sun rises or a mid morning pick me up. 

Beach Day

North of LA is cluttered with a ton of super fun surf spots to take a stab at while you are up there. From beachies to points, there’s a wave for everyone, novice to expert, goofy to regular. Whether it is a long roping point wave or a hollow punchy beach break, you can find it if you look hard enough. There is however, one wave that in particular if you are making your way up to it has a special place in most California surfers hearts. Especially if you are a regular footer. And even for some goofy footers. Rincon point is affectionately referred to as “The Queen of the Coast.” And if that doesn’t speak to the admiration of the wave, then let’s just get to the numbers. You can ride a right for up to 3/4s of a mile (maybe more, most of the time less). That’s comparable to a Jbay stint, minus the men in grey suits. If we are talking numbers, on any given weekend with swell the lineup could be littered with well over one hundred bodies, from bonafide rippers to log jammers going straight. We were talking about switching it up, so unless you regularly surf down at Trestles, there aren’t many comparable waves to Rincon in OC. And they still don’t stand a chance against the Queen on a good hair day. 

Fuel for the Day

This kind of goes off the point above. If you end up posting up on the beach at Rincon point, it’s going to be pretty hard to leave. With endless right handers and the crowd only getting thinker, being hunkered down on the beach for the long haul is a good way to maximize water time in the morning before the wind and wave warriors come in stronger and stronger. Packing light, nutrient dense, and refreshing snacks to munch on the cobbles in between run arounds is the move for an all-day surf bender. Protein bars, fruits, and lot’s of water. Maybe an extra coffee to get the paddle muscles re-awakened for another marathon sprint up the point. This will increase your time before you really need a solid lunch or meal and also help you avoid cramping. Post up with a cooler and tax it occasionally until it runs dry. When it’s empty, you know you only have a couple more laps around the point left. 

Last Bite

When you are venturing outside your usual comfort zone, it usually beckons for eating out and sampling the local flavors. Luckily, Santa Barbara has a TON of awesome eats and even better ambiance in most restaurants. However, I think there is a better way to go about finishing off a hard earned day of fun in the sun. While this can only be done if you have a couple of people you might know in the area, but eating over a friends house or a BBQ with some brews is the best way to cap off a successful day or weekend trip. Whether you grill a classic or try something new, making your own meal adds even more pride and accomplishment to already getting outside your local town and adventuring into the zones unknown. If this seems like too much trouble, finding a good place to eat in SB is easy. Just walk along or adjacent to State street in downtown SB and you’ll more often than not luck into a good bite to eat. 

Nighttime Sip

You’ve done it all today. Sucked down your morning cup of coffee. Took in your new surroundings. Hopefully got a surf in. Absorbed in a lot of vitamin D from the big bright circle in the sky. Ate a delicious dinner to help mend your sore muscles and pallets. And now the only thing left is a celebratory sud. A nice beer or two is the icing on the cake, and it tastes so much sweeter when it was worked for. As far as beers, you gotta stick with local breweries and trying beers you might not have ever had before. Just to make it easy, after you ate dinner around State street, hop in an Uber and head over to the funk zone. Whether it’s Topa Topa or Lama Dog, there are plenty of craft brew creators to pick from. Try one. Try three. Just don’t try none. Happy hunting. 

Essential for Development

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It is often inevitable. If we thought of a world or a life without change, we would envision something incredibly dismal. Stuck in a rut of familiarity and also stagnant in growth. From physical, to mental, to perspective. Change in all of the above is necessary for survival. It is survival of the fittest, and we would all go down to natural selection if we do not adapt and change. Some loath it while others love it. Some remain impartial to change, and just ride the waves of ups and downs that come along with life. No matter who you are, what status you have, rich or poor, healthy or sick, change will be coming down the pipeline at some point. Sometimes you are blindsided, sometimes you can know about it  for months in advance. 

On one hand, change can implement a fear. You will very quickly be thrown out of your routine and into a new one. Familiar faces will be replaced with first encounters, and things you can count on will no longer be reliable. A learning curve will be implemented with change. Sometimes steep, other times meager. The best way to meet the challenge head on is changing yourself. While change often occurs outside of you, adapting on the inside is how you will conquer it. Whether it is changing your perspective and looking at the glass half full, or looking for the positives underneath all of the negatives, a perspective change helps conquer the biggest changes. 

On the opposite hand, some meet change head on and love the challenge. Change breeds unfamiliarity and discomfort, which can lead to a person’s biggest growth and understanding of themselves. Instead of looking at a loss of your old routine, embrace a new and different routine. Maybe the best routine is a mix of the old and the new. Instead of looking at the loss of familiar faces, relish in the new relationships you will build and never forget about the old ones. If you think about it, you will just double your relationships and connections. Look at the learning curve as a helpful challenge. While you may be tackling unfamiliar tasks or daily activities, look to them for the lessons and knowledge packed inside of them rather than something you just have to do or deal with. 

