New Years Resolution

New Years Resolutions. Everyone makes em, and not many follow through with them. This year, I have three of them, that I'm going to work my hardest to keep. The first two don't really concern me, because quite frankly I don't mind these qualities - they just affect those around me. So after Shawn pointed them out, I figured that they were worthy of becoming a new years resolution - something that I really should try my best to work on.

1: Complaining.
I complain a lot, I'm told. I don't mind - I just see it as a way of venting. Complain, get it out, and move on. Maybe I need to do more of this complaining in my own head, instead of out loud. If I'm achy, then be achy - no reason to share my misery with the rest of the world. If I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes, then so be it. It is what it is and complaining isn't going to get me any further.

2: Patience.
I'm told that I'm not patient at all. I think that this is a good and bad quality - the bad part I need to start phasing out. I believe that I get what I want, do what I want, and go where I want because I'm not patient - I am a mover and a shaker and I make things happen. The bad patient comes out usually in conversations - me CONSTANTLY talking OVER people, and interrupting, because I simply cannot wait my turn.

And now for number 3....one that I am making for myself. To make MYSELF happy.

3: NO.
That's right, NO. No, I don't want to accompany you to your grandmothers picnic. NO, I don't want to go for a bikeride through town - I want to sit here and read my book. NO, I don't want to go out for lunch - it's nothing personal but I'd rather eat alone today. NO thankyou, I don't really want to buy that $20 tshirt to support your baseball team, I give to certain charities and I can sleep at night knowing that I'm a giver. No. No. No. I often say YES to whatever anyone asks me to do, whether I already have plans or if I'd really just not like to participate at all. Why is saying "no" so difficult? Do I really think that by saying NO to a lunch date that I am ruining someone's day? No...so then what is it? This year I am going to start saying NO, doing what it is that I really want to do, spending every second of my time being satisfied with how I'm spending it. It may sound selfish, but it's a way of survival, and that's what I need right now.

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” - Tony Blair

So on that note, NO, I'm not returning to New Jersey until my birthday. Because that's what I want to do.

This is going to be 2009's Mantra:

“I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it -- I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know -- but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.”
Virginia Satir

Happy New Year!

"Jersey Girl Eaten By Manta-Ray"

...that is what the paper will read.

I almost DIED today --- eaten by a school of manta rays. Most surfers dream of surfing with only two other people, in crystal clear - bright blue water, and perfect head high waves. Not I. I like to surf with some other people, more than 5, less than 10 (so that my chance of getting eaten by a shark goes down - or if I drown there will be more people there to save me). As soon as I got in the water I just had an eerie feeling. It was too calm, and too beautiful. Some of the waves were bombing, powerful close-outs - and some held up into perfect, fast, peeling waves. It was only me, cam and shawn. When the two of them would take waves back to back, I would start to hear the jaws theme, and my heart would begin to race. For someone who loves the water so much, and spends so much time in it - I am just baffled as to why I have this paralyzing fear of it! Anyways...I took a wave and then turned around to paddle back out through a big set (of course). I JUST made it over the first one, and then the second one was going to crest right on my head. As if that wasn't enough there was a school of TWENTY MANTA RAYS riding the wave, swimming RIGHT INTO MY FACE!!! I screamed bloody murder (followed by some CHOICE words....) and dove as deep as I could to the bottom of the sea, trying to escape the manta-rays deadly grasp (or should I say 'suction'?). When I came up Shawn had a look of panic on his face, thinking that I obviously was drowning, severely hurt, or being eaten alive by a monster shark. Him and Cam couldn't stop laughing when they realized what I was so worked up about. Well goddamnit - I coulda died! These manta rays are some vicious animals - especially when they travel in packs - and I won't let anyone tell me different!

Anyhow- I SURVIVED. I came home and celebrated my second chance at life with a Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Going to read my book and nurse my 40+ mosquito bites. And dad, don't be mad -- I have been DRESSING my whole body in toxic bug spray, but nothing works. What can I say? I got that sweet meat.

