Topics

1

Random / Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?

« on: January 21, 2020, 05:38:54 AM »

  Anyone here have any experience w/ dentists in Tijuana?  The three I've seen recommended most often elsewhere are: Baja Dental, Washington Dental and Bartell Dental.  But maybe there's someone else you know of?

  Sadly, I need to have a ton of work done -- so much that the doc I saw in La Jolla thought it best to give me a dental plan and price for only the 1 most immediately needed procedure, out of about ten, lest I bowl over from sticker shock and die right there on the spot, not an unlikely happening at my medicare-using age.

That first procedure: ceramic crown, at $1360, with likely need of core build up, at $278, for a total of $1638, which in itself nearly did me in. And, like I said, that's about 1/10 of what I need in all.

So: TJ.

Thoughts? Recommendations there?

Thanks!

2

Random / How long is your ride to the water?

« on: November 13, 2019, 09:59:41 AM »

When I lived in RI, it was 10 minutes or less, perfect.  Now that I'm in San Diego, it's 20 minutes there and 30 min back ... and I'm unhappy about it, though I know I shouldn't be.  But it did get me to wondering -- how long does it take the folks here to get to their go-to surf spot?

3

Gear Talk / impact vest to wear under wetsuit?

« on: October 08, 2019, 03:28:09 PM »

so, i need an impact vest to wear under a wetsuit, one that's short enough that a/ i can sit w it on and b/ still use a waist belt for my leash.

the kind folks at tc surfski kindly sent me this one to try out but it's just too much bulk for me: https://tcsurfski.com/product/nelo-pfd/.  front panel is 2", back panel is 1.5"

hey, bill: how does your vaikobi measure out?
hey, beasho, or others who own one: what about the gooru?

i've also been looking at the liquid force wakeboarding vests, based on positive youtube commentary, but i still don't know about length and thickness.  https://www.wakesports.com/collections/life-vests/products/liquid-force-z-cardigan-comp-vest-tropical-2019?variant=12744411414551

thoughts, all?

yes, i know i could go with the vaikobi on the outside but i just can't deal with the bright coloring.  now that i'm stuck riding a buttboard, aka a waveski, i'm already enuf of a freak in the line up as it tis.

4

Gear Talk / Any new waist leash ideas/thoughts?

« on: September 13, 2019, 10:52:46 AM »

i can no longer sup due to an ms-like disease that's ruined my leg strength and balance, so i ride a waveski.  been doing so with a leash attached to the paddle but the other day, twasn't even a big day, i found out that my hand grip strength is close to zero.  a wave rolled me, i ejected from my waveski, thought i had a good grip on my paddle but the next wave ripped the board and paddle away from me and straight to shore.  i was left bobbing in the water with zero arm strength left and leg strength that's close to zero, too.  next stop?  davey jones' locker.  well, i finally sucked up the courage to ask a couple of nearby shortboarders for help, which they offered.  i got in and sat there for the next 20 minutes contemplating how it would definitely have gone had i not had help.  yikes!  and the waves weren't even that big.

anyway, once again i've had to reconfigure my thinking about my disability and come to terms with new realities.  ugh.  just sucks.

meanwhile, i think a better leash option for me now would be one i can attach to a waist belt.  any ideas about what's available, the pros and cons?  thanks!

edit: i just saw that someone recently made a similar post.  i'm going to leave mine anyway, in case any other thoughts pop to someone's mind.

5

Random / know of any eldercare-type financial-planning sorts in san diego?

« on: May 12, 2019, 04:28:54 AM »

i'm uprooting myself from RI and making the financial booboo of moving to san diego.  that said, at the age of 64, with my health failing left and right, i think i need to try to see how much of a mistake it's going to be and how i can minimize the damage to my precarious money-related future.  plus, i'll need to do something w/ the proceeds of the sale of my RI house and i'd like to at least be somewhat smart about it, if i can.  in order words, i need help.  anyone here know of anyone in the sd area who is good at this kind of thing, especially when it comes to old(er) folks?

6

Random / anyone else here done ketamine for depression, ptsd, etc?

« on: September 22, 2018, 06:24:54 AM »

as the subject line says ...  meanwhile, if you don't know what it is:

https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/what-does-ketamine-do-your-brain?ecd=soc_fb_160205_feature_ketamine#1
https://psychedelictimes.com/ketamine/a-dosing-guide-for-using-ketamine-for-psychedelic-therapy/


three days ago, i had the last of six treatments -- 3 during one week, skipped a week, three the next week, mtw.

i suffer from treatment resistant depression and c/ptsd (or just ptsd, if you prefer).  i've done all kinds of therapy over the years and none has made major dents in my wayward psyche (and c.ptsd is widely thought to be untreatable and unfixable).  enter ketamine, the most widely used anesthetic in the world and, when used in low doses, one of the most promising drugs for depression ever.

and i've got to say i've never experienced anything like it.  i'm not a believer in universal oneness but i became a believer during a few of my trips to the outer reaches, where i just floated in what i've come to call the crimson universal bubble and cathedral.  i wasn't in the room anymore.  i was somewhere else entirely.  i wouldn't call it blissful.  more like a version of peaceful.  i wasn't aware of anything other than that i no longer had boundaries.  etc etc.  i recorded my sessions and in your life you've never heard so many wows and oh gees.  i was hoping for something profound to come out of my mouth but twasn't happening. 

the experience lasts 40 minutes.  during my first ones, time seemed to collapse in on itself, such that the trip seemed woefully short.  the latest several, however, headed in the opposite direction.  the last one especially expanded, by years and decades, it seemed.

the trip, wonderful tho it is, isn't the point of k therapy.  it's like a delivery method for what's supposed to happen in the days and weeks following.  in my case, it's been: a massive reduction in binary black and while thinking, fewer cataclysmic thoughts, much less anxiety, a much improved ability to sit with things that would normally freak me out and send me into hyper flight mode.  during the week off period, i had days where i was happy all day, which i've never experienced before.  and i didn't even know i was happy until somebody pointed out how different i was, and then i thought, oh yeah, happy, huh, go figure.

anyway, anyone else had any experience with the stuff?

the effect can last for a few weeks up to a few months, after which you need a single-session booster to get you back on track.  we'll see.  lastly, it's not a magic bullet. the bad stuff i've got is still there but the life-wrecking symptoms  surrounding it have been altered, i think, to a surprising degree.  and i hope it stays that way.  as i said, we'll see.

oh.  the usual dose for most people is .50mg/kg.  in my case, i couldn't let go until it was upped to 1.7mg/kg.  that's considered a high dose, which supposedly leads to "ego dissolution experiences," which is what I guess i experienced and which sounds about right.  damn it was interesting.

7

Classifieds / Ke Nalu carbon fiber SUP paddle 75" x 8.5", in Pacific Beach, ca

« on: December 30, 2017, 04:18:53 AM »

Up for sale is my nifty Ke Nalu Maliko 95 paddle. It's 75" long but can, of course, be cut down. Blade is 8.5" at its widest point. The thing is super light and super easy on your shoulders. There is none better. Mine has a few nicks and scratches but nothing major. Retail is $395 + shipping. All I want is a measly 175 clams obo, come and get it!

(see the following for more info on the paddle: http://kenalu.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=23)

8

Classifieds / Jimmy Lewis 10/3 black blue noserider SUP, in Pacific Beach, ca

« on: December 30, 2017, 04:16:57 AM »

In terms of noseriding a SUP, this is the only board that does it and does it right. Has all the classic characteristics: flat rocker, concave in the nose, 50/50 rails from tail to nose. Mine is the 10'-3" model. Here's a link to the board at Jimmy's site:
http://jimmylewis.com/shop/black-blue-machine/

and here is the thing in action:

mine is as you see it. it's only got that one surface ding and it's easily fixable. The tape on the sides is meant to protect against paddle strikes, which it did up to a point. A good rub down and this noserider will do you proud and make you feel like a part of the regular proner NR pack, if you so wish. I loved it, and I rode it a lot. Has a bunch of scratches, etc, but nothing to worry about if what you really want to do is ride baby ride. The strap is what i used to carry the board, and it can be removed if you so desire. The red bits on the pad are what I used to position my feet to walk (i have a disorder that often messes with my ability to tell my feet what to do without help). also, the fin is kinda beat up but it still works great and would look fine once you sandpaper it. (btw/ this is the special honeycomb fin and not the stock fin that comes with the board, which is, of course, also included. $100 from a dealer, tho they never have em in stock.)

anyway, these things retail for $1,800 and all I want is $500 obo. spend another few bucks to fix that single ding, and you'll have made out like a bandit!

9

SoCal / Anyone have car storage space around San Diego?

« on: June 21, 2017, 04:28:17 AM »

 
  I bought a used Prius in SD a month ago thinking I'd be staying here, but circumstances have changed, and I'll shortly, I hope, be returning to RI.
  I still plan to come back to SD next Dec and will need a car then, so ... I'm wondering if anyone has space for me to store my car.  Covered would be best, obviously, but beggars, etc etc.  If rent is required, I can afford a nominal amount. 
  PM if ya got something or know of someone who knows of someone or if you have any ideas / suggestions for storage and like that.
  Thanks!

10

SoCal / Need used car in San Diego. Got one to sell?

« on: April 10, 2017, 07:20:54 AM »

   The title tells the story.  I need to buy a used car by the end of this month, in San Diego.  If you've got one or know of one or have a trustworthy brother in the used car business, feel free to drop me a PM.  Thanks!

11

SoCal / Anyone looking for a roommate in San Diego?

