Horn Shark vs. Angel Shark

This is way some amazing footage(0:38 is where it gets good)

SCUBA Class is ON!

After a week of actively recruiting friends(0% success rate) to take a SCUBA diving course, I just got the call I was looking for. Pacific Sporting Goods just informed me that they were able enroll the minimum number of students for the dive course. This means I leave work at 5pm, drive to Long Beach, grab a quick dinner and start learning the essentials of SCUBA diving. From 6:30 to 10:30pm I will be underwater or sitting through small lectures about Barotrauma, Decompression Sickness, and Nitrogen Narcosis (fun to learn about, not fun to get).

Crescent Bay Diving

The bro and I went to the Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach for some snorkeling. This actually was the first time that I have ever snorkeled from the mainland. I got used to thinking that Orange County beaches and harbors are silty, dirty and green. I neglected to give South County a chance, despite knowing in the back of my head that it is known for being a great dive spot.

We went out in about 10-15ft visibility with a light-moderate surge. I saw some nice calicos, a big sheephead and schools of shiny baitfish. I dove and swam next to beautiful rock walls with Garibaldi nibbling on the mossy faces.



After getting a little too close for comfort at Seal Rock, we traversed the coast, absolutely pumped to be enjoying one of the prettiest coves in Southern California. Andrew said that the palm trees on the point looked like paradise.


A hammock and some iced water could really make it paradise.

I checked the sandy bottom for halibut but found none. It became more fun to get near the surf zone and ride the surge back and forth floating inches from the constantly resurfacing bottom.

I can't wait to get back out there...especially with some SCUBA gear.

SCUBA Certification

After work today I am starting a my SCUBA certification course. The course is on Monday and Wednesday nights for 3 weeks. At the end of the course on a Saturday, I get to do 3 out of my 4 open water dives in Catalina. Awesome! The next day I do the beach entry dive in Laguna Beach and I should then certified by the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).

In no time I should be swimming in schools of tropical neon clad lady divers. . . or at least that's the plan.

Ghetto Scarecrow

I am always on guard as I walk to my car through the area west of campus. From my experience, this neighborhood has less students and more graffiti than the area north of campus where I used to live. I try to keep the words of Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, in my head as stay "Calm and Assertive" walking by the apparent junk yard with a gnarly pitbull. Sometime I wonder what would happen if the dog could escape and get to me. It is best to not even think about it.

Sometimes, I am surprised as I walk by this house:



That figure on the porch is a dummy wearing a terrorist mask. Almost every other day, this Ghetto Scarecrow doubles my heart rate in a matter of milliseconds as I catch it in the corner of my eye.

I doubt it is even intended to keep hoodlums away. That is what the barbed-wire on a spike fence is for. It may just be an ironic use of a mannequin wearing USC and Disney gear. Either way I don't like it at all.

The Smoker

I just ate the best meat ever prepared at my house. After 22 years at 4709 Candleberry, I have never had such a satisfying meal.

My dad and I made the move into the world of smoking or BBQing. This is not grilling, or the kind of pool-party sizzle-fest done every 4th of July by every God-fearing, red-blooded American. But don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with grilling...it is just not BBQ. BBQ requires a slow and low indirect heat with wood chips to infuse meats, cheeses, fish, nuts, or fruit with smoky goodness.

We decided on the Masterbuilt 30" electric smokehouse, from Lowes. (below)

This is a great model, referred to as the crock pot of smokers. Because it is electric it can be set to cook at a prescribed temp and time and left alone for amazing results. I can say this because we just cooked 10 lbs of pork ribs for 5 hours with hickory wood chips. The meat was right on par with the award winning, presidential favorite BBQ places I ate at when I was in Arkansas.

After dinner my family sat around, not really speaking, but just blurting out things like, "Smoked Almonds!", "Yeah.", "Applewood smoked bacon!", "Big time.", "Smoked Cheddar!", "mmm."

I have a new hobby that is for sure.

"Pecanwood smoked marshmallows!"

"I want those"

Summer Study Abroad Pictures (B-Sides)

I am still organizing my laptop and external hard-drive and I came across the pictures from when I studied abroad. Here are some of my non-tourism related shots:


This was the official shirt of of the canyoning guides in Riva del Garda. I really like the idea of illegal time.


I posted a couple weeks ago that I broke the FLSHING pole that I got in Italy. Well here it is, fresh out of the box.


This guy had a pretty rad OC back pack. You have to wonder if he liked Marissa or Summer. If I had to choose, I would say he is a Summer guy.


Do Italians eat pizza? Yes, but we clearly ate it much more than they expected us to.

High Speed Camera Videos

I just cleaned my room, and now I am cleaning my computer. In the process, I ran across some cool videos that I shot during my senior project.