Love the Survivor, Cailin.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

MmMm. Vietnamese iced coffee!!! SOOOO GOOOOOD. Made that super strong bialetti espresso last night and after a long surf session this morning it was just what I needed...as strong as jet fuel. Today Hermosa was about head high (which means it was a bit overhead on me because I'm so damn short). You can tell that swell is pushing in though because the waves are filling out - a bit more thick, with a bit more power. And I've said it before, and I'll say it again - there is NO workout, NO equipment, NO routine that can prep you for surfing aside from surfing. Cause I have been busting my ass at the gym and I have been hurtin here. Another week of surf I think I will start to feel accustomed and won't be so whooped after a session. Got some nice 10's today -- which was nice because I was only really gettin 5's before in the semi-soft waves.

I'm no lady. By any means, I am no lady. But living at Soda Mary has had it's moments. There has been more farting, cursing, drunkeness and talking about shitting and having sex than I have ever been subjected to. It's an entertaining crowd for sure. A rowdy crowd. From TEXAS. "Deep in the HEART of Texas!". Les is always forgetting to put in his teeth, Adam is always ripping loud farts (thank GOD they don't stink), Mike is always forgetting Paloma (his dog) in town, Brett tells his story about getting barrelled, again and again, and Noah fires up a joint. A random crew that I have come to love, their quirks and all. I do look forward to heading to Billy's though after this weekend. It will be a completely different atmosphere. Mellow, clean (both physically and socially), and there will be some room to spread out and stretch!!!

Gotta go now, finish my muy deliciouso iced coffee and make some kind of lunch.

Pura Vida.

Nachos & Ceviche

Nachos & Ceviche
Esterillos, Costa Rica 5:15am, jan 2:

Surfed chest high Hermosa last night for a few hours before sunset with Shawn, Ben and Noah. Ben is literally twice my size, a tennis coach for England who winters here. He talks a lot, but he's really freaking funny, so it's entertaining. The waves were fun, but a tad crowded with groms and it was a bit windy. Swell has definitely arrived though, because the chest high waves were much more powerful than the chest high we have been seeing all week. This weekend is supposed to get really big and really good. Surfing worked up an appetite, so then we scrammed for food.

Shawn and I have found the best Nachos and Ceviche in Esterillos @ this restaurant in town, Azul. We went there again last night, and had an order of ceviche, and two orders of nachos. Really good. Came home and hung out on the porch, talking with Cam about Costa Rica - where it was and where it's going. We were all talking about how frustrating, and confusing, the litter is around here. Tico's will come down to the beach for the weekend - camp, party, bbq, bon fire - and then just leave, leaving all of there trash and remains on the ground. Beer bottles around the campfire, trash on the beach. I don't understand trashing your own home. It's actually the tourists who respect the beaches and the town. Cam said that it was never like this in the past - and he believes that maybe the bit more of wealth that they now have might have sparked this careless behavior. Whatever it is -- it's just plain old lazy.

Retired to bed around 8:30, up at 5am. Loading the car now (well, Shawn is...) and heading to Hermosa for what SHOULD be some really good swell.

Bought some sweetened condensed milk last night at the store, and made an extra strong bialetti espresso batch and put it in the fridge - I'm going to have a Vietnamese iced coffee when I get back from surfing!! WOOHOOO!! And there are GREEN PAPAYAS everywhere down here, so I'm going to get one and make some Green Papaya Salad - woo hooo!!!

PURA VIDA!!!!!!!!!!! xo Cailin

2009

2009.
Esterillos, Costa Rica 8am, jan 1:

The party last night was amazing. The HOUSE it was at was AMAZING. Words, nor photos, would do it justice. So just imagine the most beautiful house with the most fabulous views, and that is Briggete's house. On the top of the hill.

We all had to bring some kind of food - so we brought Noah's 3-Bean dip. If at anytime last night you wanted to find someone from the Soda Mary crew you just had to go to the table that the food was at - we were all gathered around. Or later, as more booze was consumed, they could be found in the pool. It was an animal themed party, and about half of the people there came in costume. I have TOTALLY been slacking with taking pictures, and last night was no exception. I did manage to get a few though -- but didn't get any of the great costumes. Sorry guys. They had an AMAZING, rocking band from Vancouver play at the party. They sang a lot in spanish, and they were kind of a reggae, jazz, latin fusion. Soo good. We danced all night. Shawn was out there shaking his thing, as were a ton of other people. Good stuff. Shawnie bought their cd, "Butterfly Man" by Aaron Nazuri. Check them out at their myspace, www.myspace.com/aaronnazrul . They are doing a tour all the way down to Argentina and back, out of their RV - and they are really young, all in their 20's.

