STEP #2
Photocredit: Sara Curran
Its my name: Marisa means "of the sea". I suppose it is suiting. I have always loved reading old diaries of distant lives. Here you can read my ongoing story, a log of riding a log (if you will) with musings, tales, poetry, jargon, secrets, cliches, whatnots and other pieces of my day. So next time you are stuck indoors, pull up a warm chair and read about the simple happenings of my life in the Pacific Ocean.
Ask me anything
April 28, 2013
March 31, 2013
Sapphire Sunday
Easter session with my brother and the water is getting warmer. Yay for Sunday afternoons.
December 24, 2012
South Bay Holiday
Slept in and made my way to Sapphire eventually for a rainy eve surf session. Silvery sky, and salty gray swell made for quite a lovely morning. Eli went left, I went right. The clouds rained daintily around us, sounding like the ringing noise that lingers after the high note on a xylophone has been hit. With the hiding sun, it was hard to tell what time it was when we got out, but we were hungry. After snagging some holiday toffee from the Lampkins and wishing the Currans a very merry Christmas, we headed for Ave A and Christina whipped up some tasty tuna melts on the balcony. So far, it has been a quaint and mirthfully whimsical sort of day. Who needs a white Christmas when you can get a surfy gray one?
December 21, 2012
Cold Morning, Hot Shower
I can hear a bell ringing in my ear. My alarm clock chimes and I fling my arm through the darkness to make it stop. The air is so cold my nose hurts and I don’t even bother taking off my layers of pajamas while getting dressed. I only change my pants, add a coat on top of my sweatshirt and an over sized scarf before grabbing my board and racing to the car.
This is Southern California. Yes, it is 36 degrees. Yes, I still went surfing.
Without checking the waves, I suit up (because I know I would talk my self out of it while sitting and watching all bundled up). Turns out, the water is warmer than the air and the waves are flatter than the sky. I paddled around for a bit anyway, only catching a few at way too low of a tide. But it was a nice glassy morning all to myself.
But getting out hurts more than getting in. The stony cold sand numbs your feet just enough so they feel nothing but ice and walking on the rocks and streets feel like pins and needles. So I run up to the Currans shower.
That glorious hot shower. I turn the knob all the way high so it gushes juccizilike temperatures while the surrounding air turns a sauna white and my skin turns sunburnt red. I can begin to feel my feet thaw like an ice cube in a boiling pot. From the Esplanade shower, I can still see Sapphire trying to break as best as it can and waiting for the tide to come up. Sticking my head under the steaming downpour, I think to myself, this has to be the best bathing spot in the world.
Then I ran off to work.
October 26, 2012
September 22, 2012
September 10, 2012
Familiar Faces
A fun westish swell finally hit the South South bay and the Hirtzel/Curran crew hit up Torrance Ramp. I hadn’t been there in what seemed forever and even some other Sapphireites migrated south with us. It was so nice to see old friends and clean little faces.
August 24, 2012
My brother and his friends, savoring that last few days of their summer vacation.
Photocredit: Eli James Hirtzel
June 19, 2012
Big Cities and California Summers
I am leaving the country, the continent even, on Thursday. Departure 1:45pm LAX. I am drowning in anticipation of what new things may come, but I will miss Summer at home, surfing Sapphire like I did today, being with my family, laying in the sun. All of a sudden, South American Winter in a big city seems daunting and what I already know and love is so much easier. But if I always did what was easy, my life would be rather boring. So I raise a glass to being a little afraid and some premature homesickness.
