written weeks ago but no internet so take as is..:
been a long time since i posted
anything but that is more due to the repetitiveness of my activities
than an actual lack of doing things.
i've been down to big sur several times
now, going again in two days, and really love the area. i've also
been doing some diving around the monterey area and down in some of
the south coast coves. despite being here for close on two months, i
haven't actually stayed in monterey yet. I've been either sleeping
in parking lots, camping, or living in carmel valley (with no
internet.) Well today is the last of that. I'm leaving the valley
and will be staying with a senior who volunteers at the Aquarium.
She has a room for rent in monterey proper and it's only a handful of
blocks from the dive shop. Being near the dive shop is essential.
So far things have been slow going with the diving, partly due to gear
availability constraints but also because staying out in the valley
is so far away from town. Living near the diveshop will help me step
up my game and get more dives per week in, and that's something i
definitely need to do.
Anyways... that's all happening
starting sunday. In between here and then i'm heading south to big
sur to get some hiking done. Thus far i've spent almost all my time
in big sur hanging out at beaches, coves, and cliffs; this trip i
intend to get some serious hiking in. I hope that it's a cool enough
time to warrant a post. Until then, here's what i've been up to:
driving.
I live about 30 minutes from the dive
shop and 12-15 minutes from the grocery store. It also takes between
1 and 2 1/2 hours to get to jade cove from here, depending on
traffic. So i've spent a helluva lotta time behind the wheel.
Diving.
Trying to keep up on this as much as
possible. Last time i went out i got my ass kicked by some breakers
trying to get out and then when we were ready to descend i found out
my regulator leaked. For those of you who don't know, the regulator
is the thing that goes in your mouth and lets you breathe underwater.
The time before that experience though was pretty great. Joel had
purchased a harpoon, well really a Hawaiian sling, and caught us some
rockfish and a big tasty cabezon.
Reading.
My 4th of july was
lackluster. On the 3rd my rear right break drum exploded
and put my truck out of commission. Joel's truck broke down about a
week before that and he'd been using mine to get to work. So i
caught a ride back to the valley and was stuck there for 5 days. I
finished up two books and made serious progress on another one. i also had no cigarettes but not for lack of want.
Guitar.
Having 5 days of no internet and no way
to get into town severely limited my ability to check things off my
"to do list". So i really had no excuse not to practice
guitar. Not "play" guitar which i have done plenty of, but
"practice". I've been meaning for a while to sit down and
run through the different modes and scales for a long time now. I
usually pick it up and put it back down and immediately forget it.
But with so much time to kill i forced myself down to the repetitive
practice of establishing muscle memory.
I'm excited to get into the city proper
but i will certainly miss mornings of sitting on the porch, having a
coffee, playing guitar, and seeing this:
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