LC on Ten Dollars a Week - Two hundred forty-three dollars, and eighty-one cents later...

Good news for the one percent

It's Thursday, December 15, 2011, and I still have about five days to go. I have spent $243.81 since my last confession. Add that to the $77.73 from the first four days, and you'll see I ran out of money and fell into the red about $71.54 ago. Prescriptions, expensive dog food, emergency shower repairs for your daughter, it all adds up. Not to mention the beer and wine. The good news is I managed a 7 day surfing streak for free. Fifteen hours worth. Sure it included paddling the sup from LC to the north and back one day, and yesterday was nothing to write home about but.. I don't know? Can you write about glassy perfectly shaped waist high lefts with no one out? I just did. Well.. It is certainly no reason to stay out of the water especially after being dry three days straight earlier in the week.

Obviously not the same day

The rest of the days were average. (average waves, not spending) But an average wave at that spot just north of here is still pretty dang good. And average waves this winter, are starting to look better than ever. One day I paddled out into head high sets with just a friend and a sup guy out. Normally that sup kook would have pissed me off but something special was happening here. It didn't last long, but the best part of that session was paddling back out after we'd caught the first few waves of the set, and watching 3 or 4 more roll though unridden. Sweet. Won't forget about that for a while. I remember being very nervous sitting out there wondering what was going to go wrong. Instant crowd? More sups? Get hit in the head with my board again? Southwind? Yep, fucking southwind! Seriously, I would have gladly taken another sup... It only lasted for about 40 minutes before the wind turned south but I stayed out another hour knowing that the southwind looks offshore from LC...

99 cents worth of xmas lights

Anyway... I made about  $100 in dog sitting money, so over-budget yes, but still not completely broke, though I had to turn down a chance to see "X" tonight. I guess that is the cost of freedom. Financial freedom. I did manage an excellent surf and birthday lunch with a couple friends (not my birthday, Kims) Saw a movie about the haole royalty of Hawaii, drank plenty of good beer and cheap red wine, food made slowly, saw both daughters, got a free student edition of Photoshop, a handmade coffee mug, and took a trip to the 99 cent store, where I made the mistake buying only 99 cents worth of xmas lights instead of the $1.98 I needed. Also if you live around here you might have noticed, it's been pretty dang cold prompting me to go out and by two pair of polar fleece sweats for a mere $4.31 for the Carpinteria Thrift Store, along with at least one bundle of wood from the bag-less Albertsons.  Only one pair of the sweats worked out so if anyone needs a sweet pair of medium Patagonia sweats hit me up. Two bucks.. Just kidding you can have them.

Blurry pelican sunset with dogs.. No Charge

LC on Ten Dollars a Day - The Weekend

Ahhhh...

Picking up where I left off on day two. "Over budget, no problem, don't need much tomorrow." Well, on day three, it turns out I needed gas. $15.00 worth, and a few more groceries... Umm, ok wine. $10.81 So there ya have it. Three days, $27.90 over budget. I know what you're thinking, there goes the dog sitting safety cushion money, and hey, "How much gas can you buy for $15.00 anyway?" Not much. But it does bring the needle on the fuel gauge out of the red zone about a quarter inch. 4.2 gallons to be exact.  That's roughly 75 miles worth of gas give or take. Probably take. Maybe five or six trips into town if I'm lucky.

Now you're thinking, "That's not too great on the gas mileage is it Don? You pseudo plastic-bag hating eco-warrior kook." Sadly it's not, 15 mpg to 20 mpg tops.¹ However, even if did go down to Longo Toyota in El Monte² and pay cash for a new Prius today, it will take me 23 years to justify the savings.³ I'm not even sure if they designed the Prius to last 23 years, we'll see about that. All I know is the Syncro is going to be 25 years old next year, it's sleeps up to four humans and two dogs, and you can cook a pretty good dinner in it. Plus all pseudo hippy, plastic-bag hating, tree loving people drive Volkswagen Vans, old diesel Mercedes, or Volvo Wagons so I am keeping it.

Local Goods

So I am over budget thus far, but what can you do in LC for $10.00 a day anyway? Obviously nothing, so far it's running closer to $20.00 a day, and I still have a big dog food purchase coming up that will set me back another $38.00. To be clear, I am the 1% of the 10% behind the other 89% that doesn't feed their dog supermarket dog food. But really what can you do? Start the day with Coffee. Good coffee, made with love. My ex showed me the beauty of good coffee, freshly ground, and made slowly using ancient European methods. In my case it's the stove top espresso maker. One cup at a time and share. Sadly I usually I end up with Starbucks or Peets beans, but if you really want some good beans try Local Goods on Orcas Island. Anyway the point is to take your time, and make your coffee slowly, with love.  In fact the whole secret to the $10.00 a day method is to stretch everything out, enjoy every minute no matter how dull, and most importantly, go places where you can't spend money.

