True story: I went to get a hair cut today; the lady asked if I wanted it round or square in the back.It crossed my mind to ask her to do a shallow V with medium chines…but I stopped just in time!
Man, this is a disease. Years ago when I just started I though that I had chosen a new sport, I had no clue that I had actually contracted “kayaking” in its most out of control form. We all know the simptoms: several boats start showing all over your back yard, you J lean to the right when turning your car to the left, when you are distracted you knee hang from your office table…there is no cure, or to be more precise: I hope that there is no cure.
Obsession
Yup…
…it’s gotta be terminal, too!!
Caught myself doing hipsnaps in bed…wife thought I was going into some sort of convulsions…heh heh heh.
I also “worked” on my roll on the living room floor a couple days ago. You know you can do something resembling one if the TV show is boring enough! Just put your legs and feet into “in the cockpit” position, roll on your side, then do the arm extension, then a sweep…(remember to leave your head down of course)
Yeah, this sport is more obsessive than GOLF was for me…it has even resulted in me STOPPING my playing of GOLF!!
Happy I’m Not Alone Anymore
I have to spend the better part of an hour each way on the NYC subway each day commuting. I now stand in the middle of the car, I don’t hold on, and hipsnap as the car lurches back and forth. The object is not to capsize.
A few weeks ago, I got on the train, and there was a young women doing the same thing. “Subway surfing” is what she said it was to her girlfriend.
OMG, if this continues, nobody will be sitting. Millions of NYC commuters, standing there rocking their hips back and forth. Insanity! The good kind.
Lou
Subway surfing!
Funny you should mention that! 
I lived in NYC for 15 years, and I would often do the very same thing on the trains! This was before I started paddling a kayak, but I’ve always enjoyed every opportunity to practice balance and other forms of physical challenge that may present themselves in such “everyday situations”.
This sort of thing has sometimes earned me some peculiar stares (like when I used to deftly balance a cup of coffee on the end of my 'cello case while rushing between classes), but all sorts of little things present us with chances to challenge ourselves, and I’m not one to pass up these opportunities!
Surf’s up!
Melissa
I find myself doing torso rotations
in my office chair all the time now. Is it a chronic disease?
Went to dinner tonight with the fam.
Chinese restaurant, had a decorative 4’ tall painted fan on the wall. I caught myself contemplating the planing angle of the spokes. My wife caught me “edging the living room” as I sat straight legged on the floor not long ago also.
Just wait; it only gets worse. Soon will come the day that you will not be able to keep your eyes on the road as you pass anything remotely resembling a body of water. Drainage ditches, fountains, large puddles…you’ll find yourself thinking “Yeah, I can paddle that.” I’ve even found myself reading currents and checking for eddies in the driveway during hard rains.
Jim
Low Dollar Ailment
Don’t worry about any of it! We’re not buying $22,000 Bass boats, or $45,000 sports cars. I have three boats and a bunch of gear, I’m still under 3 grand. Have fun, paddle well, and don’t look back!
low dollar??
actually i agree with you. my ex used to get on my case, and i would say: you’re right honey. i should be more like other guys and get into sports cars, motorcycles or atv’s, trucks and guns, etc… but it is easy to get caught up in having all the best gear, and in kayaking, way more than canoeing which i also love, there seems to be almost no end to it.
an all consuming passion for paddling perfection and the right boat.
This is the advice and suggestions forum
and I suggest your post would go better on the Paddler’s Place Discussion Forum. Just a suggestion. I gotta go and get a haircut.
I keep a paddle inside…
my dorm room. That way I can practise strokes and rolls when I get that feeling. Balancing on my swiss-ball while air-paddling and making wave-noises. No cure…
After an early morning paddle today,
my wife wanted to go to a local art fair. On the way there, we had to go out of our way to check out a launch area on the Chicago River. On the way home, we had to check out three launch areas on Lake Michigan. This malady is not covered by our HMO.
A bud’s wife called him
obsessed recently when describing him to some new members. I corrected her by saying it was dedication. She stopped, looked at me a minute and then said that I was just as bad as he was.
Considering that we just returned from a trip at the confluence of the Mo and Miss, both at or close to flood, and a run of the Chain of Rocks I don’t know whether she is right or not. Anyway, we had a good time and I might even try the Chain again, maybe.
Who’s obsessed?
