THE BEACH

I took some time off from job hunting today and went to the beach. It was a fantastic day weather wise, and because they had originally called for thunderstorms and were completely wrong – shocker – there were hardly any crowds.

The ocean looked like frosted, sparkling emeralds and I could see clear down to the sandy bottom even in about eight feet of water. I did some wave floating and some unintentional body surfing. That would be where you think you are out beyond the breaking point of the waves lazily bobbing in the swells and a wave decides to break way early and you are shoved underwater then pounded into the sandy bottom. That was how I lost my sunglasses. Luckily they were a cheap pair so I was not too upset, except when I had to squint the whole drive home. All in all it was a great day, except for a scorching sunburn.

The last time I was at the beach was last summer when I was studying for bar exam #1 (BTW actually lugging your BarBri books to the beach does NOT in fact make you more likely to use them.) and I have not spent a whole heck of a lot of time outside this summer (bar exam redo) so even though it is mid August, I didn’t even have so much as a base tan. Therefore, I am now red as a lobster and my skin feels like oozing hot lava. Ce’st la vie, it’s my own fault. My sister in law who spearheaded the beach adventures told me that she was never concerned when I disappeared into the surf because, “not to be mean, but you were the pastiest one out and there and you were easy to spot”.

It was worth it, I was floating among the seaweed, finally actually relaxing, bookended on both sides by piers of stomach churning rides, and yet I felt like the only person in the world. Until, that is, the adolescent lifeguard screeched at me with his whistle because I was too far out and adjacent to the pilings under the pier which would have made for a messy situation if the waves drove me into them.

So I swam, parallel to the beach just like I was supposed to in order to avoid the undertow. Then I was amazed, I was making headway, I was moving. I used backstroke and breaststroke and even some doggie paddle thrown in for fun. I remember how to swim, like really swim! You think I am being melodramatic here, but the backyard pool while fun, doesn’t exactly lend itself to laps. It has been awhile since I needed to employ my actual swimming skills. It felt wonderful.

I laid out for a bit after that, did some reading, some people watching and enjoyed using my disc man for something other than PMBR lectures. I would like to note that the flavors of Sunchips and licorice are not at all enhanced by gritty sand – just in case you were wondering.

My muscles are now mad at me and staging a painful protest the likes of which the Teamsters have never seen at being forced to actually work, but it was worth it. These same muscles have seen fit to join forces with the sunburned skin and I can see it is going to be an ice pack and Tylenol before bed tonight. Incidentally, isn’t it a cruel joke of nature that sunburn itches? I forget, momentarily, that I have used the sun’s rays to singe my epidermis to a bursting red and I scratch, and then …. I remember. I remember that raking my nails across my raw flesh is NOT a good plan. (And for the record, yes I was wearing sunscreen.)

So now it’s off to bed. Amazing how the sun just zaps all the energy out of you, it's just barely 11pm. Tomorrow I have an appointment – this could be interesting.