Vacation!

I'm still feeling the effects -- in more ways than one -- of the epic surf trip I just got back from a few days ago. Despite my best efforts to get some sort of recap here on this blog of mine, I've gone to bed with my laptop the last two nights, at 10 PM, intending to post, only to be sound asleep by 10:05...my body is just still physically exhausted. It doesn't help that bedtime on the trip was about 8:30 (it gets dark at 6:30 down there, and light again at 5:15 -- and we were on it)...still haven't adjusted back to California schedule.

It also certainly didn't help that my 10 yr HS reunion was this weekend either. I think I blogged this earlier, (I can't even keep track), but I got back from Non-Stop Surf Trip Extravaganza at 1:30 AM Saturday, Aug 23. I got back home at about 2. I unpacked, only to quickly re-pack my bag for my reunion, and got to bed at about 3:30 after falling asleep on the couch several times. I was then up at 4:30 AM again on that same Saturday, heading out the door to the San Jose airport for my 6 am flight to Portland. Why did I book these flight times, torture!!! So we got to Portland and my dad picked us up, life-saver, and got a quick nap at home before the drive down to Corvallis, did the reunion, bed at 2:30 am at Mat Shelden's house (another life-saver, a bed to sleep in, thank you!) and then drove back to Portland on Sunday...and it finally got finished with a 4:45 AM alarm wakeup call on Monday Aug 25 for my 6:15 AM Portland to San Jose flight back to the Bay area. Got in my car and straight to the office for a fun filled week of work. (And a lot of emails in my inbox. Fun!)

It ALSO certainly does not help that I have a middle ear infection. On my very second to last session, I got clocked by the lip of a wave as I was trying to cut back up the wave and exit before the closeout. I succeeded in getting out no problem, but the right side of my face got absolutely smacked by the lip, more force in that lip than you would expect...immediately my ear was ringing and my head was hurting. I had fears and some cursing to myself that, I ruptured my eardrum, this is bad news, but I paddled over to Greg who was out with me and said I was gonna take it easy for a bit, and did that, and eventually the ringing stopped and (some) hearing came back. So I kept on surfing, but on every duck dive I would get more water in my ear than EVER before, like literally a stream of water going in my ear every time I go under, and so now I'm Still dealing with the results of that...I can hardly hear out my right ear, it is full of fluid, and I am on heavy doses of nasal decongestant to try and clear this darn thing out. (Nasal decongestants, isn't that what they make meth out of? Be careful....)...Suffice it to say it is really, really, really annoying. I had a brief revelation on Sunday when my ear cleared, but it was just a tease, 5 minutes later it was right back to the same numb muted hearing, water in the ear sensation that I've had for the last 5 days now. It is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Anyways....I'm still adjusting and trying to catch up and get back to California work schedule. I'll try to set aside some time soon to try and get some quick session updates, in picture format, from the trip.

Woo!