SCHOOL... AUGH

Orientation is over. I was really sick of it by Friday... so much information and stuff to absorb. I tried to deal with everything they gave us but I fear I'm actually just pretending most of it didn't exist. Our professors extolled us to give school our complete attention, told us we should be reading every spare second, and ALSO that we should start working on our resumes, looking for internships, etc. All of it is one part motivating and one part... holy hell, overwhelming. I guess it'll be better when I have constant contact with my professors through class and hopefully they'll remind us of what we're supposed to be doing.

Yesterday we went SURFING in Santa Cruz! It was my first time. The neighbours that live behind us, Michael and Dave, took us out and hooked us up with rental boards and wetsuits. The water was lovely and cold and I had a great time just paddling around and riding in the occasional wave. (On my knees.) We started at a beginners' beach and the waves disappeared after a while, so we decided to try our luck somewhere else. As Amy was climbing up the slippery concrete steps to get out of the water, a few waves came and knocked her around a bit. She hit her back on the stairs and sliced a couple of her toes. First casualty of the day! We got pizza at Pleasure Point Pizza (frickin' AMAZING) and then went to "The Hook", where Amy stayed out of the water and took pictures from above.

At The Hook we got to see two otters up close, and watch huge pelicans swoop over the water. It was really cool to be near wildlife like that. Unfortunately, there weren't too many waves at that place either and way too many surfers trying to grab them. Finally Dave and Nick tried for the same wave, bailed, got caught up in the whitewash, and Nick got his face beat up with a surfboard fin. He came out bleeding hard with two huge gashes in his left cheek, a small fracture in his jaw and a chipped tooth. We spent a few hours at the hospital getting him stitched up and X-rayed and then drove back home to Monterey. Amy and I got some groceries and meds for him, and he's been drugged up since. It looks pretty ugly - pictures will come eventually. (Probably on Facebook.)

Today we went to the Jewish Food Festival in Carmel. It was sunny, there was music, and there was lots of good food to try. When we got back, though, we kind of fell into a Sunday funk - uuugh not ready for school to start. Or maybe too ready? Either way it's time to get this semester started and see what comes of it. Wish me luck!