Plus Letters To the Editor
How much do you think you know about the lives of professional surfers? We’ve all read superficial profiles about surfing stars, but there’s something deeper about Kara Guzman’s profile of Nat Young in this, our second annual Surfing Issue. It’s something that goes beyond just the analysis of his impact on the sport or his surfing regimen. And it’s something that, to me, is very Santa Cruz. At the heart of Guzman’s profile is Young’s relationship with his mother Rosie—the incredible lengths to which she’s gone to support him, and even the love you can see they have for each other in their photo.
I can be a little cynical about “inspirational” stories—sometimes the label is just an excuse for hollow sentimentality. But I really did feel inspired by the bond between Nat and Rosie Young, and how Nat is building an incredible career on that rock-solid foundation. I kinda want to go out and start my own surfing career right now. As long as it’s OK to boogie board in pro competition, I am totally set.
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Spooked
I wanted to write and thank you for the insightful article “Walking with a Ghost” in the recent Good Times (2/10).
I’ve read a thousand of these, and have never been compelled to try to contact the writer of an article before but this one really got to me.
As a 30-year-old who grew up in Santa Cruz and has lived in big cities, (Bay Area, L.A.) I’ve gotten to see this ghosting phenomenon on different scales.
Your article has described things that I’ve both done and been on the receiving end of. It made me go back and question my own involvement with this behavior and why I did it or allowed it to be done.
Texting is truly a terrible way to express feelings, but I hear people argue it’s “easy” or “convenient.” But really … it’s shallow. (I use it for work mostly, but hate it for my personal life.)
I have no social media for this reason, except LinkedIn. And that’s all for work.
I’m grateful you took the time to write about this, and wish it got more coverage in mass media.
Trevor Adrian | VIA EMAIL
PRICE LINES
In response to your recent article about affordable housing (GT, 2/17), please be aware that the Board of Supervisors has agreed to the builder of the Aptos Project renting out the 10 low-cost housing units, at market rate price, for at least five years. I would also urge the public to become more informed about traffic, water and environmental issues by going to the affordablehousingsantacruz.com and weareaptos.com websites. I agree with Gary Patton’s comments that the only solution is for existing “units to be sold or rented with permanent price restrictions.”
Juliet Goldstein, Aptos
Online Comments
Re: Heart Me Up
What a sweet way to look at it! I’m going to do this with my friends. Valentine’s Day can make me sad, but now I’m excited for it!
— Lynn M
Right on! Valentine’s Day is a necessary day of love in a life with so many distractions and worries. Thank you for reminding us!
— Jennifer Wren
Re: Walking with a Ghost
Just recently had this act happen to me by a guy I met online. We were talking and met two times in person. We were dating casually or just talking. We kept in contact for six weeks before he just decided to start ignoring me and cut me off. But two days before he started ignoring me, he called my phone and we talked. I told him to just be honest with me if he was feeling differently about anything and about me and his exact words were “Do you think I would still be calling you if I had lost interest?” And we were even talking about plans of meeting up again and hanging out on the weekend. Then he just ghosted me. I am just left feeling confused, wondering why, is it something I said? I will never know, I guess, and I just have to move past this. Thank goodness we weren’t serious or knew each other longer than those six weeks or I would be feeling a whole lot worse about this. Bottom line is ghosting is a bad thing to do to a person you’ve known, talked to, hung out with, dated, and especially were in a relationship with. Just be upfront and honest with them, the truth may hurt or be saddening, but silence with no answers or explanation is even worse.
— A girl
Letters Policy
Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for length, clarity, grammar and spelling. They should include city of residence to be considered for publication. Please direct letters to the editor, query letters and employment queries to le*****@gt******.com . All website-related queries, including corrections, should be directed to we*******@gt******.com .
PARTY OF ONE Valentine’s Day can be about the love of catching a wave, too, as it was for this surfer at Natural Bridges. Photograph by Sheri Levitre.
SHARE AND CARE
Dominican Hospital received a donation of $3,500 and more than 700 pairs of socks earlier this month from local students. The donation to support homeless patients came on Feb. 11 from Good Shepherd Catholic School, which enrolls students from preschool through eighth grade. Students and parents gathered the donations as a part of the school’s annual Great Kindness Challenge. They have been given to the Dominican Emergency Department.
OCEAN SIDE
Former lawmaker Fred Keeley always brings the best to UCSC to discuss the environment and benefit science scholarships. This year, organizers outdid themselves, bringing in Steven Chu, former U.S. secretary of energy and winner of the Nobel Prize. He will give Saturday’s keynote address for the school’s climate conference. Chu will also speak at a dinner at the College 9/10 Multi-Purpose Room at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 to benefit Keeley Coastal Scholars.