I’ve only been paddling for a little over two yrs. I did some research and picked out a reasonably priced kayak I thought would serve me well as a fishing/ camping vehicle. I persuaded my wife to accompany me when I decided to take the plunge. As I pointed out all the advantages of the model I had chosen trying to justify the expense she began to bring up several good points. Being a reasonable fellow I listened attentively as she reminded me that my youngest son still living at home loved the water as much as I and she could see how this would cause problems because he would no longer be able to accompany me. I began to feel guilty for my oversight and agreed I should give it more thought. I took about a week and came up with what I felt was a good compromise. I just went ahead and bought two smaller less expensive rec yaks. Even though my original boat was partly chosen for it’s capacity to haul camping gear I decided two smaller boats would still afford the same ability. Well turned out her advice was sound, the boy loved being able to accompany me fishing and the freedom of paddling his own boat. Much to my surprise my wife even took to paddling creating the need for another boat so we could all participate in this new hobby together.
More research was required as by then I had discovered P-net and a few kayak fishing sites. I decided a sit-on top would make a better fishing platform and provide the additional yak for family outings. Being the wonderful woman that she is she actually bought this one for me as a gift. We spent some time learning together and all found paddling to be a great family activity.
At this point with three of us and the limited capacity of the sit-on top it became apparent we needed another water craft with the ability to haul all the gear we had grown accustomed to after years of car camping. Enter the solo canoe. I’d always been drawn to canoes, the natural beauty and their interesting history. Their ties to native Americans and early explorers had always appealed to my adventurous spirit. Clearly it was the most logical progression to further the fun of family outings, allowing us to continue to pursue our love of camping without sacrificing the comforts we had grown accustomed to. By now the misses is getting a little concerned about the growing fleet. Reluctantly she gives in when I stumble across a once in a lifetime deal on a top of the line solo canoe that I could practically steal. She even accompanies me on an eight hour whirlwind trip to pick it up before someone else snatches it up. I couldn’t understand how the fellow could part with such an elegant craft and he not only let it go for a paltry sum he threw in all the accessories to boot. I spent the return trip excitedly pointing out to the misses that this would probably be the last boat I’d ever need and thanks to my shrewd bargaining skills I had managed to get it for little of nothing.
A little over a year into paddling and we now owned four boats. I’ve since introduced a couple fishing buddies to kayak fishing but begin to sense some animosity when I let them use one of the rec boats while I fished seemingly effortlessly and much more successfully from the sit-on-top. I relented and begin to unselfishly share the sit-on-top with less experienced paddlers. I’m hoping to win them over and make converts of them and if that’s what it takes I’m willing to sacrifice. Well several of my buddies agree that it is an excellent way to fish and explore some smaller waters. I’m not sure if they are just cheap s o bs or perhaps have less understanding wives or I’m just being taken advantage of because of my generous unselfish nature.
I’ve been at long enough to meet become friends with some other paddlers. One my newfound paddling friends obviously suffering from a similar though perhaps less severe case of paddling addiction decides he needs a bigger boat to further his skills on some larger more open water. After watching him struggle for awhile trying to justify another paddling expense I begin to feel sorry for him. I see the lust in his eyes for a bigger & better boat. Though I haven’t known him that long I feel we are kindred spirits and I might be able to help him out as it is becomes increasing painful to watch him struggle over what to do. I offer to buy his current sit-on-top enabling him to purchase the boat that is tickling his fancy. I mention his dilemma to my wife and though she is sympathetic she begins to point out that we are running out of room for boats and all the related gear.
She begins to point not only the expense of the boats themselves but the roof rack, the trailer, various paddles dry bags, the rack to store them in the backyard, and the shelter I built to protect our investment from uv damage and on and on. I’m quick to point out that all of this expense in not simply for my own self indulgence, remember I just wanted one little ol kayak to go fishing. I come back with it’s not my fault we now own a dozen various sizes of PFDs to accommodate our teenage son’s friends. I mean look at how his popularity has increased since many of his buddies all want to hang out with us. You’ve always said you wanted to be the kool-aid mom and the freedom to paddle on their own is what makes hanging out with an old geezer tolerable. We’re providing a good healthy alternative for these kids. She has no defense, you can’t place a monetary value on spending time with your kid. Heck what is one more boat going to hurt at this point.
We’ve always replaced her vehicles regularly and I’ll normally take the older one and try to squeeze a few more miles and years of service out of them. I don’t mind at all, they make great worry free haulers. I don’t have to worry about scratches, wet seats or muddy feet. I’m trying to put all this expense into a perspective she can relate to. I explain to her that I know if I came to her and said I want a new truck she would tell me as long as I’m sure we can afford it to go ahead. I work hard and I’m entitled to have nice things. I go on to explain that I’m perfectly content driving an eleven year old well worn suv with 160,000 miles on it. If you add up the all the paddling expense over the past thirty months it still doesn’t equal the total of one years worth of new truck payments. But you know one those new quad cab 4x4’s sure would make a nice hauler and shuttle vehicle!
I get excited when ever i see
something long and narrow on top of a car. Unfortunately it’s usually a roll of carpeting or a ladder. Though sometimes it’s a yak.
lol, same here!
I’ve been faked out by many a landscaper’s ladder!