Zach Dotsey

Today was the borthday of at least three people that I know.  In order of how long I’ve known them, there was Margie Revill, the mother of my best friend Jason Revill; Britt Jensen, one of my siter Erin Dotsey’s best friends; and Matt Davis, whom I know through church.

I got an e-vite a few weeks ago to Matt’s birthday party, which was to be a surprise party thrown by his wife, Melissa (who is very pregnant!).  I haven’t been to their house since they day I helped them move in there, which was coincidentally the day Amanda and I got Harvey, but I found it easily enough.  It’s in Leland and we expected it to take us about half an hour to get there, but it really only took about half that time.

Anyhoo, Melissa had taken Matt and a number of other people out to eat while a few other people met at the house and got things ready.  Melissa stalled and the people who were out with them met back up at the house.  We all his and turned the lights out, but the big surprise came from Kevin Millard, a friend of Matt and Melissa’s and a photographer I’d heard much about.  Kevin thought it would be a good idea to find a Speedo of Matt’s and put it on, waiting for Matt to come home.  So we all his while Kevin sat on the couch in the living room with candles lit.  Our cue to pop out and yell surprise was to be the lights coming on and whatever Matt’s reaction was.

It was pretty funny.  Matt later said that one thought that crossed through his mind was that Melissa had hired a prostitute and how really weird a thing that was for her to do.

Anyway, we had a good time at the party.  We met a number of new people and I ended up doing a little business networking to boot.  Ironically, Matt had given Kevin my contact info to discuss search engine optimization because we’d done such an excellent job with his and Melissa’s business, Lifestage Videography.  I think we’re going to get together on Monday to talk about it.

On the way home I called Nick Warkentien.  He and Amy are on their way to Michigan to visit their families and they have a sixteen hour drive ahead of them.  Nick didn’t answer, later telling me that he was on the phone with his mom, so I left him a message saying I was calling to laugh at him since they had such a long drive ahead of them.  Amy had done TILT, a function for the kids at Port City Community Church, and they hadn’t been able to leave until about 9:30.

Nick called me back after we got home (and Amanda had already gone to bed) and we chatted for a few minutes.  We discussed how tomorrow, after I’d slept for the night, gotten up and ridden to Durham, they’d still be driving.  And a little later, while I’m going to be tailgating outside of Wallace Wade Stadium, getting ready to watch the Blue Devils beat up the Wolfpack, they’ll still be driving.  When he called they were still about half an hour on this side of Raleigh.

I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow.  I’ll be wearing my gray Duke t-shirt, my fitted Duke hat and possibly I’ll take my Duke sweatshirt in case it gets chilly.  Amanda’s grandparents, Peggy and Earl Lemons, will be coming to town so Peggy can take Amanda shopping for new clothes.  Bras, specifically, I think.  Amanda’s boobs are getting bigger.  I’d thank Pistachio for that, but I can’t do anything with them right now anyway.

Michael Mercer, Amanda’s brother, called while we were at the party and asked if I wanted to go surfing tomorrow, but I told him that not only would I be in Durham watching Duke and State, but I didn’t have a wetsuit yet anyway.

Speaking of that, Surf City called today to make sure they were ordering the right wetsuit for me.  I asked if there were any that came with some color and they said they could order one with blue, red, green or yellow on it.  I asked what color blue and they said royal, so that, followed by red, was my first choice.  Green and blue are actually my favorite colors, but I think the red on the black would look really cool.  Then again, yellow would be cool too.  They all would, actually.

Anyway, when I told Michael he said he wished he could have gotten one with color and, without me mentioning the colors, said he’d have liked one with yellow.  I like the fact that what I’m getting is different from his, just because it distinguishes them and doesn’t make it look like I copied him so much.  What can I say?  For the price, quality and features he picked the best model wetsuit.

