Britney

I heard a song this morning that really struck home. Bebo Norman wrote a song to Britney Spears. He apologizes to her for all the things that our society has done to her. I have to admit that I never really thought of it this way, but I think he's right. I've never bought one of her albums and I don't read gossip magazines, but how many times have I made a snide comment about her not being a real musician?

The only reason she thought she could make it on her body instead of her music is because our society told her that she could. She learned from puberty that it's a good thing to do stupid things so that people pay attention to you. Many people believe this as children but most of them are weaned out of it by good socialization. We kept feeding it to her and then when it reached it's logical conclusion we decided to point and laugh. I actually felt a little ashamed typing her name because it has become synonymous in my mind with media hype and fluff. But the people who love her still call her by that name and it's a part of her identity - the identity of a real person, not just a celebrity. Anyway, here's the lyrics and if you click on Britney's name above you can see a tribute video on You-Tube.

BRITNEY Lyrics
Bebo Norman

Britney, I’m sorry for the lies we told
We took you into our arms and then left you cold
Britney I’m sorry for this cruel cruel world
We sell the beauty but destroy the girl

Britney I’m sorry for your broken heart
We stood aside and watched you fall apart
I’m sorry we told you fame would fill you up
And money moves the man so drink the cup

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back
I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
But I can see it coming back for you
Yes coming back for you

Britney I’m sorry for the stones we throw
We tear you down just so we can watch the show
Britney I’m sorry for the words we say
We point the finger as you fall from grace

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back
And I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
But i can see it coming back for you

Yeah, it’s coming back for you
Yeah, it’s coming back for you
Yeah, it’s coming back for you
Yeah

Britney, I do believe that love has come here for the broken
Here for the ones like us

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back
And I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
But I can see it coming back

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back
I can see it coming back for you

Its coming back for you… yeah
(repeat)

Surfing is fun!

Despite my fear of sharks I braved the waters of Westport Washington on Sunday and had a blast. Turns out surfing is actually very fun. I went with Scott and Shannon and Scott's brother Bryan. Things I was surprised by, in no particular order:

Most of my time was not spent surfing - it was spent trying to get myself and my board far enough out there where the waves were breaking. Most everyone else seemed to be in a similar situation, so I guess this is normal.

I stood up and rode a wave once for about 3-4 seconds before falling over. Shannon saw me, so I have proof. Yay!

The Pacific Ocean at Westport in September is actually pretty comfy with a wetsuit on.

When you're having fun you hardly ever think about shark attacks, even while doing your best impression of a wounded seal.

Westport has smaller waves than most of the surfing beaches in California and Hawaii, but the currents are more difficult to deal with. According to Scott and Bryan, "Big Al" Perlee (the owner of the Westport Surf Shop) says that if you can surf here you can surf anywhere.

I never once heard the phrase 'take it easy brah' or the words stoked, gnarly, or radical.

If you have a big enough board (I didn't at first until I traded) it's not incredibly hard to catch a wave.

Getting saltwater up your nose/ear/throat/left lung is very unpleasant but happens with some frequency.

It's very different from wakeboarding, mainly because of the way you get up and because the currents are very unpredictable when you don't know how to read the waves.

Even though the water was very crowded and I didn't know the proper etiquette I never had anyone call me a 'yuppie tourist' or scream at me to get off his wave.

When you surf 50 yards away from a jetty the current will gradually pull you closer to the rocks, making it so that you can't swim away and have to make landfall, thereby scratching up your feet pretty bad.

It really sucks to scramble 100 yards to shore over the rocks on a jetty with bleeding feet while carrying a surfboard.

Once you get back in the water the saltwater cleans your wounds and it's not a big deal.