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OCtheMIKE
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Birthday: 6/19/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: surprises, good movies, losing track of time, swimming, taking pictures, E ting, Slee PING, going to church, being silly, taking chances....
Expertise: cutting corners, pretending to be smart, holdin down the 11twoO, singin in da shower.... (aim: OCtheMIKE)
Occupation: Student
Industry: Engineering
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/20/2003
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| Sunday, August 11, 2007 - Point Udall/Jack's Bay
Since arriving on the island about 2 weeks ago, I've made an decent effort to explore a new beach every weekend. Afterall, if I want to call myself a "local", I'm gonna need to know the island like the back of my hand. Last weekend was the beginning of what seems like a string of "weekend adventures" I'll be partaking as long as there's uncharted territories on Saint Croix. My two friends (Chris and Frank) and I heard from some people about a nice snorkeling sight on the far east side of the island, Jack's Bay. They told us that it required a short 15 minute hike, which we confidently shrugged off and said it was no problem. So come Sunday, we decide to go.
I should have realized the bad omen when I missed Chris and Franks calls while cooking breakfast that morning. So once I realized they had left already, I decided to go ahead and meet them there. The drive out was pretty straightforward, just stay on one road that follows the northeastern coast and stop at the tip of the easternmost point of the island (Point Udall). Now from the previous night I remembered that in order to get to this beach we would have to park along the road and hike down the trail. So as a pull up I see Chris's car and, sure enough, a rocky trail down to the beach.
Now mind you, I'm in flip flops and carrying my towel and my snorkel pack. So climbing down the rocky trail was somewhat of a challenge. Dodging thorn bushes, watching where I'm stepping, keeping an eye out for animals and snakes...all of this in flip flops. At some points, the trail got so narrow and the brush on either side was so high that it was hard to even see my feet. Finally, I get down to the beach and there's no sign of Chris and Frank. I don't think anything of it and decide to keep walking down the beach. I see a couple and their son and dog walking along the beach so I stop to ask them how far Jack's Bay is. They tell me its two bays over. Each bay is separated by a big rocky mountain that cuts 30 yards into the water, but there are trails up and over these obstacles.
I thank the couple for the directions and continue down the remainder of this bay to the rocky mountain. In flip flops, I slowly climb the 45 degree rock trail all the while knowing that if at any point I slip I'm gonna break my ass and end up a bloody mess. By the time I finish climbing up and down into the next bay I was starting to wish I had brought sneakers. Taking a break, I survey the land while sipping on my water bottle. Down the beach I saw a group of four men and another two fellas down a little ways more. As I approach the first group I can't help but notice that they look like they're not wearing trunks. From the night before I remembered the people mentioning that sometimes people bare it all on these more secluded beaches, especially old guys. Walking a bit closer, my suspicions were confirmed. Trying not to make a big deal of it all, I keep walking with my head down and muttered a good afternoon as I passed.
Approaching the next group was a little less uncomfortable since they were fully clothed, but still traumatized, I moved closer to the water and proceeded past them. At this point it had been at least 30 minutes since I set out on the journey but, I figured that if Chris and Frank hiked all this way I shouldn't p*ssie out and not do it. I had to man up ya know? So I continued down the beach searching for a trail to get up and over the next rocky mountain. I take the first one I see stopping every now and then to pull thorns out of the bottom of my flip flops. About 5 minutes down the trail I hit a dead end. I look to the right since the brush isn't that tall and see the trail I should be on. Profanities start to flow as I slowly try to climb through the cactus and thorn bush covered hill over to the right trail using my towel to take out spiderwebs blocking my way. It wasn't the smartest thing but going back down the trail would have taking another 5 minutes and I just wanted to get to Jack's Bay already.
When I reach the right trail I realize that a thorn had pierced through the bottom of my 6 year old flip flop and my toe was bleeding. Great. I hike over the ridge praying that Jack's Bay is right there with my friends lounging on their towels, but all I see is more brush and trails. Now here's where I got a little scared because no longer am I in the view of the beach or the people. I'm by myself in the wild on the most secluded area of the island. All it would take is one snake to spring out an bite me. I'd be done. No one would hear my cries for help. Man versus wild. Wild wins.
Down the trail a little bit I see some signs distinguishing the trails for me. I head down the trail for Jack's Bay and 10 minutes later I come out of an opening in the forest and there it is. Jack's Bay. No sign of my friends. Total hike time at this point was close to an hour. I take a break and try to call my friends again, but they don't answer. My toe is bloody, thorns are sticking through the bottom of my flip flops, and my legs are all torn up from bushes. I decide to just head back and go home.
On the way I see the two non-nude men heading back as well so I start talking with them telling them how I was here looking for my friends who were suppose to be at Jack's Bay but they weren't. The one fella says, "You mean Chris and Frank??" Surprised, I said yeah and they both told me that my friends were in the water snorkeling right by them and they were watching their stuff for them. I must have not seen their stuff as I walked by because I was along the water.