Shawn and I skipped out around 11:30 pm when the alcohol consumption significantly increased. We walked down the hill and rang in the new years with the gunshots and fireworks of the neighbors. Asleep by 12:01. We slept in today though, didn't get up until 7:30!!!! Two and a half hours of sleeping in!

Having some coffee now and then heading down the beach for the Local Surfers of Esterillos Oeste group photo.

Shawnie on the roof deck, pimpin in the BEAUTIFUL canopy bed.

Adam, Me and Noah

Adam, telling a story....

Me and Pat

Noah and Hippy-Mike, Skullet-Mike, Super-Mike, Legend-Mike, on the roof deck

The Last Day of 2008

Today was the last day of 2008, and I think I had a pretty damn good year. Surfed this morning and this evening - took a trip to Jaco with the boys this afternoon and ate some good grub, and as always - read for a bit, then took a nap. After I woke up from my nap I thought about all of the amazing places I've been this past year, the wonderful friends that I have made and I'm 100% satisfied with how I spent my time, and proud of the decision that I've made. This year I have reconnected with old friends (Julisa), made new friends (Jeff & Sharon), and fell in love. It's exciting and fulfilling, and I hope that 2009 brings just as many joys.

Tonight I watched the sun set while I was out in the water with the whole Soda Mary crew and Shawn. The waves were only about waist high, but I couldn't have been with a better group of people, all laughing and cheering eachother into waves. The last wave of 2008 I got a fabulous, lined-up noseride all the way to the beach. MmmMm good. I'm ready for 2009.

"For last years words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." - T.S. Eliot

FELIZ ANO NEUVO!!

5am

5am: Coffee Time
Esterillos, Costa Rica 5am, dec 31:

It's 5am. I'm having coffee, from my BIALETTI of course. It travels well and now I never have to worry about having a bad cup of cafe. Feeling a bit off this morning. I didn't sleep too well, and neither did Shawn. We put the fan on us to cool us down and keep the mosquitoes off. Well, I like that it keeps the mosquitoes off, but I'm FREEZING at night. I know, laugh. But I'm fuckin cold!! Shawn sleeps in shorts and maybe with a sheet and I sleep in the only warm clothes I have - sweats and a long sleeve shirt, then I bundle up with a towel. Also, I got a little sick last night. Our dinner that started out Cam, Shawn and I...then later adding Noah, then became a dinner party - with Pat, Ben, Olivia, Jody, Brett, and friends joining as well. I'm always down for a dinner party, don't get me wrong- I love the group gatherings, sometimes it's nice to just have a few though. Also, I would have liked Cam or I to cook. Oh well. Now I know. I got sick after dinner - and once somethings in my stomach, it never leaves- So it was surprising, and gross, and left me feeling icky. It's the first time I've ever gotten sick from eating in Costa Rica - and it was a homemade meal! I think that we are going to go and surf Bejuco again today. Only a few more days of small waves and then this weekend a big 6-9' swell is pushing in. I can't wait! Also, tonight is the party - New Year's Eve @ the big house on the hill! It's animal themed - and I'm going as a peacock!!

As of now I think that the plan is to head down to Dominical on Jan 5th (monday). Meet up with Billy Herr for a few days and then Shawn's gotta go back to the (COLD) states.

Cam just got back and said that it is FLAT. I don't know how he can see anything, it's still pitch black out - but I never question the wisdom of Cam. ha. Write more later.

...and remember - "The best plan is to have no plan at all".

Pura Vida.

Mahi, Curry and Small Waves

Mahi, Curry and Small Waves: Day 3
Esterillos, Costa Rica 6:30pm dec 30th

Today was another great day. Woke up early and surfed, came home, ate some breakfast, and played Dominoes. Apparently Cam is a world domination domino champ - he kicked our asses. Then I headed down the beach to get some bronze on my pale ass. I brought my book (Water For Elephants) with me and finished it. SO wonderful. SO charming. Great Great Great! I'm so sad that I read it so quickly and it's over. I'm definitely going to check out other books by Sara. Shawn and Noah met me down the beach and headed out with snorkels, fins and spear guns. I swam. I had loaded up, LOADED UP, on sunscreen, but still ended up with a shoobie burn. Hopefully it will fade by tomorrow. Came home and took a power nap, then Shawn and I headed out front here in Esterillo's for a surf. It was only about waist high but it was clean, fun and long. One of the locals on the beach, who is friends with Brett (the guy we are staying with), got some video of us surfing - so she is going to send it to us! We stayed in the water til the sunset, then came back, played some dominoes and now we are waiting for dinner to be finished. It smells delicious so I gotta go...

