Heat Wave!

Chicago Tribune reporter Mary Schmich wrote an essay in the late '90s titled "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young." It was a hypothetical commencement speech that she wrote to the graduating classes of that year. This beautifully written address began and ended with the same priceless advice: wear sunscreen.

Sitting here now, I can certainly attest to the value of such wisdom, and the unfortunate reminder that results when said advice is not heeded. Let me just say that if it wasn't for the miraculous healing power of aloe vera, I would spending the next few days lying in a cold bath of water, cursing the world.

Will and I decided to take a little road-trip up to the Coromandel this past Saturday and enjoy some of the excellent (see: extremely hot) weather. It was about a 3+ hour drive, which put us there around 10 am on Saturday morning. The sky was a bit overcast and it wasn't too warm yet, so we decided we'd be safe to take a little morning walk before lathering on the spf 50.

The sun apparently doesn't appreciate having its might put into question. About 30 minutes down the beach it decided to sneak up on us like a thief in the night (for lack of a better and less-ironic simile). We reached the car under the false hope that maybe it hadn't 'noticed us' yet. Maybe, we thought, if we rushed to put on sunscreen now, it might magically counterattack the effects of UV rays seeping into our flesh for the last hour unprotected. Unfortunately, like most forms of mysticism, that simply wasn't the case.

The result would be comical if it didn't hurt so much to laugh. The sun apparently had a little more bone to pick with Will, as he took the majority of the burn and ended up with a perfect outline of the area where his skin wasn't protected by his shirt. I, on the other hand, ended up with a very burned neck, which apparently is much funnier to Will who instantly recognized the connection to my southern heritage. Rednecks - as they say - are proud of it.

That aside, our adventure to the Coromandel somehow managed to top all previous trips. These are basically the beaches that even New Zealanders consider vacation spots, which says a lot considering I'm in a country where you can be at a beach within hours regardless of where you live. Walking along the sand, looking out into infinity, was truly surreal. I couldn't stop thinking that there weren't enough hours in the day for me to take it all in and truly appreciate the experience to its full potential.

Will wanted to take a hike to some rock formations nearby where we could jump into the ocean. We decided to go a little off-road, like we do, and see if we could scale along the rocks that outline the beach at low tide. The trick here, of course, is to make sure we reach our destination BEFORE high tide. After 30 minutes of taking this improvised path, we were within site of the rock formations. The only problem was that the outlining rocks had suddenly become steep cliffs that only a very advanced climber would dare attempt, lest ye be thrown into the jagged rocks below.

Our only option was to turn back and return to the beach. Hastily. About 20 minutes into our walk back, the tide began to come in. Although we were still at a safe distance above the water, one surprise wave swept up and slapped Will in the face, taking with it a nice trophy - Will's $300 prescription glasses. Sad to say, this suddenly became a slightly more expensive trip for my good buddy.

After a few hours of swimming in the crystalline waters, we made our way back home. This time a little more slowly, as Will can't exactly see much at a distance without his glasses and I cant exactly drive by New Zealand laws. I swear, if you stuck the two of us in a china shop we'd give the bull a run for his money.

Lastly, and as a somewhat-unrelated side note, I highly recommend listening to the commencement address that I mentioned above, and you can hear it (put to music) at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ

If you can't view videos or listen to audio, you can read the speech here (although I have to say the video is much, much more powerful):

http://256.com/gray/quotes/schmich.html

It's one of those speeches that can put your life back into perspective for those of us who constantly need a nudge in the right direction. Please take 7 minutes of your day for that. I promise you won't regret it.

Warm to the touch,
John