The End
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| Thanks to all who came out this past Saturday to see me off. Now i'm not one to write sappy, emotional xanga entries, so I leave you with this quote:
"You can judge a man's character by looking at the people he keeps around him."
I like to think of have some pretty darn good character.
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| i just had this crazy idea that we should all do a bottle service in
philly before we diffuse out into the world.
we're all starting work soon and we really deserve, scratch that, need
one last "harrah". a couple years from now, we're all gonna be too
bogged down in our careers, families, or whatever we're doing to come
back and live like young people again.
the idea struck me as
i was looking at one of those "asian party" websites. it got me
thinking, the next time i'm back in philly i probably won't feel young
enough to be at one of these clubs anymore. how sad... cuz i mean the
last time i was at an asian party was somewhere close to a year ago or
at least it seems like it. and if i remember correctly, it was
primarily just a fundraiser for fisdu.
so if "ya wit me" on
this let me know. cuz bottle service prices in philly are no where
near vegas prices. and it was definitely a good time when we did it
there. com'on ballers. show me da money!
just to put it in perspective:
bottle service in philly: $175/bottle (based on Bleu Martini, probably the most expensive)
so let's say 2 bottles between 8-10 people, plus tip and tax: approx. $40-$50 per person
some of us spend more than that on a really really good night out. seems do-able to me. | | |
| Crucian: 1. An inhabitant of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. 2. Me (this August and beyond).
Yeah so thats the big news in my life right now. How do I feel about it? Mixed. One part of me feels like its fate. I've been a beach bum for as long as I can remember and I'm happiest when I'm on the sand or in the water. The other part of me is gonna miss family, friends, the city, the suburbs...this life. My mom told me yesterday at dinner that she left the PI for America when she was 23. Before when she used to tell me that it sounded so crazy. Now I realize that'll be me in a couple months, moving away from all I know.
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| edit: thanks to fet, i now know someone who had prolonged retrograde amnesia. EXTREEME! glad ur okay roomie.
so i read a couple good entries tonight and it inspired me to resurrect
this blog of mine (if only for one niight) and tell u wats be goin on
the last 5 or so months.
COOP
i've been busy working the coop job since september, its my second with
dupont, but first at marshall lab over on greys ferry ave. to sum
it entirely up: i make paint. car paint to be exact.
did u know that green paint isn't just green paint?? there's a
million different ingredients used to make up one shade of this
oscar-the-grouch tone. do i like my job you ask?
answer: although i thoroughly did enjoy finger painting as a kid, and I did watch my fair share of bob ross (RIP bobby  )
the fact of the matter is, I hate working. i hate being told wat
to do, or being someone's inferior. all my life i've taken
charge, people hated and respected me for it, but i did it
nonetheless...now society has put me in my place, at the bottom of the
corporate ladder. karma i guess.
A REVIVED HOBBY
after taking a hiatus from it last season, this winter i finally got
back out on the slopes, and i have to say that after dusting off the
snowboard (and my technique), i found a renewed sense of love for
the exxtreeeeme! sport. what better place to make my comeback
than Okemo Mountain, VT. this place put PA resorts to
shame. someone put it best when they said, "It has as many trails
closed as 'Blue' [Mountain] has altogether." the condo we stayed
at had everything we needed, and people there were really nice and
accomodating. i remember this middle-aged guy was strolling down the street
and said 'good morning' as he passed me. to just anyone that might
seem simple, but it was a pleasant surprise considering that everyone
in philly walks down the street oblivious to everyone and everything
around them. kinda makes me wanna live in a small, friendly town
someday.  i did have my share
of wipeouts this season tho: getting the wind knocked outta me at
Okemo; dislocating the shoulder at Labrador. so that's why i'm
gonna take it easy tomorrow at Shawnee haha.
ETC
so i grew out my hair again. it was for a couple reasons.
first, its winter and having a full head of hair is comparable to
wearing a permanent beenie. second, the shaved head is more
of a summer look. plus it was getting boring for me. i got
an equal amount of "i like it"s and "it makes you look young"s so i
guess that averages out to a "it's okay". as long as i like
it, nothing else really matters.
finally got a dual screen setup going for my computer (head's up, my
geeky side is coming out)...now i'm thinking i'll upgrade to a full gig
of memory. i like the fact that desktops are expandable, it sorta
makes up for their non-transportabilityness.
i've been playing the lottery a lot lately. its my new thing.
i figure over my lifetime, if i keep playing at the rate i'm at now,
i'll spend somewhere between $6000 and $10000 dollars playing the
lottery. haha. my rules are: i only play the
powerball or the megamillions when they reach $80 million cash value;
and i spend a max of $5 per drawing. i guess i'm more hooked on
the "idea" of winning rather then the gambling part. i like
thinking about what i'd do with all that money.
thats it for now...or forever, which ever it ends up being...see you in another 5 months.
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