Eating at the Casa.

$3.50 A Day
Esterillos, Costa Rica 9am, dec 30th

Eating out is cheap in Costa Rica. Good and cheap. If you are going to local spots, not expensive touristy spots, then you can get a good meal from around 1300 to 3800 colones - which is around $2.50 to $7. But Shawn needs to save money, and so do I, and groceries here are cheap - IF you are buying locally eaten stuff - not cereal or pasta. So every day Shawn and I walk down to the store and spend about 7 bucks total. That feeds us breakfast AND lunch, for the both of us. So figure $3.5 a day a piece, and that's buying us breakfast and lunch ($1.75 a meal). For breakfast we have Cam and Eggs (see recipe below), or some concoction. It's almost always in a tortilla. This morning for breakfast I fried an egg and put it in a tortilla with beans, avocado, tomato and onion, and some hot sauce. Always hot sauce. Washed it down with some hot tea and coconut cookies. Costa Rica has the most delicious cookies in all the world - and a very wide assortment. Today I loaded up on my favorites, COCANAS. They are muy deliciouso. I also got Galletas con crema and Tuareg - natural coconut cream filled cookies. We have been going out to dinner at night - I think more as something to do than anything.

Last night the "fish truck" went by. It's on no schedule (surprise surprise, tico time) so if you catch it you are lucky. They drive by with the days catch of fresh fish. For 4,000 colones...around 8 bucks, we got a HUGE filet of fresh mahi mahi, cleaned and all. Tonight Cam is going to cook dinner. Sauteed fish with coconut curry rice. Cam is who Shawn and I spend most of our time with. Everyone else around here is very nice, but Cam is the best for sure. His mother is Colombian, so he looks like one of the locals and obviously speaks flawless spanish. He is very well educated, but fell in love with Costa Rica and was over the hustle and grind of the States. So now he lives in Costa, teaching English in San Jose. He comes down to Esterillos on the weekends, though he is on holiday at the moment. He's fun to eat with, surf with, and hang with. Good people.

Right now we are just hanging at the house. It's only 9am and already so much done. The swell is dwindling but I can't complain because the water is beautiful. We surfed Bejuca, a few minutes up the road, this morning. Just cam, shawnie and me. Bout waist to chest high, super clean, super blue water, but 20 minutes between sets. Going to lounge around, read, swim, listen to music, play music and nap. Pura Vida.

Warm Water & Tortilla's

Warm Water & Tortillas
Esterillos, Costa RIca 3pm, dec 29th

After our breakfast of Cam and Eggs, I laid down and read more of my book, Water for Elephants. I bought it on the second leg of my flight to Costa, and I'm almost finished it already. It's being told by Jacob, who is now 90 (or 93, he's not sure) living in an old folks home, reflecting on his past when he worked in the circus. Its delightful in its description, a captivating story that you cant help to feel connected with. Very good - I fully recommend. I love reading in Costa...there are no distractions.

After that I joined in the "Soda Mary's Social Club" (aka the front porch...brett, adam, noah, cam and the lovely pat). We chatted, laughed and talked trash. Then Shawnee and I ventured down to the beach. He went snorkeling with the spear gun (visibility was awful though) and I cruised the beach, checking out this foreign town, and swam around. Met back up with Shawn and we just floated in the small pools of very hot water that have collected around the reef. We came home and napped. For almost 2 hours. Sound sleep. I needed it...I had a difficult time sleeping last night, still too excited to sleep. Woke up and made some lunch. I fried an egg and put it in a tortilla with avocado, black bean puree, some onion, and tomatoe. Shawn made some kind of other tortilla. Everything in tortillas! I love it!! We scarfed them down, still bleary eyed from our nap, and then I made some tea and decided to blog!! It's a little after 3pm as I write this, and I believe that we are getting ready to head down to the beach soon for a sunset session with the Soda Marys' crew. All of the winter surfing and going to the gym STILL hasn't prepped me for surfing - I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't exhausted, spent, aching all over. Another week though and I will be in the groove. Today is Adam's birthday, one of the Texas guys that's been living/working in costa for years. We are going to go out to one of the bars for some celebratory drinks. I'm gonna take it easy though, I definitely need my rest for tomorrow's session. I hope that all is well on the east coast.

