Epic, Dude.
Lest you think that all I do is sit around moaning about my PhD, taking artsy pictures and writing melancholy, introspective drivel, let's have a change of pace.
A week and a half ago, I had my first surfing lesson. My friend informed me that I had no idea how lucky I was, that the conditions were "epic" and I wouldn't see anything like it for years. And it truly was a gorgeous, sunny, 70 degree January day in La Jolla. The waves were 10 feet according to the surf report, although some of them looked much larger than that to my terrified newbie eyes. He was kind/wise enough to take me down the beach from the big swell, where I could attempt to wobble to my feet on the longboard in 3-4 foot surf rather than getting clobbered/killed by the big waves.
Surfing is HARD WORK, did you know it? "Paddle, paddle, paddle!" I'm in reasonably good shape, but by the end of the session my shoulders and back felt like noodles. I did manage to catch several waves, and even get to my feet on two of them! (Although I am told that I need to practice my "pop-up" skills.)
It was only when I peeled off my wetsuit back at the condo that I discovered the epic bruise. Either the edge of the board or one of the fins had made serious contact with my thigh, leaving a pale impact line flanked by dark purple half-moons. I love a good (non-serious) injury when I've been doing something active. Road-rash/bruising/a little swelling--it's a souvenir, something I can show off to my friends as a visual aid to a good story.
Over the next week it darkened and morphed into a slightly strange shape, although you could still see the line through the middle of it between the purple edges. When I showed it to the surfer last weekend, he was duly impressed. But upon closer inspection, he was amazed. "It looks JUST LIKE the Billabong logo!" he said. A quick internet search confirmed that he was exactly right. Surf company logo bruise from a surfing lesson. How poetic is that?
Bruise:
Billabong logo:
He suggested that I send the picture to the company to see if they'll give me some free stuff.
And because I was bored, I enhanced it with a Sharpie in case it wasn't clear enough before:
