Much passion.

Days ago, it was announced that the World Surf League, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, had signed a stunning television rights deal with Latin America’s largest network, TV Globo out of Rio de Janeiro. Per the press release:

Today the World Surf League (WSL) announced that, beginning in 2022, Globo will be the official media partner in Brazil. The new three-year media deal will be effective from 2022 through 2024, providing multi-platform coverage that will be amplified on Globo TV, Globoplay, ge.com, and Canal OFF. This new media deal will give the passionate Brazilian audience the opportunity to watch the world’s best surfers in action, including all of the Brazilian athletes that are on the forefront of competitive surfing.

Questions immediately rose as to the use of the word “passionate” as it is the one and only adjective used to describe Brazilian surf fans and has, therefore, become a stereotypical trope. Racist-adjacent.

Why can’t Brazil’s fanbase be “informed” or “dedicated?”

“Loyal?”

In any case, calls are growing for the World Surf League to issue a formal apology to the federative republic. David Lee and I discussed, on yesterday’s podcast, and also discussed Neo-punk music. Worth your time, I think.

I’ll tell you what, training for a ballet premier is no easy feat. Curtains officially rise tomorrow night, after a lengthy overture, exposing a stage glittered with presents, a Christmas tree and glitter. A sense of awe, wonder.

Magical but hard yards getting there. I have spent the past two nights at the theater dress rehearsing with young daughter, a vision, and the remaining cast and crew of San Diego Ballet Academy’s iconic staging of The Nutcracker.

In makeup and dress until the wee hours.

Oh it’s all very much worth it but there would be no way I could handle the stress, the strain, without the guidance of my personal digital fitness and health coach.

WHOOP tells me how hard I’m pushing, when to sleep, what recovery is looking like setting me up for success the next exhausting morning. It also serves me with a morning journal exercise. A diary, of sorts, using the prompts “Yesterday did you… have any alcoholic drinks? Have any caffeine? Used marijuana in any form?” I ignore the marijuana question, as it is inapplicable, but think hard about answering the first two thereby keeping me on a very necessary straight and narrow. I also write the specifics of the previous day’s activities.

“Dear Diary…” I begin “…Yesterday was a doozy. I showed up at California Center for the Arts already tired, applied my eyeshadow, eyeliner, rouge, lipstick in the dressing room then put on my false breasts, hoop, corset, skirt and top back stage. It was very tiring. The Bon Bons were in fine form, playing tag between my legs and telling me that I looked like a ‘weird lady’ but thankfully my recovery was in the green so I was able to take it in stride only stepping on one. Wish me luck, tomorrow. xoxo. Yours, Surf Journalist.”

I am able to stop, reflect, be best. Does your fitness coach do that for you every morning?

It can.

Buy here.

One per son recommended.

Christmas is but nine little advent calendar candies away. Directly around the corner and are you one of those families that opens presents on Christmas Eve night or Christmas day morn? In my house, as a child, it was one present on Christmas Eve, at night, stocking first thing Christmas Day morning followed by the rest of the presents and have carried that same tradition, roughly, as a father.

In any case, whenever stockings are un-stuffed, children will be absolutely over the moon to discover heritage surf brand Hurley’s men’s 6 piece grooming set featuring flat-edged and slanted clippers, nail file, tweezer, grooming scissors and cuticle nipper at the toe.

Each piece, except the grooming scissors and cuticle nipper, is adorned with Hurley’s iconic swooping )( logo.

There is certain to be fighting amongst the boys if only one men’s 6 piece grooming set is gifted so I highly recommend one for each son. Daughters will be extremely jealous but will have to wait until next year’s women’s 6 piece grooming set.

A clear lack of equality and cry for feminist surf hero Lucy Small to intervene.

Science-based encouragement.

This is, without a doubt, the most stressful time of the year. Oh, it has nothing to do with increased traffic, rushing about trying to buy thoughtful gifts, cramming through packed airports onto packed planes on the way to grouchy in-laws no, no, no.

This is, you see, Nutcracker season wherein stages from Sacramento to Sydney, St. Pete to St. Petersburg, become graced with sugar plum fairies and snow queens, soldiers and rats, a kindly uncles showing maybe too much interest in young nieces and tall men in drag.

The Nutcracker. Joyful, beautiful but the stress, oh the stress. The hair and makeup, costume fittings, rehearsal shuttling, matinee-evening show doubleheaders and that is just for parents with young children involved in the corps. I have one of those, dancing four roles. I, as previously shared, am dancing too as “Party Dad” and “Mother Ginger.”

Stress to the heavens in trying to remember choreography, quick changes, where to be on stage, when to clap above my head for all the little Bon Bons to scamper back under my dress, how to apply lipstick over a mustache.

Stress, amen.

Thankfully my personal digital fitness and health coach has kept me from having a full blown aneurysm. My strain is redlining, due the added stress, but dear WHOOP lets me know, minute to minute, that I’m still ok. That while my strain is “high,” my recovery is still “healthy.”

Without access to this science-based encouragement, I might actually believe the way my head feels and keel over. But no, no, no I’m making fitness gains. I am living my very best life.

The surf has been awful for the past few weeks but when it decides to turn back on, I will dance upon waves like I have never danced before.

Curtains rise this Friday.

Come witness glory for yourself, if you happen to be Southern California-adjacent.