Surglich Man will tug so hard on his new Pyzel Ghost and so totally fascinate.

It’s almost Christmas, and you can’t even decide what to give yourself.

Probably a new surfboard.

Surglich Man is totally in the Christmas spirit this year! He just got a can of Williams-Sonoma peppermint rind from his aunt. It even has his name right on the lid! Surlinie You have to admit, it is really delicious. This morning he ordered a mint mocha from Pannikin.

So seasonal!

Surglich You rummage around in your garage and decide to hang a couple of lights on the Sprinter. It would be so festive! Surglich It’s easy to imagine: hanging out in the parking lot, getting ready to surf while its Christmas lights are twinkling. Everyone would be super jealous!

But first, Surglich Man has important surfboards to do. Priorities! He absolutely has to remove the wax from his favorite red fish. He saw something on the internet about how the wax comes off super easily when he uses flour.

Surlinie You like it really simple. He also loves clean wax the most. Showing up on the beach with dirty wax is such a crazy move.

There’s only one problem. Without looking, Surglich Man knows that he definitely has no flour in his kitchen. He left the sourdough starter with his ex in San Clemente. No more baking bread for him! He’s totally over it.

Surglich You rummage around in your toolbox, find your paint scraper and get to work.

Suddenly his phone buzzes. So uncomfortable! He was just about to get into a groove. Absolutely the worst timing. Surlinie You think he might as well be watching it now that he’s completely distracted.

Hey Trento

Trey here, hope you are fine. It’s been a minute

Some of the boys and I go to the surf ranch ..

I heard you really like surfing now. Do you wish to join? I have an extra seat.

It would be cool to catch up. I’m working on a new startup. Maybe you like it.

No pressure!

Surf ranch! Surglich You feel so light-headed right now. Could he actually go to the surf ranch? OMG.

Surglich You want to sell all of your favorite boards or something super essential in order to go to the surf ranch. Well maybe not the fish. He really likes his red fish. But definitely other things!

Surglich You could be totally exhausted. Introduce yourself! He feels dizzy again. The Surglich man sits down on the floor of his garage right there. OMG.

Of course there is a fly in champagne. Or rain on his wedding day. What ever. Metaphors, so confusing. Surglich You can never hold it straight. Words are so complicated. Surfboards make a lot more sense.

The thing is, Trey isn’t exactly Surigible Man’s favorite. It’s like a total blast from the past. And not in a good, nostalgic sense.

Before Surglich Man moved to San Clemente, before he moved to Cardiff, he lived in San Francisco. He had moved there after college to work for Google as a junior engineer. He would do so many great things!

After spending three years rearranging the same four lines of code, Surigible Man was completely over it, so he took the chance to join a startup. There he met Trey, the VP of Marketing and Sales.

Surglich Man worked at Elevate for a long time! and didn’t even notice his five roommates in the apartment he shared on Outer Sunset. Sometimes he just spent the night in the office. It was easier and the couches were comfortable.

At the time, Surglich Man was so committed to the success of his business. That was his big chance! Surglich One would totally win capitalism. He had stock options and everything!

Surglich Man winces at the memory. How could he be so naive!

One day the CEO of Elevate! Surglich Man and his colleagues called into the conference room. It turned out that Sur therefore Man was actually not going to win capitalism. The startup had failed to secure its Series F funding and ran out of money.

On the flip side, the whole thing helped Sur proud Man find his true calling. Surglich Man had his last paycheck in his pocket and was riding his electric scooter to Sloat. There he saw surfers putting on and taking off neoprene, waxing boards, and doing other surfing things.

Surglich One felt something. Indent. He wanted to be one of those surfers talking in the parking lot. Surglich You wanted to be part of it. He stood on the dunes and watched them paddle out.

Then Surglich Man went home and opened the work laptop that he had not yet returned. Where in California could he find the best and most consistent surf?

Surglich You would surf so much now. All he needed was some new surfboards and an apartment. It’s good that he never had time to spend any of his Elevate salary! Maybe he could get advice between surf sessions or something.

These days, Surglich Man doesn’t even want to remember all of those bad start-up memories. Life is so much better now! Surfing is so much better than capitalism.

To be honest, Surglich Man never really liked Trey. They weren’t enemies or anything, but the whole tech world is full of counterfeiters. Surfing is so real.

But Trey can pull Surlass Man through the sealed gates of Shangri La. Surglich You can only pretend to be friends for one day. Plus he’s pretty sure he surfs a lot better than any of those tech brothers. He just has to like, really try not to roll his eyes when Trey introduces his amazing new start-up.

And maybe Surglich Man could get some good clips at the Surf Ranch. So many barrels! He wanted to start a vlog and document his great surfing trip. Surf Ranch could be the perfect opening episode. He could be totally famous on the internet!