« on: March 28, 2017, 02:59:33 PM »

  I usually return to Rhode Island around this time of year but Im thinking I might stick it out here through the summer and onward, just  to see what it's like.  I have a place in Pacific Beach through April but then need to find a little more permanent of a situation.  It'd be me, my tiny non shedding well-behaved dog Lilly, and my SUP.  I don't need much -- just a room with a desk.  I'm a writer, so that's what I'll be doing most of the time when I'm not SUPing.
  So, if you've got a room or know of a room or have any other thoughts, feel free to post them here or PM me.
  I need/want to stay in the La Jolla / PB area or below.  Maybe OB?  I'm open to suggestion.  North Park?  Wherever, as long as the pre-dawn commute to the water isn't going to kill me.
   thanks!

12

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Anyone have any sciatica advice?

« on: March 07, 2017, 12:16:03 PM »

  I just got hit with it a few days ago and the pain was so intense and unremitting that I went to the emergency room, where they pumped me full of morphine and even that only cut the pain in half more or less.  Took a scan and told me I had bulging discs and called it lumbar radiculopathy, which i gather is another name for sciatica.
  I'm in San Diego without a network of doctors.  The ER people told me to go back home to RI as soon as possible.  I told em I didn't want to go quite yet for various reasons.  One nice NP, while discussing all this and telling me to leave asap, even got a little misty eyed.
   They sent me home with pain killers, muscle relaxers and Ibuprofin 800.
   The day I went in, my entire left leg was engaged.  It felt like some had cut that leg open and was dragging a knife back and forth through the blood and gore.  Man, it hurt, and there was no position I could find that would make it any less.
   The day after my ER visit, however, the total leg pain is gone and the only thing that's still there is a ball of pain right above my left bun cheek.
  I'm afraid that once all my pills run out, the big pain will return.  That being the case, does anyone have any suggestions of what I might do to try to keep that from happening?
   Massage?  Accu?  Chiro?  Any home remedies?
   As mentioned, I do not have doctors here in SD, so it'd take me forever to find one and then make an appointment.  I'm planning on returning to RI in 3 to 5 weeks, but I'd sure love to get this taken care of before then.  For one thing, just to get ready to leave, I have to do a lot of packing and heavy lifting, and right now, that'd be pretty much impossible.
   fug.
  thoughts?

13

SoCal / Any tips for Sunset Cliffs / SD?

« on: December 29, 2016, 06:36:40 PM »

a buddy took me to look at sunset cliffs tonight and man does that look like a much better wave than what i've been struggling w/ at tourmaline.  we were at the stairs.  i think i might be able to make it down with my 10' Jimmy but going back up might take me a while and include a few naps and the downing of a power bar.  in any event, i take it that the stairs are going to offer the easiest access, correct?

now there's the issue of getting into/out of the water.  looks like low to mid tide would be okay but what about high?  i am balance and strength challenged so i don't want to get in trouble out there if'n i can help it. 

does the white water reach the stairs at high tide?

any other tips or suggestions?  i was thinking of hitting it at dawn tomorrow but the tide will be high and my experience there will be lower than low, so maybe i'll try la jolla shores.

thanks!

14

SoCal / Is a better SoCal surf spot too much to ask for?

« on: December 13, 2016, 10:32:52 AM »

  I've been in Pacific Beach for a little over a week, surfing Tourmaline and Mission Beach jetty, and man does it suck.  I'm a dawn patrol guy and every morning there's shifty, half-choppy funk all over the water.  Plus, I have terrible balance, and the constant huge amount of backwash is driving me crazy.  I can't believe people here think this surf is good.  Compared to my home break back east, it's utter and total junk that we wouldn't go out in unless we were desperate. 
  Okay, rant over.  And I know this is all relative, so YMMV.
  Anyway, if it stays like this for another week, I'm seriously thinking about moving to a different location, if I can find one that suits my simple but seemingly impossible needs. 

   1/ Gots to have a left, since I can only go left
   2/ No fucking backwash (thus ruling out Cardiff up to Carlsbad).
   3/ No steep hills or stairs to climb.
   4/ Maybe is better in the morning.
   5/ Not too distant from possible housing.

   How has San O been this year?  I know it's yet another place that has fucking backwash but if it's no worse that it was last year, I could maybe deal with it ... even tho I really don't like surfing in a pack of SUPers.

  Thoughts and or suggestions, anyone?

   If you can't tell, I'm very very frustrated!

15

Technique / How the heck do you engage your stinkin' core?

« on: December 10, 2016, 06:46:12 PM »

  First, let me say that I really really dislike California surf.  What's with all the backwash and the absence of low tide?  I mean, how is that even possible?  Tourmaline in SD is where I've been going out but also Mission Beach Jetty.  Same deal there. 

  Anyway, after I got out of the water today, this guy came up to me and starting going on about how when I paddle I'm just using my arms and not my core and you gotta start using your core, dude, and he was all like that. 

   I'm sure he's right.  I'm sure I'm an arm-flailing maniac.  But for the life o' me, it seems perfectly natural.  So, if I wanted to start to 'engage' my crappy core, how would i do that so that i know i'm freakin doing it?

  btw / I hate it when people tell me what i'm doing wrong ... even if they're right.  really chilled my morning vibe.  then again, yeah, i probably needed it, which is why i'm posting about it here.