Filed under: Life | Tags: 2c, 2nd class diver, California, Church, Coast Guard, Dive school, magic fish, NDSTC, surfing, USCG, Walden
I’m finding that as dive school draws nearer that my temper and anxiety level continues to grow. I do this sometimes. Somethings just happen to get on my mind that are a very big deal to me and I start acting weird, I drive myself crazy sometimes. I’m nervous for change, already sick of getting yelled at and getting the crap beat out of my physically. I want school to be over as soon as it can, for no other reason to be qualified and finally pull some weight around where I work. I’ve said it again and again that it’s so hard to transition for aaaaa whole lot of responsibility in Bahrain as a Gunnersmate running my own shop and being one of the senior boarding officers onboard…. my plate was full and I loved it. I like being busy, I like being productive, and I despise sitting still in any capacity. Get my ass to Florida, away from my “work” where I continue to prove useless on a daily basis, get my qualified, and get me on every single deployment to Seattle, San Fran, Hawaii, Alaska, aaaaaanywhere, I’m in. 11 days and I’ll have a packed truck on my way to Florida for 4 months.
I haven’t spoken to Patricia in what seems like a long time, which a long time for me when it comes to ladies =’s about 3 to 4 weeks.
I bought myself a Walden “fish” 6′4″ surfboard the other day with the desire to move faster down a wave, be more manuverable, and eventually advance into. Advance into it I will, I took it out yesterday with my friend D. Boles and got my ass and ego handed to me. I feel pretty comfortable with my longboard skill set, as in I can ride knee to waist highs pretty well, but the shorter and lighter board is a tooootally different beast. So I have a lot to work into, but the fish is coming with me to dive school to surf some frigid cold, windy, and choppy Gulf surf when it kicks up on rare occasion.
I’ve gotten in contact with a friend that I met through my dad. I camped with John DLC since I was a kid, and he’s always been a really great guy that I’ve looked up to. In fact in 2003 I had the option on my plate to get a job at the Big Grand Hotel and work as a valet, where I’ve been told that they basically live off tips. I was all about parking rich people’s nice cars, working for Disney, and making that money. John DLC offered to hold me up in Long Beach and surf with him all summer, which of course sounded extremely appetizing. As some of you may or may not know, that fell through, and by some crazy occurence I ended up in the U.S. Coast Guard, and now 6ish years later, I’m surfing. It’s quite great to get back in contact with him now that I surf and we talk about this and that, and me attempting to get him to head with the gang on Saturday to Church’s.
The only thing that makes me sad about leaving California is the surfing experience during the winter season, and that’s really it. I can’t wait to get to Florida and get this thing started, bring it on, I’m just tired of all this waiting crap. I can’t wait for December when I get to see Patricia in either Arizona or North Carolina… whichever parent she decides to spend the holidays with. I can’t wait to plan an amazing post dive school trip. I’m very excited to take Patricia out surfing for the first time when we’re both back in California. I can’t wait for the feeling when I get that second class diver MKV hardhat pin stuck on my dress uniform, get back to SD and do work!
Filed under: Life | Tags: lovefool, motorcycle, persian gulf, surfing, the cardigans
I’m proud to say that all the things I said when I was floating on a 110 foot white hunk of crap in the Persian Gulf (with amazingly well maintained weapons) I have lived up to. I told myself that I’d buy a motorcycle and ride with my Dad all around California. Well I’ve completed my drivers course (see last blog) and just today he rode back halfway with me through Cleveland National Forest which was a great ride and very fun to ride with a guy I really admire. There will certainly be trips when I get back from dive school. I said that I’d learn how to surf, and well I’ve not only done that, but I’m completely enthralled in the whole thing. I smile every time I have my board slung under my arm and the ocean wraps itself around my feet, I only smile more when I manage to be granted a nice little ride from mother nature. It sounds cheesy to those who have never surfed, but I assure you it’s changed my life. In fact I take that back, I assure no one nuthin’ about that. I’m keeping that feeling for me, I certainly do not have to prove to anybody how sacred surfing is to me.
