THE DREAM IN ACTION

In an effort to support Blog Action Day’s Climate Change initiative I’d like to introduce you to the SurfriderFoundation.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches, for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. Being from San Diego I grew up with the Surfrider Foundation sponsoring events and surf contests that I competed in. It’s an awesome organization that is focus on the health of our beaches and oceans. Something that is important to me.

Surfrider Foundation’s unique membership includes ocean enthusiasts of all sorts: Surfers, bodysurfers, bodyboarders, windsurfers, swimmers, divers, beachcombers and ocean-loving families from all walks of life. If you’re interested in becoming a member, go to www.surfrider.org/join or call 1-800-743-SURF.

From the Surfrider site:

Volunteering for the Surfrider Foundation

Volunteerism is the life blood of the grassroots Surfrider Foundation USA with its 60+ volunteer-driven chapters located along the East, West, Gulf, Puerto Rican, and Hawaiian coasts. See our “Volunteering” Menu Book” for how to volunteer at a Surfrider Foundation Chapter. Go to our Surfrider Chapters page to find the closest chapter near you. At the chapter-level, there are all kinds of volunteer activities to do, from beach cleanups to water testing to educational presentations to writing newsletters to attending city council meetings to many other things.

At the Surfrider Foundation National Office in San Clemente, CA, summer internships are available. Also, volunteers are always needed. Call 949-492-8170 or email membership@surfrider.org about volunteer opportunities at the national office.

The next few months are going to be crazy. I just moved out of my apartment, then I’m heading to San Diego for Christmas on Wednesday morning. I’ll be out in SD until January 6th spending time w/ family, meeting my San Diego based Twitter “friends” and hopefully getting some sweet stuff for Christmas. Then in January I’ll be living with some family friends in the Milwaukee burbs so I can avoid paying rent for the month I’ll be in China; I’m headed to Shanghai in February. After I get back from China I’ll be back here in downtown Milwaukee.

Because of this, I’ve spent the last 3 days moving out of my apartment. I’ve been largely offline with minimum interneting (as my gf would say) and it’s been kind of nice. Pretty much all of my work involves being online and starring at a screen and I think sometimes its good to close the laptop and get out and work…you know manual labor. I’ve spend much of my time last few days out working in the snow and something about working in the cold really makes me feel like a man. Can anyone relate?

Took a little bit of video while I was in SD last week. Didnt’ you think I wouldn’t share it?

:Surf:SD:  is a site that is based on the PopURLs model. It is designed aggregate photos and news from San Diego (my beloved  home town). It is catered to me by pulling the things I’m interested in – local SD news, Padres news, and surfing news…and photos. This is a little side project that I will share with my friends and anyone else who thinks they would use the site and I may add topics/sections as is appropriate.

If you have any questions or suggestions for :Surf:SD: please email me, or use comments on this post.

Hello all, As you are reading this I’m on vacation. You can check Dopplr for my complete itinerary but here’s the plan by pictures. I hope all is well with you. Twitter me (@ryangraves) if you are in NYC and want to hang out this weekend.

Thursday

Friday Morning

Friday Night