The good news is in LC, there's no place to spend your money except the fruit stand, so you're in pretty good shape if you don't leave town. Otherwise the beach or long salt water therapy sessions are good options. If you've ever been to LC, then you might know beach access is pretty funky. It involves either walking across the freeway, dangerous yes, but absolutely legal. I've seen in done, but have yet to try it myself. The only other way is though a drainage tunnel near the middle of town that runs under the freeway. The tunnel is just about four feet high, and six feet wide, and offers great acoustics, but it's not for everyone. More than a few of my guests have taken a pass on going the the beach. (Yes... We are in the middle of getting a real pedestrian underpass, the first thirty feet are already in place, and they expect to start up again in the spring for a possible summer opening. Personally, I think it's coming at a pretty high price, and I am not just taking about money.)

LC Grom Conner..  4' Tunnel.. No Problem

There are lot of ways the local's negotiate the four foot tall tunnel. Low tricycles, skateboards, and other interesting homemade craft. And for some of the mini-groms it's a non-issue. Myself... I use the duck and  run method, the faster I get through the better. That method has served me well the last couple years but recently resulted in a slight concussion and whiplash a few weeks ago when I forgot about the low overhang as you make the transition from the new tunnel, to the old tunnel. Ouch.. More like F#%K! It literally knocked me on my ass. I can still feel the whiplash injuries too. Once you hit the beach, and hopefully not your head, you'll emerge onto two miles of deserted  beach. Hunting for Magic Seaglass, and long walks with your four footed friends,  your lovers, or both are an excellent ways to avoid spending money. The sounds of US 101 seem to disappear as you look out towards 'anyapax,⁴ and limiw,⁵ two of the four channel islands on the horizon. To the north is the Queen of the Coast, to the south, Punta Gorda. Either way you walk it's not likely you'll run into anyone but fisherman this time of year.
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Shuku

Today  though we have a special trip planned. We're going whale watching at shuku.⁶ It's a peaceful morning, sunny, but a bit chilly in the water, and even colder in the air. The waves are clean with an occasional chest high zipper coming through. It's Sunday, but there's only a half a dozen people enjoying the morning, most whom I know by name.  My friend saw it first and frankly I didn't believe her, I don't think she did either, but sure enough, poofe, there she blows.. Only twenty yards away, beautiful, perfect, and free, but going the wrong direction I think. Or maybe just swimming back to say hi, as my friend said. I've seen whales round  the corner more than a few times but this only the second time I've seen one close up and personal from the water. It was impressive, and of course free of charge.

So yeah. I am running a  little over budget, but had good weekend none the less. A few uncrowded waves, Tiger wins for the first time in two years, and we're having enchilada style baked chicken, with a salad, and a cheap red wine for dinner. A welcome relief from last nights grilled ahi with wasabi butter debacle. Nothing worse than worrying if you ate bad fish before you go to bed.

Weekend Spending... Sheesh. $25.64 cents over budget for the weekend $37.73 over budget after four days.
Gas $15.00
Groceries $ 30.64
Sunny day, fun waves, and whale watching with friends... Priceless.

Welcome to La Conchita

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1 Downhill with the wind.^↩

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2 MSRP: $27,859.00 Tax: $2,716.25 Title and License: $478.12 Total Out the Door: $31,053.37^↩

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3 Based on the above Prius III model with navigation, Driving 10,000 miles per year and averaging 50 mpg with gas set at $3.75 vs 1984 Syncro Transporter Westfalia Full Camper Edition with Subaru 2.2 mid nineties engine, Driving 10,000 miles per year averaging 17 mpg, and gas set at $3.75. Your mileage may vary. Syncro, annual gas bill $2083. Prius wow.. $750. Savings per year. $1333.. Nice. $31,053 (Cost new Prius) divided by $1333(saving per year) equals 23 years. Your math may vary but you still can't make a good cup of coffee in it. If you have to buy a new car I guess the Prius is a eco-friendy choice, or is it?^↩

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4 Chumash word for Anacapa Island, said to mean mirage, ever changing, deception. Also known as Eneepah. True. It really does look like a mirage some days, check it out, it vibrates.^↩

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5 Chumash word for Santa Cruz Island^↩

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6 Chumash Village loacated at the mouth of a creek just north of here.^↩

LC on Ten Dollars a Day - Day Two

Almost stayed on budget for day two. The surf looked pretty small from here, but definitely worth a closer look. So with the dogs loaded in the van I headed out about 7:30. I wish I could trust those two to hang out on the beach and not cause any trouble, but I don't. I also feel pretty guilty if I just leave 'em in the van, and head straight into the water, so I don't. Not much seaglass lately, but there have been an unusually large number of dead loons on the beach, both here, and in La Conchita too.. I don't know what's up with that but I can assure you Riley is not responsible.