I said I’d spend time with my family and I’m doing that more than I have in the last 6 years, which is also good. As my Mom said this weekend, “It’s so nice to have you come down and just talk.” and I agree! A pretty damn good start at reinvention I’d say. By doing all of the above my life has become so entirely simplistic and joyful. I’m completely happy with surfing and not being understood by my friends on how great it makes me feel. I’m content with being a self proclaimed bore and nerd, I’ve accepted myself for the most part at the age of twenty six… it feels good. I can only hope the transition of being with Patricia when she gets back stateside goes well and that things work out as well as I can imagine, where she too is just as satisfied as I am living simply, being spontaneous, simple pleasures, earning a beach tan from surfing at least every weekend, and not letting anything keep us from being down, bored, or upset.
Overlooking Lake Elsinore
Filed under: Life | Tags: California, Coast Guard, Dive school, Diving, NDSTC, Nixon, Pacific Beach, RVCA, San Diego, Second class diver, surfing
and lets get it clear that anytime and everytime I say I’m “great considering”, “pretty much great”, “nearly perfect”, “close to content” etc. It will forever be that way until my reunion with Patricia in December.
I read some periodical about “facts about being a man”, I think it was in either Maxim or Outside… I don’t know. Some sort of nonsense about whatever a man’s man should do, own, acquire and whatnot. Most of it was bullshit, but I did like the fact that in this article they said that you should be fiercely loyal to at least one brand of product. For me it’s Nixon, who makes amazing watches, which thanks to Matt, I’m addicted to collecting and obviously wearing. Lately I’ve really enjoyed boardshorts, shirts, and other designs from RVCA. I bought a shirt today as I strolled about Pacific Beach in sunny San Diego. Pleased with the fitting of the shirt and the design I thought to myself, self, lets go buy some more RVCA product online! So as I just did so literally 3 minutes ago, picked out some styles and clothing that really appealed to me, then I actually payed attention to the price… which was extremely ridiculous. 70 fucking dollars for a simple hoodie? I can understand (probably not) if the hoodie is designed quite fancy with sequins and glitter??? I don’t know, but when it’s four simple letters in a red box on the left breast… what the fuck are we doing here? Does it keep me warmer? Does it get me extra pussy that I’m not really interested in anyway? Does it sprout a goddamn rocket launcher backpack and lets me soar in the sky with magical flying elephants? I like anybody else who thinks fairly rationally, thinks probably not, and that’s a damn shame. So dear RVCA, listen, I love your product, but that stuff is horribly overpriced. So now what? Now you have to be asked for during Christmas and birthdays, and sadly my birthday just passed, so maybe next year. You make me sad guys.
* Deep breath
I’m in refusal to believe that summer is over as I sit here and sweat in 90 degree weather. Hey hey hey! This is San Diego, home of the perma mid 70’s weather during the summer! I don’t need any of this desert nonsense! Speaking of summer, when in California, do as the Californians do… surf of course! I have been a California resident for my entire existence, however all of my 20s have been spent away from my homeland in Alaska, Virginia, Washington, North Carolina, Bahrain and so on. I promised myself as I left the desert wasteland of Bahrain that I’d begin to reinvent myself and with the help of surfing (one of the things I promised myself I’d do) it’s working out quite nicely. So thanks to Greg Mo, I’ve currently been infected happily with the surfing bug. Despite icing my shoulder from two days of straight surfing, I’m very happy. For anybody who surfs or has yet to surf… it’s a great release, and for all my fellow novices (barneys) even if you’re eating it on just about every wave, you’re still floating in the ocean on a board in the sun, and that is very very nice.
It’s slightly upsetting/bittersweet situation is the fact that two of my good friends are moving very soon. Steven to New York and Darren to Seattle. So many times I have to remind myself that I’m knocking on the door of thirty years of age and that things are of course, bound to change. I remember that I have a lover in Bahrain, friends in Georgia, Washington, Oregon, hell even Namibia. As much as friends move and go off on their own adventures to find themselves or like me do some reinventing, it’s refreshing… it’s fascinating to witness. Like I say… I always enjoy getting older.