The craziest thing about change is in which the speed it can take place. Things can change in the blink of an eye. In this world we live in, you never really know what can be around the corner. Good or bad. For better or worse. Large or small. Change will happen. Like stated earlier, sometimes you can see it coming while other times you are blindsided. In anticipation of the random and erratic occurrence in which change takes place, the best we can do is have an open mind. While this helps in all aspects of life, it is especially essential in the face of change and adversity. Going into every day with open arms mentally (and physically [not in a touchy way] to friends, family, and even strangers) can help enhance day to day life and help you adapt to any challenge or change thrown your way. 

4 Ways to Avoid the Frost in 2020

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With 2020 rang in and all of us following our new set of precedents and goals for the new decade (more on that at a later time, it’s too early in the journey), some of us might find ourselves in need of something a little extra. Whether it is exercise, getting up earlier, or any resolution that involves leaving the house, one thing is always a deterrent and can halt any ambition or progress no matter how strong the will. It is kind of ironic that the first two months of our “new lives” are typically lived out in the coldest environment we experience every year. Whether you are in California or New Jersey, or just about anywhere, cold weather is imminent during the months of January and February. Immediate discomfort can come from being cold, and usually the warmest place is staying in bed or in your heated house. But here, I’m going to recommend 4 ways to stay warm and battle the New Year chill that accompanies the change in the calendar date. 

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Warm beverages 

On top of already being a satisfying way to wake up, a warm beverage can help ignite your body heat and break any chill you might have. Starting the day with a hot cup of coffee adds energy and warmth all at once at the start of the day. Typically this is extra essential if you wake up when the sun is just starting to rise, so by the time you finish the cup it is high in the sky and the land is slowly starting to heat up. Not just for the morning hours, a warm and welcoming cup of anything warm midday can also break a freeze and warm the inside in preparations for a commute home, a run outside, or just heating you up in the office. Coffee, tea, hot water with lemon, anything that has steam coming off of it is worth a go when the weather starts creeping down on the thermometer. 

Cozy Clothes 

Being comfortable in the chill is one of the number one ways to not be crippled by the cold. Whether you are up early in the AM or out late at night. Maybe you live in a climate that is stupid cold even when the sun is out at 1PM. No matter where or what the occasion, having a solid set of stylish cold weather gear can be essential to retaining heat all hours of the day. The two integral pieces are the jacket and the footwear. A heavy-duty jacket can help keep you warm in all types of weather, and adding some waterproofing properties might help if you find yourself caught in a snow or sleet storm. Either get a super heavy one or layer up to keep it toasty. On this same idea, having some extra warm hooves on your feet can also help stop the shiver. When your feet are cold, it typically tends to travel upward quite quickly. A good boot or something with fur on the inside will make it feel like you are walking on heated floor tiles. Warm toes and warm clothes brings the heat.  

Sweat 

While it sometimes is incredibly hard to exit the house or office and get a sweat going, it often can really heat up your internal temperature and make even the coldest soul turn warm. Running in the bitter cold can be tough, but it really only takes 5-10 minutes to warm up and start breaking a sweat. Whether you are running in a sweatsuit or shorts and a long sleeve tee, at one point you will begin to sweat. The more you bundle up, the less effort you have to put into breaking a sweat. A quick bike ride bundled up can also raise the temperature to sweat-worthy levels, and lets you take in your beautiful town or city while also escaping the cold. Sometimes just getting outside can lift the spirit, and the more you do it the more you realize how integral it is to living a happy life. The only thing that might be worse than being frozen is being cooped up inside for multiple days. Cabin fever is a real thing. 

Winter sheets 

Although it may seem a little counterintuitive since in the opening paragraph I was telling you ways to stay warm upon exiting your bed, staying warm while sleeping and recovering is also a key factor to a healthy lifestyle and also not waking up in the middle of the night quaking from the cold. We sleep for at least a quarter of our day, and helps our body reset and take on the impending cold the next day. In most climates, surely your summer sheets will not fight the cold enough. Rather than using every sheet you own on top of each other, having a second set of heavy hitters for when the nighttime chill creeps in definitely can lead to better sleep. This in turn also leads to not waking up cranky from the cold. The only downside is you might be so warm and cozy getting up might take a little bit more effort. But all in all, the better nights of sleep you get lead to better results in recovery, energy, and overall peace of mind.