Yesterday when he was in the surf shop, Surphia Man saw a Pyzel Ghost and he almost bought it. Surglich Man has been thinking lately that he should get on the engines. They’re so powerful and precise and such. Now he has the perfect excuse!

Surglich Man loves his red fish, but Surf Ranch is a perfectly powerful wave, so he is going to need a board that is up to the task. And if John John Florence likes it, it has to be that good!

Surglich You pick up your phone and send a text message to your fake friend Trey.

omg yes i would be so excited!
Thanks for the invitation!!!
when are you leaving?

Trey responds super fast, like he’s been waiting to hear from Surigible Man. Surglich has to admit that he feels super flattered.

Next week! It will likely be cold so bring a warm wetsuit. I’ll send details when I’m back at my desk. Look forward to you!

OMG. Surglich Man goes to the Surf Ranch! He can’t even believe it!

Surglich Man puts his Christmas lights aside. There is no time for this nonsense. He has important surfing things to do! He has to go to the surf shop immediately and buy a new surfboard.

Surglich You need new fins. And a traction pad. He’s not even sure what to buy. Does JJF not have a signature traction pad? Surglich is sure that he can find out. Surfing is his thing. He totally understands.

Surlinie You can definitely choose the right fins and the right traction pad. He is an expert!

Surglich Man takes notes on his cell phone and adds a new wetsuit to his list. He heard that December could get cold in Lemoore. He doesn’t want to be too cold to throw himself in the barrel!

That would be like the worst nightmare, right up there with all the other bad nightmares like coming to school naked or getting lost on the way to the beach. But totally worse.

Surglich You don’t want to look stupid in front of your fake friend Trey and the other bros!

Surglich You read that there was a whole supply chain thing and wetsuits on a boat or whatever. Don’t these people understand that Surglich Man has super good surfing at the Surf Ranch? Amateurs.

With wild exuberance, Surphia Man jumps into the sprinter. He has to go to the surf shop. He’s so busy right now!

Surglich Man goes to the Surf Ranch! He can’t even wait. Surglich Man will pull so hard on his new Pyzel Ghost and so totally into the barrel. He gets dizzy just thinking about it. Surglich You can hardly believe your luck!

It’s the best Christmas present ever!

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“It’s okay to let go and grow; to set free and to forgive; redefine and develop ‘

Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Quite unraveling a bit inward occurs when you’re limited to 163 square feet.

In front of my black velvet couch – a valued commodity of my millennial variety – rreads an affirmation spread out on a letter board: Live with less. To the left is a short pile of books; the literature on display covers topics from embracing vulnerability to familiarizing yourself with Dutch oven confits. The cage for one of my “pandemic pythons” sits on the left wall, the light bulb shines red through the opaque plastic. Most of the time, I spend most of my time in my blissful, tiny domicile, writing on a coffee table, sitting on a meditation cushion. A commissioned work hangs like a puzzle on a 90-degree corner; its almost winking congruence now exists as a metaphor for where my life is.

My life seems invitingly easier at the moment. But these weight savings didn’t come without a fight or an argument.

I moved into this apartment almost three months ago after taking full advantage of the local rental market, which collapsed like a peregrine falcon in free flight. (It’s the first lease under my fair name in seven years since I moved from Austin, Texas – and a milestone I never imagined I’d reach in the Bay Area, let alone San Francisco.) Since then I have kept more diaries, more reflections, more catalogs myself than ever in my adult life.

What I’ve realized through all of these self-assessments is profound, if not surprising: I don’t want my self back before the pandemic.

Or perhaps more precisely: I want to fully inhabit the person I have grown into in the midst of the pandemic.

Much like most, I would say that the first weeks – months, really – of the pandemic were organized in a veil of survival. The few serotonin reserves I had were immediately pushed aside to make room for sources of cortisol.

I completely jumped into my job (with little else to do). In June I experienced (as expected) my first case of crippling pandemic burnout. In the weeks of recovery, I discovered a newfound clarity to my calling that was shaped by a series of revelations that would likely have remained unchanged had it not been in place.

My body has changed too. I gained weight, then lost it. Then I won it again. I am losing it again. And it gave me a certain pleasure to cast all the sizes I’ve had in the past fourteen months. As someone who has struggled with body dysmorphism and various eating habits my entire life, Covid-19 has helped me celebrate and appreciate a healthy body that is not defined by shape – no matter how it fits into a pair of Levi jeans .

Once ubiquitous pressures have become trivial, pale in the face of a global pandemic; Dreams have been given up for new endeavors that better reflect me.

For most of my adult life, I have used the excuse of business as an excuse to withdraw from social obligations. Accepting my often severe introverted tendencies was a decades-long tug-of-war with the outside world. I would use the word “no” without hesitation, but my explanations have often been awkward – even slick – for those I value most.

Reading texts No, I don’t, I don’t really have the time, otherwise I would evoke convivial invitations from loved ones to take part in an activity that they enjoy, time that would be spent without a clear purpose; I think these are called “hobbies”. But the subtleties of my performance made a different feeling: I would rather work than participate in something that expresses all of your humanity.