Top 5 things right now:
1. Surfing/ regaining my Californian tan after 6 years of being away
2. Dexter season 3
3. Getting a good blog in
4. A very relaxing birthday yesterday/ Getting older
5. Having money to save thanks to Matt and Anne’s generosity
Oh… I nearly forgot to mention that the Coast Guard liaison over in Panama City NDSTC (Navy Diving Salvage Training Center) visited the unit today while I was on leave and said that I’m officially on the list to attend Second Class Diver school in October.
Sacred. I enjoy rising early, usually being woke up by the sounds of a old black dog and young kid running around the house. That sounds loud and annoying, but it’s really never bothered me. I roll over and pick up my laptop and see if I get a chance to Facebook chat with Patricia, no luck this morning. Checking the surf report makes me sad, but I’ll admit that I like rising slow and wasn’t really looking forward to driving to the beach feeling a tad groggy. Surfing is inevitable on Sunday as little Matt has surfing lessons in San Elijo, and I’ll be sure to attend. The Allman Brothers Band helps me get on my feet and make my way to the kitchen where I always feel slightly lazy as everyone is up before me. Yogurt with granola mixed is delicious, and as today is such a special day (the celebration of my birth, the actual being on the 25th) I pick my Star Trek coffee mug, fill it to the brim with coffee, and watch the steam slowly rise from the top of Spok’s head for a few moments.
Yes friends the weekend has arrived, and for the most part, all is well.
Filed under: Life | Tags: 2nd class diver, Coast Guard, crossfit, Dive school, I love you man, netflix, stoli vodka, The boys and girls guide to getting down
Blown away about how today went, goodness gracious.
Work was work. After doing ‘Linda’ I believe it was yesterday (a crossfit workout, not my mistress as my friend would say) I could barely walk… damn deadlifts. Anyway the morning started with a bit of serenity with a swim in La Jolla cove amongst Garibaldi fish and a ton of sea weed and kelp which was tiring considering the extensive shoulder workout the day before. Breakfast burritos in Pacific Beach, kinda bummed out that surfing never happened due to poor surf report. Chest still hurts, and I’ve been referred to physical therapy, first appointment is a day before my birthday on the 25th. Despite my injury it still looks like I’m the top candidate for dive school, I honesty don’t know why or who they would send ahead of me… so that’s really good.
Best of all I talked to Patricia for an hour today as I left work. I received three calls from her with only static on the other end, saddened I though she was “pocket dialing” me. Thankfully on the third time around she leaves a voicemail, and just like she does…. persistant… calls back thank goodness. We talked for a blissful hour and damn, damn do I miss her. It’s so easy to be in like with her… so easy.
Feeling happy and fairly chipper after two Stoli 100 proof vodka and tonics with lime I called one of my best friends David G. up in Seattle. Damn to I miss him, one of those social classifications you call a “bromance”… yup. So we talked about his butchery expansion with his job, sad that he’s not hacking meat with a cleaver, but happy that the job is progressing and advancing his skills as a cook/jack of all trades culinary. Damn is he a good friend! So we spoke about that and my Patricia and my dive school et all. Great friend I have…
So the significance of the 15 mins! It’s actually extremely dramatic, at least to me. Apparently my friend Nick V. got with a PA1 (public affairs specialist) basically a news/journalist for the Coast Guard wants to do a story on us “mudpups” trying out for dive school in a three part story. Basically the PA wants to film and take stills of our pre school training, at school, and after the fact as a full fledged diver. Where it will go I dunno… Coast Guard magazine… online somewhere I have no idea. This all got passed at a little dive locker only pow wow and I started laughing and said, ” Well…. I guess I’d better pass school!” The whole thing makes me super nervous, don’t really know what to think.
I’ve had to much to drink on a school night, watched two great movies (The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down and I Love You Man) thanks to Netflix, and I’m gonna go ahead hoping PT won’t be too bad tomorrow and excited for a weekend of BBQ, surfing, and at least one day of sleeping in.
Terrible, terrible, terrible punctuation and sentence structure I’m sure……… damn vodka.
