Little T, as my vagrant home 2 months ago somewhere around Yosemite. Special times that i will revisit ASAP!
I am now an employee of the Solana Beach School District. Starting next Monday the 21st, I am a special needs instructional aide in a 6th grade classroom of Skyline Elementary. It is exactly the type of job i planned on when i departed Ohio. The principal is very nice and also very Ocean minded. The school is located about a mile from the beach. School starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:00 so i can surf before and after even in the winter.
I knew the school was right when i saw the logo slotted in an epic barrel!

Location of Skyline Elementary- Solana Beach, CA

Location of my beach cottage- Leucadia, CA
Super stoked on the proximity of the Blue on both these maps.
Tom and I went back and volunteered for Surfers Healing again last week and had another amazing day. We have met many great people through the foundation. Also, keep an eye out for Surfers Healing on TV. There is a constant stream of national and local media crews around the event.
Biv and I went to see the premiere of a surf movie called "One California Day." It was really cool for me, first because it was my first surf movie premiere at a famous surf movie theater: La Paloma Theater in Encinitas. Second, because the movie featured many of the places that i recently paid homage to: Santa Cruz, Rincon, Malibu etc.
Making of "One California Day"
Not having a television in my house has actually been great. I got a library card and i've been stuffing my brain silly with surf literature: "Da Bull, Life on the Edge" (Greg Noll autobiography), "Men Who Ride Mountains" (interesting perspective, written in 1969), "Stoked, A History of Surf Culture" (comprehensive look at surfing as a way of life), currently reading- "Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman" (fascinating bio about arguably the most influential, innovative surfer ever.)
It is probably a blessing that the Pacific has not been very active these past couple weeks. Had it been chest high this whole time, i probably would not be employed right now.
Even without superb waves, i've been surfing pretty daily and i still run to the water like a stoked 13 year old gremmie. Which based on experience i kinda am. Everytime i enter the Ocean on my board, i learn something. Everytime is well worth it. A wave will line up nice or i'll just enjoy the rush of a fun wipeout. No such thing as a bad time in the Ocean.