Looks like the 'You know when you are addicted' forum has died... Maybe in the spirit of the new year we can revive it? Here's my effort to get things started (apologies for any offensive ones, and I'm in WA, can you tell)...
You know you are addicted when:
- You go on upwinders instead of downwinders, because they last longer
- You are against wind farms in case they use it all up
- You support desalination plants because your gear will last longer in fresh water
- Dead whale = slider. Overturned fishing boat = slider. Your old EL Falcon = slider + kicker
- You smash your own car window at Woody's so you don't have to worry about being the last car in the carpark
- Your friend commited suicide and you thought it was a freestyle move.
- You don't go to his funeral because your only suit is wet, and its 20 knots.
- Offshore scarborough means onshore Gaansbai
- Your friends think your kids are 7 and 9, because you are always talking about going to the beach with them, but can never decide which one to take.
- Your mum is telling you she is having bladder problems and you explain how to test for leaks in the bath
- Your wife tells you she is going strapless tonight and you get aroused for the wrong reasons
- Your jokes aren't one liners, they're four liners
- Closeout is what your wife does with the laundry
- You take your kids to the beach - for extra weight in the gusts
- Nighttime = no crowds
- Dolphins recognise you but your kids don't
- Your definition of marriage is a legal union between a man and someone who catches your kite
- You have a boardroom but you're unemployed
- Your wife tells you she has bought you a new hybrid and you're really excited until you get home and there is a new car in the driveway.
- When you sell your house you advertise the living area as 10m2 (FSA), 35 available
- Your wife tells you she is going to the waxer and you ask her to renew your membership while she's there
- You have invented your own kiting moves, like "walking the dog", where you see how far you can separate a dog from its owner on a downwinder while he is chasing your kites shadow
- You start a new "You know you are addicted..." thread, after thirty pages of the same thread already exist....
you drive past a right of way and see letter boxes 7,9,11,13 and think... that would make a nice quiver.
you know you are addicted when:
you know your car is absolutely f4cked and stalls every time you brake to idle speed, and sometimes won't start after that but still take it out to the beach because you just HAVE to get out there..
Girlfriend: You are gonna get stuck out there with that piece of sh!t...
Me: But have you seen the trees? there is great wind out!
(turns out my girlfriend was right. Yes I ended up pushing it along an intersection after it stalled at a red light... I tried to restart it on the other side but no use... I had to get it pushed by someone back to my house)
I love the wind, I love the waves, I love my board... I'm slightly sunburned and have a 2 beer glow... I feel like I've been on the best ride at Dreamworld. I LOVE kiting
WHEN.... You go out for a 3 hour session, unhooked for a good percentage of it, can't feel your arms, legs, abs, back, calves, quads. Yet can't sleep because your that anxious in anticipation for tomorrows epic session.
When you leave your mobile at home and sneek out for a session when the wife and kid are sleeping!!!
..you move to a new city with no house to live in and you know you need to devote several days to the rental market, but all you can think about is your first kiting session!
you spend the last hour at work quickly pacing around the shop practicing your handlepasses to try and settle your pre kite jitters from the stupid amount of adrenalin building up in your system...
You're considering moving to another state because the kiting is better and you have more friends there (who understand the concept of DOW)
Edited to say: or another town in your own state because it's closer to your kiteshop
You know you addicted when you take 7wks off work over summer, which is ample time for an overseas trip ,but the only places you other then Woodys, Point Walter and leightons is Augusta, Marges and Lancelin...
and you get excited over commenting on forums about kitesurfing and forget to put words like "go" in your reply, and grammar goes out the window..
Or when you post 2 out of your 3 posts in a thread that you would've searched for in a thread that is over a month old!!!
Oh I'm ADDICTED enough to not worry about a shower after a late arvo sesh because I'm getting up at 5am for a sesh before work, why waste the water!!!