I'm happiest at the beach

I started my blog out with the link as only my initials and year of birth (bo-ring!) and since I couldn't think of a name and I was listening to the Killers earlier that day, I had "all these things that I've done" stuck in my head, my blog name for the first two days became "I wanna stand up, I wanna let go" (damn, now I have it stuck in my head again!). I chose that name but knew that I had to find something that fit me better. The whole "I wanna stand up, I wanna let go" thing, sounds like I've been oppressed and now I'm rebelling. Yeah, uh, no. I've always been the "I say exactly what I'm thinking" kind of person.

So I love the beach. As in put me there on a sunny day and I'm insanely happy. I like being in the water, diving in the waves, looking out to the horizon. I don't think there's anything I prefer.

When I lived in NJ, I was about 5 miles from Manhattan, but a good driving distance from the shore -- as soon as the weather warmed up I'd drive to the shore (yep, Jersey Shore, bring on the jokes! It was actually pretty nice, really). It was an hour away, so every Saturday and every Sunday I'd drive to Belmar, leaving early in the morning, coming back in the afternoon before traffic got bad -- regardless of how late I stayed out the night before.

Here in DC I try to plan trips once in a while to the beach, but it's a drive -- and you got to plan it. It can't just be a "I think I'll go to the beach today" deal. I miss it.

In July, it'll be 10 years since I moved to the US. Every time I go back home to Rio, I spend a week there thinking "why is it that I don't want to live here in Brazil? I love this place!" then by the end of the second week there I start to miss home, and I want to come back. Yes, NYC, DC, whatever, has become my home.

I was down in Rio this past April. First week, same story. Second week, I still didn't miss DC. By the end of the 3rd week, when it was time to leave and come back "home" I still didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there. For the first time in 10 years (!!!) I actually considered the thought of moving back to Brazil. For good. True, I was living the beach bum life, waking up late in the morning, eating my fruit filled breakfast (papaya! guava! mango! sugar apple! persimmon!) then do my 10 minute walk to Barra Beach (the sunset picture on top of this page was taken there).

At the beach, I'd eat some açaí or some coalho cheese made to order on the grill, drink some coconut water, swim a bit, lie on the sun a bit, go back to the water, and leave late in the afternoon. So yep, I was a total bum for 3 weeks, and it was wonderful. I know that if I moved back to Brazil my life wouldn't really be like that -- I'd would have to work for a living (damn!) and probably end up like my brother who never has time to go to the beach, and is now whiter than me.

But I miss it. I miss the beach, I miss hearing the sounds of the waves breaking, I miss the taste of salt water on my lips, I miss being in the water, I miss feeling the sand in between my toes...

Tomorrow I'm off for a camping trip at Assateague so I'll be at the beach for a good 24 hours. The weather won't cooperate, but you bet I'll be jumping in the water, freezing my ass off, letting my toes go numb.

So there you have it. My life aspirations is to be a beach bum. And I'll be the happiest person around.