Stuck in Your Head All Day

When I woke up this morning I thought to myself how nice it would be to go back to bed for like three hours, which is something I never do. As much as I do not enjoy getting up with that alarm, the minute my eyes open, I am awake for the day. I tend not to nap during the day, even when I am sick, and although I am up early-ish every day, it is typical I stay up until midnight or later. I refuse to miss anything and it has been that way since I was a kid. This is how I came to love cheezy, syndicated, television programs like Hawaii Five-0.



Back so many years I can barely remember the actual time frame, but somewhere around age eleven, I would fall asleep with the television on. My sister and I shared a room and she would be snoozing away while I laid wide eyed and transfixed on the Hawaiian State Police force catching the bad guys at 1:00 in the morning. Right from the opening credits it had everything -- a catchy theme song, hula girls, lava, big waves and of course the freeze frame of Jack Lord. Hawaii Five-0 was the show that paved the way for programs like Law & Order, Miami Vice and all those fast paced forensic shows like NCIS. In fact, the leading men on Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS had quite a bit in common.

On NCIS Mark Harmon plays Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine with a propensity to scowl for the full hour episode, but you love his gruffness because it is understood that although his past is something that hardened him as a man, he is a softie for the ones he loves. Touching. On Hawaii Five-0, Jack Lord played former Navy officer Steve McGarrett. He too had a tendency to avoid smiling unless absolutely necessary and almost always wore a full suit but he did a whole lot of running if I recall correctly. And Jack had much better hair.

After staying up most nights to watch it there is no doubt how I became fascinated with all the wonders Hawaii has to offer from towering waves and picturesque waterfalls to live volcanos and breathtaking sunsets. I would imagine being able to move my hips like a hula girl or having the guts to surf triple overhead. My renewed fascination with the show brought a resurgence of the interest in learning to surf.

I have wanted to try my hand at surfing since I was about eleven, back then it looked like a cool sport to try and I had no fear of the ocean because I had learned how to swim at such a young age. I can not remember when I found out but my dad used to surf in Humarock every summer; he has this amazing handmade wooden board just begging to be ridden again on the wall of the beach house in the basement.

Every year when we go on vacation with S&B to Martha’s Vineyard, B is boogie boarding but there are always a few surfers out there on longboards, catching the same small waves but looking like they are having a blast doing it. This year I decided, since we are going so late in the season (September instead of our usual July), the ocean will have warmed up significantly and it is the year I need to try gliding on water. In the spirit of not holding back, trying new things, and wanting to get into better shape, it seems like the right thing to do. And finally feels like the right time to do it too.

No question I will sleep like a baby after a day of salt air, falling over, and paddling. I’ll use the theme songs to Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS as my motivation to amp up. I don’t even care if I never stand up but I am sure going to give it my best shot.