Filed under: Life | Tags: Army of Two, Chruches, Elliot Salem, longboard, San Diego, surfing, Tyson Rios
A few things that are significant are to follow…
While I have managed to get better from a random respiratory illness It seems that since I arrived back home I’ve managed to over do it in the gym and have achieved a muscular or muscuskeletal (spelling?) injury by doing dips with a 45 lbs weight on. Since that foolish error in judgement I’ve felt like something has separated in my chest, and it does not only feel unpleasant, but hurts quite often and in various positions. So after about a month of not lifting chest, only doing pushups, being all around upset for being injured, and eating motrin like candy I’ve talked to my corpsman and got a medical appointment tomorrow. I’ll admit I’m pretty nervous considering my impending dive school, I just hope things work out in my favor for a change.
I surfed for the first time this weekend and had a good amount of fun. I met my friend Greg and his wife Allison halfway at “Churches” in/on/around Camp Pendleton. The waves were 3 to an occasional 4 and miraculously I managed to not only get up on three waves, but successfully ride one and it was very fun. It was comforting to be out there and finding out the best way to do this or that, position myself not only on the board, but by the swells. More often than not Greg would mention to do this or that and I’d already figured it out. It was more than comforting to have the whole thing come pretty easy and practical. So thanks to Greg and Allison’s little 2 hour introduction into surfing I will be going to shop where they sell used long boards to purchase my first “beater” board. Awesome!
I’m actually pretty excited for the birthday festivities planned for the 22nd. I never really get entirely too excited about my birthday, but for some reason I just have a good feeling about all of it.
In the realm of nerdom all those like myself who may or may not agree with the opinion that ‘Army of Two’ was great gameplay, but had storyline/dialogue that needed significant improvement… read on. Turns out that Elliot and Tyson are back in a new installment which appears to be not only powered by a new and beautiful graphic engine, but a bit less linear gameplay as well. Here’s the link…
http://www.armyoftwo.com/home.action?sssdmh=dm24.160595&sourceid=ea3835
I’m sure I’ll be watching it all week.
I need to snap more pictures of my life here in San Diego… I’m having a lot of fun.
Filed under: Life
Tower Bar Birthday
Come celebrate my 26th year of life at the Tower Bar in San Diego on Euclid and University.
8:30pm to QUEEEESTION MARK!
Facebook me for details, and call for those of you who do know my number.
Filed under: Life | Tags: Coast Guard, Dr. Strangelove, Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, JCVD, On Any Sunday, Seattle, The Great Escape, The Wild Bunch, Triumph, Venture Bros, XR
“Kyle did we chase you out of the main part of the house?” Matt asks from behind my closed bedroom door
“No, I’m blogging.” I say in the voice of the Monarch from the ‘Venture Bros’
(Matt inaudible over the sound of ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’)
I roll my eyes thinking that half the shit that comes out of my mouth is from a damned movie, I always tell myself I have to work on that. I really don’t think it’s as bad as I think, it’s just when I’m at that one and a half beer moment in time I’m extremely irritable. Very very very rarely am I an enjoyable person to be around with having only imbibed two beers, that is unless they’re above 7% on an empty stomach. I’m fairly certain only a handful of people that are my friends know that side of me… not pleasant. In fact the only thing worse than that is being very drunk in Seattle surrounded by hipsters… criiiiinge.
I’m already tired of going to work. There’s so much stuff I want to get off my chest, but with the visibility of an online blog these days, especially with tags, not a wise course of action. I know where to pick and choose my battles. Lets just say that all my experience I’ve earned in my 6 years in the Coast Guard basically means nothing and it’s starting back to square one, a new guy at a unit who’s unqualified. A bunch of snot nosed little shits who probably got bullied in High School and now that they have dive qualifications think that gives them the right to bust balls more than they ought to. This will be fixed next week on a case by case basis before I blow up… that’s never ever a pleasant side of me either.
Wow I haven’t came up with a title for this… “the faces of kyle mellon” dumm dumm daah daaah DUMMMM!!! “tall dark and pissed” hahaha ooooh man.
Again looking over at my bookcase pains me… so much I’d like to dive into.
more substance, more substance, more substance! substance damnit!