Zach Dotsey

It’s a good thing Amanda and I didn’t waste much time this morning after we woke up.  We got up, ate cereal, took showers and, semi-arbitrarily, decided to go vote.  North Carolina is one of the states that allows early voting, which is a great idea.  What sucked, though, is that it took us literally about three and a half hours.  We got to the north campus of Cape Fear Community College at about a quarter after ten and didn’t leave until about ten ’til two.

Part of the problem is that I heard the news reported that this early voting station, a mere five minute drive from our house, has not been crowded, so I think that encouraged more people to vote there.

It wasn’t very exciting.  There were two somewhat obnoxious guys behind us for the first hour, maybe less, but they eventually bailed.  We talked to a lady in front of us a bit.  Other than that it was a bunch of standing and sometimes sitting on the floor.

To make things worse I forgot to charge my iPhone last night.  There was enough juice to take a couple pictures and for Amanda and I to use the internet to brush up on some of the candidates’ stances on issues (one of us actually changed who we decided to vote for) and to have a short phone conversation.  Nick and Amy Warkentien were going to a Polish festival and had invited us to go, but we didn’t make it out in time.

So who did we vote for?  It doesn’t matter, really.  I don’t feel like enough with change no matter who wins the election.  It’s historical either way though- a (half) black president or a female vice president.  I really wish I’d brushed up on the local candidates though.  I’m kind of embarrassed that I didn’t.

One thing I think they should do if they’re going to offer early voting is to let them voting stations stay open later.  They’re open from 9:00 to 4:00, which is great if you’re a college student or you don’t work.  They should be open during times that are convenient for more people, and I think they’d have a greater impact that way.

After serving our grueling duty for America Amanda and I went home, let Bruce and Harvey out for a bit and watched last night’s episode of The Soup before heading out to Wrightsville Beach.  Amanda and her aunt, Anna Frazelle, walked Bruce, Harvey and Scout.  I was going to go too, but Amanda’s brother, Michael Mercer, showed up right before they left and he and I were going to go with Barry Frazelle, their uncle, to look at wetsuits.

First we went to Surf City, where Michael and I both found suits that fit us perfectly- he a small and I a medium short.  We then went to Sweetwater to compare what they had there.  There were some less expensive wetsuits at Sweetwater, but Surf City was willing to match prices and deals.  Michael ended up buying the one he tried on earlier and I had them order me one of the same because they didn’t have it in my size.  I liked his better because it’s got a part that helps cover up the neck hole to keep from getting flushed as much.  I hate to copy him, but it’s a good deal and it’s exactly what I want as well.

Before we went back to Sweetwater to get Michael’s wetsuit (and booties) Barry took us to Vito’s Pizza and bought us each a beer for the hard shopping work we’d done.

Amanda and I left Anna and Barry’s shortly after we got back.  She was hungry and ready to go.  her original plan was to make some macaroni and cheese, but we had to stop and get some dog food (it ran out this morning) and she was too hungry to really wait.  Not wanting to be a man who starves his pregnant wife, we stopped at Atlanta Bread for some quick dinner, got the dog food and came on home.

We watched Fringe and an episode of Law & Order: SVU before Amanda went to bed.  I watched a Smallville and am about to go to bed soon.  We gain an hour of sleep by getting to set our clocks back, but I hate it because it will be dark after work so I won’t get to go surfing during the week so much anymore.

The Duke Blue Devils football team, as I read it, threw away a victory over Wake Forest today.  Apparently the special teams just melted down today, although the offense was doing well.  That’s okay- Coach Cut has already really improved this Blue Devils team and in subsequent years he’s only going to make it better and better.  They’re already markedly better than they have been in a long time.

Zach Dotsey

I was invited to surf with the big kids today.

The day started off with Amanda singing some silly song in a jazzy/bluesy tone before I went outside to mow the lawn.  I didn’t get too far, and for the first time since we moved into the house (not including the initial fill-up of course) I had to go refill the gas can we use for the lawn mower.

