Let It Be

Here's what I don't like—I don't like it when a surf buddy (and I use the term "buddy" loosely) tries to make me surf her way. Case in point. I often meet this person for sessions at a particular spot. Inevitably, we will end up surfing on different peaks at this spot. She prefers to mix it up with the crowd, the more people in the water the better. She also prefers the long right that starts at the northernmost peak and sometimes takes you several yards south. I prefer that people in the water not invade my space and will usually paddle away from a crowded peak. I also tend to choose the one peak that delivers a nice little left. It's not as long as the right, but I don't care. If I wanted to spend my entire session riding a long right, I'd go to Malibu. I surf this spot, which is several miles south of Malibu, because I know I can often grab a few lefts during my session.

Anyway, this person called tonight. She went on and on about how I should join her at the peak she likes. What is that about? Why can't some people leave well enough alone? It's as if she's putting a value on our separate, yet shared, surf experiences. Obviously, my choices are to be frowned upon in her mind. She revels in the fact that she's often the only woman on the peak she likes. Good for her. She's also the person who's told me she can't go to certain breaks because guys there want to kick her ass; she always wants me to surf those breaks with her. (No, thank you. I'm neither a bodyguard nor a menacing black person nor a person who wants have to watch her own back because of associating with you!) She's also someone who gets run into a lot. This, as most of us know, is what occurs when you're constantly dropping in on people.

What's my point? I don't have one. This was simply a vent.