I better explain now what situation I am in … or whisper to myself that I am vulnerable, fumble while trying to be good at sports that involve balls – and make a commitment to participate in every activity.

My life seems invitingly easier at the moment. But these weight savings didn’t come without a fight or an argument.

Friendships that I once seriously believed would stay with me for life – platonic relationships that were put into perspective when the world as we knew it went unrecognizable – have since collapsed. Erected facades are usually the first thing that dissolves in a crisis. People’s honest intentions and morals show up clearly when our social life experiences a seismic shift.

Unfortunately, at least in my case, it shook off some of its own weight from my contact list. Rooms that were once mistaken for these controversial friendships gave way to the relatives – the Ride-or-Dies, the Day-One OGs, the Gayle Kings for my Oprah Winfrey, the Trixie Mattels for my Katya Zamolodchikova – they open my life.

Mountains of material goods have migrated from storage bins to donation boxes; omnipresent pressures are subdued in the face of a global pandemic; Dreams have been given up for new endeavors that better reflect my present self; the gritted disdain I held for a previous ex has turned into forgiveness – both for myself and for himself; I have found peace in places of my mind that were marked by unsolved chaos before the pandemic.

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It’s okay to let go and grow; to set free and to forgive; to redefine and develop.

Somehow I’ve fallen into a more authentic version of myself since the world was turned upside down. And now that it’s turned right side up, I intend to keep my feet firmly on the up to keep those adjustments intact.

The post San Francisco Will Reopen. However I’ve Vastly Modified appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

For years I thought there was something un-American about me. Friends, family, and even fictional characters seemed to romanticize – even adore – the flickering flames of the hearth. Chestnuts roasting over an open fire … pruning the tree … snuggling on the couch … a fireplace seems to be the epitome of almost every indoor winter activity. Who wouldn’t want one in their home?

Me. Others see togetherness and redemption in cold weather. I see a mess.

When a chimney was discovered behind slabs of rock during renovation work in our house, my husband and I were asked if we would like to open it. There was no hesitation.

“No thanks,” I replied politely. No way, I thought. Our toddler, the flames, the dirt …

And while I was reluctant to share my OCD problems, I now have environmentalists and health experts by my side.

It turns out that wood-burning fireplaces can cause all sorts of grief for the environment and your health. Wood smoke contains several toxic pollutants – including benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – as well as microscopic particles that can irritate the eyes and lungs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In just hours or days of exposure, Wood smoke can cause asthma attacks, bronchitis, and respiratory infections. Long-term exposure for months and years has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems such as infant mortality and low birth weight.

Then there is the environmental impact: wood smoke has been found to contribute to a type of pollution known as ‘haze’ which reduces visibility. In fact, the EPA has found that visibility in America has been reduced to a third of what it should be – only 15 to 30 miles – due to haze.

With all these dangers you have to ask yourself: is it really worth lounging in front of a blazing fire?

When the news of the disadvantages of wood fires spread, The domestic taste reacts accordingly, says Mark Clements from myfixituplife: “In the last 50 years the number of chimneys has decreased significantly.” According to the US Census Bureau, the number of new buildings built with a chimney has fallen to only about half of all new buildings since 1990.

This doesn’t mean you should avoid wood-burning fireplaces entirely if you love the ambience they create. The EPA has launched a voluntary partnership program called Burn Wise to help consumers do just that. Adopt some smart wood burning practices and you can contain the negative effects.

The easiest tip? Burn only dry, split and well seasoned wood (that is, it is stored in a dry place for at least 6 months). How to tell if it’s ready to burn: Correctly seasoned wood is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when hit against another piece of wood. (Green wood that is fresh and still has juice in it creates a lot of smoke.)

If you are in the market for a wood burning stove or want to upgrade to a safer one, buy one that is EPA certified and has low pollutant emissions. In some states you can get a tax break!

Last but not least, here is a list of local, municipal, and state regulations against incineration.

So if my rhetoric converted you and you vowed never to light a fire in your fireplace again, what’s next? Two steps: do a chimney sweep to clean everything up. And then make your stove a part of your home decor without burning wood. Some suggestions from Clement:

• Decorate with birch logs, complete with white peeling bark that you swear it won’t burn.
• Instead of lighting a fire, light some candles by your fireplace to create a cozy glow.
• Sports fan? Decorate with a logo for your favorite team.
• Install a decorative fire-backed metal plate that covers the back wall of your fireplace.
• Stack some books in your stove to trick people into curling up with a good story.
• Use it as a shrine to seasonal items: vacation villages, goblins for Halloween, and so on.

This, of course, begs the question: what would Santa Claus think?

The post I Hate Fireplaces—and It Turns Out, I’ve Acquired Good Purpose To | Actual Property Information & Insights appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.