While I was doing that I got a call from Barry Frazelle, who said that he and his daughter, Hannah Frazelle, were going to paddle over to Masonboro Island to surf, if I would like to join them.  The reason for this was that the waves appeared to be good but there was a lot of wind, and the way Masonboro Island is, the waves come in but the wind gets blocked.

Honestly, I felt like the kid who’s always picked toward the end in kickball getting picked towards the start.  Seriously, it was such a childish pride thing.  You see, Masonboro Island isn’t far from the south end of Wrightsville Beach, but it’s not a stone’s throw either, and you have currents, boats and sometimes sharks to deal with in crossing over to it.  So I was excited.

I got back and finished mowing, ate an almost-burnt egg and cheese bagel (Amanda forgot to turn off the stove) and got to la casa Frazelle just after 11:30.  I grabbed Betty and we headed off.  The trip over wasn’t too bad, although I pretty quickly fell behind everyone else.  Once ashore we walked through a path to get to the surfing spot and it was such an amazing sight.  The waves were head high and just rolling in like giant mounds of water.  Unfortunately it was also pretty crowded, probably because of the returning college students.

I went out, paddled around a bit and almost caught one wave.  Well, I caught it and I was just starting to stand when the board just gained some speed and shot out from under my feet.  I tried to get back out for a bit after that, but I couldn’t get out past the breakers.  I did get a little seawater though, and that taste stuck with me for most of the day. After struggling a bit I decided to give it a rest so I wouldn’t be too tired on my paddle back.

I finally did get back out and caught a pretty good wave and rode it all the way in.  I was proud, and I think I stuck my tongue out with a grin as I passed by a guy who was paddling back out (I didn’t stick it out at him, it was just out as I passed him) and made him laugh at my newbishness.  But the wave I caught was a good one.  I got it and it dropped, then as it was giving out another one came and kept me going.

I had the same problem getting back out, part of which I’ll blame on Betty- she is 7′4″ (or 7′6″?) afterall, very bouyant and hard to duck dive, and I’ll blame myself, for not being good at duck diving.  I was about to go back out to try again but I heard Barry and Hannah call over to me- it was time to go.

The paddle back- well, I lived.  Barry, Hannah, and some guy they sort of knew who paddled back over with us were all waiting on me on the shore.  When I got up off the board the first thing I said was “439.”  That’s how many strokes I counted after I realized I needed something to do to take my mind off what I was doing.  So I’d estimate it was a bit over 500 strokes, or a bit over 1,000 there and back again.  Hannah asked how I was doing and I told her I was breathing.  Because I was, kind of heavily.

I didn’t see any sharks, but I did see a jellyfish in the water about halfway through the trip.  I hate those things.  They’re literally so stupid.  They’re so stupid that they don’t even have brains and they just float along on the currents.  And no, I didn’t get stung by that one.

There was a mass expulsion from the Frazelle household.  There were a number of things leading up to it, but the main items are that there were people at Anna and Barry’s hanging out in the back (which is under their bedrooms) at 6:15 in the morning, Kirsten doesn’t feel comfortable taking a shower in the back because random people walk back there all the time and one of Kirsten’s friends felt uncomfortable when she was waiting by the door and a gang of guys she didn’t know walked out from the back of the house.

And so Anna and Barry have decided to reclaim the house for their own.  Non-family members aren’t allowed to go to the back unless they’re with family (that is, Michael and I are free to come and go as we please still).  All the surfboards are to be picked up and taken from the back, along with the towels, bathing suits and boxers hanging around.  Anna cleared off the concrete and pressure washed the whole area this evening, and I have to say it looks nice.

I’ve decided, partly because of the above (there aren’t going to be as many surfboards to choose from anymore) and partly because there’s not a great selection of boards to take to Topsail this coming weekend, that it’s time for me to get a board of my own.  Barry, Michael and I checked some out last weekend, and as Amanda and I were heading home to let the dogs out for a bit, he stopped by Surf City and looked with me and Amanda again.