Pura Vida.

CAM and EGGS

Shawn made CAM and EGGS for a post-surf breakfast. It's called CAM and eggs, because Cam is one of the guys who lives here and he taught Shawn how to make it. It sounds random, but it is SOOO SOOOO SOOO delicious.

CAM AND EGGS:
-plantains
-onion
-butter
-eggs
-tortilla
-hot sauce

Sautee diced plantains and a little bit of onions in butter until browned
Add in eggs and scramble
Serve in a tortilla -- top with some hot sauce.


SOO Good. Muy deliciouso

COSTA RICA, days 1 & 2

And so it's begun...
Newark, NJ 6:43 am, dec 28th:
The journey has begun. I'm in the Newark Intl Airport sitting in Dick Clark's American Bandstand Cafe eatting some overpriced, unethusiastic breakfast and sipping some tea from a styrafoam cup.

Getting here was a breeze. Stayed at my old roomates place, with my old roomate Rocky, in North Jersey. Woke up at 4:30am, hopped a shower, then by 5am Rocky and I were trying to load my obnoxiously large 10 foot boardbad into her Nissan Extera. My dad hooked me up with some rope and a little knot lesson: the rabbit hops over the log, into the hole, then comes back around. I'm a master knotswoman. Boom. We arrived at newark airport in 20min. I checked in, went through security and arrived at my gate 20 minutes after that which brings me to my mediocre meal, trying to kill the 2 hours I have until I board. Ha. I've never had an airport adventure go so smoothly and so quickly. The travel Gods must be happy with me. Also, USAirways only nailed me for $100 for my big board bag. More money for fish tacos now!

I'm not in Costa yet but I feel like I'm already there. I feel "tico time" setting in, and these flip flops are feeling all too familiar and fabulous. Pura Vida.

Shoes: Those Goddamn Sneakers
Newark, NJ 7:30am, dec 18th:
I hate shoes. Especially sneakers. ESPECIALLY sneakers. It takes everything inside of my being to lace up those shitty uncomfortable terrors everyday at the gym. If I could work out in my uggs, or preferably my bare feet, I would be a happy camper. But I cant. Don't think this is one of my mad rambles, this is tying into a story about what I packed, or didn't for that matter. My luggage includes a few skirts, shorts, tank tops, towels, wax, 3 pairs of flip flops, and 25 bathingsuits...and I forgot sneakers. I {subconciously} forgot sneakers. I'm going to try and bribe my dad into bringing them down for me when he heads south in Feb - I think he'll do it, I'm his favorite daughter...barefeet and all.

Tico Time
Esterillos, Costa Rica 9:30pm, dec 28th:
Arrived in costa about an hour and a half late. Shawn got to the airport about an hour and a half before my scheduled arrival time. Figures. Ha. I went through immigration, then hauled my 10 foot boardbag, 30lb duffel bag, guitar, and purse an agonizing, extremely hot 30 yards to the exit. Shawnee was there, dripping in sweat, waiting for me. We packied up and headed south. I rinsed off then we went to dinner at a cute place down the street with some people that stay at the same place we are. A couple from Switzerland (Nico and Michelle), Noah from Florida and John from North Carolina. They're all living in Costa Rica, a life on tico time.

I don't know if you've heard, but soup in costa is AMAZING. Its spiced to perfection and served with an egg ,and rice on the side. SO delectable and just enough. SO I had some Sopa NEgra, drank some agua, then retreated back to the casa. Going to bed to wake up @ 5am for surf. Heading to hermosa. Buenos Noches.

Surf and Sun, Day 2
Esterillos, Costa RIca, 12:13pm dec 29th:

Went surfing with Cam, Noah, and Shawn in hermosa. It was about chest high and clean. Kinda few and far between but thats because the swell is dropping. Some more swell should fill in tomorrow. So far, so good. Shawns cooking me some grub, so I gotta go now. Ciao.

