You've heard of 'men trapped in women's bodies', well my friend, you're about to hear the story of a Southern Californian trapped in a Wisconsinites body.

It started innocently enough around the age of ten, when I begged and begged my parents for my first record album (yes I'm that old)- K-Tel's 'Beach Boys Forever'.  Thus began a lifelong obsession with all things related to sun, sand, and surf, with the epicenter being southern California.  Thirty years later, with some 15 trips to San Diego, OC, and LA under my belt, I'm ready to admit my problem.

 My name is Dean Thompson, and I'm a Cali-holic.

 Now, you may ask yourself, 'why the hell doesn't he just move there?'.  Fair question.  And to be honest, the big move has almost happenned a couple of times (and may still occur).  Thus far, however, a love of my home state and everything that entails (Packers, Brewers, Badgers and everything cheese) has kept me here (along w/my mother who lives alone since the premature passing of my father to muscular dystrophy). 

With each passing winter, however, another part of my soul is permanently lost in the 50+ inches of snow that blankets our landscape and my beach persona.

This is where you come in.  As with most addicts, I'm having trouble affording my addiction.  Like most of us, my 401k has taken more hits than Muhammad Ali, and furloughs and lost hours from my job in the UW Athletic Dept (cough.. cough.. I can get you tickets..hack....cough) have severely cut into my travel budget.  

Free airfare to Sun Diego might not cure me of my addiction, but as with all addicts, nothing will.  Part of admitting I have a problem is coming to grips with the fact that I will be a Cali-holic for as long as I live.

What a trip would do, however, is allow this broken down kook (novice surfer) a chance to visit Tourmaline Surf Park (on the northern edge of Pacific Beach) to take in a surf session (or in my case, 'not drown' session), catch a Padres game to see if the offense they seemed to find against the Brewers will last, and take a long trail run up in Mission Hills Regional Park (with the added cross-training benefit of dodging rattlesnakes.

I appeal to your sense of compassion to allow a grizzled victim of a lifetime of 'California Dream' marketing to enjoy one more sunset over the pacific.

 Sincerely,

'Jan and' Dean Thompson

"you know we're going to Surf City gonna have som fun....."

 p.s.- the attached photo is a shot of me as a baby when I found out I was NOT born in California.