I think I want to get a 7′2″ or a 7′6″ surfboard, most likely an NSP.  (That’s the brand.)  I’m leaning towards a 7′2″ because with my short arms they’re usually of a much more comfortable width to carry.  Longer ones I often end up carrying over my head, which just doesn’t look as cool.

Barry was in the mood for an Outback steak.  Back in the day I and some friends used to go there a lot and eat that and I love some Alice Springs Chicken, cheese fries and Chocolate Thunder from Down Under.  So I ordered an Alice Springs Chicken and cheese fries while Amanda made some chicken of her own.  We stopped by 17th Street Surf Shop to check out boards then picked up the food for everyone and went back over to the Frazelles’.  Barry gave me money for their part of the order, but he overpaid by about $30 which, coincidentally, just happened to cover all but $2 of the total cost.  I told him he’d overpaid and said he didn’t need to do that, but he said we had picked up the food.  I told him it wasn’t much out of the way and it certainly wasn’t $30 out of the way, but he insisted we keep it.

he even ordered two Chocolate Thunder from Down Unders for everyone to split.  They’re large ice cream brownies, in case you don’t know.

Michael was over there by then too.  He’d brought something from Atlanta Bread.  We all sat down and ate then spent some time out on the porch.  It was a nice night, but I have to get up early tomorrow to do the switching for the video at Port City Community Church.

Zach Dotsey
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I e-mailed Jennifer Hunt, the lady who was doing the charity purses at www.uniqueworldtrends.com yesterday, or maybe it was before yesterday- I can’t remember now.  No, it must have been yesterday.  Anyway, I e-mailed her and told her I’d like to help her out with her site.  She mailed back today and so we’re going to discuss it tomorrow.  I’d have talked to her today but work was really busy.

So it turns out Amanda does look at this website now and then.  If you’re reading this, my lovely little wife, I’d like to say hello to you.  You can leave a comment it you want by clicking where it says “0 Comments.”  That goes for anyone else looking at this site too.  In the last year the only person who has left a comment was Nick Warkentien, for which I thank him.  Others have left comments too, but it’s been over a year.

I mentioned going surfing to Seth Holloman today, so he might join me sometime soon.  He said his wife, Dana Holloman, wants to learn too.  Amanda, if you’re reading this, you should try surfing.  Everyone’s doing it.

I went surfing myself this evening, and had a pretty good time at it.  Barry Frazelle was left alone in the house by the time I arrived, with his wife and daughter, Anna and Kirsten Frazelle, having gone off to open house.  Kirsten is moving up to high school this year.  So Barry and I headed on out.  He gave me some tips about turning with the board, and I started turning better.  I used Betty today.

Barry had gotten a message from Mike at Surf City today, but hadn’t been able to call him back.  Barry had asked about some NSP boards on my behalf and they were out of them, but Mike called to let him know Barry could tell him what he wanted and he’d order it.  Of course, Barry would want me to go in and check it out with him, plus he wants to see what we can get for Ali, the board Charlie Bowsher gave me.  Barry said it’s a retro board and while it’s pretty fun to look at, it’s not going to be what I need.

Anyway, after the surfing I munched on some snacks there with Barry then headed on home, where I watched half of Wipeout with Amanda.  It was one of the one or two episodes we’d missed before.  I played a little College Hoops 2K7 for a little while as Amanda typed messages to the members of our small group trying to pin down times to meet and talk with them.  She went to bed, my game froze up, as they sometimes do in my Xbox 360, so I played a game of Catan with Michael.

The poor guy did abysmally and ended up with only two points.  That’s how many points your start with.  He was able to make two roads and that was all.  I ended up winning, and I probably would have anyway but it didn’t hurt that Michael was willing to trade everything he had for one of whatever I wanted to offer him.  He also did that for one of the computer players a time or two, so that helps ease my guilt.

After that we played a little bit of Call of Duty 4, just a couple rounds.

Zach Dotsey