Years ago, a buddy opined that I would really enjoy surfing a lot more if I was a little high while doing it. It seemed harmless enough, so I gave it a try.

The place was "C Street" ... a point break in Ventura. Unfortunately, it is known for being a tough paddle. The result was that paddling out seemed to take FOREVER. It was probably only a few minutes, but seemed like ages, and I seemed to be making no progress. I finally got impatient and just turned around to catch the next wave.

I can still hear all the cuss words floating about ... I apparently cut off some people who had already caught the wave. I fell off the board, my leash broke, and now I was a good 100 yards from shore and had to swim back in. With the currents being what they were, that meant a long swim AND a long walk.

To cap it all off, we all lost track of time, and were all 2 hours late to work that evening. The only reason we weren't all fired is that they didn't want to replace all 3 of us.

Another fun one. SO is diagnosed with cancer, and that set me off on a track where I thought "what the hell ... why not ... we're all going to die eventually anyway" and consumed a bit of blackberry brandy before skiing.

I found myself taking jumps I never had the guts to try before. And I landed all of them ... except one. Got my bell rung good and boy did that hurt.

So no ... not for me. I love cycling and it is dangerous enough already. My bones are too brittle for a lot more falls ... I've already had my share.