Other topics that are on my brain but don’t care to write about because it’s really all the same song (I’ve been lying in bed since Friday, sick, coughing up a lung):
1. Getting out of the military in 2012. Where to work, what to do, how to do it without going insane
2. Surfing…. learning to surf… really want to go. Suppose to be this weekend, got sick and Greg could do it. Next weekend parents are coming to San Diego.
3. Looking at an imaginary calendar with entirely to many X’s, question marks, scribbles, doodles, dotted lines to more X’s, swearing, spilt beer and coffee stains, a fist indentation… maybe a forehead, darts holes, and single favorite picture of Patricia.
4. Vrrrrroooom Vrrrrrroooom
5. Decorating my apartment (whenever I get it) by framing old obscure shots of my favorite movie stars, LPs, and old classic 60’s and 70’s movie posters (Dr. Strangelove, On Any Sunday, The Great Escape, The Wild Bunch) oh and what the hell… JCVD.
6. More music with more harmonica!
7. Finding an afterwork activity after I get out of school. Yoga… yeah yeah I thought about it, and no mother I don’t want to hear I told you so… I haven’t started yet. Oooor I dunno… surfing again. Something to help me relax, minimize stress, and steer away from the hooch.
8. Pings, notions, thoughts if you will about selling my truck and turning my main transportation into a 60/70’s Triumph Bonneville and my XR.
9. If I joined the circus what act would best suit me?
10. Needing to visit the range
What a scatterbrained piece of crap that I’m not going to apologize for.
Filed under: Life | Tags: Dead Man, Edward Abbey, Jack Kerouac, Neil Young, Stephen Chbosky
On a very very nice Sunday, laying on my bed, sipping a cup of coffee, the fan on, just cool enough to through a blanket over my feet I’m looking ahead. I’m looking past sore muscles, annoyance at being treated… well… like a mudpup, long hot drives to Chino, and an overall irritable/grouchy feeling that Patricia isn’t here with me.
I’m forgetting all that for the morning, a perfect morning. Listening to the “Dead Man” soundtrack done by Neil Young just ties it all in.
As stated before, looking forward. My motorcycle is registered, and no freeway driving or not, I’m driving it into work this week. Less than a month before my 26th birthday, I alway did enjoy getting older, still do. The word that I’m officially headed to dive school in October. A romantic Thanksgiving with Patricia in a foreign land (Florida), and an international adventure after I get out of school to anywhere we want to go.
Despite half of my room being stacked high with 8 or so boxes, it still has the look of “my room”. I love my room, my fortress of solitude as it were. This cool San Diego air just makes it all the more better. In fact I think the only thing better than this would be a deck surrounding a house on a lake in the middle of nowheresville in the Pacific Northwest. A cup of coffee that never cools off, flannel pjs, and a hoodie… just enough to keep the cool out and the warm ideas flowing on paper.
As I unpacked a few things here and there to make a room look more like my room I realized how many books I own. What was upsetting for me was to see that a good amount of them had bookmarks halfway to quarter of the way through them. Books that I have really really enjoyed as far as I’d read them. “Confessions of a Barbarian” by Edward Abbey, “Book of Sketches” by Jack Kerouac, “A Collection of New Voices” by Stephen Chbosky and so on.
I need a trip. I need to get away from buildings and traffic. I need a motorcycle, essentials (which of course are to include food, water, basic motorcycle repair equipment, a .45 1911, some dollars, a flask of vodka, a book, and time on my side.) There in lies the difference between want and need. A need that keeps me level headed and ability to cope in civilization without being intoxicated the majority of my consciousness. Patience I tell myself.
My mind continues to dwell on 2012, the year I could potentially separate from the military. I hate the response from so many people,
“Well how many years will you have in?”
“Ten.”
“That’s halfway to that retirement check, might as well stay in.”
Might as well stay in… to hell with that. To hell with that indifference to your own life, that rational can take a hike. School is no longer calling, it’s yelling at me. The ability to go on a trip to anywhere with nobody’s permission, to be free of so many things. So much thought needs to go into this decision. It’s rare moments like this that spawn writing of ideas and creative thought that make me wish I had them a whole lot more.
I’m happy for the future.
