bom dia.. belleza.

stuck in that i-was-sleepy-but-after-having-been-interrupted-now-i'm-awake limbo which has led to hazy-headed boredom, i flip though the television channels looking for something mildly mindless and entertaining to watch. re-runs of old shows plague the airwaves, along with the all-too-too-mindless specials like the mary kay letourneau story and american idol stars: where are they now? deciding against romy and michele's high school reunion and praise the lord, i switch off my tv set with a vomit-like sensation in my throat. sitting here at my desk in the dim egg-shell glow from the flourescent lamp atop the bookshelf against the wall opposite me, i close my eyes and sink into the dark reverberations of massive attack booming thorugh my speakers. finding peace in this temporary solace, i think back to my morning of surf, taking kim out for a quick lesson. despite the pre-noon sun which baked us while we left for the beach, the coast still proved to be rather chilly, and the water evenmore so. the sun here never managed to pierce through the thick blanket of haze and late-spring swells kept the waves a frigid wake-me-up. finding coveted meter-less street parking, kim and i heaved our boards and walked towards the sand, negotiating our way through the massive construction labyrinth which will someday, leave manhattan with nice beachside parking and a refurbished pedestrian walkway, but only now, serving as quite the inconvenience.

on the sand i give kim a quick rundown of what to do when a wave approaches before we charge west. after a few tosses and salty coughs, she gets the hang of it, riding all the way to the shore, albeit on her stomach, knees, or once on her feet. this is way more fun than boogie-boarding! she exclaims. we take a break and light up cigarettes, shivering in our damp wetsuits after every breeze. practically deserted on a thursday, the lazy beach lounges with its toes in the water, looking deceptively clean. only a quick glance at dried high-tide lines, with a spattering of plastic utensils, candy wrappers, other litter, dried tar-oil cakes, and a wayward gatorade bottle would remind one that this was indeed a public beach. nevertheless, today, the little stretch of sand before us was our own. a ways away, a mother and father watched as their kids dug holes, built sand castles, and played tag with the tide. staring into the pacific, looking less-than-pacific as the winds picked up, i am once again mesmerized by the soothing crashes of water - so different yet so alike to the gentle lapping of swimming pool water against the drain. topping the list, the beach is my refuge... so californian.

kim and i return to the ocean void and charge more chilly waves until her arms get tired and the sea peeters out too much to make catching a good ride on my hybrid board quick and easy. we pull ourselves out of our clingy wetsuits and towel dry as kim makes friends with ladybirds which seem to have been blown here accidentally and taken over. taking one last look around, we dust off our sandals, gather our things and grab our boards. it was a good day, we say to each other and head towards the car, back towards the construction.

i put all my genius into my life; i put only my talent into my works.
: wilde.