Aquatic Therapy Part Deux - Leashless in New Hampshire

We're dying ovah heaaahh. I may have only been back for four years but so far I don't remember a flatter summer than this. You know it's bad when I'm salivating over the chance of it being knee high and clean.

Tension levels being what they currently are, however, I needed to get in the water. Mom of El Meezy offered to accompany me to New Hampshire and watch over my progeny so that I could indulge in a bit of head clearing.

I was not exactly overwhelmed at the size of the mostly non-existent waves but those that were rolling in off of a sand bar were just big enough to be loggable and not even near big enough to require that I wear a leash, so I didn't. Best ride of the day was a macker of a rogue wave from way outside that I caught lovely. That sucker might have topped my kneecap. Ah well. You take what is given and say "thank you" for it.

Stay tuned for the soon to appear, "Heavy Rotation", a few reviews of tunes that aren't new at all but may have missed your attention. You may begin with the baited breath and all that.

Aquatic Therapy(And It Ain't Whatcha Think)

I've said it before but it may have escaped your notice; I've been out of work for over a year. I've detailed the reasons why that hasn't necessarily been a bad thing, however, it's past time that I got back to it, for as much as I've enjoyed being home with my son, I need to move forward.

The frustration of what might be a normal job search has been compounded by the current state of the economy which has pretty much insured that the competition for each position that I pursue is rather heavy. I recently came close to a job that would have suited me just fine. I feel that I crushed the interview and the essay portion of the exam. I was moved into the final circle only to be told in the 11th hour that I lost out to someone else. My little family really needed this. I really needed it. With my head-a-reeling from the blow and sweat collecting on my brow from the summer heat, there was only one thing to do....

No, I didn't do that. I took SoEM for a swim.

There is something about watching my almost-two-year old go charging down a small slope towards the swimming area at the Arlington reservoir while yelling, "Splish splash!" at the top of his lungs that made my problems seem miniscule. Something about him laughing at the top of his lungs as I swam underwater to squeeze his legs that eased away my frustrations and fears. Digging with him in the mud was probably more relaxing than a mud bath at a spa. In short, an afternoon spent cooling down with SoEM saved dear ol' Dad from wallowing in the mire of despair.

Thank you little man.

Oh the Places I've Been

I'm full of excuses and not many of them are all that valid.

For starters, I promised to write up a show I saw on May 1st and could not get it done even though The Dawg and Poni Show tore it up with a sound that owed a lot to Living Color, Bad Brains and Prince and The 86ers also blew my head open although what else could I expect from a band fronted by George, formerly of Honkeyball(showing my age). Sorry for my slackness fellas, I promise something a little more indepth next time.

Then at the end of May, I wound up with my little fam and some friends in St. Augustine, Fla. There's a reason that most people I've talked to have raved about the place. Plenty of mellow, lots of history, good food, Yuengling and I did ok on the waves with a flat as hell Velzy tuflite. We'll be headed back there.

More to come and hopefully in a more timely fashion.

By the way, the above picture was taken by our good friend and photog extraordinaire, Jackie.

Back for More

Thursday and Friday of this past week saw some truly great weather in New England and also marked my return to the lineup after the obligatory "too damn cold" layoff. To prep, I had been watching surf flicks like I was watching game film and mentally listing all the stuff I was going to try to work into my (limited) repertoire. I have also been getting in some exercise and some yoga to stay flexy.

How did I fare?

Ha. Well, rust is rust. My paddling wasn't great and my timing was off so I whiffed more than connected and the water still isn't exactly bath water but at the end of the day, I'm chuffed that I got back out there and these sessions are just the first of many more. Not to mention, I'm heading to St. Augustine, Fla in a couple months. Surfing in trunks.

Escential

Perhaps some of you recall that after replacing the punk rock wetsuit, I intended to write a review of its replacement. Of course, I never got around to it, until now that is.

My original intent was to find a suit not built by one of the bigger companies. No doubt, some of these companies have their product wired but being a fan of the underdog, I figured on going with a smaller outfit. My decision came down to either a suit by then fledgling company Escential and UK based Nineplus. In the end, I went with the Escential suit.

Caveat time. It's probably riskier to go with a newer brand. Bugs need to get worked out and all that. That said, I still pulled the trigger. I ordered the suit(3/2) through Icons of Surf and got it fairly quickly, although it didn't see duty until May-ish.

The Pros - The fit was proper, flushing was minimal, and there is a fleece-like lining in the chest area for added warmth. The suit was also quite flexible.

The Cons - There was no key pocket or loop and within a couple of months, some seams on the inner thigh started to come loose and the glue around the smooth skin on the chest started to gap a bit.

As far as customer service goes, Escential are fantastic. I sent an email to Carl, the owner of the company about the seams and he had me send it back and replaced it with a brand new suit. The newer suit is the one pictured and has held up fairly well, although it has the same problem with the smooth skin around the chest. Apparently Escential has dealt with this problem by doing away with the smooth skin and it has added to the durability, although I don't have one of the newer versions.

So....do I recommend this product? I do. For the price, as well as the fact that the customer service is top notch AND that Escential is going to lengths to address any durability issues serves to make them a company worth checking out. I also dig the fact that they're based on the East Coast.

Once again, I don't get anything for the product placement. I just wanted to give with an unbiased review of a good product. If you need a new suit, support the small guy and check 'em out.

The Defiant One

Further annals in parenting.

After approaching 18 month old SoEM because he enjoys being told "no touch" whilst touching the dvd player and then touching it as much as he can as you move to stop him, I noted the presence of stink lines emanating from his diaper region and posed that most ultimate of queries, "Hey dude, did you poop?" His reply was a bold gaze and an emphatic, "No!" He had, naturally.

Ladies and gennemen, the toddler has landed.

Holidaze

Ho. Ho. Ho.

We made it alive and well back from sunny Los Angeles only to be welcomed back by this sub-zero bull. Harumph I say.

Still and all, the West Coast was a welcome change of pace. It was sunny and in the 70's most of the time. Mrs. Meezy returned from a stroll her first morning there and stated, "Let's move back." Amen, Doll. Now there's only the small matter of securing a massive chunk of change for a house, jobs for both of us and tuition for SoEM once he hits middle school. I ain't bitter folks, really I aren't. Wistful thinking is all.

I spent Christmas Morn on a borrowed epoxy longboard at Bay Street in Santa Monica. Waves weren't fantastic but were fun. I managed to snag a few decent rides. I must say that I don't care for the epoxy. It was lacking something. It turned ok and I got into waves ok but I tried to walk it a couple times and that just didn't work. It also seemed to lack the weight or the feel of my poly longboard. Needless to say, I won't be rushing out to pick up a plastic fantastic machine like that anytime soon.

Finally...SoEM slept both to and fro the Coasts. So minus having to lug a bunch of crap around the airport, the voyage was fairly seamless.