An hour later I'm paddling out in some fun waist to chest high waves with light offshores and another refreshingly light crowd. Conditions were near perfect even though the swell dropped. Combine it with yesterday and it could have been all-time especially with the light crowds. Went straight to town today(save gas) My mission.. Pick up two bars of wax from Rincon Designs, and a few groceries from Von's. I always try to get people to buy me wax for my birthday, but that was way back in May so it was time to break down, or continue to slip all over the place with summer wax. Wax is now outrageously priced at $1.75 a bar. Maybe I do need to make that trip down to John's...

Across the street Von's is still killing seals, and birds, and turtles, with their useless plastic bags, that hold only 1 item, so I normally don't shop there. But in an effort to save gas, I put my canvas bag over my head and walked in to pick up a few things. By the way the Carpinteria Albertson's 100% Bagless Program looks like a 100% success to me. One of only two stores to go completely bagless in California on April 27th, 2011. No paper, no plastic, and guess what, the place is as crowded as ever, and most importantly people are bringing their own bags. A lot of them who would have never ever brought their own bags, never ever ever, and now its second nature. The point is we don't need to wait for a law to pass to ban those plastic bags, because there no law stating you have to use them in the first place!!! Waiting for the government to tell you whether you should or shouldn't use plastic bags, seems like a waste of time to me. Those guys are just one disappointment after another ( the government) I'll let you in a little tip too Von's, and all you other seal killing, bird chocking, plastic polluting monsters. It's rumored that Albertson's is saving 60K to 100k a year by getting rid of bags, so take that to your 1% and do the right thing!

Pulled Pork sandwiches on a French Roll for lunch, and Spicy Seafood Pasta, for dinner with a bottle of Firefly Ridge Cab $5.99 at Von's (plastic bag monsters) The finals of the World Cup of Surfing from Sunset Beach were sick with John John Florence winning convincingly and prompting me to put him on my Fantasy Surfer Team for Pipe at the ridiculously low price of 3,000,000.

Day two spending.
Surf Wax - $3.77..Groceries - $10.81.. Total Day 2 - 14.58
Total to Date - $32.09 Yep.. $12.09  Over budget, no problem don't need much tomorrow.

Big Bad Bag Man

LC on Ten Dollars a Day - Day One

Here’s the deal I had an unexpected Van repair in mid November running $300. That along with the cash put aside for the mortgage, bills, etc, left me only $250 till my next check on the 21st. Yep, my checks aren't that big, do the math. There was a time when my car payment alone was $600 a month, but not anymore. So anyway $250.. That’s a little over $10 a day, and maybe, I might pick up a little extra dog sitting money, still it’s not much. Wish I had bought a fishing license earlier in the year. Haha. Trust me, I’m not in the 1%. I am in the 10%, behind the other 89%, so I am usually pretty broke anyway. Not really a big deal, I don't even expect to have to go to Coinstar to cash my change in, but it's good to know I can. No worries, it's the life I've chosen, less money, more surf. Still three weeks will be an extra long stretch. Today.. I just need beer. That’s gonna run me more than $10 so not a great start. To be clear I am in the 1%, of the 10%, in back of the 89%, that only drinks decent beer, and not 40 ounce Malt Liquors or Coors Light.

Thanks to Riley and Wilson I scored some unexpected surf today, and it was pretty fun too. Sure the wind was going everywhere from light offshore, to glassy, to hard south, and every direction in between, but if you stayed out long enough you got some good ones for sure! Not bad considering the rest of so cal had 50mph winds. I guess no one expected it since I never saw more than 6 people in the water and it didn't cost a thing! Except a little gas (4 mile round trip) I should have combined my trip to town with the surf trip so as to save some gas, but I had business in town today and had to go back and get my wallet, check book, etc..(9 mile round trip)

By the time I returned there was a power outage going on, bummer, and that wasn’t restored till sometime after 6:00 (yeah, pretty close ruining my newly purchased food in the freezer) Luckily I keep a huge bag of ice in there and everything looks good. So yeah… No power.. No internet.. And even worse, no live coverage of the Van’s World Cup of Surfing from 8’to 12’ Sunset Beach. So I read the new Surfer cover to and thoroughly enjoyed it. $12 for a year of Surfer is hard to pass up isn’t it? Plus they throw in 12 issues of Surfing to boot, how do they do it? The power outage probably saves a couple bucks for next month so I am thinking.. Maybe they should have one everyday. Force people into reading or taking a nap!

I settled on a twelve pack of Red Hook ESB at $13.99 today for change of pace from my Firestone or Sierra Nevada routine, add some Snack Mix @ $1.00, and some red chili flakes for 79 cents found in the Mexican spice section in a little plastic bag. (That is a sweet deal compared to the bottled ones in the Spice section so you might want to make note if you like spicy seafood pasta as much as I do.) With CRV and tax that comes to $17.51

For dinner I went with a pasta dish cooked tonight cooked under the candlelight. Chicken Cappelini tossed in my own Mexi-Marinara sauce, and garnished with Avocado, Sour Cream and 4 types of cheese.. Wine.. A cheap ass cab from Fresh and Easy in Ventura.

No need to go on vacation with sunrises like this.