I'm another guy who suggests finding a decent used board. There's got to be some out there. Check the local papers, the weekly rags, bulletin boards, campus newspapers and the boards at student centers. There's always some student broke and selling what they can. Some of them probably surf. Good luck! You don't want to miss this season.
There are all kinds of surfboards on eBay, it looks like they are in the 100-300 dollar range. Now, I know nothing about surfboards, but maybe you could get by with a cheapie and then have enough cash lef tot get LP too.
hey Blade... If all else fails, and you must choose.....just remember that you can get access to the games...even if it is 24 hours later... you can keep up with the games in chat in real time...and then download the video of the game a day later..... that way you can watch the Rockets games AND get a new board.. just a suggestion on how you can have your cake and eat it too..
I'm pretty athletic, but trying to learn to surf was really tough. I have to agree with everything FBlade says. I spent a few weeks in Bali, Indonesia trying to learn on a short board. In retrospect, I should have tried a medium or long board first. But like FBlade said, it's a great feeling getting up, it beats the crap out of you, paddling is brutal, and it's really fun. For comparison in difficulty, I was snowboarding with ease in just two days. I think I only caught like 3-5 waves in two weeks of surfing.
Let me start off by saying I don't really surf. But that said ... It's my understanding that surfboards definitely have a shelf-life. Meaning, unlike golf clubs, you hafta replace 'em with relative frequency. So, if that is indeed the case, #1 I wouldn't buy a used one and #2 how about buying a more affordable one? Go cheap so when you bang it up, you won't feel so bad about it. Plus take the extra $ and put it in your league pass fund.
Thanks for the advice. Do you have an idea how to approach them about negotiating the price? Do I just call up and say this is too expensive, can I pay less for the same services? I would love to get some money off of my Direct TV bill. R2K - You have once again come through in the clutch(sorry for the horrible pun). You bring up a good point about dl the games. That's a huge service you provide. It's comforting to know that if for some reason I can't get league pass that will be available. StupidMonkiker - Thanks for suggesting E-bay. The only thing about buying from e-bay is the shipping. Shipping on a longboard can be $200 in itself. So I'd have to add that to the price. I will keep my eye open and see if there are any boards locally that I could drive to and pick up.
I think this is easy. Get the board. You'll be able to find a way to watch games other ways. A dozen will be nationally televised. You might find a bar with the game. Do you have a friend with LP? Plus, there's the newspaper, downloads, chat, BBS. Watching basketball is a vicarious undertaking. Surfing isn't much fun unless you're actually doing it.
It's a pretty arbitrary statement to say either this or that because we want to buy a house. You guys need to sit down and make a budget and prioritize your spending. How much do you make, how much are your basic necessities, how much do you need in cash for emergencies, how much do you need to save each month and how many months before you buy a house? Go back over your last year's checks and charges and see what your real spending patterns are. How much house can you afford? How much do you need to put down on it to avoid PMI? If a house is your top priority as a couple, you may need to think about giving up your hours of surfing and maybe even getting a second job. If hanging loose is your top priority as a couple maybe you should let go of the house dreams. The biggest road block to a happy marrige and hence a happy life is the conflict over money. Understanding each others goals and drive will reduce the pressure of unrealistic expectations. I'm guessing this conflict isn't really just about a $500 surfboard because in the California real estate market $500 isn't even significant nor is $200 fo hoops. Your probably going to need a minimum of $50K before you can even think about a house and probably more like 100. It's perfectly reasonablelife choice to say I just want to hang out and surf and watch all the Rockets on cable if that's what you want to do. But your wife needs to understand you. If she is disappointed in you she will be miserable and if you feel pressure to please her you will be miserable.
I agree with much that Gene had to say about it. In Houston, it is quite possible to buy a house for which $600 is a noticeable portion of the down payment. I'm not so sure that's the case in California. But the real issue is about budgeting money to meet your needs and goals. What makes this sort of decision so difficult is that I think most of us are used to getting most of what we want almost all the time (within reason, of course). In my experience, it can be fairly rewarding to choose to sacrifice some minor pleasure for a more significant goal. It is freeing to learn that you don't NEED as much as you thought you did. That said, if it turns out you really can afford only one of those hobbies, I'm with JV in choosing the board. It was a little sad to see my brother only able to watch while other people surfed because he didn't have a board with him.
Thanks for all the advice and help. I ended up finding a cheap board, and got it today. I also found a week long training that pays one grand, so I will sacrifice that week, and do the training to pay for both the board and LP. You guys are right that $600 doesn't really put a dent in home ownership in LA, but save that money long enough, and every little bit helps. We probably won't put down a full 20% for the downpayment. With weddings, medical bills, and other incidentals that could come up, it's better to have some money put away in the budget in addition to what we're saving for the house. The money from the board has temporarily come out of that fund. Thanks for all the advice and kind offers everyone.