Wax, Costa Rica and Mad Ramblin'

I am a wax whore - hoarding large amounts of the deliciously scented squares, putting up to 5 bars on each 9 foot board. My wax preference is Sticky Bumps - and I try not to stray from my tried and true brand. I was cursing this obsession while trying to clean up my boards yesterday, prepping them for travel. See, the weather outside was very chilly, not conducive to warming the wax on the board for an easy removal. So after battling the chilled wax for a while, a little {brilliant} voice in my head told me to bring the board inside the house, next to the woodstove. My mother wasn't so thrilled about it, but within minutes the wax was gliding off the board. Being a wax-fanatic isn't so bad afterall. Almost 2 hours later, I had two cleaned boards and a mountain of old wax (measuring about 10 inches tall, and 6 inches in diameter). Seriously - if you threw this wax ball at someone or something you could do some serious damage. What follows is what felt like days of applying basecoat and bars of tropical wax. Bars. And more bars. I like to stick to my board. You would never know that my purple board was purple upon looking at the deck -- it's pure white, caked with wax! Just the way I like it!!

I began packing my two longboards into the double travel boardbag I have. I get some serious stares walking through the airport with this thing -- it's ginormous, and I'm so....midget-like. In the case I packed 2 towels, my yoga mat, some bathingsuits, and 20 bars of tropical wax. The thought of being stranded with no wax in Costa makes me really anxious, so every time I would stop at the surf shop I would pick up a few more bars...just in case.

So here I am, sitting in my old apartment in North Jersey, about 30 minutes from the Newark airport. My landlord, who lives on the floor below, is probably shaking his head at my 10 foot boardbag that's downstairs in the middle of the aisle (we wouldn't even dream of trying to get it UP the stairs) and I'm sure I will get similar reactions tomorrow at the airport. I'm locked and loaded - ready to go. I'll be missing all of you on the East Coast, but not to worry, I'll be having enough fun for all of us combined!! hahaha. Sorry. I hope that everyone had a great Holiday -- I'll see you in March!!

"If you don't know where you are going, then you can never get lost."
-Herb Cohen

Twas The Night AFTER Christmas...

Last night Christian and I played at our old stomping grounds, the Trinity Pub. It was a fabulous time, and we had a good crew of people come out for the show. It was a great way to spend my last night down the shore! If you want to check out Christmas picture from all the holiday festivities, including last nights show, go to this link(you do NOT need facebook to view this album): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=193064&l=adc17&id=653500240

Christmas: Word of the Day: Crazy

"Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Hey everyone. Wednesday's Word of the Day coming to you today... Thursday - Christmas. The word that I chose today is "crazy", because it is a frequently used word in my vocabulary and I often use it to refer to myself. I also found that I used "crazy" a lot around this holiday --referring to christmas shopping, prepping for travel, family. So I figured that I would do some digging and get you the technical, literal definition -- because if someone ask's you what "Crazy" means, you can't just reply with "cailin"....

cra⋅zy

  

  [krey-zee] 

adjective

1.	mentally deranged; demented; insane.

2.	senseless; impractical; totally unsound: a crazy scheme.

3.	Informal. intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited: crazy about baseball.

4.	Informal. very enamored or infatuated (usually fol. by about):He was crazy about her.

5.	Informal. intensely anxious or eager; impatient: I'm crazy to try those new skis.

6.	Informal. unusual; bizarre; singular: She always wears a crazy hat.

7.	Slang. wonderful; excellent; perfect: That's crazy, man, crazy.

8.	likely to break or fall to pieces.

9.	weak, infirm, or sickly.

10.	having an unusual, unexpected, or random quality, behavior, result, pattern, etc.: a crazy reel that spins in either direction.

–noun

11.	Slang. an unpredictable, nonconforming person; oddball: a house full of crazies who wear weird clothes and come in at all hours.

12.	the crazies, Slang. a sense of extreme unease, nervousness, or panic; extreme jitters: The crew was starting to get the crazies from being cooped up belowdecks for so long.

—Idiom

13.	like crazy, a. Slang. with great enthusiasm or energy; to an extreme:We shopped like crazy and bought all our Christmas gifts in one afternoon. b. with great speed or recklessness: He drives like crazy once he's out on the highway.

Here are some crazies in my life:

My family (myself included, and my dad in particular)

Chino, our very insane Vizsla

And Sven, my very colorful, eccentric, excitable drumming friend

"Some people never go crazy, what truly horrible lives they must live."

(Charles Bukowski)

So go ahead - go crazy!