Epic is Epic

I wanted to write about my first week being back in school and back in Santa Barbara. I had fairly long break from school and the fact that this session is my last before graduation makes it kind of a big deal to me. The day I woke up, on the first day back of class, I felt a little nervous. It had nothing to do with the rigor or pace of the class, but more to do with the fact that it will be the last class I ever take at the Brooks Institute of Photography, or the last college class which I EVER TAKE, for that matter! I had set myself up to have a nice and mellow schedule and so I made my way up 101 north, in the early afternoon, both stoked to be starting my final session, and a little unsettled with the fact that I was on the cusp of one of the biggest changes in my adult life.

When I got to Santa Barbara, I parked my car, got on my bike, and made my way out to lunch. My apprehensions about why I was in Santa Barbara immediately disappeared as soon as I started pedaling; the combination of the moderate air temperature, the smell of the ocean, and the undeniable joy of riding a bicycle just left my feeling like I was living in the perfect moment. From there on out, everything kept getting better and better; my lunch was delicious and awesome, class was a breeze and I had great plans for right after class. After class, I met up with my friend James and we rode out to where a big group of friend and fellow cyclists were hosting another stage of a series of sprint races. It's semi-competitive but mostly a great event that gets a bunch of people together who love riding their bikes and having a good time. The event lasted a few hours and from there we rode up to a park, which we knew would have night-lights, to play basketball; it was one of the most intense basketball games that I've ever got to take part in. We played five on five, as sloppy as could be, with no real set positions; just running fast-break after fast-break, driving hard, with lots of contact and a complete disregard for what was and was not a foul. IT WAS AMAZING! We all worked up a ridiculous sweat so then next logical step was to jump into a pool! We all rode out to a location, whose name I'll withhold, and jumped off of a four-story roof into a pool. From there my friend Matt and I rode out to his house, where I was staying while in SB, and settled in for the night. I had this overwhelming feeling that I had just had just lived through one of the best days in quite a while. Maybe I had an overstock of endorphins and dopamine from laying around for weeks being sick, but I felt better than ever!

The next day, shortly after waking up, I met my friend Garrett for breakfast at Backyard Bowls; one of the best spots in SB to grab an Acai bowl. From there we spent the rest of the morning and afternoon riding bikes and eventually meeting up with a couple other dudes, James and Hobie, to play baseball. It was a ton of fun and I was a sweaty mess by the end of it all; it's safe to say I was probably the smelly kid in class, but I don't think it was as bad as I imagined it to be! That day ended with more bike riding and the same baseball foursome seeing the movie MOON, downtown in SB.

I could go on and on with detailed specifics about my first few days back in SB, but all-in-all I'd sum it up by saying it was great to be back, it was liking ; lot's of bike riding, basketball, baseball, swimming, danger, excitement, and above all else, hanging out with GOOD FRIENDS!